// Text Library  - 50-59

begintextlibrary;

1 = "The sliths have thrown their trash (and the bodies of all the miners who weren't lucky enough to escape) back here.";
2 = "";
3 = "These long, low halls were all dug out by humans, in order to work the rich veins of iron and gold ore. Fortunately, all of the walls are shored up by thick timbers.";
4 = "One of the sliths ahead has a wand of fireballs, and isn't being shy about using it.";
5 = "You find the slithzerikai chief's journal. You puzzle your way through it, trying to find out what these creatures, so far unknown on the surface, are doing here. These sliths were members of a band in Avernum led by the evil and mighty chief Sss-Thsss.";
6 = "After Sss-Thsss was killed by adventurers, they went off into tunnels unreached by humans. After years of nomadic wandering, they found a way to the surface. After a year more, they decided to take up banditry. They came here, and the journal ends.";
7 = "You finally find a way out of this cavern. It's the secret ursagi escape route. From the outside, it is concealed by heavy clumps of foliage. To get out, you'll have to drop down a steep slope. You won't be able to climb back up.";
8 = "You walk into a lair of the ursagi, the massive, sinister, intelligent bears that infest these hills. As you move farther in from the entrance, you think that you can hear some of them gathering outside. They might be planning an ambush.";
9 = "You hear the deafening rumble of stone behind you. The ursagi outside have started an avalanche! You dive for cover. When the rockfall ends, you run back and find that they have rolled massive boulders into the cave entrance. You're trapped!";
10 = "The farther south you go, the chillier this cavern gets. You have to be careful to keep from slipping on the icy floor. There are patches of thick ice on the ground. This intense cold must be magical in origin.";
11 = "The ursagi have the odd tendency to use goblins as slaves, servants, and grooms. (And possibly sometimes food, but you prefer not to think about that.) This is where their goblins are stored when not being used.";
12 = "Several ursagi were concealed on ledges above and behind you. They leap down and ambush you. You're amazed by how fast and limber the massive beasts are. They bare their huge teeth and claws and charge.";
13 = "You build up a massive charge of holy energy and hurl it at the strange stone structure. The structure absorbs the energy and remains completely undamaged. Whatever this thing is, it's a type of magic you're completely unfamiliar with.";
14 = "Hoping you're doing the right thing, you shatter the crystal with one sure swing of your weapon. As the pieces of quartz fly across the glade, the spirit inside rises up and begins to scream. You recognize the voice. It's Vahkohs!";
15 = "_Curse you!_ it screams as it begins to fade. _Curse you! Curse you for all eterniteeeeeeee ..._ and it's gone. At last, this dark creature has been eliminated for good.";
16 = "You emerge from the rear exit of the tomb on the other side and find a small glade. The twisted, blackened trees block out most of the sunlight. In the middle of the rocky clearing, you see a pedestal. There is a crystal on top of it.";
17 = "You pull the lever. For a few seconds, you hear the clattering of distant chains you have come to associate with the pulling of levers in Valorim.";
18 = "Interesting! The smell as the barrier chars your flesh is not unlike that of frying bacon! You back away, while you still have a nose to smell with.";
19 = "The vampire's writing is cramped, and his magical formulae are confusing in the extreme. Try as you might, you just can't figure his spellbook out.";
20 = "The vampire's writing is cramped, and his magical formulae are confusing to the extreme. Nonetheless, you manage to get some knowledge from the ancient pages.";
21 = "You read some of the writing. It is so interesting that you have to read it aloud. You all listen attentively for several minutes. Then, when you have stopped reading, you find that you can't remember what you heard. You feel dizzy and weak.";
22 = "You step into the gloomy halls of this huge, dark stone building. Just inside the entrance, there is a large entry hall, watched over by a ornate, empty throne.";
23 = "The halls are not empty, however. They're full of undead, wandering aimlessly about. Interesting. They seem uninterested in attacking you. They don't even seem to notice you.";
24 = "You hear the voice of the vampire Vahkohs in your head. He says, _Oh, so you thought you killed me? I'm much more cunning than that. I live still, and will torment you 'til the end of your days._ You feel very ill and confused.";
25 = "You feel a chill up your spine, like someone is watching you. You look around, alert for enemies. There's nobody there. The feeling passes.";
26 = "";
27 = "You are at the west end of a massive tunnel. Lining the sides of the gallery, you see statues of troglodytes. Not the regular, twisted, hunched troglos. They stand upright, tall and distinguished, and each has the name of a great troglo hero at the base.";
28 = "Paths slope upward at the far east end of the cave. Oddly, there aren't any troglodytes in sight. It's quiet. Too quiet.";
