// Text Library  - 

begintextlibrary;

1 = "Erika decides that she's had enough and disappears. As you start looking for her, her final trap activates itself. Flames roar through her chambers, reducing you to ash.";
2 = "Some distance down the hall, you see a portcullis slide open.";
3 = "Nothing happens.";
4 = "";
5 = "";
6 = "";
7 = "The darkness abruptly disappears.";
8 = "You notice a slip of paper on the shelf. It reads, _Note to self. Curtin keeps chattering about my coordinates. Send forces to deal with her._";
9 = "The statue says _That is correct._ You check - the barrier is gone.";
10 = "One of the books is a spellbook. You examine it. It takes some time and effort, but you decipher Erika's magical scribblings. You now know the spell Wall of Blades.";
11 = "One of the books is a spellbook. You examine it. It takes some time and effort, but you decipher Erika's magical scribblings. You now know the spell Major Summoning.";
12 = "You find several journals of notes about goings-on in Avernum. Most of them seem irrelevant to you, but one note is interesting: _The rakshasi near Fort Remote are making magical weaponry. We may be able to deal with our common enemy._";
13 = "A woman's voice comes from the portal: _You need to come to me the long way first. I need to see you. I need to know you are strong enough to help me. Enter again and you will be sent home, but before you can succeed, you must come to me._";
14 = "You step into the portal and appear before Erika herself.";
15 = "Suddenly, knives start whirling in the air around you!";
16 = "With an overpowering feeling of vertigo, you feel yourself being wrenched across the land of Avernum. When your head clears, you are back in the Tower of Magi.";
17 = "Suddenly, everything goes black! A cloud of darkness falls onto the tower.";
18 = "Erika seems quite attached to her privacy. The moment you open the dresser, burning mist sprays out. You slam the drawer shut, but not before you are moistened.";
19 = "Searching the bookshelf, you find what is clearly a spellbook! Unfortunately, you cannot decipher Erika's writing. Frustrated, you return the book to the shelf.";
20 = "The moment you touch a bit of the loot, a cloud of strange energy fills the room. You feel drained. When you pull your hand away, the cloud disappears. Ouch.";
21 = "Garzahd decides he's had enough of this combat. With a few mumbled words, he disappears. His troops are horrified at losing their leader, but their desperation drives them to fighting with redoubled ferocity.";
22 = "The vahnatai have brought a variety of supplies with them. You doubt that they would mind if you took some of them.";
23 = "You could leave. However, the vahnatai's diversion will be ending soon. If you don't enter the Ziggurat now, you will have a much more difficult time later.";
24 = "You pass the guardian plain and move quickly up the hill towards Ornotha Ziggurat.";
25 = "Behind you, you hear the screams and sounds of battle. The vahnatai fight well, but they will be lucky if any of them get out alive. Aware of the magnitude of their sacrifice, you move purposefully towards the fortress.";
26 = "The smooth stone walls of Ornotha Ziggurat loom above you. Every Avernite soldier has heard of this place. It is where the best of the foe's troops are trained and equipped. It is the place that creates the most fearsome of Avernum's enemies.";
27 = "No guards are nearby at the moment. Odd. You're confident you will meet plenty of soldiers before too long.";
28 = "This is a robing and preparation room for the temple. The smell of incense is heavy in the air.";
29 = "Fascinating. There is an invisible barrier across the corridor here. Your skin tingles as you pass through it. To the north, everything is normal. To the south, the air is heavy with a horrible, nose-wrinkling, stomach-twisting smell. It's rotting garbage.";
30 = "When you take the talisman, a cloud of blue energy flies out of the altar and hovers around you. You start to feel very light-headed.";
31 = "The altar is still there, very dark and imposing.";
32 = "All that remains of the altar are scattered stone fragments.";
33 = "When you begin the ritual, a thick nimbus of blue energy appears around the altar. It sends off waves of heat, attempting to deflect your holy energy. It doesn't do any good. You are relentless. The altar shatters, filling the room with black smoke.";
34 = "";
35 = "These were tiny guest quarters for pilgrims to Erika's Tower. The Empire invaders have trashed them.";
36 = "";
37 = "He points his finger and quickfire begins to fill the chamber! Then he flies out of sight. Flames rush toward you from the east. The only way out is onto the roof to the west. Where the evil wizard is.";
38 = "When you step into the circle, you hear a gentle hum. A gap appears in the barrier to the north. The room grows very hot.";
39 = "";
40 = "This bedroom is very dusty. It's as if it has been set up to look as if someone was living here, but nobody has actually slept here for some time.";
41 = "You run to the edge of the roof as the flames swirl behind you. This layer of the ziggurat is low enough for you to be able to drop off of it safely. This seems like your only real hope for survival at this point.";
42 = "As soon as you remove the crystal, the west wall explodes, filling the chamber with granite shrapnel! You look through the window, and see a flying wizard! He shouts _I am Peltalis, successor to Garzahd, and you will pay for your intrusion!_";
43 = "You step on the rune. It glows a bright white. Suddenly, waves of electricity flow through you, causing intense, agonizing pain. You manage to stagger off it and find yourself only slightly damaged. This must be an experimental torturing device.";
44 = "This barracks is currently unoccupied, and the light layer of dust indicates it probably hasn't been used for a few weeks. The soldiers here must be on the road, killing your fellow Avernites.";
45 = "You wake up from a brief, not very restful nap, to find that the shouts of soldiers looking for you are louder and more numerous. You quickly roll out of bed and arm yourself.";
46 = "The chair pours energy into you! A fiery sensation fills your muscles, and it doesn't fade when the blasts of power cease. Your muscles tremble, but your head feels strangely clear. The weakness doesn't completely fade.";
47 = "As soon as you remove the crystal, the west wall explodes, filling the chamber with granite shrapnel! You look through the window, and see a flying wizard! He shouts, _I am Garzahd, scion of the Empire, and you will pay for your intrusion!_";
48 = "Behind you, the quickfire spreads. The soldiers have to cut their search short abruptly. They start constructing firewalls in order to keep the flames from consuming Ornotha. ";
49 = "In the confusion, you easily slip through the crowds of rushing troops, past the plains where the vahnatai gave their lives, and out. After a brief, satisfying pause to watch the flames attack the fortress, you start the long trek home.";
50 = "You run into a barrier, trapping you inside! You hear a man's grim voice, which says _No, you don't! You've done too much damage - you are trapped in here with us until we destroy you! Surrender now. So speaks Garzahd!_";
51 = "The chair pours energy into you! A fiery sensation fills your muscles, which doesn't fade when the blasts of power cease. You feel very weak and light-headed, but much more nimble. The light-headedness doesn't completely fade.";
52 = "This is where the covert agents of the Empire are trained. Below, you can see a fake bedroom where assassinations are practiced. You also see jars of white makeup, which the agents use to make themselves look as pale as the Avernites.";
53 = "You hear footsteps and muttering to the west. With a sinking feeling, you realize that the Empire has managed to infiltrate this tower. They are doubtless hunting Erika, determined to avenge their dead emperor. You will have to fight through them to reach your target.";
54 = "The top level of the ziggurat is eerily quiet. At least, there's no sound. The whispering in your mind, constant but just at the limits of comprehension, only gets stronger. The Crystal Soul must be near.";
55 = "The feeling of raw magic in the air is growing stronger as you head in this direction.";
56 = "You leap out onto the ziggurat roof. Quickfire pours out of the gap in the wall behind you. A force of guards has ascended to the roof to the west. Then the Empire wizard who smashed open the wall behind you joins them. The only direction that isn't full of horrible, obvious danger is to the south.";