📦 Rations and Power Cells: Currency in a World on the Brink
“You survive by the Ration. You trade by the Cell. If it doesn’t keep you alive, it isn’t worth the weight.”
Seventeen years after the Fall, the world of Ava: Sporelight has no banks, no digital credits, and no gold to hoard. What remains is necessity—cold, consumable, and urgent. That necessity gave rise to two currencies: Rations and Power Cells.
🍽 Rations: What Life Costs
A Ration isn't just food. It's survival, scientifically sealed.
Each unit includes:
Nutrient-dense, compact meals
Purified water
Metabolic stabilizers for stress and cold
A biometric seal to prevent tampering
Across Arctic strongholds and Coalition settlements, Rations are used to purchase gear, shelter access, medicine, and mission supplies. They're consumed, counted, and desperately needed. In short? They're the primary currency.
🔋 Power Cells: Heat and Hope
In regions where food can’t be found, Power Cells step in. Salvaged from old-world tech and carefully sealed, they power everything from thermal gear to spore scanners.
Why do people value them?
They recharge life-saving tools
They’re reliable in trade, especially with outposts
They buy time, warmth, and trust
Exchange Rate (Typical):
1 Power Cell ≈ 3–5 Rations
2 Cells = survival pack (bandage, flare, day filter)
5 Cells = weapon recharge or gear repair
“They don’t even blink when you offer tech. But show them a Power Cell—and they’ll sell you their boots.”
— Scavenger log, The Ruined Heartland
⚖️ The Two-Tier System
To maintain order in the chaos, the Rescue Coalition formalized a dual-tier economy:
| Tier | Currency | Use Cases |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Rations | Gear, access, medicine, base transactions |
| Secondary | Power Cells | Tech recharge, gear repairs, barter |
Each has weight, and each holds meaning—because in a dying world, every trade is a story of survival.
“A cell keeps you alive. A ration keeps you human.”
— Jenna Rhys, Haven’s Vanguard Captain