So there you are. The PCs are visiting Sindar, perhaps on account of Scent of the Beast, perhaps not. Hangin’ out with a bevy of them wacky dual–encephelons.
“So, I hear you’re a collector. What do you collect?” asks a PC to a conveniently nearby Sindaran. You think for a second. “Coins,” he replies.
The PC turns to a second Sindaran and repeats the question. A frisson of uneasiness begins to gnaw on your liver. You think for a few more seconds. “Antique swords?” replies this second Sindaran.
“I ask the other twenty Sindarans in the room what they collect,” exclaims the player triumphantly. You panic, secretly wondering if you can solve the dilemma in the usual way, hoping none of the players notice the eerie correlation between the frequent appearance of the Witch Wind and their putting the GM on the spot....
Well, your worrying days are over, my friends! Having way too much time on my hands, a superfluity of verbiage, and only 25% of the cranial matter of your average dual–encephalon, I have taken it upon myself to create, at no small risk to myself, a list of over 100 collection ideas that you, the gentle reader, might use as a handy reference guide when being pressed to quickly flesh out your Sindaran NPCs, at no cost to yourselves, save for the almost unnoticeable investment of a few seconds of your time as you fire up the web browser of your choice, point it to this page, and peruse the following sometimes–amusing and perhaps useful list of collection ideas.
In addition, clever readers will conceive of far more useful things to collect than are listed below. Revel in the sensation that, with only a few moments thought, you have come up with better ideas that I didn’t. Feel free to rub my nose in it. Then click here to see all the better ideas that other websurfers thought of before either of us did.
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1. Phaedran Cult War Paraphernalia 2. Counterfeit Artworks 3. Tattoos 4. Witchcraft Lore 5. Mascots 6. Model Windships 7. Incense Burners and Thuribles 8. Mushroom Recipes 9. Zandiran Hats 10. Whipsashes By Tribe and Family 11. Yrmanian R’Ruhs 12. Rasmirin Political Tracts 13. Phantasian Timepieces 14. Avir Motifs in Clothing 15. Commemorative Trivarian Pieces 16. Exomorph Statuary 17. Skulls of the Sentients 18. Orgovian Yatmas 19. Historical Helmets 20. Alchemical Log Books 21. Windchimes 22. Far Isles Bestiary 23. Cannibal Lore 24. Mummified Remains of Extinct Creatures 25. Provocative Attire 26. Board Games 27. Genetic Sports 28. Mundane Letters and Correspondences of Arkon 29. Astaran Telempathic Performances 30. Polished Rocks From Around The World 31. Capes through the Ages 32. Addictive Substances |
33. Nonvisual Documents 34. Decorative Baskets 35. Green Gems and Crystals 36. Drakken Glyphstones 37. Snipe Art 38. Ritual and Formal Footware 39. Candles and Candelabra 40. Execution Souvenirs 41. Lore of the Green World 42. Gao–Din Pirate Biographies 43. Sun–Ra Dragon Spears 44. Cheese Lore 45. Ur Mining Equipment 46. Holy Works From Defunct Cults 47. Tamar 48. Numenian Architecture 49. Crystalmoths 50. Secret Society Membership Rings 51. Used Zodar Decks 52. Necrophage Parts 53. Musical Instruments 54. Lotuses of Every Color 55. Defunct Automata 56. Tents 57. Things Made From the Zaratan 58. Chana Shrunken Cephela 59. Slave Owning Equipment 60. Aamanian Morality Puppets 61. Perfumes and Other Aromatics 62. Tombstones 63. Thaumaturgical Mishaps 64. Green Glass Figurines 65. Jewelry Made With Animal Teeth 66. Bedtime Stories 67. Legal Systems |
68. Archaen Erotica 69. Artistic Works of Rodinn 70. Potion Containers 71. Exotic Leaf Pressings 72. Lost Sea Artifacts 73. Scabbards of Famous Warriors 74. Torture Apparatus 75. Culinary Enchanted Items 76. Pets of the Forgotten Ages 77. Lock Technology of the Quan Empire 78. Feathers 79. Intoxicating Beverages 80. Talking Animals 81. Seashells 82. Castabulanese Tide Tables 83. Marukan Jewelry 84. Dragon Scales 85. Blown–Glass Objects 86. Books About Whisps 87. Ikon Statues 88. Symbolic and Ornamental Weaponry 89. Mazes 90. Body Piercings 91. Disenchanted Magic Items 92. Forged Treasure Maps 93. Moon and Star Tables 94. Documents of the Underground Highway 95. Artifacts of Aberrant Weather 96. Stories About Simbar 97. Sand From Around the World 98. Political Posters 99. Scrimshaw 100. Bad Poetry 101. Oceanian Folk Songs |
Alert surfer John Steele submitted these ideas practically before the pixels were dry on this page: Geneologies, Flawed Spells, Phantasms, Yaksha Teeth, Storm Demon Horns, Shadow Wight’s Hair, Whisper Weeds, Nighthawks, Rajan Scorpions, Black Savant Helms, and Poems Written By Crested Dragons.
