TEXT:  
   
  
  1 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
   
  CREDITS 
   
  Author: Peter Charron 
  Cover Art: The Bookworm a painting by Carl 
  Spitzweg c. 1850 
  Interior Stock Art: Public domain (CC0) /
  Wizards of the Coast used with permission. 
   
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    DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of 
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    This work contains material that is copy-
  right Wizards of the Coast and/or other au-
  thors. Such material is used with permission 
  under the Community Content Agreement 
  for Dungeon Masters Guild. 
   
    All other original material in this work, in-
  cluding the Runemaker imprint, are copy-
  right 2020 by Peter Charron published un-
  der the Community Content Agreement for 
  Dungeon Masters Guild. 
   
   
  Glossary and Tables 
   
   
  Page 3 
  Character Backgrounds  
   
  Page 4 
  Artisan Tools 
   
   
   
  Page 7 
  Monastic Library  
   
   
  Page 8 
  University Library  
   
   
  Page 10 
  Sylvan Lorekeep   
   
   
  Page 12 
  Arcane Library  
   
   
   
  Page 14 
  Guild Archives 
   
   
   
  Page 16 
  Royal Library 
   
   
   
  Page 18 
  Otherworldly Library 
   
   
  Page 21 
  Hall of Records  
   
   
  Page 23 
  Private Holdings   
   
   
  Page 26 
  Abandoned Library 
   
   
  Page 28 
   
  APPENDIX I CHARTS, GLOBES AND MAPS 
  Nautical Charts  
   
   
  Page 30 
  Globes and Armillary Spheres  
  Page 32 
  Terrestrial Maps  
   
   
  Page 33 
  Sample Adventures 
   
   
  Page 35 
   
  APPENDIX II TROPHIES AND CURIOSITIES  
  Curiosities  
   
   
   
  Page 43 
  Random Curiosity Tables 
   
  Page 44 
  Trophies and Spoils of War 
   
  Page 45 
  Sample Adventures 
   
   
  Page 46 
   
  Full Page Maps 
   
   
   
  Page 56 - 71 
  CONTENTS 
  
  2 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
    In many adventure settings libraries are cast in a passive role. 
  They serve as scenery to set a mood or simply as a backdrop 
  against which other action unfolds. Even when they play a 
  more active part it’s often as somewhat of a time sink. Players  
  can spend a lot of time hanging about a library while searching 
  for some clue or needed bit of lore among the endless shelves. 
  Not to mention suffering the attention of a 
  curmudgeonly librarian reluctant to help. 
  Libraries can be much more pivotal and 
  dynamic. As we will see, libraries vary in 
  type and are more than a place to keep 
  books out of the wet. They are centers of 
  learning, statements of political power and 
  repositories of new and ancient secrets.  
    Many historians place the collection of 
  written records in the same league as the 
  beginnings of agriculture and the first large 
  settlements when talking about the start of 
  civilization as we know it. For the first time 
  knowledge about building societies, when 
  to plant and harvest along with advances in 
  medicine, law and the sciences, could be 
  transmitted to many people and across 
  generations. Previously this could only be 
  done by a local teacher through discussion 
  and oral history providing you happened to 
  live near a sage. This newfangled record 
  keeping was a very big deal and accelerated 
  advancements. Libraries are a civilization’s 
  memory.  
    Until very recently libraries were not by 
  nature self-serve. This is why librarians 
  were critical to the function of the library 
  and why you wanted to keep on their good 
  side. They understood the complex, convo-
  luted and sometimes downright baffling 
  systems for storing and indexing their col-
  lections. A skillful librarian had an excellent 
  memory and was probably a tiny bit obses-
  sive. Prior to the early Middle Ages works 
  were maintained in the form of scrolls. 
  Even though some might have been 
  marked with a visible title on the outer 
  edge they weren’t designed for casual 
  browsing. It wasn’t until the 16th Century that titled spines 
  were slowly becoming the norm. Imagine trying to find some-
  thing specific among scores of shelves filled with untitled vol-
  umes. In past ages being an organized library meant folios 
  might have an index number glued to their spines. Finding that 
  one grimoire with the storm summoning sigil you’ve been look-
  ing for in the stacks of the Imperial Anthenaeum is nearly a 
  quest unto itself.  
    Okay, so it’s also about the books. 
    Although much more than the sum of their holdings, librar-
  ies are about, mostly, written knowledge. They were however 
  also repositories of maps and charts along with all sorts of 
  other curiosities before the appearance of what we think of 
  as museums.  
    Standard books can be handwritten manuscripts scratched 
  onto parchment or the more familiar paper version. Even 
  these vary quite a bit in quality, material and ornaments. 
  Gilded pages, color illustrations, embossed 
  covers set with precious stones as well as 
  locking devices are only a few of the acces-
  sories used throughout past ages. The 
  Glossary on the next page has a listing of 
  various book types to choose from. You 
  may also use the table found in the Aban-
  doned Library section to randomly gener-
  ate book condition. That all being said, a 
  library’s collection doesn’t have to be only 
  neat and bound volumes. It might not have 
  any bound texts at all.  
    We often only think in terms of books 
  because that’s what we’re familiar with. 
  Scrolls come second and are the icon for 
  ancient writings. This leaves out a large 
  number of other styles and types you can 
  use depending on the culture and age 
  you’ve set your adventure. A few examples 
  to add variety: rolls of papyrus, clay tab-
  lets, thin strips of wood sewn together or 
  etched copper plates. The options aren’t 
  limited to historical examples. One can 
  easily imagine other mediums made possi-
  ble by magic or alchemy: books of glass, 
  smoke or knotted cords like those used by 
  the ancient Andeans. There’s no reason 
  why a tome couldn’t be a mix of types in-
  corporating parchment, metal, bone and 
  thread for example.  
    This is all great but, besides some fancy 
  architecture all libraries are pretty much 
  the same. 
    Not so I say! Although by definition all 
  libraries have some similarities due to their 
  fundamental function each can be quite 
  unique. What follows are tables for gener-
  ating random volumes, character backgrounds and tools for 
  professions associated with libraries and examples, including 
  a short playable scenario and extra adventure hooks, for ten 
  different categories of libraries. Each have their own quirks 
  and strengths allowing you to weave them into any campaign 
  setting. These were designed as general guides and not in-
  tended to be ridged. The sample adventures can play out in 
  different ways and were left a little vague so they can be 
  tweaked by the DM to fit the play style of their group.  
  It’s not just about books... 
  
  3 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
   
   
     
   
   
  Generating Random Volumes 
    Three tables have been provided to generate 
  random volume Type, Subject and Condition 
  (see Abandoned). These should help with com-
  ing up with the odd text as needed on-the-fly. 
  As for the specifics of the book; that’s up to the 
  DM. There are a number of supplements availa-
  ble with predesigned titles you can add to any 
  library’s collection.  
  By Any Other Name — A Glossary of Book Terms 
  
  4 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
    There are a number of professions closely associated with li-
  braries and books. The most obvious is the librarian but those 
  with a copyist or bindery skills are also to be found in close 
  proximity to major book holdings.  
    What follows are three new Backgrounds and one new Tool 
  Set for PC or NPC development.  
   
  LIBRARIAN 
  You have spent years learning the complex methods needed to 
  classify and organize large collections of books and related ob-
  jects. Over time you’ve come to specialize in several categories 
  that interest you. You studied scrolls, manuscripts, and tablets. 
  Your efforts have made you an expert on volumes in these are-
  as of reference. 
    Discuss what sort of library you were trained in with your Dun-
  geon Master. Was it a University, Monastery or vast Imperial 
  collection? How far up in the hierarchy were you? Did some-
  thing disastrous befall the library to send you out into the 
  world? Or was it more personal?  
    
  Skill Proficiencies: Investigation, History 
  Tool Proficiencies: Select one from Calligrapher’s Supplies (as 
  per Scribe), Cartographer’s Tools, Bookbinder’s Tools.  
  Languages: One of your choice 
  Equipment: Artisan Tools, a handwritten notebook with your 
  personal indexing system, a set of common clothes, and a 
  pouch containing 10 gp. 
    
  SPECIALTY 
  To determine the subject of your area of expertise, roll a d20 or 
  choose from the options in the subject table on the previous 
  page  
   
  FEATURE: RESEARCHER  
  When you attempt to learn or recall a piece of lore, if you do 
  not know that information, you often know   which volumes or 
  references you can obtain it. Usually, this information comes 
  from one of various types of libraries you have knowledge of. 
  Your DM might rule that what you seek is secreted away in an 
  almost inaccessible collection, or that all known copies have 
  been lost yet rumors of its survival persist.  
    
  SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS 
  Librarians are defined by their almost obsessive sense of organi-
  zation and their characteristics reflect this need for order. De-
  voted to recorded knowledge a librarian values all forms of the 
  written word and the ideals which protect them. To a librarian 
  no book is inherently good or evil and all are worthy of preser-
  vation.  
   
    
  Librarians, Scribes and Bookbinders 
  
  5 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  SCRIBE 
  There is a saying; if you want it pretty, hire a calligrapher. If 
  you want accuracy, find a Scribe. You spent years in a temple 
  or monastery’s scriptorium, a university copy room or court 
  hall of records learning to accurately transcribe books and doc-
  uments. This required developing a keen facility deciphering all 
  manner of handwriting. You are also versed in the official lan-
  guage of contracts, charters and religious doctrine allowing 
  you to interpret otherwise dense legal documents.  
    Discuss with what sort of employer you were trained with 
  your Dungeon Master. Was it a court or notary house where 
  contracts were the order of the day. Perhaps it was a religious 
  order or University. What event led to your decision to pack up 
  and leave? Did someone or something force you out of your 
  comfortable position? Or were you tasked to copy a secret 
  treaty that made you a liability and you’ve been on the run 
  ever since.   
    
  Skill Proficiencies: History, Religion 
  Tool Proficiencies: Calligrapher’s Supplies 
  Languages: Two of your choice 
  Equipment: Calligrapher’s Supplies, a magnifying glass, sealing 
  wax, a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 15 gp. 
   
  SPECIALTY: 
  Select either Secular or Religious  
   
  FEATURE: NEGOTIATION  
  Your knowledge of legal or religious language allows you to 
  quickly understand the basis of a dispute or other conflict by 
  reviewing the relevant documents. Having done so you can 
  judge which party is in the right according to the Law or Com-
  mon Tradition.  
    
  SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS 
  Scribes are typically tidy and a bit fastidious especially when 
  they’re working. Accuracy drives them. There is nothing worse 
  than completing a page of copy only to realize there is an 
  omitted word somewhere at its center. A skilled copyists as-
  pires to produce transcriptions so precise as to be indistin-
  guishable from the original. Precision is the scribe’s path to 
  perfection.   
  
  6 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  TRAVELING BOOKBINDER 
  Unlike your citybound brethren you travel from small town to 
  tiny monastery then on to obscure colleges binding new manu-
  scripts and repairing old volumes. You have more in common 
  with traveling Tinkers than you do with urban Binders fettered 
  by Guild Rules and mired in local politics. Your arrival is general-
  ly welcome as you bring a bit of civilization with you. Most 
  small communities don’t have access to or couldn’t support a 
  local bookbinder. Big city folk would never consider that their 
  rural countrymen also want their family or town histories 
  bound for posterity. Or that a tiny temple of monks could pro-
  duce illustrated manuscripts to rival Orders ten time their size 
  yet have no one with the skill to bind them.  
    You may stay in a town for only a day or so selling a few simple 
  folios you made along the way. You might also spend a month 
  at a monastery or college binding their new works and repairing 
  those damaged by age, rodents or the elements.  
   
  Skill Proficiencies: History, Insight 
  Tool Proficiencies: Bookbinder’s Tools  
  Languages: One of your choice 
  Equipment: A set of Bookbinder’s Tools, One or more letters of 
  recommendation from clients, a set of traveler’s clothes, and a 
  pouch containing 15 gp. 
    
  FEATURE: ARTISAN BUSINESS 
  You may not be as fussy about contracts and the like compared 
  to city bookbinders but you still know what constitutes reason-
  able compensation. Not only that but you can appraise any 
  book with an eye to making a profit. You also know what is 
  needed to create finished works from raw materials as well as 
  the principles of firm negotiation and good trade.  
    
  SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS 
  As a hardworking, hard travelling artisan you know how to ap-
  ply yourself to a task and the rigors of the road are nothing new 
  to you. These skills serve you well if you decide to end your 
  rounds and travel much further afield. You are by nature a bit 
  of a loner and sometimes find constant company irritating.  
  Variant TRAVELING BOOKBINDER: Book Trader 
  In addition to your bookbinding and repair services you have 
  noticed a small market for books among the communities you 
  frequent. You always have your eye out for unwanted volumes 
  or those to be had for a small sum. You never have more than a 
  dozen and they are often quickly sold a couple of towns over. 
  You might also act as a scout for very small collectors, monaster-
  ies or newly founded colleges locating books to add to their 
  holdings in return for a finder’s fee. Likewise you can agree to 
  sell a handful of volumes on commission for a widow or inheri-
  tor who has no interest in the books themselves and only wants 
  to turn them into cash.  Others may have interest in certain top-
  ics and will pay extra if you acquire something that peeks their 
  interest.   It is possible you have formed a partnership with a 
  book seller in a larger town to carry works out to a larger market 
  for a cut of the profits. A bookbinder-book trader covering a 
  large area is likely to have a pack animal or a mule and small 
  cart. 
  
  7 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  BOOKBINDER’S TOOLS 
  To a bookbinder a well-made volume is as much a work of art as anything 
  made from wood, gold or stone. To a bookbinder, skillfully bound manu-
  scripts are not only pleasing to the eye but protection for the possibly 
  unique work between the covers. Using bookbinder’s tools, they can bind 
  new works or repair damaged volumes. It is also possible to carefully exam-
  ine stitching, glues and medium (paper, parchment, papyrus, etc.) to deter-
  mine a volume’s likely age and origin. 
    Components. Bookbinders supplies include bone folders for creasing pag-
  es, large-eye needles, a spool of heavy thread, beeswax, an awl, two sets of 
  clamps, bookbinder’s ribbon and a gluepot with brush. A Traveling Book-
  binder will also have a collapsible book press.  
    Arcana Your expertise in working with pages and binding grants you in-
  sight on Intelligence (Arcana) checks when examining magical books or 
  tomes.  
    Investigation. You gain additional insight on Intelligence (Investigation) 
  checks when studying book bindings and materials for clues to their origin, 
  age and history.  
    Craft a Folio. As part of a long rest you can produce a simple multi-page 
  folio. This thin volume holds up to 100 blank pages and can be used to rec-
  ord a journal, note taking or as a sketchbook. The folio is not as durable as a 
  fully bound book but will hold up to travel providing you have access to 
  bookbinder’s tools and a source of paper or parchment.   
   
  Bookbinder’s Tools 
  
  8 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
    “Live in the serene peace of libraries lined with texts bound in 
  Faith.”  —Patriarch Aphoris 
  Monastic libraries, in many cases, were not libraries in the con-
  ventional sense; meaning a building or other space built specifi-
  cally to house a collection of books. Instead it refers to the sum 
  total of texts held by a religious house. This could be anything 
  from a massive temple to a tiny woodland shrine. At the core 
  of any monastic library are the sacred scriptures as well as 
  commentaries and philosophical writings based upon them. 
  After these, an Order would add more practical works on topics 
  of law, medicine, and history. Whatever knowledge was neces-
  sary to teach the religion and run the Order’s daily business.  
    The original design of most monasteries made little accommo-
  dation to store an accumulation of books or scrolls. Those 
  works not in use by the resident clerics, monks or paladins 
  were kept in chests, cabinets or tiny bookrooms scattered 
  about the buildings. This sometimes made finding a specific 
  volume difficult. Only the largest of monasteries built central 
  library rooms. Such collections grew by copying texts from oth-
  er houses as well as the occasional purchase or donation. How 
  long ago the monastery was founded will determine the likely 
  size and content of its library. Those of a venerable sort will 
  have extensive collections across a broader range of topics. In 
  some religious libraries, those with rare or ancient manuscripts, 
  fear of theft resulted in books being chained to their shelves. 
  Houses with a central library always had a catalogue which con-
  tained an index of works, a brief description or category code 
  as well as a diagram showing how the library was laid out. 
    Most monasteries engaged in copying texts. The monastery’s 
  scriptorium could be a room with many monks scratching away 
  but just as likely a collection of tiny rooms with a single scribe 
  working alone. Each scriptorium was managed by an armarius 
  or provisioner. It was they who supervised the copying efforts 
  and provided scribes with their ink, pigments and parchment. 
  Adventure 
  The Monastery of Six Pearls 
   
    During a terrible storm the Party arrives in the port town of 
  Steel Net on Sickle Bay. They are there perhaps to book pas-
  sage on a ship or returning to the coast after adventuring in-
  land. They quickly learn that the current tempest is just the 
  latest in a string of calamities afflicting the town as well as the 
  countryside for miles along the coast. Heavy rain and powerful 
  winds  
  are a daily occurrence. Aquatic beasts are attacking from the 
  shore and sea monsters have wrecking ships attempting to 
  reach harbor.  
    All the troubles began a few weeks earlier when the captain of 
  a fishing vessel hauled up a small gold idol of the demigoddess 
  Amphneri in his nets. Greed overcame his better judgement 
  and 
  the 
  captain 
  pried out the inset 
  pearls and attempt-
  ed to melt the statu-
  ette down. Due to 
  its radiant nature he 
  failed but did suc-
  ceeded in bringing 
  Amphneri’s 
  wrath 
  down on Steel Net. 
  Local priests have 
  tried in vain to ap-
  pease her with pray-
  ers and sacrifice.  
    Just before the Adventurers arrived one of these priests had 
  a vision. Only the repair and sanctification of the statuette 
  will lift the town’s curse. But the necessary ritual is detailed 
  only in the rare Book of Bright Waters. The single known copy 
  is held at the monastery of Six Pearls on Ynys Perlau, an is-
  land five days travel along the coast. The townspeople are 
  too frightened of the violent weather and marauding sea 
  creatures to make the journey themselves. The Party is enlist-
  ed to do so on their behalf for a suitable reward.  
    The journey between Steel Net and Ynys Perlau exposes the 
  Party to the dangers of high winds such as fallen trees across 
  the road. The entire trip should be considered under difficult 
  terrain. Torrential rain causes flooding and makes normal fire 
  impossible. Even magical fire is reduced to 25% strength. Half 
  the distance runs just above the sand dunes making it within 
  easy reach of creatures emerging from the ocean. The Party 
  is at high risk of attack both day and night. The choice of 
  monster is up to the Game Master’s discretion. 
    The island of Ynys Perlau can be reached by boat or a quar-
  ter mile-long causeway appearing at low tide. Although the 
  island seems just outside the region affected by storms the 
  sea is still very rough making a crossing dangerous for a small 
  boat. The Six Pearls in the monastery’s name represent the 
  Prime Goddess of the Sea and her five demigoddess daugh-
  ters. Each lesser goddess has domain over a different aspects 
  of the ocean. 
    Upon arriving, the Abbot of the monastery is suspicious of 
  the Party and their motives. After all, a group of unknown, 
  possibly scruffy and bedraggled looking, Adventurers have 
  appeared on his doorstep and asked to be given one of his 
  Order’s unique and most sacred tomes. The monks are aware 
  Amphneri is angry but do not know the cause. A detailed re-
  telling of events in Steel Net may help convince them. 
  • 
  The Adventurers must persuade the Abbot and the Chief 
  Librarian to trust them and give the Book of Bright Wa-
  ters into their keeping. The Abbot will not decide quickly, 
  taking 1-2 days to render his opinion. During that time 
  the Adventurers will be treated as guests. If the monks 
  agree they will insist on the Chief Librarian and a senior 
  cleric accompanying the Party back to Steel Net. It seems 
  that, even with the Book, only a priest of their Order can 
  perform the needed ritual.  
  Onastic Library 
   
  
  9 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  • 
  Any lack of curtesy or insult offered will put the Party at fur-
  ther disadvantage with the Abbot. If he refuses their request 
  the Party could choose to obtain the book by force or 
  stealth. If they decide upon this option the Adventurers will 
  discover the monks are not as harmless as they appear and 
  are capable of defending themselves with martial skill and 
  divine (clerical) magic. The Book of Bright Waters is kept in 
  room 6a of the accompanying map. They will also have to 
  devise a plan to abduct or coerce one of the monks and gain 
  their cooperation to enact the ritual. This might be an issue 
  if the monk in question was just abducted and threatened 
  by the Adventurers. This method, even if successful, will not 
  go over well with the citizens of Steel Net. Any reward the 
  Party receives under these conditions will be minimal.  
    Whether by agreement or force returning with at least one 
  monk is critical to the mission’s success. Be this the senior cleric 
  and Chief Librarian, or another priest, none of them are of high 
  level (as determined by the DM) and the Adventures will need to 
  protect them from harm. After arriving safely in Steel Net the 
  Party could additionally be required to help obtain special mate-
  rial components for the ritual.  
    Once the rite is complete Amphneri will be appeased and the 
  storms will immediately clear. Providing they didn’t kill, maim or 
  inflict undue mental trauma upon any of the monks, each player 
  may have a 5% chance of Amphneri granting them a one-time 
  boon. If called upon the goddess will render limited assistance 
  providing the request falls within her sphere of influence.  
  Other Adventure Hooks 
  1.  A powerful noble has died without leaving an heir. It is 
  learned that decades earlier a secret document of succession 
  was drafted, signed and given into the keeping of an order of 
  reclusive monks. The Party has been hired by a faction loyal to 
  the noble’s house to retrieve this document and keep it out of 
  the hands of their rivals who seek to destroy it.  
  2.  A sect of clerics have kept the original manuscripts of their 
  holy founder, in a deep vault beneath the monastery. A recent 
  earthquake has opened a crack in the stone floor allowing an 
  evil, subterranean threat to invade the sacred vault. The clerics 
  have brought in the Party to rid them of the danger.  
  3.  The Patriarch of a remote monastic order has gone mysteri-
  ously missing along with their oldest text, the Codex Alamatha. 
  The order’s primary duty has always been to guard against 
  trespassers entering the vast nearby ruins. Only their patriarch 
  really knows why. Deep below the ruins lies the source of the 
  ancient city’s destruction, a portal to the outer realms. A group 
  intent on reopening the gateway has abducted the patriarch 
  and stolen the Codex believing both are the key to the success 
  of their plan.  
  Inspirations: Melk Abbey, Kremsmunster Abbey, Strahov Monastery, 
  Saint Florian Monastery, Saint Gallen Abbey, Pachu Monastery, Sera 
  Monastery. Imagined: Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. 
   
