英雄无敌7#探秘地牢一族
来源：http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/discover-dungeon，以下由HeavenK翻译。
Well met, my fellow Shadow Councillors. Since I gave you information about the Elves of Irollan and the Dwarves of Grimheim, it feels natural to also share what I know of the mysterious Dark Elves of Ygg-Chall. The providence is indeed with this Council, as I am one of the few lucky surface-dwellers to have visited their capital city of Konos in the past and lived – or, well, you know – to tell about it. I think this was around 660 YSD, give or take a few years. Back then, it was not even an actual kingdom yet – only the burgeoning seed of a future nation.
很高兴再见面，我的影子议会同僚们。考虑到我曾给你们关于艾罗兰的精灵们和格林海姆的矮人们的资料，因此我自然也会把我对神秘的易格池沃的黑暗精灵们的所知分享给你们。对于这个议会来说可能是诸神注定般，我正是这世间少有的有幸能够造访他们位于库诺斯的都城，并仍然活着（或者说，你知道的）讲述此事的地表居民了。我想那大概是在七龙纪660年，前后差不了几年。那是，它还不是一个正式的王国，只是一个未来国度的萌芽而已。
I was one of the scholars accompanying Archon Belketh, who had been granted safe passage to the Faceless Library. We were hoping to find a cure to a mysterious disease that was spreading among the Namtarus, Liches and Vampires in Heresh. We were suspecting this disease was linked to the use of Void magic, of the same kind I had observed nearly a century before, in the pirate city of the Crag. As I discovered, this knowledge of Void curses is the reason Belketh had thought of me for this mission. The fact Hierophant Anastasya, whom I consider a friend, was among the sick was reason enough for me to abandon my studies and join Belketh on his trip.
我当时是和执政官贝尔克斯一同前去的学者之一，我们被准许安全的进入无面者图书馆。我们希望能够在那里找到关于那场在赫莱士扩散开来的，威胁到娜姆塔茹、尸巫和吸血鬼的神秘瘟疫的解药。我们怀疑那场瘟疫与虚空魔法的诅咒相关，而那正是大概一个世纪前，我在克格的海盗之城所见过的那种。我发现，正是因为我对虚空诅咒的知识，让贝尔克斯挑选我加入这场任务。而我的朋友，大主祭安娜斯塔西娅也感染了那种瘟疫，这一理由已经足够让我放弃我的学术并加入到贝尔克斯的这趟旅途当中。
But I digress already, and surely you’re not here to listen to the story of my life. Let me read you some excerpts from my diary, dealing with the Dark Elves and their mysterious mentors, the Faceless.
不过我已经跑题了，诚然你们并不是来听我的故事的。让我给你们诵读一些我的日记中的条目，关于黑暗精灵和他们神秘的导师无面者的内容。
关于黑暗精灵 - On the Dark Elves
黑暗之下的易格池沃 - Ygg-Chall, The Dark Below
Most of the Dark Elf kingdom is located underground, and more than once the Dwarves have found tunnels snaking out beneath the borders of other kingdoms. On the surface, the Dark Elves claim wastelands and inhospitable stretches of barren landscape, with little sign on the surface that they are there.
大部分黑暗精灵王国都位于地底，矮人们曾不止一次的在国境线下发现曲折的地道。在地表，黑暗精灵们会在荒凉无人的地区做少量标记，以宣称自己的存在。
I should add that entrances to the underground realm are usually carefully hidden. Malassa’s magic, the magic of illusions and obfuscation, is a great asset to prevent outsiders from entering Ygg-Chall uninvited.
我补充一下，通向地底国度的入口通常被仔细地掩藏起来。马拉萨的魔法，幻觉与迷惑的魔法，正是阻止外来者未经邀请进入易格池沃的最好方法。
No one, not even the Dark elves themselves, know all of the creatures that dwell in the caves. Plant life is rare - more common are vast mushroom forests and other fungi. The Dark Elves have cultivated these, and use them for everything from illumination to food to fuel. All of their cities are lit with the soft glow of bioluminescent fungi, tinged blue or yellow here or there by rarer species. Nothing is wasted in the tunnels, and the Dark Elves give their dead over to the fungi as compost.
