Is there a way to Awaken Vermin?
What I want to do is have some spiders be awakened by an ancient artifact, unmovable as it is huge.
A tribe of bipedal awakened animals and vermin that live in the forests of Nirmathas.
Any game legal way to do it?
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Dude, you're the GM, and it's an artifact. You're allowed to make stuff up in this game of make believe. The rules of the game explicitly empower you to do so.
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Does it have to be an actual Artifact or can it simply be an ancient device/relic? In the case of the latter I have a wobbly idea that you could rip apart for useful bits ...
A Soulbound Doll was made eons ago to aid a "Vermin Master", or a Worm That Walks was made into one for an unknown purpose; either way they had enough Shaman Levels to Cast [6] Awaken. (Note that Soulbound Dolls have precedent for gaining Class Levels.) Either by the choice or defeat of the Soulbound Doll's Master, they were Permanently transmuted by [8] Polymorph Any Object into an immovable Construct, sealed off from the world, along with plenty of magical supplies too grotesque to spend long periods destroying.
Same kingdom (animal, vegetable, mineral) +5
Same class (mammals, fungi, metals, etc.) +2
Same or lower Intelligence +2
Total = 9
9+ = Permanent
Perhaps the Spell was not specific enough, maybe the Caster wanted it close enough to "stick", but the pillar/obelisk/what-have-you was essentially still a Construct, (now with sinister, low-level eminating symbols), and so was able to manifest its abilities as it did as a Soulbound Doll - with a serious setback. Its senses were gone, so it could not interact with anything beyond what touched it. Then one something did - a Vermin, a Creature it recognized as kin and part of its purpose. With various magical supplies strewn about it, the Soulbound Doll-come-Soulbound Obelisk had just enough viable Material Components to make the Vermin its Spirit(ual) Animal, acting as a Familiar (but being treated as an Outsider (Native) for normal Spells). Over time the bonded Vermin brought other Vermin to the Obelisk (on its instruction), along with going out into the surrounding area outside to attack passing people or simply accumulate materials; once collected, the Obelisk used the Share Spells Ability to Cast [6] Awaken on its Familiar, losing it but creating an Awakened Vermin that is relatively loyal to it, (as per the Spell description). Another Vermin is made into a Familiar and the process repeats, with the intelligent Vermin directing the unintelligent ones to achieve successful raids on settlements. These Intelligent Vermin could in turn become Wizards, Sorcerers or Witches, taking Animals in the surrounding area as Familiars; upon reaching Level 5 they can make their Familiar bipedal for 5 hours per day, (via [3] Anthropomorphic Animal), and if even one reaches Wizard 11 they could slowly make this Permanent for all of the "community's" Familiars utilizing the [5] Permanency Spell.
What your P.C.s originally perceive to be a society of Bipedal, relatively intelligent Animals with Vermin "pets" is slowly revealed to be a pseudo-"hive" community based on the hierarchy of Animals serving Vermin, who in turn worship their deity "The Awakening One", (the Soulbound Obelisk). By the time of your module the structure that sealed the Obelisk has succumbed to time, weathering and the concerted efforts of the Vermin drones, leaving it exposed/free in the forest. This provides ample time for the Vermin to have extensive underground tunnels around and leading to the "artifact", allowing them to Surprise Attack any P.C.s that figure out the nature of the Obelisk, rushing up towards the Construct intent on destroying it - only to have the tables turn.
This can also work with a Druid or Hunter Soulbound Doll>Obelisk, since they obtain Awaken as a [5] Spell, although the Vermin Companions would only benefit from Intelligence 2 at (effective) Druid 9, (minimum to Cast Awaken), to a maximum of Intelligence 4 at Druid 20.