【新谜之私译坑】开团怕上火，精灵凉茶王老吉

[茶白猫小修]

普斯塔废墟
 
横越东灰烬平原的国王之路（King's Road）仿佛一位久已死去的巨人破碎的脊骨。在大灾变前，西瓦那斯提贵族与商人们乘着神奇的马车在这条高架公路上旅行。沿途分布着许多贸易都市，其中最大的一座就是普斯塔。这座城市曾是卡若理王国的骄傲与欢愉，但它却沦为了导致大灾变的那场事件的又一个牺牲品。

劇透 -   :

Ruined Purstal
 
Stretching across the eastern Plains of Dust like the shattered spine of a long-dead giant is the King's Road. 
Prior to the Cataclysm, the Silvanesti nobles and merchants traveled in marvelous carriages on this elevated 
highway. Trade cities lay along its length, the greatest of these being Purstal. Once the pride and joy of the 
nation of Kharolis, the city became another victim of the circumstances that led to the Cataclysm.

[茶白猫小修]

普斯塔的历史
 
在大灾变前两千年，亚苟斯帝国进入了它的黄金时代，与此同时，它与一位古老的敌人成为了盟友：那就是卡若理王国。卡若理王国建立于许多分散的部族携手对抗阿卡·亚苟斯（Ackal Ergoth）的征服部族之时。在剑鞘和约（Swordsheath Scroll）原件上其他的签名旁边，卡若理人也签下了他们国家的名字，尽管他们与他们的亚苟斯邻居间存在着不可调和的文化差异。（卡若理这个名字来源于那位统一这些部族的女战士，它是一个母系君主制国家，而亚苟斯则在任何方面都是父系制的。）

剑鞘和约签订之后，所有那些文明国家之间的贸易往来极大增长，而边境城镇普斯塔正处在一个完美的地理位置，使之便于受益。普斯塔位于亚苟斯、西瓦那斯提和卡若理三国的国境线交汇处，由此成为了三国间的陆上贸易枢纽。随着其规模与重要性日渐增长，瓦匠阶级（House Mason）的精灵们建造了前大灾变时代安塞隆的奇迹之一：国王之路。这座奇迹与其说由石头雕凿而来，不如说是塑造而成；它距地面约三十英尺，由许多宏伟的立柱支撑，绵延六百余里，自西瓦那斯提的东-塔拉斯河（River Thon-Thalas）西岸起，至普斯塔止。

这座城市没有任何名声在外的胜景——例如塔西斯神话般的船舶，帕兰萨斯的大法师之塔，或达提苟斯（Daltigoth）皇宫的金色圆顶——但在两百年间，它无疑变得非常的重要。

当那些省份最终对亚苟斯宣告独立并成立索兰尼亚时，普斯塔的重要性有增无减。索兰尼亚这座新建立的国家对贸易货物需求迫切，为了得到工艺精湛的精灵商品，领导者们切盼与西瓦那斯提的星辰咏者保持良好关系。卡若理人则十分乐于对之施恩，在索兰尼亚与亚苟斯帝国之间保持平衡，同时与二者进行贸易，并且不得罪其中任何一方。

第三次巨龙战争（Third Dragon War）之后，伊斯塔日渐强大，卡若理的平衡游戏却玩到了尽头。索兰尼亚与伊斯塔对亚苟斯采取敌对立场，卡若理王国加入了他们的行列；索兰尼亚主打军事，而伊斯塔则是个日益强大的贸易国家，因此，他们似乎没有必要招抚卡若理这个处于混乱中的国家。当伊斯塔开始实施并积极向其他各国推行贸易标准时，卡若理心悦诚服地采纳了。从某种意义上说，这个国家的政治立场削弱了普斯塔的重要性，因为西瓦那斯提仍然是亚苟斯帝国的盟友；但精灵商人们仍然继续来往于普斯塔，甚至在他们停止对伊斯塔的贸易之后也依然如此。

280PC，随着首任教皇的即位，卡若理窥见了未来命运的一丝微光。在对伊斯塔人民的首次致辞中，教皇宣称凡人女性必须服从于凡人男性，就如米莎凯服从帕拉丁一样。尽管伊斯塔的使者很快前来向愤怒的卡若理女王（Queen of Kharolis）致歉，但历任教皇均继续秉承着这一观点。当伊斯塔最终颁布那道《证明美德》的敕命与该国致力打击的“邪恶”清单时，其中一条似乎直指卡若理：“女子自居于男子之上是为罪。帕拉丁统治善良诸神，男子同样应统治正义诸民。女子凌驾男子之上，便是在执行黑暗之后的意志。”

