部族领土在蓟花要塞与卡勒弗斯提直接来往的人们总会遇到奥戴欧瓦部族的成员。只有也一定会听闻贝戈部族以及他们在大水湖附近的定居点。他们是两种十分不同的满足文化,二者一同应该能很好地展现林中居民是如何生活和工作的。
奥戴欧瓦奥戴欧瓦部落声称自己是达沃卡人口最多的部族,这点符合秘法学会的估计。有超过五万奥戴欧瓦人,他们把精神与文化看得和战争记忆一样重要,这也是为什么他们在历史上多次屈服于更加暴力的部族。酋长Haloban 是奥戴欧瓦部族最近的保护者和统治者,随后葛林提亚女王的军队毁灭了他的堡垒和部族。之后奥戴欧瓦人逐渐接受并且适应了安珀利亚人的存在——若没有Embersind酋长高超的外交技巧这种变化是不可能发生的,但他也在他的从属中导致了严重的分裂。
和所有蛮族一样,奥戴欧瓦人天性骄傲,但他们更看重聪慧与狡黠,而不是暴力。根据传说,奥戴欧瓦人来自一个对辛柏隆帝国相对自治的区域,他们依靠外交和政治策略维持着这种地位,没有诉诸于暴力。据说部族的祖先Odamagála的精神和肉体同样庞大——这个理念至今被不分性别与社会地位的奥戴欧瓦人共享。
Haloban被击败后,部族内外有许多传言称奥戴欧瓦人协助了葛林提亚女王攻击Jezite堡垒。但奥戴欧瓦与安珀利亚探险者和殖民者互相交战直到战后14年,否认了这一猜测。战后14年,拉瑟弗·奈特普奇与Eferneya达成停战协议。此后状况发生了巨大的变化——太快的变化,一些Embersind的从属认为这是不好的变化。
确保长期和平的第一步是建立贸易关系——安珀利亚知识、技术、日用品和银泰勒进入达沃卡,而林中居民拿出了木材、毛皮、草药和手工制品。16年的卡勒弗斯提之战后双方有了进一步合作,女王和奥戴欧瓦酋长签署协议,保证了安珀利亚人能够安全往来于蓟花要塞和悬崖。一年后协议扩大,允许安珀利亚军人沿线巡逻,作为交换,安珀利亚军队会协助打击部族内部的叛乱企图,以减少全面内战的风险。
最后一个重要进展是Embersind酋长决定将部族的主要定居地从伊安诺河畔迁往拱桥的新居所。公开的故事是Embersind带领人民回到了Odamagála创建部族的故土,但真正原因很可能是为了更靠近卡勒弗斯提,将部落安放在悬崖与蓟花要塞之间。
定居点奥戴欧瓦部落如今有两个大型定居点,以及十多个小型村庄。全都由长屋构成,有着用砂浆和石块筑成的墙以及木制梁和屋顶;屋顶多用苔藓密封复盖。大多数房屋都有两个区域——一个给人住,另一个给宠物和家畜(家猪、羊,有时还有马)。
部族最古老的定居地在伊阿诺河北岸,从蓟花要塞与卡勒弗斯提之间的道路向东需要走一天的路程。有三百五十年历史的Odama要塞占据了此地,这是一座五层楼的堡垒,被白桦树干组成的围墙包围,树干下是巨大的石制地基。定居点周围有矮墙包围,虽然不足以阻挡林中的野兽,但给了防御者宝贵的优势。墙外以及河流南边的树木都被砍倒,用来种植农作物——大部分是萝卜河根茎类蔬菜。此地的明珠是生长在定居点中央的“万物树”。这丛浆果灌木据说是许多世纪前被种在Odamagála的坟墓的,根据传说,上面结出的暗黄色果实充盈着她的的远古力量。
剧透 - :
Chieftain Embersind’s new stronghold is located
on the Malgomor’s southern shore, built around
the ancient Arch Bridge which, in Symbarian
times, stretched across the river. Since then, the
riverbed has moved a few hundred meters to the
north, but the bridge itself remains where it has
always been. It is almost two hundred paces long,
supported by massive stone pedestals sunk deep
into rocks and dirt. The houses near the bridge,
and the marketplace located beneath it, were built
in the traditional stone and wood fashion, with one
notable exception: the Chieftain’s stronghold. The
all but completed structure was designed and built
by Master Aspelo, the Royal Architect of Ambria,
who borrowed techniques and styles from the
great palaces of his homeland and embellished
his creation with details from both barbarian
and Symbarian architecture. When finished, the
fortress is supposed to be impossible to penetrate
without razing the wall or breaking through the
gates, as demanded by the ever more paranoid and
incredibly wealthy chieftain.
