Editing Quake story

Quake is not a game well-known for having a deep, well-executed story. The plot as included in the .txt file that can be found in the root directory of a fresh install contains a few paragraphs that give the game a very rough background that helps to explain the sudden shifts between modern bases, medieval and strange Netherworldian environments. As the player progresses through the game, additional passages are presented to them at the end of each episode, and upon finishing the game, having collected all four [[Rune|Runes]] and defeated [[Shub-Niggurath]].

==Official Story==

===Quake manual===
This is the text that can be found in the manual.txt that is included in every install of Quake.

<i>'''Background'''

You get the phone call at 4 a.m. By 5:30 you're in the secret installation. The commander explains tersely, "It's about the Slipgate device. Once we perfect these, we'll be able to use them to transport people and cargo from one place to another instantly.

"An enemy codenamed Quake, is using his own slipgates to insert death squads inside our bases to kill, steal, and kidnap..

"The hell of it is we have no idea where he's from. Our top scientists think Quake's not from Earth, but another dimension. They say Quake's preparing to unleash his real army, whatever that is.

"You're our best man. This is Operation Counterstrike and you're in charge. Find Quake, and stop him ... or it ... You have full authority to requisition anything you need. If the eggheads are right, all our lives are expendable.."

'''Prelude to Destruction'''

While scouting the neighborhood, you hear shots back at the base Damn, that Quake bastard works fast! He heard about Operation Counterstrike, and hit first. Racing back, you see the place is overrun. You are almost certainly the only survivor. Operation Counterstrike is over. Except for you.

You know that the heart of the installation holds a Slipgate. Since Quake's killers came through, it is still set to his dimension. You can use it to get loose in his hometown. Maybe you can get to the asshole personally. You pump a round into your shotgun, and get moving.</i>

===The Dimension of the Doomed===
After taking the first Rune and defeating [[Chthon]], the player is rewarded with the following text.

<i>As the corpse of the monstrous entity
Chthon sinks back into the lava whence
it rose, you grip the Rune of Earth
Magic tightly. Now that you have
conquered the Dimension of the Doomed,
realm of Earth Magic, you are ready to
complete your task. A Rune of magic
power lies at the end of each haunted
land of Quake. Go forth, seek the
totality of the four Runes!</i>

===The Realm of Black Magic===
Once the player makes it out of the brutal final sequence of the Dismal Oubliette with the second Rune, the player is shown the following text.

<i>The Rune of Black Magic throbs evilly in
your hand and whispers dark thoughts
into your brain. You learn the inmost
lore of the Hell-Mother; Shub-Niggurath!
You now know that she is behind all the
terrible plotting which has led to so
much death and horror. But she is not
inviolate! Armed with this Rune, you
realize that once all four Runes are
combined, the gate to Shub-Niggurath's
Pit will open, and you can face the
Witch-Goddess herself in her frightful
otherworld cathedral.</i>

===The Netherworld===
Once the player escapes with the third Rune from the Chambers of Torment, they are shown the following message.

<i>The charred viscera of diabolic horrors
bubble viscously as you seize the Rune
of Hell Magic. Its heat scorches your
hand, and its terrible secrets blight
your mind. Gathering the shreds of your
courage, you shake the devil's shackles
from your soul, and become ever more
hard and determined to destroy the
hideous creatures whose mere existence
threatens the souls and psyches of all
the population of Earth.</i>

===The Elderworld===
The Elderworld ends with the player battling a group of vores in a tense battle, before grabbing the final Rune and escaping. Upon doing so, the following message is shown.

<i>Despite the awful might of the Elder
World, you have achieved the Rune of
Elder Magic, capstone of all types of
arcane wisdom. Beyond good and evil,
beyond life and death, the Rune
pulsates, heavy with import. Patient and
potent, the Elder Being Shub-Niggurath
weaves her dire plans to clear off all
life from the Earth, and bring her own
foul offspring to our world! For all the
dwellers in these nightmare dimensions
are her descendants! Once all Runes of
magic power are united, the energy
behind them will blast open the Gateway
to Shub-Niggurath, and you can travel
there to foil the Hell-Mother's plots
in person.</i>

===All Runes collected===
After collecting the all four runes, the player is shown the following text.

<i>Now, you have all four Runes. You sense
tremendous invisible forces moving to
unseal ancient barriers. Shub-Niggurath
had hoped to use the Runes Herself to
clear off the Earth, but now instead,
you will use them to enter her home and
confront her as an avatar of avenging
Earth-life. If you defeat her, you will
be remembered forever as the savior of
the planet. If she conquers, it will be
as if you had never been born.</i>

===The end===
After killing [[Shub-Niggurath]] at the end of the game, the final congratulations message is displayed.

<i>Congratulations and well done! You have
beaten the hideous Shub-Niggurath, and
her hundreds of ugly changelings and
monsters. You have proven that your
skill and your cunning are greater than
nall the powers of Quake. You are the
master now. Id Software salutes you.</i>