  Monastery Map Key 
  1. 
  Nave 
  2. 
  Transepts 
  3. 
  Tower 
  4. 
  Cloister 
  5. 
  Colonnade 
  6. 
  Book Room 
  7. 
  Scriptorium 
  8. 
  Chapter House 
  9. 
  Monk’s Dormitory 
  10. Necessary 
  11. Refectory 
  12. Kitchen 
  13. Novice Dormitory 
  14. Abbot’s Lodgings 
  15. Infirmary 
  16. Temple 
  17. Layman’s Hall 
  18. Provisioner’s office 
  N
  10'
  
  10 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  “The library is where you can discover what your instructors 
  are afraid to teach you.” —Golam Nar 
    University libraries throughout Europe typically grew out of 
  monastic collections when a religious house decided to expand 
  their educational activities. Colleges where their secular equiv-
  alent which might evolve instead from a guild or arcane school. 
  In the latter case it is not uncommon for long forgotten tomes 
  of lore to lay buried in the stacks. The number of collected vol-
  umes will depend greatly on the institution’s current status. 
  Those on the rise or falling from popularity may have rather 
  modest numbers. Depending on the culture and degree of lit-
  eracy, a large collection could consist of 15,000 or only as few 
  as 200 titles. Common topics would be: Theology, Magic, Law, 
  Medicine, History and Geography. Less common topics could 
  include Astronomy, Astrology, and Alchemy among virtually 
  any other field pertaining to the area of study specialized in by 
  the College.  
    Undergraduate students would not be expected to need or 
  own books. Much of their instruction was provided as lectures 
  and discussion. Those pursuing graduate and masters studies 
  were the primary consumer of library texts. Fellows and other 
  long-term members of an academy were often expected to 
  bequeath their books to the institution at the time of their 
  death.  
    Use of library volumes was usually limited to on premise con-
  sultation. Copying out large passages, or even entire books, 
  was common. Along with ink and other writing implements and 
  supplies, stationers sold paper or blank, simply bound, books 
  for the purposes of note taking and copying. Occasionally a set 
  of books might be set aside and loaned to scholars against a 
  deposit or pledge to replace them should the work be lost.  
    
   Like Monastic librar-
  ies some of the more 
  rare and valuable 
  volumes 
  were 
  chained to reference 
  desks or only made 
  available by appoint-
  ment and used un-
  der the supervision 
  of a librarian. Many 
  libraries were locked 
  after dark not only as 
  proof 
  against 
  thieves, seeking to 
  profit from the lucra-
  tive book trade, but 
  also due to lack of 
  light and the very 
  real fear of fire.  
   
   Adventure -The Musǎr Folio  
  In the past three months the 
  small College of Art and Arti-
  ficing has experienced a 
  series of strange events and 
  unsolved 
  attacks 
  on 
  its 
  grounds including the li-
  brary. A distorted figure has 
  been seen by several wit-
  nesses skulking about on 
  moonlit nights. The local rat 
  population has tripled and 
  become a serious nuisance. 
  Five students and instruc-
  tors have survived being 
  attacked while walking the 
  grounds at night. They de-
  scribed 
  a 
  lanky, 
  foul-
  smelling beast covered in 
  brown-gray fur. The snouted monstrosity gambles about on all 
  fours but can also stand upright and walk on two. The victims 
  were mauled by sharp claws and teeth but also infected with 
  an unknown disease needing healing magic to cure. Under-
  standably fear of the possibly plague-ridden rat infestation and 
  a stalking creature has made residents rather nervous. Many 
  students, and a few professors, have already left the College. 
    The local sheriff and his deputies are unable to apprehend the 
  beast probably because they haven’t tried very hard. The sher-
  iff has suggested the College hire an exterminator. Unim-
  pressed with local law enforcers The Provost, Bursar and Chief 
  Librarian have brought in a team of Adventurers they hope can 
  better deal with the unusual circumstances. If questioned 
  about odd happenings in the recent past the Party will be told 
  that everything was quiet and status quo as they prepared for 
  the annual Canvas and Clockwork Exhibition. The Chief Librari-
  an mentions in passing that the only event of note was the 
  arrival of a large bequest of books, about three months ago, 
  from a former Fellow  who recently died. This benefactor’s 
  name was Avram Sobolan, who specialized in small clockwork 
  animals, and lived in a medium-sized town four days travel to 
  the east  
  Should the Party want to know more about Sobolan and travel 
  to his hometown they can learn the following: 
  • 
  There was a creature loose in town for many months who as-
  saulted more than a dozen people, two of whom died. 
  • 
  A hoard of rats had flooded the town 
  • 
  The cause of Sobolan’s death was a self-inflicted bolt to the 
  heart. He tied himself to a chair with some type of living wire in 
  the sights of a crossbow fitted with a clockwork timing device to 
  pull the trigger. The local magistrate says, “The only weird thing 
  about it was the bolt being made of pure silver.”  
  • 
  The attacks and rat problem ended around the same time as 
  Sobolan’s death.  
  niversity Library 
   
  
  11 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
    Investigating around the College the Party can learn the fol-
  lowing: 
  • 
  If checked, all the books received from Sobolan are accounted for 
  except one. Called the Musǎr Folio it was cataloged as a natural-
  ist’s study on rats with some “minor mention of arcane controls.” 
  The work is described as a slightly oversized folio bound in dark 
  leather with an embossed rat skull on the cover.  
  • 
  All the attacks happened during nights with a full moon. 
  • 
  One of the assistant librarians named Dimitru has been behaving 
  strangely; always tired and twitchy-nervous. He appears sickly 
  and takes to his bed for a couple of days every few weeks.  
  • 
  Dimitru was the one who catalogued and shelved Sobolan’s 
  books. 
  • 
  Dimitru has not been seen since the Adventurers began their 
  investigation.  
      The Musǎr Folio describes, in detail, the biology and behav-
  ior of rats. Sobolan acquired the book intending to use it as a 
  reference while perfecting his gear driven rodents, quitel the 
  rage at the time. The last two pages contain a complex arcane 
  glyph with a legend explaining how using it, with a drop of 
  blood, will grant power to command rats. It does in fact do 
  this, however the folio is cursed. Anyone using the glyph will 
  also contract lycanthropy and become a wererat on the next 
  full moon. This was the fate that befell Sobolan and for which 
  he took such extreme measures. The folio will detect as magic 
  and cursed but not evil.   
    Dimitru also used the glyph and has inherited the curse. In his 
  Wererat state (5e MM Page. 209) he has built a nest of sorts 
  under the library’s south staircase. The folio is there. Part of 
  the curse compels the victim to remain within one thousand 
  yards of the book. If confronted Dimitru will shape change be-
  fore attacking. If it is a full moon night he has no control of the 
  shifting and has advantage on all attacks. He can, as an action, 
  also summon 1-20 Rats (5e MM Page 335) or 1-4 Giant Rats 
  (5e MM Page. 327) every second round. These allies will arrive 
  in one round. 
    If subdued and restrained Dimitru can be restored by a Re-
  move Curse cast once per day, on three consecutive nights of 
  the full moon.  
    Other Adventure Hooks 
  1. A former mentor to one of the Party members has died and 
  left them a considerable sum of gold. The inheritance has a 
  condition though. The former student must personally escort 
  the mentor’s books to insure they are safely delivered to his 
  old college located in a city some three weeks overland travel 
  away. One of the books is the last known copy of a work con-
  taining some secret lore: lost spell, clue to a hidden trove, the 
  location of a tomb, etc. A powerful individual seeks to get their 
  hands on the book and sends minions to steal it.  
  2. A College library has discovered a rash of recent thefts from 
  their main collection. The librarians believe they have account-
  ed for all physical and magical means of entering the stacks but 
  the thefts continue. Just recently a few of the missing books 
  have turned up for sale at nearby bookstalls and shops. Their 
  owners claim the previously purloined books were sold to them 
  by a halfling woman.  
  3. The senior librarian in charge of acquisitions for the Universi-
  ty of Lind is beside himself over the disappearance of three 
  clerks in as many weeks. All were working in a locked room 
  where newly purchased and donated books are stored before 
  being catalogued. The only evidence of their vanishing; a terri-
  ble scream and a small bit of blood. One of the many book 
  chests in the room is an old and cunning Mimic (5e MM Page. 
  220.) 
  Inspirations: Trinity College, Dublin. Merton College, Queens College, 
  Cambridge.  
  The College of Art and  
  Artificing  
   
  1.   Main Collection 
  2.   Old Reading Room 
  3.   Lesser Collection 
  4.   Stairway hall 
  5.   Copy room and Catalogue 
  6.   Restricted Collection 
  7.   Tower Entrance 
  8.   Librarian’s Office 
  9.   Gallery 
  10. Stairway hall 
  N
  
  12 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
      “Like all living things a library is not made but grown..” —
  Tadg mac Nuadat 
  Sylvan or woodland libraries, sometimes referred to as a Lore-
  keep, fall into two general categories. Those maintained by 
  forest-dwelling races such as Wood Elves or Firbolg. The sec-
  ond are collections belonging to druid circles and other nature 
  worshiping groups. Seldom, if ever, are either type housed in 
  conventional structures.  
    Wood elves prefer to build on and with-
  in giant tree species. Their design appears 
  deceptively primitive but on close exami-
  nation one will find the craftmanship and 
  joinery of exceptional quality. Where 
  some druidic groups might emulate the 
  elven model most house their lore in log 
  structures, deep dry caves or in specially 
  built barrow mounds often accompanied 
  by rings of standing stones called menhir.  
    Although wood elves bind their texts 
  they are in the form of soft covered folios 
  stored flat in many slotted bookcases. 
  Druid circles favor a simpler approach 
  preferring scrolls made of natural materi-
  als such as hides, bark paper, papyrus or 
  wooden tablets. Most works are kept 
  tightly rolled and secured with cord. Top-
  ics in both types fall predominantly into 
  those of Natural law, husbandry, herbolo-
  gy, nature magic, weather and history.  
    Many sylvan dwellers tend towards the 
  reclusive. Their repositories are not easily 
  found nor immediately recognized as 
  such. It would be rare for a Druid Circle to 
  allow the uninitiated direct access to their 
  lorekeep.  
  Vast numbers of mushrooms called 
  Shroud Caps are sprouting throughout the farmlands surround-
  ing the town of Lak’s Crossing. Highly poisonous if touched or 
  eaten they also release clouds of toxic spores if disturbed. 
  Many livestock and a few villagers have already died and the 
  problem seems to worsen every day. Local lore maintains this 
  has happened before and a druid from the Root-Stone circle 
  was able to banish the fungus. The Party is asked to travel to 
  the lorekeep barrow of Bün-clach, located deep in a nearby 
  forest, to ask the Master Druid for aid. The townspeople will 
  provide a rough map to the site.  
    On their six-day journey, besides having to avoid the ever-
  present Shroud Caps,  the Adventurers are beset with unusually 
  bad weather for the season. They are also frequently attacked 
  by mainly botanical monsters. On arriving at the lorekeep they 
  find the site abandoned. The dozen or so small huts located 
  beside the  Bün-clach mound are shrouded in vines and weeds 
  as are the standing stones leading to the barrow’ entrance. The 
  passage is blocked by thick thorn bushes. Upon investigation it 
  will be discovered that all the inch-long thorns are pointing out-
  ward as if protecting the doorway. The thorns can be damaged 
  with physical force or any number of energy spells. However 
  the wall grows (heals) as fast as it is damaged. 
    Either that night, if the Party camps near-
  by or immediately if they become frustrat-
  ed and decided to leave, the strong scent 
  of honeysuckle will fill the air. This is 
  caused by myconid rapport spores being   
  released in the area. The Party will realize 
  they are in telepathic contact with the lo-
  cal myconid Circle dwelling beneath them 
  as well as the Master Druid whose body is 
  inside the mound.  
    The Adventurers learn that four human 
  generations ago a myconid colony became 
  tainted by an upwelling of evil from the 
  Underdark. The colony became violent and 
  attacked many underground settlements 
  including other myconid Circles. In the end 
  they were destroyed by an alliance of My-
  conids and Dwarfs. At least that is what 
  they thought. The Sovereign of the tainted 
  Circle survived and retreated into unchart-
  ed caverns where it went slowly insane. In 
  its twisted thoughts the surface world was 
  somehow responsible for its plight. So be-
  gan the first attack on the land around 
  Lak’s 
  Crossing. 
  A 
  Root-Stone 
  druid 
  attempted to exorcise the tainted sover-
  eign and restore it to balance. She thought 
  she succeeded when it vanished without a 
  trace at the conclusion of the ritual. Appar-
  ently it survived.  
    The Black Sovereign attacked Bün-clach 
  because it knew an account of the last con-
  flict was kept in its library. The Master Dru-
  id only survived with the assistance of the 
  local myconid colony. Although the myco-
  nids will not violate their pacifist ways they will direct the Party 
  to the caves serving as the Black Sovereign’s lair. If the Adven-
  turers agree to stop him the Master Druid will allow them into 
  the barrow and access to the library where they will discover 
  the needed ritual. If they succeed the myconids promise to re-
  ward them with various spores and treasure they have discov-
  ered underground.  
    The cave lair is located a mile north of Lak’s Crossing in rugged 
  terrain. The Black Sovereign (5e MM Page 232) has acquired 
  the ability of a 4th level druid. It is charcoal gray in color with 
  ylvan Lorekeep 
   
  Adventure 
  A History of Deadly Spores 
  
  13 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  orifices that leak a thick white substance. It will have 4-8, for-
  merly human, spore servants (5e MM Page 230) in attendance 
  (use the Bandit template from 5e MM Page 343.) The spore 
  servants have been spreading the toxic fungi at night. The 
  Black Sovereign will not attempt to flee as it believes it is invul-
  nerable. If reduced to zero hit points it will collapse into a mass 
  of gray ooze and will reform within twenty-four hours. Only the 
  ritual, a bless of neutrality, followed by burning will destroy the 
  sovereign permanently. Once this is done all the toxic fungi will 
  wither in the light of the next day.   
   
    Other Adventure Hooks 
  1. 
  A ten-year old boy in the village of Ikyeong was born with 
  a birthmark resembling a kirin signifying he is destined to 
  become a member of the Duijao Druid Circle. This is a rea-
  son for rejoicing and worry. The Duijao have always helped 
  with bountiful crops and protection from wild beasts. But 
  their numbers have dwindled to a scarce few since the 
  local warlord made them outlaw. The Adventures are 
  asked to escort the boy to the Djijao library of Chunqiu-
  Zou, in the mountains, so he can begin training. The War-
  lord is informed and sends a squad of warriors to stop 
  them.  
  2.   After an unexpected total eclipse woodland animals have 
  become vicious and will attack anyone on sight. They 
  show no fear and behave as though rabid. The Party 
  must travel to the wood elf library of Arel os Ansrivarr to 
  search for an answer and possible cure.  
  3. The library maintained by the clan shaman of Aïy-Ysyakh is 
  under attack. Every night of the new moon a dragon spir-
  it assaults the temple with bone numbing cold while try-
  ing to claw its way into the library. The shaman’s charms 
  and wards have kept it out thus far but they fear having 
  to ultimately abandon the temple so have solicited aid 
  from local Adventurers. A recently acquired scroll in the 
  library was made from the hide and bones of the dragon 
  spirit’s former body. Giving up the scroll will banish the 
  spirit and end the attacks.    
  Inspirations: The library of Gondolin (J.R.R. Tolkien), Celtic 
  Druids of Ireland and the barrow mounds of Carnac, France.  
  The Lorekeep Barrow of  
  Bün-clach – Map Key 
   
  1.   Ritual Hall 
  2.   Library 
  3.   Training Room 
  4.   Storage 
  5.   Training Room 
  6.   Keeper’s Quarters 
  7.   Stairs down to Caverns 
  
  14 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
    “People can lose their lives in libraries. They 
  ought to be warned.” —S. Bellow 
    Arcane and mystic libraries house the amassed 
  knowledge, both practical and theoretical of a spell 
  caster, spell casting organization or secret society. 
  An individual wizard’s library is a type of private 
  holding (see below) as the latter type has aspects in 
  common with either guild or college repositories. 
  Books, scrolls and tomes in these libraries, if not 
  enchanted in their own right, tend to acquire an 
  aura of magic due to their prolonged proximity to 
  arcane workings. A large weight of magical texts stored togeth-
  er can have a profound effect on their surroundings.  
  When things get out of hand colored mists, random illusions 
  and the presence of unusual plants or animals can manifest 
  spontaneously. Some exceptionally potent tomes have been 
  known to warp space and time. Often magical precautions 
  must be taken to contain these problems.. Volumes might be 
  kept in rune inscribed vaults or circles of protection. Special 
  Arcane collections can often be found located in or near an 
  environment sympathetic to their domain. For example tomes 
  of necromancy might be kept in catacombs or close to a ne-
  cropolis whereas bound works of fire magic could be enhanced 
  when in immediate proximity to a volcano or lava pit.  
    Because of the jealous nature of wizards every self-respecting 
  arcane library will be protected by a potentially vast array of 
  wards, fiendish traps and natural or unnatural guardians. If you 
  are familiar with wizards, given the choice between a valuable 
  gem or spell book, most will want both -- but they’ll settle for 
  the spells. To spell-casters knowledge is wealth. 
   
   Adventure 
  Mirrored Writings 
  The Fellowship of Illusion is notorious for its library of unintelli-
  gible books. Rarely has anyone succeeded in getting their 
  hands on a volume but those who have find their efforts wast-
  ed. The Fellowship’s tomes not only seem to be written back-
  wards and upside down but also in what seems an impenetra-
  ble code. Even magic has failed to decipher their tomes other 
  than to reveal their partly insubstantial nature. The true num-
  ber of members belonging to the Fellowship is another secret 
  they closely guard but it is much smaller than they would have 
  believed by the public. Their arcane hall has been very quiet in 
  the last few weeks with no one seen coming in or out.  
    The Adventurers are approached by an Illusionist of the Tenth 
  Rank calling herself Geamăna who is also the Fellowship’s 
  senior librarian. It seems the Fellowship has fallen victim to its 
  own cleverness. In order to secure their library from prying 
  eyes they opened a gateway to a mirror dimension on the 
  borders of the Plane of Shadow. Their hall and library were 
  duplicated there, though as twisted mirror version of the 
  originals, in the process. The Fellowship then swapped all 
  books between the two so the contents of the real library 
  reside on the shelves of its mirrored twin.  
    Just over two weeks ago Geamăna returned from a journey 
  to a Southern city to find her hall populated by mirror 
  duplicates of friends and colleagues. These living illusions 
  were easily dispelled on the Material Plane. Searching the 
  mirror library she found the doors to the rest of the realm 
  open with their wards shattered. She fears her fellows were 
  abducted by some force of shadow and reflection. Geamăna 
  wants to hire the Party to accompany her on a scouting and 
  rescue mission into the mirror realm. The Fellowship is small 
  but not without resources. She promises to pay in gold and 
  magic in return for the Adventurer’s aid.  
    A Shadow Dragon (see 5e 
  MM 
  Page 
  85) 
  named 
  Umbrastaf has discovered 
  the Fellowship’s mirrored 
  hall. Finding it quite to his 
  liking  the dragon decided 
  to take up residence in the 
  observatory at the opposite 
  end of the building from 
  the library. He eventually realized the 
  warded room led to the Prime Material Plane. 
  Umbrastaf was finally able to break the wards and send his 
  Shadow servants to kidnap the illusionists. They were then 
  replaced a few at a time with mirror clones. The residents of 
  the hall were none the wiser until it was too late. Umbrastaf 
  is holding them, at least the nine still alive, hostage. He’s 
  doing so both for their company, the Plane of Shadow being 
  mostly devoid of entertainments, and to coherce them into 
  opening a gate large enough for him to escape into the Prime 
  Material plane. 
    None of the captured illusionists know how the original 
  portal was opened by their predecessors. They have tried 
  unsuccessfully to convince Umbrastaf that the knowledge 
  needed to create the portal he desires is  stored in their 
  version of the library. Figuring this to be a not-so-clever ruse 
  on their part the dragon has declined to allow any of them to 
  leave. He has tried to find the lore himself through his 
  shadow clone proxies but they have proven too mindless for 
  rcane Library 
  
  15 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  the task. The situation is increasingly frustrating Umbrastaf 
  making him dangerous and unpredictable.  
    Umbrastaf will have 4-8 Shadows (5e MM Page 269) at his 
  command as well as 1-3 Shadow Demons (5e MM Page 64.) 
  Umbrastaf will not attack immediately but engage in 
  conversation with a Party to determine if they are of any use to 
  him. If the Adventurer’s are caught attacking, deceiving or 
  boring Umbrastaf he will have his Shadows engage the group 
  and use his breath weapon as his first attack.   
   
