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作者:doremigeng
第一篇:生物篇Codex:
Codex Entry 1: Abominations
"We arrived in the dead of night. We had been tracking the maleficar for days, and finally had him cornered... or so we thought.
As we approached, a home on the edge of the town exploded, sending splinters of wood and fist-sized chunks of rocks into our ranks. We had but moments to regroup before fire rained from the sky, the sounds of destruction wrapped in a hideous laughter from the center of the village.
There, perched atop the spire of the village chantry, stood the mage. But he was human no longer.
We shouted prayers to the Maker and deflected what magic we could, but as we fought, the creature fought harder. I saw my comrades fall, burned by the flaming sky or crushed by debris. The monstrous creature, looking as if a demon were wearing a man like a twisted suit of skin, spotted me and grinned. We had forced it to this, I realized; the mage had made this pact, given himself over to the demon to survive our assault."
--Transcribed from a tale told by a former templar in Cumberland, 8:84 Blessed.
It is known that mages are able to walk the Fade while completely aware of their surroundings, unlike most others who may only enter the realm as dreamers and leave it scarcely aware of their experience. Demons are drawn to mages, though whether it is because of this awareness or simply by virtue of their magical power in our world is unknown.
Regardless of the reason, a demon always attempts to possess a mage when it encounters one--by force or by making some kind of deal depending on the strength of the mage. Should the demon get the upper hand, the result is an unholy union known as an abomination. Abominations have been responsible for some of the worst cataclysms in history, and the notion that some mage in a remote tower could turn into such a creature unbeknownst to any was the driving force behind the creation of the Circle of Magi.
Thankfully, abominations are rare. The Circle has methods for weeding out those who are too at risk for demonic possession, and scant few mages would give up their free will to submit to such a bond with a demon. But once an abomination is created, it will do its best to create more. Considering that entire squads of templars have been known to fall at the hands of a single abomination, it is not surprising that the Chantry takes the business of the Circle of Magi very serious indeed.
第一卷:憎恶者
“我们来到了黑夜的尽头。我们已经追逐这个放逐法师很多天了,终于把他逼到走投无路了…起码我们是这样认为的。”
当我们接近他的时候,城镇边缘的一间房屋突然爆炸,粉碎的木屑和拳头大小的石头四处纷飞,打乱了队伍。当我们还来不及重新站稳的时候,天空中突然地降下了火雨,随即从村庄的***传来了伴随着毁灭般的可怕笑声。那里,在村庄中的教堂顶端,耸立着一个魔法师。但他绝不再是人类了。
我们一边尽力偏转向我们射来的魔法,一边大声地向造物主祈祷,但是我们越是抵抗,那个生物的攻势就越是可怕。我看着我的同伴们不断的倒下,他们被天空中降下的火焰焚灭,或是被碎片击的粉身碎骨。这个怪物般的生物看起来就像是一个披着扭曲的人皮的恶魔,注视着我狞笑。我突然明白,是我们铸成了这一切;这个魔法师为了逃避我们的追杀,已经把他的灵魂出卖给了魔鬼。
--由Cumberland的一位圣殿武士,根据一个传说故事摘录,祝福纪元8:84.
众所周知魔法师们可以在清醒的意识状态下进入暗物质界,而不像其他绝大多数人只能在睡梦的时候进入,并且在醒来的时候往往记不清当时的情况。恶魔会被这些魔法师所吸引过来,但说不清究竟是被这种意识所吸引,还是被我们世界中的魔法力量所吸引。
无论原因是什么,当恶魔碰到魔法师的时候,总是希望占据魔法师-而根据力量和魔力不同,有些恶魔是通过强行精神控制魔法师,而有些恶魔是通过跟魔法师达成某种协议或契约。一旦恶魔占据了上风,这些法师就会被转化为一种邪恶的生物-憎恶者。这些憎恶者曾经酿成了历史上多次大灾变的发生,而正是由于恐惧这种不为人知的事件再次发生,推动了“法师议会”的诞生。
值得庆幸的是,憎恶者是十分稀有的。法师议会拥有清除那些可能变为憎恶者的人的方法,而且只有极个微的法师愿意通过牺牲自己的自由跟恶魔达成协议。而一旦一个憎恶者被创造出来,它却会想尽办法去创造更多的憎恶者。曾经有一整队的圣殿武士被单个憎恶者所消灭,这也不难想象教会为什么对法师议会的行为采取如此谨慎的态度和措施了。
Codex Entry 2: Arcane Horror
"Upon ascending to the second floor of the tower, we were greeted by a gruesome sight: a ragged collection of bones wearing the robes of one of the senior enchanters. I had known her for years, watched her raise countless apprentices, and now she was a mere puppet for some demon."
--Transcribed from a tale told by a templar in Antiva City, 7:13 Storm
Demons, of course, have no form in our world. When they enter, either where the Veil is particularly thin or through blood magic summoning, they must take possession of a body.
When a pride demon takes control of the corpse of a mage, an arcane horror is born. Although they appear to be little more than bones, these are fierce creatures, possessing not only all the spellcasting abilities of a living mage, but also the capacity to heal and even command other animated corpses.
第二卷:秘法幽魂
“当我们来到塔的第二层,我们见到了可怕的一幕:一个身着一位资深附魔师的破烂外套的骷髅。我曾经认识她很多年,亲眼目睹她指导了一代又一代的学徒,但现在她却成为了某个恶魔手中的玩偶。”
--有Antiva城的一位圣殿武士根据传说改编,暴风纪元7:13.
恶魔在我们的世界中当然没有形态。当他们企图进入这个世界的时候,只有当中间界变得十分薄弱,或者通过血魔法进行召唤,并且无论怎样他们都必须占有一付躯壳才可以在这个世界生存。
当一个高傲的恶魔占据了一位法师的尸体的时候,一个秘法幽魂就诞生了。虽然他们看起来就像是一堆骨架,但是他们确实十分强大的生物,不但拥有一位活着的法师的全部施法能力,而且还能够治愈甚至控制其他的丧尸。
Codex Entry 3: Archdemon
"In Darkness eternal they searched,
For those who had goaded them on,
Until at last they found their prize,
Their god, their betrayer:
The sleeping dragon Dumat. Their taint
Twisted even the false-god, and the whisperer
Awoke at last, in pain and horror, and led
Them to wreak havoc upon all the nations of the world:
The first Blight."
--Threnodies 8:7
The false dragon-gods of the Tevinter Imperium lie buried deep within the earth, where they have been imprisoned since the Maker cast them down.
No one knows what it is that drives the darkspawn in their relentless search for the sleeping Old Gods. Perhaps it is instinct, as moths will fly into torch flames. Perhaps there is some remnant of desire for vengeance upon the ones who goaded the magisters to assault heaven. Whatever the reason, when darkspawn find one of these ancient dragons, it is immediately afflicted by the taint. It awakens twisted and corrupted, and leads the darkspawn in a full-scale invasion of the land: a Blight.
第三卷:大恶魔
“他们在黑暗中永恒寻找,
为了那些唆使它们的人,
直到最终它们找到了奖赏,
它们的神,它们的叛徒:
沉睡之龙:Dumat。
它们的污点甚至扭曲了远古之神,
私语者也被痛苦和恐惧所唤醒,
从而带领着它们去摧毁世界上的一切:第一次天灾。”
--哀歌纪元8:7
自从造物主放逐了它们以后,曾经被Tevinter帝国当作神来崇拜的假龙神被埋在了地下深不见底的地方。
没有人知道是什么促使了黑暗生物们永无休止地寻找沉睡中的远古之神。也许是它们的本能,就像飞蛾扑火一样。也许是向那些唆使放逐法师们攻击天堂之人寻求复仇的残念。无论是什么原因,当黑暗之子找到这些远古巨龙的时候,它瞬间就被黑暗之子的血所污染,且以一种扭曲而堕落的形态而苏醒,并带领着黑暗大军对地面世界展开了全面的入侵。
Codex Entry 4: Ash Wraith
Legend has it that when Andraste's Ashes were taken into hiding, some of her closest disciples gave themselves to the fire, that their restless souls might remain to guard her final resting place forever.
Whether they are the spirits of Andraste's disciples or merely Fade spirits, the temple that houses the Sacred Urn is filled with wraiths. Created from a burnt corpse, an ash wraith is a powerful and amorphous opponent able to lash and smother while being immune to most physical attacks. Even if successfully dispersed, it can reform at a later time. Magic is the only real way to fight such a creature, wind and ice attacks being the most useful.
They are capable of creating small whirlwinds that are devastating to anyone unfortunate enough to get close, and their touch leaves a person drained.
第四卷:灰烬怒魂
传说当Andrasta的骨灰被带走并隐藏起来的时候,一些她最亲近的弟子将自己的身躯献给了火焰,它们不眠的灵魂便可以留下来永久地守护她最后的栖息处。
无论他们是Andrasta的弟子还是仅仅是一些暗物质界的灵魂,陈列Andrasta骨灰的神庙里充满了这些灵魂,灰烬怒魂是一种强大且无定型的生物,由于它们免疫大多数的物理攻击,因而可以轻松地在瞬间扼杀对手。即使他们暂时地被打散,不久后它有可以重新复活成型。只有魔法是唯一真正有效地对付这些生物的方法,而冰冻魔法和风魔法被证明是对付它们最有效的魔法。
Codex Entry 5: Bear
"No beast is more beloved by Dirthamen than the bear. When the world was new, Dirthamen gave one secret to each creature to keep. The foxes traded their secrets to Andruil for wings. The hares shouted theirs to the treetops. The birds sold theirs for gold and silver. Only the bears kept Dirthamen's gift, deep within their dens, they slept the months away in the company of their secrets and nothing else.
When Dirthamen discovered what had been done with his gifts, he ***ed the wings from the foxes, silenced the voices of the hares, and turned the birds into paupers. but the bears he honored for their steadfastness."
--Transcribed from a Dalish tale, 9:8 Dragon.
Normally, it is almost unheard of for bears to attack travelers. They are, in fact, so shy and so inactive during the day that most people never encounter a bear at all. However, should a bear be provoked, they are remarkably dangerous. The normally placid-seeming creatures become enraged, and can strike massive blows with their paws, capable of knocking a man off his feet.
第五卷:熊
“没有野兽比熊更能得到Dirthamen的宠爱。当世界刚刚诞生的时候,Dirthamen给于每个生物一个秘密去保守。狐狸把自己的秘密给予了Andruil交换了翅膀。野兔把自己的秘密向着树梢喊了出来。鸟儿用它们的秘密换取了金银财宝。只有熊一直保留了Dirthamen所赐予的礼物,并把它们深深地隐藏在了自己的巢穴之中,因此熊们为了保守这个秘密,常常独自在自己的巢穴里睡上数月之久。”
当Dirthamen发觉了他的礼物的去向后,他从狐狸身上抢走了翅膀,夺走了兔子说话的声音,并且把鸟儿们变成了穷人。但是只有熊因为坚定而受到了他的敬仰。
--摘录自Dalish传说,巨龙纪元9:8.
通常情况下,熊是很少主动去攻击旅行者的。事实上,它们在白天的时候是如此的害羞和懒惰,以至于很多人根本从没有碰到过熊。但是,一旦一只熊被激怒,他们是十分危险的。这些看似平静的生物一旦被激怒,能够用它们的熊掌进行威力巨大的打击,并能够将一个人打飞。
Codex Entry 6: Bronto
"There's only two things a noble will step aside for: Paragons and angry brontos."
--Dwarven saying.
This hulking beast was originally bred by the dwarven Shaperate as a beast of burden and food source, the rough equivalent to surface oxen and cows. Some versions of bronto have even been developed as dwarven mounts, valued far more for their sure-footedness and stamina than for their speed. While present within Orzammar in large numbers, some bronto still exist in packs within the Deep Roads, having returned to a wild state after the fall of the dwarven kingdoms. They require remarkably little sustenance, consuming organic material from water, fungus and even rocks (hence the "rock-licker" appellation used by many dwarves to describe bronto), and exist in primarily dormant states until provoked. An angry, charging bronto is considered to be a rather dangerous opponent.
第六卷:犀牛
“只有两种生物能让一位贵族主动让路:矮人贤者或者一只犀牛。”
--矮人俗语。
这种笨重的野兽最初是由矮人的雕刻师圈养起来作为食物来源或驮运重物的,相当于地面上的公牛或奶牛。有一些品种的犀牛甚至被矮人驯服作坐骑来使用,它们的耐力和可靠远比速度来的重要。当它们在Orzammar中大量被养殖的时候,有一些群落仍然在无底之路中存在,当矮人王国陷落的之后便恢复了它们的野性。他们需要很少的饲料,它们的食物通常来自水,一些菌类,甚至石头(这也是为什么“舔石者”通常被矮人们用来形容犀牛的原因)。除非被激怒,否则犀牛是很宁静平和的生物。一只冲锋中的愤怒犀牛通常被认为是最危险的生物之一。
Codex Entry 7: Broodmother
It is well-known that darkspawn carry off those captured in their raids to underground lairs. most assume that the prisoners are eaten, or somehow tainted and turned into darkspawn themselves, though this could never account for the sheer numbers of the horde. Forays made by Grey Wardens into the underground have uncovered the answer.
When exposed to the darkspawn taint, men are driven mad and eventually die. Women, however, undergo great pain and gross mutations that cause most of them to perish. Those that survive, however, become the grotesque broodmothers. These giant, twisted behemoths birth many darkspawn at a time; a single broodmother can create thousands of darkspawn over the course of her lifetime. Each type of darkspawn is born from a different broodmother: Humans produce hurlocks, dwarves produce genlocks, elves give birth to shrieks, and from qunari are born the ogres.
第七卷:孵化之母
通常大家都认为黑暗生物把它们掠夺来的俘虏带回它们的地下巢穴。大多数人认为这些俘虏要么被吃掉,要么通过某种方式被污染且转化成为了黑暗生物,但这都仿佛无法说明为什么黑暗生物的数量是如此之多。而灰守望者们对地底世界的勘察却揭开了真正的答案。
当被黑暗生物的血所污染后,男性通常会丧失神智而发疯并且最终死去。女人会承受巨大的痛楚,并且绝大多数会在臃肿变异后便死亡。然而少数生存下来的女人,便会变成奇异且丑陋的孵化之母。这些巨大的,扭曲的巨兽会一次孵化很多黑暗生物;单个孵化之母可以在她一生的时间中孵化数以千计的黑暗生物。每种不同的黑暗生物都是由不同的孵化之母所产生:人类孵化之母产生强兽人,矮人孵化之母产生半兽人,精灵孵化之母产生尖啸者,而qunari孵化之母则会产生食人魔。
Codex Entry 8: Corpse
"To anyone who doubts the wickedness of blood magic, I say: With your own hands, strike down the corpses of your own brothers who have fallen in battle to a maleficar, then we may discuss morality."
--Knight-Commander Benedictus, in a letter to the Divine, 5:46 Exalted.
The walking dead are not, as the superstitious are wont to believe, the living come back for revenge. They are, rather, corpses possessed by demons.
The shambling corpse, controlled by a demon of sloth, causes its enemies to become weak and fatigued. Corpses possessed by rage demons go berserk and simply wade into their opponents mindlessly. Devouring corpses are held by hunger demons and feed upon the living. The more powerful demons rarely deign to possess a dead host.
第八卷:尸体
“任何怀疑血魔法是否真的那么邪恶的人,我对他们说:当你用自己的双手,击倒那些在和放逐法师的战斗中倒下的兄弟们的尸体的时候,我们再来讨论这些道德问题。”
--骑士指挥官Benedictus,在给神圣之会的一封信中写到,崇高纪元5:46.
无论是否是行尸走肉,它们并不像迷信说法中所说的,是死去的人返回人世来进行报仇的。其实它们只是被恶魔所占据的尸体而已。
蹒跚的尸体一般被懒惰恶魔所控制,通常是为了让它们的对手变得更加疲惫和虚弱。而被愤怒恶魔所占据的尸体则会进入疯狂状态,不顾一切地冲向它们的对手。吞噬尸体则是被饥饿恶魔所控制,会以活人为食。而更加强大的恶魔们很少愿意屈尊去占有一个已经死去的宿主。
Codex Entry 9: Deepstalker
"A fool trusts his eyes. A wise man fears every rock is a deepstalker"
--
Possibly the strangest of all the creatures found in the Deep Roads is the deepstalker. Tezpadam, as the dwarves call them, hunt in packs, generally by burrowing underground and then striking when their prey is in their midst.
Stalkers come in several types. Spitters have venom glands and can spit secretions that slow or injure their prey. Jumpers hurl themselves at their targets, knocking them down and making the kill easier. The most common variety scares its prey, leaving the unfortunate victim helpless against the rest of the pack.
第九卷:地底潜行者
“一个愚蠢的人相信他自己的眼睛。一个聪慧的人则恐惧每块石头都可能是一个地底潜行者所伪装成的。”
--
地底潜行者可能是所有在无底之路生活的生物中最奇怪的一种。矮人们是称呼它们为Tezpadam,它们通常一群一群地出现,通常藏在自己所挖的洞中,当猎物走进它们中间的时候突然出现进行攻击。
潜行者有几个种类。喷吐者拥有有毒的唾液,并可以拖慢并伤害它们的猎物。跳跃者跳向它们的目标并将他们撞倒在地,从而使得猎杀更加方便一些。最常见的种类则通过惊吓它们的猎物,使那些不幸的受害者无助地对抗其他的族群。
Codex Entry 10: Desire Demon
"In all my studies, I must say that the most intriguing was my interview with the desire demon. That the creature was willing to speak with me was a sign that this was no mere monster, mindlessly driven by its nature, but rather a rational being as interested in me as I was in it. It took a form that I would call female, though I had no doubt that it could appear otherwise. I wondered if it appeared as it did because I wanted it to or because I expected it to. She... and, indeed, I could only think of her as such now... smiled warmly at me and laughed a musical sound that seemed to thrill my old heart.
So frightened was I of this creature's legendary abilities to twist the hearts of men, and so relieved was I when I looked across the table into her dark eyes. This was a fearsome creature of the Fade, but as I spoke with her I slowly came to realize that this demon was merely as misunderstood as we mages are, ourselves."
--From the journal of former Senior Enchanter Maleus, once of the Circle of Rivain, declared apostate in 9:20 Dragon.
Of all the threats from beyond the Veil, few are more insidious and deceptively deadly than the desire demon, In folklore, such demons are characterized as peddlers of lust, luring their prey into a sexual encounter only to be slain at the culmination. While a desire demon can indeed deal in pleasure, in truth they deal with any manner of desire that humans can possess: wealth, power, and beauty, to name a few.
Far more intelligent than the bestial hunger and rage demons, and more ambitious than the demons of sloth, these dark spirits are among the most skilled at tempting mages into possession. Many who serve the whims of a desire demon never realize it. They are manipulated by illusions and deceit if not outright mind control, although these demons are reluctant to resort to such crude measures. Instead, they seem to take great pleasure in corruption. The greater the deceit, the greater their victory.
Only demos of pride prove more fearsome opponents when roused. Their abilities to affect the mind allow them to assume disguises and even alter the environment to their purposes, not to mention the great strength and speed they possess if they should have to resort to more physical means. Most often a desire demon will attempt to bargain its way to freedom if overpowered--many stories exist that depict mages defeating desire demons to the point where a wish can be wrested from them. It should be noted that in such stories the demon almost always gets the upper hand even when the mage thinks his wish has been granted.
第十卷:魅魔
“在我所有的学习研究中,我必须要说最有趣的当属我对魅魔进行的采访。这个生物主动地跟我进行沟通,说明它并不是那些无知的,单单依靠本能行事的一般怪物,而是一个非常理性的,对我感兴趣的生物,就像我也对它感兴趣一样。它以一种我所认为的女性的形态出现,虽然我相信它肯定有许多其它的形态。我怀疑它之所以是这种外表,是由于我希望它是这样,又或我本来认为它就是这样。她…确实,我只能想到她的这些…对我那温柔的微笑,她那轻柔的话音仿佛能够安慰我这颗年迈而沧桑的心。
起初,我是如此地害怕她那传说中可怕的,能够扭曲男人内心的能力。而当我透过书桌对面,凝视她那双黑色而深邃的双眼时,我又是如此地兴奋与开心。她本是暗物质界中一种非常可怕的生物,但通过我与她的对话,我却渐渐了解到,原来我们对这个恶魔的误解,就像我们魔法师对我们自己的误解一样之多。”
--摘自前资深附魔师Maleus,曾经是Rivain议会的一员,后被认定为异教徒,龙之纪年9:20.
所有在中间界之上的的威胁之中,很少有能够比魅魔更危险,并更能够迷惑人心并致命的恶魔了。在民间传说中,魅魔常常被描写为***欲的使者,通过性诱惑骗来它们的猎物,并在***的时候使之毙命。它们确实能给人类带来欢乐,确切地说,它们能够提供人类所渴望的一切欢乐:财富,权利,美人,数不胜数。
它们远远比那些狂怒与饥饿的恶魔聪明,比懒惰恶魔更加有野心,这些黑暗的灵魂最容易诱使魔法师们着迷。许多被迷惑的人并不知道自己已经被迷惑,它们已被幻觉所蒙蔽。并且他们如果无法摆脱精神控制的话,还会按照魅魔的意愿进行举动,尽管魅魔们很不情愿采取这种行为来控制对方,她们更喜欢通过欺骗和腐化来控制对方,越是欺骗的巧妙和高深,她们也就越成功。
只有骄傲恶魔在被逼急了的时候能比魅魔被逼急的时候更加可怕。它们的能力使得她们能够进行伪装,甚至通过意志改变周围的环境,更不用提它们的力量和速度----如果它们只能诉诸武力的话。大多数魅魔在被制服后会乞求释放她们自由—传说的故事中,如果魔法师击败了一个魅魔,则可以借放它们自由机会向它们索取一个愿望。但值得注意的是,在这种情况下,魅魔几乎会立即占据上风,即使魔法师的愿望最终能够得以实现。
Codex Entry 11: Dragon
Dragonlings
Newly-hatched dragons are roughly the size of a deer and voraciously hungry. They live for a short time in their mother's lair before venturing out on their own. The slender, wingless creatures are born in vast numbers, as only a few ever make it to adulthood.
Drakes
Male dragons never develop into the winged monsters of myth. At most, their forelegs grow vestigial spurs where wing membrane might have been.
Once they have fully matured, males immediately seek out the lairs of adult females. When they find one, they move into her lair and spend the rest of their lives there, hunting for her and defending her young. They will aggressively defend her nest, and many would-be dragon hunters have been lost to their fiery breath and crushing blows from their tails.
Dragons
High Dragons
A fully mature adult female dragon is the high dragon: the great monster of legend, the rarest of all dragonkind. These dragons hollow out massive lairs for themselves, for they need the space to house their harem of drakes as well as their eggs and the dragonlings.
High dragons are seldom seen. They spend most of their time sleeping and mating, living off the prey their drakes bring back. But once every hundred tears or so, the high dragon prepares for clutching my emerging from her lair and taking wing. She will fly far and wide, eating hundreds of animals, most often livestock, over a course of a few weeks and leaving smoldering devastation in her wake. She then returns to her lair to lay her eggs and will not appear in the skies again for another century.
第十一卷:龙
幼龙:
新孵化的龙只有差不多一只鹿的大小并且拥有贪得无厌的食欲。它们在母亲的巢穴里呆一段时间,而后就单独出去闯荡。这些苗条的,没有翅膀的生物会一次出生一大批,但仅仅只有很少数能够活到成年。
鸭嘴兽龙:
雄性龙永远不会成为传说中那种带翅膀的可怕怪物。最终,它们本应长为翅膀的前肢会退化为薄膜。
一旦它们完全成熟,雄性会立刻出发去寻找成熟雌性的巢穴。当他们找到一个后,他们就会移居到该巢穴,并将余生都在那里度过,为雌性龙猎取食物并保护它们的幼仔。他们会非常积极地保护她的巢穴,很多年轻的猎龙人就丧生在了它们那燃烧的吐息和尾巴的粉碎打击上。
高等龙:
一个完全成熟的雌性龙就变成了高等龙:它们是传说中的怪物,通过鸭嘴兽龙所带回的食物所生存。但是每一百年左右,高等龙准备妊娩的时候,她会远远飞离她的巢穴,吃掉数以百计的动物,通常是家畜,持续差不多一周后,她会飞回巢穴并留下一片燃尽的废墟。她继而则会回到巢穴生下龙蛋并起码在一个世纪内不会再次出现。
Codex Entry 12: Genlock
These are the most common darkspawn in the underground. Stocky and tough, genlocks are notoriously diffi*** to kill, even by magic.
Alphas
In any group of genlocks, there is usually one who is dominant. As the tallest, strongest, and smartest of their kind, alphas serve as a sort of commander, directing or bullying the others in combat.
Emissaries
The most intelligent of the alphas become gifted sorcerers, with many abilities akin to blood magics. These are the emissaries and they usually only appear during a Blights.
第十二卷:半兽人
这些是在地下世界里最常见的黑暗生物。矮而粗壮,半兽人众所周知很难被杀死,即使是通过魔法也是一样。
阿尔法半兽人:
在任何的半兽人群落中,通常至少有一个人是首领。一般会由它们之中最高,最强壮,以及最聪明的来担当,阿尔法通常扮演一个指挥官的角色,指挥或强迫其他的人在战斗中服从于它。
半兽人使者:
最聪面的阿尔法半兽人会成为术士,掌握很多与血魔法相关的技能。这些怪物就被称为半兽人使者,并且通常会在一次天灾***现。
Codex Entry 13: Ghoul
What the Blight does not destroy, it corrupts.
Any creature infected with the darkspawn taint that does not have the good fortune to die outright becomes a ghoul: a twisted shadow of itself.
The name originally comes from men--whether human, dwarven, or elven--who became tainted, usually while being held as a captive food source by the darkspawn. They would turn cannibal, preying on other captives, slaves to the will of the archdemon, driven mad by pain.
During a Blight, the corruption of the darkspawn spreads through the wilder areas of thedas and infects the animals found there. This produces grotesque, enraged bears called bereskarn as well as blight wolves.
Fortunately, ghouls rarely survive their corruption for long.
