14. Library

Floor to ceiling bookshelves cover the long back wall of this room. They are about half full of books, and standing on a shelf toward the right end is a large gold vase. The books are all religious texts and hymnals for the worshipers of the spider god. Anyone consulting these books would be able to understand the papers on the table in room 13, above, but this process will require 4d6 hours; characters may deduct their Intelligence bonus from this time. After doing this, the character could read those papers and then would be able to move or carry the statuette in room 13 without activating it. It will still activate if anyone else disturbs it, though it will ignore the character who has learned the proper worship methods unless that character attacks the spider. If the spider statuette is activated outside of room 13, the spider will do everything in its power to return to the altar in that room. Characters wishing to steal the statuette and perhaps melt it down for its metal value will be rudely surprised, as even if handled by a properly instructed character (as above) it will still activate if placed in heat adequate to melt the gold. If the spider cannot escape the heat of the forge, it will simply die, then begin to regenerate as normal after the fire is out. The gold vase is actually ceramic, covered with gold leaf, and is worth just 100 gp. Finally, the secret door to area 33 is in fact a section of bookshelf. When a specific book is pulled on, it swings open to the left.