dhanë

Dhanë is a fictional monetary unit used in the world-building setting of the Velan archipelago. It functions as both a unit of account and a medium of exchange within the economies described in its literature and media. The term is treated as a native word, though its etymology is debated among scholars in-universe; most theories trace it to a root meaning wealth and to trade language borrowed from neighboring lands, though there is no single accepted origin.

Historically, dhanë appeared in coastal city-states engaged in long-distance trade and was gradually standardized during the Velan maritime era. By the medieval period, minted coins and defined weights facilitated wider trade across urban centers. In modern depictions, dhanë exists in coins, banknotes, and digital tokens.

Denominations include subunits called sentë, with 100 sentë equal to 1 dhanë; common physical coins include 1, 5, 10, and 50 sentë, plus 1 dhanë coins for larger transactions. Banknotes are shown in 2, 5, 10, and 20 dhanë. The monetary authority is the Velan Treasury, which maintains exchange rates with neighboring currencies and regulates minting.

Economically, the dhanë system is described as anchored by a basket of commodities and a public reserve of exchangeable assets, used to stabilize value against shocks from weather, harvests, and maritime trade. In daily life, dhanë appears in price guides, wages, and municipal budgets, and plays a role in ceremonial settings such as dowries and festivals.

See also: Currency, Velan Treasury, Velan archipelago, Sentë.