第十三卷:食尸鬼
当天灾都无法摧毁某样东西的时候,它会设法使这样东西堕落。
任何被黑暗生物所污染并没有死去的生物会成为食尸鬼:一个由它自己的阴影所扭曲成的生物。
这个名字通常来自那些被污染的人类,矮人或精灵,通常当它们被黑暗生物当作食物所囚禁的时候,它们会被大恶魔变成食人鬼,吃掉同样被囚禁的其他的俘虏,奴隶,并被痛苦折磨至疯。
在一次天灾中,黑暗生物的污染扩散到了thedas的更广区域,并污染了那里的生物。这便诞生了被叫做:bereskarn的狂暴的熊,以及天灾之狼。
Codex Entry 14: Golem
Once a crucial part of Orzammar's defenses, golems have all but vanished as the secret to their manufacture was lost over a thousand years ago. What few golems remain are guarded closely by the Shaperate, brought out when the battle with the darkspawn grows desperate enough to risk their loss. No one now would sell a golem for any price, but in ancient times, dwarves sold many golems to the magister lords of Tevinter.
They are devastating weapons in war, living siege engines, capable of hurling boulders like a catapult or plowing through enemy lines like an earth quake.
第十四卷:傀儡石像
曾经作为Orzammar城的最重要防御力量,傀儡石像和制造它们的秘密方法在一千年前一起消失了。一些仅剩的石像被雕刻师们小心地保护了起来,只有在与黑暗生物的战斗危急到了不得不使用他们的时候才会出动。没有人会以任何价格出售一个傀儡石像,但在古老的时代,矮人向Tevinter的魔法师领主卖出了许多石像。
这些石像在战斗中是可怕的武器,它们是活动的攻城武器,能够轻易像投石机一样丢出石块,又或者制造地震突破敌人的防线。
Codex Entry 15: Halla
No creature is more revered by the Dalish than the halla. No other animal has a god of its own. These white stags are much larger than ordinary deer, and the Dalish halla keepers carve their antlers as they grow, making them curve into intricate designs. In ancient times, these stags bore elven knights into combat, but since the fall of the Dales, they are used less as mounts and more to pull the aravels.
第十五卷:海拉
没有生物能像海拉一样受到Dalish精灵的尊重。没有其他生物像它们一样拥有自己的神。这些白色的鹿比普通的鹿要大很多,并且Dalish精灵的***在它们成长的时候将它们的鹿角雕刻成错综复杂的形状。在远古的时代,这些鹿载着精灵的骑士们冲入战场,但是自从Dalas失陷以来,他们很少用来作为坐骑,而更多地用来进行aravels的仪式。
Codex Entry 16: Hurlock
Taller than their genlock cousins, the hurlocks are roughly of human-size but are possessed of considerable strength and constitution. The shock troop of the darkspawns, a single berserking hurlock can often be a match for numerous opponents at once. They are known to adorn themselves with roughly-carved tattoos to keep track of their kills and deeds, though it is unknown whether or not there is a uniform standard to these markings.
Alphas
Alphas hurlocks are more intelligent and more skilled fighters, often serving as commanders or even generals.
Emissaries
Hurlock emissaries have also been known to appear during a Blight. These darkspawn are the only ones recorded as being capable of human speech and are often capable of employing magic.
第十六卷:强兽人
比他们的半兽人表亲要更加高大,强兽人和人类的大小差不多,并拥有很强壮的力量和耐力。他们是黑暗生物的突击部队,单个狂暴的强兽人通常可以同时对付多个对手。他们通常用粗糙的刺青来装饰它们自己,并记录自己的杀戮数和战绩,但目前没人知道这种标记是否有一种统一的标记。
Codex Entry 17: Mabari War Hound
Dogs are an essential part of Fereldan ***ure, and no dog is more prized that the maribi. The breed is as old as myth, said to have been bred from the wolves who served Dane.Prized for their intelligence and loyalty, these dogs are more than mere weapons or status symbols: The hounds choose their masters, and pair with them for life. To be the master of a mabari anywhere in Ferelden is to be recognized instantly as a person of worth.
The mabari are an essential part of Fereldan military strategy. Trained hounds can easily pull knights from horseback or break lines of pikemen, and the sight and sound of a wave of war dogs, howling and snarling, has been known to cause panic among even the most hardened infantry soldiers.
第十七卷:Mabari战犬
狗是Fereldan文化中重要的一部分,并且没有任何狗能够比Mabari更加珍贵。它的血统古老得像谜一样,有人说它们是从前为侍从Dane的狼的血统传承下来的。它们的宝贵之处在于它们的通人性以及忠诚,这些狗并不仅仅是一种武器或者身份的象征:这些战犬会主动选择它们的主人,并且终生陪伴它们的主人。如果能够在任何Ferelden的地点成为任何mabari的主人,会立刻被人认为是一位有价值的人。
Mabari是Fereldan军事策略中至关重要的一部分。经过训练的战犬能够轻松地把骑士从马上拽下来,或者突破长矛组成的防线,并且当面对一群汹涌的战犬的时候,它们的狂吠和咆哮会在即使是最强大的步兵战士中引起恐惧和慌张。
Codex Entry 18: Nug
"Hip deep in mad nugs.
Our screams deafen their keen ears.
We will be nug poop."
--From Songs That Only Nugs can Hear by Paragon Ebryan, 5:84 Exalted
The nug is an omnivore common to the Deep Roads, a hairless creature that is almost blind as well as completely docile. It spends most of its time wading in shallow pools as well as mud pits, feeding on small insects, worms, and (in a pinch) limestone and simple metals. indeed, the digestive system of the nug is legendary, able to make a meal out of almost anything a nug finds on the cavern floors. Nugs reproduce rapidly, spreading into any niche within the Deep Roads they can find, and serve to support a variety of predators such as giant spiders and deepstalkers. So, too, do dwarves make meals out of them... nugs are, in the poorer slum portions of Orzammar, one of the most common sources of meat available. Some dwarves even domesticate the creatures, claiming to find the creature's high-pitched squeaks pleasing.
第十八卷:猪兔
“屁股坐在疯狂的猪兔中间。
我们的尖叫会震聋它们尖尖的耳朵。
我们会成为猪兔的粪便“
--摘自“只有猪兔能听见的歌曲”由矮人贤者Ebryan编写,5:84崇高纪年
猪兔时无底之路中最常见的杂食动物,一种近乎瞎眼,极易驯服的,无毛的生物。它大多数时间都在浅池子或泥塘里度过,吃小的昆虫,以及(一把一把的)石灰岩和一些简单的金属。确实,猪兔的消化系统确实是十分惊人的,差不多能够把在洞穴地板上找到的任何东西当作食物。猪兔繁殖的很快,并扩居到了无底之路中差不多所有合适它们居住的地方,并且为差不多所有的掠食者提供食物,比如巨型蜘蛛和地底潜行者,自然,矮人们也把它们当作食物…猪兔是在Orzammar贫民区中一种最常见的肉类食物来源。一些矮人甚至驯化了一些这种生物,他们声称发现这种生物的叫声听起来很好听。
Codex Entry 19: Ogre
Towering over their darkspawn-kin, the massive ogres are a rare sight on the battlefield. Traditionally, they only appear during a Blight,but some records claim that ogres have been spotted in the Deep roads hunting alone or in small groups. At least one report by the Grey Wardens claims that an ogre was spotted alone in the Kocari Wilds in 9:19 Dragon, though it was weakened and easily dispatched. Up to a hundred of these creatures can accompany a darkspawn horde at any one time during a Blight, often using their great strength to burst through fortifications and demolish the front lines of the opposing army.
They use brute force to charge their enemies like bulls, slam the ground with their fists to shake enemies off their feet, and hurl great rocks into the face of oncoming foes. Melee can be diffi*** against a giant that ***es a warrior up in one hand, crushing the life out of him or beating him into oblivion with the other hand. The nimble can try to wiggle his way free, or an ally can attempt an array of stunning blows on an ogre to free the comrade in danger.
Grey Warden lore urges caution when slaying an ogre. Unless it is ensured that they have received a major wound to the head or the heart, it is possible that they are lying dormant and will regenerate to full health within a matter of minutes. During a Blight, most Grey Wardens recommend burning all darkspawn to ashes... "dead" ogres in particular.
第十九卷:食人魔
耸立在它的黑暗生物血亲中,巨大的食人魔可以说是战场上一个少见的景象。传统地来说,它们通常只在一次天灾***现,但有些记录声称食人魔曾经在无底之路的深处被人看到过,它们在那里独自或者以一小组的模式进行捕猎。最少有一份灰色守望者的报告声称在龙之纪元9:19的年代,曾在Korcari荒野中见到过食人魔,尽管它很虚弱并轻易地被解决了。在一次天灾中最多有大概一百个这种生物参加过黑暗生物的大军,通常使用它们强大的力量重击并摧毁敌方军队的前线。
它们像公牛一样使用野蛮的力量冲撞对手,用手掌重击地面制造地震从而击倒对手,并且能够以巨石投掷敌人的面门。与这种生物肉搏可以说是非常困难的,它们会用一只手抓起战士,将它们的生命捏得粉碎,或者用另一只手将他打至黯灭。敏捷的身手可以摆脱这种束缚,或者队友可以常识用击晕的方法来拯救处于危险的同伴。
灰色守望者叮嘱在击杀食人魔的时候要格外小心。除非对它的头或心脏予以致命的攻击,否则它们很可能躺在地上一会儿就会重新恢复全部生命值。在一次天灾中,大多数的灰色守望者建议将黑暗生物焚烧至灰烬…尤其是“貌似死亡”的食人魔。
Codex Entry 20: Pride Demon
"Let me explain what it is to face a pride demon, my friends.
You may scoff and say that our talents exist only to face mages, but you will encounter demons often. They will be summoned by a maleficer and bound to do his bidding, and while at times they will be forced into the possession of a host, they will also face you in their true form... a powerful opponent indeed. Do not underestimate it.
Pride is powerful, and intelligent. When we have encountered one in its true form, its most common attacks are bolts of fire and ice. Fire they will use to burn an opponent, and the magical flame will combust anythingyou wear regardless of make. Ice they will use to freeze an opponent in place--be cautious, for they enjoy employing this against warriors in particular. More than one group of templars has made the mistake of attempting to overwhelm a pride demon and suffered the consequences, believe me. And if you think that having the aid of other mages will assist you, you are wrong. Pride demons can render themselves immune to magic for short times, and are adept at dispelling magic that is cast upon you... as much as we templars are able to disrupt spells.
Think on that for a moment, my friends. Be wary of how prideful you become, lest you find too much in common with such a fiend."
--Transcript of a lecture given by Vheren, templar-commander of Tantervale, 6:86 Steel
第二十卷:骄傲恶魔
“让我来解释一下当你面对一个骄傲恶魔时候的情况,我的朋友。
你可能会笑着说我们的才能只是用来对付魔法师的,但是你会在今后的旅途中经常碰到恶魔。它们会被放逐法师召唤出来并遵从他的命令行事,有时它们会强迫占据一个宿主,有时它们也会以真实的形态来面对你…它确实一个非常厉害的对手,不要低估了它。
骄傲恶魔是很强大的,并且很聪明。当我们遇到以真实形态出现的恶魔的时候,它们通常的攻击是使用冰或火的飞弹。它们会用火焰来燃烧对手,并且这些魔法的火焰会燃尽任何你所穿戴的物品,无论它们使用什么材料制成的物品都是一样。它们还会用冰冻冻住对手,值得注意的地方是,它们很喜爱用这种方法对付战士。相信我,不只一组圣殿武士尝试压制一只骄傲恶魔而最后遭到了毒手。如果你指望此时还能从其他魔法师那里获取帮助,那你就错了,骄傲恶魔可以使它们自己在一小段时间内免疫魔法。并且它们擅于驱散施加在你身上的有益的魔法…就像我们圣殿武士可以阻挠魔法一样。
好好想象这一切,我的朋友。并警惕不要骄傲,以免你会发现你和这种恶魔有如此相似之处。”
--摘录自Tantervale的圣殿武士指挥官Vheren的一段演讲,6:86钢铁纪元
Codex Entry 21: Rage Demon
Encountered in the Fade, the true form of a rage demon is a frightening sight: a thing of pure fire, its body seemingly made of amorphous lava and its eyes two pinpricks of baleful light radiating from its core. The abilities of such a demon center on the fire it generates. It burns those who come near, and the most powerful of its kind are able to lash out with bolts of fire and even firestorms that can affect entire areas.
Fortunately, even powerful rage demons are less intelligent then most other varieties. Their tactics are simple: attack an enemy on sight with as much force as possible until it perishes. some rage demons carry over their heat-based abilities into possessed hosts, but otherwise the true form is mostly seen outside of the Fade when it's specifically summoned by a mage to do his bidding.
第二十一卷:狂怒恶魔
在暗物质界遭遇到狂怒恶魔的真实形态,确实是可怕的一幕:一个由纯火焰构成的物体,它的身体看起来是由不定型的岩浆组成的,它嗜血的双眼从内心深处闪烁出可怕的光芒。这样一个恶魔的能力大多来自它所诞生的火焰。它灼烧任何靠近它的人,并且它们中的强大者更会发射出火焰飞弹,甚至会用火焰风暴席卷整个区域。
幸运的是,即使是强大的狂怒恶魔也比它的同类要愚笨一些。它们的战术很简单:倾尽全力攻击离它们最近的敌人直到消失。一些狂怒恶魔会将它们的火焰能力带入它所侵占的宿主当中,但大多数的时候它们都是以真实的形态出现,被魔法师召唤出来并按法师的意愿行事。
Codex Entry 22: Rat
"What are you, mad? Even the most giant of rats isn't going to present that much of a problem to anyone larger than a cat. Even the stories in the archives that tell of Blight-touched rats still only attributed them with the ability to spread the plague. The rats themselves got no larger than perhaps three feet in length, covered in sharp bony spikes and boils. Disturbing, certainly, but dangerous? This is no fantasy conjured by madmen, young man! You have much more important creatures to concern yourself with!"
--Transcript of a lecture given by Nalia, Senior Enchanter of Hossberg, 8:44 Blessed (Note: she was later eaten by a Blight Rat in 8:46 Blessed)
第二十二卷:老鼠
“你怎么了,疯了吗?即使最大的老鼠也不会对任何比猫体型大的人造成麻烦。即使故事中所说的那些被天灾所影响的老鼠,也不过仅仅是通过携带瘟疫而对人类造成威胁。老鼠本身最多不会超过三个脚丫子那么大,周身被骨刺和脓疮所包围。当然,它们看起来很恶心,但它们有那么危险吗?这可不是什么疯子的幻想,年轻人!有许多比这更重要的生物值得你去关心!”
--摘录自Hossberg的资深附魔师Nalia的一段演讲,8:44祝福纪年(注意:她后来在8:46祝福纪年的时候被一只天灾老鼠吃掉了)
Codex Entry 23: Revenant
"An entire unit of man, all slain by one creature. I didn't believe it at first, your Perfection, but it appears that this is so. We have a survivor, and while at first I thought his rantings pure exaggeration... it appears to be no simple skeleton. The descriptions of the creature's abilities were eerily similar to those our brothers at Marnas Pell encountered almost a century ago: men pulled through the air to skewer themselves on the creature's blade, and attacks so quick that it was able to assault multiple opponents at once. No, your Perfection, what we have here is indeed a revenant and nothing less."
--From a letter to Divine Amara III, 5:71 Exalted.
A revenant is a corpse possessed by a demon of pride or of desire... making it amongst the most powerful possessed opponents that one can face. Many possess spells, but most are armed and armored and prefer the use of their martial talents. They are weak against physical attacks but regenerate quickly, and commonly use telekinesis to pull opponents into melee range should they try to flee. Revenants also have the ability to strike multiple opponents surrounding them. Stay at range if possible and strike quickly--that is the only way to take such a creature down.
第二十三卷:归来者
“整个编队的人,都被一只生物杀死了。起初我也不相信,大人,但看起来确实是这么回事。我们有一个生存者,起初我认为他的咆哮只是夸张的说法…它不过是一具骷髅罢了。对这个生物能力的形容,好像和当年我们在Marnas的兄弟在差不多一个世纪前所碰到的怪物一样:人被凭空拉到那个生物的面前并被剑刺穿,并且它的攻击是如此之快,以至于可以同时攻击多个对手。不,大人,我们碰到的确实是一个归来者,确实是的。”
--摘自一封寄给圣者Amara三世的信,5:71崇高纪年。
一个归来者是一个被骄傲恶魔或魅魔所占据的尸体…使其成为了一个人所能面对的最强大的宿主之一。许多可以施放魔法,但是大多数持有武器和盔甲,并且更喜欢使用它们的战斗技能来对付敌人。它应对物理攻击相对较弱,但它的恢复能力很强,并且大多时候会使用心灵传动将想要逃跑的对手拉到近前。归来者还拥有同时攻击多个包围它的目标的能力。尽量和它保持距离,并快速地进行攻击—这是唯一能够击败这种生物的方法。
Codex Entry 24: Shade
"It has often been suggested that the only way for a demon to affect the world of the living is by possessing a living (or once living) body, but this is not always true. Indeed, a shade is one such creature: a demon in its true form that has adapted to affect the world around it.
My hypothesis is this: We already know that many demons become confused when they pass through the Veil into our world. They are unable to tell the living from the dead, the very static nature of our universe being confusing to a creature that is accustomed to a physicality defined entirely by emotion and memory. Most demons seek to immediately seize upon anything they perceive as life, jealously attempting to possess it--but what of those that do not? What of those that encounter no life, or fail to possess a body? What of those that are more cautious by their nature?
These demons watch. They lurk. They envy.
In time, such a demon will learn to drain energy from the psyche of those it encounters, just as it did in the Fade. Once it has drained enough, it has the power to manifest and will forever after be known as a shade. Such a creature spurns possession. It instead floats as a shadow across its piece of land, preying upon the psyche of any who cross its path. Perhaps it believes itself still in the Fade? There is evidence to believe that is so.
A shade will weaken the living by its very proximity. If it focuses its will, it can drain a single target very quickly. Some have even been known to assault the minds of a living victim, causing confusion or horror and making the target ripe for the kill. The tragedy of a shade is perhaps that, once it has drained a target whole, its appetite is only heightened rather than slaked."
--From the journal of former Senior Enchanter Maleus, once of the Circle of Rivain, declared apostate in 9:20 Dragon Age.
第二十四卷:阴影
“通常人们认为一个恶魔能够影响活人世界的方法是占据一个活着的(或曾经活着的)躯体,但这并不总是真的。确实,一个阴影就是一个反例:一个使用真实形态的恶魔能够适应并影响它周围的世界。
我的猜测是这样的:我们已经知道了很多恶魔在穿过了中间界进入我们的世界后会陷入混乱和迷惑。它们不能够区分死人和活人,我们世界的静态本质让这些习惯了身处纯由情感和记忆所构成的世界的生物感到困惑。绝大多数恶魔立刻寻求占据任何它们看来是生命的东西,嫉妒并想占有它—但那些不这么想的恶魔呢?那些没有遇到生命的,或者无法占据躯体的,以及那些天性谨慎的恶魔呢?
这些恶魔们静静地观察,等待。它们嫉妒其他人。
随着时间的变化,这样的恶魔学会了从它所接触到的灵魂吸取能量的方法,就像它在暗物质界中作的那样。一旦它吸取了足够的能量,它就能够显现它自己,并被人悉知为一个阴影。这样的生物摒弃了占有。它作为一个阴影漂浮在它的土地上,猎食那些穿过它的土地的灵魂。或许它相信它自己仍在暗物质界?有证据说明确实是这样。
一个阴影会削弱它所接近的生物。如果它集中它的意志,它可以很快地吸干一个目标。有些阴影甚至突袭一个受害者,使其产生迷惑和恐惧,从而让其更加容易进行猎杀。而阴影的悲剧则是:一旦它吸干了一名受害者,它的食欲不但没有减弱,反而会变的更强。”
--摘自前资深附魔师Maleus,曾经是Rivain议会的一员,在9:20龙之纪元的时候被定罪为异教徒。
Codex Entry 25: Shriek
Scholars call these tall, lean darkspawn the sharlock, though they are more popularly known as shrieks because of the ear-splitting cries they emit in battle. Many tales exist of soldiers being unnerved by the sounds of approaching shrieks, cloaked in darkness and never seen until the moment they strike.
As horroes of the night, shrieks are renowned for their incredible speed and agility as well as their stealth. They are the assassins of the darkspawn, penetrating the enemy lines and striking their targets using long, jagged blades attatched to their forearms to rip their opponent to shreds in seconds. They have been known to employ poison, often drawn from their own blood, and have demonstrated cunning group tactics when attacking in numbers.
第二十五卷:尖啸者
学者将这些高大,倾斜的黑暗生物叫做煞兽人,但它们最令人熟知的名字则是尖啸者,这是由于它们在战斗中发出的那刺耳的尖叫声。许多传说中都提到,士兵们因为这些尖啸者的刺耳声音而丧失勇气,它们潜伏在黑暗中不被人发现,直到他们发出攻击的那一瞬间。
就像黑夜中的恐惧,尖啸者被人所熟知的是它那不可思议的速度和敏捷,以及它们的力量。它们是黑暗生物中的刺客,穿透敌人的防线,并用它们前臂上附生的参差不齐的长剑刺入敌人的身体,并在瞬间将敌人扯得粉碎。它们通常会用毒,大多数毒液是直接来自于它们的血液,并且在人多的时候采取狡猾的小组战术攻击敌人。
Codex Entry 26: Skeleton
The demons of the Fade are jealous of the living beings they sense from across the Veil. They constantly push against the boundaries of the Fade, and when finally cross over, they attempt to possess the first living creature they see. They are unable, however, to distinguish that which was once living from that which is... in fact, a corpse provides an even more tempting target to a weaker demon as it has no will with which to resist the possession. The demon cannot rationalize why this is so; it only sees a target and grasps at the opportunity.
A skeleton is exactly that: a corpse animated by a possessing demon. Upon finding itself trapped within a body that cannot sustain it, the demon is driven insane... it seeks to destroy any life that it encounters, attacking without thought to its own welfare.
The exact names given to skeletons of this type vary according to the nature of the demon that possesses it. A "fanged skeleton" is a skeleton possessed by a hunger demon. These skeletons devour whatever life they encounter and often possess the ability to drain life energy and mana from their victims. A "shambling skeleton" is a slower-moving skeleton possessed by a sloth demon, able to bring entropic powers against its opponents, slowing them and even putting them to sleep. More powerful demons have been known to command skeletons, but at that level they are known by other names: revenants and arcane horrors, to name two.
第二十六卷:骷髅
暗物质界的恶魔嫉妒那些中间结界对面活着的生物。它们不断地试图突破暗物质界的边缘,并且当最终成功穿过的时候,它们会立刻尝试去侵占所看到的第一个活生物。然而,它们却不能区分什么是“曾经活着的”生物…事实上,一个尸体往往更让一些较为弱小的恶魔所偏爱,因为这些尸体从不用精神抵抗恶魔的侵占企图。而这些恶魔却并不能理性地思考这是为什么,它们只知道立刻抓住这个机会并侵占目标。
一个骷髅实际上是:一个被恶魔侵占的尸体。一旦它发现它被困在了一个不能够支持它的躯体中,恶魔会迫使地陷入疯狂…它会寻求去摧毁任何它所遇到的生物,而并不考虑它自己的利益。
每一个给予骷髅的明确的名字通常是根据侵占它的恶魔的种类所命名的。“毒牙骷髅”是一个被饥饿恶魔所侵占的骷髅。这些骷髅吞噬任何它所遇到的生命,并且通常拥有从受害者身上吸取生命及魔法的能力。“蹒跚骷髅”是一个移动缓慢的骷髅,被一个懒惰恶魔所占领,能够用暗物质能量来对付对手,缓慢它们甚至让他们陷入睡眠。更加强大的恶魔也会操作骷髅,但在那个级别它们通常就被称呼为:归来者或秘法幽魂了。
Codex Entry 27: Sloth Demon
"And I looked at the creature and it had become me. A veritable copy of my form, of my very mind, stared back at me as if from within a mirror. I thought surely that this was a trick, an illusion meant to put me off guard... but as I engaged the thing with my sword it fought me with maneuvers that I recognized. It parried as I parried; it swung as I swung. It spoke to me and said things that only I could know. I... I think this demon of sloth has no form or identity of its own. It is envy as much as sloth, I believe, and mine was not the first shape it stole that day."
--An excerpt from a transcribed deposition of Tyrenus, templar-commander of Cumberland, 3:90 Towers.
The most diffi*** assumption for some who study demons to overcome is the notion that a sloth demon is, in and of itself, slothful. If that were so, it seems highly unlikely that any such demons would cross the Veil into our own world, or once here would fight to possess any creature with a will of its own--and we know both these things to not be the case. Certainly, some demons are lazy and complacent, but who knows? Perhaps these creatures even ***ivate such a reputation.
The truth is that demons of sloth are named so because this is the portion of the human psyche that they feed upon. Doubt. Apathy. Entropy. They seek to spread these things. The sloth demon hides in its forms, a master of shapes and disguises, always in the last place you look... and from its hiding place it spreads its influence. A community afflicted by a demon of sloth could soon become a dilapidated pit where injustices are allowed to pass without comment, and none of the residents could be aware that such a change has even taken place. The sloth demon weakens, tires, tears at the edges of consciousness and would much rather render its victim helpless than engage in a true conflict. Such creatures are best faced only with a great deal of will, and only with an eye to piercing their many disguises.
第二十七卷:懒惰恶魔
“当我看着这个生物,它已经完全变成了我的样子。一个完整的复制品,我的心灵,我的身体,它看着我就好象是在镜子中的那样。我立刻想到这是一个诡计,一个让我疏于防范的幻觉…但当我用剑刺像这个生物的时候,它竟然做出和我一模一样的动作;我格挡它也格挡;我劈砍它也劈砍。它对我说了一些只有我自己才知道的事情。我…我想这个懒惰恶魔并没有它自己的形态。它不只懒惰,而且善于嫉妒,我相信这点,而我并不是那天它所偷走形态的唯一的人。”
--摘录自Cumberland的骑士指挥官Tyrenus的一段供词,高塔纪元3:90
对于那些学习恶魔的人来说,最难以逾越的一个难题就是判断懒惰恶魔的是否真的懒惰。如果它们确实懒惰的话,那么它们不太可能愿意像其他恶魔那样穿越中间结界来到我们的世界,或是愿意在来到我们的世界后通过战斗来侵占一个拥有自我意志的生物—但我们都知道事实不是这样。当然,有些恶魔是很懒并且很自满,但谁知道呢?也许这些生物是培养了这样的声誉而故作的。事实上,人们之所以将其命名为懒惰恶魔,是因为它们以人类的懒惰精神作为食粮,同样的还有人类的怀疑,冷淡,以及其他的消极情感。它们尝试扩大这些情感。懒惰恶魔藏在它的外形之下,它是一位真正的伪装与变形大师,总是藏在你看不到的地方…并且从它藏身的地方扩散它的影响。一个被懒惰恶魔所影响的社区很快就会变成一个肮脏的,破烂的,且对于任何不公正都无动于衷的社会,而其中甚至没有人会发现这些变化。懒惰恶魔通常喜欢通过削弱,疲倦,破坏良知,借此来使它的对手陷入无助的境地,从而代替真正地与对手进行战斗。对付这样的生物一定要拥有强大且坚定的意志,并且要拥有一双能够看穿它的各种伪装的眼睛。
Codex Entry 28: Giant Spider
Giant spiders tend to appear in old ruins and other places where the Veil has become thin because of magical disturbances or a great number of deaths. In such places, spirits and demons pass into the world of the living and attempt to take control over living beings, spiders among them. Not all scholars accept this explanation for the presence of these beasts, however. Some claim that the thinning Veil allows magic to "leak" from the Fade, tainting such creatures as these spiders to transform into larger and more potent creatures then they ever would become naturally. While such spiders are known to possess powerful poisons and the ability to fling their webs at opponents in combat, studies of them have been few and the full range of their abilities are unknown.
