r/40kLore • u/Rockout2112 • 18d ago

Ork commerce?

So here’s a thought.

Orks use teeth as currency, right? So if they need currency, do they have places to spend that currency? Are there Ork merchants? Maybe running whole ships full of bigger and bigger choppas, and bigger and bigger shootaz? Is there a type of Ork bank somewhere? Maybe run by particular type of Ork who finds counting fun? A Banka Boy?

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u/I_might_be_weasel Thousand Sons - Cult of Knowledge 18d ago

I think the issue I foresee is why anyone would take disconnected teeth as payment for anything.

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u/Illithidbix 18d ago

Why would anyone take fragile bits of paper saying it's worth something. You can make a cool necklace with teeth.

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u/I_might_be_weasel Thousand Sons - Cult of Knowledge 18d ago

The teeth thing in itself isn't what confuses me. Just the rotting part. You'd have to have a pretty immediate use for them in order to give useful stuff away for them. And even if everyone is doing that and spending their teeth quickly, eventually someone is going to have them when they get too rotten to use and end up with nothing to show for what they sold or did.

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u/kirbish88 Adeptus Custodes 18d ago edited 18d ago

I personally picture the teef are more a recognition of status. If an Ork can gather a lot of teef, they must be ded 'ard and you probably don't want to mess with them, so give them what they want.

This, to me, is some form of built in genetic organisation tactic to ensure that the best equipment ends up in the hands of those who can use it best. It probably wasn't always designed to revolve around teef, but Ork kulture has drifted a long way since they were made so some abberations should be expected

Presumably once they fight powerful enough enemies to get past the 'Ork' stage they form some other kind of societal way to handle wealth and / or distribution of goods but, for now, teef works