29 = "You find a small hidden temple storeroom. The chests bulge with supplies for defending this sacred place. Soon, they can be yours.";
30 = "Piles of troglodyte bones and skulls have been flung carelessly into this cavern. Many troglos have come here to repeatedly expectorate and throw garbage on them. It's pretty gross.";
31 = "There is a crater to the southeast, from which bubbles the fresh magma that flows through these caverns. Going any further south, even with magical protection, will likely result in your becoming small, blackened piles of carbon.";
32 = "The giants have erected a stone platform in the middle of this cavern. There is a large, stone pedestal on it. The giants must store their most precious possessions here.";
33 = "This room contains a very old altar of unknown origin. It's very worn. The many volcanic quakes that have buffeted it over the years have cracked the floor, pillars, and altar. Basalt dust covers everything.";
34 = "The volcanic crater to the southeast constantly spits out fireballs. Unfortunately, one of them lands near you.";
35 = "The altar is cracked and decayed, but the magical traps placed on it remain. Ball lightning flies forth and makes your day a lot worse.";
36 = "Insubstantial shapes rise through the floor. You look around you, and see a lot of them. They're spirits and spectres, who float through the moving walls to attack you.";
37 = "The portal teleports you to another cavern. The teleportation makes you feel very ill, as if you've just been flung quite some distance.";
38 = "The portcullis to your east opens.";
39 = "You pull the lever. It makes a nice, satisfying, clicking sound.";
40 = "You try to walk down the passage to the west, but an invisible force stops you. Looks like yet another tedious magical barrier trap thingy.";
41 = "The moving wall smashes you into a wall. You now have a more than passing resemblance to raspberry jam.";
42 = "You slay the last of the nagas. With their leaders gone, you have little doubt the other evil creatures of these caverns will wander off. No longer will this den of evil terrorize the area.";
43 = "You enter an enormous cavern with a high, arching ceiling. Scales, slivers of bone, and huge snakeskins on the ground. Tiers of platforms rise above you to the northwest. A skeleton with glowing eyes stares down at you as you enter.";
44 = "This cave is icy cold, but the freezing air isn't sufficient to mask the smell of death from the south. There are spots of blood and scraps of clothing on the ground.";
45 = "You notice that there is a statue on the pillar to the west. It wasn't there before.";
46 = "You catch a motion out of the corner of your eye to the west. You turn quickly, and see a large ledge, with several insubstantial humanoids hovering on it. They seem to be preparing spells.";
47 = "You stand at the edge of a massive chasm. A constant icy draft rises out of it. These caverns are bitter cold. A ledge leads along the edge of the chasm to the south. You can't tell how deep the pit is.";
48 = "From deep within the caves, you hear the howls of damned, tortured souls. The keening of the undead, combined with the icy temperature, make it impossible for you to stop shivering.";
49 = "Sulfras looks very upset that you learned her secret! She casts a spell, and alien beasts appear all around you. The Beastslayer Blade disintegrates!";
50 = "When you enter this tunnel, you feel deep unease. It is dark and deathly cold. There are no signs of animals trying to find shelter in this tunnel. They sense it's better to stay away.";
51 = "You reach a series of vahnatai crypts, oppressively old and radiating some sort of dark energy. You hear hissing and moaning in the darkness. These crypts are surprisingly close to the surface. Before now, you would never have thought the vahnatai ascended this far.";
52 = "The door has a small platinum keyhole. Despite its age, it is completely uncorroded. However, you don't have the key which fits it.";
53 = "The door has a small platinum keyhole. Despite its age, it is completely uncorroded. You put your platinum key in the keyhole. It fits. You unlock the door.";
54 = "You reach a honeycomb of narrow twisting passages, all alike. You think you hear, just at the threshold of perception, soft whispering.";
55 = "You recognize these ruins as vahnatai architecture. Everything is glossy and weird and at odd angles. It is also amazingly well-constructed and probably mildly enchanted. This ruin has been here for centuries, but it's still in reasonably good shape.";
56 = "The ceiling of this short passage has collapsed. Huge, cracked boulders block your progress.";
57 = "You enter a storeroom. There are three vahnatai chests, centuries old, formed of thin sheets of mica, and covered with a thick layer of dust and lichen.";
58 = "Suddenly, with a flash of light and a puff of foul smoke, crypt guardians appear all around you.";
59 = "When you step on this ancient circle, you feel a soft tingling sensation all over your body. You aren't sure what effect it had.";
60 = "";
