False Scabbard

Thieves can employ stout scabbards which are slightly longer than the swords which fit into them, leaving a length of scabbard at the end which is a separate, hollow compartment. Usually, this can be accessed via a sliding panel at the end of the scabbard.

This hollow compartment can be used to conceal a great many kinds of things, either to smuggle them in (poisons, dog pepper, blinding powder, etc.) or smuggle them out (gems and such). Some are so well-designed that the compartment can be entered from above or below, so that the thief can use the false scabbard as a snorkel (or, more correctly, as an underwater breathing tube) if he has to stay concealed in the water for any reason.