Page 189 - Tomb of Annihilation

When the wall of fire appears, all creatures present The library contains the collected wisdom of a hundred
should roll initiative. Each round on initiative count 15, sages, along with a few spell books and scrolls (see
the wall moves 10 feet northward, stopping only when it "Treasure" below).
reaches S feet from the north wall. The wall lasts until The corpses hanging along the north wall are the
there are no creatures in the hallway, or until it is dis- remains of three archmagi who tried to meddle in
pelled with a successful dispel magic (DC 14). Acererak's affairs. A successful DC 12 Wisdom (Medi-
cine) check confirms that all three died within the past
GOLDEN TRAIL AND SECRET DOOR
month and that destructive spells were the cause of
The trail of gold-colored tiles leads to the archway in
their demise.
the west wall that contains a secret door. Any character
The old man sleeping in the chair is an arcanaloth
wearing the eye-shaped pendant found in area 2 can
under the effect of its alter self spell. The fiend has one
find the secret door without needing to make a check
of the library's spellbooks lying open on its lap and pre-
and can open the secret door without setting off the trap
tends to be asleep. If approached, the man appears to
(see below). Behind the secret door is a dusty, web-fiJled
wake and asks, "Why do you disturb me?" The creature
hallway filled with sweet dulcimer music. The music
won't reveal its true name, instead referring to itself as
gets louder as one approaches area 80.
"Mr. Fox." The arcanaJoth is bound to the library by Ace-
Glyph of Warding. Opening the secret door triggers
rerak's magic and can't leave, nor can it allow any of the
a glyph of warding spell, whkh targets all creatures in a
library's books or scrolls to be removed.
20-foot-radius sphere centered on the door. The sphere
If any character speaks the arcanaloth's true name
spreads around corners. Each creature in the area must
("Ygga Raxyg"; see area 71) within earshot of the fiend,
make a DC 24 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (Sd8)
it is stunned for 1 minute. Once the stunned effect wears
thunder damage on a failed save, or half as much dam-
off, repeating the arcanaloth's name has no effect on
age on a successful one. The triggering glyph is at the
it for the next 24 hours. If killed, the arcanaloth melts
bottom right corner of the door and can be found with a
into a pool of ichor, leaving behind its robes and horn-
successful DC 24 Intelligence (Investigation) check.
rimmed spectacles (see "Treasure" below).
PURPLE TRAIL
ALCOVE
A trail of purple-colored tiles leads to the hall's north-
The alcove in the southwest corner of the room is empty.
ernmost arch. If a character walks along the trail with-
If the magic at the end of the purple trail is stiJI active
out stepping off it, then touches the wall within the arch-
(see area 79), the back wall of the alcove has the consis-
way, the wall takes on the consistency of thick mud for
tency of thick mud. Any creature that passes through
1 hour. While this effect lasts, any creature that passes
the wall, or any object pushed through the wall, emerges
through the wall, or any object pushed through the wall,
from the northernmost archway in area 79.
emerges from the back wall of the alcove in area 80.
TREASURE
R ED TRAIL
The arcanaloth's horn-rimmed spectacles aren't magi-
The short rrail of red-colored tiles ends in front of the
cal, but they are worth 250 gp. The spectacles are also
hallway's southernmost arch. A creature that walks
a gate key that opens a portal in the planar city of Sigil.
along the red trail without ever stepping off of it, then
The portal is a two-way door to the plane of Arcadia. A
touches the wall within the archway, is pulled into the
legend Jore spell cast on the spectacles reveals this in-
wall and unceremoniously dumped into area 57.
formation and raises their potential value to 2,500 gp if
they are sold to a wizard or sage.
80. R ED LIBRARY
The object on the table is a music box made of dark
The characters might arrive here by way of the tunnel to wood with gold filigree. A detect magic spell or similar
the east, or through the alcove in the southwest corner if effect reveals an aura of conjuration magic around it.
they activate the purple-trail archway in area 79. Each of its five sides is sculpted with the image of a
horned woman playing a different musical instrument: a
dulcimer, a flute, a harp, a lyre, and a viol. While touch-
Soft dulcimer music fills this room, the walls of which
ing the box, a creature can use an action to make it play
are painted the color of dried blood. Bookcases draped
music featuring one of the instruments shown, which
in cobwebs and dust line the walls and stand four deep can be heard up to 60 feet away. The character can
in the middle of the room. Hundreds of leather·bound also use an action to stop the music. The music box is
worth 750 gp.
tomes weigh down their sagging shelves. At one end of
The library contains two hundred historical texts (50
the room, a small study contains a padded leather chair,
gp each), sixty tomes of arcane lore (100 gp each), three
a footstool, and a small table- as well as three corpses
dusty spell scrolls (create undead, fabricate, and resur-
dangling upside down from shackles and chains bolted rection), and six spellbooks. The first three spellbooks
to the ceiling near the north wall. A lantern-shaped de· contain ld6 spells each of 1st through 3rd level. The
fourth and fifth spellbooks contain ld4 spelJs each of
vice resting atop the table appears to be the source of
4th through 6th level. The sixth spellbook has a title (X
the music. An old man lies asleep in the chair, his horn-
the Mystic's Arcane Grimoire) burned into its spine and
rimmed spectacles slipping down to the end of his nose.
contains ld3 spel Is each of 7th through 9th level.
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