The Black Ledger

A Page Found Between the Ledgers

This page was not filed by the Crown, nor stamped by any kingdom office. The ink appears fresh, though no scribe claims to have written it.

There are merchants who build stalls.

There are traders who shout in marketplaces.

There are kingdoms that keep records, taxes, treasuries, rules, permits, seals, and all the other heavy little things people seem so fond of carrying.

And then there is The Black Ledger.

The Black Ledger is a quiet, convenient point of sale for those who prefer their business handled with fewer questions and cleaner handwriting. It travels between kingdoms, allowing goods to be listed in one land and purchased from another. A seller in Norivia may find a buyer in Firefly Cove. A traveler in Lilac Tower may discover something first written into the pages in Underlend.

Efficient, isn’t it?

Accepted Currency

The Ledger does not deal in promises, favors, titles, or “I’ll pay you later.”

It accepts only solid payment:

Diamonds
Diamond Blocks
Emeralds
Emerald Blocks

Choose your price carefully. The Ledger records what is written.

Listing Goods

Those who find access to The Black Ledger may list items for sale through its pages.

Once an item is written into the Ledger, it becomes available for others to discover and purchase. Sellers are not publicly named. Buyers are not publicly named. The Ledger finds this arrangement clean, practical, and far less noisy.

When creating a listing, you will choose:

The item being listed
The accepted currency
The asking price

Once confirmed, the item is held by the Ledger until it is sold, cancelled, expired, or otherwise resolved.

Buying Goods

Purchasing is simple.

Find a listing. Review the price. Confirm the purchase.

If you have enough of the required currency, the item becomes yours. No long speeches. No auctioneer. No public announcement. No awkward staring across a shop counter.

The Ledger respects discretion.

Service Fee

When a listed item sells, The Black Ledger keeps a small service fee for the convenience of handling the transaction.

This fee is removed from the seller’s final payout. The buyer pays the listed price. The seller receives the remainder after the Ledger has taken its due.

The Ledger is independent and needs to make a living too.

The Ledger is also very good at math.

Collecting Payment

If one of your listings sells, your earnings will wait within The Black Ledger.

Return to the Ledger and choose:

Collect Payments

If payment is waiting, it will be given to you in the currency used by the buyer.

Make sure your inventory has space. The Ledger is patient, but it does not enjoy clutter.

Cancelling Your Listings

Changed your mind?

A rare moment of wisdom.

You may view your own active listings and cancel them before they are sold. If cancelled successfully, the item will be returned to you.

Once a listing is sold, it is no longer yours.

That is generally how sales work.

Expired Listings

The Ledger does not hold unsold goods forever.

Listings may expire after enough time has passed. Expired listings are no longer available for purchase, but the original seller may reclaim them through the Ledger.

If something has been sitting too long, check:

Expired Listings

The Ledger may still have it.

Probably.

Finding The Ledger

The Ledger Keeper is known to travel.

Sometimes he may be found in one place. Sometimes another. Sometimes nowhere at all. He has business in many kingdoms and does not seem particularly interested in explaining his schedule.

When the Keeper is present, seek him out.

When the Keeper is away, certain trustworthy establishments may keep a Ledger in a quieter corner: perhaps on a lectern, perhaps in a tavern, perhaps somewhere one only notices after being told where not to look.

If the pages do not answer, then the Ledger is not available through that access point at that time.

Do not take it personally.

The Ledger ignores everyone equally.

A Final Note

As with all things, there are risks involved.

The Black Ledger offers convenience, privacy, and reach across kingdoms. These are valuable services. Valuable services are rarely without cost.

Use the Ledger wisely.

Or don’t.

The pages will turn either way.