酋长Embersind的新堡垒位于迈戈木河南岸,古老的拱桥周围,在辛柏隆时期,这座拱桥横跨大河。但之后河流向北改道了几百名,但桥还留在原地。拱桥长约200步,巨大的石墩深深地陷入石块与泥土之中。桥附近的房屋还有桥底的市场都是传统的木石结构,唯一的例外石酋长的堡垒。这座接近完工的建筑由安珀利亚王家建筑师Aspelo大师设计建造,采用了他的祖国那些宫殿的技术和风格,并且用蛮族和辛柏隆建筑中的细节装饰。一旦完工,这座堡垒将坚不可摧,除非推倒高墙或打破大门,否则难以进攻,这正是日益多疑但又极其富有的酋长的要求。
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“你知道为什么安珀利亚人还没有征服卡勒弗斯提吗?不知道?我知道:因为大酋长已经被女王的一个表亲替换了。真的!只能有这个解释了,不是吗!?”
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剧透 - :
Known conflicts
The Odavs should be grateful for everything their
current chieftain has accomplished; it is an irrefutable fact that the alliance with Ambria has significantly improved the lives of most clan members, even
if no one has benefited more from it than Embersind
himself. And indeed, a majority of Odavs have come
to accept, or even embrace, this new era. But there
are some who have not…
There are at least two rebel factions operating
in Odaiova. They are seen as bandits and rogues
by both Ambrians and other Odavs, and very little
is known about their numbers, how coordinated
they are, and what they actually wish to achieve.
One of those notorious groups is led by the witch
Serbaga, also known as the Robber Crone, and the
other by Embramer – Embersind’s own nephew.
These raiders move around the vast area called
Odovakar, attacking Ambrian caravans and settlements along the borders of the forest. Though
the Chieftain denies it, most people are convinced
that either Serbaga or Embramer was behind last
year’s two attempts to assassinate Embersind in his
stronghold on the shore of River Eanor.
已知冲突奥戴欧瓦人该感谢他们现任酋长所作的一切,没有谁能否认,与安珀利亚的联盟极大地提高了大部分部族成员地生活,但受益最大的还是Embersind本人。大部分奥戴欧瓦人已经接受甚至欢迎这个新时代,但还是有异见者……
奥戴欧瓦至少有两支反叛派系。他们被安珀利亚人和其他奥戴欧瓦人视为强盗和小偷,几乎没有人知道他们的人数、他们如何组织以及他们的目的是什么。其中一支由女巫Serbaga,也被称作“强盗老太婆”,带领,另一支则由Embramer,Embersind的侄子带领。这些劫掠者在周边被称作奥多瓦卡(Odovakar)的广阔区域行动,攻击安珀利亚马车和森林边界上的定居点。大部分人确信Serbaga或Embramer是去年两起在埃阿诺河岸的堡垒内针对Embramer的暗杀事件的主谋,但酋长对此予以否认。
剧透 - :
The increased trade has also resulted in people
losing some of their communal loyalty in favor of
smaller, more immediate groups such as family,
relatives, or colleagues. Everyone wants a share of
the Ambrian wealth – hunters have, for example,
started to compete with each other over who can
offer the finest pelts at the lowest prices, which
sometimes leads to quarrels or even violent clashes.
