Abiørn's Satchel

This weathered leather satchel is tooled in nautical designs and is full of rose-colored salt.  Rubbing the salt on a sea creature will dry it out and shrink it to a tiny size without harming it (an hour of drying for each ton).  When placed in water again the creature will revitalize and grow back to original size.  It is said this was how the narwhals came to the Grand Lama's forbidden lake.

Jeong-Suk's Iron Nail

Drive this rusted iron spike through your flesh and into a living tree and no being can possess you, bewitch you, or even touch you unwanted.  It is said that this was a requirement for the greatest necromantic rituals of the 2nd Dynasty.

Telecanter's Garden of Sources

Take a handful of these nibs cut from used quills, say a phrase, and cast them on the ground like seeds and they will quickly grow into plants that flower and fruit.  The fruit resembles maize and when husked,  reveals a scroll with a passage from an ancient source about the phrase invoked, whether it be "siege engines" or "Imperial footwear" or "the poisons of peasants."

Telecanter's Inquisitive Quill

Aim it at an opening and throw.  This goose-feather quill will travel through the air like a lazy dart, drifting up and down on drafts of air.  If there are threats in that place, there is a risk it never returns (1 on d6 for each place a party might encounter creatures or traps), but if it survives it will return and draw a map of the basic layout with no details but crude "X"s where it came into danger.

The Origami Library

"I saw it once, it looked like a big, old map until Lady Fude started unfolding it.  It kept unfolding and unfolding.  After an hour it was a beautiful tent and when we walked inside we saw it was decorated with birds and pale flowers.  There were paper shelves and on the shelves scrolls of paper that could be unrolled and read and they were all treatises on whatever topic Lady Fude whispered to the Library as she unfolded it."

"Oh, I thought it was a library of origami techniques!"

"It could be a library about anything, but it's true, that day I saw it, she did whisper to it to show her paper folding techniques and then she read one, and folded a crane that flew across the tent on its own."

The Saffron Path

It's unclear whether by invocation or magic artifact, but Anshumat the Quiet could  toss a a handful of saffron threads before him and walk safely anywhere.  When the lepers rioted for bread in Dhunar, he slipped through the crowd as if he weren't there.  When hunted for heresy, he lived in the Untouched Tomb of Ambareesh, for only he could walk safely through those trapped halls.

Corinne's Case of Vivid Lenses

This mahogany box is lined with black velvet and holds pairs of eyes.  Stories differ on how many pairs or what type, but if the eyes are held up to those of a person, they grow into them and replace them.  This grants the person new ways of seeing.  When finished with the eyes the user can pull them out, leaving their own eyes unharmed.  Tales mention a milky white pair, clouded with age, said to obscure the world in a hazy fog except for the living, which appear as bright lights.  A brilliant green pair is said to let a person see the true emotions play across a person's face no matter their skill in lying.  There are other strange sights mentioned, but always the warning that using the eyes is comforting and pleasurable and harder and harder to resist.  (user become addicted: minus one to hit/damage for each day they haven't used a pair of eyes in a session)

The Circumspect Carpet

This large carpet has a relatively plain design- a stylized tree with bare branches.  But moments after a person has stepped on it, geometric blossoms will appear in vivid colors wherever a foot fell.  These blossoms will last a day and are the way the great scholar Adrina of Nar always knew someone had visited her private library.

The Envious Platter

The merchant-priest Nabusalim grew famous for holding lavish feasts with the same foods the God-King dined on.  It is was whispered that he had a large, silver platter with a cover.  And if he whispered a name over the platter, it made food appear, whatever the named person was eating.  Nabusalim's feasts ended the same summer the God-King was poisoned.

Sash of Shrewdness

This fine silk sash has scenes embroidered in multicolored thread.  Examined closely, it becomes apparent the scenes change to represent the topics of the closest conversation to the sash wearer, even if the wearer cannot hear the conversation.

The Cherished Shield

If you tell each combatant you face the story of how you acquired your impressive Nguni shield, it will block their first three blows outright, working as a sturdy shield thereafter.  If you forget to praise your shield to them, blows will fall on you as if you had no shield.

The Veil of Voices

The first trader said "In my youth there was song popular in the wine houses about such a veil.  The Lover laments being unable to express love to the Beloved because a Beautiful One in a haik, nodded and stole the Lover's voice."

"No," said the second trader.  "My grandfather wore the Veil of Voices, it was a ragged tagelmust that an old wise woman gave him. She told him when he wore it, two voices would whisper in his ear-- one beckoning him to treasure, the other warning of danger.  One voice would be a liar.  He would have to find out which.  He found out which, and only because of that did he survive the Great Plague."

"Perhaps, perhaps," said the third trader.  "But are you sure you are not mis-hearing Vale of Voices, for I heard once that, far west, near the Living Sea, there is a valley with strange, wind-carved stones and if you listen you can hear the voices of the dead speaking to you."

Casket of Suffering

If the holder of this tiny, sandalwood box is harmed, it will hold the pain of one blow, even though it be mortal, so that the holder does not feel it.  If someone opens the casket unsuspecting, the blow it holds will fall on them.  Sought after by assassins.

 (I'm still out here, folks. Hope you are well.)