没有人，包括黑暗精灵们自己，知晓地底洞穴内的所有生物。植物相对很稀少，更常见的是各种蘑菇与其他真菌构成的丛林。黑暗精灵们耕种这些真菌，并广泛地将它们用于照明、饮食以及燃料供给等领域。他们所有的城市都由各种发光真菌带来的柔和微光所照亮，依据不同种类散发出淡蓝或淡黄的光芒。坑道中没有任何东西被浪费，而黑暗精灵们死后会将自己的尸体作为真菌的养料。
Most of the tunnel-dwelling creatures in the dark elven domain are blind. Bats, blind fish, pale snakes with their eyes filmed shut and other suchlike creatures skitter back and forth in the darkness. Deeper down are more dangerous beasts, things that look like stone but aren’t, giant spiders, and other ambush predators.
黑暗精灵国度的大部分坑道生物都是瞎子。蝙蝠，盲鱼，和被眼膜封闭了视觉的白化蛇，以及其它类似的生物在黑暗中来回飞掠。更深的地方有些更加危险的野兽，有看起来像石头但其实不是的东西，巨大的蜘蛛，以及其他埋伏的猎食者。
The motile wildlife in the Dark Elf domain is mainly reptilian in nature. Black Dragons bellow in the deepest caverns, while serpents ooze their way through the passages, searching for prey. Most have had their coloration fade to ghostly pallor; the rest long ago turned the colour of shadow.
黑暗精灵国度内活跃的野生动物主要是各种爬虫类。黑龙居住在最深的洞穴中，而蛇类则在路上爬行，寻找着猎物。它们大多数的颜色是幽灵般的苍白，剩下一些则从很早起就转化成了暗影的颜色。
There are many strange things lurking in the dark, for sure. Grim Stalkers for instance – strange, feral creatures of equally feline and reptilian appearance, that the Dark Elves sometimes use as mounts. I also heard stories about tribes of blind “Troglodytes” that are sometimes described as reptilian, sometimes compared to living fungi. If they do exist, I suppose they are probably minor Earth spirits, but it’s just as likely they are just an old folktale.
黑暗中自然潜伏着许多奇怪的东西。冷酷追击者就是其中一例，一半猫科一半蜥蜴的奇特残暴的生物，黑暗精灵们有时将其驯化为坐骑。我也听说过盲眼的穴居人部落，有时它们被描述为蜥蜴类，有时则被认为是活体真菌。如果它们真的存在，我怀疑它们可能是小型土系灵体，不过更有可能它们实际上只是些古老的民间传说罢了。
In its own way, the entire Dark Elven kingdom is one massive city: Konos, the maze. That being said, there are denser clutches of population here and there, each of which views itself as its own city.
对于黑暗精灵来言，整个王国就是一个巨型城市：迷宫之城库诺斯。据说，有很多密集的人口聚集区分散各处，每个都将自己视为自身的城市。
Well, that was true then. I believe we can safely assume that the Dark Elves have expanded their territory and have founded new settlements, deeper under the mountains – and possibly under the Empire.
好吧，这种说法是正确的。我相信我们可以假设黑暗精灵们扩展了自己的领土，并建立了新的居住区，主要在群山之下，甚至有些在帝国之下。
黑暗精灵社会 - Dark Elf Society
The founders of the Dark Elf nation have made a pact with Malassa, the Dragon Goddess of Darkness. One of the consequences is that all Dark Elves are imprinted by Malassa’s mark and constantly forced to hear the constant whispers carried away by the shadows.
黑暗精灵国度的缔造者们同黑暗之龙神马拉萨缔结了条约。其中一个结果就是所有黑暗精灵都带有马拉萨的记号，并一直被迫听到暗影带来的持续低语。
There are those who can channel this permanent flow of information, and those who can’t, and this divides the Dark Elf society into two classes.
有些黑暗精灵们可以连通永恒的信息洪流，有些则不能，这将黑暗精灵社会区分为了两个阶层。
The Dark Elves that can’t bear the constant whispers imposed by Malassa’s mark are forced to erect a barrier to shield themselves from the rest of the world, lest they turn insane. To help them live with Malassa’s gift, thev burn specific varieties of mushrooms and inhale the vapours. The medicine is like an anaesthetic that shuts their mind away from the ceaseless noise.
那些不能忍受马拉萨的印记带来的无尽低语的黑暗精灵们被迫建立起屏障保护自己不受外界的干扰，唯恐自身变得疯狂。为了帮助自身与马拉萨的礼赠共同生活，他们会焚烧特定的蘑菇并吸入蒸汽。这种药物像麻醉剂，能够关闭他们的精神，不受无休止的噪音的困扰。
On the other hand, the Dark Elves who successfully process the voices from the Darkness without losing their mind hold great power.
