英雄无敌7#探秘森林一族
来源：https://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/discover-sylvan，以下由HeavenK翻译。
Debate is still raging on regarding whether Ivan should invite an Elf or a Dwarf ambassador to his council. I understand the choice is difficult, and I also realize many of you would like more information about these two proud nations before voicing their opinion. This is perfectly legitimate – I know all too well that information is everything.
关于伊凡应当邀请一位精灵大使还是矮人大使进入他的参议团的争论正在变得越来越激烈。我理解这有多难以抉择，我也知道你们很多人都期望能够得到对于这两个骄傲的国度更多的信息，从而做出最终的决定。这一要求合情合理，毕竟，我深知信息就是一切。
To quench your thirst, I called upon the knowledge of another esteemed member of this shadow council, the necromancer Kaspar. This master apothecary and healer has been around for… quite some time, and nobody on Ashan knows as much as he does about its peoples, except maybe the Loremasters of the Blind Brothers.
为了平息你们对信息的饥渴，我召来了影子议会另一位受人尊敬的成员，亡灵巫师卡斯帕。这位药剂与医术大师已经等候多时了，放眼全亚山世界，恐怕只有盲眼兄弟会的博学者们能够比他更为了解这片土地上的人民。
…Brother Kaspar, please come forward. We`re listening to you.
卡斯帕，请上前来，我们都将洗耳恭听。
Well well, I would never have expected this shadow council to grow so big, so fast. It is heartwarming, yes, heartwarming to see so many young people gathered today – even through whispering crystals for most of you – to discuss the future of Ashan.
好的，好的，我从没预期到影子议会会成长的如此壮大，如此迅速。这实在令人欣慰，是的，看到有这么多年轻的面孔聚集在这里，虽然你们当中许多人是通过轻语水晶，谈论着亚山世界的未来。
My name is Kaspar. I was born a few centuries ago in the city of Kriegspire, in the Wolf Duchy. But the Maiden of Fate led me to the Seven Cities, eventually joining the ranks of the Spider Cult that was growing within the ranks of House Eterna. In time, I drank the venom of the Namtaru to prolong my life, and became a Lich.
我名为卡斯帕，出生于几个世纪前的恶狼公国的克里格斯派尔城（德语：战争尖塔，以及魔法门六地名）。但是，命运少女指引我来到了七城联盟，并让我成为了永恒学派内部日益成长起来的蜘蛛教派中的一员。最终，我饮下了娜姆塔茹蛛女的毒液并获得了永生，成为了一名巫妖。
But despite the fact I am what the plebs would call “Undead”, I remain, first and foremost, a healer, travelling wherever my skills are needed. I was in Irollan in 654 to help circumvent the outbreak of White Fever near Syris Wynna, and I journeyed to Grimheim in 701 to treat the Dwarf warriors poisoned by Dark Elf blades. Today, I will share my observations regarding these two remarkable peoples, the Elves and the Dwarves.
尽管我如今成为了那些凡夫俗子所谓的“不死族”，但是，我一直且仍然是一名医者，永远奔赴需要我医术的最前线。654年我在艾罗兰帮助阻止在希瑞-维纳爆发的白热病疫情，之后，701年我又来到格林汉姆帮助治疗那些被黑暗精灵毒刃所伤的矮人战士。在这里，我将向大家分享我对这两个卓越的民族：精灵与矮人的所见所闻。
关于精灵 - On the Elves
精灵国度艾罗兰 - Irollan, the Elf realm
Graceful and patient souls who live in close harmony with the earth, the Elves are in tune with the Dragon of Earth. Her deliberate nature and ancient wisdom are reflected in their approach to life and worship. Distrustful of machinery and cities, they keep to their ancient ways and ally with others only rarely. It must be emphasized that Elven lands are not safe. Wild animals, the natural terrain, and the Elves themselves all pose formidable hazards for the incautious traveller…
作为一群优雅宁静的生灵，精灵们与大地紧密和谐地生活在一起。他们与大地之龙协调共生，而她那深思的本性与远古的智慧也体现在精灵们对生活与信仰的追求上。出于对机械和大城市的不信任，他们仍然保留着远古的生活方式，并很少与外人结盟。必须指出的是，精灵的土地上并非完全安全，对于那些轻率闯入的旅行者来说，野生动物、崎岖山路甚至精灵们都将成为他们的噩梦。
…I took quite a lot of notes about the flora and fauna found in Irollan, but I guess that should be a topic for another time. Let`s focus on the Elves themselves, shall we? Oh wait, that part could be relevant to the matter at hand:
我记录了很多关于我在艾罗兰发现的动植物的详情，不过我想这应该等到下次再讲，我们还是将注意力集中在精灵们身上，好吗？等下，这一段应该和我们目前手头上的任务有关：
…The woodlands are rich in natural resources, so much so that the Elves rarely have to trade with outsiders unless they wish it. Other natural resources are plentiful as well. The rivers and lakes teem with fish, the woodlands abound with wild game, and herbs and fruiting plants grow wild in abundance. The Elves have learned to tend these crops in their own way, so that an outsider stumbling upon an Elven farm would scarcely recognize the difference from the surrounding woods.
