A merchant's scale, or balance, was an appraising tool used to measure the weight of items.[2]
Description[]
This small item consisted of balanced pans. Appropriate standardized weights were placed on one pan and the item being measured was placed in the other. If the pans remained balanced, the item being appraised shared the same weight as the sum of the standard weights. Merchant's most often used the scales to assure that precious metals were not counterfeits, but could be used to confirm the value of any item sold by weight.[2]
A typical set would include an assortment of sizes of pans and weights. The scale usually weighed about 1 pound (0.45 kilograms) and was sold for about 2 gold pieces in most economies.[2] Aurora's Emporium sold an especially accurate, tabletop model intended for wizards' laboratories for 30 gold pieces. This set was advertised as being able to measure the weight of cricket's leg, using standard weights from 10 lb (4.5 kg) to 0.0625 oz (1.77 g).[1][note 1]
Reputation[]
The merchant's scale was often used as a symbol of moral or ethical balance or of justice. For example, the scale was used in the iconography of the god Tyr, and the Church of Tyr even contained specialty priests known as scales.[3] The god Amaunator sometimes manifested as a woman bearing the image of a scale on her dress.[4]
The Ravenian Strangestars House had a merchant's scale featured on their coat of arms, flanked on both sides by an arc of stars.[5]
Firbolgs used scales to cast votes within their tribes.[6]
No wizard's lab was complete without a set of scales.[1]
Notable Scales[]
- Balance of Belaros
- A relic sacred to the god Tyr, which had magically hovering scale pans.[7]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ This is false advertising; the smallest weight in the set is more massive than the weight of an entire cricket, let alone one's leg. Crickets weigh less than a gram.
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
Video Games
External Links[]
Weighing scale article at Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Jeff Grubb, Julia Martin, Steven E. Schend et al (1992). Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue. (TSR, Inc). ISBN 0-5607-6327-2.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams (July 2003). Player's Handbook v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 128, 130. ISBN 0-7869-2886-7.
- ↑ John Terra (February 1996). Warriors and Priests of the Realms. Edited by Steven E. Schend. (TSR, Inc), p. 119. ISBN 0-7869-0368-6.
- ↑ Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), p. 27. ISBN 978-0786903849.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (October 1998). The City of Ravens Bluff. Edited by John D. Rateliff. (TSR, Inc.), p. 53. ISBN 0-7869-1195-6.
- ↑ Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 31. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood and Doug Stewart (1997). Prayers from the Faithful. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 9–10. ISBN 0-7869-0682-0.