Guardians of Wealth
Throughout the lands of Ertha, whispers tell of enigmatic figures known as the Holders Merchants. These secretive entities offer an unparalleled service—protecting and safeguarding wealth for those who can afford their price. Found in the shadows of nearly every major settlement, their presence is not always visible, yet their influence on commerce and security is undeniable. Those who wish to store their valuables away from prying hands need only cross paths with a Holder Merchant. But be warned—their services come at a cost, one that binds more than mere coin.
Who Are the Holders Merchants
The Holders Merchants are not mere traders or vault keepers. They are a distinct sect among the Voidborn, creatures of the ancient chaos who once roamed freely upon Ertha before being sealed away with the closing of the Shadowgate. Unlike their kin, the Holders were not warriors of destruction but harbingers of financial manipulation, experts in dismantling economies and controlling the flow of riches. When the First Age Great War ended and the Voidborn were banished, the Holders were spared, deemed too useful to discard.
During the Reformation of the Second Age, an accord was struck between the Holders and the Star Chamber, allowing them to remain among the people of Ertha under strict conditions. In return for their continued existence, they were tasked with overseeing the protection and movement of wealth, available only to those with the means to make use of their unique talents. The Holders adapted, becoming silent sentinels of fortune, drawn only to those with significant treasure to protect.
Encountering a Holder Merchant
A Holder Merchant never seeks business in the traditional sense; instead, they are drawn to wealth as if by instinct. Anyone carrying a fortune, whether by inheritance, conquest, or trade, will soon find themselves within the gaze of a Holder Merchant. Their presence is felt before it is seen—a shadow on the periphery, a whisper in the air.
Their appearance is unmistakable: tall, thin, and draped in heavy cloaks, their forms seem fragile yet ancient. Their eyes shimmer with an unreadable depth, speaking of knowledge both terrible and vast. Their voices are hushed, never rising above a whisper, yet their words carry weight. To strike a deal with a Holder Merchant is a commitment that reaches beyond the material.
Should you wish to entrust them with your wealth, all that is required is a look—a single moment of eye contact. They will know your intent before you ever speak, and a quiet negotiation will begin. The terms will be laid before you in an unspoken understanding, and should you agree, a Guild Contract is formed. From this moment onward, the Holder becomes the keeper of your possessions, and a token is imprinted upon your very soul.
The Soul Mark: A Binding Accord
When you entrust your valuables to a Holder Merchant, you do not receive a mere slip of parchment or a physical token. Instead, the proof of your contract is engraved upon your soul—a mark that exists beyond sight or touch, yet is undeniable to all Holders Merchants. This mark serves as both proof of ownership and a key, allowing you to retrieve your items from any Holder across Ertha.
Your belongings are not kept in vaults or hidden chambers but in a space beyond Ertha itself—a parallel pocket of existence accessible only to the Holders. Regardless of where you travel, your stored wealth remains untouched and ever within reach, so long as you can pay the price to retrieve it. The mark on your soul ensures that no Holder can deny you, yet it also ensures that you are bound to their terms until your contract is fulfilled.
For a singular gold coin, you may send a message through the Holders’ network, ensuring that when you arrive in a distant town, your wealth is already waiting. The system is seamless, built upon foundations older than civilization itself.
The Hidden Costs
To those unfamiliar with the Holders, their service appears to be a near-perfect safeguard—wealth secured beyond reach, accessible anywhere, protected by ancient forces. But as with all dealings with the Voidborn, there is always more beneath the surface.
While your possessions are safe, they do not remain untouched. Holders Merchants exist beyond time as mortals perceive it, and while you journey across Ertha, your belongings may be temporarily “leased” into parallel realms. This means that while your gold, artifacts, or treasures are always returned to you upon request, they may have passed through unseen hands during their absence.
It is a truth that few speak of, but none can deny. The Holders are not thieves; they honor their contracts without fail. Yet their true wealth is not found in gold or jewels but in the transactions they conduct outside of mortal understanding.
The Holders’ Unbroken Honor
Despite their mysterious nature, the Holders Merchants abide by an unwavering code. No Holder has ever been successfully robbed. No Guild Contract has ever been broken. They do not steal, deceive, or betray. If you hold a contract, you are their client, and your wealth is protected as surely as the walls of a fortress.