And lastly, one must mention the age-old conflict between the clan’s principal lineages. To the
Odavs, transcendental entities like Uron, Oroke
and Eox are not Gods to worship, but spirits to
learn from and communicate with. Instead, they
revere their three original ancestors – nearly two
thirds of the population adheres to Odamagála,
while Yesalom and Embayal are embraced by a fifth
each. Put simply, in order to clarify the nature of
these conflicts, Odamagála is said to have been a
peaceful and pragmatic woman, always striving
for cultural and technological refinement, whereas
Yesalom advocated a materially simple life devoted
to spiritual growth, and Embayal urged the Odavs
to conquer the woods through military force and
seek dominion over all of Davokar.
增多的贸易也导致人们失去了一些对社群的忠诚,转而看重更亲近的小团体,例如家庭、亲属和同僚。所有人都想分一份安珀利亚人的财富——例如猎人开始互相竞争谁的皮毛最好谁的价格最低,有时会导致争吵甚至暴力冲突。
最后不能忘记的是部族主要血脉之间长久的冲突。对奥戴欧瓦人来说,Uron、Oroke和Eox这些超然存在不是用来崇拜的神,而是可以学习和交流的精神体。他们崇拜自己的三个祖先——有将近三分之二的人口是Odamagála的后裔,Yesalom和Embayal则各占五分之一。简单地说,这些冲突的实质,是据说和平且追求实用性的Odamagála追求农业和技术发战,而Yesalom提倡简单生活,致力于心灵成长,Embayal则希望奥戴欧瓦人用武力征服森林,统治整个达沃卡。
显然这些冲突之间有许多重叠部分——Serbaga据说是Yesalom的后裔,许多争相追求安珀利亚商人注意力的小团体也或多或少与前文的血脉有联系。但看起来安珀利亚人的出现缓和了部族内部长期的仇恨。例如一些Embayal的后裔以护卫Odamagála后裔家族的商店和交通工具为生,类似的合作越来越常见。
奥戴欧瓦名人和所有蛮族部落一样,奥戴欧瓦的守护者地位崇高,能影响酋长的行动。Embersind的女巫叫Lobaya,年纪很大,经历了三任包括耶丽塔在内的林巫,依然保持了自己的职位。她公开表示,若是她还年轻,若是她还能看到任何部落未来和人类的希望,她会反对过去十年发生的事。但她既不年轻也看不到希望,只能尽可能服从她的酋长,同时低声念叨过去的好日子——有时还是加上“那个强盗老太婆确实有胆子,还有点智慧……”之类的评论。
酋长护卫的首领是一位叫Yoroun的女性。虽然是Embayal的后裔,她看起来坚定地忠于Embersind,并且据说在酋长反抗更年老且更挑剔的Theodar(也是Embayal一脉)时提供了支持。后者从未接受自身血脉的低等地位,当奥戴欧瓦还是Haloban的附庸时他就威胁酋长,若他步愿意为奥戴欧瓦的独立战斗,他就要带着同为Embayal后裔的族人离开。他至今没有实现他的威胁,但在Embayal的后裔中,关于未来应如何总是有很多争议。
Serbaga的母亲因使用了有毒的莓子而去世后,女儿代替她成为了Yesalom一脉的非官方首领——这个位置她占据不了太久。因部落禁忌与酋长发生公开的严重冲突后,她被迫离开了定居点。剩余的大部分Yesalom后裔现在居住在两个偏远的林中村子丽,自给自足。他们对Embersind的不满越发强烈,部分原因是安珀利亚的巡林卫不经通知就进入他们的家园搜寻Serbaga。村子的村长Arnomer表面上看能够容忍一切,但他也有极限。
其他著名的奥戴欧瓦人包括Valagar, 成功的贾卡犬培育者,他养的狗崽被卖给安珀利亚人和其他部落,还有Golthor,一名商人,他很快意识到了学习安珀利亚语言和在蓟花要塞建立联络点的重要性。他因此变得极其富有,有人说他花钱获得了Embersind离开后埃阿诺河岸的酋长堡垒的所有权。其他奥戴欧瓦人困扰于他与Yoroun,一位与他有同样血脉的女性的亲密关系,但Golthor不断表明血脉的问题不再和部落有关。
黑暗降临每天都能在林地的篝火边还有安珀利亚的酒馆中听到关于达沃卡黑暗不断生长的故事。奥戴欧瓦或许是受森林的邪恶力量影响最小的部落——他们住在最南边,树木稀疏,每年都会落叶。据说Yesalom的后裔还维系着部落和一些未屈服于腐化的强大森林生物的联系。然他们也不是丝毫不受影响。
迈戈木河北边的小型定居点报告了越来越多的野生猛兽袭击,而南边的村落和猎人则受到野兽部落的侵袭。此外还有两个尤其让人不安的故事,讲述了完全不同的东西。