卡若理将所有伊斯塔牧师驱逐出境，为此引发了多场人民起义。许多民众业已接受伊斯塔的地位，认为教皇是克莱恩与诸神间身获天选的中介人。正当整个国家陷入混乱之时，伊斯塔大军入侵。普斯塔是遭到围攻的第一座主要城市。伊斯塔军队迅速控制了卡若理的东部诸省，西瓦那斯提西部早已被咏者罗拉克放弃的无人区也同样落入他们手中（在《证明美德》的敕命颁布后，罗拉克即下令他的子民迁往东塔拉斯河对岸）。

对普斯塔的围攻始自89PC，终于82PC。卡若理并未尽力召集军队，而是坚信索兰尼亚会保护他们对抗其唯一担忧的潜在敌手：亚苟斯。尽管索兰尼亚骑士最初很乐意帮助卡若理军镇压全国各地的武装起义，但在83PC，教皇下令天位骑士从卡若理撤出除塔西斯要塞驻军外的所有骑士与军队。这一命令借口调兵增援卡基斯山脉（Khalkist Mountains）与暴动的地精和食人魔作战的军团，实则路人皆知旨在削弱卡若理政府对农村的控制力。然而，天位骑士只撤回了教皇所要求军队的半数，而西瓦那斯提议员阶级（Silvanesti House Advocate）一直在暗中支持普斯塔，甚至在伊斯塔挥军进攻普斯塔之后也依然如此。

尽管如此，卡若理再也腾不出资源从伊斯塔手中守护自己东部的国土并同时镇压野火燎原般蔓延全境的起义了。

在82PC的秋季，伊斯塔军团冲破了普斯塔的城门。守军与平民血流成河，染红了街道。据称这座城市的最后一任市长使用了最为黑暗的魔法，召唤出被屠平民们的灵魂，利用它们抵抗大军。无论这传说是真是假，在普斯塔城陷落后，守军们对伊斯塔的军团造成了可怕的伤亡。然后这座城市被纵火焚烧，周围的土地撒上了盐，此后再也没有得到重建。军团将被屠平民的遗体留给食腐动物清理，带着普斯塔的全部财富回到伊斯塔。

在接下来的五十年中，卡若理的大部分财富也遭受了相同的命运；据称，末代女王被迫屈尊沦为教皇的情妇。大灾变毁灭伊斯塔之时，在普斯塔周围引发的地震倾覆了城中硕果仅存的几处建筑。

劇透 -   :

