Cabinet of Curiosities- Three Victorian Mcguffins to Drive Story

Not every adventure needs to be complicated. Sometimes all you need to drive story is a Mcguffin: a valuable item an interested party (or parties) is looking for. They can be stolen, hidden, bought, or lost, whatever makes the story possible.
An astonishing amount of plots from movies, books, and television are based on a Mcguffin, from Citizen Kane (Rosebud) to Raiders of the Lost Ark (the Ark of the Covenant).
If you are stuck for an idea, here are 3 Mcguffins. Just pick one, decide who had it, who wants it, and why.

The Prussian Plans to Invade France
In the Wake of the 7 Weeks War, the German Confederation was dying. Prussia had pulled the smaller northern nation states under its wing, leaving the south fractured. Seeking to further unify the German states into an empire, Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck schemed for a war with France.
He looked at plans for theoretical invasion of France developed by the much venerated Prussian Major-general Carl von Clausewitz. The plan had been updated and was revised as Bismarck waited for his War to start.
Spies might travel across western France searching for any intelligence that could be added to the invasion plans. If the French government ever found out they would kill for a chance to read it.  

Description
A large journal with hand drawn illustrations of the French countryside surrounded by a travelogue written in German. The descriptions and travel records conceal the invasion plan. Descriptions of an inn reveal troop placements, and an account of a cycling accident suggests a possible weak point.  

A Valuable Fern
In the 1850s fern collecting frenzy spread all over England. Dubbed Pteridomania, collectors potted wild ferns, bought exotic ferns from around the world, and even bought furnishings with fern motifs. A number of British ferns were almost completely removed from the wild due to their popularity as houseplants. Many fanciers kept their ferns in closed glass paneled Wardian cases (similar to modern terrariums) to keep the fern humid and protect them from pollution.
Several enthusiasts died looking for ferns on cliffs sides. A particularly rare and valuable fern could lead unscrupulous men to add more deaths to Pteridomania’s infamy, while others may believe it to be a weed in their ignorance.

Description
A small, exotic fern (taken from the Americas or Asia) planted in a three foot tall glass-paned Wardian case. The case’s intricately carved base has several small drawers. Surrounding the case is an open topped wooden crate filled with hay.

GM Note- This Mcguffin is nicely farcical if players are not sure what they are looking for. They sneak in, open the box, and see… unexciting ferns. Or better yet, they may have over looked their value and already disposed of the plot point by accident.

A Russian Icon
In the late Middle Ages Christians in the Russian Orthodox Church began painting small religious events on wooden panels called icons. Because these images were full of elaborate symbolic meaning, Icon craftsmen were very careful to copy old images accurately. They saw the creation of their Icons as reproducing the truth of the Gospel, not personal expression.
Some Icon’s are believed to simply appear by the will of God, known as Acheiropoieta (made without hands), and are reported to perform miracles.

Description
A 1 foot square wooden panel with no frame. One side of the wood has been painted with an image of a saint with a golden halo surrounded by 3 unidentified figures. The others side has two back slats running across the board to keep it from warping over time. A metal overlay covers the edges of the icon, but leaves the scene clearly visible.

GM Note- While the Aluminate Church is not the exact same as Christianity, I think there is plenty of wiggle room for sacred images to fit. Icons could feature images of Archons, the Eight Voices or Aluminate Saints. The possibility that an Icon may not have been made by human hands, also opens a number of doors into the spiritual world of Victoriana.  

Mcguffin Hooks
Rumor spreads through the rougher parts of town that a thief stumbled onto something very valuable. He bragged he had two very distinguished gentlemen, a lady, and a foreigner fighting over it in a bidding war. He died in the gutter last night. His valuable find has disappeared, and now two very distinguished gentlemen, a lady, and a foreigner are asking around.

Something interesting has been placed in a diplomat’s safe in the embassy of a foreign power. Someone is very interested in that safe’s contents

A parcel of mail has gone missing before it was delivered. A body matching the description of the man who mailed the package was found floating face down in the Thames. The Royal Mail must complete its job.

What is this crate that just showed up on my door step?