狮鹫家谱#1
来源：http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/the-griffin-dynasty-part-i，以下由翻译。
Well met, my dear friends.
你们好，我亲爱的朋友们。
Many among you have requested more information about the dynasty of Griffin, of which Ivan, our Duke and – if the Maiden of Fate smiles upon us – future Emperor, is the last offspring.
你们当中许多人都想要知晓更多关于狮鹫王朝的时期，毕竟，我们的大公以及未来的皇帝（如果命运之女向我们微笑的话）就出身于这个家族。
I have served the House of Griffin for a long time, either as “Jorgen” or under… other names. I therefore have firsthand knowledge regarding some of the most famous Lords and Ladies of Griffin.
我已经服侍狮鹫家族很长时间了，无论是以约根之名，或是其他化名。所以，关于狮鹫家族那些著名的男男女女们，我有着第一手的直接资料。
伊斯特凡，首任狮鹫大公 - Ishtvan, the First Griffin
The bold Ishtvan, king of the Griffin tribe, was possibly the fiercest opponent Ronan the Great faced when forging his Empire. Even in defeat, Ishtvan always remained proud and defiant, going as far as refusing to convert to Elrath when Ronan’s grandson, Brian Falcon, decided to dedicate the Empire to the worship of the Light. Being a controversial figure, he is not remembered as fondly as other heroes of the Empire’s early days, such as Siegfried of Wolf or Richard of Unicorn, who are featured in many popular folktales.
英勇的伊斯特凡，狮鹫部落之王，他大概是罗南大帝在建立自己的帝国时所面对的最强大的对手。即便是在战败后，伊斯特凡仍然桀骜不驯。当罗南的孙子布莱恩·法尔肯决定改国教为艾尔拉思的光之教派时，伊斯特凡坚决不从。正因如此，作为一个有争议的人物，伊斯特凡并没有像其它帝国早期英雄，如恶狼之希格弗里德、独角兽之理查德一般被人传颂，频繁出现在乡间流行民谣之中。
Suspicious of the Angels who walk his lands exalting Elrath, Ishtvan was especially fond of provoking Brian’s new allies. When they offered him a sword – the Blade of Revelation, more commonly known as the Sword of the Griffin – he hung it on his trophy wall and refused to touch it again. Instead, he asked the best blacksmiths of the Duchy to fashion him a new sword, known as the Iron Feather. Ishtvan saw Iron Feather as a symbol of the Griffin’s indomitable spirit.
伊斯特凡怀疑那些行走在其土地上的天使会四处传教，于是他总是不断找机会挑衅布莱恩的新盟友们。当天使赐予他一柄宝剑，即启示之刃，也常常被称为狮鹫之剑，伊斯特凡直接将宝剑挂在战利品墙上并拒绝再碰。相反，他下令自己领地最杰出的铁匠给他打造一柄新剑，精铁之羽。伊斯特凡将精铁之羽视作狮鹫家族不屈灵魂的象征。
Ishtvan never wielded the sword in battle as he was murdered shortly after it was completed. The culprit was never found, and it is widely believed Ishtvan’s assassination was political above anything else, as his frequent outbursts in court had become too much of an embarassment to the imperial throne and the Church of Light.
然而伊斯特凡并没能在战斗中挥舞起这柄宝剑，宝剑刚完成不就，他就被人刺杀。凶手始终没有发现，普遍认为伊斯特凡之死是一场政治事件，毕竟其经常在朝堂上的爆发已经让帝国宝座与光之教派都感到十分的不悦。
As it turns out, Ishtvan’s spirit was truly indomitable: Ishtvan’s ghost gleefully haunts his descendents, reminding them that they have the blood of Ylath running in their veins. His spirit may have been tied to Iron Feather somehow, as he has not reappeared since the sword’s destruction.
即便如此，伊斯特凡的灵魂仍然不屈不挠，常常欢快地跑出来骚扰自己的后代，提醒他们自家人胸膛中流淌的是伊拉斯的血脉。他的灵魂很可能是与精铁之羽有着某种程度的联系，因为自从此剑被击碎之后，他便再也没出现过。
谢尔盖 - Serguei
Like a blade is tempered, Duke Serguei`s temperament was forged by the freezing winds of the Griffin steppes. This harsh man did not take kindly to weakness, hated compromise, and despised skullduggery. While some at the imperial court found Serguei obnoxious, his qualities as a commander of men endeared him to Empress Kyla, who appointed him Admiral of her great armada during the Orc Crusades. Serguei is also famous for his lifelong rivalry with Heinrich of Wolf, perpetuating the old feud between the two Duchies.