A History of Purstal
As the Empire of Ergoth entered its Golden Age, some two thousand years before the Cataclysm, one of its 
ancient enemies became an ally: the nation of Kharolis. Founded when scattered tribes united to stand against 
the conquering hordes of Ackal Ergot, the Kharolish inscribed the name of their nation alongside the other 
signatures of the original Swordsheath Scroll, despite irreconcilable cultural differences with their Ergothian 
neighbors. (The Kharolish, named for the warrior woman who united them, were ruled by a matrilineal 
monarchy while the Ergothians were patriarchal in all things.)
Following the signing of the Swordsheath Scroll, trade between all the civilized nations greatly increased, 
and the border town of Purstal was in a perfect location to benefit. Located where the borders of Ergoth, 
Silvanesti, and Kharolis met, the city became a hub of overland trade between the three nations. As it grew in 
size and importance, the elves of House Mason constructed one of the wonders of pre-Cataclysmic Ansalon: 
the King's Road. Molded rather than carved from stone, this marvel ran thirty feet above the ground and was 
supported by great pillars for some six hundred miles, starting from the western shore of the River 
Thon-Thalas in Silvanesti and terminating in Purstal. The city was never widely recognized for anything—such 
as the fabled ships of Tarsis, the Tower of High Sorcery in Palanthas, or the golden domes of the Imperial 
Palace in Daltigoth—but in the space of two hundred years it nonetheless became very important.
When the provinces that would eentually become Solamnia declared their independence from Ergoth, 
Purstal's importance only grew. The newly established nation was hungry for trade goods, and its leaders 
anxiously wished to remain on good terms with the Silvanesti Speaker of the Stars because of the nation's 
well-crafted elven goods. The Kharolish people were more than happy to oblige and performed a balancing act 
between Solamnia and the Empire of Ergoth, trading with both nations without offending either side.
As Istar became increasingly powerful in the wake of the Third Dragon War, however, Kharolis's balancing 
act came to an end. With Solamnia and Istar taking hostile stances toward Ergoth, the nation of Kharolis joined 
them; Solamnia was dominant militarily and Istar was increasingly powerful as a trade nation, so there seemed 
little point to appease Kharolis—a nation in shambles. When Istar began imposing and aggressively enforcing 
trade standards upon other realms, Kharolis willingly adopted them. The political stance of the nation lessened 
Purstal's importance somewhat, as the Silvanesti remained allies of the Empire of Ergoth, but elven merchants 
continued nonetheless to come to Purstal even after they had stopped trading with Istar proper.
In 280PC, with the installation of the first Kingpriest, Kharolis saw a glimmering of what the future was to 
bring. In his first address to the people of Istar, the Kingpriest stated that mortal women were to be subservient 
to mortal men, as Mishakal was subservient to Paladine. Although Istar's ambassadors quickly apologized to 
the outraged Queen of Kharolis, a succession of Kingpriests carried this viewpoint forward. When Istar finally 
implemented the Proclamation of Manifest Virtue, with its lists of "evils" the nation was devoted to combating, 
a passage appeared to be directed squarely at Kharolis: "It is a sin for Woman to elevate herself above Man. 
As Paladine rules over the gods of Good, so shall Man rule over righteous mortals. Any Woman who elevates 
herself above Man is doing the will of the Dark Queen."
Kharolis expelled all of Istar's priests from within its borders, triggering several uprisings among the people. 
Many of them had accepted Istar's position that the Kingpriest was the chosen intermediary between Krynn 
and the gods. As the nation descended into chaos, Istar's legions invaded. Purstal was the first major city 
besieged. The legions swiftly took control of the eastern province of the nation, as well as the western portions 
of Silvanesti that Speaker Lorac left uninhabited (he had ordered his people to the far side of the River 
Thon-Thalas after the Proclamation of Manifest Virtue).
The siege of Purstal lasted from 89PC to 82PC. Kharolis had not made much effort to muster an army, 
trusting instead in the might of Solamnia to protect them against the only potential enemy they had feared: 
Ergoth. While the Solamnic Knights were initially happy to help the Kharolish army subdue the armed uprisings 
in various parts of the nation, in 83PC, the Kingpriest ordered the Grand Master to withdraw all Knights and 
troops from Kharolis, except for those serving in the garrison in Tarsis. While the pretense was one of 
reinforcing the legions fighting the goblin and ogre uprisings in the Khalkist Mountains, it was clear to all 
observers that the objective was to weaken the Kharolish government's ability to control its countryside. The 
Grand Master, however, withdrew only half the number of troops that the Kingpriest had requested, and the 
Silvanesti House Advocate had been covertly supporting Purstal ever since Istar's legions marched on it. 
Nevertheles, Kharolis no longer had the resources to both fight Istar for control over its eastern lands and keep 
the uprisings from spreading like wildfire.
In the fall of 82PC, the legions of Istar broke down the gates of Purstal. The streets ran red with the blood of 
both its defenders and civilian citizens. The city's last mayor is said to have called upon the darkest of magics 
to raise he spirits of the slain citizens and turn them upon the legions.
Whether the tale is true or not, Purstal's defenders inflicted terrible casualities upon Istar's legions as their 
city fell. The city was then set ablaze, the earth around it salted, and it was never resettled. The legions left the 
bodies of the slain citizens for scavengers to consume, but they carried all of Purstal's riches back to Istar. 
Within the next fifty years, the wealth of most of Kharolis followed; the last queen is said to have been reduced 
to a personal concubine of the Kingpriest. When the Cataclysm destroyed Istar, the resulting quakes around 
Purstal toppled the remaining few buildings left standing.

[茶白猫小修]

普斯塔的秘密

被摧毁五百年后，普斯塔仍是一片废墟。这座城市周围恶劣的沙漠气候吓退了所有想要迁入此地的文明种族。与此同时，关于最后一任市长所施诅咒的传闻也令大部分游牧民族对其敬而远之。

不过，这样的地区永远吸引着趋之若鹜的冒险者。所有报告均称这座城市栖息着多种不死生物。有人说它们是普斯塔的市民与伊斯塔的军团兵，至今仍在为争夺这座城市的控制权而战。而另一些人则说这片地方已经成为一块吸引整个安塞隆邪恶精魂的磁铁，而那些不死生物会攻击一切进入废墟者。然而，也有人声称那些不死生物们如常度日，对进入他们国度的生者无动于衷（最后一种说辞主要来自将普斯塔和其南部的无踪之城混为一谈的无知者）。尽管存在着如此的威胁，还是有许多勇敢的冒险队伍涉险进入普斯塔并留下了各不相同的体验，不过根据所有记录记载，没有人找到任何被遗忘的宝藏。

劇透 -   :