第二十八卷:巨型蜘蛛
巨型蜘蛛通常出现在古老的遗迹,以及其他一些由于魔法异动或者许多死亡而导致中间结界变弱的地方。在这些地方,灵魂和恶魔穿入这个活人的世界并试图控制活生物,蜘蛛也是其中之一。然而,不是所有的学者都认同这一关于这种野兽出处的说法。一些人声称削弱的中间结界使得魔法从暗物质界“泄漏”出来,从而扭曲了这些生物,致使这些生物变成了比它们原有形态更加巨大且拥有更强威力的生物。这些蜘蛛通常都带有剧毒,以及拥有能在战斗中通过织网将对手困住的能力,对它们的研究只是很少的一部分,因此他们大多数的能力尚不为人知。
Codex Entry 29: Wild Sylvan
For demons crossing over into our world, mankind is not always the preferred prey. Possessing humans means risking encounters with powerful mages and templars, as well as other complications. Some demons find it far easier to seek out animals or even plants, assuming that these will make as suitable a host as a human. Those that possess trees are known as wild sylvans.
Generally, only demons of rage, the weakest of the demon hierarchy, will become a sylvan. Once they do, they must spend a great deal of time twisting and molding the host in order to make it mobile, and once they have the sylvan is a powerful and deadly opponent. Other, more intelligent, spirits have also been known to become sylvans, and are generally much less violent, but these are rare.
Slow but immensely powerful, wild sylvans prefer to lay in ambush, waiting for a victim to become lost, tired, or trapped before closing in for the kill. They hide among regular trees, nearly undetectable until they begin to move and to reach. When they do "come to life" as some travelers say, they stand tall, roots forming into legs and feet and branches stretching out into lashing arms.
When not presented with a living target, however, it has been noted that sylvans often fall into a form of dormancy, perhaps brought on by the nature of their tree host. While mobile, they normally return to wherever they were rooted once their prey has been killed. For both these reasons, a forest that has sylvans within can become incredibly dangerous to pass through for very long periods of time.
第二十九卷:野树精
那些穿越到我们世界的恶魔并不都喜欢捕猎。占据人类的身体意味着很大的风险,它们可能会面对强大的法师或圣殿武士,其他的生物也一样。一些恶魔发现寻找动物或甚至植物更加的简单,并认为它们能够像人类一样成为一个合适的宿主。那些占据了树木的就被称之为野树精。
总体来说,只有狂怒恶魔这种最弱的恶魔后代,才会成为野树精。一旦它们占据宿主之后,它们必须花很长的时间扭曲并制造形状从而使宿主能够进行移动,成功以后,野树精将会变成一个强大并且致命的敌人。其他那些更聪明的灵魂有时也会成为树精,且通常不倾向于***,但是比较少见。
缓慢却威力十足,野树精喜欢进行埋伏,等待受害者迷路,变得疲惫,或者掉入陷阱,而后才予以击杀。它们藏在普通的树木之中,直到它们开始移动为止都不容易被发现。当它们确实“活了”的时候,像一些旅行者所说,它们高高地站起,树根变成了腿,而树枝则变成了大量的胳膊。
当他们没有遇到生物的时候,野树精会陷入一种冬眠的状态,这可能是由于他们宿主是树的本质所造成的。当移动的时候,它们通常在猎物被击杀后回到原本扎根的地方。因为这两个原因,一个拥有野树精的森林能够在很长的一段时间内变成行人们通过时极端危险的地方。
Codex Entry 30: Werewolf
"And Dane he stood his ground, The fanged beast approached. He saw the rage within its eyes, The wolf that once was there. The sword he raised, Merciful death be praised, To the maker went his prayer."
--From the popular telling of Dane and the Werewolf, a legend of Ferelden circa 4:50 Black.
Fereldan lore is full of instances where these creatures have plagued the countryside: wolves possessed by rage demons and transformed into humanoid monsters with incredible speed and strength, able to spread a curse to those they bit that would drive them mad with unthinking fury. When in this enraged state, a human host can likewise become possessed and be transformed into a feral, wolf-like beast. Tales differ on these werewolves of human origin, some claiming that their transformation into a bestial form happens uncontrollably. Some claim the transformation is irreversible. As is often the case with demonic tales, both versions were most likely true at some point.
The ability of normal dogs to detect a werewolf even when it is in a human guise is what first led Fereldans to adopt dogs as indispensable companions in every farmhold. The alliance between humans and regular wolves is the subject of the popular Fereldan folk tale "Dane and the Werewolf."
The actual hero Dane led a crusade to eliminate the werewolf threat during the early Black Age, and while werewolves have never assumed the same prominence since, there have still been reports of individual packs lurking in remote forests. In recent years, some have even been reported to have developed an uncanny willpower and intelligence... though why this is so is still unknown.
第三十卷:狼人
“Dane站在原地,戴着毒牙的野兽慢慢的靠近。他看到了它眼中的怒火,那只曾在那里的狼。他举起剑,仁慈的死亡将被称赞,就像祈祷者走向造物主。”
--源自盛行的Dane和狼人的传说,一个Ferelden的传奇故事,大约在4:50黑暗纪元。
Fereldan的大地上盛行着这样的例子,这些生物像瘟疫一样席卷着乡村:被恶魔占据的狼变成了人形的生物,它们拥有着不可思议的速度和力量,能够将它们的诅咒传递给任何它们咬过的人,诅咒会让将他们逼疯并带给他们难以想象的怒火。当在这种激怒的状态下,一个人类的宿主可能会被转变成一个凶残的,像狼一样的野兽。而对于这些原本是人的野兽的传说各不相同,有些说它们变形成野兽是不可控制的。有些说他们变形成野兽的过程是不可逆转的。就像那些带有恶魔的故事一样,这些版本的故事在某种意义上确实是真实的。
狗能够识别出一个狼人,即使它是在人类的形态下也一样,这一点后来一经发现,立刻导致所有的Fereldan乡村家庭都开始养狗。人类和这些普通的狼之间的羁绊最终演变成了Fereldan的人们茶余饭后最常讨论的故事:“Dane和狼人”。
Codex Entry 31: Wisp
"A great deal is made of the most powerful demons, those that create abominations and those that have changed the history of Thedas. It is often forgotten that not all demons are such awe-inspiring beings. some that break through the cracks in the Veil into our world are known as wisps, a silver of a thought what once was. A wisp is a demon that has lost its power; either it has existed in our world for too long without finding a true host or it has been destroyed--often, so we've found, by other demons. What remains of its mind clings tightly to the one concept that created it--a hatred of all things living.
While its ability to target a living creature is limited, these wisps often mindlessly attack when encountered in the Fade. In the living world, they often have been known to maliciously lure the living into dangerous areas, being mistaken for lanterns or other civilized light sources. This does, however, seem to be the very limit of their cunning."
--From the journal of former Senior Enchanter Maleus, once of the Circle of Rivain, declared apostate in 9:20 Dragon Age.
第三十一卷:小精灵
“大量的故事都是关于那些强大的恶魔,那些制造了憎恶者的家伙以及那些改变了Thedas历史的家伙。通常人们却忘记了并不是所有的恶魔都是那么可怕的。有些穿越到我们世界的恶魔被叫做“小精灵”,或者“银色的意识”。一个小精灵是一个丧失了所有能力的恶魔;也许是它在我们的世界中太久没有找到合适的宿主,又或者是它的宿主被摧毁了----而且我们发现通常它们是被其他恶魔所摧毁的。它残留的意识紧紧地依附于最初创造了它的意念—-那就是憎恨所有的生物。
它并不能很好地针对某一个目标进行行动,小精灵通常只是盲目地攻击暗物质界中它所接触的一切。而在活人的世界,它们会被认为是危险的事物,诱使一些以为它们是灯火的行人误入危险地方。这个也许是它们所能做到的最狡猾的一面了。”
--源自前资深附魔师Maleus的日记,他曾经是Rivain议会的一员,在9:20龙之纪元的时候被定罪为异教徒。
Codex Entry 32: Wolf
"It is rather unfair, the reputation that the wolf possesses in Ferelden. For a people that so clearly adore their hounds, Fereldans simultaneously harbor a distrust of wolves that borders on the unreasonable. Unreasonable, that is if one were not familiar with the ancient legends regarding werewolves. There was a time in Ferelden's past when demons inhabited the bodies of wolves in great numbers, causing the wars against werewolves and spreading great fear and panic. The werewolves were slain, but even today the noble wolf is still looked upon with distrust."
--From Legends of Ferelden, by Mother Ailis of Denerim, 9:10 Dragon.
An attack by wolves upon civilized folk happens rarely, often only in times of desperation and even then only when the wolves have the advantage of numbers. This can change during a Blight. When darkspawn rise onto the surface their presence dramatically alters the savage nature of normal beasts.
In Blights past, as the corruption of the darkspawn spread through the wilder areas of Thedas, it would infect the animals found there... and the more powerful of them would survive and be transformed into a more vicious and dangerous beast. A blight wolf is one such example, mad with the pain of its infection, and only through the overriding command of the darkspawn does it still retain some semblance of its pack instincts . Blight wolves are always found in large groups and will tend to overwhelm a single target if they can, using their numbers to their advantage. It is fortunate that these creatures rarely survive their corruption for very long.
第三十二卷:狼
“狼在Ferelden所拥有的名声其实很不公平。作为能够同时如此喜爱他们猎犬的人,Ferelden的人们却同时拥有着对狼这样的偏见。偏见,都是源自于他不了解远古传说中狼人的故事。在很久很久以前的Ferelden,许多恶魔们侵占了狼的身体,致使它们变成了狼人,引发了针对狼人的战争和恐惧。最终狼人们被杀死了,而过去了这么多年的今天,人们仍然对那些高贵的狼们充满了不信任。”
--源自Ferelden的传奇,出自Denerim城的Ailis义母,9:10龙之纪元。
狼攻击文明人的事件很少发生,通常只有在极度绝望的情况下,并且当狼群占有数量优势的时候才会发生。但在天灾发生的时候,这些都可能改变。当黑暗生物来到地面上的时候,它们的出现会明显改变许多原本普通的野兽的野蛮本性。
在过去的天灾中,由于黑暗生物的污染传播到了Thedas的荒野地区,它也影响了在那里出没的野兽…那些强大的生物会生存下来,并且被转变成一种更加凶残和危险的野兽。天灾之狼就是一个例子,感染的痛苦导致了它的疯狂,只有通过黑暗生物的命令,它才能够勉强保持一些它原本具有的族群本能。天灾之狼通常会成群的出现,并会通过它们数量上的优势去尝试制服单个目标。幸运的是这些生物很少能够在被感染后存活很久。
Codex Entry 33: Mabari dominance
Mabari hounds are descended from pack hunters, and like their ancestors, they are highly influenced by a defined order of dominance. The primary method of determining that order is by claiming territory through scent-marking major landmarks. Once established, the dominant mabari gains a substantial increase in confidence and stature within his territory, a trait that indirectly benefits master as well as hound.
第三十三卷:Mabari地盘
Mabari战犬是由一群猎犬进化而来,正像他们的祖先那样,他们受到划分出的不同地界所影响。而划分地界的主要的方法就是通过在一些特殊的位置进行气味标记。而一旦建立这些地标后,处于这个区域的Mabari战犬就会获得信心与实力的增强,并间接地加强了战犬以及其主人的能力。
第二篇:物品篇Codex
http://game.ali213.net
Codex Entry 34:The Litany of Adralla
Adralla of Vyrantium dedicated her life to the study of blood magic--the academic study, rather than the practice. A deeply pious mage, she was renowned in her day for having found a counter to every form of mind control, a defense against dream walkers, and even counter-spells to demonic summons.
Her efforts went unappreciated in her native Tevinter, however. After three different magisters attempted to have her killed, she fled the country, choosing to take refuge in the land of Blessed Andrate's birth. She spent the remainder of her days with the Circle in Ferelden.
The Litany of Adralla disrupts the casting of mind control spells. Use the Litany whenever a creature tries to dominate another with magic, and it will interrupt the casting. Once the spell is in effect and a character is under a blood mage's power, it is too late.
第三十四卷:Adralla之连祷
Vyrantium的Adralla将她的一生都奉献给了对于血魔法的学习中---当然是在法师学院中进行学习,而并不是真正地运用。她是一名非常虔诚且著名的法师,因为她不但发明了能够反制任何形式的精神控制魔法的方法,发明了一种防御梦境巡游者攻击的方法,甚至还发明了一种针对恶魔召唤进行反制召唤的魔法。
但是,她的努力和贡献在Tevinter并没有收到重视。当在三名魔法领主尝试杀死她未遂后,她逃离了这个国家,并选择躲避在了这片诞生Andrate的受到祝福的土地上。她的余生则一直在Ferelden的法师议会里渡过。
“Adralla之连祷”会破坏正在释放的精神控制魔法。在一个生物尝试施放控制另外一个生物的精神控制魔法的时候使用连祷,就能够打断它的施法。而一旦这个被法术成功地释放出来,并以血魔法的力量影响控制了另外一个人的时候,一切就太晚了。
Codex Entry 35: Archons of the Imperium
Archon Darinius of Tevinter journeyed deep into the lightless realm of dwarves and there forged a covenant with Endrin Stonehammer, lord of the dwarven empire. As a symbol of their pact, Endrin gave the archon a pair of rings--one that shone like the evening star, and one as luminous as the dawn. So long as the rings were united, Darinius need fear nothing, for the friendship of the dwarves is a mighty sword and shield.
The archon wore the rings of Dawn and Dusk for 20 years, never removing them, and when he died, they were cut from his fingers by magisters squabbling over his vacant thorne, then seperated, and finally lost.
--From a book formerly in the possession of a hermit.
第三十五卷:帝国的执政官
Tevinter的执政官Darinius旅行到了矮人们深不见光的地下社会,并与矮人帝国的领主Endrin Stonehammer达成了一项协议。作为他们协议的象征,Endrin给予了执政官一对戒指----一只像夜晚的星星一样闪烁光芒,而另一个则散发出黎明的光辉。只要两个戒指在一起,Darinius将无需惧怕任何事情,因为矮人们的友谊就是最强大的利剑和盾牌。
执政官佩戴了这对黄昏与黎明的对戒将近20余年,从未摘下过它们,而当他去世的时候,这对戒指被争夺他王位的魔法师领主们从他的手上砍了下来,并从此以后被分开,直至最终丢失。
----摘自一本原本属于一位隐士的书
Codex Entry 36: Havard's Aegis
Havard was Maferath's closest friend. They were children together in the same Avvar Clan. They fought side-by-side in so many battles that Maferath dubbed him, "Havvard the Aegis," better to have at his side than any shield.
Maferath brought Havvard with him to meet with the Tevinters; it was unthinkable to stand before his enemies without his Aegis.
When he understood that Maferath was giving Andraste over to be executed, Havvard, unwilling to draw swords against his friend and liege, placed himself between Andraste and the Tiventer soldiers. The Tiventers struck him down, and Maferath left him for dead.
But Aegis was not so easily destroyed. Havvard lived and Made his way, gravely wounded, to the gates of Minrathous to stop the execution. Too late. He found only the ashes of the prophet, left to the wind and rain. When his fingers touched the ash, his ears filled with song, and he saw a vision of Andraste dressed in cloth of starlight. She knelt at his side, saying, "Rise, Ageis of the Faith, the Maker shall never forget you so long as I remember."
His wounds healed instantly. And with new strength, Havvard gathered up Andraste's remains and carried them safely back to the lands of the Alamarri.
第三十六卷:Havard之庇护
Havard是Maferath最亲近的朋友。他们儿时起便一起生活在Avvar部落。他们肩并肩地参加了许多场战斗,以致Maferath称呼他为“庇护者Havvard”,拥有他在身边要强过拥有世界上的任何盾牌。
但当他了解到Maerath出卖了Andraste并要将她处决的时候,Havvard无奈地拔剑并将剑尖对向了他曾经的朋友,同时也是他的君主,用他自己的身躯挡在了Andraste和Tiventer士兵中间。Tevinter的士兵最终将他击倒,Maferath则将他留在原地慢慢死去。
但“庇护者”不会那么轻易就被摧毁。Havard最终挣扎着活了下来,并带着重伤一步一步地走到了Minrathous大***,想阻止他们对先知的处决。但是太晚了。他只找到了这位先知的骨灰,被遗留在了风和雨之中。当他的手指触到骨灰的时候,他的耳中突然充满了响起的歌声,他看到了一幅景象:Andraste穿着星光做成的衣服出现在他面前。她跪在了他的身边,并说道:“站起来,信仰的庇护者,造物主和我将永远不会忘记你。”
他的伤口在一瞬间愈合。于是Havvard带着他新的力量,收集了Andraste的残留物,并把它们安全地送回了Alamarri大陆。
Codex Entry 37: Ancient Elven Armor
Before the fall of Arlathan, even before Arlathan itself, the civilization of the elves stretched across all of Thedas like a great, indolent cat.
This armor was made for temple guards in a time when the Creators still spoke to the elves. The techniques of its forging, even the name of the metal it is forged from, have long since faded from memory.
第三十七卷:远古精灵的盔甲
在Arlathan陷落之前,甚至在Arlathan出现之前,精灵的文明像一只强大却慵懒的猫一样,广阔地遍布了整个Thedas,。
这件盔甲是在造物者仍然与精灵们进行交谈的时候,精灵们为庙宇的守卫们所特别设计的。它铸造的技术,甚至制造它的材料,如今已经被遗忘在了记忆的深处。
Codex Entry 38: Aodh
Long ago, as soldier from Gwaren was returning home after twenty years at war. He had sold his sword for passage to Denerim and had to make his way through the Brecilian Forest with nothing to his name but a single crust of bread.
On his way, he met an old blind woodcutter sitting on a tree stump. "Here is someone worse off than myself," said the soldier, and he gave the old man his last scrap of bread. The old man blessed him, and gave the soldier his axe in return.
The soldier went on his way, and soon night fell. He made his bed in a tree branch and held the woodcutter's axe at his side to ward against beasts and bandits. When the moon was high, he was awakened by the sound of weeping. "Show yourself!" he shouted, for try as he might, the soldier could find no one nearby.
"Help me," spoke the tree in which he'd been sleeping, "A mage transformed me into this shape, and I will never be set free. If you had any pity in you, you would cut me down so that my spirit could go to the Maker."
So the soldier took up his axe and struck the tree. The cuts bled like wounds, and soon hot blood covered the axe and burned the soldier's hands. But he held tightly to the axe and felled the tree. The tree shattered when it hit the ground, and from the splinters rose a demon, who bowed to the soldier and vanished into the Fade.
The soldier was chilled to the bone, and could not sleep. In the morning, he found that the axe still burned like the blood of the sylvan, but despite its heat, he could not get warm again. They say he ended his days in Gwaren, cutting wood for his seven fireplaces, shivering and cursing the spirits.
第三十八卷:Aodh
很久以前,来自Gwaren的士兵在经历了二十年的战争后终于开始返回家乡。他将他的剑卖掉换取了一条通向Denerim的道路,仅仅带着一小块面包与他自己的名字,踏上了穿越了Brecilian森林的道路。
在他的旅途中,他遇到了一名盲目的伐木匠坐在一个树桩上。“这个人的处境比我还要悲惨”士兵说,于是将他最后的一片面包给予了这个老人。老人祝福了他,并给予了士兵一把斧头作为回报。
士兵继续踏上了他的旅途,很快夜幕就降临了。他把树枝做床睡在上面,并紧紧地握着伐木匠给他的斧头用来对付可能出现的野兽和强盗。当月亮升到高高的天空的时候,他被一阵哭泣声所惊醒。“现身出来!”他喊到,虽然他尝试地在周围找了一下,但他无法找到任何的人。
“帮帮我”这个被他当作床的大树突然说到,“一个魔法师把我变成了这种形状,而且我永远无法获得自由。如果你的内心还有一丝怜悯的话,请你把我砍倒,这样我的灵魂就能够回归到造物主的身边了。”
于是士兵举起了他的斧头,并朝这颗大树砍了下去。斧头砍出的缺口处就像伤口一样往外流血,很快炙热的血液就沾满了斧头和士兵的双手。但他坚定地一直砍了下去,最终砍倒了大树。树木在接触到大地的一瞬间变成了碎片,在破碎之中升起了一只恶魔,这只恶魔向这个士兵弯腰行了个礼后,就消失在了虚无之中。
士兵从内心深处感到了由衷的恐惧,他再也无法安然睡觉。直到早晨的时候,他发现斧头仍然像树精的血液一样灼热,但无论手中握着的斧头怎样灼热,他却怎么也无法感觉到任何温暖。人们传说他最终在Gwaren结束了他的一生,一直在那里为了他的七个壁炉砍树取柴,一边不停地瑟瑟发抖,一边嘴里不停地诅咒着那个灵魂。
Codex Entry 39: Bard's Dancing Shoes
The rules of the Grand Game are clear: Anything goes. If a noble cannot obtain the heights of prestige in the court by purchase, alliance, or deed, he can always obtain it by removing his rivals.
In this, bards have always been invaluable. Orlesians cannot do without music and dancing. Even when they know that half the musicians in their ballroom are spies in the employ of their enemies, they welcome the scoundrels with open arms. In fact, that makes music and musicians so much more popular, for it makes the Game more exciting.
第三十九卷:吟游诗人的舞鞋
***游戏的总规则很简单:没有规则。如果一个贵族不能在宫廷中通过花钱买,进行联姻或靠自己的事迹达到目的的时候,他总是可以通过消灭他的对手来达到。在这种情况下,吟游诗人总是无价的。Orlesian的人离不开音乐和舞蹈。即使他们知道在他们的舞厅中半数以上的音乐家都是由他们敌人所雇佣来的间谍的时候,他们也一样对这些恶棍们张开怀抱。事实上,这使得音乐和音乐家更加的流行,同时也使得整个游戏更加的刺激。
Codex Entry 40: Blood Ring
There are clear signs that this ring was made in the Tevinter Imperium--it's covered in dragon motifs, for one thing. And it gives anyone who wears it a slightly uneasy feeling, for another. But beyond that, very little is known about it.
Warriors of House Ivo took this ring in the Blessed Age from the hand of a madman, a surfacer mage who had wandered into the underground and attacked lyrium miners near Orzammar. From there, the ring changed hands many times, until its history had been lost and the dwarves no longer remembered how it had ever come into their lands.
第四十卷:血之戒
有明显的记号说名这个戒指是在Tevinter帝国锻造的---其一,它完全地被龙的图案所覆盖。其二,它给予任何佩戴它的一点轻微的不舒服感。但除了这些,它的真实面目就很少被人所了解了。
Ivo家族的战士在祝福纪元的时候从一个疯子手上得到了这个戒指,这个疯子是一位地面上的法师,流浪到了地底后便攻击了正在Orzammar附近开采lyrium的矿工。从那时开始,这个戒指就转手了很多次,直到它的历史完全地被忘记,以至于矮人们并不记得这个戒指是怎么转到他们手上的。
Codex Entry 41: The Bow of the Golden Sun
There is no more famous ruler in history than Kordilius Drakon, first emperor of Orlais. Few, however, know the story of his empress.
Empress Area was the third of Lord Montlaures of val Chevin's famously unmarriageable six daughters. When she met young Prince Kordilius, she was the captain of her father's archers and led the defense of Laures Castle. She was not the fairest of ladies, nor the most elegant or charming, but Area could shoot the wings off a bumblebee at one hundred paces. By all accounts, when the prince witnessed that particular feat, Drakon--who was not noted for his charm or elegance, and rather better known for his sword and shield--was instantly smitten.
On their wedding day, Drakon presented his bride with a golden bow crafted by the mages of Val Royeaux, so that they could ride into battle and spread the Light of the Maker side by side.
第四十一卷:金色太阳之弓
在历史上从未有一位统治者比Dordilius Drakon更加著名,他是Orlais的第一任皇帝。但是很少有人知道他的皇后的故事。
Area皇后是来自val Chevin的Montlaures领主的六个知名的难以结婚的女儿中的第三个。当她遇到年轻的王子Kordilius的时候,她还是她父亲的弓箭手的队长,并负责Laures城堡的防御。她既不是漂亮的女士,也不是最聪慧或迷人的女士,但Area可以在一百步以外开弓射中一只蜜蜂的翅膀。据大家说,当王子见到了她这一惊人技巧的时候,Drakon---这个并不是因为他的魅力或聪慧,而是因为他的剑与盾牌为人所熟知的男人,瞬间便被她征服了。
在他们结婚当天,Drakon为她的新娘承上了一个由Val Royeaux的法师所制造的金色的弓,这样他们就能够肩并肩地冲入战场和传播造物主的光芒了。
Codex Entry 42: Camanae's Barbute
The Waking Sea Bannorn has been famous since time immemorial for its archers. Children there are given bows before they can walk, and parents have been known, on occasion, to disown their offspring for failure to hit bulls-eyes.
When Calenhad came to demand the Waking Sea's fealty, Bann Camenae greeted her would-be king by shooting his horse out from under him half a league from Castle Eremon. Calenhad reached the gates on foot and found them barred, with dozens of archers watching him from the castle walls.
He waited outside the walls with his men until sunset, when Camenae opened the gates and met him, armored to the teeth with her bow in hand. "You have proven you have sense and humility, Theirin. And no man can hope to lead the Bannorn without those gifts." She then knelt and swore her oath.
To this day, the Eremon family of the Waking Sea presents every newly crowned king or queen of Ferelden with two gifts: an arrow and a horse.