正如需要百炼成刚的宝剑一样，谢尔盖大公的脾气也是被狮鹫草原的冷风所打造出来的。这个严厉的男人对弱者无情，他厌恶妥协并且鄙视欺骗。尽管帝国朝堂上有些人憎恨谢尔盖，但是其领兵的能力深受凯拉女皇的喜爱，她钦点谢尔盖作为进行兽人远征的无敌舰队的指挥官。同时，谢尔盖本人也因其与恶狼家的海因里希之间一生的敌对而闻名，正如两个公国之间延续的纷争一般。
Much maligned in history books for the role he played during the Crusade, as well as in Hammer Fall when the city fought to reclaim its independence from the Empire, Serguei of Griffin is nonetheless one of the most brilliant military commanders of the history of the Holy Empire. I shall not tell more about him for the moment, as I expect you will hear more about him before too long...
尽管史书中对于谢尔盖在远征期间，以及落锤镇宣布独立时所扮演的角色有着诸多诽谤，但是无论如何，狮鹫家的谢尔盖无愧于神圣帝国历史上最杰出的军事将领。此刻我想不必多言，因为我猜你们很快就能了解更多关于他的事情了
斯维尔塔纳 - Sveltana
The daughter of Serguei, who had been hoping for a son, Sveltana, celebrated in her youth as the “Flower of the North”, initially bore the weight of being an only child – and the wrong one. At the age of fifteen her brother Pavel was born, and she was quickly ignored as he was named heir. Perfectly content with the turn of events, she left to study the nature of Spirit World first with the Angels and then with the Wizards of the Seven Cities. Once there, she excelled in her research and soon came under the tutelage of the Necromancer Aguirre. Already distant from her family, Sveltana decided to join the fledgling cult of the Spider Goddess, and she became Aguirre`s assistant and right hand.
谢尔盖之女斯维尔塔娜在年轻的时候被人称为北地之花，作为长女，她出生就承担着独子的重担，然而谢尔盖本人期望的却是一个男孩。到了十五岁那年，她的弟弟帕维尔出生，并成了大公的继承人，而斯维尔塔娜则很快就被忽视了。对这一变故，斯维尔塔娜十分满意，她离开家，先是跟着天使，之后前往七城联盟的法师处学习灵界的本质。在那里，她的研究取得了进展，并很快拜亡灵法师阿吉雷为师。由于她已经不在被家族所束缚，斯维尔塔娜因此决定加入蜘蛛女神教派，并成了阿吉雷的助手与左膀右臂。
She traveled with her master to the Naga islands of the Jade Sea in order to free the Mother Namtaru, a powerful aspect of the Spider Goddess. Aguirre was killed on the expedition and Sveltana brought the entity back to the Seven Cities alone, thus becoming a living legend among her fellow Necromancers. She did not have much time to enjoy her new status, however, as soon after her triumphant return she had to run back home to help Pavel repel a demon outburst. Sadly, she was too late to save her brother. Instead, Sveltana became regent of the Griffin Duchy, until the coming of age of her nephew Slava, Pavel’s only son. In doing this she earned the enmity of various Griffin nobles as well as the Angels, not too happy to see the future Duke groomed by a Necromancer.
她和自己的导师一起前往翡翠海上的娜迦岛屿，去解放蜘蛛女神的强力化身娜姆塔茹蛛母。在远征途中，阿吉雷战死，斯维尔塔娜独自一人将蛛母带回七城联盟，从而成为了其亡灵法师同僚心目中的传奇。然而，她并没来得及享受自己凯旋之后得到的地位，便不得不回乡帮助帕维尔击败恶魔发动的暴乱。不幸的是，她没能赶得及拯救自己的弟弟。于是，斯维尔塔娜成为了狮鹫公国的摄政王，直到她的侄子，帕维尔的独子斯拉瓦成年为止。因此，斯维尔塔娜引起了包括天使在内的诸多狮鹫公国贵族的不满，因为他们并不乐见未来的大公由一位亡灵法师抚养长大。
Once she was confident Slava was able to rule on his own, Sveltana settled once and for all in the Seven Cities, seeking the peace of study and contemplation. Fate brought her back to the Falcon Empire to revive Anastasya, her favourite grand-niece, which in many ways became the daughter Sveltana never had. Chosen to be the Hierophant of the Mother Namtaru, Sveltana eventually passed the position to Anastasya and retired to pars unknown, only returning in times of crisis, such as when the Nethermancer, Sandro, tried to wipe the Mother Namtaru from existence with the powers of the Void.
