《龙之纪元起源》部分Codex翻译之四（文化与历史篇）

Codex Entry 142: On dwarven religion

For Dwarven PCs

We are the Children of the Stone. She supports us, shelters us, offers us the most priceless gifts of the earth. The worthy return to her embrace in death, becoming Ancestors. The unworthy are cast out, unable to rest, that their failings may not weaken the Stone.

So it has been since the earliest memories. We live by the Stone, guided by the Ancestors, who speak with the voice of the Provings, and whose memories the Shaperate keeps forever in lyrium.

We do not accept the empty promises of heaven as the wild elves do, or vie for the favor of absent gods. Instead, we follow in the footsteps of our Paragons--the greatest of our ancestors, warriors, craftsmen, leaders, the greatest examples of lives spent in service to our fellow dwarves. Our Paragons joined with the Stone in life, and now stand watch at our gate, ushering in those surfacers privileged to visit our city. We know there is no greater honor to hope for, no better reward for an exceptional life.

--As told by Shaper Czibor

For all other PCs

The Chant of Light is almost never heard in the halls of Orzammar. This is hardly surprising, for, unlike the elves, who were literally abandoned by their gods, or the Tevinters, who worshipped dragons, the dwarves have no gods at all.

Even the concept of worship is foreign in Orzammar. Instead, the dwarves seem to venerate "the Stone," a name they give to the earth itself. This seems practical for a people living underground, if perhaps a bit unimaginative.

For guidance in spiritual matters, they turn to their ancestors. These ancestors, who are said to have returned to the Stone, communicate their wishes to the living via brutal trials-by-combat called Provings. The ancestors collective wisdom is maintained by the Shaperate, which can apparently store records in lyrium itself.

Set above the ancestors, above even kings, are the Paragons--dwarves who have achieved such greatness that they are elevated almost to godhood. These are the great figures holding up the hallway that leads from the surface, the first glimpse of Orzammar that outsiders see.

--From In Pursuit of Knowledge: The Travels of A Chantry Scholar, by Brother Genitivi

第一百四十二卷：矮人们的信仰

矮人们的记载：

我们是石头的孩子。她支持着我们，保护着我们，为我们提供了大地无价的礼物。那些在死亡之时回到她怀中的人，成为了我们的祖先。那些被驱逐出的人，无法得到安息，因为他们的失败将不能削弱伟大的石头。

自最早的记忆以来一直如此。我们生活在石头旁，受到祖先们的指引，他们通过决斗赛表达他们的声音，他们的记忆被Shaperate永远地记忆在了lyrium中。

我们不接受那些野精灵们所谓天堂的空洞承诺，又或为那些不存在的神灵而效忠。取而代之，我们追随的是我们矮人贤者们的脚步---他们是我们祖先中最伟大的人，战士，工匠，领袖，他们是为了我们矮人们做出服务之人的榜样。我们矮人贤者们的生命已经和石头融为一体，并且无时无刻地监视着我们的大门，迎接那些有幸进入我们城市的地标人。我们知道再也没有更高的荣誉可以去渴求，再没有比杰出的一生更高的奖赏值得去追求。

---由雕刻师Czibor所讲述

其他的记载：


光明之歌中机会从未在Orzammar的大厅中被听到过。这并不奇怪，因为不像精灵们那样舍弃了他们的诸神，又或像Tevinter那样去崇拜龙神，矮人们根本就不相信神灵。

甚至宗教崇拜的概念在Orzammar来说都是闻所未闻的。取而代之，矮人们似乎崇拜“石头”一个他们给予大地的名字。这对生活在地底的人来说是很实实在在的，尽管也许有些不可想象。

而在寻求灵魂指引的方面，他们转而追寻他们的祖先们。这些被认为是回归到了石头中的祖先们，通过一种野蛮的，被称作“Proving”的决斗方式来表述他们的意愿。祖先们智慧的结晶则被Shaperate所保留，很明显他们能够在lyrium中储藏这些知识。

而在祖先甚至是国王之上的，是矮人贤者---那些取得了丰功伟绩的矮人被作为神明一样地崇拜。它们就是那些在通往地面的厅道中所能看到的壮观景象，那些外来人对Orzammar第一瞥的印象。

---源自“追寻知识：一位教会学者的旅行”，作者是教会学者，Genitivi教士。

Codex Entry 143: On the dwarves unknown burden

9:13 Dragon--The Blight is building, though it is years from being named by the surface. But the Memories know the signs. The Legion has lost Bownammar, though in truth, it was lost to the living long ago. The spawn are moving freely and have numbers even the Memories havent seen. They will surge, release. We will fortify and follow. That is the way, and will always be so. Until we fall, and the surface wonders what has changed.

--From chapter 49 of Stalata Negat: The Stone Unheld: A Commentary on the Roll of Years, by Shaper Erden.