No listing would be complete without the input of John Harper: Seduction Techniques, Last Words, Profanity Not Related To Bodily Functions, Stone Instruments, Hairstyles Of Phaedran Children, Facial Expressions, Superstitions Concerning Coinage, Lists, Scrolls In Green Ink, Suicide Notes, Pain Sounds, Reasons To Start A War, Nonverbal Greetings, Carnivores Larger Than Man, Bathwater From Many Lands, Unsolvable Equations, Pointless Stories, Pre–Archaen Names, Lint, and last, but not least, The Bodies Of A Particular Family (including ancestors, living members, and all their descendants).
Here’s a few ideas from Edd Stockdale: Djaffa Face Masks, Snipe Shells, Bane Fangs, Arim Throwing Knives, Ancient and Modern Law Tomes, and Windskiffs. Edd suggests that collecting windskiffs is perhaps best left to those with an oversufficiency of lumens, a condition which few of us, alas, are afflicted.
From Indigo Shift we get the singularly unusual collectible of Undergarments of Past Concubines of the Sultan of Zandu.
Balloran came up with the following ideas: Manra Morph Residues, Used Dream Essence, Ontra Mucus, Chana Testicle Rings, Blood-Curdling Screams and Lucky Talismans of Failed Conquerors. In his second batch he added: Experimental Yassan Devices, Honored Kang Peace Treaties, Sweat taken from Berserk Ahazu, Unscented Hadjinn Fans, Generous Kasmirin, Famous Quan conquerors memoirs, and Mumified Brains of Tazian Generals. In his third batch he hastened to add Beastman Boot Insoles. Now there’s an appetizing thought!
Khyraen submitted: Batrean Wedding Vows and Quan Diet Techniques. I suspect that the collector of the latter is going to have a hard time of it.
Kitten roars in with this interesting list of collectibles: Artificial Limbs, Non–Viable Sorcerous Hybrids, Dice Made From Humanoid Bones, Unidentifiable Runes and Symbols, Smoke–Pipes, Skeletons of People Killed by Iron Shrikes, Academic Texts Graffitied by Prominent Magicians During Their Apprenticeships, Thaecian Orbs That Depict Ocean–Going Ships, Rajan Clawed Gauntlets, Sub–Elementals, Hurlants, Old–Fashioned Levitational Systems, Green Crystal Cymrilian Artifacts Acquired Outside of Cymril, Broken Duelling Swords, Gnomekin Eyeware, Adamant Kitchen Utensils, Primitive Piercing Jewelry, Winning Festival of the Bizarre Costumes, Portraits of Muses, Tazian Mugs, Trapped Jewelry Boxes, Crescent Knives, Luck Charms, Aamanian Clerical Garb, Zorian Hooks, Chainmail Gauntlets, Mis–Transcriptions of “Theory of Magic and Anti–Magic”, Cursed Artifacts, and Bodorian Hearing Aids. In addition, in our first recursive entry, is Other Sindaran Collections. Meow!
James Baldwin must be credited with his idea of Aamanian Knock-Knock Jokes. Bonus points for acquiring funny ones, eh?
Alert websurfer Michael Eidlin sends in the ideas of Tazanian tatoo art, Wind Ship Levitationals, and Parthenian parts. Cool!
Anyone else?
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Last modified: Wed Dec 12 20:58:11 PST 2001.