// TOWN TEXT DATA
//    Town 31: Olgai


begintextlibrary;

20 = "You look inside the pot. Under a thin layer of filth, you see the glint of metal. Looking closer, you find that someone has discarded a small buckler here. It looks slightly bent, but is still perfectly usable.";
21 = "You show the Crystal Soul you have obtained to the Council. They are delighted. _You shall have the honor of returning the Soul. Go to the Shrine of Crystals, to the southwest, and there the Soul can be placed._";
22 = "You immediately recognize what this is. It's a magical portal. It's very small, but very intense. It hurts your eyes to look at such a powerful concentration of magic. It looks strong enough to carry you a very long way.";
23 = "You step into the portal and immediately feel like you're being torn apart. Waves of energy pick you apart, dismantling and relocating every bit of your being. Then, when you think you can't stand it anymore, you return to reality ...";
24 = "Elohi-Bok stands to speak. _We were very disturbed by the book you found in the vahnatai's possession, a book of clearly human origin. It is possible that a band of vahnatai are dealing secretly with humans._";
25 = "_That would truly be horrible. If you find evidence of this, bring it to us immediately._";
26 = "On a pedestal, you see a huge crystal. Under its surface, you see strange images and symbols shifting about, rapidly floating in and out of visibility.";
27 = "";
28 = "Different images flit about inside the crystal. When you focus on some of them, others disappear. You see a few which look like magical formulas. You try to concentrate on them, and with an intense burst of mental effort, you bring them into focus...";
29 = "";
30 = "Different words and images flit about inside the crystal. When you focus on some of them, others disappear. You see a few which look like magical formulas. You try to concentrate on them, but they spin away. Instead, you see something else...";
31 = "";
32 = "You see images of caves, vahnatai towns, and actual vahnatai. You're looking at them from far above. However, you can't control the image. It moves about randomly, jumping from place to place and giving you a headache.";
33 = "When you pull away, head spinning, one image stays with you strongly. You saw a castle perched at the edge of a chasm. Outside it, vahnatai were practicing fighting, using human weapons.";
34 = "";
35 = "You see images of dark rivers, winding tunnels, and dark ruins. However, you can't control the image. It moves about randomly, jumping from place to place and giving you a headache.";
36 = "You recognize the locations, though. They were places you visited during your dark, watery journey here. The vahnatai must have watched every step of your travels using this crystal. Eventually, you pull yourself away.";
37 = "";
38 = "When you try to enter the Council Chamber, one of the guards stops you and another goes in to announce your presence. You hear several minutes of animated conversation inside.";
39 = "Eventually, the guard returns, shaking his head. _I'm sorry,_ he says. _They say you have not yet passed enough of the tests. The tests are to the east._ The guard doesn't seem sorry. In fact, he seems relieved not to have to let you in.";
40 = "";
41 = "Prossis-Bok shakes her head. _There is no time. No more delays. You come to us openly, in peace, or you do not. Answer us. May we inspect you?_";
42 = "To the south is the largest intact vahnatai building you have seen. It is a tall, beautiful dome, formed of delicate, blue-veined stone. You can recognize the words carved above the large, open gate: _Council Hall._";
43 = "";
44 = "When you try to enter the Council Chamber, one guard stops you and another nervously enters to announce your presence. You hear several minutes of animated argument, escalating to loud shouting. Then it dies down abruptly.";
45 = "The guard returns, looking deeply unsettled. _They say you can enter,_ he says, barely believing his own words.";
46 = "";
47 = "Glantris-Bok stands to speak. _Whatever antipathy I feel towards humans, I must still say this. Your efforts to reawaken our people after the group we sent was slain were noble and deserving of reward._";
48 = "You are brought a pouch. A peek inside reveals several platinum disks. _Thank you for your aid. Nobly done._ ";
49 = "";
50 = "";
51 = "";
52 = "You brace yourselves and enter the portal. This long trip back to the lands of Avernum is, if anything, even more painful than the previous one. At least you survive.";
53 = "";
54 = "";
55 = "";
56 = "You find yourself in a human building, with human furniture, facing several very startled humans. Some are wizards and some are guards. Fortunately, quick talk keeps them from butchering you.";
57 = "You are bundled off for questioning. Soldiers of Avernum grill you about who you are, where you came from, and what you were doing there. They don't believe a word of what you say until they cast truth spells.";
58 = "Several hours of questioning you leaves them stunned, to say the least.";
59 = "You are given a meal and a bed for the night. The next day, you are asked more about the vahnatai, about their homes and their weapons, and especially about the Crystal Souls. After a time, they tell you that you are in the Tower of Magi.";
60 = "Eventually, they finish speaking with you. You are taken to your room and told to stay out of the way while they figure out what to do about the vahnatai.";
61 = "You're finally home. It would seem, however, that Avernum's troubles are only beginning. The danger will remain as long as the Crystal Souls have not been returned. (When you want to return to vahnatai lands, the portal back to Olgai is in the southeast corner of the Tower of Magi.)";