第四十二卷:Camanae的头盔
觉醒之海Bannorn自古就因为它的弓箭手所为人们熟知。那里的孩子们在尚未学会走路的时候就被给予了弓箭,并且他们的父母,传说会因为他们的孩子射不中红心靶而遗弃他们的孩子。
当Calenhad来要求觉醒之海的人们效忠与他的时候,Bann Camenae从Eremon城堡上射中了距离一个半英里外的这位想成为她的国王的人的坐骑。Calenhad在好不容易步行到达了城堡大门的时候却发现大门被堵住了,并且无数的弓箭手正从城堡的高墙上面望着他。
他在墙外和他的人一直等到日落,当Camenae开门并会见他的时候,她身着武装到牙齿的盔甲,一手拿着弓。“你已经在那里证明了你拥有理智和谦逊的品质。没有人能奢望不具有这些品质而还能够领导Bannorn的人民。”她继而跪下并宣誓效忠于他。
为了这个日子,觉醒之海的Eremon家族为每一个Ferlden新加冕的国王或女王进贡两个礼物:一把弓,以及一匹马。
Codex Entry 43: Dark Moon
At Shartan's word, the sky
Grew black with arrows.
At Our Lady's, ten thousand swords
Rang from their scabbards,
A great hymn rose over Valarian Fields gladly proclaiming:
Those who had been slaves were now free.
--Shartan 10:1.
They say that Shartan's followers stole whatever they could find to make weapons. They fought with knives of sharpened stone and glass, and with bows made from broken barrels or firewood. This bow was ox horn, made in secret over the course of months by a slave who worked in the slaughterhouses of Minrathous.
The slave's name has been lost to history, and the verses that spoke of his deeds, stricken from the chant, but the weapon endures.
第四十三卷:黑暗月亮
Shartan一声令下,
天空顿时被密密麻麻的箭矢遮黑。
而我们的女士一声零下,一万把剑
从它们的剑鞘中拔出,
Valarian大地上欢快地响起了一首伟大的颂歌:
那些曾经是奴隶的人现在重获了自由。
---Shartan篇 10:1
他们说Shartan的追随者偷取他们所能找到的任何能够用来制作武器的东西。他们用锋利的石头和玻璃做的刀子,和用木柴和破水桶做成的弓进行战斗。这把弓使用公牛的犀角做原料,由一名工作在Minrathous的屠宰场的奴隶秘密地用了数月的时间进行的制造。
奴隶的名字已经被历史所遗忘,只有经文在讲述着他的事迹,讲述他们的歌词已经被从歌中删去,但这件武器却从未磨损。
Codex Entry 44: Katriel's Grasp
The Theirin family refused to die.
This was a problem for the Empire, for the stubborn Fereldans would not accept Orlesian rule so long as some vagabond in the woods could call himself their king.
So the Orlesian court sent their agents in Ferelden a gift: A bard by the name of Katriel, to assassinate the surviving Prince Maric.
She did not, of course, succeed, but that's another story.
第四十四卷:Katriel之掌握
Theirin家族拒绝接受死亡。
这对帝国来说是一个问题,只要那个森林里的称自己为“国王”的流浪汉仍然活着,这些顽固的Fereldans人就不会接受Orlesian人的统治。
因此Orlesian的宫廷给予他们在Ferelden的特务们一件礼物:一位名叫Katriel的吟游诗人,去刺杀尚且存活的Maric王子。
当然,她最终没有成功,但那则是另外一个故事了。
Codex Entry 45: The Life Drinker
No one knows for certain where this amulet came from. All we have is a legend:
Long before the Golden City turned black, there lived in the Tevinter Imperium a frail old magician in the court of the archon. He was the least among the mages of the court, the lamp-lighter, whose task it was to set all the thousands of candles alight and snuff them again when the archon retired for the evening. He was counted as useless by all the most influential magisters.
But he was only biding his time.
One day, when all the magisters of the Imperium were assembled in the great hall of the archon, the lamp-lighter struck. He conjured a massive fire storm in the hall, trying to assassinate all who were assembled and seize power himself. The court was made up of the most powerful mages of the Imperium, and they worked quickly to destroy the would-be usurper, but found, to their astonishment, their magic was no match for the old mage. Every spell they cast was countered, and the magisters began to fall, one by one, until only the archon himself and the lamp-lighter were left, locked in a battle of magic and will.
The archon saw that with each spell he cast, the lamp-lighter seemed to wither and fade a little more. So he bombarded the mage with spell after spell, until at last nothing was left of the palace but rubble, nothing left of the court but corpses, and nothing left of the lamp-lighter but a golden pendant--this, the archon kept to remind himself that treachery could come from even the most innocuous sources.
第四十五卷:生命汲取者
没有人确切地知道这条项链是从哪里来的。我们所知道的只有传说:
在金色城市还未变成一片黑暗之前,在Tevnter帝国的执政官院里有一位老弱年迈的魔法师,点灯人,他的任务就是每天点燃数以千计的蜡烛,并且在执政官晚上回去休息的时候熄灭它们。他跟那些最强大的魔法领主起来简直微不足道。
但他只是一天一天地等待。
有一天,当所有帝国的魔法领主们被集中在执政官大厅的时候,点灯人突然对在场的人发动了突袭。他在大厅里召唤出了巨大的火焰风暴,尝试杀死在场的所有人,这样他就可以独揽大权。但是在场的都是帝国中最强大的法师,他们迅速地进行了反应,并尝试杀死了这个篡位者,可是他们很快发现,他们的魔法不是这位老魔法师的对手。每一个他们所施放的魔法都被反制。于是魔法领主们开始倒下,一个接一个,直到只剩下执政官和点灯人两个人还活着,被困在了这场魔法与意志的较量之中。
执政官看到点灯人每释放一个魔法,他看起来好像就会枯萎并凋零一点点。于是他用不断地魔法对这个法师展开了轰炸,直到整个宫殿变成了一片废墟和瓦砾,大厅里只剩下了尸体,点灯人却消失了,只剩下这个金色的挂件---执政官保留了这个物品,以提醒自己背叛可能来自那些看似极端无害的来源。
Codex Entry 46: The Magister's Shield
On the very day that the final stone was set into place in the Grand Cathedral of Orlais, Archon Vespasian was assassinated. For three days, every magister lord of the Imperium lived behind a wall of armored guards. When his successor, Hadarius, was finally named archon, the first enchanter of the Circle of Minrathous presented him with a gift: a silvery unadorned chain made from pure lyrium. Enchantments had been worked into the links of the chain so that donning this necklace was like holding up a shield: Blows struck at the wearer glanced harmlessly away. Unfortunately, Hadarius found that the shield did not protect him against poison nearly so well.
第四十六卷:魔法领主之盾
在Orlais大教堂的最后一块石块落下并建成这座宏伟的教堂的当天,执政官Vespasian被人暗杀了。而后,整个帝国的魔法领主都在全副武装的守卫组成的人墙后忐忑地生活了三天。当他们的继任者Hadarius最终宣布被选为执政官后,Minrathous法师议会的首席附魔师给予了他一份礼物:一条看似朴素的,由纯Lyrium物质打造的项链。这条项链被予以附魔,使得它变成了犹如盾牌一样:对佩戴着发动的进攻会被弹开,使其无法造成实质伤害。但不幸的是,Hadarius最终发现这条项链并无法有效地帮他对付毒药的暗杀。
Codex Entry 47: Shadow of the Empire
The Crows of Antiva may be the most famous and most expensive of Thedas's assassins, but they are not the most active. That dubious honor belongs to the Shadows of the Emperor, the personal cadre of killers employed by the throne of Orlais.
Almost exclusively, the Shadows work against other noble families in Val Royeaux. No one knows who they are, not even the sitting emporer, and some in the court dismiss them as only a myth. The assassins have slipped into aristocratic life working as palace servants, ladies-in-waiting, and, on one notorious occasion, the chamberlain himself.
This armor was made for use by the Shadows whenever the Grand Game should wander out of hand.
第四十七卷:帝国阴影
Antiva的“乌鸦”也许是Thedas历史上最著名也是要价最昂贵的刺客们了,但他们却不是最活跃的。最活跃的当属皇帝之阴影,这是一群由Orlais王室专门雇佣的精英刺杀组织。
他们的行动几乎完全独立,这些阴影们负责对付Val Royeaux的其他贵族家族。没有人知道他们在哪,即使是在位的皇帝也是一样,一些宫廷中的人甚至声称他们只是传说而已。这些刺客们以宫殿佣人,侍女的身份混入宫殿,甚至还有一次当上了管家。
这件盔甲就是专门为那些在“***游戏”中服务的刺客们所穿。
Codex Entry 48: The Summer Sword
In 8:84 Blessed, Lord Aurelien of Montsimmard, champion of the Grand Tourney of Ansburg, commissioned a sword for his youngest son Luis, who aspired to the Chevaliers. Insisting that his boy have nothing but the best, Lord Aurelien sought out the most renowned master smith in the Orlesian Empire Vercenne of Halamshiral, who was at that time nearly eighty, and begged the old man to make the blade. Vercenne refused. His sight was failing him and he had no wish to come out of retirement. But Aurelien offered and exorbitant sum of gold, and eventually overcame the artisan's resistance.
The old master labored for several months, folding steel, honing the edge to perfection. The resulting blade was as long as a man is tall, and sharp as the tongue of any noblewoman. Vercenne proclaimed it, in a fit of irony, the "Summer Sword," since he had crafted it in the winter of his lifetime.
Lord Aurelien brought Luis with him to receive the sword from the hand of the old master. When the boy saw the Summer Sword, he turned up his nose at his father's gift: such great two-handed swords were no longer in fashion at court. He preferred an estoc. Aurelien was mortified; he insisted that Luis carry the blade and apologized to Vercenne, but to no avail. The sword smith cursed the boy, saying that for his pride, regardless of blade he carried, he would fail anyway.
Luis was eventually knighted, and joined the ranks of the Chevaliers. In 8:98 Blessed he was appointed command of the Chevaliers in Denerim, and hoped to make a name for himself. And so he did: he was the most detested chevalier in Ferelden, well-known for his acts of depravity. In 9:1 Dragon, he met Loghain Mac Tir in battle at Avinash. Luis lost his estoc early in the fighting, became separated from his men, and ended up facing down Loghain himself armed only with the Summer Sword--which he had never before drawn. Practice might have saved him where pride did not. Loghain made short work of the pompous chevalier and took the greatsword as a trophy.
第四十八卷:夏之剑
在祝福纪元8:84,Montsimmard的Aurelien领主,同时也是Ansburg比武大会的著名冠军,想为他最年轻的儿子Luis准备一把佩剑,因为他即将成为一名侠义骑士。他坚持要给他的孩子最好的东西,Aurelien领主找到了Orlesian帝国中最好的大铁匠,来自Halamshiral的Vercenne,当时这位铁匠已经快八十岁了,他乞求这位老人为他铸造一把宝剑。Vercenne拒绝了他。因为老人的眼睛已经昏花,并且不想离开宁静地退休生涯。但Aurelien拿出了巨量的黄金来恳求他,并最终打动了这位铸剑艺术家的心。
这位年迈的大师工作了数个月,炼制钢铁,铸磨剑锋以追求完美。最终铸成的剑长差不多有一个人高,而且像贵族女人的舌尖一样锋利。Vercenne宣将其命名为“夏之剑”,讽刺的是,它实际上是在冬天被铸成的。
Aurelien领主带着Luis去见铁匠,想让他的儿子亲手从年迈的大师手里接过宝剑。当这个男孩看到夏之剑的时候,他却回绝了他父亲的礼物:这样巨大的双手剑当时在贵族宫廷中已经不流行。他更喜欢一把异国风格的剑。Aurelien很无奈:于是他强迫着Luis拿走了宝剑,并向大师道了歉,但是这一切都已没有用了。铸剑师诅咒了这个男孩:因为他的傲慢,无论他佩戴的是什么宝剑,最后都终将以失败告终。在8:98祝福纪元的时候,这位男孩被任命为Denerim的侠义骑士指挥官,并希望树立自己的名声。而他确实成功了:他成为了Ferelden最臭名昭著的侠义其实,他的堕落和腐化广为人知。在9:1龙之纪元的时候,他在Avinash的战斗中遇到了Loghain Mac Tir。Luis在战斗中丢失了他的异国剑,并和他的士兵们失散了,最终他被迫地不得不去面对Loghain本人,并且身上只佩戴着这把他从未使用过的夏之剑。他的傲慢并没有像刻苦修炼那样能挽救他。Loghain很快地解决了这位浮夸的侠义骑士,并将这把大剑收为战利品。
Codex Entry 49: Thorn of the Dead Gods
In the moment that it struck, the blade of the Grey Warden who killed Toth, Archdemon of Fire, shattered into three pieces. After the Battle of Hunter Fell, the Wardens carried their fallen brother to Weisshaupt for a hero's burial, but the broken pieces of his sword were left behind.
For years, the shards lay forgotten on the battlefield. Steel became etched with the corrupted blood of the dead god. They were eventually dicovered by a Nevarran woman, searching among the bones for a sign of her lost son. She sold them to a blacksmith, not knowing what they truly were, for ten bits.
The smith, however, knew that he had purchased more than scrap metal, and fashioned the shards into three identical daggers: the Thorns of the Dead Gods. They left his hands and were scattered to the far corners of Thedas. But everywhere they went, the Thorns left misery and loss in their wake. The woman who unearthed them died soon after of plague. The smith fell into his forge. Each person who has held one of the Thorns, even briefly, has died an untimely death.
第四十九卷:亡神之刺
在它出击的时候,灰色守望者的宝剑杀死了火焰之大恶魔Toth,并且宝剑也破碎成三个碎片。在猎人山脉的战役结束后,守望者们带着他们倒下的兄弟回到了Weisshaupt举行葬礼,但这些碎片却被遗忘在了那里。
许多年过去了,这些碎片一直保留在那片战场上。钢铁渐渐地被死去的远古之神的血液所腐蚀。它们最终被一位Nevarran的女人在寻找她丢失的儿子的时候所发现。她将这些碎片卖给了一位铁匠,她并不知道它们的实际价值,因此只卖了十个铜板。
然而铁匠却知道他买下的不是一般的碎铁片,他用三块碎片制作成了三把匕首:“亡神们之刺”。它们从他的手中离开后,分布到了Thedas遥远的角落里。但是无论它们去到哪,死神之刺都会带去痛苦和死亡。那位从土里把它们挖掘出来的女人很快就死于瘟疫。而铸造它们的铁匠却跌入了他自己的铸炉。每一个握有过这把亡神之刺的人,很快都会死于不幸。
Codex Entry 50: Thorval's Luck
Ser Thorval of Rainesfere was the sixth son of a sixth son, a child of ill-fortune. It showed on his 13th birthday, when he narrowly avoided being run over by a cart, only to have a tree fall on him. It showed on his wedding day, when his bride ran off with a roving dwarven tinker.
But nowhere was Thorval's misfortune more obvious than on the battlefield. Although peerless among the knights of Rainesfere and undefeated in the tourneys of Redcliffe and West Hills, Ser Thorval was plagued by loss, for every blade he took into battle broke. Every shield cracked. He won himself honor and acclaim... and a tremendous blacksmithing bill as he sought out stronger blades and sturdier shields to replace his losses.
One day as he rode to a tournament in Denerim, Thorval's horse threw a shoe, pitching the knight head-first into a hollow tree stump. When he came to, he found his nose inches from the heavy steel head of an enormous war hammer. Since his sword, naturally, had shattered in the fall, Thorval took the hammer as a replacement.
It was highly unorthodox for a knight to use a hammer in a tournament, but Thorval won his matches easily. And the hammer even survived. From that day forth, he used no other weapon. When he died many years later, he left the hammer to his sixth son, Anselm, who promptly lost it.
第五十卷:Thorval之幸运
Rainesfere的Thorval爵士是一位排行第六的儿子所生的第六个儿子,自然是一位天生不幸的孩子。比如在他十三岁生日的那天,他刚刚躲开一部向他冲过来的马车的时候,却正好被旁边一棵倒下的树所砸到。在他结婚的那天,他的未婚妻却跟着一位矮人织纱匠私奔。
Thorval最不幸的表现莫过于在战场上的表现。虽然他Rainesfere的骑士中是那么无与伦比,且在Redcliffe和West Hills的比武大会中未尝败绩。Thorval爵士却因为遭受的损失而倍感折磨,因为他在每场战斗中佩戴的宝剑都会意外折断,每个盾牌都会被人击碎。于是在他赢得了无数的赞美与荣誉的同时…他也收到了数不胜数铁匠铺寄来的账单,因为每次他都要求为他打造更结实的宝剑和盾牌。
有一天,当他前往Denerim举行的锦标赛的时候,Thorval的马突然把这位骑士脑袋冲下地抛进了一个树桩之中。当他清醒过来的时候,他发现他的鼻子被旁边的一把战锤的铁锤头弄的生痒。他的宝剑此时已经很自然地在摔落的时候折断了,于是他便带着这把战锤做为了替代品。
在锦标赛中使用一把战锤是很不符合传统的,但Thorval却轻松地取得了最后的胜利。最惊人的是战锤竟然安然无恙。于是从那一天起,他不再使用其它的武器了。当他很多年后去世的时候,他把这把战锤留给了他的第六个儿子Anselm,而它在这个孩子的手中却很快就丢失了。
Codex Entry 51: Yusaris: The Dragonslayer
"In the company of monsters he went,
Down the empty wolf-roads after the dragon
To the lands where the ice is like steel,
And the air grows thin as a beggar,
And every rocky path is strewn with the bones
Of the lonely dead. There Dane dwelled,
And fifty swords were worn to rusted ruin
Before at last they found the cave of Fenshal,
Ancient keeper of the mountains, bane of wolves.
Dane sought a way in which the dragon might be felled,
Fiend of fire and talon, its scales
Brighter than any warrior's mail, teeth greater than men,
And all around the slumbering wyrm were bones:
Wolves, men, beasts beyond counting.
The fume of death frightened even the wolf pack,
And Dane, desperate, crept into the cavern
To seek the monster's death alone.
There, shining among the dead like a star
His hand found a sword. Yusaris:
Forged by the dwarf smiths for an Alamarri lord long ago,
Waiting age after age to be taken to battle once more.
And this Dane freed from the earth and struck
At the eye of the dragon, still sleeping,
With a swift, terrible blow.
And Fenshal woke, wroth, only to die.”
—From Dane and the Werewolf.
The legend of the blade Yusaris predates Andraste. The sword that Dane found in the dragon's treasure hoard, which he used to slay both Fenshal and the werewolf, was passed on to his son Hafter.
Dane may have been fiction, but Hafter was fact. In 1:40 Divine, he led the Alamarri tribes against darkspawn that flooded into the Ferelden valley from the dwarven lands. He not only drove back the horde, he also then defeated the combined forces of the Avvars and Chasind who hoped in take advantage of the chaos. His victories earned him such respect from the tribes, he was named the first teryn.
After years of ruling the valley in peace, it is said that Hafter left Ferelden, sailing into the unknown east of the Amaranthine Ocean with the blade still in hand, never to be seen again.
第五十一卷:Yusaris:屠龙者
“在怪物的陪伴下他前进,
穿越了空荡荡的狼之路追寻巨龙
来到了冰雪好似钢铁一样的大陆,
那里的空气稀薄到匮乏,
每一条石头路都散落着遗骨
那是孤独的死者。那里是Dane的所在,
五十把宝剑在遗迹中耗损,
最终他们找到了Fenshal的洞穴,
山谷的守护者,狼群中的灾星。
Dane寻找杀死巨龙的方法,
那是火焰与利爪的怪兽,
它的鳞片胜过任何战士的盔甲,它的牙齿比人还大,
在沉睡的巨龙身边环绕着遗骨,
狼的,人的,野兽的数不胜数。
死亡的气息即使是狼群也感到害怕,
Dane绝望地潜入了洞穴,
独自去猎杀怪兽。
那里,在死者中间闪耀着一颗星星,
他用双手找到了一把剑。Yusaris:
这是矮人在许久以前为Alamarri领主所铸造,
等了一年又一年只为再出鞘。
于是Dane从大地跃起猛地出击,
刺向了沉睡中的巨龙的眼睛,
随着这敏捷而可怕的攻击,
Fenshal终于苏醒,愤怒,却终于死亡。”
---源自“Dane与狼人”。
Yusaris宝剑的传说甚至要早于Andraste。这把宝剑是由Dane在一个龙的宝库中所找到的,他用这把剑杀死了巨龙和狼人,并且将它传给了他的儿子Hafter。
Dane可能是虚构的任务,但Hafter确有其人。在1:40神圣纪年的时候,他带领着Alamarri的部落对抗了从矮人大地过来的,席卷了Ferelden山谷的黑暗大军。他不但击退了大军,并且之后还击败了趁混乱前来占便宜的来自Avvars和Chasind的联军。他的胜利为他在部落中赢得了无可比拟的尊重,他被命名为第一任酋长。
在治理了山谷许多年后,据说Hafter离开了Ferelden,带着这把宝剑出海航向了未知的东方Amaranthine大海,从此再无人见过他
第三篇:魔法与***篇Codex
http://game.ali213.net
Codex Entry 52: Andruil: Goddess of the Hunt
Hear me, sons and daughters of the People--
I am Sister of the Moon, Mother of Hares,
Lady of the Hunt: Andruil.
Remember my teachings,
Remember the Vir Tanadhal:
The Way of Three Trees
That I have given you.
Vir Assan: the Way of the Arrow
Be swift and silent;
Strike true, do not waver
And let not your prey suffer.
That is my Way.
Vir Bor'assan: the Way of the Bow
As the sapling bends, so must you.
In yielding, find resilience;
In pliancy, find strength.
That is my Way.
Vir Adahlen: the Way of the Wood
Receive the gifts of the hunt with mindfulness.
Respect the sacrifice of my children
Know that your passing shall nourish them in turn.
That is my Way.
Remember the Ways of the Hunter
And I shall be with you.
第五十二卷:Andruil:狩猎女神
聆听我,人类的儿子和女儿们—
我是月亮的姐妹,野兔的母亲
狩猎女神:Andruil
记住我的教导,
记住Vir Tanadhal:
我所给予你的
三棵道之大树
Vir Assan:箭矢之道
轻捷而迅速
百发百中,不要动摇
且勿令你的猎物承受痛苦与折磨
这就是我的道
Vir Bor’assan:弓箭之道
你必须像幼苗那样弯曲
顺从它的柔软与弹性
在柔弱中寻找到力量
这就是我的道
Vir Adahlen:树木之道
带着正念接受狩猎之礼物
尊重我的孩子们之牺牲
要知道你死去后将会转为滋养它们的食粮
这就是我的道
Codex Entry 53: Dirthamen: Keeper of Secrets
The twins Falon'Din and Dithamen are the eldest children of Elgar'nan the All-Father and Mythal the Protector. The brothers were inseparable from the moment of their conception, known for their great love for each other. That is why we often speak of Falon'Din in one breath and Dirthamen the next, for they cannot bear to be apart, not even in our tales.
When the world was young, the gods often walked the earth, and Falon'Din and Dirthamen were no exception. Both were delighted by the many wonders of our earth. They played with the animals, whispered to the trees, and bathed in the lakes and streams. Their days were filled with bliss, and they did not know sorrow.
And then one day, while passing through the forest, Falon'Din and Dirthamen came across an old and sickly deer resting beneath a tree. "Why do you sit so still, little sister?" asked Falon'Din.
"Play with us," said Dirthamen.
"Alas," spoke the deer, "I cannot. I am old, and although I wish to go to my rest, my legs can no longer carry me."
Taking pity on the deer, Falon'Din gathered her up into his arms and carried her to her rest beyond the Veil. Dirthamen tried to follow them, but the shifting grey paths beyond the Veil would not let him. Separated for the first time from Falon'Din, Dirthamen wandered aimlessly till he came across two ravens.
"You are lost, and soon you will fade," the raven named Fear said to Dirthamen.
"Your brother has abandoned you. He no longer loves you," said the other, named Deceit
"I am not lost, and Falon'Din has not abandoned me," replied Dirthamen. HE subdued the ravens and bade them carry him to Falon'Din. This they did, for they had been defeated and were now bound to Dirthamen's service.
When Dirthamen found Falon'Din, he found also the deer, who once again was light on her feet, for her spirit was released from her weakened body. Both Falon'Din and Dirthamen rejoiced to see this. Falon'Din vowed that he would remain to carry all the dead to their place Beyond, just as he did the deer. And Dirthamen stayed with him, for the twins cannot bear to be apart.
--From The Story of Falon'Din and Dirthamen, as told by Gisharel, keeper of the Ralaferin clan of the Dalish elves.
第五十三卷:Dirthamen:不为人知的守护者
双胞胎Falon'Din和 Dithamen是永恒之父Elgar’nan与守护者 Mythal的长子。这对兄弟从他们受孕之时起就不可分离,以他们对彼此的爱而闻名于世。这就是我们为什么在提到Falon’Din的时候一定会立刻提到Dithamen,他们是如此地不可以被分割,即使是在我们说讲的故事中也是一样。
当世界刚刚诞生的时候,上帝经常来到地面行走,Falon’Din和Dithamen也是一样。他们都为在地面上遇到的形形色色的神奇地方而感到万分高兴。它们与动物们一同嬉戏,同树木进行交谈,在小溪和湖水中进行沐浴。他们的日子充满了欢乐,没有丝毫的悲伤。
直到有一天,当他们穿越一座森林的时候,Falon’Din和Dithamen在一棵树下碰到了一只正在休息的,年老生病的鹿,“你为什么一直坐在这里,***妹?”Falon’Din问道,“和我们一起玩耍吧”Dithamen对它说。
“哎呀,”鹿张嘴说到,“我不能,因为我太老了,我想平静地去安息之地,而我的腿却不听我的使唤。”
出于对这只鹿的可怜,Falon’Din将这只鹿抱在了双臂之中,并带它穿越了中间结界,来到了它的安息之地。Dithamen尝试跟随他的兄弟,但中间结界里那变换无形的道路却阻止了他。由于这是第一次和他的兄弟Falon’Din分开,Dithamen漫无目的地游荡着,直到他碰到了两只乌鸦。
“你迷路了,你很快就会消失在虚无之中了。”一只叫做恐惧的乌鸦对Dithamen说道。
“你的兄弟遗弃了你,他再也不爱你了。”另一只叫做欺骗的乌鸦说道。
“我并没有迷路,而且Falon’Din并没有抛弃我,”Dithamen这样回复道,他制服了这些乌鸦,并要求它们带他去找Falon’Din。乌鸦们只得这样作,因为它们被打败了,并且注定需永远地为Dithamen服务。
当Dithamen最终找到了Falon’Din的时候,他同时也找到了那只鹿,小鹿已经恢复了健康,且用灵巧地腿站立着,因为它的灵魂已经脱离了它那衰弱的躯壳。当Falon’Din和Dithamen看到这一情景时都很高兴。于是Falon’Din许下誓言,从此要将所有即将逝去的人的灵魂带领至另一世界,就像他对这只小鹿所作的那样。而且Dirthamen继续留在了他的身边,因为这对双胞胎是永远不可分离的。
--源自Falon’Din和Dirthamen的传说,由Dalish精灵Ralaferin部落的长老Gisharel所讲述。
Codex Entry 54: Elgar'nan: God of Vengeance
Long ago, when time itself was young, the only things in existence were the sun and the land. The sun, curious about the land, bowed his head close to her body, and Elgar'nan was born in the place where they touched. The sun and the land loved Elgar'nan greatly, for he was beautiful and clever. As a gift to Elgar'nan, the land brought forth great birds and beasts of sky and forest, and all manner of wonderful green things. Elgar'nan loved his mother's gifts and praised them highly and walked amongst them often.