当她确信斯拉瓦能够自己统治公国的时候，斯维尔塔娜再次启程前往七城联盟，去追求研究与沉思的平静生活。但是，命运再次将她带回猎鹰帝国，去复生自己亲爱的侄孙女，长久以来一直像亲女儿一般照顾的安娜斯塔西亚。当安娜斯塔西亚决心成为娜姆塔茹蛛母的大主教之时，斯维尔塔娜将位置传给了她，自己则隐退起来，只在出现重大危机，如虚空法师山德鲁试图利用虚空之力抹除娜姆塔茹蛛母存在之类的时候才会再次出现。
Longing to discover the hidden secrets of the world, Sveltana eventually mounted an expedition to explore the lands of the Shrouded South. She was not heard of since, but Anastasya assured me she is still “alive”, wherever she is.
为了探索世界未知之谜，斯维尔塔娜最终开始了一段探索被笼罩的南方大陆的旅程。自那以后，斯维尔塔娜便再也没有消息，不过安娜斯塔西亚向我保证，她仍然“活着”，无论她到了哪里。
帕维尔 - Pavel
Born fifteen years after his sister Sveltana, as his parents had given much hope of having another child, Pavel was truly made in the same cold and ruthless mold as his father. Pavel’s devotion to the Imperial throne and the Church of Light bordered on fanaticism, which made him a strong supporter and ally for the Angels. It must however be said his character did mellow down a bit after the birth of his son, Slava. While merciless on the battlefield, Pavel was by all accounts a caring and loving husband and father.
比自己的姐姐斯维尔塔娜小十五岁，并且作为家里一直期待着的男孩，帕维尔着实继承了其父亲的冷酷无情。帕维尔对皇帝与光之教派的忠诚无与伦比，让他成为了天使们强有力的支持者与盟友。他的性格直到自己的儿子斯拉瓦出生，才逐渐变得柔和一些。尽管在战场上无情，但是帕维尔绝对是温柔恋家的好丈夫、好父亲。
In 524 YSD, when word came that a tribe of renegade Orcs had settled in the mountains of the Dragons’ Causeway, close to the Griffin border, Pavel led an assault against their villages, killing all Orcs without distinction – save for one shaman, Toghrul, who escaped the slaughter. Consumed by grief and hatred, Toghrul betrayed the ways of his people and used his Demon blood to make a pact with the Demon Prince Ahribban. Toghrul offered his soul to Urgash in exchange of vengeance. A party of Demons was summoned to wreak havoc across the Griffin Duchy. Pavel’s own wife was brutally murdered by the marauding Demons. After putting his son to safety, Pavel led his men against the Demons, facing them on the field near Voron Peak. Though victory was won, Pavel himself lost his life.
七龙纪524年，有传言说一伙兽人叛军在巨龙堤道附近的山脉定居下来，离狮鹫公国边境不远。于是帕维尔领军袭击了兽人的村庄，杀掉了所有兽人，只剩萨满托古尔一人逃过了一劫。被悲伤和仇恨冲昏了头脑，托古尔背叛了兽人之道，选择利用自身的恶魔血脉与恶魔亲王阿瑞班订下契约。托古尔将自身灵魂奉献给鄂加斯以换取复仇。一支恶魔部队被召唤出来在狮鹫公国内肆虐。帕维尔的爱妻被恶魔残忍的杀害了。在将儿子安顿好后，帕维尔领军对抗恶魔，在鸦顶城附近直面敌军。尽管战斗取得了胜利，但是帕维尔却献出了自己的生命。
Later, it became apparent Pavel’s faithful soul had been smuggled away by the Angels, and used to bring back the great general of the Elder Wars, the Archangel Michael.
