《龙之纪元起源》部分Codex翻译之一（生物篇）

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 Dirthamens 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 snatched 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

"Theres 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。