Honor and the Ingot

Revoking a dwarf’s ingot is at the least an insult. To capture one for its intrinsic monetary value, in a lien or in payment of a debt, is considered boorish, and may be a common insult that warrants a duel.

Liquidating a First Ingot is a major social failure, a visible collapse of prudence and self-command, with reputational, not legal, consequences. Dwarven economic memory lasts generations and travels through clan and merchant networks, so the fact precedes the dwarf, sometimes by decades. A replacement is possible, but it is not the original, which stands for unbroken continuity.

Counterfeit ingots exist. Holding one, even innocently, is dishonorable. A dwarf who cannot tell gold from lead is thought disgusting: what kind of dwarf is he?

Bankrupt dwarves typically become itinerants, as they were before they made their first ingot. They start again and rebuild their legacy.

See also: Brass, First Ingot, Wealth and Riches