  Other Adventure Hooks 
  1. A member of the Collegium Arcanum has defected to the 
  Academy of Sorcery in a neighboring city. This mage has 
  stolen a map or globe marking all the Lines of Power 
  throughout the land. This chart was the work of centuries 
  and is key to the Collegium maintaining its status as the 
  premiere school of magic. The Collegium will pay hand-
  somely for the return of the map along with a sizeable 
  bounty if the offending mage is brought in with it.  
  2. The Codex Magonicus is rumored to be the most complete 
  tome of spells ever compiled. Allegedly simply holding the 
  Codex can increase a spell caster’s abilities. The book has 
  been elusive because it can camouflage itself to appear as a 
  mundane bestiary with no discernable magic. A mage has 
  discovered the secret of locating the Codex but to their dis-
  may learn that the tome is already, unbeknownst to them, 
  in the labyrinthian book stacks of the Ekdilosi wizards. The 
  mage hires the party to help penetrate the library and steal 
  the Codex.  
  3. The Conclave of Meta-sorcery has a problem with its library; 
  too much magic. The wards keeping the accumulated magic 
  from getting out of control are failing. Chaotic forces are 
  causing random spell effects, creature summonings and 
  illusions. The problem for the Conclave is that the grimoire 
  explaining how to fix the library’s wards is in the library. 
  Instead of risking their own necks the sorcerers have re-
  tained the Adventurers to venture within and retrieve the 
  book.   
  Inspirations: The Unseen University – Disc World Series (Terry Pratch-
  ett), Medieval University of Toledo, Spain. The Librarians television 
  series, The Akashic Records 
   
  The Fellowship of Illusion  
   
  1.   Observatory 
  2.   Charts and Maps 
  3.   Workshop 
  4.   Laboratory 
  5.   Copyist  
  6.   Assistant Librarian 
  7.   Chief Librarian 
  8.   Reading Room 
  9.   Reading Room 
  10. Special Collection 
  11. Main Library and Ritual Chamber 
  12. Mirror Door 
  
  16 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
    The library room is a realm of order.” —Tomas Gray 
  Guilds or craft associations represented almost every class of 
  tradesman right up to the 19th Century. They could be just a 
  loose fraternity or formal guild with all the associated Rules 
  and hierarchy.  
   Guilds provided support to their membership in a multitude of 
  ways. The Guild could represent individual artisans involved in 
  court cases or disputes between rival Masters. The Guild held 
  authority to inspect the shops of its members to ensure the 
  quality of workmanship. Shoddy or inferior goods could be 
  confiscated or destroyed and the offending Master fined.  
  These inspections were carried out by officials of the Guild who 
  also inspected the shops of other artisans in related crafts most 
  likely to consider poaching on the Guild’s monopoly.  
    Artisans occupied what could be called the middle class of 
  their time. They held more status in the community than did 
  farmers and peasants though not as much as merchants or the 
  robed professions made up of doctors and lawyers. During the 
  transition from the Middle Ages and throughout the Early 
  Modern period the artisan’s way of life and the nature of their 
  work changed, as a group they adapted accordingly. Artisans 
  led socially rich and complex lives.  
  Like any large organization they generated and amassed docu-
  ments and publications. Guild libraries are relatively small col-
  lections housed in the guildhall. Their contents generally fall 
  into two categories. The first being business records: lists of 
  Masters, contracts and decisions handed down by the guild’s 
  leadership. The second are Manuals of the Craft that might 
  include general references, the notebook of a famous Master 
  or processes considered trade secrets known only to the mem-
  bership. The latter are kept locked and secure. Industrial espio-
  nage was alive and well in the Renaissance. Members found 
  guilty of betraying the membership were often treated harshly. 
  Stripped of their right to work in the craft an offender would 
  quickly be reduced to poverty. 
    The Guildhall was seldom left entirely unattend-
  ed. It was not just a place for occasional meetings 
  of the rank and file. The hall was a daily place of 
  business where the board of Masters and a num-
  ber of clerks worked. Larger guilds could also 
  have notaries and lawyers in the building. Often 
  the guild would hold money from the collection 
  of dues and fees as well as funds for the widows 
  of deceased members. If so a strong room was in 
  order and in many cases guarded through the 
  night.  
   
   
   
   Adventure—The Silk Ledgers 
  The Adventurers find themselves entangled with a criminal 
  element known as the Under Grate for reasons involving 
  gambling debts, owing a favor in exchange for needed infor-
  mation, etc. Their contact with the organization is a shifty 
  half-elf rogue who goes by the name of Reny the Wick. Ru-
  mor has it Reny is an accomplished burglar who does a bit of 
  arson on the side. If you ask him, he’ll deny it. The arson’s 
  mostly just a hobby.  
    Reny brings word that the Under Grate has a job for the 
  Party. His boss wants them to break into the Silk Merchants 
  Guildhall and steal a pair of specifically numbered ledgers (26 
  and 27.) Then bring them immediately to Reny at an address 
  he’ll provide. The unusual part is that they are to wait until 
  Reny’s done with them then return the ledgers to their origi-
  nal place in the Guildhall that same night. They must leave no 
  evidence behind that might lead anyone to suspect there 
  ever was a break in. If persuaded, Reny will tell the Party 
  where to obtain a floorplan of the hall. He also provides a 
  sinister warning. If any of them are caught and mention the 
  Under Grate was involved, their life expectancy will be very 
  short.   
    The Silk Merchants Guild is housed in a very secure building. 
  All the windows except those at the entrance facing the 
  street are covered with bars. Since the guild keeps funds on-
  site in a strong room there are also three guards (use the 
  Veteran template from the 5e MM Page 350) who patrol the 
  inside during the night. One is always on duty at the strong 
  room entrance. The other two are stationed in the cloak/
  guard room. Every hour or so one or both of them does a 
  patrol of the building.  
  The guild is located in a business-oriented section of the city 
  and there is little foot traffic after dark There are the occa-
  sional passing City Guard 1-3 times during the night.  
  Uild Library 
   
  
  17 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
    The ledgers are kept in the guild’s library and record room 
  which is accessed through the clerk’s office. The doors to both 
  rooms are locked. One other complication; the guarded strong 
  room is right next door to the library. Travel to the address 
  provided by Reny, waiting for a syndicate forger to make a few 
  extra entries in the ledgers then getting back to the guildhall 
  will take approximately two hours.  
    Should guardsmen apprehend the Adventurers they will find 
  the local magistrate very partial to the powerful silk merchants 
  interests and receive a stiff sentence. Should they try to blame 
  the syndicate an assassination attempt (or success) will not be 
  far behind. If they decided to fight their way out of custody the 
  Party will find both the authorities and the crime boss’ men on 
  their tail.  
   
  Other Adventure Hooks 
  1.  A collective of independent weavers hire the Party to steal 
  the formula for purple-prismatic dye from the more powerful 
  and rich Guild of Dyers. The formula is kept in an iron vault in 
  the Dyer’s guildhall.   
  2.  The chronometer used by the astronomer-star mages of 
  Stara Jadugara is broken. Without it they cannot calculate 
  the exact time of an important conjunction of planets due in 
  the next few weeks. The Adventurers are asked to travel to 
  a city where the artificer who built the chronometer lives 
  and escort them back to make repairs. Upon arriving they 
  learn the artificer died decades ago and left all his manuals 
  to his Guild. The party needs to persuade the Grand Master 
  to loan them the necessary references or, failing that, ac-
  quire the manuals by other means.  
  3.  The Party is contracted by a somewhat sinister individual 
  to deliver a small strong box to another city for an attrac-
  tive fee. At the gates they find guards searching everyone. 
  The box carried by the Adventurers is opened and found to 
  contain forged mastership papers with a very real guild seal 
  on them. The Party is accused of the recent break-in and 
  murder of a clerk at the influential Carpenter’s guild. The 
  only way the players can clear their name is to find the real 
  preparator.    
   
  Inspirations: The Hands of Honor – Artisans in Early Modern 
  France, Women, Gender and Guilds in Early Modern Europe, 
  the Zaanstreek guilds of Medieval Holland.  
  
  18 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
   
    “In this place a man can surround himself with a thousand 
  books and have at least one place in the world in which it is 
  always possible to be happy.” —A. Birrell 
   
  Royal or Imperial libraries share the same goal of any building 
  project funded by a monarch, be it a monument or palace, to 
  make a statement about that ruler’s power and glory. These 
  tend to be large opulent, sometimes to excess, and overall very 
  grand structures. Libraries are no exception. Royal libraries are 
  known at least as much for their fabulous architecture, sheathed 
  in expensive materials, as their contents. These structures can 
  also be somewhat odd in appearance or layout. Often the mon-
  arch, insisting on having a hand in the design, invariably intro-
  duce idiosyncrasies into the finished product. This known to 
  drive both architect and builder to drink. Something similar can 
  happen if, instead of building new, a ruler decides to renovate 
  an existing library constructed by a predecessor and rededicate 
  it to themselves 
    Every imperial library will have one, or ten, statues and carvings 
  of the monarch responsible for its dedication. These are typically 
  life size or grander placed at entrances or other prime locations. 
  It is also common for there to be one or more Curiosity Halls 
  where strange items, art and trophies of war looted from con-
  quered territories or objects from the ancient past are displayed. 
  One can also find a collec-
  tion of maps and charts in 
  such a library. Due to their 
  powerful, and rich, patrons 
  imperial libraries may be 
  the only place to find excep-
  tionally rare works. The 
  presence of such extensive 
  holdings tends to attract a 
  large population of sages 
  and scholars. Depending on 
  the library’s age and loca-
  tion, one or more colleges 
  may have sprung up nearby.  
   
  Adventure—
  Construct Confusion 
    The Bibliothecam Summi 
  of the Sül Kauryger Imperi-
  um, located in the capital 
  city of Detineri, is renowned 
  throughout the continent 
  not only for its vast collec-
  tion but the unique nature 
  of its librarians.  
    A little over two centuries ago the Bibliothecam’s holdings 
  had already grown to such a size it was necessary to employ a 
  small army of librarians, archivists and scribes. Even so find-
  ing and retrieving any particular work upon request took 
  days. Trying to manage incoming acquisitions was even 
  worse. None of this was to the liking of His Imperial Majesty. 
  The then First Reader was desperate for a solution. A wizard 
  calling herself Chizuire came forward and proposed a solu-
  tion. She would build and activate two hundred constructs 
  whose function it would be to manage and protect the li-
  brary. Her proposal was accepted and the auto-librarians of 
  her design have functioned flawlessly ever since. Until now.  
     First Reader Agathon has a very large problem. It stared out 
  small about three months ago with a misplaced volume here, 
  a request filled with the wrong scroll there. Subtle enough 
  that none of the Bibliothecam’s living staff paid any notice 
  until the auto-librarian’s behavior became so erratic it was 
  impossible to overlook.  
    Now the auto-librarians have stopped performing their du-
  ties completely and disappeared into the library’s under-
  ground stacks which no one has entered for a century. A six-
  person group of librarians and city guard went into the 
  sublevel stacks two weeks ago and have not returned. Aga-
  thon fears informing his superiors. Not only is his job on the 
  line but the Imperial Guard might damage or destroy the con-
  structs. The truth is, without the auto-librarians nobody 
  knows how the collection is indexed. Agathon is afraid it 
  would take them years, even decades, to reorganize if that 
  were to happen. He is asking the Adventurers to enter the 
  Oyal and Imperial Libraries 
   
  
  19 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  stacks and find out what exactly is  going on down there and 
  return with that information. The only other thing he can tell 
  them is that according to records Chizuire powered and con-
  trolled the auto-librarians by means of a lavender orb she in-
  stalled beneath the library.  
    There are two staircases leading down to 
  the lower level stacks under the reading 
  rooms. However, instead of a single large 
  basement level the Party discover that the 
  constructs have continually enlarged the 
  stacks over time. The space is a veritable 
  maze in three dimensions.  
    The space resembles a U-shaped cavern, 
  120’ on a side, with platforms carved from 
  stone eight stories (90’) deep. The 
  platforms are connected horizontally by a 
  labyrinth of catwalks and vertically by 
  open stairs. Each section is held up by four 
  stone pillars and has four or more book-
  cases. Each case is 15’ high and 18’ wide. 
  The edge of some but not all of the 
  platforms and catwalks are protected by a 
  3’ high railing made out of wood or iron. 
  They appear to be haphazardly constructed and the Party may 
  not want to rely on them for their safety. The lighting in the 
  stacks is considered low throughout.  
    Any auto-librarians the Party encounter will exhibit a range 
  of bazaar behaviors (use the Auto-librarian Symptoms table 
  to generate) but are not generally violent. If 
  anything, it seems the constructs have all 
  gone bonkers.  
    On the floor at the center of the stacks the 
  Adventurers will find the orb left by Chizuire 
  at the center of what appears to be a 6’ di-
  ameter pool of luminescent water. The orb 
  is glowing only faintly and flickers from time 
  to time giving the impression of a candle 
  flame about to sputter out. A Psychic Gray 
  Ooze (5e MM Page 240, 243) has taken up 
  residence in the pool and is the cause of the 
  auto-librarians problems. Its psionic nature 
  is interfering with the librarians’ central con-
  trol. The remains of the initial scouting 
  group will be found either around the pool 
  or where they apparently fell from the cat-
  walks above. If threatened the Ooze will 
  command 1-6 of the nearest constructs to 
  attack the Party. Killing the Ooze will restore 
  the auto-librarians who will immediately begin cleaning and 
  organizing.  
  
  20 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  Auto Librarians 
    As for the auto-librarians themselves, they resemble the War-
  forged Envoy from the D&D 5e Eberron campaign setting in 
  their form.  
   
   
  Other Adventure Hooks 
  1.   Senior Librarian Cambrian of the 
  Imperial library is convinced the 
  building is haunted. For months now 
  mysterious rapping and tapping 
  sounds have echoed through the 
  halls at night. Strange bobbing lights 
  have been seen from outside. Local 
  clerics have been unable to confirm 
  the presence of a spirt nor have 
  their prayers stopped the manifesta-
  tions. The Librarian hires the Party 
  to patrol the library at night, since 
  all of his staff are too afraid to do so 
  and discover the source of the spir-
  itual activity. The true cause are a 
  trio of royal scribes who, having 
  found an old plan of the library, are 
  hunting for the walled-up entrance 
  to what they believe is a treasure 
  vault. 
  2.   Tensions are high in the capital 
  after a recent military campaign 
  successfully annexed a neighboring 
  region. As usual, to the winner goes the spoils, and Imperial 
  agents have looted art and library collections as well as 
  treasure. The Party is approached by a rebel who wants 
  them to help steal back a cultural object now on display in 
  the Imperial library’s trophy hall.  
  3.   A Queen who fancies herself a bibliophile and scholar has 
  ordered the archivists of the Royal Library to compile an 
  encyclopedia of everything known within her realm. 
  Among other things this involves collecting, cataloging, 
  summarizing and occasionally copying every book in the 
  kingdom. The High Archivist is critically short on manpower 
  and considering the Queen’s unpredictable degree of pa-
  tience is worried about showing sufficient progress. He has 
  hired the Party to retrieve written works from another city 
  and deliver them to the Royal Library.   
   
  Inspirations: The Library of 
  Trantor, Foundation trilogy by 
  Issac Asimov. the library of 
  Constantinople, the Imperial 
  Library of Strassburg, the Li-
  brary of Pergamum, The Li-
  brary of Trajan.  
     
   
  
  21 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  “Within a library you are free, not confined by temporal or 
  spatial climates. It is the most universal of institutions, trans-
  cendent and pure.” —Om Xutixtiox  
   
  Otherworldly libraries often do not house knowledge in the 
  form of books or even as written words at all. There is a wealth 
  of other storage mediums be they magical, technological, bio-
  logical or some comingling of two or more. Lore might be 
  housed in cylinders of memory gel, magical spheres or crystal-
  line shapes even disembodied heads. Not only do such collec-
  tions range from the unfathomable to the macabre but the 
  structures housing them are often equally fantastic or disturb-
  ing. Such places are built using non-Euclidean architecture by 
  the alien intelligences who designed them: torus, spheres and 
  spirals devoid of right angles and may even take advantage of 
  folding space in on itself for that ‘just so’ aesthetic sensibility. 
  In such a library just moving from room to room is no simple 
  task.  
    Most often Otherworldly libraries are found in the Outer 
  Realms as well as Devine and Infernal regions. Dealings with 
  the librarians in such a repository can range from frustrating to 
  lethal. Adventurers need to remember they’re not on the 
  Prime Material anymore. Their concepts of right and wrong, 
  law and order, even logic may no longer apply. They also need 
  to consider that the location of many otherworldly libraries are 
  on planes of existence with environments hostile to human 
  biology and how to deal with it.  
   
  Adventure—Disharmony of the Spheres 
   
  During a meteor storm a building-sized, jagged shard of what 
  appears to be obsidian glass has ripped through the sky and 
  impaled the ground within the expanses of the Eastern forest. 
  It took weeks for word of a deadly blight affecting everything 
  that lives in an alarmingly widening ring around the object to 
  make it to the outside world. Trees are reported to wither, 
  their bark becoming sickly gray. Eventually they collapse into a 
  pool of rotting slime.  
    An expedition, boasting wizards, heroes and High priests 
  among its ranks, was sent to the region by the Emerald Sover-
  eign. Only one survivor returned, tuned old and sickly, to re-
  port that the shard is a vessel of pure chaos. The Laws of Time, 
  Space and Nature are being twisted and broken. The shard’s 
  consumption of land and life shows no sign of stopping. Thou-
  sands are fleeing from the east. The most knowledgeable mag-
  es, scholars and sages have been summoned to the capital 
  along with priests of every god. A call also went out for Adven-
  turers with knowledge of strange and ancient secrets. Every-
  thing tried thus far has done no more than slow the wave of 
  decay for a short time.  
    Now, when 
  there 
  is 
  nothing left 
  to 
  try 
  an 
  ancient gold 
  dragon 
  named 
  Naj 
  Tunika 
  has 
  arrived. She 
  explains this 
  has all hap-
  pened 
  be-
  fore and will 
  happen 
  again. 
  The 
  surge in cha-
  os is part of 
  the Cycle of 
  Creation but 
  there is a 
  way to de-
  feat it. She offers to gate a small Party to the Couatl Athenae-
  um of Coba Naachtum on the Lawful Plane of Arcadia. Their 
  goal is to secure and return with the Tome of Eternal Opposi-
  tion. A sentient book possessing Law powerful enough to can-
  cel out the shard. The dragon warns that the librarians may not 
  be sympathetic to the Adventurer’s need.  
    The athenaeum is not a building in the conventional sense but 
  a series of interlinked spheres. Their interior surfaces are pol-
  ished, iridescent mother of pearl. The spaces are well lit by a 
  diffuse light with no apparent source. Walking on this material 
  is considered difficult terrain due to its extremely low friction. 
  The architecture is obviously designed for creatures who can 
  fly or levitate. Corkscrew spirals hang suspended like axles 
  through the center of the spheres. These hold racks of spheres 
  and strange objects including the occasional scroll or book. The 
  primary form of storage for Couatl are psionic which they ac-
  cess via their telepathic ability. Any non-telepathic being 
  touching a record sphere will have their mind flooded with 
  random sounds and images.  
    The Couatl librarians and patrons will not immediately react 
  to the Party’s presence. They will in fact largely ignore them 
  completely. This will change if they make a ruckus or damage 
  any part of the collection. Being lawful creatures the Couatl will 
  try to determine what the Adventures are doing in the library 
  and explain, like you would to a child, why they should not 
  touch things. Unless attacked the Couatl will not offer any 
  harm to the party but will threaten to remove them back to 
  the Material Plain if they do not show civilized behavior. If any 
  Couatl are attacked they will telepathically summon aid in the 
  form of every other Couatl in the library (20-30 at any given 
  time.) 
    If the Party is courteous they may obtain an audience with 
  Ikxun, Master of the Index. If the Adventurers haven’t broken 
  anything or been a nuisance before the meeting Ikxun will be 
  neutral to them. Having caused any serious disruption will ren-
  therworldly Libraries 
   
  
  22 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  der any persuasion roll at a disadvantage. Bringing a gift, a rare or 
  unusual tome, or offering to perform a task for the Athenaeum 
  will give the Party an advantage. The Tome of Eternal Opposition 
  can be easily convinced to provide aid if told of the situation that 
  brought the Party to Arcadia. The Tome has a deep loathing of 
  chaos and will happily assist.  
    If the Adventurers decide to steal the Tome, it is located at the 
  “top” of the library in room 12. No form of direction sense will 
  function in the Athenaeum. Besides the slick surfaces each spher-
  ical chamber has a slightly different scale than others it is 
  attached to. Every map square can equal 5, 10, 15 or 20 feet (1d4 
  to determine) There are circular openings at the top and bottom 
  of some spheres. However just because the opening is at the top 
  of a sphere doesn’t mean the room entered is “above” the one 
  exited. These distortions may make it difficult for the Party to 
  navigate.  
    Successfully obtaining the Tome and returning with it will win 
  the Adventurers glory and the gratitude of the Emerald Sovereign 
  who will be generous with rewards. 
   
