1d6 Items in a Scholar’s Pack
The Pack Itself
The scholar’s pack is a compact satchel made of sturdy green leather stitched with heavy gold thread. Brass buckles hold the main flap tight to the body, and a leather handle makes for easy carrying. A detachable shoulder strap can be stored in the pocket on the front of the main flap, while a larger external back pocket makes for easy access to sheets of parchment or a slim volume.
Inside The Pack
Alongside the more common scholar’s materials like bottles of ink, an ink pen or quill, sheets of parchment, a bag of sand, and the like, the scholar’s pack contains the following:
- Sticks of sealing wax in a variety of colours, wrapped in a supple sheet of waxed cotton and kept in an inner pocket alongside a signet ring engraved in intaglio with the scholar’s seal or monogram.
- A pocket-sized notebook tied shut with worn leather cord, filled with lists of books and manuscripts that you have sought out or intend to read. Those that you have found have been crossed out, but the uncrossed list is much, much longer than the completed entries.
- A collection of feathers from different birds – mainly goose, swan, and turkey – wrapped in cloth alongside a small knife to sharpen the ends for writing.
- A flyer torn from a notice board, advertising a display of rare manuscripts at a library in a city you passed through recently. The date of the exhibit is coming up soon.
- A small brass whistle on a chain, used for alerting people to dangers when working in the deepest, oldest part of the stacks in the library where you trained.
- A narrow scroll case made of lacquered wood and engraved with the name of the university you studied at. It contains your certificates of merit and letters of recommendation from your tutors.
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Image Credit: A scholar-alchemist pores over a book, searching for. Credit: Wellcome Collection. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)