The sun, looking down upon the fruitful land, saw the joy that Elgar'nan took in her works and grew jealous. Out of spite, he shone his face full upon all the creatures the earth had created, and burned them all to ashes. The land cracked and split from bitterness and pain, and cried salt tears for the loss of all she had wrought. The pool of tears cried for the land became the ocean, and the cracks in her body the first rivers and streams.
Elgar'nan was furious at what his father had done and vowed vengeance. He lifted himself into the sky and wrestled the sun, determined to defeat him. They fought for an eternity, and eventually the sun grew weak, while Elgar'nan's rage was unabated. Eventually Elgar'nan threw the sun down from the sky and buried him in a deep abyss created by the land's sorrow. With the sun gone, the world was covered in shadow, and all that remained in the sky were the reminders of Elgar'nan's battle with his father--drops of the sun's lifeblood, which twinkled and shimmered in the darkness.
--From The Tale of Elgar'nan and the Sun, as told by Gisharel, keeper of the Ralaferin clan of the Dalish elves.
第五十四卷:Elgar’nan:复仇之神
很久以前,当时间还只是刚刚形成的时候,唯一存在的东西只有太阳和大地。太阳对大地感到很好奇,于是就弯下头来,碰到了她的身体,于是在他们相碰的地方,Elgar’nan便诞生了。太阳和大地都深爱着Elgar’nan,因为他是如此地漂亮和聪明,大地带来了天空和树林中最好的鸟儿和野兽,以及一切绿色的美好事物。Elgar’nan十分喜爱他的母亲所赐予的礼物,他大力地赞美它们,并经常在它们之间行走。
太阳低头看到硕果累累的大地,并看到了Elgar’nan在她的怀抱中得到的欢乐,他开始变得嫉妒。怀着憎恨,它用它的脸贴近了大地上的所有生物,并把它们灼烧成了灰烬。大地的心破碎出了裂痕,她只得在颤抖中痛苦与悲伤,并为她所创造的一切而哭泣。这些她所流下的咸咸泪水最终汇聚成了海洋,而她身上的裂痕,就成为了最初的小溪和河流,
Elgar’nan因为他父亲所作的一切而十分愤怒,并誓言报仇。他将他自己的身体举到空中,并一把抱住了太阳,尝试去打败他。它们在一起打斗了无尽的时间,最终太阳变弱了,然而Elgar’nan的愤怒却有增无减。于世Elga’nan把太阳从空中抛了下来,埋到了大地因悲伤而产生最深的深渊里。由于太阳的消失,世界都笼罩在一片黑暗之中,天空中残留下的是太阳在争斗中泼洒出的血液,一点一滴地闪烁在黑暗的天空中,纪念着Elgar’nan与他的父亲那场惊天动地的战争。
--源自Elgar’nan与太阳的传说故事,由Dalish精灵Ralaferin部落的***Gisharel所讲述。
Codex Entry 55: Falon'Din: Friend of the Dead, the Guide
"O Falon'Din
Lethanavir--Friend to the Dead
Guide my feet, calm my soul,
lead me to my rest."
In ancient times, the People were ageless and eternal, and instead of dying would enter uthenera-the long sleep--and walk the shifting paths beyond the Veil with Falon'Din and his brother Dirthamen. Those elders would learn the secrets of dreams, and some returned to the People with newfound knowledge.
But we quickened and became mortal. Those of the People who passed walked with Falon'Din into the Beyond and never returned. If they took counsel with Dirthamen on their passage, his wisdom was lost, for it went with them into the Beyond also, and never came to the People.
Then Fen'Harel caused the gods to be shut away from us, and those who passed no longer had Falon'Din to guide them. And so we learned to lay our loved ones to rest with an oaken staff, to keep them from faltering along the paths, and a cedar branch, to scatter the ravens named Fear and Deceit who were once servants of Dirthamen, now without a master.
--As told by Gisharel, keeper of the Ralaferin clan of the Dalish elves.
第五十五卷:Falon’Din:亡者之友,引导者
‘哦,Falon’Din
Lethanavir—亡者之友
指引我的双脚,带走我的灵魂,
带我去向安息之地。”
在远古的时代,人们是不朽的,不会因为年龄而衰老死亡,取死亡而代之的则是进入沉眠—长期的沉睡---并与Falon’Din和他的兄弟Dirthamen一同走过中间结界那变幻莫测的道路。年长的人们能够学会睡梦的秘密,并当他们归来的时候为人们带来它们所新发现的知识。
但我们却很快就变为了凡人。那些和Falon’Din一同出走永远没有回来的人。如果他们在道路上听从了Dirthamen的劝告,那么他们的智慧就会与他们一起永久地遗失在另一个世界,且永远无法回到人类中来。
后来Fen’Harel隔断了神与我们之间的联系,于是那些去世的人便再也无法得到Falon’Din的指引了。于是当我们深爱的人去世的时候,我们在他旁边放上一根橡木手杖,以免他在变幻莫测的道路上蹒跚难行,以及一根雪松的树枝,以便他们能够驱赶那些曾经侍奉Dirthamen,现在却没有了主人,名叫做恐惧和欺骗的乌鸦。
--由Dalish精灵Ralaferin部落的***所讲述。
Codex Entry 56: Fen'Harel: The Dread Wolf
There is precious little we know about Fen'Harel, for they say he did not care for our people. Elgar'nan and Mythal created the world as we know it, Andruil taught us the Ways of the Hunter, Sylaise and June gave us fire and crafting, but Fen'Harel kept to himself and plotted the betrayal of all the gods. And after the destruction of Arlathan, when the gods could no longer hear our prayers, it is said the Fen'Harel spent centuries in a far corner of the earth, giggling madly and hugging himself in glee.
The legend says that before the fall of Arlatha, the gods we know and revere fought an endless war with others of their kind. There is not a hahren among us who remembers these others: Only in dreams do we hear whispered the names of Geldauran and Daern'thal and Anaris, for they are the Forgotten Ones, the gods of terror and malice, spite and pestilence. In ancient times, only Fen'Harel could walk without fear among both our gods and the Forgotten Ones, for although he is kin to the gods of the People, the Forgotten Ones knew of his cunning ways and saw him as one of their own.
And that is how Fen'Harel tricked them. Our gods saw him as a brother, and they trusted him when he said that they must keep to the heavens while he arranged a truce. And the Forgotten Ones trusted him also when he said he would arrange for the defeat of our gods, if only the Forgotten Ones would return to the abyss for a time. They trusted Fen'Harel, and they were all of them betrayed. And FenHarel sealed them away so they could never again walk among the People.
--From "the Tale of Fen'Harel's Triump," as told by Gisharel, keeper of the Ralaferin clan of the Dalish elves.
第五十六卷:Fen’Harel:恐惧之狼
我们所知道的关于Fen’Harel的宝贵知识很有限,据传说他并不在意我们的人民。Elgar’nan和Mythal创造了我们所熟知的世界,Andruil教导了我们狩猎之道,Sylaise和June给予了我们火种与制造工艺,但Fen’harel 总是独来独往,因此常被标识为诸神的背叛者。在Arlathan的毁灭之后,当诸神再也无法听到我们的祈祷时,据言Fen’Harel在数个世纪的时间里都躲在大地上偏远的角落里,疯狂地咯咯大笑并和自己欢乐地手舞足蹈。
传说中,在Arlatha陷落之前,我们目前所熟知且敬仰的诸神和它们中其他种类的神一直在进行着无穷无尽的战争。我们之中很少能有异类之人能够记住其它的这些神:只有在睡梦中,我们才能听到低语声呼唤出这些神的名字:Geldauran,Daern’thal,以及Anaris,因为他们都是被遗忘者:是恐惧,恶毒,仇恨与瘟疫之神。在远古的时代,只有Fen’Harel能够无所畏惧地行走在我们所敬仰的众神和那些被遗忘的众神之间,因为他即是我们人民敬仰的诸神的血亲,而又由于它的狡猾,让他在那些遗忘者眼中看起来也像它们一族。
于是这就是Fen’Harel如何狡猾地欺骗了他们。我们的诸神将他视作兄弟,于是当他主动要求诸神暂时停留在天堂中以便让他去商议停战的时候,诸神相信了他;而当他向遗忘者们许诺只要他们退回深渊地狱一小段时间,他便会替他们打败诸神的时候,遗忘者们也相信了他。他们都相信了Fen’Harel,但他们都被恐惧之狼所背叛。Fen’Harel籍此机会把诸神和遗忘者全都封印在了他们所在的地方,致使诸神和遗忘之神从此都再也无法在人类世界行走。
--源自“Fen’Harel的凯旋”,由Dalish精灵的Ralaferin部落长老Gisharel所讲述。
Codex Entry 57: Ghilan'nain: Mother of the Halla
They say Ghilan'nain was one of the People, in the days before Arlathan, and the chosen of Andruil the Huntress. She was very beautiful--with hair of snowy white--and as graceful as a gazelle. She kept always to Andruil's Ways, and Andruil favored her above all others.
One day, while hunting in the forest, Ghilan'nain came across a hunter she did not know. At his feet lay a hawk, shot through the heart by an arrow. Ghilan'nain was filled with rage, for the hawk--along with the hare--is an animal much beloved of Andruil. Ghilan'nain demanded that the hunter make an offering to Andruil, in exchange for taking the life of one of her creatures. The hunter refused, and Ghilan'nain called upon the goddess to curse him, so that he could never again hunt and kill a living creature.
Ghilan'nain's curse took hold, and the hunter found that he was unable to hunt. His prey would dart out of sight and his arrows would fly astray. His friends and family began to mock him for his impotence, for what use is a hunter who cannot hunt? Ashamed, the hunter swore he would find Ghilan'nain and repay her for what she had done to him.
He found Ghilan'nain while she was out on a hunt with her sisters, and lured her away from them with lies and false words. He told Ghilan'nain that he had learned his lesson and begged her to come with him, so she could teach him to make a proper offering to Andruil. Moved by his plea, Ghilan'nain followed the hunter, and when they were away from all of her sisters, the hunter turned on Ghilan'nain. He blinded her first, and then bound her as one would bind a kill fresh from the hunt. But because he was cursed, the hunter could not kill her. Instead he left her for dead in the forest.
And Ghilan'nain prayed to the gods for help. She prayed to Elgar'nan for vengeance, to Mother Mythal to protect her, but above all she prayed to Andruil. Andruil sent her hares to Ghilan'nain and they chewed through the ropes that bound her, but Ghilan'nain was still wounded and blind, and could not find her way home. So Andruil turned her into a beautiful white deer--the first halla. And Ghilan'nain found her way back to her sisters, and led them to the hunter, who was brought to justice.
And since that day, the halla have guided the People, and have never led us astray, for they listen to the voice of Ghilan'nain.
--From "The Tale of Ghilan'nain," as told by Gisharel, keeper of the Ralaferin clan of the Dalish elves.
And Ghilan'nain prayed to the gods for help. She prayed to Elgar'nan for vengeance, to Mother Mythal to protect her, but above all she prayed to Andruil. Andruil sent her hares to Ghilan'nain and they chewed through the ropes that bound her, but Ghilan'nain was still wounded and blind, and could not find her way home. So Andruil turned her into a beautiful white deer--the first halla. And Ghilan'nain found her way back to her sisters, and led them to the hunter, who was brought to justice.
And since that day, the halla have guided the People, and have never led us astray, for they listen to the voice of Ghilan'nain.
--From "The Tale of Ghilan'nain," as told by Gisharel, keeper of the Ralaferin clan of the Dalish elves.
第五十七卷:Ghilan’nain:海拉之母
他们说Ghilan’nain在Arlathan之前的那段日子里曾经是人类,并且是狩猎之神Andruil所选中的人。她非常非常地美丽—有着一头雪白色的长发---并且身体像瞪羚一样优雅。她总是遵循着Andruil之道,且 Andruil偏爱她超过了任何其他人。
有一天,在森林中狩猎的时候,Ghilan’nain遇到了一名她所不认识的猎人。在他的脚下躺着一只被一根箭矢从心脏穿过的鹰。Ghilan’nain顿时产生了愤怒,因为在鹰的旁边还躺着一只野兔—那是Andruil最喜爱的生物。Ghilan’nain要求猎人立刻对Andruil做出赔偿,因为他夺走了一只她的生物的生命。而猎人拒绝了,于是Ghilan’nain便召唤了女神对他进行了诅咒,使他再也无法进行猎捕并杀死另外一只生物。
Ghilan'nain的诅咒一直持续着,于是那名猎人发现他自己再也无法进行狩猎了。他的猎物总是提前逃跑,而他的箭矢也总是飞偏。他的朋友和家人开始嘲笑他的无能,一名不能狩猎的猎人怎么还能称之为猎人呢?出于羞耻,猎人发誓一定要找到Ghilan'nain,并要让她对她的所作所为付出代价。
他在Ghilan'nain和他姐妹们进行狩猎的时候找到了她,并用谎言和假话骗使她远离她的姐妹。他告诉Ghilan'nain他已经领会了应得的教训,并且恳求她能够和他一起走,从而教他如何补偿Andruil。由于被他的请求所打动,Ghilan'nain跟着猎人走了,当他们远离了她的姐妹的时候,猎人突然对Ghilan'nain发动了突袭。他先弄瞎了她,并将她像猎物一样地绑了起来,而因为他所遭受的诅咒,他无法杀死她。取而代之,他把她留在了森林里等待死亡。
于是绝望的Ghilan'nain开始向神祈祷以寻求帮助。她向Elgar’nan祈祷寻求复仇,向Mythal母亲祈祷寻求保护,但她最多地向Andruil祈祷。Andruil派出了她的野兔们去寻找Ghilan'nain,野兔们咬断了捆绑着她的绳子,但Ghilan'nain的眼睛仍然瞎着,因此无法找到回家的路。于是Andruil又把她变成了一只美丽的白鹿----也就是第一只海拉。Ghilan'nain最终找到了回到她姐妹身边的路,并且带领着她的姐妹寻找到那个猎人,并最终执行了正义。
从那天开始,海拉就开始指引人们,并且永远不会迷路,因为它们永远聆听着Ghilan'nain的声音。
--源自“Ghilan'nain的传说”,由Dalish精灵Ralaferin部落的长老所讲述。
Codex Entry 58: June: God of the Craft
We dedicate all our crafts to June, for it is he who taught the People to bend the branches of trees to make our bows, and to fashion coverings of furs and ironbark. Without June, would we have the aravel, or the harnesses for our halla?
When the People were young, we wandered the forests without purpose. We drank from streams and ate the berries and nuts that we could find. We did not hunt, for we had no bows. We wore nothing, for we had no knowledge of spinning or needlecraft. We shivered in the cold nights, and went hungry though the winters, when all the world was covered in ice and snow.
Then Sylaise the Hearthkeeper came, and gave us fire and taught us how to feed it with wood. June taught us to fashion bows and arrows and knives, so that we could hunt. We learned to cook the flesh of the creatures we hunted over Sylaise's fire, and we learned to clothe ourselves in their furs and skins. And the People were no longer cold and hungry.
--As told by Gisharel, keeper of the Ralaferin clan of the Dalish elves.
第五十八卷:June:工艺之神
我们的制造工艺全部来自于June,他教导了人们如果通过弯曲树枝来制造弓箭,以及用毛皮和铁皮木做铺盖的方法。如果没有June,我们怎么会有大篷帐,或者海拉们的缰绳?
当人们还很年轻的时候,我们曾在树林中漫无目的地漫游。我们渴了就在小溪中喝水,饿了就吃找到的草莓或坚果。我们并不会打猎,因为我们没有弓箭。我们什么都不穿,因为我不知道针线和纺织。我们在寒冷的夜晚颤抖,在冬天到来的时候,世界被漫天的冰雪所覆盖,我们只能够默默忍受饥饿。
壁炉掌管者Sylaise的到来,给予了我们火种并教会了我们如何使用木头使火更加旺盛。
June教会了我们制造弓,箭矢和刀具,我们才学会了打猎。我们学会了将打猎得来的肉放在Sylaise的火焰上烹饪,我们也学会了给自己穿上猎物的皮毛。从此以后,人们再也不用忍受饥饿和寒冷所带来的痛苦了。
---由Dalsish精灵Ralaferin部落的***Gisharel所讲述。
Codex Entry 59: Mythal: the Great Protector
Elgar'nan had defeated his father, the sun, and all was covered in darkness. Pleased with himself, Elgar'nan sought to console his mother, the earth, by replacing all that the sun had destroyed. But the earth knew that without the sun, nothing could grow. She whispered to Elgar'nan this truth, and pleaded with him to release his father, but Elgar'nan's pride was great, and his vengeance was terrible, and he refused.
It was at this moment that Mythal walked out of the sea of the earth's tears and onto the land. She placed her hand on Elgar'nan's brow, and at her touch he grew calm and knew that his anger had led him astray. Humbled, Elgar'nan went to the place where the sun was buried and spoke to him. Elgar'nan said he would release the sun if the sun promised to be gentle and to return to the earth each night. The sun, feeling remorse at what he had done, agreed.
And so the sun rose again in the sky, and shone his golden light upon the earth. Elgar'nan and Mythal, with the help of the earth and the sun, brought back to life all the wondrous things that the sun had destroyed, and they grew and thrived. And that night, when the sun had gone to sleep, Mythal gathered the glowing earth around his bed, and formed it into a sphere to be placed in the sky, a pale reflection of the sun's true glory.
--From "The Tale of Mythal's Touch," as told by Gisharel, keeper of the Ralaferin clan of the Dalish elves
第五十九卷:Mythal:伟大的守护者
Elgar’nan打败了他的太阳父亲之后,一切事物都笼罩在黑暗之中。他感到十分高兴,Elgar’nan尝试恢复太阳当初所毁灭的一切,并希望借此来安慰他的大地母亲。大地却知道如果没有太阳,没有东西能够生长。她轻柔地告诉Elgar’nan这个事实,并且希望他能够释放他的父亲,但Elgar’nan的自尊心很强,而他复仇心又是如此可怕,他拒绝了。
就在这个时候Mythal从大地的泪水所构成的海洋中走了出来并登上了陆地。她用她的手抚摸着Elgar’nan的前额,这使Elgar’nan冷静了下来,并且看清了是他的怒火误导了他 。Elgar’nan带着谦虚的心,来到了埋葬太阳的地方并跟他进行了交谈。Elgar’nan说他会释放太阳,前提是太阳一定要许诺不再撒野,并且在每个夜晚回到大地中去。太阳此时也对自己曾经的所作所为感到后悔,于是他便答应了这个要求。
太阳重又升起到了天空中,并向大地散发出它那金色的光芒。Elgar’nan和Mythal在得到了大地和太阳的帮助下,把所有太阳所毁灭的美好事物又带回了大地,并且生长得比以前更加旺盛。当一个太阳落回大地沉睡的夜晚,Mythal把他沉睡的床周围那些发光的大地收集起来,并雕成了一个球型的形状放在了天空当中,以此作为太阳真正光辉的暗白色折影。
---来自“Mythal触摸的故事”,由Dalish精灵Ralaferin部落的***Gisharel所讲述。
Codex Entry 60: Sylaise: the Hearthkeeper
Sylaise the Hearthkeeper is seen as the sister of Andruil the Huntress. While Andruil loved to run with the creatures of the wild, Sylaise preferred to stay by her home-tree, occupying herself with gentle arts and song.
It is Sylaise who gave us fire and taught us how to use it. It is Sylaise who showed us how to heal with herbs and with magic, and how to ease the passage of infants into this world. And again, it is Sylaise who showed us how to spin the fibers of plants into thread and rope.
We owe much to Sylaise, and that is why we sing to her when we kindle the fires and when we put them out. That is why we sprinkle our aravels with Sylaise's fragrant tree-moss, and ask that she protect them and all within.
--As told by Gisharel, keeper of the Ralaferin clan of the Dalish elves
第六十卷:Sylaise:壁炉掌管者
壁炉掌管者Sylaise被看作是狩猎女神Andruil的姐妹。当Andruil喜爱和野生动物们一同追逐嬉戏的时候,Sylaise更加喜欢呆在她自己家的树上,并沉浸在轻柔的艺术和歌声之中。
正是Sylaise给予了我们火焰,并教导我们如何使用它。正是Sylaise像我们展示了如何使用魔法和草药来治疗我们的伤口,以及如何接生降临到我们这个世界的婴儿。同时,也正是Sylaise教导了我们如何将植物的纤维编制成为线和绳。
Sylaise对我们的帮助是如此之多,这也是我们为什么为什么在点燃和扑灭火焰的时候都要唱起给她的颂歌。这也是我们为什么当我们用Sylaise的树苔装饰我们的帐篷,并向她祈祷能够保护帐篷和帐篷内的所有人。
--由Dalsish精灵Ralaferin部落的***Gisharel所讲述。
Codex Entry 61: On the prison of Aeonar
When the Imperium occupied the area that is present-day Ferelden, they had two sites dedicated to magical experimentation at the extreme ends of the Imperial Highway. The southern one was the fortress of Ostagar, which looked out over the Korcari Wilds. The northern one was Aeonar, although the exact location is now a secret known only to a handful of Templars.
Whatever it was the Tevinter were trying to discover at Aeonar, their work was never completed. The fortress was overrun by disciples of Andraste upon hearing the news of her death. According to legend, it was a massacre--eerily silent, for the invaders caught the mages while all but one of them were in the Fade.
The site was left structurally sound but spiritually damaged. Possibly because of this, the Chantry chose to put it to use as a prison. Accused maleficarum and apostates are held in the confines of Aeonar. Those who have a powerful connection to the Fade, and particularly to demons, will inevitably attract something across the Veil, making the guilty somewhat easier to tell from the innocent.
--From Of Fires, Circles, and Templars: A History of Magic in the Chantry, by Sister Petrine, Chantry scholar.
第六十一卷:Aeonar的监狱
当帝国军队占领了现今的Ferelden的时候,它们在帝国大道的尽头有两个地方用来进行魔法的实验。南方的一个就是现在的Ostagar堡垒,它耸立并俯瞰着Korcari荒野。北方的一个则是Aeonar,仅管它的确切地点如今只被少数的圣殿武士所了解。
无论Tevinter在Aeonar是尝试发现什么,他们却从来没有成功过。这个堡垒在Andraste的弟子们听到她的死讯的后很短的时间内便被他们攻破了。根据传说,那是一场大***---但却又怪异地寂静怕人,入侵者们在所有法师的精神正游离在暗物质界的时候捉住了他们,只有一个法师例外。
这个地点虽然结构仍然完整,但灵魂已被破坏。也许正是因为这点,教会决定用它作为一个监狱。被指控为放逐法师和异教徒的人被囚禁在Aeonar之内。那些和暗物质界联系过密的人,尤其是和恶魔有联系的人,会不可避免地吸引一些东西穿越中间结界来到这里,这使得区分一个人是否有罪的还是清白在这里变得十分容易。
----源自“火焰,议会,和圣殿武士:一段教会中的魔法历史”,作者是教会的学者Petrine修女。
Codex Entry 62: An account of the life of the Prophet Andraste
There was once a tiny fishing village on the Waking Sea that was set upon by the Tevinter Imperium, which enslaved the villagers to be sold in the markets of Minrathous,leaving behind only the old and the infirm. One of the captives was the child Andraste.
She was raised in slavery in a foreign land. She escaped, then made the long and treacherous journey back to her homeland alone. She rose from nothing to be the wife of an Alamarri warlord.
Each day she sang to the gods, asking them to help her people who remained slaves in Tevinter. The false gods of the mountains and the winds did not answer her, but the true god did.
The Maker spoke. He showed her all the works of His hands: the Fade, the world, and all the creatures therein. He showed her how men had forgotten Him, lavishing devotion upon mute idols and demons, and how He had left them to their fate. But her voice had reached Him, and so captivated Him that He offered her a place at His side, that she might rule all of creation.
But Andraste would not forsake her people.
She begged the Maker to return, to save His children from the cruelty of the Imperium. Reluctantly, the Maker agreed to give man another chance.
Andraste went back to her husband, Maferath, and told him all that the Maker had revealed to her. Together, they rallied the Alamarri and marched forth against the mage-lords of the Imperium, and the Maker was with them.
The Maker's sword was creation itself: fire and flood, famine and earthquake. Everywhere they went, Andraste sang to the people of the Maker, and they heard her. The ranks of Andraste's followers grew until they were a vast tide washing over the Imperium. And when Maferath saw that the people loved Andraste and not him, a worm grew within his heart, gnawing upon it.
At last, the armies of Andraste and Maferath stood before the very gates of Minrathous, but Andraste was not with them.
For Maferath had schemed in secret to hand Andraste over to the Tevinter. For this, the archon would give Maferath all the lands to the south of the Waking Sea.
And so, before all the armies of the Alamarri and of Tevinter, Andraste was tied to a stake and burned while her earthly husband turned his armies aside and did nothing, for his heart had been devoured. But as he watched the pyre, the archon softened. He took pity on Andraste, and drew his sword, and granted her the mercy of a quick death.
The Maker wept for His Beloved, cursed Maferath, cursed mankind for their betrayal, and turned once again from creation, taking only Andraste with him. And Our Lady sits still at his side, where she still urges Him to take pity on His children.
