The characters are bound to discover all manner of trinkets and treasures while sacking an orc village. Use the list below to add depth and flavour to their looting.

1. This ancient and worn dwarven axe has a crudely serrated blade. Dried scalps and wolf teeth decorate its stained wooden haft which also bears scores of notches along its length.

2. Two-dozen large iron nails pierce this carved wooden statuette of an orc deity. Crude holy symbols of enemy gods decorate each nail’s head. One of the symbols defies identification. 

3. This doll of an orc child has real hair, teeth and nails.  It has amber stones for eyes. A hidden needle coated with sleeping poison pricks whoever squeezes the doll.

4. Six glass jars hold pale chunks of meat floating in foul-smelling brine. A thick layer of yellow wax seals each. While these pickled meats are hard to stomach, they function as iron rations.

5. A leather purse tied with an intricate knot contains 4d6 bear’s teeth, each dipped in molten gold. Each tooth is worth 1 gp—perhaps more to a collector or an orc. 

6. This thoroughly vandalised spellbook is missing over half its pages; various foul substances smear the remainder. Careful cleaning salvages 1d4-1 low-level spells.

7. A small leather pouch contains the dried remains of a brown fist-sized toad. Tiny amounts of hallucinogenic poison seep from the cracked skin.

8. This tattered war standard bears the faded crest of a nearby kingdom. The current military commander promises a favour to anyone who returns the standard.

9. A pile of smouldering embers holds seven brittle human  ribs carved with glowing orcish runes. Touching the bones causes them to crumble to ash.

10. A mangy, skittish dog circles the village, looking for food. Attached to its worn leather collar is a silver medallion bearing the letter ‘V’ in Common (it is worth 5 gp).

11. Orcs use this set of slender metal eating utensils to extract marrow from thin bones. In a pinch, they can serve as improvised lock-picks.

12. Several strings of dried orc and human ears dangle from frayed cords. One ear is still fresh and bloody and clearly elven. Three elegant silver studs pierce the lobe. 

13. A beautifully cut fire opal sits in the centre of a cracked leather eyepatch. When exposed to moonlight, the stone shines a dull, eerie red. It is worth 50 gp. 

14. Six dusty green glass bottles of once-fine elven wine remain in this wooden crate. Though the contents have long since turned to vinegar, an empty bottle and three tankards nearby suggest the orcs do not mind.

15. A dozen mangy pelts are crudely stitched together to make this reeking hide armour. Sewn inside are six concealed dagger sheaths. All but one of the weapons is missing.

16. This clay statuette of a charging boar with a two-inch slit cut into its back rattles when moved. It can only be opened by breaking it. Inside are 3d6 copper pieces and two small orc tusks.

17. Wrapped in a bundle of greasy linen are eight pale yellow candles made from animal fat. They are difficult to light and give off a sharp smell. The flame continually sputters and tends to go out at inopportune times.

18. This waxed and polished orc skull is clearly an object of reverence. A tall black iron crown is nailed to the brow, and its broken tusk has been repaired with a silver spike.

19. The barbed point at the rear end of this iron hook is meant to be hammered into bone to replace a lost hand. With the addition of a rope, it can serve as a grappling hook.

20. Graven orcish runes decorate this pair of great ram’s horns bound together with copper bands and end in a shared mouthpiece. It produces a loud braying when blown—the orc signal to attack.

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This article is an extract from GM's Miscellany: 20 Things Volume IV. Add the book to your GM’s toolkit today! Alternatively, check out the 20 Things Archive for more handy, flavoursome and time-saving 20 Things articles ready for immediate use in your campaign.