      Other Adventure Hooks 
  1.   During a sea battle of one-hundred war galleons, on the edge of 
  the open seas, one of the contenders’ massive flagship was holed 
  and rapidly sank into the depths. The mighty hulk crashed into an 
  ancient Aboleth ruin on the ocean floor. The shock activated a 
  forgotten magical device. This resulted in a mile-wide whirlpool 
  and cyclonic storm of hurricane proportions. The storm has raged 
  unabated for three weeks growing in size and ferocity. Soon it will 
  reach the populated coast to devastating effect. A divine messen-
  ger in the form of a Solar appears and announces that the storm 
  device can be stopped by obtaining knowledge from an Aboleth 
  library residing on one of the elemental planes of water. There is 
  an entrance at the bottom of a nearby lake. The Adventurers 
  need to overcome working underwater and the Chuul guardians 
  to retrieve the secret from the clear cylinders of brain matter 
  where it is stored. There may even be one Aboleth librarian still 
  in residence.      
  2.   Men and women, all of them scholars and sages, are disappear-
  ing. Nearly thirty of so far. When the former tutor and friend of a 
  Party member becomes one of the abducted the Adventurers 
  investigate. The common denominator to all the vanishings are 
  clawed footprints burned into the floorboards. They discover a 
  portal was opened from an infernal plane. This leads the Party to 
  the burning and noxious hall of a demonic noble where they 
  learn the horrible truth. The heads of the collected people are 
  being kept alive by pumping them full of an oily ichor. The infer-
  nal noble considers them his reference library concerning things 
  on the Prime Material plane.   
  3. A violent conflict between the manifestation of a local earth 
  goddess and an evil rival has leveled a large section of a port 
  city. Although the goddess prevailed and slew her foe she was 
  wounded by a divine weapon and is unconscious. Her pain and 
  suffering is being psychically broadcast to everyone within a few 
  miles. People are fleeing the city by the hundreds. The Clerics of 
  the goddess need the Party to escort their Matron through a 
  celestial portal to the Solar Realm and retrieve the knowledge to 
  heal their patroness from the medical library of Heliosclepius.   
   
  Inspirations: The Egyptian goddess Seshat, The Palace of Tir na 
  Nog, the Anunnaki realm of Igigi of Sumerian myth. 
  
  23 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  “It is our duty to preserve history. Such a place as this is not a 
  luxury, but one of the necessaries of civilization.” —Janvir 
  Kardimajur, Kaj Archivist of the Dövon 
   
  Halls of Records, although not technically libraries in the mun-
  dane sense, are a trove of history. Documents in the form of 
  deeds, charters, treaties, contracts, wills of inheritance fill ledg-
  ers, boxes or niche. Many cultures had record repositories be-
  fore traditional libraries. A hall of records often was associated 
  with a civil court and found among a complex of public build-
  ings in the largest of cities. Royal genealogies were often kept 
  in the vaults of such a hall.  
    Alternatively a Hall of Records can refer to a lost or secret 
  collection of lore and history hidden away by a dying civiliza-
  tion. Often this takes the form of stone tablets or inscribed 
  plates of copper or gold. Materials are selected for their dura-
  bility to withstand the ages and are sometimes enhanced with 
  magic. The hope behind such a repository is that descendants 
  of some remnant survivors will rediscover this hidden 
  knowledge and rebuild their society anew. This sort of reposi-
  tory is frequently well secured with locks and traps to keep out 
  the unworthy and uninitiated. Since it was not the builder’s 
  intent for the Hall of Records to be forever forgotten a key to 
  locating and accessing it might be hidden in folktales, poems or 
  songs. An ancient object passed down from one generation to 
  the next by a survivor could contain a key or other clue to 
  opening the vaults.   
   
  Adventure—Repository of the Twin Obelisks 
    The Dövoni once ruled over a vast empire 
  covering two-thirds of the known lands. Eons 
  ago a natural calamity put an end to the em-
  pire that was already in severe decline caused 
  by weak rulers and wide-ranging rebellion. 
  Thus the Dövoni passed out of living or 
  written memory except for ruined bits of their 
  monuments occasionally stumbled over by 
  Adventurers or well diggers. The most enig-
  matic of these are the Twin Obelisks. They are 
  located some few days travel into the West-
  ern desert and preserve carved panels of the 
  undeciphered Dövoni language.  
    The Adventurers are hired by a caravan mas-
  ter to replace his normal guards. He is taking a 
  pair of sages to the obelisks but his men be-
  lieve them to be haunted and refuse to go. 
  The journey will take about two weeks. Once 
  the Party joins the caravan they learn the sag-
  es in question are an old man, who looks the 
  part, and a young woman, who does not. They 
  are Master Refnaro and Lenari respectively. Lenari has dark 
  skin and the rare golden eyes that mark her as a descendant 
  of the Dövoni. The elder sage is definitely from the north and 
  is not accustomed to desert travel. Lenari will occasionally go 
  into almost a trance-like state and describe things about the 
  ancient empire as if she had been there herself. She also 
  wears a bracelet featuring a raised scarab beetle carved from 
  green stone.  
    When the caravan arrives the Party discovers that Master 
  Refnaro claims to understand the Dövoni language. Lenari it 
  seems has racial memories that have driven her here since the 
  death of her mother. One of the many carved panels of glyphs 
  on the obelisks also features an indented scarab carving. Le-
  nari uses her bracelet like a key to turn the beetle. When she 
  does the individual glyphs pop out and can be depressed like 
  buttons. Master Refnaro consults his copious notes and scrolls 
  and enters a combination derived from an inscription of the 
  same symbols on Lenari’s bracelet. A deep groaning is heard 
  from underground. The sand spills away from the space be-
  tween the obelisks as a stone slab slides aside to reveal de-
  scending stairs. The caravan master refuses to enter. Lenari 
  offers the Adventures their share of whatever treasure lies 
  bellow if they help her locate the ancient knowledge she 
  knows to be hidden there.  
    The staircase descends at least two-hundred feet into the 
  earth. It ends in a chamber with a sealed metal door. A carved 
  tryptic on one wall depicts two sphinxes flanking a Wyvern. 
  Above it Dövoni script reads “Protectors of the Empire.”  
    What follows are a series of sealed chambers leading to 
  three large circular vaults. Each chamber has a complex puzzle 
  lock and defenses which trigger if the wrong solution is ap-
  plied to the locks or they are tampered with. None of these 
  are instantly lethal unless you want them to be. They were 
  designed to force trespassers to flee. Although the Adven-
  all of Records 
   
  
  24 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  tures may expect treasure in the form of gold, gems and pow-
  erful items the riches stored within consist of written histories, 
  literature and accumulated knowledge. Still very valuable if the 
  Party thinks out of the box.  
   
    A note on traps and puzzles. 
    Halls of Records are intended to eventually be found by initi-
  ated descendants or inheritors of those who built it. In this 
  case the Dövoni but can just as easily be any civilization the DM 
  choses. It isn’t impossible to progress and succeed providing 
  one has an understanding of the progenitors, their history sym-
  bols  and how they viewed the world. Each puzzle’s key should 
  depend on some insight into the builder’s society or an heir-
  loom handed down. They should not be simply random no 
  matter how challenging.  
  Here are a few examples  of relic knowledge.  
  1. 
  Songs, prayers, hymns, poetry. 
  2. 
  Rituals either religious or secular ceremonies.  
  3. 
  Symbols such as flags, heraldry,  seals. 
  4. 
  Favored animals and plants. 
  5. 
  Social hierarchies or cast rankings. 
  6. 
  Language written or spoken. 
   
    A second universal characteristic of these repositories is that 
  there are always guardians. In the example above there are 
  three protectors, one in each vault. They initially appear to be 
  statues of sphinx and wyvern but are in actuality stone golems. 
  Such guardians require a verbal key, the answer to a riddle or 
  reciting the last lines of an ancient poem, in order to allow pas-
  sage and prevent deadly attack. The guardians should also take 
  a form or have some ability which is somehow of symbolic or 
  central importance to the culture who placed or bound them 
  there.  They should not just be random monsters or beasts 
  chosen exclusively for their level of challenge.  
   
   
  Other Adventure Hooks 
  1.   The upper most portion of a stone building has been ex-
  posed after a hurricane scoured the coastline. Worn panels 
  are inscribed with the language of a near mythical culture 
  which vanished eons ago. The interior is fraught with a wide 
  range of exclusively lethal traps. Though most of the con-
  tents are decayed after so long a few of the vaults hold an-
  cient knowledge and possibly artifacts. 
  2.   A land dispute between two landed nobles has escalated 
  into armed skirmishes along their borders. One of the barons 
  has presented a charter to the local magistrate which alleg-
  edly supports his claim. The magistrate suspects the docu-
  ment is a forgery. Due to the unrest she is unable to spare 
   
  Scarab Puzzle Lock 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  I used this lock design on a door leading from an inside 
  garden into the secured section of a keep. Each symbol is 
  intended to represent and element, metal or magical con-
  cept. In my original the symbols were alchemical. The idea 
  being that there is a relationship between some of the sym-
  bols and their paired scarab. This could be based on their 
  color, material or mythic property to the lost civilization in-
  volved. This example uses a six-symbol combination.    
  Each of the scarab and Dövoni symbols are embossed on 
  a beveled bronze disc. The scarab discs cannot be moved 
  manually. Each of the Dövoni symbols can be depressed like 
  buttons. Pushing one will cause it to lock in place. If a sym-
  bol associated with a scarab is pressed the scarab will rotate 
  to face inward. These settings are “entered” or cleared by 
  depressing the center design.  
   
  • 
  Pressing more than six symbols without depressing the 
  center design will cause an automatic reset.  
  • 
  Pressing three or less symbols and the center design will 
  result in a reset. 
  • 
  Pressing a wrong combination of three or more symbols 
  and the center design will trigger the trap. 
   
  In my original version of the scarab puzzle it activated an 
  Insect Plague (5e Player’s Handbook Page 254.) if triggered. 
  Swarms of biting beetles flew out from the mouths of the 
  corner statues decorating the indoor garden. The swarm’s 
  range was limited to the garden thereby motivating the 
  Party to leave the area. They lasted for 10 minutes then 
  would fall to the ground apparently dead. If the trap was 
  retriggered within 1 hour the swarm would rise up and 
  attack. After an hour the insects decay to dust.  
  
  25 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  any of her law enforcers and has hired the Party to fetch a 
  copy of the original from the provincial archives. The baron 
  learns of this and will try to stop the Adventurers from suc-
  ceeding and exposing his deception. 
  3.   Many years of drought and an encroaching dessert have 
  convinced the Tyopari people that the world is coming to 
  an end. Their Lore Masters have inscribed the last thou-
  sand years of Tyopari history onto nine-hundred copper 
  discs. The Adventurers are hired to protect the caravan 
  carrying the discs to their final repository deep in the des-
  sert. Just before reaching their destination the Party will 
  uncover hints that this is a one-way trip both for the Lore 
  Masters and anyone accompanying them.  
   
  Inspirations: Edgar Cayce’s Hall of Records beneath the Egyp-
  tian Sphinx,  The Dropa Discs, The Trajan Courts of Rome. 
  N
  Repository of the Twin Obelisks  
  Map Key 
   
  1. Entrance – series of stairs leading to a depth 
  of 200' 
  2-5. Every door has a complex lock or puzzle to 
  solve before opening. Each room has at least 
  one trap. 
  6-8 Various traps along the entire length. 
  9. A complex puzzle lock involving the Elements 
  to open. A small landing looks out to a large 
  platform with shelves of items. The entire room 
  is a deep shaft with smooth edges ending in 
  deep water 100' below. 
  10. A complex puzzle lock involving plants. Oth-
  erwise the same as room nine. 
  11. Master Vault. This door has two puzzles and 
  requires a key in the form of a symbol of the 
  people who built the repository. This vault hous-
  es all their history and powerful objects. The 
  chamber is the same as room nine. 
  
  26 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
    “To add a library to a house is to give that house a soul.” —
  Cicero 
   
  Private collections are often found in societies where literacy is 
  limited to a small, learned percentage of the population. This is 
  also true of cultures where printing has not yet been invented 
  so collecting handwritten manuscripts or scrolls is a privilege 
  afforded only to wealthy individuals. These same people were 
  also frequent collectors of artifacts and maps which were dis-
  played alongside their volumes.  
    In many cases the contents of these collections are specialized 
  in accordance with their owner’s particular interests or obses-
  sions: botany, astronomy or monstrous taxidermy to name but 
  a few. These collections can become so absurdly esoteric their 
  works are virtually useless to anyone other than a rival biblio-
  phile with similar tastes. Because of the wealth necessary for 
  engaging in private collecting these individuals live in large 
  dwellings, are members of high society and have influential 
  friends. Stealing from or swindling such individuals could come 
  at a high cost.  
   
  Adventure 
  Stealing Back What was  Stolen 
  Ottokar Merx is a powerful and influential but corrupt magis-
  trate who also holds a seat on the city’s council. He has be-
  come wealthy by abusing an obscure law allowing him to con-
  fiscate the property of persons convicted of high crimes. Sur-
  prisingly enough, it seems that 
  almost everyone brought 
  into his court ends up 
  being 
  guilty 
  of 
  such offenses 
  especially if 
  they own 
  some-
  thing 
  Merx covets. He has a number of  professional witnesses in his 
  employ who always seem to be in the right place at the right 
  time to see exactly the right things that bring about convic-
  tions. Some of them are kept busy giving testimony in two or 
  three trials a week.  
    Two months ago a dandy by the name of Helmer Claes was 
  convicted of the accidental death of a young woman. It was 
  difficult for Helmer to prove otherwise since he is a blackout 
  drunk and couldn’t remember any of the night in question be-
  yond which tavern it started at. Predictably the verdict was 
  guilty and he was thrown in prison. The contents of Helmer’s 
  apartments were transferred into Merx’s keeping.  
  Word of these events just recently reached Helmer’s family, 
  who are well-to-do wine makers from the south. Wilhard 
  Claes, Helmer’s older brother has come to seek his sibling’s 
  release. Also the confiscated property did not belong to 
  Helmer but to his family. Wilhard appeared in Merx’s court to 
  file an official appeal. He even offering to buy back some of 
  the goods. The magistrate considered the request very care-
  fully, for all of three minutes, before denying it and having the 
  older Claes removed from the courtroom.  
    Wilhard Claes is without influence in the city but not without 
  means. He has hired the Party to help retrieve his family’s 
  belongings but is interested in one heirloom in particular. It 
  seems Helmer had borrowed an impressively bound tome 
  containing the Claes family lineage going back some twenty-
  four generations. It also holds their land rights, titles and 
  grants. The Claes want the book returned at all costs so long 
  as they are not directly implicated. Wilhard will pay the Ad-
  venturers quite well to find a way of getting the tome out of 
  Merx’s house. 
    Merx’s manor is located in the wealthy section of the city 
  among others of similar standing. The residents of the house 
  consist of Merx and his wife, two maids, a cook, and a man 
  servant. All except the cook have sleeping quarters in the 
  third-floor attic. Merx and his wife have rooms on the second 
  floor in addition to a pair of guest rooms and quarters occu-
  pied by Merx’s assistant Tharmon. This assistant/bodyguard is 
  a bit of a thug (use Veteran template 5e MM Page. 350) and 
  is with the Magistrate at all times except for the three days a 
  week, when Merx is presiding over his biased and self-serving 
  court.  
    The grounds are surrounded by an eight-foot high wall with 
  a large garden in the back and a gate with circular drive at the 
  front. At night all the doors and windows are locked, barred 
  and shuttered from the inside. Merx keeps a mastiff in the 
  house (5e MM Page 332) who is free to roam at night. The 
  dog will bark and attack intruders. During the day the mastiff 
  is tied up behind the kitchen. Tharmon will quickly respond to 
  any alert. If directly threatened, and if he has time, Merx will 
  use a potion of Gaseous Form to escape. The Tome containing 
  the Claes lineage is in the library locked inside one two book 
  chests. Merx has not had the time to sort through the goods 
  taken from Helmer.  If the Party can devise a way to remove 
  rivate  Holdings 
  
  27 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  either both chests or at least their contents from Merx’s house 
  and return them to Wilhard he will gratefully pay a bonus to 
  the characters.  
    If instead the Party should fail and are caught in the process 
  Merx will see to it they are imprisoned for a very long time 
  preferably doing hard labor. If they succeed or fail but are iden-
  tified the Magistrate will use his influence in the city to make 
  the characters wanted enemies of the city. Wanted posters will 
  begin to appear throughout the city and the local guardsmen 
  will have an eye out for a group matching their descriptions. 
  Merx’s need for revenge will force characters to either find a 
  way to clear their names, pinning the attempted or successful 
  robbery on someone else, or to avoid being hunted down it 
  may become necessary for them to flee the city. Should they 
  get away with the tome without being identified or leaving 
  evidence behind and return it to Wilhard Claes at his lodgings 
  they will be paid handsomely before Claes immediately departs 
  the city.  
   
  Other Adventure Hooks 
  1.   A blackmailer has come into the possession of indiscrete 
  letters written by a member of high society to their former 
  lover. Fearing scandal and the harm it would do to the young 
  newlywed’s reputation, as well as their spouse’s, the Party 
  has been hired to get them back. It is rumored the blackmail-
  er keeps the letters tucked into a book of poetry in his pri-
  vate library. 
  2.   A goldsmith hires the party to “rescue” a tome he claims 
  was stolen from him by a jeweler rival. The book never re-
  ally belonged to the goldsmith but he learned that a map to 
  a forgotten treasure trove was hidden in the books frontis-
  piece illustration. The jeweler’s volume is one of only five 
  surviving copies.  
  3.   A recent fire destroyed the house of a local sage. The 
  building was reduced to ash except for the library. There is 
  a strange glow about the place at night ever since and the 
  townspeople are frightened and nervous. The sage’s spirit 
  is protecting the library. If the party communicates with the 
  ghost and agrees to arrange for the safety of the books the 
  sage will direct them to a powerful tome or work contain-
  ing some useful secret from his collection.   
    
  Inspirations: Merely House, County Dorset 1785, Holkham 
  Hall Norfolk, UK 1723, The library of H. Bradley Martin. Villa 
  of the Papyri, Herculaneum. 
  
  28 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
    “Deserted libraries hold the shades of their archivists and 
  scholars within them and are haunted by echoes of wonder.” —
  Olara Night 
   
  Abandoned and ruined libraries can origi-
  nally be any of the types mentioned pre-
  viously The former nature of the library as 
  well as the climate and terrain where it is 
  located will help determine its current 
  state and level of decay. These ruins can 
  be found partially buried in sand or ice, 
  overgrown by forest and jungle or 
  drowned beneath a sea or lake. Simply 
  locating and entering one of the aban-
  doned can be an adventure in its own 
  right. Not all abandoned repositories 
  though are found in remote wilderness. 
  Some may be at the heart of cities or bur-
  ied and forgotten beneath their founda-
  tions and cellars. These might have been 
  sealed up for fear of their contents or 
  perhaps a curse has kept visitors away for 
  years or centuries.  
    The chief danger of these aging piles is, 
  like any other ruin, the instability of its 
  architecture. Walls have fallen, floors and 
  roofs have rotted away. It’s all too easy 
  for an Adventurer to fall through a floor 
  or have a precariously balanced pillar or archway collapse on 
  them. Wildlife is another concern. Open to the elements these 
  ruins are attractive to a wide variety of local beasts and mon-
  sters. Abandoned doesn’t necessarily mean defenseless. The 
  former librarians may have left wards or traps behind. Over 
  time these might have ceased to function or could still be ac-
  tive but behave in unpredictable ways.  
    Any surviving contents of a ruined library will vary considera-
  bly in condition. Depending on the environment this can range 
  from magically preserved, and likely very valuable, to rotted 
  piles of pulp. The Condition table can be used to generate ran-
  dom works in varying states of decay.    
   