--From The Sermons of Justinia II
第六十二卷:先知Andraste的生平传记
曾经,在觉醒之海的岸边有一个属于帝国管辖的小渔村,那里的人们常常被当作奴隶贩卖到Minrathous,只留下了老弱病残的人生活在渔村, Andraste就是那些俘虏中的一个孩子。
她的童年一直作为一名奴隶,在异国的土地上长大成人。最终她逃离了那里,并经历了千辛万苦后回到了故乡。她从一名无闻的人最终成为了Alamarri领主的妻子。
每一天,她都对着神歌唱,祈祷着神能够解救那些仍然处在Tevinter奴役下的奴隶们。那些代表山岭和风的假神没有回应她的祈祷,但真神却回应了她。
造物主对她讲话了。他对她展示了他所制造的一切:暗物质界,世界,以及他所制造的所有生物。又向她说明了人们是如何遗忘了他,转而去崇拜和侍奉那些虚假的偶像或恶魔,于是他才抛弃了人们。但是她的声音打动了造物主,并令造物主着迷,于是他向她提供了一个留在他身边的机会,这样她就能够掌管所有的生物了。
但是Andraste绝不会弃她的人民而去。
她乞求造物主回来,并将他的孩子们从帝国的残忍统治下拯救出来。造物主只要勉强地同意了再给人们一次机会。
Andraste回到了她的丈夫Maferath身边,并告诉他了造物主所告诉她的所有事情的真相。于是,它们一起集合了所有Alamarri的人,并向着统治帝国的魔法领主展开了进攻,造物主和它们同在。
造物主的宝剑就是创造本身:火焰与洪水,饥荒和地震。他们每到一个地方,Andraste就向造物主的子民们歌唱,他们都专注地聆听她的声音。Andraste的追随者越来越多,最终,他们变成了一股不可抵挡的浪潮,席卷了整个帝国。而当Maferath发觉人们爱戴不是他,而是Andraste的时候,他的内心仿佛出现了一只虫子,不断撕咬着他的内心。
最终,Andraste和Maferath的军队来到了Minrathous的大***,但Andraste并没有和他们在一起。
因为,Maferath正密谋将Andraste献给Tevinter的执政官,借此,执政官许诺将给予他南至觉醒之海的所有土地。
于是,当着所有Alamarri和Tevinter军队的面,Andraste被绑在了一个柱子上并被大火焚烧,而此时他在人类世界中的丈夫却带领着军队站在一旁,望着这一切无动于衷,因为此时他的内心已经完全被腐蚀。但当执政官望着柴堆的时候,他的内心动摇了。他对Andraste产生了怜意,于是拔出了宝剑,赐予了Andraste快速而仁慈的死亡。
造物主为了他的心爱之人而哭泣,并诅咒了Maferath,诅咒了所有背叛她的人,并再次地离这些他的子民远去,只带走了Andraste。而直至如今的现在,我们这位高贵的女士仍然坐在造物主的身边,仍然乞求着造物主能够再给他可怜的子民一次机会。
--源自Junstinia二世的弥撒祷文
Codex Entry 63: The history of the Rite of Annulment
In the 83rd year of the Glory Age, one of the mages of the Nevarran Circle was found practicing forbidden magic. The templars executed him swiftly, but this brewed discontent among the Nevarra Circle. The mages made several magical attacks against the templars, vengeance for the executed mage, but the knight-commander was unable to track down which were responsible.
Three months later, the mages summoned a demon and turned it loose against their templar watchers. Demons, however, are not easily controlled. After killing the first wave of templars who tried to contain it, the demon took possession of one of its summoners. The resulting abomination slaughtered Templars and mages both before escaping into the countryside.
The grand cleric sent a legion of templars to hunt the fugitive. They killed the abomination a year later, but by that time it had slain 70 people.
Divine Galatea, responding to the catastrophe in Nevarra and hoping to prevent further incidents, granted all the Grand Clerics of the Chantry the power to purge a Circle entirely if they rule it irredeemable. This Rite of Annulment has been performed 17 times in the last 700 years.
--From Of Fires, Circles, and Templars: A History of Magic in the Chantry, by Sister Petrine, Chantry scholar.
第六十三卷:毁灭仪式的历史
在荣誉纪年第83年,一位来自Nevarran议会的魔法师被发现正在使用禁忌的魔法。圣殿武士发现后立刻处决了他,而这导致了在Nevarra议会中引起了普遍的不满。于是魔法师们用魔法制造了几起针对圣殿武士的攻击事件,并声称是为了给被处决的魔法师复仇,但骑士指挥官却始终无法找到幕后主使是谁。
三个月过后,法师们召唤出了一个恶魔,并将其转向对付那些负责看守的圣殿武士。然而,恶魔却不是那么容易被控制的。在杀死了第一波尝试囚禁它的圣殿武士后,恶魔占据了一位召唤他的法师。继而产生的憎恶者杀死了所有在场的人,无论是圣殿武士还是法师,并逃脱到了荒野之中。
大牧师立即派出了整整一个军团的圣殿武士去追捕这个逃犯。一年之后,他们终于杀死了这个憎恶者,但到了那时,它已经整整杀死了70个人。
Galatea教皇迅速响应了发生在Nevarra的灾难,为了防止这种灾难再次发生,他赐予了所有教会的大牧师能够在认为局势无法挽回的情况下,净化并消灭整个法师议会的能力。这种毁灭仪式在过去的700年中一共被实行过17次。
--来自“火焰,议会和圣殿武士:一段教会的魔法历史”,作者是教会学者Petrine修女。
Codex Entry 64: On the history of Apostate mages
It is not uncommon for the neophyte to mistake apostates and maleficarum as one and the same. Indeed, the Chantry has gone to great lengths over the centuries to establish that this is so. The truth, however, is that while an apostate is often a maleficar, he need not be so. A maleficar is a mage who employs forbidden knowledge such as blood magic and the summoning of demons, whereas an apostate is merely any mage who does not fall under the auspices of the Circle of Magi (and therefore the Chantry). They are hunted by the templars, and quite often they will turn to forbidden knowledge in order to survive, but it would be a lie to say that all apostates begin that way.
Historically, apostates become such in one of two ways: They are either mages who have escaped from the Circle or mages who were never part of it to begin with. This latter category includes what we tend to refer to as "hedge mages"--those with magical ability out in the hinterlands who follow a different magical tradition than our own. Some of these hedge mages are not even aware of their nature. Undeveloped, their abilities can express themselves in a variety of ways, which the hedge mage might attribute to faith, or will, or to another being entirely (depending on his nature). Some of these traditions are passed down from generation to generation, as with the so-called "witches" of the Chasind wilders or the "shamans" of the Avvar barbarians.
No matter how a mage has become apostate, the Chantry treats them alike: Templars begin a systematic hunt to bring the apostate to justice. In almost all cases, "justice" is execution. If there is some overriding reason the mage should live, the Rite of Tranquility is employed instead. Whether we of the Circle of Magi believe this system fair is irrelevant: It is what it is.
--From Patterns Within Form, by Halden, First Enchanter of Starkhaven, 8:80 Blessed.
第六十四卷:异教徒的历史
对于初学者来说,常犯的错误就是误将异教徒和放逐法师混为一谈。确实,教会在过去的数个世纪内都竭尽全力地推崇这一理论。但事实却是,一位异教徒通常是一位放逐法师,但他实际上却不需要这么做。一个放逐法师是一个使用禁忌知识的法师,比如使用血魔法,或召唤恶魔等,而一位异教徒却是那些不听从法师议会(其实就是教会)的命令的人。他们都会遭到圣殿武士的追杀,因此他们通常不得不转而使用禁忌的知识来寻求活命,但认为所有的异教徒都是一样的说法却是个谎言。
从历史的角度说,被判定为异教徒通常有两种情况:他们要么是从法师议会逃脱的法师,要么就是一开始他们就不从属法师议会的法师。后者包括了我们通常所说的“隐居法师”—那些在荒郊野外的拥有魔法能力,却遵循着和我们不一样的魔法传统的法师。这些隐居法师甚至不知道自己拥有魔法能力。它们的魔法能力未经训练,但通常会在用不同的方式表现出来。
这些法师可能会把造成这些能力的原因归结于自己的信仰,或者意志,又或者是由于其他的什么东西(根据他自己的本质不同)。有些这种传统被一代一代地继承了下来,比如Chasind荒野的“女巫”,或者Avvar野蛮人的“萨满”。
无论一个魔法师怎样变成异教徒,教会对待他们的态度都是一样的:圣殿武士会有组织地对他们进行追捕并执行正义。大多时候“正义”就代表着处决。如果有一些更重要的原因使得不得不饶过他的性命,则会替而代之对他采取“宁静仪式”。无论我们法师议会认为这种系统是否公平并不重要:它就是如此。
----源自“形式***”,作者是Starkhaven的首席附魔师Halden,祝福纪年8:80.
Codex Entry 65: An explanation of the Black City.
No traveler to the Fade can fail to spot the Black City. It is one of the few constants of that ever-changing place. No matter where one might be, the city is visible. (Always far off, for it seems that the only rule of geography in the Fade is that all points are equidistant from the Black City.)
The Chant teaches that the Black City was once the seat of the Maker, from whence He ruled the Fade, left empty when men turned away from Him. Dreamers do not go there, nor do spirits. Even the most powerful demons seem to avoid the place.
It was golden and beautiful once, so the story goes, until a group of powerful magister-lords from the Tevinter Imperium devised a means of breaking in. When they did so, their presence defiled the city, turning it black. (Which was, perhaps, the least of their worries.)
--From Beyond the Veil: Spirits and Demons, by Enchanter Mirdromel
第六十五卷:黑暗之城之的一种解释
每个到过暗物质界的旅行者都见过黑暗之城。那是在变化不息的暗物质界中少有的不变事物之一。无论一个人走到哪里,都可以远远地望见黑暗之城(通常是离的很远,看起来根据暗物质界的物理规则:所有地方距离黑暗之城的距离都是一样的)
教会的歌谣传说黑暗之城曾经一度是造物者的宝座,那时他统治着整个暗物质界,而当人们背叛他的时候,他便离开了那座城市,只留下了一具空壳。梦游者们无法到达那里,而灵魂也是一样。即使是最强大的恶魔也似乎在躲避着那个地方。
它曾经一度是金色和美丽的,起码故事中是这样说的,直到一组来自Tevinter的强大法师领主尝试强行进入它。当他们成功的时候,由于他们的出现污染了城市,结果将它变成了一片黑暗(也许,反正至少是变成他们最不想看到的那种样子)。
--来自“超越中间结界:灵魂和恶魔”,由附魔师Mirdromel撰写。
Codex Entry 66: The Chant of Light on the first darkspawn
No matter their power, their triumphs,
The mage-lords of Tevinter were men
And doomed to die.
Then a voice whispered within their hearts,
Shall you surrender your power
To time like the beasts of the fields?
You are the Lords of the earth!
Go forth to claim the empty throne
Of Heaven and be gods.
In secret they worked
Magic upon magic
All their power and all their vanity
They turned against the Veil
Until at last, it gave way.
Above them, a river of Light,
Before them the throne of Heaven, waiting,
Beneath their feet
The footprints of the Maker,
And all around them echoed a vast
Silence.
But when they took a single step
Toward the empty throne
A great voice cried out
Shaking the very foundations
Of Heaven and earth:
And So is the Golden City blackened
With each step you take in my Hall.
Marvel at perfection, for it is fleeting.
You have brought Sin to Heaven
And doom upon all the world.
Violently were they cast down,
For no mortal may walk bodily
In the realm of dreams,
Bearing the mark of their Crime:
Bodies so maimed
And distorted that none should see them
And know them for men.
Deep into the earth they fled,
Away from the Light.
In Darkness eternal they searched
For those who had goaded them on,
Until at last they found their prize,
Their god, their betrayer:
The sleeping dragon Dumat. Their taint
Twisted even the false-god, and the whisperer
Awoke at last, in pain and horror, and led
Them to wreak havoc upon all the nations of the world:
The first Blight.
--From Threnodies 8.
第六十六卷:光明之歌:第一只黑暗生物
无论拥有几多力量,几多胜利,
Tevinter的魔法领主仍然是人
人终将灭亡。
在它们的内心响起了一丝低吟,
难道你想放弃你的力量吗?
就像地里野兽的一生。
你是地表的主人!
前进吧 占领天堂空荡的王座
成为神。
他们秘密的筹划
用了无数的魔法
用尽了他们的权力,财富
他们和结界斗争
最终 结界放弃了
他们之上,是一条光芒的河流
他们面前,是静静等候他们的王座
他们脚下,是造物主的脚印
他们四周,是一片广阔
却回荡着死寂
但当他们仅仅迈出一小步
尝试登上空空的王座
一声巨响的话语爆发出来
震动了所有的根基
天堂与大地
于是金色城市变黑了
你每在我的大厅里迈出一步
好好见识一下完美的样子, 因为它即将不在
你给天堂带来了原罪
你给世界带来了毁灭
他们被残忍地放逐
从此再不能作为凡人行走在世界上
在梦境的世界里,
他们带着罪孽的痕迹:
残破的身躯
扭曲得没有人见到他们后
还会称之为人类。
他们逃到了地底的深处,
远离了光明
他们在黑暗中永恒寻找,
为了那些唆使它们的人,
直到最终它们找到了奖赏,
它们的神,它们的叛徒:
沉睡之龙:Dumat。
它们的污点甚至扭曲了远古之神,
私语者也被痛苦和恐惧所唤醒,
从而带领着它们去摧毁世界上的一切:第一次天灾。”
--哀歌纪元8
Codex Entry 67:The Chant of Light on the commandments of the Maker
These truths the Maker has revealed to me:
As there is but one world,
One life, one death, there is
But one god, and He is our Maker.
They are sinners, who have given their love
To false gods.
Magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him.
Foul and corrupt are they
Who have taken His gift
And turned it against His children.
They shall be named Maleficar, accursed ones.
They shall find no rest in this world
Or beyond.
All men are the Work of our Maker's Hands,
From the lowest slaves
To the highest kings.
Those who bring harm
Without provocation to the least of His children
Are hated and accursed by the Maker.
Those who bear false witness
And work to deceive others, know this:
There is but one Truth.
All things are known to our Maker
And He shall judge their lies.
All things in this world are finite.
What one man gains, another has lost.
Those who steal from their brothers and sisters
Do harm to their livelihood and to their peace of mind.
Our Maker sees this with a heavy heart.
--Transfigurations1:1-5
第六十七卷:光明之歌:造物主的戒律
这是造物主揭示给我的真相:
我们只有一个世界
一个生命,一次死亡
一位真神,他就是我们的造物主。
他们是罪人,那些将他们的爱
给予了假神的人
魔法的存在是为了服务人类,而不是控制他们
他们是丑陋和堕落的
那些得到了他的礼物
却又用它来敌对他的人
他们会被命名为放逐法师,受诅咒的人
他们将不会在这个世界上找到安息之处
也不会在任何世界找到
所有的人类都是造物主创造的结晶
从最低下的奴隶
到最崇高的国王
那些无缘无故
对他的子民做出侵害的人
将会受到造物主的怒火和诅咒
那些做***的人
那些欺骗他人的人,记住:
真相只有一个。
并且造物主无所不知
他将会审判他们的谎言
这个世界中的一切都是有限的
一个人得到了,另一个人就会失去
那些从他的兄弟姐妹处偷窃的人
它们将难以生存并难以安息
我们的造物主内心沉重地看着这一切
---崇高篇1:1-5
Codex Entry 68: The Chant of Light on the Maker and Creation
There was no word
For heaven or for earth, for sea or sky.
All that existed was silence.
Then the Voice of the Maker rang out,
The first Word,
And His Word became all that might be:
Dream and idea, hope and fear,
Endless possibilities.
And from it made his firstborn.
And he said to them:
In My image I forge you,
To you I give dominion
Over all that exists.
By your will
May all things be done.
Then in the center of heaven
He called forth
A city with towers of gold,
streets with music for cobblestones,
And banners which flew without wind.
There, He dwelled, waiting
To see the wonders
His children would create.
The children of the Maker gathered
Before his golden throne
And sang hymns of praise unending.
But their songs
Were the songs of the cobblestones.
They shone with the golden light
Reflected from the Maker's throne.
They held forth the banners
That flew on their own.
And the Voice of the Maker shook the Fade
Saying: In My image I have wrought
My firstborn. You have been given dominion
Over all that exists. By your will
All things are done.
Yet you do nothing.
The realm I have given you
Is formless, ever-changing.
And He knew he had wrought amiss.
So the Maker turned from his firstborn
And took from the Fade
A measure of its living flesh
And placed it apart from the Spirits, and spoke to it, saying:
Here, I decree
Opposition in all things:
For earth, sky
For winter, summer
For darkness, Light.
By My Will alone is Balance sundered
And the world given new life.
And no longer was it formless, ever-changing,
But held fast, immutable,
With Words for heaven and for earth, sea and sky.
At last did the Maker
From the living world
Make men. Immutable, as the substance of the earth,
With souls made of dream and idea, hope and fear,
Endless possibilities.
Then the Maker said:
To you, my second-born, I grant this gift:
In your heart shall burn
An unquenchable flame
All-consuming, and never satisfied.
From the Fade I crafted you,
And to the Fade you shall return
Each night in dreams
That you may always remember me.
And then the Maker sealed the gates
Of the Golden City
And there, He dwelled, waiting
To see the wonders
His children would create.
--Threnodies 5:1-8
第六十八卷:光明之歌 :造物主和他的创造
那里曾经没有语言
无论是天堂还是地面,海洋还是天空
那里有的只有寂静
继而造物主的声音出现了,
第一个语言
且他的语言变成了所有的那些:
梦境和理想,希望和恐惧,
无尽的可能
并且从它诞生了它的初生儿。
他对他们说:
我以我的印象刻画了你们
我给予你们
掌控一切存在事物的权利
以你们的意志
完成所有的事情
于是在天堂的***
他呼唤起了一座
用金子做成的城市
大街上铺满鹅卵石和充满着音乐
即使无风也在飞舞的旗帜
那里,他居住并等待着
以看着他的子民
所能创造的奇迹
造物主把他的子民集中在他的王座前
并无止尽地歌唱赞歌
他们的歌声
有鹅卵石之歌
他们照耀在造物主的王座所反射出的
金色的光芒下
他们举着那些
无风也能够飘扬的旗帜
而造物主接下来的话语惊动了暗物质界
他说:我以我的印象刻画了你们
我给予你们
掌控一切存在事物的权利
以你们的意志
完成所有的事情
但你们却什么事情也没有做
我所给你们的世界是无形的
永无止境的
他知道了他似乎在制造之中犯了错误
于是造物主来到了他的初生儿的面前
并把他移出了暗物质界
给予了他肉体
并把他和灵魂们分开,对它说:
这里,我宣布
所有的事物都是相对的:
有天空和大地
有冬天和夏天
有黑暗和光明。
只有通过我的意志才能打破平衡
于是这个世界被给予了新的生机。
于是它不再是无形的,永在变化的
它突然停住并无法继续改变
有了天堂和大地,海洋和天空的语言。
这就是造物主最后
对生命世界所作所为
将人类的形体变得不可改变,就像大地一样
并有了梦境和理想,希望和恐惧所构成的灵魂
无穷的可能
然后造物主说:
对你,我第二个生下的孩子,我给你这个礼物:
你的内心将永远燃烧
难以熄灭的火焰
永远在消费,并无法被满足。
我从暗物质界制造了你,
你因此需要每晚在梦中
回到暗物质界
这样你就会永远记住我。
于是造物者封闭了
金色之城的大门
那里,他居住并等待着
以看着他的子民
所能创造的奇迹
---哀歌 5:1-8
Codex Entry 70: On the schism of the Imperial Chantry
There are those who would tell you that the Chantry is the same everywhere as it is here, that the Divine in Val Royeaux reigns supreme in the eyes of the Maker and that this fact is unquestioned throughout Thedas.
Do not believe it.
The Maker's second commandment, "Magic must serve man, not rule over him," never held the same meaning within the ancient Tevinter Imperium as it did elsewhere. The Chantry there interpreted the rule as meaning that mages should never control the minds of other men, and that otherwise their magic should benefit the rulers of men as much as possible. When the clerics of Tevinter altered the Chant of Light to reflect this interpretation of the commandment, the Divine in Val Royeaux ordered the clerics to revert to the original Chant. They refused, claiming corruption within Val Royeaux, an argument that grew until, in 4:87 Towers, the Chantry in Tevinter elected its own "legitimate and uncorrupted" Divine Valhail--who was not only male, but also happened to be one of the most prominent members of the Tevinter Circle of the Magi. This "Black Divine" was reviled outside Tevinter, his existence an offense to the Chantry in Val Royeaux.
After four Exalted Marches to dislodge these "rebels," all that the Chantry in Val Royeaux accomplished was to cement the separation. While most aspects of the Imperial Chantry's teachings are the same, prohibitions against magic have been weakened, and male priests have become more prevalent. The Circle of the Magi today rules Tevinter directly, ever since the Archon Nomaran was elected in 7:34 Storm directly from the ranks of the enchanters, to great applause from the public. He dispensed with the old rules forbidding mages from taking part in politics, and within a century, the true rulers within the various imperial houses--the mages--took their places openly within the government. The Imperial Divine is now always drawn from the ranks of the first enchanters and operates as Divine and Grand Enchanter both.
This is utter heresy to any member of the Chantry outside of Tevinter, a return to the days of the magisters, which brought the Blights down upon us. But it exists, and even though we have left the Tevinter Imperium to the mercies of the dread qunari, still they have endured. Further confrontation between the Black Divine and our so-called "White Divine" is inevitable.
--From Edicts of the Black Divine, by Father David of Qarinus, 8:11 Blessed
第七十篇:帝国教会的分裂
会有一些人告诉你,任何地方的教会都和这里的一样,Val Royeaux教皇在造物主的眼中是更加至高的,且这在Thedas的大地上从未被怀疑过。
不要相信这些话。
造物主的第二个戒条“魔法必须为人类服务,而不是控制人类”自古以来就在Tevinter帝国的内部有着和他处不同的解释。那里的教会解释为魔法师不应当控制其他人类的思想,然而却应尽可能地为统治者服务。当Tevinter的教会用这种方法曲解了戒条的时候,Val Royeaux教皇就要求牧师们回复原有的教义。然而他们拒绝了,并声称在Val Royeaux的内部产生了堕落,这个争吵一直持续到了4:87高塔纪元,Tevinter的教会选举出了他们自己的“合法且未堕落”神圣教皇-不但是个男人,而且还是Tevinter法师议会中地位最为显赫的一个人。这个“黑暗教皇”遭到了来自Tevinter之外的人的斥责,他的存在是对Val Royeaux教会的一种极大的冒犯。
在经历了四次要求驱逐这些“叛逆者”的圣战后,Val Royeaux教会最终达成的结果却仅仅是促成了分裂的格局。帝国教会教育中的大多数问题都是一样的,对魔法的禁用程度被削弱了,男性祭祀变成了流行的趋势。现如今,魔法师议会直接管理着Tevinter,这始自从执政官Nomaran在风暴纪元7:34被从附魔师的行列中选举出来后延持至今,受到了公众普遍的认同和赞扬。他取消了古老的禁止魔法师参与***的规定,并且在将近一个世纪中,帝国中各院的领袖---魔法师---一直公开地在政府中从事职务。帝国的教皇现在总是从首席附魔师中选取,并同时担任大附魔师和教皇两个职务。
这对于Tevinter之外的教会来说简直是异教邪说,这简直是又回复到了魔法师的时代,回到了那个带我们天灾的时代。但它仍然一直存在,即使当我们把Tevinter帝国放在了那些令人的Qunari的手里,他们也仍然容忍这一切。在未来,黑色教皇和所谓的“白色教会”之间的冲突几乎是不可避免的。
--源自黑色教皇法令,编写者Qarinu的神父David,祝福纪元8:11
Codex Entry 71: On the political structure of the Chantry
The Divine is the titular head of the Chantry, although since the schism split the Imperial Chantry into its own faction there are now in fact two Divines at any one time. One Divine, informally called the White Divine, is a woman housed in the Grand Cathedral in Val Royeaux. The other, known as the Black Divine, is a man housed in the Argent Spire in Minrathous.
Neither Divine recognizes the existence of the other, and the informal names are considered sacrilegious. No matter the gender, a Divine is addressed as "Most Holy" or "Your Perfection."
Beneath the rank of Divine is the grand cleric. Each grand cleric presides over numerous chantries and represents the highest religious authority for their region. They travel to Val Royeaux when the College of Clerics convenes, but otherwise remain where they are assigned. All grand clerics are addressed as "Your Grace."
Beneath the grand cleric is the mother (or, in the Imperial Chantry, the father). If a mother is in charge of a particular chantry, "revered" is appended to her title. These are the priests responsible for administering to the spiritual well-being of their flock. A mother or revered mother is addressed as "Your Reverence."
Brothers and sisters form the rank and file of the Chantry and consist of three main groups: affirmed, initiates, and clerics. Affirmed are the lay-brethren of the Chantry, those regular folk who have turned to the Chantry for succor. Often they are people who have led a diffi*** or irreligious life and have chosen to go into seclusion, or even orphans and similar unfortunates who were raised into the Chantry life. The Affirmed take care of the Chantry and are in turn afforded a life of quiet contemplation, no questions asked.
Only those folk who take vows become initiates. These are men and women in training, whether in academic knowledge or the martial skills of a warrior. All initiates receive an academic education, although only those who seek to become templars learn how to fight in addition.
Clerics are the true academics of the Chantry, those men and women who have dedicated themselves to the pursuit of knowledge. They are often found in Chantry archives, sages presiding over libraries of books and arcane knowledge. The most senior of these clerics, placed in charge of such archives, are given the title "elder," although such a rank is still beneath that of mother. All other brothers and sisters are addressed simply by noting their title before their name, such as "Brother Genitivi."
