d30 Trinkets Sold By That One Travelling Merchant Family
Category: RPG Tables, World Building and Concept Design
There’s a travelling family that travels the area, selling things they’ve picked up from others. Sometimes it’s cool stuff. Sometimes it’s really cool stuff.
Roll d30 twice. First is the trinket, second is the backstory the travelling merchant proclaims for the item.
| d30 | Trinket | Backstory |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A pair of onyx earrings with silver painted spirals. They are non-magical, but underdark races (drow, duergar, svirfneblin, etc) will pay handsomely (or possibly murder indiscriminately) to claim them. | Last owned by Belphet druk’Gor, reviled local serial killer who was hanged five years ago. |
| 2 | A well-made copper pot with ivory handle. | The Ghostking Gadomel enchanted this item so that no other ghost but him can approach within 30 feet. |
| 3 | A set of nine marbles, hand carved from petrified glimwood. They are dark smokey gray with hints of green and red swirls. | A great badgerfolk champion once used this item to defeat the voidwitch Magavha. |
| 4 | A cloth-bound book of short stories by famous pulp novelist Cissifin Judeel. Excellent condition. | This item is the first of three important items that, when placed together, can open a portal to Heaven. |
| 5 | A floppy hat made of silk with dozens of tiny semiprecious stones sewn around the brim. | Eight sprite infants were sacrificed in a ritual to hide this item from the Septerrians. It is essential they never lay their hands on it! |
| 6 | A wax-sealed glass jar filled with preserved rose petals, seeds, thorns,and leaves. | The survival of all humankind is tied to this item, so says the Edaerian Prophecy. |
| 7 | A single cleanly-broken tine of a pitchfork. Appears to be made of silver. | If you toss this into the Everwell, Kraxos the One-Eyed will bestow upon you a boon. |
| 8 | A rusted pot filled with mummified deer hooves and pieces of antler. | There is an ancient song about this item – seek out Fether the Gleeman, and he can sing it to you. |
| 9 | An iron belt buckle depicting the eyes and fangs of a spider. | Grigduk the Gangrenous is quite sure this item will heal him, and he is willing to kill to gain it from whoever holds it. |
| 10 | A crocheted handbag, painstakingly woven with over a hundred images of lizards. | The deposed empress Tiquaua searches for this item. It is a lost heirloom of her family and will prove her to be the rightful ruler of all seakind. |
| 11 | A golden ettin’s tooth, complete with cavity. | Saltlord Balkmal has an entire collection of this item. He will pay handsomely for more like it, if you dare to brave the Siltseas to find his home. |
| 12 | A collection of sixty-six playing cards with unrecognized suites, illustrated beautifully by a master painter. | This item is the cause of the Endless Winter which ended the ancient Ssizzereth Empire. |
| 13 | A dented tin cup the name “Elaina” engraved on the handle, and stamped on the bottom with the crafter’s sign. | The infamous ex-paladin Ivar the Bold hunts all the lands for this item, believing it will bring back the favor of his deity. |
| 14 | A framed painting of a family of four – father, mother, and two child girls. They look strange in some way that your eyes can’t quite grasp. The frame is made of platinum and worth quite a bit on its own. | Evolutionist Hegfried Suffressox is quite certain that possession of this item is the key to him proving all the races come from the same origin. |
| 15 | A bullseye lantern, missing its shutter. Could probably be repaired easily enough. | This item is one of the Lost Vestiges of the Jaegeriean Star Empire. |
| 16 | A lute, sized for a child. Goat-gut strings, and made of waxed kauri. | Burning this item and inhaling its smoke will grant immortality at the price of sanity. |
| 17 | An incense holder made of bronze and inlaid with ivory. The general shape is that of a sleeping cat. | Having this item in your possession will give you the ability to dance so magnificently, any who see you will fall instantly and hopelessly in love with you. |
| 18 | A satin, pale yellow robe sized for a small humanoid. | This came from the Mountain Knome clan of Tixiuaha, and is used in many of their religious ceremonies. |
| 19 | A necklace made of beautiful seashells, pearls, and underwater stones, bound with a single silver thread. | The Depthless Warren, original home of Cuniquul Devilfriend, lies locked forever behind a titanium door. This item is the key to opening that door. |
| 20 | A shovel. The blade is iron, and the rosewood handle looks to have been recently replaced. | Harpies hate this item and will flee in terror if it is brandished. The harpyqueen Lalcatris has hired assassins to slay the owner. |
| 21 | A brass skeleton key with the scratch marks of constant use. | Sew this item into your cloak, then take a leap of faith off any high building or cliff. Your cloak will turn into wings and you can fly! |
| 22 | A pair of nice two-toned leather boots with worn soles. | This item will provide protection from all forms of lawful government. Beware though – the Wretched Riders, a band of murderous bandits, have heard about this. |
| 23 | A child’s doll with horse hair and a mouth filled with real human teeth. Accessories include a small glass bottle, dancer’s outfit, and a hickory switch. | Nothing can destroy this item, so says the Last Book of the Wellshard. |
| 24 | An oddly-curved short sword with a grip that doesn’t quite fit humanoid hands. Well-made of solid steel and a roughly-textured cloth handle wrapping. | The fallen colossus of the Avergel Passages cursed this item upon his death. Its owner will forever be doomed to pick up stones and juggle in the presence of giants. |
| 25 | Jade signet ring depicting a raven with an arrow through its neck. | Any dwarf who sees this will go instantly insane, as it shows the True Form of their creator. |
| 26 | A bamboo whistle which can only produce two pitches – a low humming sound, and a very high-pitched, almost unhearable whine which annoys dogs and cats. |
With this item, you are sure to win any bar fight you ever find yourself in, as it was owned by Teggan Titanfist, renown brawler. |
| 27 | A clay pipe, filled with a fragrant pipeweed which makes you think of standing on a beach while a storm approaches. | This item is grows hot and glows pink in the presence of liars. That’s how you know I’m telling you the truth. |
| 28 | A scroll case filled with thirty amateurish erotic poems. Despite the quality of the poetry, the penmanship is remarkable. | This was a treasured possession of a village of peace-loving protognome farmers. When it was stolen by bandits, the entire village went mad. |
| 29 | A thick tapestry map and depicted history of a kingdom called Riddesgaal, which you’ve never heard of. | You will be untouched by all harmful magic while having possession of this. However, you draw the ire of Sepeera, Mistress of Magic. |
| 30 | A brass lock, missing its key. Runic engravings on the back change whenever you blink. | This item brings happiness. An ancient fairy, who desires nothing but love, desires it. |
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