  Adventure—The Vaults of Kolyma 
    The eccentric sage and historian Aytal Saryada has arrived in 
  the far northern trading town of Nyurba looking to hire Adven-
  turers for an expedition to the Yus Khyng ice fields. He is paying 
  rather well for both brains and brawn. Saryada will only explain 
  his ultimate goal after the expedition has set out on its three-
  week trek onto the glaciers. The Party may have already heard 
  rumors of previously unknown ruins to the north. Although it is 
  well known that reindeer herders and seal hunters have been 
  finding odd trinkets and other objects in the area for genera-
  tions. It was likely one of these that brought Saryada to 
  Nyurba.  
    Several warm years have caused the ice to recede and reveal 
  the remains of the forgotten city of Kolyma partially melted 
  from the glaciers. The sage intends to explore the frozen re-
  mains. His primary obsession is finding 
  the legendary House of One Hundred 
  Thousand Scrolls. The Adventurers may 
  be concerned that, already being mid-
  summer, it may be too late to travel so 
  far north and back before bad weather 
  sets in. The sage is offering a 20% inter-
  est in any treasures found and a bonus 
  after their safe return.  
  The route to the ice fields takes the Par-
  ty through pine forest and out onto the 
  tundra. Beyond that are the fields of ice 
  surrounded on two sides by towering 
  glaciers and the frozen sea on the third. 
  The outer ruins are little more than 
  heaps of stones giving the suggestion 
  they once were walls. Deeper and closer 
  to the glacial walls are newly exposed 
  architecture. Even though the building 
  stones are massive, eons and tons of ice 
  have mostly ground away the upper 
  portions of the buildings.   
    Saryada is ecstatic when he finds an 
  obelisk at the entrance of a large build-
  ing identifying it as the House of Scrolls. 
  Sections of the building are still partially encased in ice. The 
  stone arches that once held up a vaulted roof over the en-
  trance hall along with their supporting columns are mostly in-
  tact though the roof itself is gone. Ice has accumulated in cor-
  ners and chokes some of the narrow passages. In the once 
  great stacks and reading room intact scrolls can be chipped out 
  of the ice where they have been preserved. Those already 
  thawed have decayed to unintelligible scraps. Only 20% of the 
  collection was originally in a bound form.  
    Use the three random book generating tables to determine 
  type, condition and content of a salvaged text. Any item deter-
  mined to be “Preserved – Excellent Condition” on the condition 
  table has a 50% chance of containing spells.   
    Working carefully the Party can recover up to d20 x 2 items 
  per day. At night the temperature drops dramatically making 
  continued work too slow to be worth the time expended. Suc-
  cessful investigation will uncover an ice bound stairway leading 
  into the cellars. These rooms were used to store uncatalogued, 
  duplicate and damaged works. The same conditions apply here 
  as the surface area except there is a 40% higher likelihood a 
  book or scroll will be mostly intact. Providing there is time, a 
  search of the nearby ruins may reveal additional treasures. 
    All the activity around chipping and hammering ice, campfires 
  bandoned Library 
   
  
  29 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  and the like will draw the attention of young or adult 
  Remorhaz in the immediate area. (5e MM Page 258, adjust the 
  number and type depending on the Party strength.)  
   
    Other Adventure Hooks 
  1.   Many centuries ago a cataclysm caused the great city of 
  Kestryn to sink beneath the waters of a vast lake. Only the 
  ruined tops of a few buildings poke through to the surface. 
  There have always been legends about the Library of Kyn. As 
  the city sank the librarians used the amassed knowledge to 
  seal their building against the element. It is said they exist 
  there still though in some altered aquatic form. A partner-
  ship consisting of a wizard and an artificer have built a sub-
  marine and intend to discover the truth. The Party has been 
  hired to assist. 
  2.   On a recent adventure the Party obtained a map supposed-
  ly revealing the way to the legendary Upatinath Shri temple 
  complex. If the map is correct it is located high in icy Eastern 
  Mountains close to a peak known as Ice Splitter. History rec-
  ords that the order of warrior monks who once resided there 
  were destroyed by a warlord over a generation ago. The li-
  brary at Upatinath Shri was rumored to house an extensive 
  collection of martial and mystic texts.  
  3.   While digging the foundations for a new armory workmen 
  have broken into a series of tunnels and chambers of un-
  known origin. Since then nine men have either vanished or 
  been attacked by an unknown assailant. The City Guard 
  tentatively explored the tunnels but retreated when they 
  found an inscription identifying the complex as the lair of 
  the once powerful Reach of the New Moon. This secret 
  society was banned more than a century ago and all its 
  members executed for horrible crimes. Their Grand Mis-
  tress’ last words were a prediction that the Reach would 
  rise again for all their knowledge was safely hidden, pro-
  tected by undy-
  ing 
  guardians 
  waiting 
  for 
  those with the 
  courage to take 
  up the mantle 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  Moon again..  
   
  Inspirations: 
  The 
  fabled 
  Library 
  of 
  Atlantis, Chateau de 
  Floret, Belgium. The 
  Library of Celsus, 
  Ephesus. 
  House of Scrolls Map Key 
   
  1.   Former Stacks 
  2.   Copy Room 
  3.   Scriptorium supplies  
  4.   Book chests half buried in ice 
  5.   Odd furrows in the ground 
  6.   Scattered animal bones 
  7.   Great Hall of Scrolls 
  8.   Reading Room 
  9.   Map Room 
  10. Obelisk 
  11. Stairs Down to Vaults 
   
  
  30 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
    No major self-respecting library would be without a map 
  room. Here cases, racks and drawers were filled with nautical 
  charts and terrestrial maps of every type. Massive examples of 
  such often decorated the walls. Globes and other cartographic 
  spheres were also proudly on display.  
    In ages past some maps were intended only as artistic and 
  philosophical representations of the world. Many others were 
  a wealth of vital information to statesmen and diplomats plan-
  ning conquest or colonizing of new lands in the name of em-
  pire. The same was true for the clergy seeking new regions to 
  spread their faith. A map or nautical chart revealing a com-
  petitors trade route was worth a hundred times its weight in 
  gold to a powerful merchant house on the lookout for ways to 
  extend their commercial influence and personal fortunes. 
  Throughout history maps were the focus of spies, thieves and 
  assassins.  
    Unlike flat maps geographic globes were mainly an impressive 
  way of showing off cartographic information and were sought 
  after status items. Celestial Globes and Armillary Spheres were 
  crucial tools to astronomers and astrologers. Every powerful 
  sovereign had their on-staff star gazers to predict auspicious 
  dates, 
  omens 
  and to watch for 
  powerful arcane 
  alignments 
  of 
  heavenly bodies. 
  Bereft of their 
  tools these sages 
  would be work-
  ing literally in the 
  dark. 
    As we saw with 
  books, 
  maps 
  were not always 
  and certainly are 
  not required to 
  be on rolled up 
  sheets of parch-
  ment. They were 
  also carved into wood, ivory or metal. A coveted chart might be 
  a page ripped from a rare atlas or stone tablet unearthed in an 
  ancient desert tomb. The only surviving maps of a vanished 
  civilization might exist only as painted frescos in their ruined 
  palaces. The way through dangerous mountain passes are often 
  drawn on a hide bartered for from a barbarian in exchange for 
  a finely wrought blade. There are so may alternatives to the 
  mundane and stereotypical.  
   
   
  Charts serve as a graphic representing an area of the sea, or 
  other large body of water, along with the adjacent coastal re-
  gions. Depending on the scale and design of the chart it will 
  also provide information on water depths and natural features 
  of the seabed such as islands, sand bars or reefs. Charts can 
  also contain a host of other details such as: shape of coastlines, 
  harbors, visible landmarks, tides or currents. Charts would also 
  warn of dangerous places where unusual weather or arcane 
  forces might cause ships to wreck or disappear without a trace. 
  Here be Dragons! 
    Nautical charts were not just an aquatic version of a topo-
  graphic map they were vital to marine navigation using bear-
  ings. A bearing is the angle between the line joining the two 
  points of interest and a line from one of those points to North 
  as determined by the ship's course or a compass reading. On 
  nautical charts, the top of the chart is always true north, rather 
  than magnetic north. Most charts would include a compass 
  APPENDIX I  CHARTS, GLOBES AND MAPS 
  Charts, Globes, Maps—Random Generation Table 
   
  Nautical Charts 
  
  31 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  rose depicting the variation, in the form of an angle, between 
  magnetic and true north. 
    Depending on the relative level of development in a campaign 
  setting the type of readily available charts would vary. For con-
  venience these will be presented as Ancient, Medieval and 
  Renaissance charts. There is nothing preventing one or more of 
  these types to exist simultaneously across the various cultures 
  of your campaign world. 
   
   Ancient Charts 
  Before the introduction of more advanced charts sailors had no 
  reliable drawings to guide them. They relied on compass read-
  ings, providing they had one, combined with their practical 
  experience and knowledge of navigation lore. Captains and 
  navigators kept sailing logs that listed ports in the order ships 
  would encounter them along a given route. They would often 
  add notes on relative direction and elapsed time between each 
  port. These records might also contain rough sketches of the 
  coastline, easily visible landmarks and maybe depth soundings 
  for treacherous areas. Under these conditions many ships were 
  limited to following coastlines or short trips across open water 
  making them vulnerable to pirates. 
   
  Medieval Charts 
    During the Middle Ages ancient maps gave way to a style 
  called Portolan. Compared to earlier charts these were much 
  more accurate Portolan comes from the Italian portulano, 
  meaning related to ports or harbors, Portolan charts are very 
  distinctive and easily recognized by their networks of rhum-
  blines radiating out from compass roses located at various 
  points on the chart. These are also 
  known as windrose lines and were deter-
  mined by observation combined with 
  compass readings.  
    The straight lines crisscrossing portolan 
  charts represent the primary headings of 
  the mariner's compass from a given 
  point. All portolan charts have windroses 
  usually showing the full thirty-two com-
  pass points. The principal bearing lines 
  are oriented to magnetic north. Grid 
  lines will vary to a greater or lesser ex-
  tent for charts drawn in different eras 
  due to the natural shift of the earth’s 
  magnetic field over time. Following a 
  thousands of years old map too closely is 
  likely to put an adventurer’s ship far off 
  course. In medieval times, monsters started appearing on 
  nautical charts and might have been just for decoration. For 
  the adventurers in a campaign world they could be very real. 
   
  Renaissance Charts 
  In the mid-1500s a new sort of nautical map was introduced 
  called the Mercator projection. Its primary improvement was 
  to show bearings in a way that made those on the chart iden-
  tical to the corresponding angles in nature. A courses plotted 
  on such a chart could be used as a direct course-to-steer at 
  the helm without conversion. These charts were an order of 
  magnitude more accurate than their portolan predecessors 
  and allowed for relatively save travel across vast stretches of 
  open water far from any coastline.  
   
  Nautical Chart Adventure Hooks 
  1. 
  Each year the city of Port Gangosza hosts a boat race 
  pitting the fastest costal ships against each other for a 
  hefty prize. Most of these vessels are owned by wealthy 
  merchants. One such merchant, Idira Graffach, is the 
  heavy favorite only her ship’s pilot has gone missing 
  along with his costal charts. Idira suspects her primary 
  rival, Astor Sanecir of kidnapping the navigator. There is 
  some evidence pointing in Sanecir’s direction but not 
  enough for the local magistrate to act upon. Idira hires 
  the party to find her pilot and return him before the 
  race.  
  2. 
  The Adventurers find themselves passengers on a large 
  galleon. In route strange things begin to happen which 
  
  32 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  make the ship appear haunted. The crew is baffled and 
  insist nothing like this had ever happened before. It turns 
  out the Captain  purchased a new set of charts from a 
  chandlery in the last port. If pressed he’ll admit that he 
  had never seen the place before and that it wasn’t there 
  the next day. The Captain was given cursed portolan charts 
  by a trickster god which slowly darkened from black ink on 
  parchment to white ink on black paper. There are hidden 
  riddles in the map. Unless the riddles are solved the ship is 
  locked onto the chart’s rhumblines which will never take it 
  near land.  
  3. 
  Nearly a century ago the renowned navigator and explorer 
  Pyre el Riessari, Admiral of the Sultan’s navy was dying. He 
  loaded his flagship with tools, building materials and sup-
  plies along with his fanatically loyal crew and set off on a 
  last voyage. Along the way to an undisclosed location the 
  ship stopped at many major ports where, by the Sultan’s 
  order, funerary gifts were collected. Laden with treasure 
  the ship vanished. Most thought el Riessari sunk the ship 
  in some deep part of the Storm Sea. Now a navigator’s log 
  has surfaced reputing to tell the lost ship’s tale and reveal 
  its final location. It alleges that the flagship was grounded 
  on an island and a tomb erected around it. The Admiral’s 
  crew vowed to protect it for all time. 
   
    Globes 
    Spherical 
  repre-
  sentations of the 
  world have been 
  around for at least 
  the last 2,000 years. 
  The construction of 
  globes 
  posed 
  a 
  number of prob-
  lems for their mak-
  ers. 
  These 
  were 
  mainly selecting the 
  right materials and 
  to how best to rep-
  resentation 
  two-
  dimensional 
  maps 
  on 
  a 
  three-
  dimensional sphere. 
  Metal 
  tended 
  to 
  corrode or made 
  the globe too heavy where lighter materials might not hold 
  their shape or deform when they got hot or wet. One of the 
  preferred methods involved covering a mold of Papier Mache 
  with vellum. After drying the spherical shape was cut in half at 
  the equator and reinforced with wooden rings.  After being re-
  assembled a map drawn on the parchment strips  called gores 
  were pasted onto the sphere. Of course any globe was only as 
  accurate as the map it was based upon.  
    In the Medieval period forward globes were often seen as sta-
  tus symbols. They were a must have item for any powerful and 
  influential ruler, lord or well-off merchant. Globes were proudly 
  displayed beside their collections of books, maps and other 
  curiosities. A skillfully made globe, es-
  pecially an ornately constructed 
  one, was a valuable item in its 
  own right.   
   
  Armillary Spheres 
    These 
  astronomical 
  devices 
  were also known as spherical as-
  trolabes or armilla. They were intend-
  ed to provide a model of objects observed in the night sky fixed 
  into a complex arrangement of spherical rings centered on the 
  Earth or Sun. They were used to calculate celestial positions and 
  other astronomically important alignments. The rings could be 
  rotated by hand in order to predict the position of desired plan-
  ets, moons or stars at a specific time and place. The main hori-
  zontal ring was divided into 360 degrees matching all the points 
  of the compass. At the south pole of the sphere was a circle of 
  twenty-five hours to determine time. The device took great skill 
  to use properly.  
    The armillary sphere was used as a teaching tool and func-
  tioned as a crude analog computer for solving astronomical 
  problems. As a tool the sphere started to fall out of use by the 
  end of the Middle Ages. Like the Globe it became something 
  displayed to impress and imply the superiority of its owner’s 
  education and intellect.  
   
  Celestial Spheres 
    The principle function of 
  these smooth spheres was to 
  model of the constellations as 
  seen from above the earth. It 
  could be used for navigation or 
  as a practical tool allowing 
  Globes, Armillary and Celestial Spheres 
  
  33 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  astronomers to specify the apparent positions of objects in the 
  sky if their distances were unknown. Use of these spheres for 
  navigation, especially onboard a ship was problematical and 
  the astrolabe provided easier and more accurate readings. Like 
  Globes and Armillarias many celestial spheres were destined to 
  grace private libraries.  
  Orreries 
    A brief mention here of a device related to both Celestial and 
  Armillary spheres, the Orrery.  
    This is mechanical model of celestial objects, major planets, 
  that illustrates or predicts their relative positions and motion 
  usually centered on the sun. Depending on their size Orreries 
  are driven by tiny or massive clockwork mechanisms with a 
  globe representing the Sun at the center, and a planet at the 
  end of each arm. They could be massive but not to scale, due 
  to the problems with modeling the distances, eccentric orbits 
  and enormous masses involved,  
  Adventure Hooks 
  1. 
    An order of Astronomer Monks have spent centuries pre-
  paring to fight back the invasion of an evil hoard. They 
  believe a rare alignment of celestial bodies will allow a rift 
  into the Prime Material paving the way for invading forces. 
  But now their sacred Armillary Sphere has been stolen by 
  demonic agents. Without it the Monks cannot accurately 
  predict the time and place of the rift’s opening. The Order 
  must hold itself ready so enlist the Party to track down the 
  thief and return the sphere. The only clue leads to a near-
  by port town.  
  2. 
    The Academiae Incantorum has in their possession a 
  globe displaying all of the magical ley lines and nodes 
  across the world. It is said they inherited it from an ancient 
  civilization long ago sunk below the Great Ocean. The 
  glowing ley markings seem to flow like phosphorescent 
  strands of silver. Ten years ago one of the globe’s nodes 
  winked out. Over the past decade six more have vanished. 
  The last was a little more than a month ago. The Academ-
  iae has hired the Party to protect one of their Wizard-
  Sages on an expedition to the physical location of the re-
  cently darkened node located in the Eastern Mountains.  
  3. 
    An age ago the Linnäesolani tribe of Moon Elves built 
  nine Arrow Ships. These vessels constructed from albino 
  oak and silver could cut across the waves with incredible 
  speed. They could also rise up and sail through the sky. 
  Navigating an Arrow Ship required an enchanted celestial 
  sphere set into the vessel’s wheel. All of these ships were 
  confirmed destroyed but one, long lost over the southern 
  glaciers. This vessel has recently emerged from the ice with 
  its magics intact but its celestial sphere missing. Rumors 
  have reached the last few Linnäesolani of a silver sphere 
  having found its way into the collection of a West kingdom 
  Sorcerer. The Moon Elves hire the party to act as their 
  agents with the intention that they purchase the sphere 
  and failing that to obtain it at any cost for an immense re-
  ward.  
   
  Many early land maps were so strange and imprecise they could 
  never be used for actually finding your way to a destination 
  They were only intended to show the relative location of one 
  place to another and were missing the most basic of scales. 
  Sometimes they didn’t tell you how to get to a place at all only 
  what sort of commodities were available once you managed to 
  find it. These were more  pictographic catalogue than map. 
  Many were symbolic or philosophical representations of how a 
  group imaged or hoped the world really was. Early maps were 
  carved or draw on clay tablets as part of official documents in-
  volving land ownership and the like. Over time paper replaced 
  clay and parchment making them more portable and useful for 
  navigation, trade and military campaigns.  
   
  Diagrams and O-T Maps 
    Orbis terrarum, orb or circle of the lands; with the letter T in-
  side an O), also known as an Isidoran map, is a type of early 
  world map. They were based on the idea that the known conti-
  nents could be divided into three sections surrounded by water. 
  These early maps had only a few major cities marked along with 
  Terrestrial Maps 
  
  34 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  important bodies of water. These were also known as Mappa 
  Mundi. 
   
  Simple Maps 
    Whereas the O-T and 
  Mappa Mundi were 
  concerned with repre-
  senting the “known 
  world” simple maps 
  were often more de-
  tailed 
  and 
  useful 
  though on a generally 
  local 
  scale. 
  These 
  would show how to 
  get from city to city and mark notable landmarks, water 
  sources and dangerous areas along the way.  
   
  Complex Maps 
    Eventually much more detailed Medieval maps started to ap-
  pear. They were typically quite a bit larger than their predeces-
  sors though often still not very accurate compared to modern 
  maps. These included features such as cities, rivers, and land-
  forms such as mountains  ranges, hills and valleys among other 
  topographic features. Notations in the boarders cited local fau-
  na and flora gleaned from explorers accounts or those in an-
  cient books.  
    Various types of Complex maps evolved to serve different 
  purposes. One of these were Itinerary Maps. These laid out 
  important routes for pilgrimages, traders and the movement of 
  troops. One such was the Tabula Peutingeriana, a Roman map, 
  showing all their highways from England to Asia. It also noted 
  stopping places, prominent towns, and mountain ranges. Many 
  of these maps were created to be of use to the specific peoples 
  who produced them. An overland map would be of little use to 
  a Dwarf living most of their lives undergrown. But a plan show-
  ing tunnels, caverns and subterranean rivers would be quite 
  valuable.  
   
  Atlases  
    An atlas is a compilation of maps presented in the form of a 
  bound publication. They also contained social, religious, eco-
  nomic, and geopolitical information for specific regions therein. 
  The early atlases were a solution to a problem; accurate maps 
  were too big. Many were large enough to cover an entire wall 
  so not very practical for taking onboard ship or caravan travel. 
  In 1570 a cartographer named Ortelius divided up one of his 
  tapestry-sized maps into multiple small sections and bound 
  them into a book at the request of a trading ship captain. Some-
  times all copies of an important or rare map have vanished and 
  the only surviving example might be in an old atlas collecting 
  dust on a forgotten shelf.  
    Adventure Hooks 
  1. 
    The Party has been hired by a team of Royal surveyors to 
  ack as guides and guards while they map a newly acquired 
  territory. Local rebels know this is the first step to formal 
  annexation and colonization. They want to stop the survey 
  and kidnap the King’s cartographer to force negotiations. 
  2. 
   The central temple of a clerical sect was recently all but 
  destroyed by fire. The centerpiece of the Order’s worship is 
  the fresco of a world map drawn by their founding prophet. 
  The rebuilt temple cannot be consecrated until the map is 
  redrawn above the altar. No copy of the map survives ex-
  cept at the Order’s ancestral home which after a thousand 
  years is now deep in territory controlled by tribes of giants. 
  The Hierophant of the Order engages the Adventurers to 
  find the ancient temple and return with a copy of their sa-
  cred Mappa Mundi  
  3. 
    The Party finds themselves in a city with a history reaching 
  back 1500 years. Over the centuries new buildings have 
  gone up over the old. Builders breaking into forgotten cel-
  lars, tombs and tunnels is a common event. A group of 
  somewhat shady gnomes hire the Party to explore and 
  clear out any monstrous vermin they find in a complex of 
  underground workings. The gnomes recently acquired a 
  map to the workings they want to use as the headquarters 
  of a new criminal organization.  
   
