// Text Library  - 

begintextlibrary;

1 = "Here, you get your first good view of the land of the vahnatai. The ceiling is lower, the glowing fungus on the roof is dimmer, and the flora are different. It's strange how such subtle differences in the caverns can make you feel so alien.";
2 = "There are several vahnatai guards hiding in the rocks around this bridge. They emerge and reach for their weapons when they see you approach. However, when you show them a Crystal Soul, their attitude changes. They back away, heads bowed, and let you pass.";
3 = "There are several vahnatai guards hiding in the rocks around this bridge. They emerge and reach for their weapons when they see you approach. Then when they see who you are, they shake their heads and slowly withdraw. As you pass, one mutters, _No good to go. Need a Soul that was stolen._";
4 = "The vahnatai guards recognize you as you approach. They let you pass.";
5 = "";
6 = "You thread your way carefully through a heavy forest of stalagmites. You walk slowly. One slip could result in a nasty impaling.";
7 = "This cavern stretches several miles to the southeast. There are burial mounds all along its length, some in tight clusters, some isolated. The vahnatai must have been putting their dead here for centuries.";
8 = "These crops have been planted recently. There are long rows of young mushrooms, of a variety which make humans mildly ill. The vahnatai diet must be at least a little different from that of humans.";
9 = "Not all of the dead in this cavern are totally inanimate. This group, for example. And they aren't taking kindly to having their privacy violated.";
10 = "The road here is still under construction. Stone blocks, tools and cement await the arrival of vahnatai to use them.";
11 = "Suddenly a band of armed vahnatai run around the corner, chased by a pack of hellhounds! You try to get out of the way, but you end up in the center of a swirling melee.";
12 = "";
13 = "";
14 = "This is a just barely usable bridge crossing over the river. Your weight seems to threaten to crumble it at any moment, but you manage to cross safely.";
15 = "This was a flat stone bridge, suspended over the river by thick pillars. The center section of the bridge has collapsed, but the support pillars remain.";
16 = "This was once a small vahnatai farming village. Now, it's a jumble of loose, overgrown stones. You check the odd masses of fungal matter, but none of them are edible or useful.";
17 = "You enter a network of narrow tunnels, full of thick fungus and clouds of spores. Tiny airborne bits of fungus and lichen clog your nose and sting your eyes. There are not only thick clumps of mushrooms and trees, but also thick tangles of mold and lichen.";
18 = "There is movement among the growths of the fungal forest. How charming! Some of the mushrooms are running to greet you!";
19 = "The whispering begins again. The voices have returned, this time all around you. _Kill them! Kill them! Kill them!_ Shades coalesce into being, surrounding you.";
20 = "You set the money down. It suddenly disappears. _You may passss. Passs quickly! Quickly!_ Then you stop sensing the icy beings around you.";
21 = "You realize you don't have the money. You start hearing the whispers again. They're muttering about killing you. You back away quickly.";
22 = "";
23 = "When they see you, one of them quickly casts a spell. They all disappear. You search for them, but by the time you notice their impossibly light footprints in the dust, they're gone.";
24 = "You suddenly hear hissing from all around you. You can't tell where it comes from. Then you are attacked.";
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26 = "";
27 = "You search their possessions and find a bag of gold coins. Surface world coins! There is also a sheet of paper, with a list of your names and appearances, written in your tongue. Unfortunately, there is nothing on the Crystal Souls. You keep the gold.";
28 = "You've disturbed a salamander nest.";
29 = "You are approaching a fresh and very active volcanic vent, happily spitting out massive amounts of lava. Even your magic wouldn't protect you if you went farther. You back away.";
30 = "A basalt bridge spans the river of lava here. The heat of the magma isn't quite enough to melt away the span. If you proceeded carefully, you could cross with minimal burning.";
31 = "Ahead of you, you see a band of reddish lizards waiting patiently (and hungrily). It would seem they've learned that this is where the yummy bipedal creatures pass.";
32 = "";
33 = "Recent cavequakes have torn this cavern apart. Fissures were torn into the cave floor to the north, and the lava pouring out of them has bisected the cave. It is painfully hot.";
34 = "The lava flow is too hot here. Even with powerful protective magic, there's no way you could cross here on foot. If only you had a way to fly. Perhaps such magic exists somewhere in Avernum.";
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36 = "";