The House of the Holy Rollers, who oversee the integrity of all Guild Contracts, acknowledges and upholds the Holders’ services. No authority disputes their function, and no law governs them beyond their own strictures. They exist within the cracks of the world, neither fully present nor entirely absent.
For those of lesser means, the Holders remain an unreachable mystery. Only those of significant wealth can perceive them, and only those deemed worthy may make use of their services. If a Holder Merchant approaches you, it is not by accident—it is by design.
Origins of the Holders
Rumors persist about the origins of the Holders Merchants. Some say they were once mortal, cursed by their own greed to wander between worlds, forever bound to the fortunes of others. Others believe they are something older, remnants of a time before the First Age, when the Void reigned supreme.
Regardless of their true nature, one fact remains undeniable—the Holders Merchants care for nothing beyond wealth and the contracts they uphold. Should you have the means to secure their services, they will protect your valuables as if their existence depended on it.
GM Tips
The Holders Merchants are more than just mystical vault-keepers; they are a narrative tool, a source of intrigue, and a means to expand the economic and supernatural elements of your world. Whether you’re running a Dicesongs campaign or incorporating them into your own setting, here’s how to use them effectively.
A Living Economy
The Holders Merchants do not just store wealth—they influence it. Since they have the ability to temporarily lease items and treasures into other dimensions, their presence can justify fluctuations in a region’s economy. If too many adventurers entrust their gold or artifacts to the Holders, it may vanish from circulation, creating artificial scarcity in the market. Conversely, their access to lost wealth allows for sudden economic booms when a Holder decides to return a surplus of gold to circulation.
GM Hook
A town’s economy collapses because a noble stored too much wealth with the Holders. The party is tasked with uncovering why merchants are suddenly abandoning the settlement.
Secure Storage, but at a Cost
The Holders provide an elegant solution for parties burdened with excess treasure, but it should never be a simple banking system. The GM can enforce subtle, creeping consequences. Holders charge for access, and they might “loan” a player’s items into unknown hands while in their care. While the gear will always be returned intact, its temporary absence from the material world can have strange effects.
GM Hook
A player’s stored weapon returns to them changed—stronger, but with an unknown enchantment from another realm. Who or what wielded it while it was gone?
Unpredictable Encounters
The Holders are bound by a deep and inscrutable logic. They do not act randomly, but their motives are not always clear to mortals. A Holder Merchant may approach a character unprompted, offering a deal without explanation. What they see in the character—perhaps a future of great wealth, a cursed treasure they unknowingly carry, or simply the potential for a long-term profitable client—is a mystery.
GM Hook
The Holders are drawn to something the party is carrying, offering an unreasonably generous rate to take it off their hands. Why?
The Soul Mark as a Plot Device
Once a player engages with a Holder Merchant, the Soul Mark becomes a permanent, if invisible, part of their existence until the contract is fully resolved. This creates excellent opportunities for storytelling. A character who falls unconscious or experiences soul-affecting magic may suddenly “hear” a Holder whispering to them. If a player dies and is resurrected, is their contract still binding? What happens if they reincarnate?
GM Hook
A character’s Soul Mark is “corrupted” after an interaction with an eldritch entity, causing their stored items to manifest strange properties upon retrieval.
The Price of a Lost Contract
A Guild Contract with a Holder is unbreakable—except in cases where the contract is abandoned. Should a character attempt to disappear from a Holder Merchant’s reach, consequences will follow. The Holders do not collect debts in the way mortals do. Instead, the contract itself will begin to exert its influence, attracting the attention of unseen forces.
GM Hook
A former adventurer who failed to fulfill their contract with a Holder is now a hollow, cursed figure—doomed to endlessly seek lost wealth but never able to keep it.
Holder Merchants in the World
Holders do not operate in isolation. They have a network, spanning different realms and cities, and their presence can suggest a hidden society of interdimensional traders. This can create an entire ecosystem of entities that rely on the Holders, including nobles who secretly keep fortunes outside of the material world, thieves who attempt the impossible by trying to crack their system, and scholars who desperately seek to understand their methods.
GM Hook
A faction within the Arbiters suspects that the Holders are siphoning power through the wealth they protect. The party is hired to investigate—without alerting the Holders.
With these elements in play, the Holders Merchants transform from simple NPCs into a dynamic force, shaping not only individual campaigns but the very world itself. They can be allies, plot devices, or even harbingers of deeper mysteries. However they appear in your game, one thing is certain—when wealth is entrusted to a Holder, the price is never just coin.