十四天之前,卡勒弗斯提东北边有一整个村子一夜之间被全部腐化。只有两个孩子逃离了这场可怕的转变,逃往南边讲述了这个故事——他们在黎明前被可怕的尖叫惊醒,接着看见他们变了形的父母用锐利的爪子和染血的犬牙蹂躏邻居的小孩。怒火守卫和女巫几天后抵达,他们发现至少半数村民被撕成了碎片,而其他人消失了。秽物还拿走了村长珍藏的符文斧——据说是巨魔制造的奇物。这把斧子现在依然没有被找到。
另一个故事若没有一位年轻猎人的迅速行动,也会是同样悲惨的结局。年轻的Oran心碎地坐在屋顶上,他的爱人因为另一个男人离开了他。他的哀叹被一个令人不安噪音打断了——一个越来越高、不断变调的嗡嗡声。他知道一定是什么非自然的生物发出的声音,于是搭弓上箭,射出箭矢。第二天早晨人么发现Oran和他的目标死在了一起:那是个肿胀变形的女人,全身赤裸,被爬着和飞着的昆虫复盖。
Oran的父亲勇敢地靠近了尸体,但在离他的儿子还有三步的时候跪地,开始剧烈地呕吐。其他人迅速往三具尸体身扔油罐,再用火箭点燃。至今没有人能认出那个生物,也不知道它是哪里来的。
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“听我说,我看见一个太阳骑士还有一个牧师打架。用拳头。他们疯了似地大叫‘异端’还有‘亵渎’。不过很快结束了,骑士挥出一拳……”
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剧透 - :
Baiaga
The Baiags are constantly moving around. The
clan is thought to comprise about thirty to thirty-five
thousand members; the exact number is difficult to
determine due to the clan’s scattered and nomadic
nature. To the Baiags, home is where their families
are. Often consisting of four generations, every
family is led by its oldest member, who – through
spiritual conversations with their god, Arex the
Bloodwolf – decides where next to hunt, fish, gather
berries and mushrooms, or just rest. However, it is
not considered strange for some people to leave their
families, even for long periods of time; sometimes
Arex reveals trails that are meant to be followed by
one person, and that person alone.
贝戈贝戈总是四处移动。这个部落有约三万到三万五千人,难以得到确切的数字,因为他们分布散乱,游牧为生。对贝戈人来说,家就是他们的家人所在的地方。许多贝戈家庭四世同堂,每个家庭都由最年长的成员领导,他们通过与信仰的神,血狼Arex进行精神对话来确定渔猎、采集莓子和蘑菇或者休息的地方。但若有人要离开自己家庭也不会被认为是奇怪的举动,哪怕离家的时间很长。有时Arex只会对一个人显露踪迹,只有这个人能够追寻他。
因为Arex,这些游牧的家庭才被统称作一个部落。他们认为酋长是血狼选择的,部落女巫是神的代言,自己的土地是Arex的领地。所有贝戈人都要守卫自己的领土,等待Arex从彼界的狩猎中返回。他们耐心地等待、战斗了几个实际,大部分时候互相之间都和平共处。但安珀利亚人的到来和日益黑暗的达沃卡挑战着他们的团结。在酋长Hohax死亡后这点尤为明显。
剧透 - :
History
It is said that clan Baiaga’s ancestor, Areman, was
the son of Grabando and Gohalfu. Apart from being
husband and wife, they were governor and general
of the Khalasaar province during the final years of
the Symbarian Empire. When Symbaroum began
to fall apart and people’s fear bordered on hysteria,
the couple took drastic action to maintain order
in their province – alleged instigators, deserters,
and protesters were tortured or executed in the
hundreds. According to legend, it was Areman
who ended his parents’ tyranny. He killed them
in their sleep and led the people of Khalasaar to
safer lands in the south, where they remained for
over a hundred years before returning north.
