At the Restful Hour on the third day of New Year, the Temptress gathers her high-rank follower in her temple.

“Today we are going to come up with strategy that lure mortal away from the good gods.” Said the woman with unimaginable beauty.

“We can convince them that gods don’t exist. They are the central of the whole universe.” A powerful devil from the Abyss suggests.

“When mortals look at this magnificently created world and the all wondrous creature that dwell in it, their rationality will tell them they are not alone in this world, that there must be designers behind this world . Moreover, with the first sight of you, they will know that their worst fear is real, and with shadow there must be light. Their rationality will lead them to the gods.”

“Then we tell them that there is no objective moral, they can do whatever they want .” Said a wizard in gray-robe.

Once again, the darkly figure shake her head “Their conscience will tell them that it’s the other way around. Since the day of creation, even they may not follow what their heart tell them one hundred percent all the time, mortal have no problem in distinguished what is right and what is wrong, they know by heart that moral exist and there is an objective scale that they have to deal with.”

At last, a young human wearing a black-hooded robes emblazoned with the black crescent quietly step-up, and said,

“We tell them that gods exist, we tell them that there is moral, in fact, we tell them all the truth, except,” he paused for a short moment. “－We also tell them that there is no need to hurry, they can always enjoy the feast tonight first, and try to be a good person tomorrow, .”

In the endless darkness, there echo the sound of empty laughter from the five heads of the dragon.

 

在新年第三天的安息之時(註1, 2), 那女人(註3)把她高階的追隨者召集到她的廟宇中。

“今天我們的目的是商討引誘凡人離開善良諸神的方法。” 那個美麗得無法形容的女人這樣說。

“我們可以告訴他們諸神并不存在, 他們是這世上的中心。”從無底深淵來的魔鬼作出建議

“可是當凡人看到這壯麗的世界并在其中居住的諸多奇妙的生物, 他們的理性會告訴他們并不是孤單一人, 這世界一定有設計者。同時, 在看見你的第一眼, 他們會發現自己最深的惡夢變成真的, 而陰影乃是光明的副產品, 再一次, 凡人的理性會把他們帶到諸神之前。”

“那我們告訴他們這世上的道德都只是相對的, 他們可以隨意而行。”穿著灰袍的巫師那樣的提議。

又一次, 那個朦朧的身影輕輕搖頭。

”這沒有用的, 他們的良心會告訴他們現實并不是那樣。從被造那天開始, 即使凡人并不遵守他們的心所告訴他們應該作的事, 在分辨什麼是對, 什麼是錯上, 他們從來沒有一點的問題。 在心底的最深處, 凡人知道道德是存在的, 也知道這世上有客觀標準他們需要應付。”

最後, 一個穿著以黑色新月紋章裝飾的帶頭罩長袍(註4)的年輕人類恭敬的走上前。

“我們告訴他們要敬畏諸神, 告訴他們有道德律要遵守, 我們告訴他們一切的真理, 除了,” 他略為的停頓了一下, “－我們同時告訴他們并不需要著急, 他們可以先盡情的在當夜的宴會盡情放縱, 而在明天才嘗試去當一個好人。”

        在無盡的黑暗中, 那龍的五頭所發出的空洞笑聲在不斷迥響。

 

 

 

 

註釋

1.安息之時(Restful Hour): 安息之時是帕蘭薩斯人(以及索蘭尼亞地區)對晚上11時(23:00) 的稱呼, 這系列的稱呼從城市的守衛的值班而來。 詳細表格在下面。

2.新年的第三天: 這也是冬節(Yule)算起來的第十三天, 在0PC 或者說1AC那年的這一天正是大災難(The Cataclysm)發生的時刻, 也因為這緣故, 這天被黑暗之后的教會視為聖日, 這是讓它的成員計劃邪惡的圖謀以及反思他們在教會的統治的地位的時刻。

3. 那女人(the Temptress): 頭上戴著鑲嵌了寶石的頭飾, 穿著絲製的外袍, 充滿朦朧的吸引力的女人, 她是代表著塔克西絲(Takhisis)的詐欺(Trickery)與暴虐(Tyranny)這兩項本質的化身(aspect)。

順帶一提, 塔克西絲常用的化身有:

多頭龍(the Many-Headed Dragon): 最出名的一個, 有著紅,藍,綠,黑,白五個不同顏色的頭的龍,代表著她毀滅(Destruction),邪惡 (Evil),與 暴虐(Tyranny) 的本質。 塔克西絲并不常用這化身。

黑暗戰士(the Dark Warrior): 毀滅(Destruction) 與邪惡(Evil)。這是一個從頭到腳被深夜一樣的黑色的鱗甲所包裹著的人形。

反射平面中的面孔(the face in a reflective surface): 這是她代表著守序(Law)的化身。

4. 這是塔克西斯的牧師的標準服裝, 還有黑掉了的銀製聖徽。

 

 

 

Palanthan system of minor time:

1:00	After Darkwatch	13:00	Seventh Watch
2:00	Deepwatch	14:00	Eight Watch
3:00	After Deepwatch	15:00	Ninth Watch
4:00	Early watch	16:00	Tenth Watch
5:00	Waking Hour	17:00	Eleventh Watch
6:00	Morning Watch	18:00	Twelfth Watch
7:00	First Watch	19:00	Evening Watch
8:00	Second Watch	20:00	Last Watch
9:00	Third Watch	21:00	Afterwatch
10:00	Fourth Watch	22:00	Late Watch
11:00	Fifth Watch	23:00	Restful Hour
12:00	High Watch	24:00	Darkwatch

First half of an hour: falling

Second half of the hour rising

 

資料出處:

DragonLance Campaign Setting

Holy Orders of the Stars