In the Medieval scenario, a breakdown in civilization and law and order results in the rise of municipal and corporate organizations and networks willing to step into the breach to address money creation and local liquidity. The results, however, are spotty and the general inhumanity and deterioration in law and order is notable between the pockets of local innovation. Roaming mercenaries and covert operators are highly destructive of trade and economic productivity. You don’t appreciate the Treaty of Westphalia (the principle that sovereign nation-states maintain a monopoly on force within their borders) until it gets thrown overboard. Joining a monastery or nunnery with high walls, a library, water, and a garden looks like a good idea to more and more people. Now they call them gated communities.