此后，显然天使们想办法获得了帕维尔忠实的灵魂，并用此唤回了长老战争时代的传奇将领，大天使米迦勒。
斯拉瓦 - Slava
Raised by his Aunt, the Necromancer Sveltana, after the death of his father when he was only a boy, Slava nonetheless managed to grow up a rash but good-natured young man. Taking up the title of Duke of Griffin when he came of age, Slava was a true example of the Griffin’s dual nature. Making peace with the Orcs of the Whitespear tribe and inviting them to settle in his Duchy, he nonetheless took part to the War of the Bitter Ashes against the Elven queen Tuidhana of Tarlad. Emperor Liam, seeking to strengthen his hold on the Stag and Griffin families, arranged his bethrothing to Cate, one of the daughters of Connell of Stag. Slava and Cate immediately liked each other, and looked forward to their wedding.
斯拉瓦还是个孩子的时候，其父亲就战死了，被他的姑妈亡灵法师斯维尔塔娜抚养长大的他成为了一个严厉但心地善良的年轻人。当他到了接过狮鹫大公头衔的年龄时，斯拉瓦已经是狮鹫家族这种双重个性的真实体现。一方面，他和白茅氏族的兽人缔下合约，并邀请他们在自己的公国定居；另一方面，他又加入了对抗塔拉德的精灵女皇图德哈娜的苦灰之战。皇帝利亚姆为了加强自身对雄鹿家族和狮鹫家族的控制，给斯拉瓦指定了雄鹿大公康奈尔的女儿凯特为妻子。斯拉瓦和凯特很快便一见钟情，并等待着婚礼之日的到来。
As the war against the Elves dragged on, a party of assassins managed to sneak inside Connell’s castle, and assassinated Deridre, Cate’s twin sister. Cate’s personality changed drastically after this tragedy. Once lively and feisty, Cate became guarded and distant. Slava was drawn back to his former flame, Elisabeth, a barroness of the Greyhound Duchy. He intended to make Elisabeth his wife, but Emperor Liam forbid their union, insisting that Slava kept his vow to marry Cate instead, for reasons of state. However, Elisabeth was already pregnant with Slava’s first son, Sandor, which the Emperor never accepted as a legitimate heir to the Griffin Duchy. Slava, however, always recognized Sandor as his son.
然而，随着与精灵之间的战局不断拖延，一股刺客设法摸进了康奈尔的城堡，并暗杀了迪尔德丽，凯特的孪生姐妹。自那场悲剧以后，凯特的性格发生了巨大的变化。曾经个性开朗活跃的凯特，如今却变得谨慎疏远。这导致斯拉瓦与旧情人，灵缇公国的女男爵伊丽莎白之间的旧情复燃。斯拉瓦想要娶伊丽莎白为妻，但是皇帝利亚姆拒绝了这一结合，并坚持斯拉瓦必须为了国家的稳固，信守自己许下的娶凯特为妻的誓言。然而，伊丽莎白此刻已经怀上了斯拉瓦的长子桑铎，而皇帝本人则无法接受这个男孩成为狮鹫公国的合法继承人。尽管如此，斯拉瓦仍然认桑铎为自己的儿子。
Despite this rocky beginning, Slava and Cate, now husband and wife, eventually grew to love each other, and managed to build a strong house together, giving birth to four legitimate children: Anton, Irina, Anastasya and Kiril.
虽然开始的时候充满艰辛，但是斯拉瓦和凯特作为夫妇，仍然孕育出了相互之间的爱慕，并建立了一个稳固的家庭，并有了四个亲生孩子：安东、伊琳娜、安娜斯塔西亚和基里尔。
Slava’s life was plagued by repeated conflicts with his neighbour and rival, Gerhart of Wolf. In an effort to force them to make peace, Emperor Liam, following the advice of Archangel Uriel, forced Slava to offer the hand of his daughter Irina to Gerhart in marriage. Slava’s children, especially Irina as one can expect, never quite forgave their father for not standing up to Liam that day.
斯拉瓦的一生一直被与邻居兼对手，恶狼家族的盖尔哈特之间的重复争端所困扰。为了强令二者和谈，皇帝利亚姆遵循大天使乌列的建议，下令斯拉瓦将自己的女儿伊琳娜嫁给盖尔哈特。斯拉瓦的孩子们，尤其是伊琳娜本人无法接受这一命令，绝不原谅自己的父亲没有在那个时候站出来否决皇帝的提议。
Slava was eventually murdered in 564 YSD by his other daughter, Anastasya, under the magical influence of a then-unknown party. While the Angels were quick to blame us Faceless for this heinous act, the true culprit was eventually revealed to be Uriel himself, who feared Slava would eventually rebel againt the Angels’ authority, and wanted to put Anton, more “malleable”, in charge of the Griffin Duchy.