   
   
   
  
  35 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
    Inspired Uses in Adventure Settings 
     Maps have always been an important part of role-playing 
  adventures. They have become increasingly complex over the 
  years gong from rough floorplans to fantastic pieces of art-
  work. I’m a huge fan of maps and love cartography. I’ve been 
  making my own game maps for a long time. However maps 
  have become so detailed that they either can’t be given to 
  players for fear of giving everything away or are so expansive 
  they don’t prove useful to the mission at hand. Even simpler 
  maps can contain too much accurate information making 
  things less challenging for the players. This, of course, depends 
  of the group. If the players constantly need a push to progress, 
  perhaps giving them a road map to adventure is necessary.  
    Consider though that when it comes to player maps, less may 
  be more. Nobody said maps have to be precise. As we’ve seen 
  they frequently weren’t. Leaving out a few details can add real-
  istic unpredictability to the game and keep players from be-
  coming complacent. Just maybe that halfling you met at the 
  tavern, you know, the one with the sick grandmother who sold 
  you a map to the abandoned gem mines? It’s entirely possible 
  she didn’t have your best interest at heart. Even if the Mage 
  who hired the party to help with a relic hunt believes his map 
  shows all the lethal traps doesn’t mean it really does. Especially 
  if it turns out he bought it from a halfling at that same bar.  
    Charts, globes and maps along with all they represent can be 
  excellent motivations for adventure. As was discussed in the 
  Libraries Illuminated supplement libraries are not just stages 
  for things to happen on but active players. The same goes for 
  maps and charts. Yes, they can be the McGuffin only there to 
  push the adventurers along to a specific place or event. But 
  they can also embody an entire adventure in and of them-
  selves. Making simple changes like putting the lost tomb on an 
  island and instead of an overland map showing the way, a nau-
  tical chart falls into the adventurer’s hands ups the ante. 
  They’ll need to find an experienced sailor to interpret the chart 
  and have to arrange for more than a few horses to use it. What 
  follows are two example adventures where charts, maps or 
  globes feature prominently in the plot.  
      What follows are examples, of short playable scenarios 
  where a Chart, Globe or Map play a significant role. Each have 
  their own quirks and strengths allowing you to weave them 
  into any campaign setting. These were designed as general 
  guides and not intended to be ridged. These sample adven-
  tures can play out in different ways and were left a little vague 
  so they can be tweaked by the DM to fit into your campaign 
  and the play style of the group.  
  Sample Adventures 
  Magical and Mercantile 
  ◆ 
  The Seven Rings of Seren’s  Armillary 
    Two hundred and six years ago a stellarmancer named Seren 
  Cyshier and his followers arrived in the vicinity of the small 
  farming town of Heathfield. They immediately set to work 
  building a tower on the nearby plain. Attached to it was a circu-
  lar and domed structure incorporating an existing and ancient 
  circle of standing stones into its walls. The wizard’s reputation 
  among the local folk was one of kindness and generosity. In 
  many other places it was quite the opposite.  
    Cyshier, 
  drawing 
  power from align-
  ments of the stars 
  and 
  planets, 
  had 
  constructed a gate-
  way connected to six 
  other stone circles. 
  He and his followers 
  would descend on an 
  area via these gates. 
  He could afford to be 
  generous 
  with his 
  neighbors 
  because 
  looting and pillaging 
  other cities provided 
  him with ample wealth. Only Cyshier and his followers knew 
  the truth of the gate’s workings. After nearly a decade a power-
  ful band of heroes tracked down Cyshier and assaulted his lair. 
  Rumor has it the wizard and his servants were all slain. The 
  Adventurers hauled away anything of value and burned the 
  tower to its foundations. Only the odd, circular hall remained.  
    In recent years, the round hall and its lands came into the pos-
  session of Baron Glavid Darbinger. The Baron has built a manor 
  around the wizards round hall. He relates how during construc-
  tion a magically preserved iron chest was found beneath the 
  floor of the old tower’s cellars. Inside the Baron discovered 
  Cyshier’s notebooks detailing the construction and operation of 
  the gate hall. The key component was a power channeling ar-
  millary sphere. 
    The actual truth of events is a bit different. The adventurers 
  who raided Cyshier’s lair admit to defeating and killing the wiz-
  ard but his followers escaped to parts unknown through the 
   
  
  36 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  gateway. They took Cyshier’s body and all but one part of the 
  armillary sphere with them. The stand and central sphere of 
  the armillary escaped the tower in the hands of Cyshier’s ap-
  prentice. The Baron never found a chest. What he knows was 
  handed down through his family. He is descended from the 
  apprentice and is a mage himself though he takes pains to con-
  ceal the fact. According to his family’s lore, Cyshier should have 
  returned a century ago. Tired of waiting the Baron’s taken 
  matters into his own hands. He coverts the gateway along with 
  the power it will bring him.  
    The Baron provides a map he claims shows the location of a 
  hidden fastness where he believes the rest of the armillary has 
  been hidden. He is willing to pay a high price for the missing 
  rings and any other useful information or relics the Party re-
  turns with.  
    The location on the map is only a few miles from one of the 
  gateway’s stone circles, about a two-week journey. What they 
  discover near the end is a little town on the edge of a basin-
  shaped valley. The place appears to once have been much larg-
  er and prosperous. The townspeople can tell the Party that the 
  basin used to be a lake. An earthquake 109 years ago shifted 
  the course of the lake’s source river causing it to dry up. They 
  can also tell the players how the rich of the area once built 
  lavish tombs in the hills overlooking the lake. The map leads to 
  one of them.  
  The Mausoleum 
    The tomb has the appearance of a Grecian-style mausoleum, 
  leaning slightly on its foundations and hemmed in by trees 
  grown up since its construction. The stone doors are wedged in 
  the skewed door-
  frame and takes a 
  successful DC 17 
  Strength 
  roll 
  to 
  force it open. The 
  interior 
  is 
  com-
  pletely unadorned. 
  An armillary sphere 
  is carved into the 
  cover of a sarcoph-
  agus at the center of the thirty-foot square space. A successful 
  DC 15 Strength roll is needed to shove the cover off the crypt. 
  Inside are a few bones and scraps of cloth. Investigation will 
  reveal that the bottom of the sarcophagus is a hatch giving 
  access to descending stairs.  
   
  The Tomb Beneath 
  1. Entry Hall: The room is empty. A heavy layer of dust covers 
  the paved floor indicating the lack of recent visitors. Unlocked 
  double doors lead into a long hallway. 
  2. Workshop: The long hall ends in another set of double 
  doors. These open into a room that can only be a magical or 
  alchemical workshop. Long tables and shelving line the walls. 
  Every surface is filled with alchemical glassware along with 
  bottles and jars of dried material. A thick layer of dust and cob-
  webs cover everything. All of the materials here are common 
  magical and alchemical components of no real value.  
  3. Workshop: This area is much the same as the previous work-
  shop. On a successful DC19 Intelligence check will reveal a 
  large number of materials in the room are involved in the con-
  struction of golems. Searching through the bottles will yield 
  two vials of alchemist’s fire. None of the rest has any value.  
  4. Counterfeit Tomb: The double doors of this room are locked 
  and take a successful DC 15 Dexterity roll to pick. This white 
  marble lined chamber holds a sarcophagus like the one on the 
  surface. Both the crypt and the walls are ornately carved with 
  interwoven floral and astronomical designs. There are chests 
  and urns lining the East and West walls. The urns hold scented 
  but highly flammable oil. The chests are locked but empty tak-
  ing only a DC 10 dexterity roll to unlock. Three exceptionally 
  clear silver-backed mirrors hang on the North, East and West 
  walls. A successful DC 15 Strength roll is needed to shove the 
  cover off the crypt. Inside is the desiccated corpse of a man 
  dressed in ornate wizard’s robes. Grasped tightly by both 
  hands is a set of nested armillary rings that shine like gold. 
  The body is not that of Cyshier but some unfortunate individual 
  used in his place. As soon as the door was opened a mecha-
  nism opened many tiny valves allowing lamp oil to drip rapidly 
  down the channels hidden in the wall carvings. It takes five 
  minutes for the walls to become soaked. A character can de-
  tect the oil on a successful DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check if 
  examining the walls. If anyone attempts to remove the rings 
  from the corpse’s hands they pull a hidden wire. This trap can 
  be detected and disarmed on a successful DC 15 Dexterity 
  check. The wire triggers a Scorching Ray to fire from each of 
  the mirrors. The rays are angled to bounce of the next mirror 
  to the left then hit an oil filled urn on the floor. Three of the 
  urns explode into flame and ignite the walls. Each creature in 
  the room takes 3d6 initial fire damage and an additional 2d6 
  for every round they remain. The contents of the room are 
  consumed by the flames except for the mirrors.      
  
  37 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  5. Fountain Room: The fountain is bone dry. The doors to the 
  West are trapped by a suspicious and amateurishly concealed 
  pressure plate, detectable on a DC 7 Wisdom check. This trap is 
  a cunning bit of reverse psychology. Stepping on the pressure 
  plate doesn’t do anything. Successfully “disarming” the sup-
  posed trap actually triggers it. The Eastern doors slam shut 
  with great force and liquid mercury gushes from the fountain 
  at an alarming rate, sloshing out onto the floor, rising to a 
  depth of 1 foot in just two rounds. The trapped adventurers 
  find that the liquid is so dense they can float on it and don’t 
  sink. Drowning isn’t a worry but the liquid is flowing at high 
  pressure and will eventually fill the room crushing  anyone in-
  side against the stone surfaces. The players have 20 minutes 
  before the room is filled. A dispel magic cast on the fountain 
  against a DC 15 will stop the flow. The Eastern doors can be 
  forced open with a successful strength roll against DC 20. The 
  Western doors require a DC 25 to force open. Pulling up the 
  false pressure plate will reveal a lever unlocking the Western 
  doors. 
  6. False Tomb: There is a carved plaque on the North wall de-
  picting diamonds and moon symbols. The largest of which has 
  a power-blue cut crystal set into the center. This chamber also 
  holds a sarcophagus like the one in 
  Room 4. Inside are the mummified 
  remains of a man in ornate robes 
  clutching another set of armillary 
  rings. Close inspection will reveal 
  that the body is a fake, just a stuffed 
  scarecrow-like mannequin, and the 
  rings are painted wood. The “body” does have a pouch with 
  nine iron keys, each inlayed with silver representing phases 
  of the moon, inside. Under the body, built into the floor of 
  the sarcophagus, are nine keyholes arranged in a circle.  
  To open the secret door on the West wall all keys must be 
  inserted into their proper holes then the four keys indicated 
  by the diamonds on the plaque must be turned in clockwise 
  
  38 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  order one by one. If any of the keys are in the wrong location 
  or tuned out of sequence a Cone of Cold centered on the sar-
  cophagus fires from the crystal set into the plaque. Each player 
  must make a Constitution saving throw against DC 15. A crea-
  ture takes 8d8 on a failed save or half if successful. Players 
  standing in areas marked A and B on the map reduce any dam-
  age they would take by 50%. The trap will only trigger once and 
  cannot be disarmed.   
  7. Hall of Stars and Statues: There are eight statues of hooded 
  figures each sitting on a stone bench in front of pillars holding 
  up the ceiling. A pedestal of bronze sits at the center of the 
  chamber. Located two feet from the center of the West wall is 
  an engraved stone stelae. The walls and ceiling are decorated 
  with scores of carved and painted planet, star and zodiac imag-
  es. To the left of the stelae is a complex seeming mechanism of 
  gears in a wood and metal frame.  
  The Players have reached the tomb’s most complex defenses. 
  Six of the statues (all except 4 and 5 on the map) are the self-
  petrified followers of Cyshier. On a successful DC 16 Wisdom 
  (Perception) check a player will notice that the superficially 
  identical statues have different faces and each is wearing a 
  circlet with a planetary symbol engraved on it. These are the 
  missing rings. Each figure also holds an opaque glass sphere in 
  its cupped hands that radiate Alteration magic. The other two 
  statues are Stone Golems (D&D 5e Monster Manual page 
  170) who attack anyone passing beyond the center of the room 
  without speaking the command word, “Celestial.”  
  The geared device in the corner is a decayed water clock. It 
  ceased to function when the lake above dried up depriving it of 
  fluid. It will radiate with faint magic to a Detect Magic spell. 
  The clock was supposed to wake Cyshier’s followers after one-
  hundred years. They’ve overslept by quite a bit. Breaking the 
  spheres releases a thick gas that reverses the petrification. It 
  takes a full ten minutes for the effect to complete. During that 
  time, the Followers can be restrained. All are wizards but too 
  weak from the long stasis to resist. 
  Pit Traps 
  Marked on the map are four pit traps. If a creature steps on the 
  trapdoor the lid flips open dumping the creature into the 10-
  foot deep pit taking 1d6 piercing damage from the spikes at 
  the bottom. The traps can be disabled on a successful DC 15 
  Dexterity check using thieves tools.  
   Secret Door 
  The secret door may be detected on a successful DC 18 Wis-
  dom check. To open the passage to Area 8 the players must 
  study the stelae, the bronze pedestal, and the frescoed ceiling. 
  Figure 1 represents the stelae carving. On a successful DC 15 
  Intelligence (Arcane or History) a player will recognize it for a 
  type of horoscope diagram. The bronze pedestal has an en-
  graved surface that partially resembles the stelae, Figure 2. 
  On a successful DC 15 Wisdom check the players can discover 
  that the outermost ring of the pedestal will rotate. There are 
  only depressions where the planetary symbols should be. The 
  ceiling is painted with a faded fresco representing the zodiac 
  as a star chart, Figure 3.   
  To open the door the players must locate the seven missing 
  planet symbols. They are hidden on the walls among many 
  similar carvings. It takes a successfully DC 18 Wisdom 
  (Perception) check each to locate. Once found they are easily 
  removed from the wall. Searching the chamber puts the Party 
  at risk of triggering one or more of the trap doors. Once all 
  the symbols are replaced the outer zodiac ring of the pedes-
  tal must be rotated so the indicator line matches up with the 
  stars representing Pisces (green arrow) to match the stelae. 
  The symbols for Mercury and Jupiter must be pressed at the 
  same time. Bolts can be heard sliding allowing the secret 
  door to open easily. 
  If any part of the sequence is wrong when one or more sym-
  bols are pressed lightning shoots from the center of the fres-
  co. Anyone standing in the room’s center nine grid squares 
  will be hit if they wear any ferrous metals taking 5d6 electri-
  cal damage if unsuccessful on a DC 16 Intelligence roll, half as 
  much if successful. The spell trap resets after three minutes 
  and can be disabled by a dispel magic.  
  8. Inner Tomb: This is the real tomb of Cyshier. Laying on top 
  of the sarcophagus lid is a life-like marble statue of an older 
  man in wizard’s robes. His arms are crossed. He holds a rod in 
  one hand and an armillary ring in the other. There are a num-
  ber of painted urns in the otherwise empty room. The statue 
  
  39 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  figure on the lid is the actual petrified body of Seren Cyshier He 
  was killed in the attack on his stronghold, that much of the tale 
  is true, and his followers brought him here for internment.  
  Opening the sarcophagus frees the undead Basilisk entombed 
  inside. (D&D 5e Monster Manual page 24 with the following 
  modifications: Undead Fortitude. If damage reduces the zom-
  bie to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw 
  with a DC of 5+the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant 
  or from a critical hit. On a success, the creature drops to 1 hit 
  point instead, Damage Immunities Poison.) The zombie crea-
  ture is slow in reviving itself. The players have one round be-
  fore dealing with its attacks. If they remember, they can use 
  the three silver mirrors from Area 4 to help against the Basi-
  lisk’s Petrifying Gaze. The creature is bound to this room and 
  will not pursue the Party beyond it.  
  Inside the sarcophagus is a bronze box containing a glass ball, 
  like the ones in Area 7, which can reverse petrification. One 
  must be used on Cyshier’s body if the last armillary ring is to be 
  retrieved. The rod he is holding is a Rod of Alertness (5e Dun-
  geons Master’s Guide page 196.) One of the urns holds 97 as-
  sorted gems.  
    The Players will need to decide what to do with Cyshier’s fol-
  lowers. If the Adventures succeed in returning the armillary 
  rings to the Baron he will honor his contract and pay them 
  well. However he considers the Party a possible threat to his 
  imminent rise to power. The Baron hires bounty hunters and/
  or assassins after them within one month of their return.   
   
  Figure 1 
  Figure 2 
  Figure 3 
  
  40 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
    Adventure of the Ivory Case 
    The Adventurers are either agents for or members 
  of the Vendramin merchant house. Their current du-
  ty has them assigned to the country’s northern most 
  port city. Kornaro is a small port on the Gulf of Mis-
  tral concerned mainly with fishing and hauling lum-
  ber from the lands to the north. They are approached 
  by a House agent they know by the name of Antos 
  Loredan. Antos has just returned from a mission to 
  the mountain regions of the North Lands. He quietly 
  tells the party that he has secured an important trade 
  agreement with several dwarven clans. This is quite a 
  coup as the northern dwarves are known to be al-
  most impossible to negotiate with. Antos seems ex-
  tremely nervous though. He tells the Party that he is 
  sure he’s being followed by agents of the Dandolo, a 
  deadly rival of the Vendramin. He wants the Party to 
  take charge of carrying important documents to the 
  city of Morosin, the seat of Vendramin power. He 
  asks them to meet him elsewhere later than night.  
   When the party arrives at the rendezvous they dis-
  cover Antos has been attacked and gravely wounded. 
  The bodies of two would-be assassins lay nearby. He 
  presses an ivory scroll case into the Party’s hands. 
  “Take it!” he insists. “You must leave now! I was 
  right. The Dandolo know and will do anything to get 
  these papers.” After giving his warning Antos loses 
  consciousness. If they leave him where he is without 
  healing Antos will die of his wounds. The scroll tube 
  is sealed but if the players open it they find a con-
  tract with dwarf clans for gold, silver, iron, copper, 
  and tin in exchange for produce and creature com-
  forts, furniture, rugs and the like. There is also a map 
  showing a secret way up the rivers to the interior of 
  the northern highlands into dwarven territory. Secur-
  ing the trade rights to this market will significantly 
  shift the balance of power between the waring Hous-
  es in the Vendramin’s favor. The Dandolo will stop at 
  nothing to get their hands on the documents. 
  The party has two main options for traveling to Mo-
  rosin, overland and by ship. If the players use their 
  position with the Vendramin to access the Post Road 
  they can travel an average of 30 miles per day. By sea 
  they can double that. The Dandolo will be on their 
  heels the whole way. The players should make their 
  own decisions based on how much they know of the 
  following information.  
    The players know Antos had a ship in port. If they decide to go to the 
  docks intending to use it to escape they quickly discover the Captain is 
  missing. By inquiring about the ship they make themselves known to 
  Dandolo spies. If the players use the Post Road they need to present their 
  Vendramin House pass to do so. Again this will identify them to lurking 
  spies.  
   
  
  41 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  Taking to the sea   
  If the Party decides 
  to leave by ship 
  there are currently 
  three 
  departing 
  Kornaro. Two are 
  allied with the Dan-
  dolo which will not 
  be obvious unless 
  the 
  Players 
  ask 
  around. The third is 
  the Merweasel, an 
  independent 
  coastal frigate Mastered by Captain Lars Cooperson. Should the 
  Party book with a Dandolo ship there is a 50% chance the cap-
  tain has been alerted to watch for them. That chance increases 
  to 100% the next time the ship docks. The Dandolo crew will 
  wait until the first night at sea to ambush the party and take 
  the documents. If the Party leaves on the Merweasel the Dan-
  dolo ships give chase. 
   
  The Post Road 
    The well-maintained road (marked in red on the Trader’s 
  Coast map) exists to support a rapid and reliable way of send-
  ing letters and dispatches between cities. This is accomplished 
  by a string of stations where fresh horses are kept. A rider 
  changes horses every station and often rides through the night. 
  There are stations located, usually in a small town or village if 
  possible, no less six hours fast travel between them. The great 
  merchant houses pay to access this system for anyone with 
  documents identifying them as House Agents.  
  The exact route of the Road and all of its livery stations is no 
  secret. If it is known the Party has taken to the Post Road it is 
  probable the Dandolo will have Agents stationed at one or 
  more of the stations down-road (South) of the Party’s last re-
  ported position.  A cautious group would approach each livery 
  station with justified caution. 
   
  Merchant House Presence  
    The great Merchant Houses have some level of presence in all 
  of the cities and ports on the Trader’s Coast. This breaks down 
  into the following categories. The Players will know what each 
  of these categories are but will likely not know the exact level a 
  House has in a given city. How much of the information found 
  in the Merchant’s Knowledge Table is known to the Party is up 
  to the discretion of the DM.  
     
