Hry'un
From Strolen: (Items) Village has a nearby natural substance that comes from the ground and burns well when lit. They use it only locally and try not to let the secret get out.
Full Item Description
Hry'un is in it's natural form a white mineral, but when dissolved in water, it forms a white pasty substance that lights very well and burns cleanly. The residents use it in their lamps and all around the village, though only when outsiders are not around. Only those trusted to not spill the beans are ever told about the substance or given any.
History
The finding of the hry'un mineral's properties was a complete accident, being traced back to an old legend of a man who unknowingly got water saturated with the mineral to douse his fire. Well, the fire flared up in a goodly sized fireball, and the man knew he had found something. He took it back to his village, and now everyone uses it thanks to the abundance of the mineral in the area, though it is still rationed so as not to deplete the natural supply.
Common sense dictates the 'Never tell' rule that everyone in the area follows, which is punishable by having one's tongue removed. The Village Elders, and indeed, the villagers themselves, do not wish for groves of adventurers, merchants, or the King's Army coming and ruining their way of life, and the people themselves have set the penalty by common consensus.
Magic/Cursed Properties
Hry'un rock is a white mineral that is found in decent, but not large quantities. When combined with water, it makes a fuel that ignites when lit, burning very easily with a constant flame. The most common use is in lamps and on torches, but there are obvious militant uses as well.
Plots
Credit goes to Murometz for the basic plots.
1) While digging, the villagers discover an ENORMOUS Hry'un deposit, enough that they know they won't run out for a long while. What do they do? Should they try to market/sell this stuff?? If so, will the village get rich?.
Will some shady character make a deal with the PCs, such as 'Hey come and get some Hry'un to sell, but 50/50 on all profit'? Or perhaps the PCs are the ones the villagers ask for advice. Or maybe they're villagers themselves, and must decide what their stance is.
2) {in conjunction with #1} The Hry'un is running out! Is it only used in dire emergencies? Does the 'price' goes up? How will others react (PCs)? Violently? Will the village be swarmed by people who think Hry'un is just being hogged by the villagers?
3) A Warlord wants to steal all the Hry'un for his war effort! The villagers hire the PCs to protect the deposits and the village from the Warlord's cronies, or even the Warlord himself. (Instead of hiring the PCs, perhaps the PCs themselves are the villagers, and must protect their home from the invaders. This puts something much more personal at stake.) This also has many options for guerrilla warfare, if your players are into that sort of thing. Of course PCs can't fight an army off...can they?
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? Responses (5)
Very interesting substance. Could still use a few more details. And I guess I'll throw a 'shout out' to myself for the plot hooks :D
Could this be the near-mythical Greek Fire??
Yes, terribly sorry about that. Apparently it's a recurring issue with me. Modified.
From #2 in 2014
I think this only makes sense, if there is really some compelling reason for them to keep this for themselves. Are they an oppressed minority? A conquered people? Another minor race? Memebers of an odd religion?
It is just, 'we don't want to change and we don't like those other people'.
I mean, sure their life might change, but what is so great about their life that the influx of money and jobs that mining this stuff would bring could not compensate for?
Is nobody poor enough that leaving the area and telling someone might be worth it?
Does the local priest belong to a 'bigger church'? Might not that be mentioned in a report of some kind to them?
Other than that, an intersting fantasy mineral.
Actually, I saw this one in the plot seeds a long time back, remembered it, and wrote it up. A decent filler item to add for the players to discover honestly.
It took me a moment to understand what you were asking, but I think I understand the question now. Basically, you wish to know why they keep it to themselves, ayuh? The simplest explaination is that which is in the post: they don't want their way of life interrupted. Things are peaceful in the village, and while there is probably a village drunk or two, nobody is poor enough to need to go try and sell Hry'un.
Besides, when you have something so obviously useful that people will definitely want, they tend to come and take it no matter what you wish (Hello, remember the Aztecs? The Incas? The Indians?). If they're stronger than you, they'll take it, and so by keeping the secret, such a thing is avoided.
Also, not sure where the priest thing came from, but in Tyren, there isn't any sort of over-arching Church (ala' Roman Catholicism) that regulates things. Each priest is entrusted to guide his congregation by the tenants set down in the Triguian (Holy Book of Trigu). So no, there would be no such report that would have it mentioned.
A decent idea, and the secret would work better if the village was isolated.