Tag: treasure

In southern Holland there appears to have been a taboo against placing weapons in graves, which occurs but very rarely, perhaps indicating that weapons were less a personal possession than held on behalf of the group…. This changes in the Early Iron Age, after about 800 BCE, when male graves with weapons do occur more frequently…. Swords in graves have often been altered, in ways that require considerable skill, such as fashioning them into a circle or folded, concertina-like, which has the side-effect of putting them out of use as swords; bending swords in this way without breaking them requires at least as much skill as making them in the first place….

— Magic: A History, p. 225

Good luck using that (magical?) sword you looted! 😀

For most of the Sunday weekly (virtual) 5e D&D gaming this year, I roleplayed a human fighter named Urion. Inspired by this, I had him prefer gems and jewelry over coins for his share of any treasure found. He is now 11th level, and has accumulated quite an eclectic mix of bling—most of which he wears. Here it is:

• small silver cube (?)
• gem-encrusted dagger (100gp)
• silver necklace (25 gp)
• polished brass pin in the shape of unicorn with jewel horn (75 gp)
• small silver key (?)
• silver ring of 26 pierced silver coins (27 sp)
• large jade thumb-ring (10gp)
• bronze & green quartz brooch (25gp)
• silver & beryl ring (50gp)
• silvery (copper-nickel) dagger, (10 gp)
• electrum serpent bracelet (50gp)
• jade pectoral (50gp)
• silver-coin necklace (36gp) [x8]
• agate ring (5gp)
• jade bracelet (20gp) [x2]
• platinum key on chain (20gp)
• blue quartz (10gp)
• obsidian (10gp)
• turquoise(10gp)
• lapis lazuli (10gp) [x3]
• amber (100gp)
• remorhaz tooth

The bronze, jade, turquoise, and obsidian came from the Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan adventure.

[In 1587 C.E., English Captain Francis] Drake had captured the single richest prize of his swashbuckling career, one of the grandest hauls of the century. The [Spanish galleon] San Felipe carried an imperial fortune in pepper, cloves, cinnamon and other spices, in silks and calico, in indigo and ivory, in gold, silver and caskets of gem stones. The total worth came to £114,000, more than three times the value of all the goods and shipping captured or destroyed at Cadiz. The Queen took £40,000 as her share, Drake £17,000, and the rest was split among officers, crew members and other shareholders. At a time when the Navy Board under Hawkins’ direction spent £6,000 a year, Drake had brought home more than enough money to underwrite England’s defense against any impending invasion. The capture also gave another hard knock to [King] Philip’s credit rating, further delaying his preparations for the Armada.

— The Armada, pp. 60