林地盛产各式自然资源，其富饶程度使得精灵们很少与外来者交易。其他资源也很丰富。河流和湖泊中鱼类聚集，林地中野生动物栖息，各种植物与水果茂密地生长的。精灵们掌握了如何照料这些作物的方式，所以外来者几乎很难分清精灵农村与周边森林的区别。
Elven cities are more in the air than on the ground. The Elves long ago mastered the art of convincing trees to grow to their desires, and as such they have created great canopies above the forest floor upon which they build their cities. Ladders, rope bridges, and other such devices connect the various levels of these treeborne cities. Kings and nobles dwell on the higher levels, while the common folk live closer to the ground. Elven cities do have a ground component, primarily forges and the like, but the Elves rely on the trees to guard their cities better than any wall ever could…
精灵的城市更多高耸入空中而非建在地面。很早以前，精灵们就掌握了如何以自己的意志塑造林木，通过这种方式他们建造了宏伟的林木天蓬，并以此为地面建立了属于他们自己的树城。梯子、天桥和其他设施连接了这些树城的不同层面。国王和贵族的家通常在最高层，而平民们的房子则接近地面。精灵城市当然也有一些地面部分，主要是些铁匠铺之类的。不过精灵们更多的还是依靠树木守卫自己的城市，而非依靠任何建造的城墙。
More descriptions of trees and Elf houses follow... Ah! This is more like it:
更多关于树木和精灵房屋的描述在下面...啊！应该是这段：
…There are four major cities within the Elven realm, each serving as a seasonal capital for the King and his court. The capital changes at the solstices and equinoxes, and each city subtly tries to outdo the others. Syris Thalla (“New Green”) is the spring capital, located in the west. Syris Vaniel (“Golden Sun”) is the southern and summer capital. Syris Lothran (“Bloodleaf”) is the fall capital, and is located in the east, close to the Haven border. Syris Wynna (“White Wind”) is the northern capital, and it rules in winter. The changing of the capital is a major event in the Elven calendar, and the procession of the royal court from city to city is a magnificent sight to behold.
精灵国度有四个主要的城市，分别在当季作为精灵王和其王庭的首都。王都会在每年春秋分与夏冬至之时交替更换，而每座城市之间也有微妙的竞争关系。新绿之都希瑞-萨拉（既塞利斯塔拉）是坐落于西方的春都。金阳之都希瑞-凡尼是坐落于南方的夏都。血叶之都希瑞-罗兰是坐落于东方的秋都。白风之都希瑞-维纳是坐落于北方的冬都。王都的交替是精灵历法的重要节日，王庭从一个都城前往下一个都城的盛大仪式更是令人叹为观止。
I have been lucky indeed, as an outsider, to witness the journey from Syris Wynna to Syris Thalla, at the end of my stay in Irollan.
在我的艾罗兰之行的尾声，我有幸作为一个外人见证了从希瑞-维纳到希瑞-萨拉的迁都仪式。
至高王庭 - The court of the High-King
…There is a King of the Elves, and there are many other Kings below him. The High-King rules from the central court, and once he is chosen his word is law. The process of choosing a King falls to the druids, who fast and endure the sweat lodge until all are given a vision of who the new ruler should be. The decision has to be unanimous, and the druids will stay in the sweat lodge without eating for as long as it takes.
精灵们有一个至高王，并在其下有一些追随他的地方王侯。至高王统领着中央王庭，他的话就是律法。精灵王的选举是由德鲁伊们作出的，他们会聚集到一个封闭的小屋中，不眠不吃直到所有人达成一致的共识选出新的统治者。
The High King rules for life, which for Elves, is a very long time indeed. Around him circulates a court of soothsayers, druids, warriors, musicians, ladies in waiting, poets, jesters, sons of lesser Kings and the like, a whirlwind of chaos that somehow manages to be surprisingly efficient, especially compared to the Imperial court. Intrigues within the Elven court are less deadly than they are elegant - Elves do not like to kill other Elves. Rather, they will work to humiliate, exile and otherwise bring low their rivals. Enmities can last hundreds of years, for Elves do not forget slights, and they guard their honour fiercely.