另一方面，那些能够成功处理黑暗低语并保持自己意志的黑暗精灵们则具有强大的力量。
Young Dark Elves who demonstrate this gift are selected for the priesthood. Taken from their families as children, they are raised in the temples of Malassa as seekers of forbidden lore and masters of Dark Magic. They grow up utterly dedicated, utterly loyal and utterly fanatical to the aims of the Dragon of Darkness. Those who rise to the highest ranks undergo a secret ritual that lets them commune with Malassa, making them capable of dreamwalking. When the ritual is complete, their eyes become black and pupiless, and they never blink again.
具有这种天赋的年轻黑暗精灵会被选为牧师。自幼起便从家中被带走，由马拉萨的神殿将他们作为禁忌知识的追寻者和黑暗魔法的大师抚养长大。他们会怀着对黑暗之龙目标的无比奉献、无比忠诚和无比狂热而成长。那些晋升为最高阶层的黑暗精灵将经历一个秘密仪式，让其能够与马拉萨相交流，使其具备梦行之力。当这一仪式完成时，他们的眼睛会变得黑暗无瞳，并永远不再眨眼。
Joining the priesthood is the highest goal to which a Dark Elf can aspire, and competition for an elevated place in the temple is fierce.
加入牧师之路是一个黑暗精灵可以渴求的最高目标，而在神殿中谋得一席之位的竞争是十分之激烈。
The priesthood of Malassa maintains temples in every city and altars in every outpost. These sacred places are open to all, as the Dragon of Darkness will speak to any who call her, but public observances are few. This is possibly due to the fact that Malassa’s teachings are esoteric and poorly understood, even by most of the Dark Elves themselves.
马拉萨的牧师在每个城市都有神殿，在每个据点都有祭坛。这些圣地对所有人开放，因为黑暗之龙会回应所有呼唤她的人，但是公众参观者十分罕见。这可能是由于马拉萨的教诲是如此晦涩难懂，即便是对黑暗精灵们而言。
What unites the Dark Elves as clans is not blood relationships, but a common interest for a specific message found in Malassa’s whispers. There are three major clans – Nightshard, Shadowbrand and Soulscar, the ones founded by the sons of the legendary Queen Tuidhana – that rule over the smaller clans.
将黑暗精灵们团结成氏族的并非是血缘关系，而是从马拉萨的低语中找到的特定信息抱有的共同兴趣。有三个主要的氏族，暗夜碎片、阴影烙印和灵魂伤痕，分别由传奇的图德哈娜女皇的儿子们创立，他们统治着其他较小的氏族。
This information might be tragically out of date, but it is my understanding that the members of the Soulscar clan are fascinated by pain, suffering and madness, the members of the Shadowbrand clan listen for secrets of the soul, and the members of the Nightshard clan are passionate about emotions like sadness or happiness.
这一信息可能已经过时了，不过据我所知，灵魂伤痕氏族的成员沉迷于痛苦、折磨和疯狂；阴影烙印氏族的成员听取灵魂的秘密；而暗夜碎片氏族的成员则对悲伤或欢乐等情绪着迷。
The political implications of these differences are that the Nightshards are usually in favour of trade and neutrality, the Shadowbrands are for secrecy and non-interference with the surface world, and the Soulscars are the most aggressive and revenge-driven of all clans – and I remember they had somewhat fallen out of grace when I was visiting Konos.
这些不同带来的政治结果是，暗夜碎片氏族通常偏好交易和中立性；阴影烙印氏族隐秘且对地表世界毫无影响；灵魂伤痕氏族则最具进攻性，是所有氏族中最常被复仇驱使的。我记得当我访问库诺斯时，他们已经不那么优雅了。
In any case, this triumvirate somehow “elects” a common leader, known as the Lord of the Clans. Whereas it is done with ballots or blades I can’t say, nor do I know in what circumstances a Lord of the Clans leaves his position.
通常，这一三寡头联盟会“选举”出一个共同的领袖，被称为氏族领主。至于是通过投票还是刀刃选举出来的，以及氏族领主如何更替这些，我就不得而知了。
What I do know is that Menan of the Nightshards has been Lord of the Clans since the end of the War under the Mountain. I can’t quite remember who was ruling back in 660.
