# Paymasters

> *"The sword earns glory. The coin earns control."*\
> — The Iron Oath, Chapter 2

**Paymasters** buy and deposit **Royal Charters** into the **Syndicate Vault**, gaining passive control over a share of the spoils extracted by active adventurers.

## **The Syndicate Vault** 

<figure><img src="/files/iacPOE3cCDeAyNXRSZ0l" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

#### **Charter Deposits**

* Paymasters can mint  [Charters](/goldrush-s3/overview/charters.md) (T1) and deposit them into the **Syndicate Vault**
* Deposited Charters generate **Syndicate Shares** *(1:1 ratio)*, which entitles holders to a share of both new Charter purchases, and cash-ins (Silver and Royal Favor) from adventurers to Ser Althus.

{% hint style="info" %}
The order in which Charters are deposited into the vault does not matter for each 5-minute snapshot.
{% endhint %}

#### **Deposit & Withdrawal**

* Charters cannot be withdrawn once deposited into the Syndicate Vault

## **Taxation**

<figure><img src="/files/Ry7Iua96EnGi9KOitI0d" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

> "Ser Althus keeps the Treasury’s books, Ser Grimwald his Majesty's Charters - but make no mistake, neither serves the Crown alone. Coin flows where whispers guide it, and in the halls of power, the Paymasters' gold speaks louder than any royal decree."

### \[1.0] New Charter Tax (0.002E per Charter / 20%)

Every new Charter purchase triggers a 20% tax on the base value of the Charter (0.01ETH) at Tier 1.  Purchases of higher Tier charters will not grant extra tax, the tax is capped at 0.002E (20% of 0.01E).

This tax is distributed to all Syndicate Share holders every 5 minutes.

### \[2.0] Cash-in Tax (0-13% of Cash In)

When **adventurers** cash in *Corrupted Loot* (Artifacts, Curios, Gems) to the Royal Treasury, a **13% tax** is applied to the Silver and Royal Favor reward.   This tax is split every 5 minutes to Syndicate Vault depositors pro rata based on their deposited charters.

Exceptions:

* Guild members (T1 charter) pay a reduced tax based on their Guild's standings in the current Rolling 24hr Guild Leaderboard.  See [Guilds](/goldrush-s3/season-3-the-depths-below/guilds.md#guild-leaderboard)for the exact breakdown of fees paid.
* Founder NFT holders pay reduced Paymaster taxes (5%), or less if eligible for the Top Guild tax

## **Strategy**&#x20;

* Players can choose to be a **Paymaster** (pure passive investor), or using Charters to **sponsor Guild adventurers** who extract loot directly.   You can also do both.
* **However, Charters cannot be simultaneously used for both** — you must choose between Syndicate Shares or Guild Sponsorship when depositing Charters.  You also can't withdraw Charters in the Syndicate Vault or Guild.
* As more players become Paymasters, **yield per share diminishes**, creating early advantage and late-game dilution pressure from Guilds.

## **Economic Warfare**

Paymasters benefit **indirectly from creating chaos amongst Guilds**:

* Disrupting top guilds reduces their members' cash-ins, **reducing their advantages from lower taxes**
* Reduced Guild silver earnings **increases the value of silver taxed** from non-Guild players


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