[Radek]

1. Every chest, shelf, table, etc. in the game is good for storing your items - with one important exception:
Some areas change after reaching certain point in the game or after completing some quest. For example, de'Arnise Keep. In fact, there are two de'Arnise Keeps in the game. One is here until you finish Nalia's Quest, another is here after finishing the quest. You can store your items in the keep but only in its "new" version. If you store your items in the "old" keep, you lose them all in the moment when the "old" keep is replaced by the "new" keep. AFAIK, the following areas behave this way:
- de'Arnise Keep: until you finish the quest and after finishing the quest
- Bodhi's Lair: until you laeave for Asylum and after returning from Asylum
- Ranger's Cabin: until you finish the Ranger quest and after finishing the quest
Most probably other people will add other areas which I don't know about.
As far as I am concerned, I am always setting my base on the Waukeen's Promenade in the Old Cernd's House. There are 6 places for storing your items there. The house is a safe storage even if it has some role in the game. I've never seen any item loses.

2. Bodhi is considerably more difficult than Aran but also more rewarding. You get everything you can get with Aran but you also get several useful items which you cannot get with Aran. Working with Bodhi has no consequences in the game.