62 = "You enter the Council Chamber of the vahnatai people, the first humans ever to do so. Before you is a huge stone table, at which sit three vahnatai lords, old and wrinkled. There are two males and one female. They beckon for you to approach. You do so.";
63 = "The woman says, _Welcome, humans. Despite my two friends' objections, I and our honor have demanded you be allowed to enter. I am Prossis-Bok. Welcome._";
64 = "She indicates the younger of the two men. _This is Glantris-Bok._ He nods, scowling. She begins to introduce the other man, but he cuts her off.";
65 = "Glantris-Bok says, _I can speak as well as you, Prossis. I am Glantris-Bok, alien. Prossis wants you here to determine if all the persons of the upper caves are pallid, worthless, honorless thieves and vermin or not. Bon-Ihrno brought you here for that reason. And here you are._";
66 = "_Yes. We have brought you here to scry you. We will look inside your paltry spirits to try and understand you and estimate your worthiness. It is not harmful, but will let us know some measure of your spirit._";
67 = "Prossis nods. _Time is short, violence is everywhere, and the need to know is great. Will you permit us to look inside you?_ She looks at you hopefully.";
68 = "The moment you mutter assent, the Council members close their eyes. Suddenly, wracking pain lances through your minds. You drop to your knees. It may not be harmful, but it sure hurts.";
69 = "You start remembering your lives, your arrivals in Avernum, your struggles to survive, your training, your triumphs and failures, and, most vividly, your fights against the Empire. The memories are more intact than you had suspected.";
70 = "The dredging up of your life stories continues, for how long you cannot tell. Fortunately, the Council has some idea of what you consider private. It only touches the high and public points, leaving the shadowy recesses of your minds alone.";
71 = "Then the pain becomes too much. You black out.";
72 = "You awaken to find vahnatai kneeling by you, bowls of water in their hands. Pillows have been placed under your heads.";
73 = "You stand, shakily, and see the Council. The face of Prossis is lit up in triumph and relief. The two men look profoundly worried and disturbed.";
74 = "Then, Prossis speaks ...";
75 = "Prossis-Bok, your lone ally, is disturbed by your refusal. Glantris and Elohi, on the other hand, look smug in the confirmation of their prejudices.";
76 = "Elohi speaks. _Well then, humans. We knew you might refuse. We know some beings are more private than others. But we also know that we need our questions answered._";
77 = "_Will you submit to our questioning? We demand to know who you humans are and what powers there are among you. Rest assured, though, any lie you tell will be rooted out by our powers._";
78 = "";
79 = "All three vahnatai look very grim. Your refusal leaves them little choice. Prossis-Bok says, in a mournful voice, _Then I see we have no other choice but to continue seeking on our own._";
80 = "Glantris-Bok makes a hand gesture, and guards grab you and haul you out of the room. They drag you to a magical portal in a nearby room and throw you in. After a moment's vertigo, you find yourself in the company of humans.";
81 = "You are in the Tower of Magi, in Avernum. You tell the wizards what happened. They look very upset. They seem to think that a great opportunity has been missed. You rejoin the army, and months pass.";
82 = "The barriers stay up. It is the Empire who first figures out how to bring them down, a month later, and by the time the vahnatai realize their mistake, the divided forces of Avernum have been carved up piecemeal.";
83 = "By the time the vahnatai figure out who actually committed the theft of the crystal souls, it is too late for all of Avernum ...";
84 = "";
85 = "Glantris-Bok speaks. _We still do not trust you, but it is clear more is happening than we understand. We do not know why vahnatai attacked you at the River Fort Ruins. We know nothing of their actions._";
86 = "_They were not of us, and their presence was very disturbing. Be careful. The vahnatai people may be no more united of purpose than the humans._";
87 = "Elohi chimes in. _And, should you find evidence of the location of one of our Crystal Souls, bring it to us with all speed. We may be able to give you aid in recovering it._";
88 = "Finally, Prossis speaks. _Remember, we will stop at nothing to rescue the spirits of our ancestors, and if you help us, our rewards will be great. Thank you for the risks you took in coming here._";
89 = "_But,_ she says sadly, sitting, _the worst is ahead for all of us. I am sure of it._ Glantris and Elohi nod at this. And then they say no more.";
90 = "";
91 = "You tell the Council of your battle with Gaddika and the rebel vahnatai and show them the letters from Garzahd and the other humans. As you speak, the Council grows angrier and angrier, until it seems like their heads will split with fury.";
92 = "Prossis can hardly believe it. _Vahnatai, selling out our greatest treasures, our true birthright, to invading humans? Trading our people's honor for magical trinkets! They are better dead!_";
93 = "Elohi seems ready to go out and kill someone himself. _Caffren-Bok must be rescued. There is no doubt of that. This ziggurat the letters mention. The map shows it to be near Fort Haledon._";