Davokar has been the Baiags’ home ever
since. Before the threat from Angathal Taar,
known as the Spider King, forced the clans to
unite and agree to certain arrangements, the
descendants of Areman were involved in many
prolonged and brutal conflicts – with other clans,
elves, beasts, and finally with the Spider King’s
ravaging hordes. The establishment of rough
borders by no means put an end to these conflicts,
but certainly made them less frequent, and thus
easier to deal with.
历史据说贝戈人的祖先Areman是Grabando和Gohalfu的儿子。他们除了是夫妻,还是最后的辛柏隆帝国Khalasaar省的总督和将军。辛柏隆开始陨落,人们的恐惧濒临崩溃,夫妻二人采取了极端措施维护省内的秩序——几百米被怀疑是煽动者、叛国者和反对者的人都折磨或者处刑。根据传说,是Areman结束了父母的残暴统治。他在父母睡着时杀了他们,带领Khalasaar人去往南边更安全的土地,并在那里居住了超过一百年才返回北方。
达沃卡于是成为了贝戈人的家。在 Angathal Taar也就是蜘蛛王的威胁迫使各部落联合起来签订协议前,Areman的后裔参与了许多漫长而又暴力的冲突——与其它部落、精灵、野兽,最后还包括蜘蛛王的军队。粗略的边界不能结束这些冲突,但确实降低了冲突的频率,因而更容易处理。
此外,部落还被一个威胁纠缠,或者说诅咒:极其强大又渴望复仇的Grabando会周期性地以鬼魂的形态复活。有许多故事讲述了不死的恐怖之物离开墓穴夺走几十甚至几百名贝戈人的生命后才被驱回(或主动返回)坟墓。有人尝试找出鬼魂苏醒的模式,并付出巨大努力用秘术封闭他的墓穴——但都没有实际效果。
部落暴力的过去对理解他们当前的状态和生活方式至关重要,但6个月前发生在贝戈人身上的事也同样重要——大水湖边的部落会议上Hohax酋长被杀。现在依然不清楚是谁用斧子砍了他的脖子,他可能的继任者都有动机和机会,因此之后Arex的人类代表一直缺失。
所有贝戈人都愿意相信杀手是外部的——安珀利亚人或者其它部落,但考虑到当时的情况,他们很难不互相怀疑。实际上他们或许需要一个外来者理清一切,前提是贝戈人能够相信一个不追寻血狼足迹的人。
定居点贝戈人的森林里散落着约一百个营地,大部分都很小,只有一到五间简单(但制作精美)的木屋。这些定居点和木屋都没有长期的居民——除了独居的老者,他们无力四处移动,因此在喜欢的地点安家。空的木屋依照先到先得分配。假如营地过于拥挤无法接纳所有访客,最后抵达的人必须睡在自己的帐篷里,等木屋腾出空间。
剧透 - :
Two campsites are much larger than the others,
as they have evolved into important meeting places
for the people. The largest one is located near Lake
Great Water, with a hundred log houses for lodging
and many additional buildings well-equipped for
various kinds of crafting – there is, among other
things, a smithy and a water-powered mill which
anyone is free to use. By the lake one also finds
most of the clan’s stationary members. To name
a few, there is Altrod, the storyteller who lost his
legs to a raging aboar, the butcher and grillmaster
Hubero and his family, and Bera, the Elder chosen
by her fellow clan members to represent them
before Arex (that is, before the Clan Chieftain and
Keeper) and who is bound to the artifact known
as the Drum of Gohalfu.