我所知的，在山下战争结束起，暗夜碎片氏族的梅南就成为了氏族领主。但是我想不起来在660年是谁在统治的了。
黑暗中的刀刃 - Blades in the Dark
Only Dwarves could give an accurate report of the current state of the Dark Elves’ military. However, what I witnessed back in 660 can hopefully give you a first taste.
只有矮人能够给出关于黑暗精灵军事实力的确切报告。不过，我在660年的所见所闻还是能够给你们一个大致印象的。
Dark Elf generals believe that a war is better won with persuasive words, devious stratagems, and poisoned daggers than with an army in the field, and as such they have no hesitation about sending out spies, saboteurs and assassins as instruments of policy. They are a pragmatic people, and bribery and assassination are often cheaper than raising an army. If needed, their Shadow Priests also master various mind-control and life-draining spells.
黑暗精灵将军们相信通过谗言蜜语、阴谋诡计和剧毒匕首赢得战争，要好于真枪真刀的战争。所以他们对于派出间谍、破坏者和刺客作为政治工具这一点毫不犹豫。他们是实用主义者，贿赂与刺杀总是比聚集一支大军便宜的多。如果必要，他们的暗影牧师们还会采用心灵控制或是生命吸取的咒语。
Dark Elves can use other tactics as well, like sending out waves of fast-moving skirmishers to distract the enemy and soften up their flanks, before hitting with better and stronger forces: Beasts from the darkness and Elite troops equipped with armours and weapons crafted from Shadowsteel, believed by some to be imbued with the blood of the Faceless.
黑暗精灵们也擅长采用其他战术，像是通过派出快速行动的突击兵干扰敌军并分化其侧翼，之后派出更加强大的主力部队，像是黑暗中的野兽和装备有影钢铸造的盔甲和武器的精英部队，其中有些装备甚至被认为掺入了无面者之血。
If forced to fight in the open, Dark Elves prefer to strike under cover of darkness. If forced to fight in daylight, they can stand their ground, but they’re more inclined to retreat and wait for nightfall.
在开阔地带的战斗中，黑暗精灵更偏好在夜幕的遮挡下进行。如果被迫在阳光下作战，他们会坚守阵地，不过他们仍然更偏好于撤退并等待夜幕降临。
Mmm, I think I am forgetting a big topic... But of course! The Faceless!
嗯，我想我好想忘了一个重要的主题...哦对，无面者！
The children of Malassa are often said to be extinct, but the ones I saw in Konos were pretty spry. Faceless are fascinating winged creatures, wearing mysterious masks allowing them to take any shape or appearance. Like their mother Goddess, they have a tendency to talk in riddles and metaphors, and it should always be assumed that for each secret he reveals, a Faceless is actually keeping two more. While I can confirm Faceless are not extinct, I can’t say if there are whole legions of them or only a handful of survivors left to mentor Malassa’s new protégés before passing into the Darkness themselves.
马拉萨的孩子常常被认为濒临灭绝，不过我在库诺斯见到的那些倒是都还活蹦乱跳的。无面者是奇特的有翼生物，带着神秘的面具以使他们成为各种外表或形状。和他们的母神一样，他们喜欢说谜语和隐喻，人们必须时常认为，当无面者揭示出一个秘密的时候，他肯定还留着至少两个。尽管我确信无面者还没灭绝，不过我不能肯定他们是还有很多，还是只剩下少数幸存者在自身褪入黑暗前，教导那些马拉萨的新信徒们。
That’s it -- all I could share about the Dark Elves. Tomorrow, I’ll tell you more about the infernal denizens of Sheogh.
这就是我对黑暗精灵的全部所知了。明天，我将讲述关于谢尔戈的炼狱生物的内容。
But for tonight, I need to find some ingredients and reagents. All this reminiscing actually gave me an idea for a new experiment I had not thought about before. It could possibly be the first step towards a true remedy against Void curses, one that doesn’t require dangerous trips to the Spirit World to re-enact ancient wars. I’ll let you know about the results!
而今夜，我将去找寻一些材料和药剂。这些追忆让我想到了一个新的点子，或许可以成为对抗虚空诅咒的真正解药的第一步，人们可能不再需要一趟前往灵界的危险之旅来重新经历远古战争。我会告诉你们实验的结果的。