94 = "Maps are brought and planning begins. _Fort Haledon has been awakened,_ Glantris says. _Its forces could attack the ziggurat, creating a diversion for a small group to slip in and get the Crystal Soul. It would be bloody, but no price is too high._";
95 = "Prossis writes something on a scroll and gives it to you. _These are orders for Fort Haledon. Should you decide to rescue Caffren-Bok for us, Fort Haledon is far to the west, beyond the Spore Tunnels._";
96 = "_Take these orders to the commander there. He will know how to get you into the ziggurat. From there, the spirits help us all._";
97 = "You pull out the map you found in Limoncelli's fort and show it to the Council. It definitely gets their attention. Glantris reads it carefully, and the Council talks quietly for several minutes.";
98 = "_Pyrog has been slain?_ Glantris says, _Nobody will mourn. Now that we know Jekknol-Bok is in his lair, we can plan on getting her out._";
99 = "He has an assistant bring several maps to him. They are ancient, and bits flake off of them at the gentlest touch. He pores over them carefully. _The lair will be heavily guarded, but look here..._";
100 = "He indicates a narrow tunnel heading from the water to the back of Pyrog's cave. _If you took a boat around the back of Pyrog's cave to the north, you could find this secret passage and enter the fortress from the rear._";
101 = "_The passage will be well hidden, and the old lizard's traps may still be there. Still, it seems the easiest way to slip in and get the Crystal Soul._ You take note of all of this.";
102 = "_If only someone could be found to rescue Jekknol, the rewards would be great._ All three look at you hopefully. (You take note of all of this. You can now use the secret entrance behind Pyrog's lair.)";
103 = "_It is clear that you humans are more complicated than we estimated, and that we must begin efforts to find the actual perpetrators of the crime against us. This ... this Empire seems a hostile force we should look at carefully._";
104 = "_For now, it has been decided that the barriers in your caverns will be dissolved. We know better what is happening, now. Their purpose has been served._ This is an incredible relief.";
105 = "_Now, you may return to your lands._ She points at the door in the eastern corridor. _We created a portal between our lands and yours, in expectation of war. Perhaps it may be used for other purposes. One can only hope._";
106 = "_The portal is permanent. You will be able to return through it. This is important, for we have an offer to make you. We ask you to recover our Crystal Souls, and return them to the shrine to the southwest, their home._";
107 = "_If you can recover all three of them, and if you of Avernum were not the thieves, we will lend our support to you in your war against the Empire. Our numbers are small, but our power is great._";
108 = "The faces of the Council light up in joy at your arrival. Elohi stands, looking at you with happiness rather than the customary hatred. _You have returned the spirit of Vyvnas-Bok to us, and for this we thank you with all of our beings._";
109 = "_Vyvnas-Bok has told us how the foul Empire tormented him, trying to elicit secrets of vahnatai magical powers. If you had not arrived, soon he may have had to dissolve himself to keep from aiding them._";
110 = "_Imagine! A being who lived a thousand years, and may yet live ten thousand more, slain in such a pointless way!_";
111 = "_But it did not happen, and our race thanks you. There is a small reward waiting for you in one of the rooms to the east. And again, a thousand times, we thank you._";
112 = "Glantris-Bok stands and bows to you. The familiar look of fury contorts his features, but, for once, it is not directed at you. _We thank you for returning the Crystal Soul of Jekknol-Bok to us._";
113 = "He quivers with anger. _They tormented our ancestor's spirit! They told stories of invasions of our lands, of the death of our people! They nearly drove Jekknol mad!_";
114 = "His voice turns cold and quiet. You struggle to hear. _They will pay for this, they will pay a thousand times. I promise it. They will pay with lives, and they will pay for years!_ At this, Elohi and Prossis nod solemnly.";
115 = "_But for now, the rescue is complete and his healing may begin. Your reward awaits you in the eastern chambers. We, and the vahnatai people, thank you._";
116 = "Prossis stands when you enter and bows to you deeply. _Welcome, humans. You have returned the Soul of Caffren-Bok to us. We will refrain from more than a simple thank you. Your reward rests in a box in one of the eastern rooms._";
117 = "_We are concerned about Garzahd, this powerful archmage who steers and fuels the Empire's efforts. Our vengeance shall fall on his head. We saw how you dealt with him, and we believe it is possible you may be able to assassinate him, with our help._";
118 = "_Rentar-Ihrno is the greatest of our mages. She lives in Egli. She has agreed to help you, and says that, should you ever find out where Garzahd's lair is, you should go to her and ask her about attacking._";
119 = "_If you never decide to take on this horribly dangerous task, we will understand. However, if you ever want to strike the Empire a true and lasting blow, you know with whom to speak._";
120 = "You meet a friendly seeming vahnatai and try to talk to it. When you approach, it says something to you. Unfortunately, you can't understand anything that it's saying.";
121 = "You try to speak with it in a way that it can understand, but you have no luck. Unless you can somehow, magically or otherwise, learn to speak vahnatai speech, you won't be able to communicate properly. You wonder if perhaps you didn't spend enough time in Avit.";