--From a guide for ambassadors from Rivain
第七十一卷:教会的政策
教皇被认为是教会名义上的领袖,尽管自从帝国教会分裂出去并构成了他自己的势力后,现在实际上同时拥有两个名义上的教皇。一位教皇,通常被称之为“白色教皇”,是一名住在Val Royeaux大教堂中的女性。而另外一个,通常叫做“黑色教皇”,则是一个居住在Minrathous里面银色之塔上的男性。
没有任何一个教皇认同另一位教皇的合法性,并且甚至认为称呼对方教皇的正式的名字都被认为是应当遭受天谴的。不论性别,一位教皇通常都被称之为“最神圣的阁下”或“最完美的阁下”。
在教皇之下的级别是大牧师。每一个大牧师统领着若干个教堂,并在他们所管辖的区域中被认为是至高无上的***权威。每当牧师大会召开的时候,他们则会前往Val Royeaux,而在其他情况下,他们则呆在他们所属的地区范围内,他们通常被称呼为“阁下”。
在大牧师之下就是教母(或者在帝国教会中则是教父)。如果一位教母掌管了一间教会,“崇高”一词就会附加到她们的头衔中去。这些就是负责管理她们子民的精神福祉的祭祀。一位教母或者崇高教母会被称呼为“尊敬的您”。
其他教会中的普通兄弟和姐妹则会分成三种类型人:被肯定者,学员,以及牧师。被肯定者是教会的非正式兄弟,是那些希望受到教会庇护的普通人。通常他们都是一些生活艰难,或者没有信仰,并希望隐居的人,又或者是些孤儿以及其他一些不幸的,被教会抚养长大的人。被肯定者负责照料教会的日常生活,并且能轮流被赐予一种在宁静中沉思的生活,不会有人去询问他们。
只有那些立下誓言的人方能成为学员。这些是正在接受训练的男人和女人们,无论他们是在学习学院知识还是战士的军事技能。所有的学员都会接受正统的学院教育,尽管只有那些立志成为圣殿武士的人才会在未来接受更多关于格斗方面的技巧。
牧师是教会真正的学者,这些男人和女人致力于追求知识。通常在教会的档案馆里能找到他们,主管着图书馆里的书和秘法的知识。在这些档案馆中资历最资的牧师,则会被赋予“***”的头衔。尽管这个级别仍然在崇高教母之下。所有兄弟姐妹通常直接称呼他们的名字并不加任何头衔,比如“Genitivi教士”。
---源自一份给来自Rivain的大使的引导书。
Codex Entry 72: A discussion of the Order of Templars
Often portrayed as stoic and grim, the Order of Templars was created as the martial arm of the Chantry. Armed with the ability to dispel and resist magic in addition to their formidable combat talents, the templars are uniquely qualified to act as both a foil for apostates--mages who refuse to submit to the authority of the Circle--and a first line of defense against the dark powers of blood mages and abominations.
While mages often resent the templars as symbols of the Chantry's control over magic, the people of Thedas see them as saviors and holy warriors, champions of all that is good, armed with piety enough to protect the world from the ravages of foul magic. In reality, the Chantry's militant arm looks first for skilled warriors with unshakable faith in the Maker, with a flawless moral center as a secondary concern. Templars must carry out their duty with an emotional distance, and the Order of Templars prefers soldiers with religious fervor and absolute loyalty over paragons of virtue who might question orders when it comes time to make diffi*** choices.
The templars' power derives from the substance lyrium, a mineral believed to be the raw element of creation. While mages use lyrium in their arcane spells and rituals, templars ingest the primordial mineral to enhance their abilities to resist and dispel magic. Lyrium use is regulated by the Chantry, but some templars suffer from lyrium addiction, the effects of which include paranoia, obsession, and dementia. Templars knowingly submit themselves to this "treatment" in the service of the Order and the Maker.
It is this sense of ruthless piety that most frightens mages when they draw the templars' attention: When the templars are sent to eliminate a possible blood mage, there is no reasoning with them, and if the templars are prepared, the mage's magic is all but useless. Driven by their faith, the templars are one of the most feared and respected forces in Thedas.
--From Patterns Within Form, by Halden, First Enchanter of Starkhaven, 8:80 Blessed
第七十二卷:关于圣殿武士会的讨论
通常,圣殿武士会被描写为严酷无情的禁欲***者,他们是由教会创建的为教会服务的一个军事组织。全副武装的他们不但战技精湛,而且还有着驱散和抵抗魔法的能力,圣殿武士特别适合对付异教徒—那些拒绝承认法师议会权威的魔法师,也特别适合作为对抗的血魔法黑暗力量以及憎恶者的第一线防御力量。
法师们总会抱怨圣殿武士是作为教会控制魔法的象征,而Thedas的人们则将他们视为救星和圣战士,正义的冠军战士,用虔诚武装自己的他们足以保护世界免受邪恶魔法的侵害。而在现实中,教会的军事组织首先会寻找那些对造物主有着不可动摇的信仰的资深战士,其次才会考验他们是否拥有完美的道德。圣殿武士必须拥有执行命令的强烈意愿,且圣殿武士会希望他们的战士带有强烈的***情感,以及要拥有足够的忠诚,甚至在一些需要做出困难决断的时候要忠诚要足以压倒道德。
圣殿武士的力量源自lyrium物质,一种被深信为创造本源的物质。当魔法师们使用lyrium物质来进行施法和仪式的时候,圣殿武士却通过吞吃下lyrium物质来增强他们抵抗和驱散魔法的能力。Lyrium物质的使用是由教会严格规管的,但是有些圣殿武士在服用该物质后会上瘾,并且会导致妄想,着迷,以及痴呆等症状。圣殿武士明知如此,但仍然以服务武士会和造物主的名义继续使用这种方法。
正是这种带有残忍的虔诚导致了许多魔法师在圣殿武士的注视下感到万分害怕:当圣殿武士被派去清除一个潜在的血魔法师的时候,你无法进行讨价还价,并且如果圣殿武士精心准备后,魔法师的魔法都会失去效用。圣殿武士以他们的信仰作为动力,成为了Thedas上最可怕和让人敬畏的势力之一。
---摘自“形式***”,作者是Starkhaven的首席附魔师Halden,8:80祝福纪元.
Codex Entry 73: On the founding of the Chantry
Kordilius Drakon, king of the city-state of Orlais, was a man of uncommon ambition. In the year -15 Ancient, the young king began construction of a great temple dedicated to the Maker, and declared that by its completion he would not only have united the warring city-states of the south, he would have brought Andrastian belief to the world.
In -3 Ancient, the temple was completed. There, in its heart, Drakon knelt before the eternal flame of Andraste and was crowned ruler of the Empire of Orlais. His first act as Emperor: To declare the Chantry as the established Andrastian religion of the Empire.
It took three years and several hundred votes before Olessa of Montsimmard was elected to lead the new Chantry. Upon her coronation as Divine, she took the name Justinia, in honor of the disciple who recorded Andraste's songs. In that moment, the ancient era ended and the Divine Age began.
--From Ferelden: Folklore and History, by Sister Petrine, Chantry scholar.
第七十三卷:教会的建立
Orlais城市联邦的国王Kordilius Drakon,是一个拥有着不寻常野心的男人。在-15远古之年,这个年轻的国王以造物主的名义开始建造一座宏伟的寺庙,并声称在建成之后,他不但可以统一南方连年争战的城市联邦,还可以将Adrastian的信仰带给世界。
在-3远古之年,这个寺庙终于建成。在它的中心,Drakon跪在了Andraste的永恒之火面前,并被加冕为Orlais帝国的统治者。他当上皇帝后的第一件事,就是宣布建立教会,并在整个帝国实行Andrastian教。
花费了数年的时间以及数以百计的投票,才将Montsimmard的Olessa选举为领导新教会的人。并将她加冕为教皇,她改名为Justinia,为了纪念那位记录下所有Andraste歌声的弟子。那个时刻则作为古老纪元的结束,神圣纪元的开始。
---源自“Ferelden:乡间传奇与历史”,作者教会学者Petrine修女。
Codex Entry 74: A brief description of the fraternities of enchanters
Another aspect of Circle life is the fraternity. When a mage becomes an enchanter, he may ally himself with a fraternity. These are cliques that cross Circle boundaries, mages of common interests and goals who band together to ensure that their voice is heard within the College of Magi in Cumberland. The largest fraternities currently are:
the Loyalists, who advocate loyalty and obedience to the Chantry.
the Aequitarians, who advocate temperance and follow a distinct code of conduct which they believe all mages should hold themselves to.
the Libertarians, a growing fraternity, publicly maintaining greater power for the Circles but secretly advocating a complete split from the Chantry--a dangerous opinion, naturally.
the Isolationists, a small group that advocates withdrawing to remote territories in order to avoid conflicts with the general populace.
the Lucrosians, who maintain that the Circle must do what is profitable first and foremost. They prioritize the accumulation of wealth, with the gaining of political influence a close second.
So far, an alliance between the Loyalists and Aequitarians has prevented the Libertarians from gaining much headway, but there are signs that the Aequitarians may throw their support in with the Libertarians. If that happens, many mages predict it will come to civil war among the Circles.
--From The Circle of the Magi: A History, by First Enchanter Josephus
第七十四卷:附魔师互助会的简介
在魔法师议会中的生活的一个部分就是互助会。当一个魔法师成为附魔师的时候,他可以选择加入互助会。这是一个跨越了议会本身边界的小组织,一些拥有着共同爱好和目标的法师组织在一起,并使得他们的声音能够在Cumberland举行的法师大会上被人听见。目前最大的互助会有:
忠诚者互助会:集合了那些完全服从和听从教会智慧的人。
节制者互助会:这里的法师提倡节欲,并遵从一个十分不同的信条,并且他们相信所有的法师都应当村从这一信条。
自由***互助会:一个正在成长的团体,表面为了议会而隐藏了真正的实力,而私下却主场应当从教会中脱离出来—这确实一个非常危险的想法。
孤立***互助会:一个小组织,他们推行在可控制的范围内通过逃避来避免和普通大众产生冲突。
奢华***互助会:他们认为议会应当以追求利益最大化为先为重。他们优先地考虑如何囤积财富,并将掌控***权利作为第二位的目标。
到目前为止,忠诚者和节制者互助会组成了联盟,防止了自由***互助会过于强大,但有传言说,节制者们有可能会转为支持自由***者。如果这件事真的发生,许多法师认为议会的内部将会产生一场内战。
--源自“法师议会:一段历史”,作者为首席附魔师Josephus。
Codex Entry 75: Meditations on the Circle
It is no simple matter, safeguarding ordinary men from mages, and mages from themselves. Each Circle tower must have some measure of self-government, for it is ever the Maker's will that men be given the power to take responsibility for our own actions: To sin and fail, as well as to achieve the highest grace and glory on our own strength.
You, who will be tasked with the protection of the Circle, must be aware of its workings. The first enchanter is the heart of any tower. He will determine the course his Circle will take, he will choose which apprentices may be tested and made full mages, and you will work most closely with him.
Assisting the first enchanter will be the senior enchanters, a small council of the most trusted and experienced magi in the tower. From this group, the next first enchanter is always chosen. Beneath the council are the enchanters. These are the teachers and mentors of the tower, and you must get to know them in order to keep your finger on the pulse of the Circle, for the enchanters will always know what is happening among the children.
All those who have passed their Harrowing but have not taken apprentices are mages. This is where most trouble in a Circle lies, in the idleness and inexperience of youth. The untested apprentices are the most numerous denizens of any tower, but they more often pose threats to themselves, due to their lack of training, than to anyone else.
--Knight-Commander Serain of the Chantry templars, in a letter to his successor
第七十五卷:法师议会沉思录
这可不是简单的事情,不但要守护普通的人免受法师的侵害,还要守护法师免收他们自己的侵害。每个法师塔都必须都拥有一定自我管理的能力,因为这是造物主的意识---人们必须能够为自己的行为负责:用我们自己的力量应对无论是辉煌的胜利和荣耀,还是深重的罪孽和失败。
你,将会被委任为法师议会的守护者,必须要注意它的运作方式。首席附魔师是任何法师塔的心脏。他的想法最终决定了法师议会的行为,他会去挑选并测试学徒,使之成为真正的魔法师,因此你的工作必须紧密地和他结合起来。
首席附魔师的助手将会是资深的附魔师,他们是以塔中最值得信赖和资深的法师构成的小议会。下一任的首席附魔师总是从这个小组中选拔出来。在这个议会之下则是塔中普通的附魔师。这些是塔中的***和教师,你必须了解他们才能够把握法师塔的脉搏,因为附魔师们总会知道在孩子们当中发生了什么事情。
所有那些继承了他们的苦闷心理却还没有开始渡过学徒生涯的人就是魔法师。这是整个法师议会中最麻烦的部分,作为年轻人他们常有理想***和缺乏经验。那些没有被考验的学徒是整个法师塔中人数最多的一部分人,而由于他们缺乏训练,常常会做出伤害自己以及其他人的意外事情。
---教会圣殿骑士指挥官Serain,在给他的继任者的一封信中如是说
Codex Entry 76: An account of the foundation of the Circle
It is a truth universally acknowledged that nothing is more successful at inspiring a person to mischief as being told not to do something. Unfortunately, the Chantry of the Divine Age had some trouble with obvious truths. Although it did not outlaw magic--quite the contrary, as the Chantry relied upon magic to kindle the eternal flame which burns in every brazier in every chantry--it relegated mages to lighting candles and lamps. Perhaps occasional dusting of rafters and eaves.
I will give my readers a moment to contemplate how well such a role satisfied the mages of the time.
It surprised absolutely no one when the mages of Val Royeaux, in protest, snuffed the sacred flames of the cathedral and barricaded themselves inside the choir loft. No one, that is, but Divine Ambrosia II, who was outraged and attempted to order an Exalted March upon her own cathedral. Even her most devout Templars discouraged that idea. For 21 days, the fires remained unlit while negotiations were conducted, legend tells us, by shouting back and forth from the loft.
The mages went cheerily into exile in a remote fortress outside of the capital, where they would be kept under the watchful eye of the Templars and a council of their own elder magi. Outside of normal society, and outside of the Chantry, the mages would form their own closed society, the Circle, separated for the first time in human history.
--From Of Fires, Circles, and Templars: A History of Magic in the Chantry, by Sister Petrine, Chantry scholar
第七十六卷:法师议会建立之初的故事
众所周知最得意的事就是某人在被告知不许做某件事的时候而偏偏故意进行一下恶作剧。很不幸,神圣纪元时代的教会便与一些明显的事实存在麻烦。那时它并没有取缔魔法---恰恰相反,教会需要依靠魔法来燃起每个教会火盆内的永恒之火---有时还要让法师屈尊去负责点燃蜡烛和灯。偶尔的时候还需要他们为椽子和屋顶除尘。
我在此先给予我的读者们一段时间去想象一下这一工作否能让当时的魔法师满意。
当Val Royeaux的法师开始进行罢工抗议的时候,没有人感到惊讶,他们扼杀了神圣的永恒之火,并把他们自己反锁在了大教堂唱诗班的小阁楼上。当时只有教皇Ambrosia二世一个人感到无比地愤怒,并差点要求对她自己的教堂发动一场圣战。但当时即使是她最忠诚的圣殿武士也不太认同这一主意。这一闹剧持续了整整21天,永恒之火在这期间一直是熄灭的,而这期间他们举行了正式的谈判,据传说,谈判方式就是通过在阁楼的内外大声地向对方嚷嚷。
法师们最终被放逐到首都之外的一处城堡,但是他们感到很满意,在那里他们虽然被圣殿武士谨慎地观察看守了起来,但终于拥有了他们自己的法师***。脱离开了普通社会,脱离开了教会,法师们自己组建了一个完全封闭的社会,这就是法师议会,第一次在人类历史上的诞生。
--摘自“火焰,议会和圣殿武士:一段教会的魔法历史”,作者是教会学者Petrine修女。
Codex Entry 77: An explanation of the Fade and its relation to dreams
The study of the Fade is as old as humankind. For so long as men have dreamed, we have walked its twisting paths, sometimes catching a glimpse of the city at its heart. Always as close as our own thoughts, but impossibly separated from our world.
The Tevinter Imperium once spent vast fortunes of gold, lyrium, and human slaves in an effort to map the terrain of the Fade, an ultimately futile endeavor. Although portions of it belong to powerful spirits, all of the Fade is in constant flux. The Imperium succeeded in finding the disparate and ever-shifting realms of a dozen demon lords, as well as cataloging a few hundred types of spirits, before they were forced to abandon the project.
The relationship of dreamers to the Fade is complex. Even when entering the Fade through the use of lyrium, mortals are not able to control or affect it. The spirits who dwell there, however, can, and as the Chantry teaches us, the great flaw of the spirits is that they have neither imagination nor ambition. They create what they see through their sleeping visitors, building elaborate copies of our cities, people, and events, which, like the reflections in a mirror, ultimately lack context or life of their own. Even the most powerful demons merely plagiarize the worst thoughts and fears of mortals, and build their realms with no other ambition than to taste life.
--From Tranquility and the Role of the Fade in Human Culture, by First Enchanter Josephus
第七十七卷:一种对于暗物质界与梦境之间的解释
对于暗物质界的学习时间差不多和人类的历史一样长。在这么长的岁月中人们一直在作梦,我们在梦中走过它那扭曲的道路,有些时候在它的中心看到黑暗之城的一瞥。就像我们的思想一样离我们如此之近,但却不可能同我们的世界相分离。
Tevinter帝国一度花费了巨量的黄金,lyrium物质,以及人类奴隶去测绘暗物质界的地图,然而这最终是一个毫无意义的尝试。虽然暗物质界的一部分属于强大的灵魂,而暗物质界确是一个不断变化的非实体世界。帝国在探索中成功地找到了许多名各不相同的,变幻莫测的恶魔领主,以及数以百计的灵魂, 直至他们最终无奈地放弃了这一计划。
梦游者和暗物质界之间的联系是十分复杂的。即使是通过使用lyrium物质进入暗物质界的时候,凡人也不能够控制或试图影响改变它。那些居住在那里的灵魂却可以,正像教会告诉我们的那样,这些灵魂最大的瑕疵既不是他们的想象也不是野心。他们通过看透这些睡梦中的来访者进行创建,模仿建造出和我们完全一样的复制品,像我们的城市,人群,以及其他事件,就像是镜子中的倒影一样,却缺乏他们自己独立的生命力。即便是最强大的恶魔,也仅仅是仿制出了凡人们内心最恐怖和糟糕的思想和心灵,籍此塑造出他们的现实世界,而他们这么做仅仅是为了体验一下生命的滋味而已。
--来自“暗物质界在人类文化中的宁静与角色”,出自首席附魔师Josephus
Codex Entry 78:A mention of the Harrowing
Among apprentices of the Circle, nothing is regarded with more fear than the Harrowing. Little is known about this rite of passage, and that alone would be cause for dread. But it is well understood that only those apprentices who pass this trial are ever seen again. They return as full members of the Circle of Magi. Of those who fail, nothing is known. Perhaps they are sent away in disgrace. Perhaps they are killed on the spot. I heard one patently ridiculous rumor among the Circle at Rivain, which claimed that failed apprentices were transformed into pigs, fattened up, and served at dinner to the senior enchanters. But I could find no evidence that the Rivaini Circle ate any particular quantity of pork.—From In Pursuit of Knowledge: The Travels of A Chantry Scholar, by Brother Genitivi.
第七十八卷:痛苦仪式
在法师议会的学徒中,没有什么比痛苦仪式跟让能令人恐惧。因为仪式的流程本身就很少人有人知道,更不用提它的恐怖。但众所周知的是只有通过了这个仪式的人才能够重新被人们所见。他们回来的时候便已然成为了完整的法师。而那些失败的人,没有人知道在他们身上发生了什么。也许他们是被秘密地遣返走了,也许他们是在仪式之中丧命了。我甚至曾经在Rivain的法师议会听到过十分荒诞的传言,他们说那些失败的学徒被魔法变成了猪,养肥后成了那些资深附魔师桌子上的午餐。但是我没有找到任何证据能够说明Rivaini法师议会的人们吃的猪肉与普通的猪肉有什么分别之处。
----源自“追寻知识:一位教会学者的旅行”,由Genitivi教士编写。
Codex Entry 79:On lyrium, its uses and trade
More than half the wealth of Orzammar comes from a single, extremely rare substance: Lyrium. The Chantry believes it to be the "Waters of the Fade" mentioned in the Canticle of Threnodies, the very stuff of creation itself, from whence the Maker fashioned the world. Only a handful of Mining Caste families hazard extracting the ore, finding veins in the Stone quite literally by ear. For in its raw form, lyrium sings, and the discerning can hear the sound even through solid rock.
Even though dwarves have a natural resistance, raw lyrium is dangerous for all but the most experienced of the Mining Caste to handle. Even for dwarves, exposure to the unprocessed mineral can cause deafness or memory loss. For humans and elves, direct contact with lyrium ore produces nausea, blistering of the skin, and dementia. Mages cannot even approach unprocessed lyrium. Doing so is invariably fatal.
Despite its dangers, lyrium is the single most valuable mineral currently known. In the Tevinter Imperium, it has been known to command a higher price than diamond. The dwarves sell very little of the processed mineral to the surface, giving the greater portion of what they mine to their own smiths, who use it in the forging of all truly superior dwarven weapons and armor. What processed lyrium is sold on the surface goes only to the Chantry, who strictly control the supply. From the Chantry, it is dispensed both to the templars, who make use of it in tracking and fighting maleficarum, and to the Circle.
In the hands of the Circle, lyrium reaches its fullest potential. Their Formari craftsmen transform it into an array of useful items from the practical, such as magically hardened stone for construction, to the legendary silver armor of King Calenhad.
When mixed into liquid and ingested, lyrium allows mages to enter the Fade fully aware, unlike all others who reach it only while dreaming. Such potions can also be used to aid in the casting of especially taxing spells, for a short time granting a mage far greater power than he normally wields.
Lyrium has its costs, however. Prolonged use becomes addictive, the cravings unbearable. Over time, templars grow disoriented, incapable of distinguishing memory from present, or dream from waking. They frequently become paranoid, as their worst memories and nightmares haunt their waking hours. Mages have additionally been known to suffer physical mutation: The magister lords of the Tevinter Imperium were widely reputed to have been so affected by their years of lyrium use that they could not be recognized by their own kin, nor even as creatures that had once been human.
--From In Pursuit of Knowledge: The Travels of a Chantry Scholar, by Brother Genitivi.
第七十九卷:Lyrium,它的使用以及交易
在Orzammar城超过了半数以上的财富都来自于一种十分罕见的物质:Lyrium。教会相信它就是在哀歌之曲中提到的“暗物质界的水”,也正是造物主用来创造世界的本源。只有少数的采矿家族才能够冒着危险找到这种矿石,通常是用耳朵在石头中进行聆听而找到。因为在lyrium在还没有加工的形态下,它会发出一种歌声,只要有足够的洞察力即使是隔着石头也能够听到它们的声音。
尽管矮人们对它有一种天生的抵抗力,但Lyrium物质对于大多数采矿的家族来说都是十分危险的。即使对于矮人来说,长期暴露在未经处理的这种物质之下将会导致耳聋,记忆丧失的症状。对于人类和精灵来说,直接接触到lyrium矿石将会导致恶心呕吐,皮肤发炎,以及痴呆等症状。甚至连魔法师们都不能接触到没有处理过的Lyrium。这样做总是会致命的。
虽然它是这么的危险,但lyrium仍然是世界上目前所知最珍贵的物质。在Tevinter帝国,它的价格甚至超过了钻石。矮人们仅仅将他们开采来的矿物中的一少部分卖给地表人,而保留绝大部分优质的lyrium给他们的铁匠,这样他们的铁匠就能够用它来制造那些优质的矮人盔甲与武器了。而卖给地面的所有lyrium都直接被教会所严格掌管,它一部分被分发给圣殿武士用来追踪放逐法师,一部分被分发给了魔法议会。
在法师议会的手中,lyrium发挥了它全部的潜质。他们的工匠师将这些物质转化为了多种多样有用的物品,比如经魔法加固过的建筑用石头,以及传奇的Calenhad国王所穿的银光闪闪的盔甲。
当他们和液体混合起来喝下去的时候,lyrium可以使魔法师们在清醒的状态下进入暗物质界,而不像其他人只能够在睡梦中进入那样。这样的药剂可以在魔法师们释放费力的魔法时候起到很大的帮助,能够在短时间能让魔法师发挥出远远超出他自己本来能力的强大力量。
但是,Lyrium也有它的副作用。长期的使用将会导致强烈的上瘾。随着时间,圣殿武士们会变得神志不清,无法分清过去的记忆,或者会时常梦游。他们还会偶尔地发神经,因为他们内心处最可怕的记忆和噩梦会在他们清醒的时候骚扰他们。据说魔法师们还会因此还会产生物理上的变异:众所周知,Tevinter帝国的魔法师领主们就因为长期使用这种物质而导致连他们的亲戚都无法辨认出他们的样子,甚至他们的外形都无法再让人们称之为人类。
---源自“追寻知识:一位教会学者的旅行”,由Genitivi教士编写。
Codex Entry 80: A sermon on maleficar
It has been asked, "What are maleficarum? How shall we know them?" I have been as troubled by this question as you. You have come to me for the wisdom of the Maker, but none have seen the Maker's heart save Beloved Andraste. And so I have done as all mortals must, and looked to the words of His prophet for answers. And there, I found respite from a troubled mind.
For she has said to us, "Magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him." Therefore, I say to you, they who work magic which dominates the minds and hearts of others, they have transgressed the Maker's law.
Also, Our Lady said to us, "Those who bring harm without provocation to the least of His children are hated and accursed by the Maker." And so it is made clear to me, as it should be to us all: That magic which fuels itself by harming others, by the letting of blood, is hated by the Maker.
Those mages who honor the Maker and keep His laws we welcome as our brothers and sisters. Those who reject the laws of the Maker and the words of His prophet are apostate. They shall be cast out, and given no place among us.
--FroThe Sermons of Justinia I.
第八十卷:放逐法师
有人问道,“什么是放逐法师?我们怎么知道他是一名放逐法师?”我曾经也像你们一样被这个问题所迷惑。你们前来向我寻求的是造物主的智慧,但除了Andraste没有人曾真正了解造物主的内心。因此我像所有凡人一样,向先知寻求我们的答案。从那里,我得到了让我困扰的内心得以平静的答案。
她对我们说到:“魔法的存在是为了服务人类,而不是控制他们。”因此,我对你们说,那些使用魔法控制他人的精神和内心的人,他们违背了造物主的戒条。
我们的女士还说:“那些无缘无故对他的子民做出侵害的人,将会受到造物主的怒火和诅咒。”这无疑是令我明白,也是令所有人明白:那些对他人造成伤害的魔法,致使他人流血的魔法,都将遭致造物主的憎恨。
那些崇尚造物主荣誉并谨守他的戒条的人都是我们所欢迎的兄弟姐妹。那些违背了造物主和他的先知的话语的人是异教徒。他们将会被放逐,并无法在我们之中生存。
-----摘自Junstinia一世的一次布道词
Codex Entry 81: An explanation of mana
Mana is that which defines a mage. It is potential that dwells within a person but does not always manifest itself. All men are connected to the Fade; we go there to dream. But only those with this potential may draw upon its power.
Mana is, then, a measurement of one's ability to draw power from the Fade, and it is this power that is expended in magic.
As in all other things, it has limits. Just as a man has the strength to lift only so much weight and no more, a mage cannot work more magic at one time than his mana allows. If he wishes to work magic that would be beyond his strength, a mage must bolster his mana with lyrium. Without lyrium, it is possible for the reckless to expend their own life-force in the working of magic, and occasionally, ambitious apprentices injure or even kill themselves by over-exertion.