有两个最大的营地,已经成为了重要的集会地点。其中最大的位于大水湖附近,有一百栋原木房屋,还有许多附带的建筑,适合进行多种手工艺活动——包括一座冶炼炉还一座水力磨坊,任何人都可以随意使用。湖边还住着部落里行踪最固定的人物。有说书人Altrod,他因为一头愤怒的野猪没了腿;屠夫兼烧烤大师Hubero和家人;长者Bera,被部落成员推举在Arex面前代表所有族人(当然,是在有部落酋长和守护者之前),她和被称作Gohalfu之鼓的奇物联结。
剧透 - :
Strangers are welcome at the camp site, but are
expected to offer goods and services in exchange
for food, accommodation, access to the smithy,
and so on. The Baiags are a curious and inquisitive people, and there are usually some with
a good enough grasp of the Ambrian language
to act as interpreters. They are also cautious
and suspicious. Many outsiders are said to have
died by Lake Great Water after having behaved
in a threatening or worrying manner – from the
Baiags’ perspective, it is better to be safe (violent)
than sorry (use words).
The second largest settlement is found along
one of the forest’s smaller rivers, known to the
barbarians as Morankor, about a day’s march north
from the northern tip of Vologma. The Whitewater
settlement is practically uninhabited for most of
the year, but during the summer months, when
trout are playing upstream, hundreds of Baiags
come to feast, socialize and gossip about what they
have seen and heard while travelling the woods.
营地欢迎陌生人,但他们需要用物品和服务交换食物、住处、锻造炉使用权等等。贝戈人好奇又喜欢刨根问底,一般有人能理解一些安珀利亚语,可以充当翻译。据说许多外来者因为有威胁性或者引发忧虑的行为死在了大水湖边——按贝戈人的看法,宁愿稳妥(暴力),免得后悔(言语)。
——————————————
Gohalfu之鼓
据说军阀Gohalfu制作了这个巨大的铜桶用来从远处指挥她的下属。敲击林德龙鼓皮发出的声音能够传递给将近200枚贝壳状的耳环,这些耳环如今由贝戈部落各个首领最重要的亲属佩戴。这样Bera能够将简单的信息传给几乎整个部落——召集会议、警告危险、召唤Arex的后代保卫领土。
——————————————
剧透 - :
Furthermore, the summer months are when the
Whitewater Maid – an ancient being inhabiting the
river, seemingly protecting it from all perceived
threats – is at her most serene.
Legends describe the Whitewater Maid, sometimes called Daughter Manaud, as a female being
the size of an arch troll, with toad-like features
and milky white skin. She has not been seen for a
long time, maybe because the Baiags have learned
not to anger her. Her victims are always found in
the woods near the river – tainted and blight-born
creatures, sometimes even primal blight beasts,
who have suffered the claws and acidic bite of
the Whitewater Maid. Ordo Magica and the Sun
Church call her an abomination, but the Baiags
see her quite differently: as long as one does not
mention her by her true name and has not been
tainted by corruption, the Whitewater Maid is not
a threat, but rather a guardian spirit.