61 = "You find several crystals on pedestals. They are large, blue, and beautiful, but inert. When you inspect them closely, wondering if there is any vahnatai magic residing within them, you realize there is a tiny light flickering inside each one.";
62 = "As you get close, you would swear you hear whispering inside your minds. You can't make out what the voices say, but they're definitely there. These crystals must contain ancient vahnatai spirits! The vahnatai will be fascinated to learn of this.";
63 = "";
64 = "Suddenly, a section of wall behind you swings out, blocking your retreat. The moving wall exposed a small alcove, which is filled with quickfire. The deadly flames immediately start to spread, filling every inch of the corridor.";
65 = "The fountain refreshes and reenergizes you. Some of your health is restored by every sip!";
66 = "You drink the water. It tastes cool and refreshing at first. Then your skin develops massive boils, and your whole body starts to ache.";
67 = "You drink the cool, refreshing water. However, as far as you can tell, that's all it is. Cool, refreshing water.";
68 = "You drink the water and feel it bubble and slosh warmly around in your stomach. Then it starts to grow warmer and suck energy out of you. Just when you start to get really worried, it cools down and the effect fades. However, you feel drained.";
69 = "You drink the water. It's flat and tasteless, and you start to feel it didn't have an effect. Then you start to feel lighter. You feel, strangely, more confident and sure on your feet.";
70 = "You drink the warm, soothing water. It has a strange citric taste, and rapidly reenergizes you. Magical energy flows into you.";
71 = "You finally reach the exit of this deathtrap. The stone of the tower begins to grow strangely insubstantial. The structure still exists, but it will probably start to slowly fade away. In a few hours, there will just be crumbled stone. Then, nothing.";
72 = "You enter the strange tower from the south. The entrance is blocked by a huge, closed portcullis. You won't be able to get in.";
73 = "As you try to walk through the throne room, an invisible barrier stops you.";
74 = "You open the dragon's box. It's empty. As you close it, several massive creatures appear near the entrance. They want to kill you. You're relieved. It's just monsters. It could have been much worse.";
75 = "The passage into the next room is blocked by a massive gateway. Each of the thick iron bars is covered with protective runes. The metal glows slightly with powerful protective enchantments. At this point, you don't have enough strength to knock the gate down.";
76 = "You hear a deep, powerful voice, echoing from the huge cave to the south: _You are intruding in the domain of Sulfras the Dragon. I have no reason to see you. You have not earned the right to my time. Depart now, before you are slain._";
77 = "You hear a deep, powerful voice, echoing from the huge cave to the south: _You are intruding in the domain of Sulfras the Dragon. I grant you an audience to see me. You may enter._ The portcullises to the south open noisily.";
78 = "With difficulty, you force yourself to enter this enormous cavern. It's a massive, swirling cauldron of sulphur, magma, and flames. Sweat pours down your face. In the center of the cave, through the mist, you think you can make out a huge, basalt island.";
79 = "The hot, steaming rock in front of you suddenly cracks, and hot magma bubbles up. You back away quickly to keep from being slain. The crack seals itself. Sulfras must have placed a magical trap here to protect her domain.";
80 = "You see a golem, an enchanted humanoid-shaped creature of stone and metal. However, this golem is smaller, faster, and more lethal looking than any golem you've seen. Its face is completely featureless. It makes a troglo look friendly by comparison.";
81 = "You see one of the fiercest monsters you've ever seen. It's like a mix of a reptile and a pit bull, five feet tall at the shoulder, and pure muscle and teeth. Worse, its head is able to swivel 360 degrees. It could bite you, and shred you to pieces just by spinning its head.";
82 = "Several ursagi invaded these mines from the east. They cut off and ambushed several slithzerikai.";
83 = "";
84 = "Someone smashed this crystal with a hammer. They did a thorough job of it. They must have wanted to prevent anyone from using the teleporter.";
85 = "";
86 = "These dusty coffins haven't been opened for a long time. If there are undead inside them, Vahkohs isn't using them for anything.";
87 = "Three of the mirrors in this room look unusual. They are on a circular stone base, which is not attached to the floor. If you pushed, you could probably move these mirrors around.";
88 = "A cave-in has blocked off the western exit of this chamber. The tunnel is blocked with two large, crumbling stones. Between you and them are a pair of searing beams, blocking your path.";
89 = "";
90 = "You notice that the south wall here is starting to crumble a little. The magic that holds this tower up must be weakening in spots.";
91 = "";
92 = "The air down here is hot, muggy, and heavy with sulfur. Your head starts to hurt. The floor is criss-crossed with scratches, the tracks of an enormous reptile.";
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