// TOWN TEXT DATA
//    Town 25: Ruined River Fort


begintextlibrary;

20 = "You find a small crystal box, which has been here for a long, long time. Even the mold and fungus burying it died ages ago.  ";
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26 = "You find inside a small, steel, finely-honed knife sitting on some padding that moldered away long ago. You carefully lift it out.";
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32 = "This gateway is blocked by a large portcullis, the bottom of which dips well below the surface of the water. You can't get by.";
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38 = "There is a portcullis here, extending down to two feet above the surface of the water. You will be able to maneuver your boat under it.";
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44 = "Someone has hollowed out a bowl in this stone pedestal and filled it with a red liquid. It glows slightly and emits wisps of sweet-smelling steam. There is a small clay cup on the floor by the pool.";
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50 = "You taste the fluid. At first, it seems like you've made a horrible mistake. Nausea doubles you over. Then, as quick as it came, the nausea disappears, replaced by an incredible sense of well-being. You drink refreshing draughts of the fluid.";
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56 = "You drink the liquid. As before, you bend over retching. Then the crippling nausea fades, replaced by unbelievably vivid and peculiar hallucinations. Then they fade. The liquid coats the inside of your mouth with a thick, sticky residue.";
57 = "You feel terrible.";
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62 = "You try to insert the bent rod you found into the hexagonal hole. Unfortunately, the bar isn't straight. You can't get it into the hole enough to be able to turn the wheel.";
63 = "You try to get enough leverage to turn the wheel, but you have no luck. It would take a lot of force to turn it, and there's just nowhere to get a good grip. You will need an intact bar.";
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68 = "There is a massive wheel here. A steel chain is wrapped around it several times and goes from there into a hole in the floor. The apparatus is, remarkably, still functional. In fact, it has been oiled recently.";
69 = "However, it doesn't have any sort of handle. Where you might expect spokes to grab onto, there is only a hexagonal hole.";
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71 = "You will need to concentrate and work hard to turn the wheel. You can't do that while in combat.";
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74 = "You try to get enough leverage to turn the wheel, but have no luck. It would take a lot of force to turn it, and there's just nowhere to get a good grip. If only you had something you could put in the hexagonal hole.";
75 = "You hope you can find something appropriate in this fort, but you have your doubts. You might need to go back up the river and look elsewhere.";
76 = "One of the vahnatai waiting for you wields a long, curved blade. It's a strange sort of weapon, unlike anything used in Avernum. It's vicious, elegant, and painfully sharp.";
77 = "The vahnatai warrior waves it at you in a strange pattern. It takes you a moment to realize that the creature is saluting you. Then it says something in its strange tongue and moves to attack.";
78 = "The vahnatai warrior receives its final wound. It stops attacking. It stands upright, shifting uneasily from foot to foot. After a few seconds, it waves its blade at you again, another of those strange salutes.";
79 = "It lowers the blade, which slips from its limp fingers to the floor. It collapses a moment later, dead.";
80 = "You insert a hexagonal bar into the hole. It fits perfectly! Using the bar, you are easily able to turn the wheel. As you do, you hear a clanking noise. It comes from the river outside. A quick inspection reveals that one of the gates is now open.";
81 = "You then sabotage the wheel, so that none of your foes can close the gates on you.";
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86 = "On a pedestal at the end of the passage, you find a large, thick book. You open the book, expecting an incomprehensible jumble, only to receive a pleasant surprise. You can understand it! It is written in your tongue.";
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89 = "You check the wheel. Your sabotage has not yet been repaired. The wheel is still stuck with the gate open.";
90 = "";
91 = "You flip through the book of tactics, but you don't learn anything new.";
92 = "It is a fairly simple text on small group tactics, focusing on the most efficient combination between melee and magical attacks. It's not advanced, but you do learn a few things. (You gain some experience.)";
93 = "More interesting than the contents of the book is the fact that it is here at all. Not only were these vahnatai waiting to ambush you, but they are in possession of human books.";
94 = "Also, the vahnatai made numerous notes in the book, in their strange, elegant script. You study them carefully, trying to learn what you can about these strange creatures and their writing. Very interesting.";