Numberless Curses

 These are curses on weapons that are not about -2 to hit or damage, but more about limiting the fighter tactically.  It may even be interesting to have weapons that have a bonus to hit and one of these curses and then let the player decide whether using the weapon is worth the trouble.  This weapon is cursed so that you must always: 

1.     attack last, after all allies and foes. [Sloth]

2.     attack only once per battle. [Sloth]

3.     attack only until you wound a foe, then stop. [Sloth]

4.     attack a foe only after it has been wounded by an ally. [Sloth][Envy]

5.     attack only one foe until it is dead and keep beating the corpse until the battle has ended. [Wrath]

6.     attack a foe, switch targets and attack that foe, switch targets etc, until the battle has ended. [Wrath]

7.     attack only foes that are also being attacked by an ally. [Envy]

8.     attack only foes that have attacked you. [Vainglory]

9.     attack only foes that have attacked an ally. [Sloth]

10.  attack only foes that have wounded you. [Vainglory]

11.  attack only the last foe to have wounded you. [Vainglory][Wrath]

12.  attack only foes that have wounded an ally. [Sloth][Wrath]

13.  attack only when unarmored and shieldless. [Vainglory]

14.  attack only while allies fight alongside, otherwise you surrender. [Sloth]

15.  attack only alone, never with others. [Vainglory]

16.  attack only unaware targets. [Sloth][Cowardice]

17.  attack only after shouting your intended target. [Vainglory]

18.  attack only the most threatening foe—the largest, most experienced—then stop when they are dealt with. [Vainglory]

19.  attack only the weakest foe—the smallest, most frightened—then stop when they are dealt with. [Sloth][Cowardice]

20.  attack only when begged by an ally. [Vainglory]

 

For some reason I started thinking of these curses in a framework of traditional Christian sins, like the knight that wielded the magic sword last was an anti-saint that was reeking of pride.  Sorry if that's a distraction, there are other ways to frame curses as “bad” as I realized when I noticed that cowardice, which is often reviled, is not one of the seven deadly sins, nor selfishness.  Also, I like the term vainglory here better than pride for boastful, showy fighting.

The Coward's Cage

Simon the Coward fell in love with a Guildmaster's niece but was told he could not court her unless he brought the Guildmaster three cave pearls.  Cave pearls only being found in infested catacombs, this was an impossible task.  But, smitten, Simon acquired all the silver and mithril wire he could and wove it into a crude half-dome of mesh and had it blessed by 3 different holy men.  It was crafted so he could carry it over him with a stick and he went in and out of the caves unmolested and found three cave pearls and courted the fair niece.

It's impossible to climb a ladder while under this cage, impossible to swim, barely manageable to traverse stairs, but while under it, no one will notice you exist unless you hurt them (provides Sanctuary). 

Golden Leash

It's said the first thing of note when entering the court of the Great Lich Ksawery was the many people bound to him by golden chains.  Some say that Ksawery drew the thin links from the chests of the victims through daily incantations, while others insist that each chain was an artifact stolen from an ancient tomb.  There is agreement on the function: each person so chained increased Ksawery's ability to store spells

(prisoners attached are treated as magic-user of level the same as their level or HD, with appropriate number of spell slots, now available for use by the imprisoner as if they were their own.) 

Banner of Promised Valor

"Give me ten warriors as brave as any,

And I promise to personally bloody as many."

These rare banners from various cultures have in common some kind of inscription in which the holder promises future battle valor in exchange for aid.  When the holder says aloud the inscription, they promise to wound in melee as many foes in the upcoming battle as will be granted to them.  Then that number of ghostly allies will appear.  The warriors will appear and fight as the warriors of the banner's culture, whether bare-chested rhompaia-wielders or mail-wearing knights.  

The ghostly warriors can be defeated themselves, but they fight as picked champions.  They will fight until all foes are subdued and then disappear.  If the oath-maker does not wound as many warriors as were granted, they will age a year for each they are short.  So, if they call for ten warriors, they can sit back and let them do the fighting, but after the battle is over, won or lost, they will age ten years.

Ghost Hone

The first sage said, "The Ghost Hone is lumpy, meteoric rock the size of a loaf of bread. It has a rough slot worn in it from blades being dragged edge-down, across it.  If you do this to a blade it will ruin it for normal foes (-2 to hit) but allow you to hit things that could not otherwise be touched."

"No," said the second sage, "it is as you describe, but dragging a blade across its rough surface releases the soul of a creature that blade has formerly killed to, now, fight for you (summon undead of last creature slain)."

"No," said the third sage, "there may an item such as you describe, but the true Ghost Hone is a cursed jian that the three liches of the Southern Archipelago war over even now.  If a spirit is struck with the blade it carves away the weakest part, each blow making it stronger.

The Fakir's Bed

 Once, a Fakir saved the daughter of a Caliph from drowning when she fell from the royal barge.  The Caliph offered him anything his heart desired.  The Fakir, replied "Grant me a bed of nails I don't have to carry to the market place."  Taken aback, the Caliph did as he wished-- his most sage magicians imbued a thousand nails with magic so that, however scattered, they would fall into perfect lines, balanced on their heads.  And with a single magic word they word fly back into a bundle tied with a golden ribbon.

Centuries later, the Fakir's Bed, is just a few hundred rusted nails bundled with a dirty linen strap.  A local rogue is said to possess the bed, and throw it out behind her when she flees the guard.  Late at night, you might hear her call the nails back to her by singing out the magic word.

Shepherd's Stone

Shepherd's Stone - These simple enchanted stones of various sizes are prized by merchants.  If domesticated animals are allowed to see one and smell it and it is placed on the ground, they will cluster around it.  Even if stolen or driven away by predators, the animals will eventually wander back to the stone.