  Avoiding Capture  
  What follows are some general guidelines for what is basically a 
  deadly game of hide and seek. The DM should feel free to mod-
  ify and add to these in any way that seems logical and fits with 
  the campaign setting. The Party can use any combination of 
  land and sea travel to safely reach Morosin. Within 48 hours of 
  the attack on Antos all Dandolo forces on the Trader’s Coast are 
  alerted to be on the watch for the Party.  
  1. Initial flight – The players’ risk of being confronted by Dando-
  lo forces starts at 5% and increases by 1% for each hour they 
  delay leaving Kornaro after their second encounter with Antos.  
  2. None of the ships the Party might book passage on can afford 
  to travel without taking on cargo and stopping at every or every 
  other port on the way south. If they stay on the Merweasel the 
  chance of encountering Dandolo forces when docking in a port 
  town increases to 100% as soon as they make their first port 
  call. Each time the Party changes ships, providing they are not 
  observed doing so, decreases the confrontation risk by 50%. 
  Sneaking off a ship before it docks decreases their risk by 90%.  
  3. The party has a 10% chance of being spotted leaving on the 
  Post Road in Kornaro. Their risk of being intercepted increases 
  by 2% at each Post station until they arrive at the next city. It 
  increases by 5% in any 24 hours they take a long rest.  
  4. Leaving the Post 
  Road decreases the 
  risk by 5% per day if 
  using local roads. This 
  decreases their dis-
  tance travelled to a 
  max of 20 miles per 
  day.  
  5. Leaving the Post 
  Road and going over-
  land, 
  avoiding 
  all 
  roads 
  and 
  towns, 
  decreases risk by 50% 
  the first day and 90% 
  on day two. This 
  leaves the Party open 
  to random encounter 
  attacks and decreas-
  es their distance trav-
  elled to 10 miles per 
   
  
  42 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  day over rough terrain.  
  6. The same risks as sea travel applies to river and lake ships.  
  7. Arriving at a city, either by land or sea, risks detection unless 
  the Party actively uses mundane or magical countermeasures 
  to go unnoticed. The risk of encountering Dandolo forces in-
  creases by 20% (from their current risk percentage,) in a city 
  where that House maintains a Trading Office or Mercenaries. 
  The risk increases to 75% where the Dandolo have a Trading 
  House. These values can be reduced if the Party makes contact 
  with Vendramin representatives undetected. The Dandolo 
  have spies watching all House Vendramin offices and ware-
  houses.  
  8. The risk of detection in the city of Darribia, the seat of Dan-
  dolo power, is 99%.. 
   9. The longer the Party are successful at defeating or avoiding 
  Dandolo efforts to capture them the more desperate the Dan-
  dolo become. After 5-7 days they will resort to putting a gener-
  ous bounty out on the Players as well as using magical means 
  of detection and summoned creatures  
  10. For each livery station on the Post 
  Road where the players deploy some sort 
  of disguise, dividing their numbers or oth-
  er countermeasures against being recog-
  nized reduces the threat by 5%. Although 
  most livery hands are not on the Dandolo 
  payroll, it is in the party’s best interest to 
  appear unmemorable. That way when a 
  Dandolo Agents offers the stable boy a 
  silver coin if he’s seen anyone matching 
  the Party’s description they can honestly 
  say no.  
   
  Dandolo Attacks. Each group of attacking 
  Dandolo will have, depending on how 
  much of a annoyance the party has be-
  come, 1-12 members (difficulty adjusted 
  for the relevant strength of the player’s 
  party.) These will consist of 80% fighters 
  and 20% rogue (spies.) The DM may 
  choose to also add a caster class if the 
  Dandolo have reached the desperation 
  stage.  Rangers or Bounty hunters can be 
  substituted for one or more of the hired 
  fighters. They might also deploy other 
  means of tracking such as hounds or other 
  trained beasts. 
   
  In the End. If the Party successfully reaches Morosin and 
  hands the documents over to Patriarch Sebastiano Ven-
  dramin they will receive rich rewards and promoted status 
  within the House. They will however have gained powerful 
  new enemies. House Dandolo , along with most of the Great 
  Merchant Houses, are not known for accepting failure grace-
  fully. Revenge is often the order of the day. The Dandolo will 
  be watching for an opportunity to disgrace the Party, or 
  worse.  
   
    If the Party are captured by agents of House Dandolo they 
  will eventually be ransomed back to House Vendramin. As 
  mentioned above, failure is not well tolerated within the 
  Great Houses even from their own family and members. 
  After their return from Dandolo captivity the Party risks ban-
  ishment from the House effectively being stripped of all good 
  and privileges If they are lucky a second chance might be 
  offered in the form of some exceptionally dangerous, possi-
  bly suicidal, mission to redeem themselves in the eyes of 
  House leadership.  
   
  
  43 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  In previous ages, some types of libraries also functioned as 
  what we would think of as a museum before there were muse-
  ums. Royal Libraries in particular could have one or more Curi-
  osity Halls. In these were displayed war trophies looted from 
  conquered territories alongside collections filled with a whole 
  host of unique and strange items both natural and manmade.  
    Granted it’s odd to think of libraries holding collections of 
  objects that are in no way books or even maps. As centers of 
  learning it wasn’t that strange for samples of unusual beasts 
  along with archeological objects and those from distant lands 
  to end up under the roof of a Royal, Arcane, University or Pri-
  vate library. In a different context it was the same for trophies 
  displayed mainly in Imperial builds or the Private Holdings. of 
  educated and wealthy persons where a library’s contents 
  served to impress as much, or more so, than to inform. Tro-
  phies of war were certainly displayed in palaces but also on 
  specially erected monuments located in public spaces. Doing so 
  was an act of aggrandizement and intimidation by the sover-
  eign who had won them through battle. Nothing says I’m better 
  than you than hanging up your enemy’s armor beneath their 
  bleached skull.  
    When it came to collecting curiosities, kings and wealthy pa-
  trons were not immune to fraud any more than the next en-
  thusiast. It was just much riskier to pull a con on them should 
  the huckster be found out. Trying to put one over on the Nec-
  romancer’s Guild was an equally bad idea. See the bit about 
  bleached skulls above and you get the idea. That being said, 
  sometimes it didn’t matter to the owner if an item wasn’t gen-
  uine so long as people believed it was real. For example, the 
  true Excalibur (it could be any old sword because nobody 
  knows what it looked like do they?), actual nail clippings of 
  Anubis (boring but what other body part of a god are you likely 
  to get your hands on?) or the bona fide eyeball of a demigod 
  (which is totally not a fist sized hunk of amber cunningly 
  shaped by a gnomish jeweler.) The thing is though, sometimes 
  they were real and could cause a whole lot of problems for 
  everyone involved.  
   
    Although 
  humans 
  and other races, drag-
  ons come to mind, 
  have always engaged 
  in some level of col-
  lecting it didn’t be-
  come an official pas-
  time, at least for the 
  aforementioned 
  hu-
  mans, until the Re-
  naissance. Before that 
  people 
  held 
  onto 
  things they liked that 
  might happened to all 
  be in the same cate-
  gory. Wizards possibly 
  being an exception. 
  Formal collecting was 
  closely tied to advanc-
  es in navigation that 
  allowed 
  far 
  flung 
  trade in exotic items.  
  Cabinets of curiosities 
  were limited to those 
  who could afford to 
  create and maintain 
  them. 
  Many 
  mon-
  archs, in particular, developed large collections. Rulers and 
  wealthy merchants displayed objects from distant lands as a 
  way of demonstrating their power and influence. Often these 
  would include gifts from foreign elite making the contents of 
  such collections wide and varied. These were not for study but 
  for show just as were their shelves of, largely unread, books.   
   Intentional collectors, who could also be Princes, were a bit 
  more focused in what they acquired depending on their per-
  APPENDIX I I  TROPHIES AND CURIOSITIES 
  Curiosities Animal, Vegetable, Mineral and 
  Monstrous 
  
  44 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  sonal interests. Even so, these collections were not the 
  carefully ordered and catalogued items of later muse-
  ums. Early collections of curiosities were often chaotic 
  appearing where the method of their madness was 
  known only to the owner. There was usually an internal 
  logic to such groupings. The earliest of cabinets were 
  known as Wunderkammer who’s contents were dis-
  played and sorted by degrees of relatedness not by rigid 
  classification systems. Items were arranged for aes-
  thetic effect and were left unlabeled with the exotic 
  mixing with ancient and contemporary. Often the cabi-
  net was housed in or near a library which held refer-
  ence works on related topics.  
     The existence of a well-stocked Cabinet would eventu-
  ally reach other collectors. A cabinet owner might travel 
  to visit another collection either out of genuine curiosity 
  and admiration or to spy on the contents of a rival. This 
  sometimes led to the exchange of gifts suitable for col-
  lecting that created networks of like-minded sages en-
  thusiastic about plants, insects, or giant’s teeth. A gen-
  eral set of standards for what made up a proper cabinet 
  began to emerge. In the late 1500’s a noble collector 
  advised that three types of items were indispensable in 
  forming a Wunderkammer: firstly small sculptures and 
  paintings; secondly "curious  
    items from home or abroad"; and thirdly "antlers, 
  horns, claws, feathers and other things belonging to 
  strange and curious animals”. A serious collector had to 
  have all of these or more.  
    Some curiosity cabinets strayed into the macabre and 
  contained many double-headed, multi-limbed creatures 
  and a myriad of other bizarre items that were not al-
  ways malformed but mysterious, twisted, and mon-
  strous in their own right. Preserved biological or ana-
  tomical specimens were the most prized. Skulls lined 
  shelves beside whole skeletons wired together. Glass 
  vessels of every shape and size held pickled examples of 
  organs beside mutated and unborn creatures. Examples 
  of the Taxidermist’s art stared out through glass eyes.   
   
  Adventure Hooks 
  1. Garnalon Religeer a renowned collector of skins and 
  hides has hired the Adventurers to retrieve a black 
  dragon skin, he recently purchased, from the docks of 
  the nearest port city. The task is simple and it only takes 
  a week to arrive at the docked ship. However the mate 
  Random Curiosities—Fauna 
  Random Curiosities—Flora 
  Random Curiosities—Mineral 
  Random Curiosities—Monstrous 
  
  45 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  of the slain dragon has discovered the whereabouts of the re-
  mains Wanting them back she repeatedly attacks the Party on 
  their return trip.  
  2. Princess Arnardarria sends her trusted band across the great 
  inland sea to the distant city of Marl. She has charged them 
  with delivering a painted griffon’s egg. The Princess sends it 
  from her collection to the sage Nestor Overmore for his cabi-
  net of curiosities in exchange for a gift he had sent her previ-
  ously. When the Party arrive they find Marl under siege and 
  must decide how to fulfill their mission. 
  3. The party comes across a merchant wagon surrounded by 
  zombies. Oddly enough they don’t appear to be attacking. Even 
  so the merchant screams for help. After the party dispatch the 
  zombies the merchant gives them a life-sized toad sculpted in 
  gold by way of thanks before hastily departing. What the Ad-
  venturers don’t know is the toad was the last figurine the Nec-
  romancer Nöol of Blood Bog needed to complete his frog col-
  lection. The Merchant had absconded with the figurine think-
  ing to sell or melt it down. Wanting his property the necro-
  mancer sends seemingly endless groups of undead to plague 
  the party until Nöol  gets her toad.  
  Looting and pillaging; the taking of 
  trophies during and after warfare is 
  an old tradition. Objects plundered 
  by conquering armies have gone by 
  many names: war trophies, blood 
  trophies, spoils of war, war booty, 
  and spolia. The features that made 
  an object desirable as a trophy were 
  material value, craftsmanship, and 
  pedigree. In the ancient world tropaeum were erected to com-
  memorate a victory over an enemy. This usually took the form 
  of a real or sculpted tree with a pair of arm-like branches upon 
  which was hung the armor, weapons and sometimes the head 
  or skull of the defeated foe. Often a plaque or other carving 
  was affixed to the tropaeum providing details of the victory and 
  glorifying the general or Emperor involved.  
    Things changed little into the Middle Ages except the capture 
  of battle standards became more popular. The average Medie-
  val army boasted so many banners that only those of great 
  chiefs or nobles were worth taking for the status they brought. 
  Trophies tended to have greater symbolic value beyond their 
  intrinsic worth. Stripping the losers of their cultural treasures: 
  Seals, Standards, Ancestral Weapons, and the like was a further 
  act of violence and humiliation for the defeated. Often this Im-
  perial scale looting grew to a truly monumental scale. Entire 
  buildings could be disassembled for their columns, doors, capi-
  tals, dressed stone and carvings to name a few. Taken to em-
  bellish the city of the victor their absence left the ransacked city 
  disfigured and scarred. Not even sacred sites were spared. Dur-
  ing such rampages, a king might intentionally desecrate the 
  temples of their rivals as a way of showing their superiority 
  over even the gods of the defeated country. Of course doing so 
  could earn them the wrath or curses of said gods. Odysseus 
  would be a good example. All of these trophies would be 
  hauled back by the victors and prominently displayed on, inside 
  of or built into public buildings such as palaces and civic build-
  ings including libraries.  
    Although trophies technically fall into the spoils of war catego-
  ry this is usually a term referring to smaller more portable 
  items. Looting was basically stealing by soldiers. It was often an 
  expected part of their compensation for fighting. Mercenary 
  armies could turn on and even sack the city of their employers 
  if they felt underpaid by poor loot. 
  Anything small and valuable that 
  wasn’t bolted down, or sometimes 
  even if it were,  was ripe for the 
  taking. Plunder could consist of a 
  dazzling array of objects including 
  anything made of precious metals, 
  bells, lamps  holy relics, gems, art 
  objects, sculpture and often peo-
  ple. Unlike the large-scale items 
  above this form of personal looting 
  was done for cash and to impress 
  the folks back home. Some of 
  these items would end up on dis-
  play in a soldier or commander’s 
  Random Curiosities—Odd Items 
  Trophies and Spoils of 
  War 
   
  
  46 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  hometown or dwelling. They became lesser versions of Imperi-
  al trophy taking though no less symbolic.  
    Adventure Hooks 
  1.  The Adventurers learn though a mutual friend that a nota-
  ble General, recently returned from a campaign, is plagued by 
  strange events. It turns out that among the spoils she returned 
  with was a platinum idol from a looted shrine. The idol must 
  either be returned or the General dedicate a new shrine to the 
  deity. 
  2.  It has taken decades for the Adventurer’s kingdom to recov-
  er from a crushing defeat at the hands of the neighboring 
  Battani. Priests have finally found a legitimate heir to the slain 
  king but need the Sovereign’s Rod and Sphere, sacred symbols 
  of rulership to restart the monarchy. Looted years ago the Rod 
  is displayed in the Battani Palace and the Sphere in their Royal 
  library. The Party is charged with returning these objects to 
  their rightful home.  
  3. 
  A wagon train of rich spoils are in route to their new own-
  er’s homeland. Hearing rumors that getting their hands on 
  even one of the wagons would make them rich, the Party 
  has decided to hijack part of the train. Succeeding will earn 
  them the enmity of a powerful noble.  
   
  Inspired Uses in Adventure Settings 
    We’ve seen two different kinds of collecting. The first motivat-
  ed by intellectual inquiry, status seeking and obsession. The 
  second being tangible symbols of victory or the humiliation of 
  defeat in war. Collectors of curiosities are driven towards com-
  pleteness, whatever that mean to them, but usually one of 
  everything in a category or one thing in every category. This 
  sort of obsession, fueled by competition between rival collec-
  tors, drives them to reach further afield for increasingly ex-
  otic specimens. This is a dangerous but lucrative opportunity 
  for Adventurers willing to stick their necks out retrieving Roc 
  feathers or Purple Worm teeth in exchange for gold, magic or 
  services owed. An entrepreneurial Party might even special-
  ize in obtaining rare items and have a reputation for obtain-
  ing obscure objects whatever it takes. The number of possi-
  ble adventures this can generate are at least as many as 
  there are beasts and monsters, minerals, and plants.  
    Whereas reputation, wealth and personal advancement 
  might motivate Collector adventures, Spoils of War engender 
  different emotions. These can be revenge and retribution to 
  be meted out by a defeated people against their victors or 
  hated oppressors. In these scenarios characters want to set 
  the scales right and restore honor and dignity to their clan or 
  country. Although reputation and honor play a strong part 
  there may be more pragmatic reasons for the Adventurers to 
  set off on a mission to retrieve a potent symbol to rally their 
  people around. Living in a conquered land stripped of its rich-
  es leaves little chance for advancement. Would-be adventur-
  ers might even have difficulty obtaining the necessary gear to 
  begin such a carrier without rebelling. On the victor’s side the 
  opposite is true. Living in a land of privilege, possibly under 
  threat from enemies, engenders a desire to protect that way 
  of life. Old foes defeated but now gathering strength again is 
  an example of one such threat. Perhaps all the rabble need to 
  weld themselves into an army is that banner or crown taken 
  from them long ago.    
   
   
  Sample Adventures 
  ◆ 
  The Rarest of Pearls 
  The Master Jeweler Dhavala Seshadri is an expert on the top-
  ic of pearls and an avid collector of every type and everything 
  associated with them. Dhavala’s collection of curious things 
  include many seashells, small sculptures depicting or embed-
  ded with pearls and cultural objects of pearl divers. Her 
  prized pearls include white, ivory, gray, black, gold, blue, iri-
  descent, oblong, irregular, and perfectly spherical. Her largest 
  is the size of a halfling’s fist the most powerful is a Pearl of 
  Wisdom.  
    There is one pearl she has been searching for all her life, the 
  legendary Orange Pearl of a Sphinx Noble. This strange object 
  grows in the forehead of the most powerful of sphinx. But 
  Spoils of War—Random Generation 
  
  47 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  these exceptional creatures are rarely encountered let alone hunted down. It 
  is said when they become too old they retreat to a secret place to die. A tem-
  ple dedicated to Wind and Storm gods where their souls can return to the 
  Elemental Plane of Air. This sanctuary and the bones therein are protected 
  by fierce winged guardians. 
    Dhavala believes she has discovered the location of the Wind Temple from 
  a scrap of ancient parchment telling of a deep valley hidden in the Pahaadka 
  mountains. Being far too old to embark on such an expedition Dhavala has 
  hired the Adventurers to undertake the journey and bring back, if they can, a 
  single Orange Pearl. She has provided them with directions and a map 
  written in magical ink that only becomes visible at an altitude higher than 
  8,000 feet. It will show them the way but not until they are well into the 
  heights.  
  Traveling to the Temple 
    Overland travel will be the most arduous and time-consuming method of 
  reaching the hidden valley, assuming Dhavala’s map is accurate (see Libraries 
  Illuminated Appendix I; Charts, Globes and Maps for more detail on the na-
  ture of maps in adventure settings.) Hidden places are by definition in re-
  mote locations. The journey to a point where the characters need to begin 
  serious climbing should take six to eight weeks. Proceeding beyond that 
  point will require climbing gear and will slow travel to 10% of normal. Travel-
  ing through the mountainous wilds will also expose the Party to harsh weath-
  er and attacks by random beasts. Although the temple is located where Dha-
  vala’s map indicates,  travelling in a straight line through uncharted moun-
  tains is impossible. The Adventurers will have inevitably strayed off course 
  and will take an additional 1-20 days to locate the actual valley. The only 
  access is a steep and narrow pass.  
    It is likely to occur to some players (DC 18 Intelligence check) that going 
  overland is a dangerous waste of time and arrange for some sort of aerial 
  travel (see Dungeon Master’s Guide page 119.).   Magical flight or the use of 
  flying steeds will require periodically landing for rest and recharge. These 
  times on the ground are subject to random encounters. The use of an airship 
  does not require landing except in an emergency. Although this method al-
  lows for greater speed and an easier time of locating the valley from the air it 
  is not risk free. Strong winds in the mountains can push a weekly powered 
  craft off course. Players will have to contend with high altitude sickness and 
  extreme cold as detailed in the Dungeon Master’s Guide (page 110.)  
    Flying mounts will not enter the Temple valley willingly and cannot be 
  forced to do so short of a Wish spell. Airships and characters using magical 
  flight will find it impossible to penetrate the barrier of buffeting winds sur-
  rounding the valley. Trying to do so has a 95% chance of wrecking an airship 
  with all passengers taking 6d6 of falling/bludgeoning damage. There is a 60% 
  chance the airship will be damaged beyond repair. Flying characters will be 
  slammed into the nearest cliff face and take 4d6 bludgeoning damage. Due 
  to the unpredictable strength and direction of the winds this will happen 
  every round until a player lands. In all but the most exceptional of cases de-
  scent to the valley floor must be on foot.  
   
