// TOWN TEXT DATA
//    Town 49: Cult of the Sacred Item


begintextlibrary;

20 = "Most of the papers and scrolls on this lectern are the notes of the priests of the cult. You ignore them and the insane rantings they contain. There is a small, polished marble key stuck between two of the pages. You take it.";
21 = "";
22 = "The box contains a bunch of interesting knickknacks and odds and ends. One of the items, near the bottom, is a marble key. You take it.";
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26 = "In the case you find a small bone wand with a crystal at the end. The bone is covered with intricate, beautiful carving. In fact, the wand is one of the most beautiful things you've ever seen. You really, really want it.";
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32 = "You open the case and find a silver orb on a velvet pad. The orb is covered with delicately etched runes. It catches the light beautifully. It looks like your quest is almost complete.";
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38 = "The case contains a velvet pillow. On the pillow, you find a lump of metal. It looks like silver. You bet you could get a few gold for it.";
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44 = "There is a pool of slightly icky water here. A little algae floats on the top, and there is a thick encrustation of minerals and goo around the edge.";
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50 = "The pedestal has a variety of controls on it. There are several sliders and dials, probably for controlling the destination of the portal. You aren't insane enough to tinker with them. Also, there's a big red button labeled _Power._";
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56 = "You reach the cultist's portal, which they use to teleport artifact thieves away and back. It's really a jury-rigged piece of work, made by not entirely competent mages. ";
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62 = "There is a crude, handwritten book on this pedestal. The handwriting is jerky and lunges all over the page.";
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68 = "THE WAY OF THE SACRED ITEM";
69 = "by Zalactar of the Sacred Item";
70 = "Oh, I write of the joy of items, of the powers that mere stone and rock and metal and paper and gem can hold. Lo, they are gifts of the Gods, they will be here after us, we must give thanks for the Gods' benevolence.";
71 = "So we must be guided in that which will be here long after us, and follow the lessons. Firstly, it is true that they must not be used, for doing so puts them at risk, and verily, they are here to be here long after us.";
72 = "And lo, secondly, the search for new Gifts Of The Gods must never end, and the Sacred Mighty Quest to obtain them must never end, for every day a Sacred Item is owned by the unholy is a needle in the eye of God.";
73 = "And thus lo, we reach the third, which is that we must refine ourselves and purge our weaknesses, so that we may live up to the Sacred Expectations of the Sacred Items! All one! All one! DILUTE! DILUTE!";
74 = "Follow you, and lo, the Gods Will Watch Over Us, when their Gifts are touched and protected and loved by us! Follow us! Follow us!";
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80 = "You open the case. Inside, you find a soft velvet pad with nothing on it. The cult must not have stolen this item yet. You close the case.";
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82 = "The books are on different sorts of items. One interesting one, by 'Rita of Patrick's Tower,' mentions that certain sorts of metal are filled with malevolent energies. This metal makes anyone nearby sick, even if they're just carrying it.";
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86 = "This pedestal has a small statue and memorial plaque on top. The plaque reads: _In memory of Zelaz, lost in the Fort Emergence Raid. May what's left of him find peace._";
87 = "This pedestal has a small statue and memorial plaque on top. The plaque reads: _To Corinda, accidentally teleported into solid rock. We apologize sincerely._";
88 = "This pedestal has a small statue and memorial plaque on top. The plaque reads: _To Volorb, lost during routine training._";
89 = "This pedestal has a small statue and memorial plaque on top. The plaque reads: _To Heustess, lost during commission of routine procedures._";
90 = "This pedestal has a small statue and memorial plaque on top. The plaque reads: _To Kricfalusi, who mysteriously and suddenly dissolved._";
91 = "This pedestal has a small statue and memorial plaque on top. The plaque reads: _To Eileen, who melted while carrying a bar of metal._";
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93 = "You have tracked the bandits down to their fortress. You slip into this stone keep through one of the side passages. There are windows ahead, guarded by menacing cultists with bows.";
94 = "The passage is lined with piles of debris. There is a wide variety of junk, stolen from all over Avernum and beyond by this fortress of cultists and thieves. Among the debris, you don't see anything Orby. The Orb of Thralni must be hidden somewhere within.";
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97 = "Zalactar reaches under his robe and twiddles an item. Slime pours out from under his robe and runs in streams along the floor. The slime forms into hideous, wormy monsters ...";
98 = "";
99 = "Zalactar reaches under his robe and prods at a different item. He starts to move much faster.";
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101 = "Zalactar is growing tired and woozy from the blows he has taken. He reaches under his robe and grabs for some artifact or other. And then something goes wrong.";
102 = "A spark flies out of his robe. And then another. And then his collection of artifacts begins to short out, one by one. He is surrounded by a nimbus of horrible, painful lightning.";
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104 = "You deal the killing blow. Zalactar slumps to the floor, crying out in anguish. And then he melts.";
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