First Payday

"Before we release you for the day..." Hastur said. "CALM. DOWN. Before we release you for the day, we're going to have a basic lecture on finances. Drill sergeant Rebis, if you please."

Rebis coughed into a glove. "I'll keep this short. You all have copper coins, perhaps the first you've held in your lives. It is not much money; merchants will try to convince you it is less. To survive this training, you will need to manage time. You will need to manage your health. This means, unfortunately, you must learn to manage money."

"Now the coins you have are copper, and while they represent a day's wages for most, each represents ten of these."

She held up a tin teardrop, about the size of an adult thumb joint. "Tin Sinker. Who can tell me why the tin piece has this name? Cadet Astrolocus."

"Because fishermen use it to weight down their hooks."