--From The Lectures of First Enchanter Wenselus
第八十一卷:法力的一种解释
正是法力决定了谁是魔法师。它通常潜在于一个人的内部并不经常体现出来。所有的人都和暗物质界有一定关联;我们在睡梦中会进入那里。但是只有那些拥有这些潜质的人才能汲取到它的能量。法力就是一种衡量一个人能从暗物质界汲取多少能量的标准,正是这种能量最终形成了魔法。
和其它的事物一样,法力也拥有着自己的极限。就像一个人只能够举起自己的强壮度所能举起的那么多重量,一名法师在同一时间内无法施展超出他法力的魔法。如果他希望施放超出他自己的能力的魔法,他必须使用Lyrium来帮助他增强法力。如果没有lyrium,他们则必须用自己的生命力作为支撑来施放这些魔法,因此,经常有一些过于激进的学徒因为过度施法使自己受伤,甚至死亡。
Codex Entry 82:Why do demons seek to possess the living?
History claims they are malevolent spirits, the first children of the Maker, angry at their creator for turning from them and jealous of those creations he considered superior. They stare across the Veil at the living and do not understand what they see, yet they know they crave it. They desire life, they pull the living across the Veil when they sleep and prey on their psyche with nightmares. Whenever they can, they cross the Veil into our world to possess it outright.
We know that any demon will seek to possess a mage, and upon doing so will create an abomination. Most of the world does not know, however, that the strength of an abomination depends entirely on the power of the demon that possesses the mage. This is true, in fact, of all possessed creatures. One demon is not the same as any other.
Demons can, for instance, be classified. Enchanter Brahm's categorization of demons into that portion of the psyche they primarily prey upon has held since the Tower Age.
According to Brahm, the weakest and most common of demons are those of rage. They are the least intelligent and most prone to violent outbursts against the living. They expend their energies quickly, the most powerful of them exhibiting great strength and occasionally the ability to generate fire.
Next are the demons of hunger. In a living host they become cannibals and vampires, and within the dead they feed upon the living. Theirs are the powers of draining, both of life force and of mana.
Next are the demons of sloth, the first on Brahm's scale that are capable of true intelligence. In its true form, this demon is known as a shade, a thing which is nearly indistinct and invisible, for such is sloth's nature. It hides and stalks, unaware, and when confronted, it sows fatigue and apathy.
Demons of desire are amongst the most powerful, and are the ones most likely to seek out the living and actively trick them into a deal. These demons will exploit anything that can be coveted--wealth, power, lust--and they will always end up getting far more than they give. A desire demon's province is that of illusions and mind control.
Strongest of all demons are those of pride. These are the most feared creatures to loose upon the world: Masters of magic and in possession of vast intellect, they are the true schemers. It is they who seek most strongly to possess mages, and will bring other demons across the Veil in numbers to achieve their own ends--although what that might be has never been discovered. A greater pride demon, brought across the veil, would threaten the entire world.
--From The Maker's First Children, by Bader, Senior Enchanter of Ostwick, 8:12 Blessed
第八十二卷:为什么恶魔们寻求占据生灵?
历史宣称他们是恶毒的灵魂,造物主的第一批孩子,因造物主离他们远去而愤怒,因造物主认为其他创造物比它们更好而嫉妒。他们穿过中间结界盯着这些生物,无法理解他们所看到的一切,然而它们却知道自己渴望这些活物。恶魔们渴望生命,它们在生物们睡觉的时候将他们拉过中间结界,用噩梦猎捕他们的灵魂。
我们知道任何恶魔都寻求去占据一名法师,而一旦这样就会产生一具憎恶者。但世界上大多数的人都不知道,,憎恶者的力量完全依赖于占据了法师的这名恶魔。实际上对于大多数被占据的生物来说都是如此。没有两名完全相同的恶魔。
恶魔们能够,举例来说,被分成许多种类。附魔师Brahm的“根据猎食不同灵魂的恶魔分类”自高塔纪元起一直延用至今。
根据Brahm,最弱也是最常见的恶魔是那些狂怒恶魔。他们最不聪明且最倾向于采取***来对抗生物,他们的能量扩散的很快,他们种类中最厉害的那些恶魔展现出强大的力量,并且偶尔还能够生成火焰。
其次的饥饿恶魔。在占据了生物宿主后他们就会成为食人鬼或吸血鬼,并且在死亡中猎食活人的生命。他们的能力是吸取,既能吸取生命又能吸取法力。
在其次的就是懒惰恶魔,用Brahm的尺度来讲是第一种真正拥有智慧能力的恶魔。在它真实的形态下,这种恶魔通常称之为阴影,一种变幻不定且隐形的生物,因为这就是懒惰恶魔的天性。它们隐藏并潜伏着,难以被人发现,而它们的伪装一旦暴露,还能够让对手疲惫与冷漠。
魅魔则是最强大的,且是那种尝试骗取生物达成某种协议的恶魔之一。这些恶魔会利用一切可能令人馋涎的东西---财富,权利,欲望---而最后它们总是能够得到比它们付出的多一万倍的回报。一只魅魔的能力是制造幻想和精神控制。
而所有恶魔中最强壮的则是骄傲恶魔。它们是世界上所见到的最可怕的生物之一:它们是知识和魔法的大师,它们是真正的阴谋家。正是它们带有强烈的欲望去占据魔法师的身体,并将其他的恶魔带过中间结界以达成它们自己的目标---尽管它们真正的目标从不为人所知。一只高阶的骄傲恶魔如果被带入这个世界,将会对整个世界都构成可怕的威胁。
----源自“造物主的第一个孩子”,由Ostwick的首席附魔师Bader编写,8:12祝福纪元
Codex Entry 83: The fundamental laws of magic
You must not be under the misimpression that magic is all-powerful. There are limits, and not even the greatest mages may overcome them.
No one, for instance, has found any means of traveling--either over great distances or small ones--beyond putting one foot in front of the other. The immutable nature of the physical world prevents this. So no, you may not simply pop over to Minrathous to borrow a cup of sugar, nor may you magic the essay you "forgot" in the apprentice dormitory to your desk. You will simply have to be prepared.
Similarly, even when you send your mind into the Fade, your body remains behind. Only once has this barrier been overcome, and reputedly the spell required two-thirds of the lyrium in the Tevinter Imperium as well as the lifeblood of several hundred slaves. The results were utterly disastrous.
Finally, life is finite. A truly great healer may bring someone back from the very precipice of death, when breath and heartbeat have ceased but the spirit still clings to life. But once the spirit has fled the body, it cannot be recalled. That is no failing of your skills or power, it is simple reality.
--From The Lectures of First Enchanter Wenselus.
第八十三卷:魔法的基本定律
你必须不要误解魔法是全能的。它也有极限,并且即使是最强大的法师也无法超越它。
举例来说,没有人能够不抬脚而去旅行---无论距离是远是近。我们这个世界不可改变的物理规则决定了这一切。因此,你不要妄想够轻而易举地瞬间移动到Minrathous去借一杯糖,也不要妄想利用魔法完成那篇你声称“忘记”在学徒宿舍的论文。你最起码要好好准备才行。
类似地,即使你将你的精神体放入暗物质界,你的身体仍然只能留在这里。只有一次这个障碍被突破了,但据说为了执行那次魔法,耗费了Tevinter帝国三分之二的Lyrium物质,以及数百名奴隶的性命。这个结果是灾难性的。
最终,生命是有限的。一个真正强大的医师也许能够把一些人从死亡的悬崖边拽回来,但只有当仅仅是心跳和呼吸停止,而灵魂仍附在身体上的时候才行。但一旦灵魂离开了身体,它再也不能够被呼唤回来。那并不是你能力不够的问题,而是不可改变的事实。
---摘自首席附魔师Wenselus的一堂课程
Codex Entry 84: A discussion of blood magic
Foul and corrupt are you
Who have taken My gift
And turned it against My children.
-- Transfigurations 18:10.
The ancient Tevinters did not originally consider blood magic a school of its own. Rather, they saw it as a means to achieve greater power in any school of magic. The name, of course, refers to the fact that magic of this type uses life, specifically in the form of blood, instead of mana. It was common practice, at one time, for a magister to keep a number of slaves on hand so that, should he undertake the working of a spell that was physically beyond his abilities, he could use the blood of his slaves to bolster the casting.
Over time, however, the Imperium discovered types of spells that could only be worked by blood. Although lyrium will allow a mage to send his conscious mind into the Fade, blood would allow him to find the sleeping minds of others, view their dreams, and even influence or dominate their thoughts. Just as treacherous, blood magic allows the Veil to be opened completely so that demons may physically pass through it into our world.
The rise of the Chant of Light and the subsequent fall of the old Imperium has led to blood magic being all but stamped out--as it should be, for it poses nearly as great a danger to those who would practice it as to the world at large.
--From The Four Schools: A Treatise, by First Enchanter Josephus.
第八十四卷:关于血魔法的讨论
肮脏而堕落的你
夺走了我的礼物
还用它来对付我的子民。
---哀歌篇 18:10
远古的Tevinter的人们最初并不认为血魔法是独立的一门魔法学科。取而代之,他们将它看成是任何魔法学校中想要得到更强大的力量的一种方法。它的名字,当然了,来自使用这种魔法的法师必须以生命能量作为基础,一般是以鲜血的方式,而不用法力作为基础。曾经有一度,魔法领主们都会保持拥有一定数量的奴隶,这样当他们在施放一些超出他们实际能力的魔法的时候,就可以用他奴隶们的血液作为催化剂来加强他的能力了。
随着时间的推移,帝国的人们发现了数种只能使用鲜血来施放的魔法。在Lyrium能够让法师在清醒的状态下进入暗物质界的时候,血液更能够让他找到其他的那些睡梦中进入物质界的人的灵魂,并观察他们的梦,甚至可以与他们的思想展开互动且进行操控。而就像叛徒那样,学魔法还能够开启中间结界并使得恶魔们从物理上穿越到我们的世界中来。
光明教会的崛起以及旧帝国的湮灭导致了血魔法被明令禁止---这样做是正确的,因为它即使是对施放他的人来说也极度的危险。
--摘自“四个派系:一篇论文”,作者首席附魔师Josephus。
Codex Entry 85: On the Creation School of magic
Opposition in all things
For earth, sky
For winter, summer
For darkness, Light.
By My will alone is balance sundered
And the world given new life.
--Threnodies 5:5.
The School of Creation, sometimes called the School of Nature, is the second of the Schools of Matter, the balancing force and complement of Entropy. Creation magic manipulates natural forces, transforming what exists and bringing new things into being.
Creation requires considerable finesse, more than any other school, and is therefore rarely mastered. Those mages who have made a serious study of creation are the highest in demand, useful in times of peace as well as war.
--From The Four Schools: A Treatise, by First Enchanter Josephus.
第八十五卷:创造系的魔法派系
所有的事物都是相对的:
有天空和大地
有冬天和夏天
有黑暗和光明。
只有通过我的意志才能打破平衡
于是这个世界被给予了新的生机。
--哀歌篇 5:5
创造系,有时候也叫做自然系,是物质系的第二种分支,也是熵变系的对立派系。创造系魔法能够操纵自然的力量,将存在的物体进行变型和创造新的物体。
创造系魔法需要很强的技巧才能掌握,比任何其他派系都要难,因此很少有人能够精通它。那些花了大量时间学习创造系魔法的法师是最难得的人,无论在和平时期还是战争时期都同样有用。
--源自“四种魔法派系:一篇论文”,由首席附魔师Josephus
编写。
Codex Entry 86: An explanation of the Entropic School of magic.
To you, my second-born, I grant this gift:
In your heart shall burn
An unquenchable flame
All-consuming, and never satisfied.
-- Threnodies 5:7.
The second of the two Schools of Matter, Entropy is the opposing force of Creation; for this reason it is often called the School of Negation. Nothing lives without death. Time inevitably brings an end to all things in the material world, and yet in this ending is the seed of a beginning. A river may flood its banks, causing havoc, but bring new life to its floodplain. The fire that burns a forest ushers in new growth. And so it is with entropic magic that we manipulate the forces of erosion, decay, and destruction to create anew.
--From The Four Schools: A Treatise, by First Enchanter Josephus.
第八十六卷:熵变系的魔法派系
对你,我第二个生下的孩子,我给你这个礼物:
你的内心将永远燃烧
难以熄灭的火焰
永远在消费,并无法被满足。
---哀歌 5:7
物质系中第二的魔法派系,熵变系是创造系的对立学派;正因如此,它经常被人们叫做抑变系。没有任何事物能够逃避死亡。在物质世界中,一切事物在时间当中都将不可避免地终结,然而每一个终结,却又同时会是一个新的开端。一条河流可能会冲毁河岸,造成破坏,但却给冲积出的平原带来新的生命。火焰也许会烧毁森林,但却也会带来新的生长。因此,在熵变系的魔法中我们学习如何操纵侵蚀,腐坏,毁灭的力量来制造全新的事物。
--来自“四种魔法派系:一篇论文”,由首席附魔师Josephus编写。
Codex Entry 87: An explanation of the Primal School of magic.
Those who oppose thee
Shall know the wrath of heaven.
Field and forest shall burn,
The seas shall rise and devour them,
The wind shall tear their nations
From the face of the earth,
Lightning shall rain down from the sky,
They shall cry out to their false gods,
And find silence.
--Andraste 7:19.
Sometimes called the School of Power, the Primal School is the second of the Schools of Energy, balanced by Spirit, and concerns the most visible and tangible forces of nature itself.
This is the magic of war: Fire, ice, and lightning. Devastation. This is what the vast majority imagines when they hear the word "magic."
--From The Four Schools: A Treatise, by First Enchanter Josephus.
第八十七篇:原始系的魔法派系
那些与您作对的人
都将明白天堂的怒火。
田地和森量将会燃烧,
海洋将会扬起吞没他们,
风将把他们的国度,
从地表上永远地抹除掉,
闪电将会从天空中落下,
当他们向他们的假神哭喊的时候,
他们将会只找到沉默。
--Andraste 7:19
有些时候也叫做力量派系,原始魔法派系是能量系的第二种派系,与灵魂系相对应,并作为大自然本身最明显也是最强力的魔法所被人们熟知。
这就是战争中的魔法:火焰,冰冻,以及闪电。无坚不摧。这就是大多数人头脑中“魔法”一词所代表的形象。
--源自“四种魔法派系:一篇论文”,由首席附魔师Josephus所写。
Codex Entry 88: A brief explanation of the Spirit School of magic.
And the voice of the Maker shook the Fade
Saying: In My image I have wrought
My firstborn. You have been given dominion
Over all that exists. By your will
All things are done.
Yet you do nothing.
The realm I have given you
Is formless, ever-changing.
--Threnodies 5:4.
The first of the two Schools of Energy, Spirit is opposed by the Primal School. It is the school of mystery, the ephemeral school. This is the study of the invisible energies which surround us at all times, yet are outside of nature. It is from the Fade itself that this magic draws its power. Students of this school cover everything from direct manipulation of mana and spell energies to the study and summoning of spirits themselves.
By its nature an esoteric school, as most others know virtually nothing about the Fade, studies of spirit magic are often misunderstood by the general populace, or even confused for blood magic--an unfortunate fate for a most useful branch of study.
--From The Four Schools: A Treatise, by First Enchanter Josephus.
第八十八卷:灵魂系的魔法派系
而造物主接下来的话语惊动了暗物质界
他说:我以我的印象刻画了你们
我给予你们
掌控一切存在事物的权利
以你们的意志
完成所有的事情
但你们却什么事情也没有做
我所给你们的世界是无形的。
--哀歌篇 5:4
能量系的第一派系,灵魂系是原始系的对立派系。它是神秘的派系,瞬息派系。这个派系学习的就是那些环绕在我们之周非自然的,无形的能量。这种魔法直接从暗物质界汲取能量。这个派系的学生需要掌握从直接操纵法力与魔法的能量,直到召唤灵魂本身。
正因为它神秘的本质,就像大多数人对暗物质界都不了解一样,灵魂魔法的学习通常会被普通人所误解,甚至被误认为是血魔法---对于这样一个有用的魔法来说这种误解无疑是悲剧。
--源自“四种魔法派系:一篇论文”,由首席附魔师Josephus所写。
Codex Entry 89: A discussion of the creatures of the Fade
It is challenging enough for the casual observer to tell the difference between the Fade and the creatures that live within it, let alone between one type of spirit and another. In truth, there is little that distinguishes them, even for the most astute mages. Since spirits are not physical entities and are therefore not restricted to recognizable forms (or even having a form at all), one can never tell for certain what is alive and what is merely part of the scenery. (It is therefore advisable for the inexperienced researcher to greet all objects he encounters.)
Typically, we misuse the term "spirit" to refer only to the benign, or at least less malevolent, creatures of the Fade, but in truth, all the denizens of the realm beyond the Veil are spirits. As the Chant of Light notes, everything within the Fade is a mimicry of our world. (A poor imitation, for the spirits do not remotely understand what they are copying. It is no surprise that much of the Fade appears like a manuscript translated from Tevinter into Orlesian and back again by drunken initiates.)
In general, spirits are not complex. Or, rather, they are not complex as we understand such things. Each one seizes upon a single facet of human experience: Rage, hunger, compassion, hope, etc. This one idea becomes their identity. We classify as demons those spirits who identify themselves with darker human emotions and ideas.
The most common and weakest form of demon one encounters in the Fade is the rage demon. They are much like perpetually boiling kettles, for they exist only to vent hatred, but rarely have an object to hate. Somewhat above these are the hunger demons, who do little but eat or attempt to eat everything they encounter, including other demons (this is rarely successful). Then there are the sloth demons. These are the first intelligent creatures one typically finds in the Fade. They are dangerous only on those rare occasions that they can be induced to get up and do harm. Desire demons are more clever, and far more powerful, using all forms of bribery to induce mortals into their realms: Wealth, love, vengeance, whatever lies closest to your heart. The most powerful demons yet encountered are the pride demons, perhaps because they, among all their kind, most resemble men.
--From Beyond the Veil: Spirits and Demons, by Enchanter Mirdromel.
第八十九卷:关于暗物质界的生物的讨论
通过通常的观察很难分清暗物质界与居住在其中的生物,更不用提区分那些灵魂的种类了。事实上,即使是最敏锐的法师,也只能通过一点点的分别来区分它们。因为灵魂是没有物理实体的,因此没有可以令人继续宁辨别的形状(甚至他们根本就没有形状),人们永远无法说清暗物质界中哪些是活着的生物,哪些仅仅是该界里的背景。(因此许多有经验的人建议对在暗物质界中碰到的任何物体都先打一下招呼)
典型地,我们错用了“灵魂”一词只来形容那些温和的,且没有攻击性的暗物质界生物,而事实上,所有在中间结界以上的生物都是灵魂。就像光明之歌里面所提到的,暗物质界中的所有事物都是我们世界中的一个倒影。(一些很残破的倒影,因为复制它们的灵魂们并不知道它们所复制的东西究竟是什么。这也就难怪那些暗物质界看起来这么像一篇由醉酒的学徒从Tevinter文翻译成Orlesian文,然后又被翻译回来的草稿那样糟糕了)
总体来说,灵魂其实并不复杂。或者说,并不像我们想象中的那么复杂。每一个都停留在某一种人类的情感上:愤怒,饥饿,同情等等。这个情感就变成了识别他们的标识。我们把那些占有了人类负面的情感与想法的灵魂统称为:恶魔。
在暗物质界中最常见也是最弱小的恶魔就是愤怒恶魔。他们就像永远沸腾的水壶那样,因为它们只是仇恨的代言,而却很少有什么实质的事物值得憎恨。在这之上的是饥饿恶魔,它们对遇到的一切除了吃还是吃,包括了其他恶魔(当然这很少成功)。然后就是懒惰恶魔。这些恶魔是在暗物质界中所找到的第一种拥有智慧的生物。他们只对那些值得他们费事起身进行攻击的人构成威胁。魅魔则更加的聪慧,并且更加的强大,利用一切能够讨好人的事物勾引凡人:财富,爱情,复仇的机会,一切深藏在你内心的事物。而至今为止遇到过的最强大的恶魔非骄傲恶魔莫属,这也许是因为它们与它们的同类相比较起来,更加地类似人类。
--源自“超越中间结界:灵魂与恶魔”,作者为附魔师Mirdromel
Entry Codex 90: An explanation of the Tranquil
The Tranquil are the least understood but most visible members of the Circle. Every city of respectable size boasts a Circle of Magi shop, and every one of these shops is run by a Tranquil proprietor.
The name is a misnomer, for they are not tranquil at all; rather, they are like inanimate objects that speak. If a table wished to sell you an enchanted penknife, it could pass as one of these people. Their eyes are expressionless, their voices monotone. Incomparable craftsmen they might be, but they are hardly the sort of mages to put ordinary folk at ease.
--From In Pursuit of Knowledge: The Travels of A Chantry Scholar, by Brother Genitivi.
第九十卷:宁静者
宁静者们是魔法师议会中最令人不解但也是最常见的人。每一个大城市中,都会有法师议会所开设的商店,并且每个商店都是由一名宁静者来总管经营的。
这个名字实际上是不正确的,因为他们其实并不“宁静”;他们更像是说话毫无生气的物体。他们向你卖东西的时候,会让你感觉仿佛是在从一座桌子的手里买一把附魔小刀一样。他们的眼神涣散,声音无力。他们也许是无人可比的手工艺者,但他们却不是那种让人感到舒服的魔法师。
--源自“追寻知识:一名教会学者的旅行”,作者Genitivi教士。
Entry Codex 91: The legend of the Urn of Sacred Ashes
Only one person witnessed Maferath's betrayal: Havard the Aegis. A childhood friend of Maferath, he accompanied his chief to the meeting with the Tevinters, not realizing what was planned. When he understood that Maferath was giving Andraste over to be executed, Havard, unwilling to draw swords against his friend and liege, placed himself between Andraste and the Tevinter soldiers. The Tevinters struck him down, and Maferath left him for dead.
Gravely wounded, Havard made his way to the gates of Minrathous to stop the execution. When he reached it, the terrible deed was already done, the armies on the plains long since dispersed. Havard, cursing his weakness, gathered the earthly remains of Andraste that had been left to the wind and rain, and wept. When his fingers touched the pile of ash, his ears filled with song, and he saw before him a vision of Andraste, dressed in cloth made of starlight. She knelt at his side, saying, "The Maker shall never forget you so long as I remember."
The song faded, and the vision with it. And Havard was alone. But his wounds were healed. With new strength, Havard took up the ashes of Our Lady, and bore them back to the lands of the Alamarri.
第九十一卷:神圣骨灰坛的传奇
只有一个人亲眼目睹了Maferath的背叛:庇护者Havard。一名Maferath儿时的玩伴,他陪伴着他的领袖参与了与Tevinters的谈判,并没有意识到正在策划的阴谋。但当他了解到Maerath出卖了Andraste并要将她处决的时候,Havvard无奈地拔剑并将剑尖对向了他曾经的朋友,同时也是他的君主,用他自己的身躯挡在了Andraste和Tiventer士兵中间。Tiventer的士兵最终将他击倒,Maferath则将他留在原地慢慢死去。
但“庇护者”不会那么轻易就被摧毁。Havvard最终挣扎着活了下来,并带着重伤一步一步地走到了Minrathous大***想阻止他们的处决。但是太晚了。他只找到了这位先知的骨灰,被遗留在了风和雨之中。当他的手指触到骨灰的时候,他的耳中充满了歌声,并且他看到了一幅景象:Andraste穿着星光做成的衣服。她跪在了他的身边,说“站起来,信仰的庇护者,造物主和我将永远不会忘记你。”
歌声渐渐地随着影像淡去。Havard又变成了孤独一人。但他的伤口已经愈合。带着这个新的力量,Havard带走了我们女士的骨灰,并把它们带回来Alamarri。
Codex Entry 91: An account of the Veil
I detest this notion that the Veil is some manner of invisible "curtain" that separates the world of the living from the world of the spirits (whether it be called the Fade or the Beyond is a matter of racial politics I refuse to indulge in at the moment). There is no "this side" and "that side" when it comes to the Veil. One cannot think of it as a physical thing or a barrier or even a "shimmering wall of holy light" (thank you very much for that image, Your Perfection).
Think of the Veil, instead, as opening one's eyes.
Before you opened them, you saw our world as you see it now: static, solid, unchanging. Now that they are open, you see our world as the spirits see it: chaotic, ever-changing, a realm where the imagined and the remembered have as much substance as that which is real--more, in fact. A spirit sees everything as defined by will and memory, and this is why they are so very lost when they cross the Veil. In our world, imagination has no substance. Objects exist independently of how we remember them or what emotions we associate with them. Mages alone possess the power to change the world with their minds, and perhaps this forms the nature of a demon's attraction to them--who can say?
Regardless, the act of passing through the Veil is much more about changing one's perceptions than a physical transition. The Veil is an idea, it is the act of transition itself, and it is only the fact that both living beings and spirits find the transition diffi*** that gives the Veil any credence as a physical barrier at all.
--From A Dissertation on the Fade as a Physical Manifestation, by Mareno, Senior Enchanter of the Minrathous Circle of Magi, 6:55 Steel.
第九十一卷:中间结界
我并不喜欢那种形容中间结界就像是一张将活人世界和灵魂世界隔开的无形地“帘子”的说法。(有人也称那个世界为“暗物质界”或者“超物质界”,但这都是出于某些地域***原因,因此我不想提)对于中间结界来说并没有“这个世界”或“那个世界”之分。一个人不能将它想象为某种物理的东西,或是某种形态的障碍物,或是某种由神圣之光所构造的壁垒(非常感谢您为我提供这种说法,我完美的阁下)
请把中间结界想象成睁开一个人的双眼。
在睁开之前,你看我们的世界就像你现在所看到的那样:静止,实态,永恒不变的。而当你睁开之后,你就会像灵魂一样看到我们的世界:混沌,变化,一切想象中和记忆中的东西看起来和那些实实在在的东西一样真实---实际上让人感觉更加真实,因为灵魂们将所有的东西都看作是想象和记忆。这也就是为什么当他们穿越中间结界来到我们的世界时会感到一切都是如此地令人困惑。在我们的世界中,头脑中的想象是没有实体的。物体独立于我们的对它的想象和情感而存在。只有魔法师们才能够通过他们的意识来改变世界,也许这就促使了恶魔们对魔法师们更加感兴趣---谁知道呢?
无论如何,穿越中间结界很大程度上是一个人的想法地转变而不是物理的转变。中间结界本身是一个想法,它就是转变行为的本身,且事实上仅仅是因为它转变起来很困难,才会给活人以及灵魂们认为它就好像一堵不可逾越的墙一样的概念。
---源自“从物理的角度理解暗物质界的一片论文”,作者是Minrathous魔法议会的首席附魔师Marena,6:55钢铁纪元. |
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