Iridia

Abbreviated Ir, Iridia is the capital currency of Asternova. It has both physical and electronic forms.

Iridia is a derived from Iridium, a rare element in which Iridia was originally minted from. Minted Iridia coins are still made from a very specific Iridium compound who's chemical signature along with its emblem make it difficult for forgers to fake. Iridia coins are small, but dense, weighing 0.02kg each, meaning 50 Idiria coins weigh 1kg. Several denominations of Iridia exist, however, the most common being 1, 5, 10, 25 and 100 pieces. These are commonly referred to as "pence", with the denomination preceding it. A 100 pence coin is a 100 denomination Iridia coin, for example.

Electronic versions of the currency exist, mainly using physical drives known as "chips" which are small, 1" by 3" cards that contain the users information for their money. Unlike modern credit cards which have to interface with a bank to transact funds, chips contain the data directly on them in a highly secured computer system. The encryption algorithms used in safeguarding the users money are highly advanced and virtually unbreakable. Iridia chips use a non-volatile memory system that's very durable, able to last for decades before needing to be replaced or transferred.

Attempting to tamper with the data on an Iridia chip will cause it to immediately purge all data, rendering the chip worthless.

Throughout the wiki, references to Iridia as a cost can be found as the cost itself encapsulated by a small box as such: