Shared resources make a DM's life so much easier.
The PC's in my campaign have spent a considerable amount of time trying to raid an Argosy for the purpose of freeing slaves. They were given the mission by the Vieled Alliance in order to stop Titihian from paying the Dragon's Levy in full. This mission has consumed more than an entire level, approximately 12 encounters. As such, I was wasn't handing out much treasure along the way, intending instead to hand it all out at the end after the take the Argosy. Well we finally reached that point, so this week, in addition to cargo, nearly 2,000 in silver and gold coins, the PC's find the following in the captains quarters. (I used the Dragon Hoard guidlines from the Draconomicon to create the hoard)
A 3ft. x 3ft chest with a small built-in steel lock (locked) (Chests value – 50 Gold Talons). The back of the lid contains a mirror framed in mahogany. The mirror contains a hidden latch that unlocks and allows the mirror to be lowered down, revealing a compartment containing a ledger, a highly detailed map of the region, that is scribbled with copious notes about springs, wells, oasis and other potentially valuable natural resources (25 Gold Talons). The ledger contains information about various contacts, notes on taxes, tariffs, other merchant houses and their operations, city entrance fees and other such mercantile information (25 Gold Talons to another merchant house). Rolled up inside a sturdy but otherwise unadorned bone scroll tube is the deed to a small villa in Tyr (300 Gold Talons).
The bottom compartment of the chest contains storage space for clothes and other personal items. These include 2 sets of fine clothes (60 Gold Talons) and several sets of everyday clothing, a wooden comb and a small jar of perfume (25 Silver Shekels). Wrapped in a small cloth bag is a goblet of pure silver, engraved with bloody scenes of gladiatorial combat (150 Gold Talons).
Underneath the clothing you notice that the bottom of the chest does not appear to be as deep as it should. A quick knock check reveals some hollow space below and a small latch is noticeable on the right side of the inside of the chest. Removing the false panel reveals another compartment. It contains five smaller boxes.
Box 1, a small unadorned wooden box, inside it is lined with black velvet and contains a brass circlet inlaid with onyx (200 Gold Talons).
Box 2, a small round box made out of carved ivory and is engraved with scenes of dancing girls (50 Gold Talons). The box contains a silk bag holding a gold anklet adorned with bloodstone charms (200 Gold Talons).
Box 3, a small wooden box painted and lacquered with a single yellow flower on the lid. The inside is padded and lined with velvet to protect the fragile yellow and green glass flower pendant it contains (140 Gold Talons).
Box 4, a long narrow box of red stained Bogo wood, a stylized scorpion mosaic of blue stone adorns the lid. It contains a dagger in a fine crodlu leather sheath. The daggers blade is engraved with a flame pattern and is made of carved scorpion chitin that has been impregnated with silver (500 Gold Talons, silvered weapon).
Box 5, is a long and relatively narrow box made of rough hewn Arrow wood and is bound with four bands of sinew to tightly seal it shut, and to make opening the box without notice nearly impossible. It contains an assortment of 20 silver, copper and brass trade bars, each wrapped in oil cloth (1000 Gold Talons).
On the floor is a plush and expensive wool rug (8ft x 8ft) decorated with scenes of Nibinese dancing girls (with an NC 17 rating).
Some of the material was contributed by me, but the best stuff came from elsewhere.
If I can find it (but my web-fu is poor), I'll post a link.
Edit: 5 minutes later - Eureka! (I hope)
- A rafia wrapped clay jar containing 1 quart of purple Tyrian dye.
- An ungent jar of soapstone carved into the shape of an Agony Beetle.
- A small statue of Nibinay carved from Braxat horn.
- Ivory abacus.
- A carved obsidian Kank.
- A yellow plumed Rhoss (or Red or Green Kvale) in a cage made Agafari wood.
- An ornate painted bowl made from a Megapede egg.
- Ear Spools made of precious stone (Obsidian, Jade, Lapis Lazuli).
- Nibinese Copper Castanets.
- Gold feline figurine with turquoise eyes.
- Copper Funerary Mask.
- A thick fluid filled glass jar containing a small, strange creature with wings and needle like teeth (Imp). If you didn't know better you would swear you saw it move out of the corner of your eye.
- Cast gold Scorpion brooch.
- Gold alloy and silver Nose Ornament with Serpents and Long-necked Birds.
- Ceremonial copper scepter.
- A gnoll skin rug.
- Miniature silt skimmer made of Ivory and exotic hard woods.
Just some other things I had come up with.
This dish is made of material the equivalent of Ming Vase pottery - not just your average run of the mill stuff, but the best quality. In a style that reminds you of old peoples' houses. Part of a set that serves 12, includes main course plates, salad plates, salt-and-pepper shakers, something for every condiment likely to be on the fashionable nobles' table. The rest of the set is in a crate in the closet; this dish is displayed on a shelf. This particular item is the butter dish (size and shaped like it could be used to hold hot dogs).
If sold as part of the set, maybe 5 gp per piece sold together.
If sold alone, 1 gp.
If sold back to the owner alone, 10x as much.
This is because it is a memento of his grandparents, and is a trigger for fond memories of his childhood / schooling / young adulthood. They were among the few people who treated him with love, and he loved them back.
Of course if you smash it in his presence, he will become your enemy for life. And there is no upper limit to what he will pay (all right, up to his current income) to revenge himself upon you.