Secrets of Purstal
Five centuries after its destruction, Purstal remains in ruins. The harsh desert climate around the city has 
discouraged any civilized folk to resettle the site. Additionally, the rumors of the curse imposed by its last Lord 
Mayor keep most nomads away from it.
Still, such locations are to adventurers as honey is to flies. By all reports, several types of undead inhabit 
the city. Some say they are the citizens of Purstal and the legionnaires of Istar still fighting for control of the city. 
Others say the place has become a magnet for the spirits of Evil dead from all across Ansalon, and that these 
creatures attack anyone who enters the ruins. Yet others claim the undead go through everyday routines and 
remain oblivious to the living when they enter their realm. (This last rumor is largely discounted as coming from 
ignorant folks confusing Purstal with Missing City to the south.) Despite this threat, many brave bands have 
ventured into Purstal and had varying experiences, though by all accounts nobody has any forgotten hoards.

[茶白猫小修]

冒险点子
英雄们在造访塔西斯时遇见了塔西斯女士莎琳娜·卢克旺的长子——达文·卢克旺（Davin Luckwand, the eldest son of Sharina Luckwand, the Lady of Tarsis）。
 While working to catalog the long-neglected records of the city, he came across a missive that dates 
from four years before the Cataclysm. One of these was a letter to Queen Kharolis XII, the young monarch 
who was reputed to have been enslaved in Istar. In it, an unnamed agent stated that he had confirmed that the 
bulk of the Purstal City Treasury was still concealed in the secret vault. Part of the letter contains directions to 
that vault and a warning about the many new traps that the agent has built around it. He says that he will await 
the queen's arrival in Elial, and that they will then go with a force to Purstal to collect the wealth and use some 
of it to buy safe passage to Ergoth. "The spies of the Kingpriest will never suspect that you are fleeing in that 
direction," the message ends. The scholarly young man knows this to be wrong— Istar's priests supposedly 
took the queen captive the year the letter is dated.
Davin wants the heroes to help him find the treasure hidden in Purstal. He believes that some of the 
references in the letter will help them succeed where no one else has. He wants to use the bulk of the money 
to hire mercenaries or to help the Legion of Steel in Tarsis muster a large armed force and liberate its people 
from the oppressive rule of Beryl the Green Wyrm and her Dark Knight minions. A bitter twist in this tale may be 
that Davin is actually an agent of Beryl. He betrays the heroes after they have helped him get through the 
dangers of the city
Is there hidden treasure in Purstal? Is the city truly infested with thousands of undead? That's up to you to 
decide. (In the case of Davin the Betrayer, here's a suggestion: A trio of adventurers looted the treasury of 
Purstal decades ago. All that remains are sacks of copper pieces and a couple of dented gold crowns. The 
total value of the treasure in this betrayal scenario is 230 steel pieces.)

劇透 -   :

Adventure Seeds
While visiting Tarsis, the heroes meet Davin Luckwand, the eldest son of Sharina Luckwand, the Lady of 
Tarsis. While working to catalog the long-neglected records of the city, he came across a missive that dates 
from four years before the Cataclysm. One of these was a letter to Queen Kharolis XII, the young monarch 
who was reputed to have been enslaved in Istar. In it, an unnamed agent stated that he had confirmed that the 
bulk of the Purstal City Treasury was still concealed in the secret vault. Part of the letter contains directions to 
that vault and a warning about the many new traps that the agent has built around it. He says that he will await 
the queen's arrival in Elial, and that they will then go with a force to Purstal to collect the wealth and use some 
of it to buy safe passage to Ergoth. "The spies of the Kingpriest will never suspect that you are fleeing in that 
direction," the message ends. The scholarly young man knows this to be wrong— Istar's priests supposedly 
took the queen captive the year the letter is dated.
Davin wants the heroes to help him find the treasure hidden in Purstal. He believes that some of the 
references in the letter will help them succeed where no one else has. He wants to use the bulk of the money 
to hire mercenaries or to help the Legion of Steel in Tarsis muster a large armed force and liberate its people 
from the oppressive rule of Beryl the Green Wyrm and her Dark Knight minions. A bitter twist in this tale may be 
that Davin is actually an agent of Beryl. He betrays the heroes after they have helped him get through the 
dangers of the city
Is there hidden treasure in Purstal? Is the city truly infested with thousands of undead? That's up to you to 
decide. (In the case of Davin the Betrayer, here's a suggestion: A trio of adventurers looted the treasury of 
Purstal decades ago. All that remains are sacks of copper pieces and a couple of dented gold crowns. The 
total value of the treasure in this betrayal scenario is 230 steel pieces.)