一位至高王的在位统治时间，即使对于精灵来言，也是十分漫长的。他的身边总是不停的有预言者、德鲁伊、战士、乐师、等待召见的女士、诗人、小丑、地方王侯之子等等依次出现，就像是旋风一般混乱，但是奇妙的是，他们却又如此的有效率，特别是和帝国相比。精灵王庭的各式政争通常优雅又没那么致命，毕竟精灵们不喜欢干掉对手。相反，他们会羞辱，流放或是以其他方式贬低自己的对手。这些仇怨通常将持续数百年，因为精灵们不会忘记任何轻视，他们总是激烈地守护着自己的荣誉。
There are those who say that the Elves` entire language, known as Monlin, the Song of the Earth, is music. That may be the case, but the Elves themselves claim to be partial to poetry. The more extemporaneously it`s composed, the better, and the Elf who can rip off a sestina on the fly wins a great deal of renown from his fellows. All Elves have two names, the one they use with outsiders and the one they use among themselves. The outsider name is generally descriptive and in the common tongue. The true name is in Elven, and is more or less unpronounceable by anyone except an Elf…
有人说精灵的语言，即所谓的大地之歌莫林，就是音乐。这么说可能有点言过其实了，精灵们自己则更热衷于诗歌，越是即兴而发越好，而能够在最短时间完成一段六节诗对诗的精灵会在其同胞面前赢得极大的名誉。所有精灵都有两个名字，一个在与外人交流时使用，另一个则只有精灵同族会使用。对外用的名字通常采用通用语的发音并且较为简略。精灵语的真名则很少能够被精灵之外的人准确地念出来。
But I suppose you`re not so much interested in poetry and Elven ballads, so let`s skip a few pages and go straight to what I noted about the Elven military.
不过我知道你们对精灵的诗歌和叙事诗应该没多大兴趣，所以我们跳过这一段，直接进入关于精灵军事方面的章节。
森林守望者 - Wardens of the Forest
…Elven armies are composed of a fluid array of smaller units, all of which seem to instinctively know what the army as a whole needs to do. The swiftest runners and best archers are scouts and skirmishers, reporting back to the nobles who command each unit. Usually Elves will screen their main force with a line of skirmishers who will serve to draw opponents into traps, where they can be pounded with arrows from three sides.
精灵军队有许多灵活多变的小型单位，所有部队似乎都本能地知道军队整体的目标是什么。最灵活的部队和最优秀的弓箭手是战场上的侦察突击部队，他们时刻将情报传递给后方指挥军队的贵族们。通常精灵们会将主力埋伏起来，只留一支突击部队将对手引入陷阱，然后他们可以从三面放箭击碎对手的部队。
The main body of the army is more heavily armed and armoured. Elven cavalry is mostly light cavalry, again designed for speed and manoeuvrability over shocking power. Riders will fire arrows or throw spears from horseback, eschewing heavier weapons like lances.
军队的主体是些装备更为精良的部队。精良骑兵主要还是轻骑兵，其目标主要是速度和机动性而非冲击力。骑兵会在马上射箭或投矛，从而避开像长枪这些重武器。
The Elves also have a sizeable navy. Their riverboats are fast and light, with tall rigging to allow room for plenty of archers. These ships also have narrow construction, to make them more difficult to board and to use enemies` numbers against them. On the ocean, the pattern is repeated. Few Elves like sailing beyond sight of land, but those who do range far and wide as both traders and pirates. Not even mentioning the Sea Elves, of course…
精灵们还有一支相当规模的海军。他们的内水船只轻便快速，船只设计有高索具，以给更多的弓箭手腾出空间。这些船只结构狭窄，从而难以被接舷战或是被大量敌人压制。在海上也是相同的战术。很少有精灵会愿意驶向深海，除了贸易商和海盗之外。当然，更不用说海精灵了。
Well, I guess that`s all I can say about the Elves at the moment. Come back tomorrow, so I can tell you all I know about the Dwarves…
好的，我想这就是目前我所知关于精灵的一切了。明天我将继续告诉你们关于矮人我所知的一切