此外,夏天是水花少女——寄宿于河流中、保护河流的古老存在——最为宁静的时候。
水花少女也被称作Manaud女儿,传说描述她为女性,体型如同大巨魔,面部如同蟾蜍,有牛奶般雪白的皮肤。人们已经很久没见到她了,或许是因为贝戈人学会了不去激怒她。她受害者总是出现在河边的树林里——被污染的腐化生物,有时甚至是原初秽兽,被水花少女的爪子和酸噬所伤。秘法学会和太阳教会认为她是秽物,但贝戈人有不同看法:只要不说出她的真名并且不要沾染腐化,水花少女便不是威胁而是守护者。
已知冲突贝戈人没有私人财产的概念。他们游荡的土地属于Arex,保卫这片土地的人都能够分享土地的回报。确实,部落成员要负责自己的装备,各个家庭也通常有自己的武器、工具和日常用品。但只要有兄弟姐妹需要,人们通常都会送出这些东西。贝戈人不会为了财产恶化所有权争斗——这个概念对他们来说是全然陌生的。
他们内部争斗的原因通常有两个:颁布新的禁忌(以及修订旧的禁忌)和部落作为整体该如何应对外来者。对第一个问题,许多年轻的贝戈人——包括守护者Makaba——认为随着达沃卡的黑暗日益加深,需要更严格地执行禁忌并且增加新的禁忌。传统上认为重要的区域已经不再安全,许多边境区已经有黑暗生物肆虐,一些遗迹周围出现了古怪而让人不安的痕迹,越来越多的猎物和鱼类染上疾病。
但年长的部落成员没有被说服,他们提出了不同的举措。Bera长老坚持贝戈部落必须与迫近的黑暗战斗,而不是躲在禁忌后面,许多人同意她的观点。Arex从狩猎返回,返现发现他的领地大幅减少、被腐化纠缠,他会说些什么!?双方都慢慢失去耐心,变得绝望。
如何对待外来者这个问题更加复杂——或者说对外来者描述时会显得比较复杂。贝戈人对安珀利亚人的态度从热情好客到不信任、鄙夷,有时甚至是刻骨的仇恨。他们和外部蛮族的态度则取决于每个家庭,主要看不同部落民之间的婚姻以及/或者私人情谊。
因此很难判断你见到一群贝戈人时会有什么待遇。进入部落定居点的外来者或许被部落用莓粥欢迎,也可能被挥着斧头的战士血溅当场。
两种冲突由于部落选举新任酋长而越发明显,虽然贝戈人很少互相争斗,他们也是信念坚定的一群人,随时准备为了自己的信念战斗。Hohax的三个可能的继任者都没有得到大多数人支持,许多贝戈人认为有其他更适合的人选(可能是他们自己)。卡勒弗斯提还有蓟花要塞一些酒馆的消息人士确信贝戈人处于内战边缘——只需要一个催化剂,就释放压抑的愤怒与绝望、摧毁一切。
贝戈名人对贝戈人来说,没有什么荣耀比得上勇敢地守护Arex的领土。他们最好的战士,尤其是那些与熊獾一同战斗的,在部落里享有崇高地位,诸如Ranokrag和Eradana等英雄无论到哪里都会受到热情招待。但会用斧子不是唯一能获得部落成员赞美的方法,毕竟他们是Arex的子民,他们同样看重老练的追踪者和探路者。
说到贝戈人,Makaba可能是蛮族历史上最年轻的守护者。她在Hohax被谋杀一年前获得称号,那时还不到19岁。酋长选择了她而不是前任守护者更年长的学徒,许多贝戈人希望新选出的酋长能更正这个“错误”。Makaba毫不畏惧他们的威胁——也许她不介意被取代,也许她自认为比挑战者Garagor更强大,只要有必要,她不害怕通过秘术决斗证明自己。
长老Bera顽固又严厉,缺乏耐心和仁慈。前任酋长蔑视她,人们也逐渐对她失去信心,在她代表的观点(“不惜一切代价守护Arex的领地!”)慢慢失去支持后更是如此。假如新酋长上任后立刻召集会议许选出新的代表长老,而Bera输掉选举,人们也不会惊讶。
三位最有可能接任Hohax的候选人之间几乎没有共同点。熊战士Eradana 要求被戈部落适应变化的森林,与其他部族结盟,主要是撒利和戈汀雅。和Makaba一样,她希望实行新的禁忌,禁止人们去往一些遗迹和边境区域,禁止食用多种植物和动物。
她主要的对手是Karloar,前怒火守卫,狂热的传统派,希望部落切断与外界的联系,不惜一切代价将黑暗从Arex的领地驱逐。虽然许多部落成员抱有同样的孤立主义思想,但这并不足以让他成为酋长。和许多返回部落的怒火守卫一样,Karloar在卡勒弗斯提受到的伤永远不可能愈合——颤抖的手和话语、剧烈的情绪变化,还有时不时无法遏制的渴感,都让一些人却步。他最大的机会是第三名候选人或许能争取到大批Eradana的支持者。追踪者Tharama对部落有相似的看法,但在安珀利亚居住了十多年,认为贝戈人应当和奥戴欧瓦人一样欢迎南边的邻居。
——————————————
“上一任贝戈酋长是被杀的,你知道吧?现在他们知道是谁干的了:是Tharama,那个追踪者。很多人希望Tharama能成为新酋长。”
——————————————