斯拉瓦最终在七龙纪564年被自己的小女儿安娜斯塔西亚所刺杀，而背后利用魔力影响安娜的团伙却一直没有查清。尽管天使们很快指责说是无面者背后参与了这场弑亲罪行，但是最终的罪魁祸首却实际上是乌列本人，因为其害怕斯拉瓦会最终起身对抗天使的统治，于是他打算让更容易被“控制”的安东统治狮鹫公国。
凯特·纳·费吉 - Cate na Feidh
As I was explaining before, Cate was one of the daughters of Duke Connell of Stag. During the War of the Bitter Ashes, Emperor Liam arranged her marriage to the young Duke Slava of Griffin, while her twin sister Deirdre was bethroted to Gerhart of Wolf. A series of tragedies struck the Stag dynasty during the war against Tuidhana’s people: her brother Brendan died in battle early during the war, her other brother Kieran was abducted, and eventually Cate’s twin sister Deirdre was killed by Elven assassins. These events changed Cate’s personality drastically, creating a rift with her future husband, Slava.
正如我前面所说，凯特是雄鹿大公康奈尔的两个女儿之一。在苦灰之战中，皇帝利亚姆下令其与年轻的狮鹫大公斯拉瓦结婚，而她的孪生姐妹迪尔德丽则被许配给了恶狼大公盖尔哈特。在于图德哈娜子民的战争当中，雄鹿家族内发生了一系列悲剧：长子布兰登在战争早期战死，次子基岚被捕，而最终，凯特的孪生姐妹迪尔德丽被精灵刺客暗杀。这些事件彻底改变了凯特的性格，并在她和自己未来夫婿斯拉瓦之间划下了一道裂痕。
I can now reveal that the woman Slava married was, in fact, not Cate at all. Cate is the one who died that fateful night. Seeking to escape her upcoming marriage with the brutish Gerhart, Deirdre seized the chance to switch places with her twin sister, thus becoming “Cate” to the outside world. Unfortunately, while their features were identical, Deirdre was not the same person Slava had met before. While explaining her change of personality by grief at the loss of her beloved sister, they had no matching interests nor compatible personalities. Love eventually blossomed between these two, but it was love born of wisdom, not passion.
现在我可以告诉你们，事实上斯拉瓦的妻子并非真正的凯特。凯特本人正式那个命运之夜被刺杀的女孩。为了逃离即将嫁给残暴的盖尔哈特的命运，迪尔德丽抓住机会掉包了自己的身份，在外界面前假装自己就是凯特。不幸的是，虽然她们外表相同，迪尔德丽并非斯拉瓦之前所见过的那个人。尽管迪尔德丽辩解说是自己亲爱的姐妹的逝去所带来的悲伤彻底改变了自己的性格，但是她和斯拉瓦之间的爱好与个性并不相衬。最终，二者之间还是孕育出了爱情，虽然这种爱并非基于感情，而更多是基于智慧。
Was Slava aware of his wife’s true identity? Even I don’t know for sure. But considering even someone like Gerhart of Wolf became suspicious of Cate’s change of behaviour, I can’t believe Slava never had any doubts of his own.
至于斯拉瓦是否知晓自己妻子的真实身份？即便是我也说不准。不过考虑到就连恶狼大公盖尔哈特都曾怀疑过凯特的身份是否有过掉包，所以我认为斯拉瓦本人不可能没有过怀疑。
Eventually, “Cate” became plagued by dark dreams regarding the fate of her long-lost brother, Kieran. She traveled to the Stag Duchy to look for clues to his whereabouts, but found her true calling instead. She became a Dragon Knight of Malassa… but that is a story for another time.
最终，“凯特”被和自己失踪多年的兄弟基岚有关的黑暗梦境所困扰。她前往雄鹿公国试图找寻基岚下落的线索，却最终发觉到内心真实的向往。于是，凯特成为了马拉萨的龙骑士，但是这都是另一个故事了。
Speaking of which, this council session has already been quite long and I can see some of you are losing interest. Therefore, I suggest we stop here for today and talk about Cate and Slava’s children another time.
讲到这里，本次议会的议程已经过于漫长了，我能注意到你们当中有些人已经打不起精神了。那就这样，我建议我们今天就到此为止，下次我会给你们讲述下关于凯特和斯拉瓦的孩子们的故事。