  
  48 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  The Guardians 
    Unless otherwise specified Aarakocra guard and maintain the 
  Temple. This clan has a roost perched on a wide ledge high 
  above the structure. Considering their dislike of closed spaces 
  serving inside the temple is an act of devotion and sacrifice. 
  Guardians will not engage in melee unless attacked. They will 
  challenge all trespassers demanding that they leave and use 
  force if necessary. The Guardians are empowered by the ele-
  mental magic of the temple’s Planar gate which provides them 
  with improved stats and an added ability.  
    Aarakocra as a people put very little importance on owner-
  ship. If the Adventurers open negotiations with the Guardians 
  instead of attacking them the Priests can be persuaded, on a 
  DC 16, Charisma check to give the Party an Orange Peal in ex-
  change for performing a service in devotion to the gods of 
  Wind and swearing an oath to never return or speak of the 
  temple’s location.   
  Temple of the Wind Soul 
    The temple is snugged into a narrow end of the three-mile-
  long valley opposite the overland pass. The valley floor is cov-
  ered with sparce vegetation and scoured by 
  a strong breeze that never stops. From the 
  air, or from a vantage above the pass, it is 
  possible to see the permanent whirlwind 
  above the temple caused by a Planar portal 
  to the Elemental Plane of Air. Keenly percep-
  tive characters might also notice flying fig-
  ures much larger than a bird moving in the 
  sky over and near the temple. The temple’s 
  architecture is Eastern Indian in style with 
  elaborate exterior carvings and tall, elongat-
  ed stupas. What appears to be a ten-foot-
  high wall runs around the entire structure 
  on top of which is a wide walkway. Although 
  there are many narrow windows and others covered with 
  carved latices of stone there are no doors to be found. The tem-
  ple was designed exclusively for flying creatures and the only 
  way inside, short of a magical method, is via the roof.  
  Temple Exterior 
    Area 1 is a large expanse of bas relief carvings depicting many 
  winged creatures and humanoids in various acts of combat, 
  worship and generally enjoying flight. Area 2 is a wide walkway 
  at a height of 10 feet above the valley floor that runs around 
  the entire periphery. There are no doors secret or otherwise.  
   Roof Level 
    The lowest part of the roof is 50 feet from the valley floor. The 
  nature of the temple’s elaborately carved exterior allows it to 
  be climbed on a DC 12 Strength or Dexterity check.  
    Areas 3-6 - These openings provide access to the interior. The 
  first three are 30’ in diameter openings at the top of 70’ high 
  stupa towers. The temple floor is 110’ below. Area 6 is a 20’ 
  wide opening however any creature approaching within 20’ 
  must make a DC 16 Strength check or be sucked up into the 
  Planar Portal (No. 7.) 
    Area 7 – Planar Portal to the Elemental Plane of Air. A perma-
  nent whirlwind reaching 500’ into the air marks the location of 
  the portal.  (See Area 20.) 
    Area 8 – Excarnation Platform. It is here that the bodies of 
  aarakocra and sphinx are left to be consumed by vultures and 
  eagles in a form of Sky Burial. The bodies remain until only 
  bones are left. These are taken and interred below. There is a 
  15% chance there is a partial body on the platform.  
    Areas marked  “G” are watch stations manned by 1-2 Aarako-
  cra Guardians.  
   
  
  49 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  Temple Interior  
    Area 9 – Hall of Preparation. This hall is dedicated to the re-
  cently deceased. Bodies are placed on the stone platform at 
  the arched center of the hall under the open ceiling. Here 
  priests perform various rituals to ease the soul’s passage. The 
  body is prepared for excarnation.  
  Area 10 – Hall of Sending. It is here the priests perform the 
  final rites to release the soul from the cleansed bones of the 
  deceased. The doors to the Soul Gate are opened by a con-
  cealed lever in the altar under the ceiling opening. The lever 
  can be detected on a successful DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) 
  check. There is a 50% chance one of the two priests will be 
  present in this area at any time. If attacked they will call for aid 
  from the sphinx in Area 18a and Guardians in Area 18c. 
    Area 11 – Ossuary Antechamber. There are two Guardians 
  stationed in this room. The oddly shaped room beyond has a 
  pillar at its center formed from hundreds of bones melded to-
  gether.  
    Area 12 to 17 – Ossuary Crypts. The bronze doors to these 
  rooms will emanate abjuration magic and can only be opened 
  by casting Gust of Wind on them. The doors can be forced on a 
  successful DC 25 Strength check. Faint light and a breeze of air 
  circulates in these rooms from the outside. The interior is filled, 
  floor to ceiling, with carefully stacked and interwoven bones. A 
  pale greyish dust coats the floor. The room gives the impression 
  of great age.  Area 16 contains the bones of four Sphinx Nobles. 
  Each has an orange pearl imbedded in the bones of the fore-
  head.  
    Area 18a – Androsphinx Guardians. Two androsphinx guard 
  the doors to the Soul Gate. They are only absent during the 
  Sending ritual when they will be in Area 10. The sphinx will chal-
  lenge trespassers and attack if engaged in melee or if a charac-
  ter moves to unbolt the doors to Area 20. They will also come 
  to the aid of the priests in Area 10 should they be attacked. It is 
  possible to reason with the creatures but persuasion will be at a 
  disadvantage if the sphinx know the characters have killed 
  guardians or if they mention anything having to do with sphinx 
  remains.  
    Area 18b – Gynosphinx Guardians. Two gynosphinx guard the 
  doors to the Hall of Rest. Like their counterparts in area 18a 
  they will challenge trespassers and attack if engaged in melee 
  or if a character moves to enter Area 19. If pressed in battle one 
  of the gynosphinx will use their teleportation ability to escape 
  into Area 9 and summon help from the androsphinx in Area 
  18b.  
    Area 18c – Aarakocra Guardians. At any time there are 1-4 
  guardians in what amounts to a small lounge and dining area. 
  They will challenge trespassers and attack if engaged. 
    Area 19 – Hall of Rest. This large hall is furnished with many 
  large soft pillows in bright colors embroidered in gold and sil-
  ver. Thick tapestries featuring bird motifs cover the walls. In this 
  hall the weakened and dying sphinx is hosted and cared for 
  until it is near to death. There is a 20% chance an exceptionally 
  old sphinx is lounging in the area.  
    Area 19a – Anodyne Pool. This large basin of crystal-clear wa-
  ter is only two feet deep. The water is pleasantly warm and any 
  creature immersing itself will experience a sense of peaceful 
  wellbeing and be free of pain for twelve hours. Water removed 
  from the basin has no magical properties.  
    Area 20 – Soul Gate. It is believed that the rituals performed 
  by the temple priests allow the souls of sphinx and aarakocra to 
  be taken into the planar gate through the arches in this room. 
  The closed doors are heavy bronze with massive bolts holding 
  them shut. The near defining roar of wind causes the doors to 
  vibrate. These are only opened when a Sending Ceremony is 
  being performed in Area 10. Releasing the bolts will cause the 
  doors to burst open and creates a sudden violent vacuum. Any  
  3
  4
  5
  8
  7
  G
  G
  G
  G
  G
  6
  Temple of the Wind Soul—Roof Level 
  N
  
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  creature in the room or in Area 18a outside must make a DC 17 
  Strength save or be swept up into the vortex and shot out into 
  the Elemental Plane of Air.  
    Area 21 – Oubliette. The door to this area is locked. It can be 
  opened with a successful DC 11 Dexterity check using thieves’ 
  tools. Over the years many trespassers have tried to violate the 
  temple. All have failed. Having no need for loot the Guardians 
  tossed their bodies down this 180’ pit into a cavern deep be-
  low. To the aarakocra these defilers deserve only to be interred 
  in the darkness. If the Adventurers climb down into the cavern 
  they will find a pile of many bones. Most of the gear is rotted 
  and rusted. If they take the time to search the entire pile, 6-12 
  hours they can locate the following treasure.  
    7000 sp, 25,000 gp, 110 pp, 13 x 100gp gems, Slippers of 
  Spider Climbing, Brooch of Shielding, Adamantine Armor 
  (Chestplate), Potion of Hill Giant Strength, Elixir of Health, Oil 
  of Sharpness, Spell Scroll 5th Level, Armor +2 Leather. The DM 
  is free to add or modify this list as they see fit.  
    Returning with the Orange Pearl will earn the Adventurers 
  the promised reward as well as greatly enhanced reputation. 
  If the Players break their oath to remain silent as to the loca-
  tion of the temple they will incur a curse and the wrath of 
  one or more gods of  the Air and Storm domain.   
  1
  2
  18c
  18c
  19a
  19
  20
  18b
  18a
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  14
  15
  16
  17
  Temple of the Wind Soul—Ground Level 
  N
  
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  Sample Adventures 
  ◆ 
  Totem of the Goblin King 
   
    Tyberlinis  is a prosperous city peacefully sitting at the cross-
  roads of two major trading routes. This was not always the 
  case. For many years increasingly large warbands of goblinoids 
  plagued the city and surrounding villages. About sixty years ago 
  the people of Tyberlinis had had enough. A force of adventur-
  ers, city guard, armed militia and a squadron of Duke’s Men 
  swept through the hills destroying every goblin they could find. 
  It took four months and several pitched battles but the surviv-
  ing goblins were driven off and few if any have been seen since 
  although a few were spotted recently.  
    During what the locals call the Goblin War many stolen goods 
  and kidnapped citizens were liberated. Among the spoils of war 
  captured by the Tyberlini was a stone totem, about two feet 
  tall, of a serpentine dragon coiled around a pillar. Whatever it 
  meant to them; the goblins fought to the last to keep it from 
  falling into the hands of  humans. Obviously not of goblin craft-
  ing the Duke gifted the item to the library his family founded 
  where it sits in a display cage along with other curiosities.  
    The Adventurers have been hired by a gnomish merchant 
  named Miles Glissengom a seller of dry goods and sundries in 
  the Student Quarter. For the last three weeks his storehouse 
  has been repeatedly robbed. Although he 
  has hired guards and put triple locks on the 
  doors the thefts continue. Nothing of very 
  great value has been taken, mostly food 
  and housewares, but Glissengom isn’t tak-
  ing well to being victimized. He tells the 
  Party that one of his rival merchants must 
  be the culprit and “they must always be 
  watching.” He feels this way because he 
  stationed guards inside the storehouse for 
  three nights without incident so withdrew 
  them. And on the fourth night he was 
  robbed again. The City Guard came in and 
  had a look around but found nothing of 
  note.   
    Examining the storehouse a successful DC 
  17 investigation roll will reveal a cleverly 
  hidden trapdoor in a corner of the building. 
  It opens into a tunnel less than three feet in 
  diameter. Only a small creature could crawl 
  along the descending passage without getting stuck. (If one of 
  the Party are able to transverse the passage they will exit in 
  Area 14 on the map.) 
  Lore and Rumor 
    Scouting about the neighborhood the Party finds that it con-
  sists of a dozen other shops catering to students and the gen-
  eral public, the Ducal library, the Tymbrin College, livery stable, 
  and three taverns. If they speak to the locals they can discover 
  1-6 bits of information from the Lore and Rumor table.   
  The Kobolds  
    A gang of kobolds from the Smooth Snout clan have invaded 
  the sewers. They haven’t  done so of their own free will. Most 
  of their clan is being held hostage by a hobgoblin outcast 
  named Kraznaz who is trying to unite several goblin war bands 
  into a small army. He has some idea about avenging his many 
  kin killed in the Goblin War. To bring all the squabbling factions 
  together Kraznaz intends to make himself supreme commander 
  but lacking other hobgoblins to back him up he needs the Gob-
  lin King’s Totem to legitimize his rule over the mostly goblin 
  hoard. The Hobgoblin sent the kobolds into Tyberlinis to steal 
  the goblin relic from the library and bring it back to him. The 
  Smooth Snout agreed for fear of their clan’s safety. Arriving in 
  the city four weeks ago they went about trying to get at the 
  Totem doing what they always do, dig and be stealthy.  
   
  D20     Results  Lore and Rumor 
  
  52 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  The Sewers  
    Unless otherwise specified all 
  areas filled with water are 0-
  0.5 inches deep up to 1 foot 
  from the tunnel wall and 1-2 
  feet deep in the center. Most 
  of the water is tainted with 
  sewage and slippery. Areas of 
  water not tinted in green on 
  the map are storm water in-
  flows designed to help flush 
  the system. Above every 25’ 
  there is a 2’ diameter grate in 
  the ceiling that drains from the 
  cobbled street above. Kobold 
  dug tunnels are 4’ x 2.5’ in diameter. The area is considered 
  difficult terrain with only filtered light from street drains 
  providing light. At night, the tunnels are completely dark.  
    To further conceal their presence the kobolds are wearing 
  giant rat pelts and crude masks which makes them appear to 
  be ratmen, at least in the dark tunnels. For entertainment 
  they’ve been stealing from and playing tricks on the gnomish 
  merchants. If confronted or at least persuaded to listen, 
  providing one of the characters speaks Draconic, the Kobolds 
  can be reasoned with. Given a better alternative that guaran-
  tees the safety of their folk the Kobold leader, Chaster will 
  agree to stand down and direct a force to Kraznaz’s camp. If 
  the Smooth Snout are freed they will be receptive to a contract 
  with the city to move into and maintain the sewers in exchange 
  for a yearly payment of apples and hard cider.   
   Traps 
  The following traps are designated in red on the sewer map.  
  Trap 1: An 8’ deep pit has been dug in the center of the tunnel 
  which has filled with water and can only be detected on a suc-
  cessful DC 15 Investigation check. Falling into the pit will soak a 
  creature and anything they carry in sewerage. They must make 
  a DC 12 Constitution save or become diseased within 24 hours. 
  The infection will last for 1-4 days unless Cure Disease is used.  
  Trap 2: A tripwire runs across the tunnel under the water. The 
  wire can be detected on a successful DC 13 Investigation check. 
  Triggering the trap causes a rusty but sharp and heavy great 
  axe head to fall from a slot in the ceiling. Roll to hit with ad-
  vantage against the AC of the character who tripped the trap. 
  The blade causes 1-8 hit points of damage.   
  Trap 3: A tripwire runs across the tunnel just before it merges 
  with another. The wire can be detected on a successful DC 13 
  Investigation check. Triggering the trap causes a spring-arm 
  attached to the north wall of the east-west tunnel to strike any-
  one standing in the opening. The arm has three knives lashed to 
  it. Roll to hit for each of the blades with advantage. A character 
  takes 1d4 hit points of damage for every blade that lands an 
  attack.  
  Trap 4: A tripwire runs across the tunnel under the water. The 
  wire can be detected on a successful DC 13 Investigation check. 
  The wire is here to literally trip anyone stumbling upon it. A 
  character must make a DC 14 Dexterity save or fall forward into 
  the tunnel. As the slope in this section is very steep a fallen 
  character will slide downward for 30’ as per Area 10 above. 
  Sharpened bits of metal have been driven into the sides and 
  bottom of the raceway 30’ from the wire. A sliding character 
  will come in contact with 1d4 blades taking 1d4 points of dam-
  age each. In addition They must make a DC 12 Constitution save 
  or become diseased within 24 hours. The infection will last for 1
  -4 days unless Cure Disease is used.  
   
  Area 1 - Sewer Entrance. This is the entrance, via a manhole in 
  an alley, closest to Glissengom’s shop. A rusty metal ladder de-
  scends 30’.  
  Area 2 - Maintenance Station. Normally this room would house 
  tools and supplies for the sewer workers. The room is empty 
  except for a few wooden pegs in the west wall and the remains 
  of a broken and rotted barrel. The doorway to the east has a 1’ 
  high lip separating it from the tunnel beyond.  
  Area 3 - Like Area 2 the doorway into this room has a 1’ lip 
  probably to help keep it free of sewerage from the tunnel to 
  the west. The bulk of this room is raised 3’ above the level of 
  the water filled tunnel leading north. Four steps allow access 
  down.  
  
  53 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  Area 4 - Like Area 2 the doorway into this room has a 1’ lip. The 
  room is empty except for standing water rising up to fill half 
  the area.  
  Area 5 - Rainwater catchment. Water from storm drains col-
  lects in this area. The door into the main tunnel is something 
  like a hatch to keep the sewerage out. There is a large drain in 
  the center of the room. The water in this area is currently at 3’ 
  in depth. 
  Area 6 - Pump Room. This room is dominated by a combination 
  waterwheel and suction pump device that stands 6’ tall. It is 
  used to pump rainwater up to storage tanks on the surface. 
  The wheel is jammed with several large pieces of wood. Based 
  on the way they are positioned it seems intentional.  
  Area 7 - Pump Room. This room has a much smaller version of 
  the pumping apparatus in Area 6. It’s inactive and does not 
  appear damaged. There is a pipe extending from the pump into 
  the east wall.  
  Area 8 - Storm Runoff Cistern. This circular chamber holds a 
  deep cistern at its center. There are circular conduits in the wall 
  where collected rainwater is fed in. A pipe runs down the north 
  wall of the tunnel outside and down into the cistern.  
  Area 8a - Storm Runoff Cistern. This circular chamber holds a 
  deep cistern at its center. There are circular conduits in the wall 
  where collected rainwater is feed in. A runs from the north wall 
  and down into the cistern. The tunnel to the south is three feet 
  lower than the cistern. Excess water flows down the south tun-
  nel.  
  Area 9 - Storm Water Flush Line. Excess runoff from Area 8a 
  flows down this tunnel which descends at a steep angle. There 
  are no overhead drains in this section of the system.    
  Area 10 - Sewerage Effluent Line. This tunnel descends down-
  ward at a step angle. The surfaces are covered in algae and slick 
  mud. Each character traveling downward must make a success-
  ful DC 14 Dexterity check or fall prone. A fallen creature will 
  slide 30’ before they can attempt another DC 14 Dexterity 
  check to regain control. See also Trap No. 4.  
  Area 11 - Culvert to River. Tunnels 9 and 10 both exit into this 
  
  54 | L i b r a r i e s  I l l u m i n a t e d   
   
  to hit with advantage against the closest two characters. Each 
  bolt does 1d10 damage. Anyone struck must also make a DC 
  12 Constitution save or become poisoned for the next ten 
  minutes unless healed.  
  Behind the barricade there is a hole in the east wall only large 
  enough for a small creature to crawl through. It is blocked by 
  a large rock at the far end. The rock can be moved on a suc-
  cessful DC 12 Strength check.  
  Area 18 - Kobold Lair. The ceiling of this large room is sup-
  ported by several arches and has the look of an abandoned 
  cellar. There are a dozen or so simple pallets, a few barrels 
  and crates of food stuffs, a cooking fire along with odd bits of 
  personal gear scattered around the chamber. If the kobolds 
  feel trapped by a superior force and the Party has not tried to 
  parlay with them they will flee through their escape tunnel. 
  This is a hole in the ceiling with a rope dangling from it. The 
  rope can be pulled up behind them. The tunnel, only big 
  enough for a small creature to crawl through, leads to a false 
  street drain in the ceiling of tunnel 10. From there the kob-
  olds will try to escape through the culvert and out to the riv-
  er. Searching the room with a successful DC 14 Investigation 
  check will uncover a scrap of paper with a sketch of the Gob-
  lin King’s Totem. There are several giant rat hides hanging on 
  pegs along with the Kobold’s scary masks. A cage of rats sits 
  by the cooking fire.  
   
  larger, vaulted chamber. There is a large pile of rocks partially 
  blocking the north sewer line. At the western end is the en-
  trance to a culvert with a metal grate over it. One side has 
  been pried up so there is a space large enough for a small crea-
  ture to squeeze through. Past the grate is a 3’ high tunnel that 
  runs for a quarter of a mile and ends at the river outside the 
  city.  
  Area 12 - Blocked Tunnel. This tunnel is completely blocked by 
  rocks and dirt.  
  Area 13 - College Sewer Station. This vaulted chamber has a 7’ 
  ceiling. There are six pipes draining sewerage into the main 
  line. These are the drains from the College above. In the SW 
  corner is a large pile of rags and bits of wood. This is the nest of 
  two Giant Diseased Rats that the Kobolds have avoided. 
  Searching through the nest on a successful DC 12 Investigation 
  check reveals a gold ring worth 25gp among bis of broken glass 
  and metal.   
  Area 14 - Kobold Tunnel to Glissengom’s. This narrow tunnel is 
  dug into the earth and stone is obviously not part of the sew-
  ers. The passage slopes gradually upward and  comes up be-
  neath Glissengom’s storehouse. On a DC 15 Investigation check 
  a character may detect the faint tracks of small reptilian feet in 
  the tunnel’s dirt floor.   
  Area 15 - Kobold tunnels. These tunnels are the same as the 
  one in Area 14. The small chambers at the end of each has a 
  vertical shaft going up about 30’ and ending at the foundation 
  of a building but no further. On a DC 15 Investigation check a 
  character may detect the faint tracks of small reptilian feet in 
  the tunnel’s dirt floor.   
  Area 16 - Kobold Tunnels. The first two side tunnels resemble 
  those found in Area 15. The chamber at the end of the tunnel 
  shows much more activity. A number of buckets and sacks are 
  piled here. There are shovels and a crude scaffolding assem-
  bled in the chamber rising up to a stone surface with a 3’ diam-
  eter hole chiseled into it. The opening leads into the sub-
  basement, really the foundation footings, of the Duke’s Library. 
  There are signs of digging and chiseling at several points 
  around the footings. None of them have broken into the library 
  proper.  
  Ara 17 - Trapped Entrance to the Kobold Lair. The door to this 
  corridor is above the waterline, made of stone and very old. 
  Behind it are a short flight of stairs leading up about 10’. A 
  crude wall or gate of wood planks blocks the hallway 30’ from 
  the stairs. A tripwire runs across the corridor just past the 
  stairs. The wire can be detected on a successful DC 13 Investi-
  gation check. Triggering the trap causes two heavy crossbows 
  concealed behind the barricade to fire down the hallway. Roll 
   
  I hope you have enjoyed this Compendium and 
  will find it helpful in world and campaign 
  building.  If so please leave a review or com-
  ment on the Dungeon Masters Guild site  
   
   
  COMING SOON 
  ILLUMINATED ADVENTURES 
  Expanded, and fully playable D&D 5th Edition 
  modules based on the samples found in the  
  Libraries Illuminate Supplements.  
   
  “It’s not just about Books” 
  
   
   
  MAPS 
  
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  “I like libraries. It makes me feel comfortable and secure to have walls of words, beautiful 
  and wise, all around me. I always feel better when I can see that there is something to hold 
  back the shadows.”  
  - Roger Zelazny, 1970, Nine Princes in Amber 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/Libraries Illuminated Comp {210875}.pdf