黑暗降临部落领土东边与安珀利亚人称作荒野达沃卡相接,由于靠近卡勒弗斯提,地位十分重要。许多恐怖之物——精灵、秽物还有被污染的野兽——必须经过贝戈领地才能接近悬崖。但有三个地点的黑暗变化尤为明显而凶恶。
部落领土的边缘是杰拉喀陷坑,这里总是盘踞这各种麻烦——地精部落、猛兽群、传播疾病的昆虫,还有饥饿的秽物。
但从杰拉喀地底钻出来的威胁明显增多,危害程度更深。有人说与陷坑相连的地下世界发生了变化,下面有什么东西苏醒了,把地下世界的生物驱赶向地表。无论那是什么,部落已经同意,五个至少各有两名熊战士的家族必须一直驻守在杰拉喀附近的定居点,密切关注陷坑,避免或者报告他们遭遇的所有威胁。
被贝戈人称作Rhan Mahaar的巨大废墟是另一个麻烦的来源。自称造访过这座古城的探险者有的把它描述为庙宇群,有的说是有宏伟陵墓的陵园。但他们都提到了这里的野生物种正在进行明显的变化。土地没有因为腐化的黑暗而衰败,而是仿佛重获生机:很久之前复盖着遗迹的纤细灰色藤蔓和山楂树再次快速生长,开出白色和粉色的花。探险者还说所有动物都逃离了Rhan Mahaar。鸟儿抛弃了窝,田鼠不再寻找土地里的蠕虫——就连昆虫都离开了,让所有蓬勃生长的荆棘更加惊人。
剧透 - :
Lastly, the Black Plague Termites must be
mentioned. It has been five years since the first
reports of these nasty pests reached Karvosti and,
shortly thereafter, Thistle Hold. Back then there
had only been a few incidents near clan Baiaga’s
eastern border, but now the plague has spread,
even though every nest found is set aflame. The
red and black, thumb-length insects attack both
living and dead trees, and in addition to hollowing
them out, they bring corruption to everything
they touch – the trees they devour, the ground
they walk on, and the earth in which they nest.
For once, the barbarian witches and the scholars
of Ordo Magica are in agreement: the well-coordinated termites possess some form of hive-mind
intelligence, and are most likely controlled by at
least one cunning Queen, hiding somewhere in the
wilds. If she is not found, and the vermin continue
to spread at the current rate, Arex’s territory may
be completely lost in just a few years…
最后要说的是黑瘟疫蚁。五年前,第一次有报告称这些难缠的害虫抵达了卡勒弗斯提,接着很快到了蓟花要塞。那时在贝戈部落东部边境只有三起蚁害。虽然每个被发现的蚁穴都被焚烧,但现在瘟疫已经蔓延了。这些红黑相间、有拇指长的昆虫会啃咬活着和死掉的树木,不仅会将树木挖空,还会将腐化带给它们接触到的一切——被啃食的树、被爬过的地面、被筑巢的土地。蛮族的女巫和秘法学会的学者首次达成了共识:这些配合默契的白蚁拥有某种程度的群体智能,很可能由至少一只狡猾的蚁后控制,蚁后自己躲藏在野外。如果不找到蚁后,让这些害虫继续扩散,Arex的领地可能在几年内就会完全丧失。
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传言
本书中有许多传言。它们代表了你能在酒馆和市场的低语里能听到的内容。有一半都是存粹的编造,另一半也是经过误会和夸张。但谁知道呢,也许有那么一丝真实……
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