7:0 Storm--The wars continue in the depths and the border thaigs are lost. Orzammar fortifies and holds, but the lost ground is not regained and remains dead space, where darkspawn multiply. It was a surge, but the surface was not breached, there was no great archdemon behind them. No Blight was Declared, no rallying cry was given. The Wardens slumbered.
After centuries of constant skirmishes, a trend becomes clear. The first line of defense, unacknowledged for centuries, weakens.

--From chapter 40 of Stalata Negat: The Stone Unheld: A Commentary on the Roll of Years, by Shaper Erden.

5:12 Exalted--The surface Declares the fourth Blight, a number that means nothing to the Stone. In the depths, the events are inverted, our Blight spanning the interim years. Seven generations of shifting lines and darkness. Our Ancestors are the reason the surface kingdoms dont know a darkspawn by sight, why even their eldest have never heard an accounting first-hand. They believe the Blights are defeated by a gathering of allies with singular focus. Eventually, they will be lost by attrition in the depths.
The spawn surges and releases. We fortify and follow, although doubts are raised.

--From chapter 27 of Stalata Negat: The Stone Unheld: A Commentary on the Roll of Years, by Shaper Erden.

3:10 Towers--They name it a Blight, the third by their reckoning. It was just "the fight" to our ancestors, continued even though it shifts setting. The hordes that press their border surge and release, spilling across the surface. They fortify and follow. It was not their way to let the enemy rest.

3:25 Towers--The surface kingdoms Declare victory. The horde is crushed, the push halted, and celebrations begin as humans thank the skies and their Maker. Beneath their gaze and their feet, the darkspawn retreat to the steps of our thaigs. New front lines are drawn across old. They settle in to breed, the Memories say, as happened twice before, and likely in the darkness before that.

--From chapters 14 and 17 of Stalata Negat: The Stone Unheld: A Commentary on the Roll of Years, by Shaper Erden.

第一百四十三卷：矮人们未知的边界

9：13巨龙纪元---天灾正在形成，而它的名字在许多年后才为地面人所知。但是记录者们知道了预兆。军团们已经失守了Bownammar，虽然事实上，它在很久以前就已经无人居住了。黑暗生物们在那里自由的四处游荡，数量多到甚至记录者们都没有见过。他们会蜂拥而出，并无法控制。我们则会坚守并根据敌人随机应变。那就是事情的发展趋势，并且会一直如此。直至我们倒下，而地面人将会奇怪是什么事情导致改变的发生。

---摘自“Stalata Negat：未坚持住的石头：一段关于年代交替的报道”的第四十九篇，作者雕塑师Erden。

7：0风暴纪元---战争仍然在很深的地方持续，边界上的殖民地已经被攻陷。Orzammar仍然坚守并坚持着，但失去的土地仍然无法被重新夺回，那里仍然是死亡之地，在那里，黑暗生物们不断地增多。这是一场突然而来的大爆发，然而它们仍然没有攻破至地面上，在它们的背后并没有一个大恶魔的存在。因此还没有人宣布这是一场天灾，还没有人发出团结起来的呼喊。守望者们一直沉睡着没有出现。

在经历了数个世纪的小冲突后，趋势已经明显。第一线的防御，仅管在数个世纪中都不为人知，正在被削弱。

---摘自“Stalata Negat：未坚持住的石头：一段关于年代交替的报道”的第四十篇，作者雕塑师Erden。

5：12崇高纪元---地面人宣布了第四场天灾，而这一数字对石头来讲没有任何意义。在地底深处，事态恰好相反，我们的天灾正值间歇年。连续七代人的时间里我们一直生活在黑暗的影响下，我们防线在不断地退守。我们的祖先们是为什么那些地面上的王国从不知道黑暗生物长什么样子，为什么甚至连他们的长老也从未听说过任何事情的直接原因。他们相信天灾能够被他们通过召集盟军并专注地进行一场战役而彻底打败。最终，他们会因为地底矮人们的减员而彻底失败。

---摘自“Stalata Negat：未坚持住的石头：一段关于年代交替的报道”的第二十七篇，作者雕塑师Erden。

3：10 高塔纪元—他们将它命名为“天灾”，是它们所见过的第三次。而它对于我们的祖先来说仅仅是又一场的“战斗”而已，仅管它变换了几次形态，但却一直持续着。那些侵袭他们边界的黑暗大军突然爆发并四处扩散，充斥着地面的世界。他们固守并根据敌人做出应变。他们并不会给予敌人时间休息。
3：25高塔纪元---地面的王国宣布了胜利。黑暗大军被摧毁，进攻也停止了，人类们开始欢庆胜利并感谢天空和他们的造物主。在他们的目光和双脚之下，黑暗生物们撤退到我们殖民地的边缘。新的前线建立在了旧的之上。记录者们说，他们居住了下来并开始繁衍，就像前两次天灾发生后的那样，以及就像在那之前的黑暗时代里一样。

---摘自“Stalata Negat：未坚持住的石头：一段关于年代交替的报道”的第十四篇和第十七篇，作者雕塑师Erden。