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【飞翔导读】都是1年前, 2年前, 3年前写的内容... 这些我在游侠欧美RPG区全都发过, 更多在我的文集里
以自己目前对上古世界观的认识写了以下文字，希望大家观看接下来总结一下诺德人的知名人物。注：以下文字并非来自单纯的字面翻译，而是我自己对网上各种相关英文资料的归纳和总结，其中还有着不少本人自己的想法。地理：为什么叫SKYRIM？？从英文的字面直接翻译的话，” SKYRIM“就是”天际“的意思。顾名思义，在这个行省中随处都是绵延起伏的山脉，而且山峰之高以至于快触碰到了天边,固然这是比力夸张的说法。但是在这个行省中确实存在着四到五座全大陆最高的山峰；其中最著名的，也是最高的一座山峰被人们称作”世界之喉“。但在此时，中央行省人类的命运却异常悲惨，在那里野精灵的贵族们奴役着大批人类并掌握着他们的生杀大权。其实Tamriel大陆上的人类最早是来自北方的Atmo流氓软件王陆（固然这里所指的人类并不包括红色守卫，因为他们是来自西面的Yokuda大陆），至于为什么他们认定Tamriel大陆上的”世界之喉“为自己种族的发源地，在这里我也说不明白。行省的地理状态也就是山地极多，所以称它为”山地行省“一点也不外份（在TES的世界设定中，北方行省多山；而南方行省多森林，沼泽；中部行省则多平原和沙漠。这场战争一直持续了51年，到了 1纪元的420年才竣事。正因为帝国宗教揉杂了许多精灵信仰的成份才会使Akatosh的形象在两种宗教中以不同的姿态出现。在好久以前，诺德人居民通常把定居点设在悬崖之上，俯视着峡谷。这也和当时行省内恶劣的情况有关：北部不时有着Akavir军队的骚扰，而行省东部则有着诺德人的死敌---黑精灵，西部则有着强大的高精灵家族，在行省内部调皮多变的雪精灵也不会给诺德移民带来安宁。这些人类即是在精灵纪元晚期被精灵军队俘获的人类奴隶的后代。固然到目前为止，不少山崖之上的定居点并没有被抛弃，特别是在和晨风行省交界的区域，那些诺德人们还时常保持着警惕，因为他们了解他们的对手黑精灵也是一个强悍好战的种族。历史：诺德人比力痛恨精灵一族（诺德农民把收成不好，瘟疫蔓延等天灾人祸全都算在当地雪精灵的头上），这也和当年他们的祖先初到Tamriel大陆的遭遇有关。。发明老外写的小说 做成游戏 引来那么多粉丝。这也是整个诺德人帝国衰退的过程。通过几百年的不断征战，在第一纪元的143年，诺德人国王Harald终于征服了整个SKYRIM地区并建立了SKYRIM王国，这也是历史上第一个人类王国。所以，在一个被后来人类称作“泪之夜”的夜晚，精灵军队对人类移民展开了，杀死了几乎所有人类并摧毁了所有人类的定居点，只有 Ysgramor和他的两个兄弟最后得以脱逃并回到了Atmo流氓软件王陆。现在还不明白当时到底有多少人类被精灵屠杀，但可以肯定的是有很大一部分人类居民被精灵俘获并成了奴隶，随后他们便被押往大陆的心脏地带和西边的HIGH ROCK行省，成为了如今帝国人和布莱顿人的祖先。在经历了阿谁血腥的夜晚后，人类对精灵的仇恨种子便深深地种下了。不久之后，英雄Ysgramor带着他部下的500名同伴回到了Tamriel大陆，在几场激烈地厮杀后，他们收复了原先的失地并在此重新建立起了定居点。在北方的移民不断地到来之后，诺德人在Tamriel大陆北部的势力也越来越大。一开始，人类和精灵的生活还算融洽，但人类移民不断的抵达以及人类人口快速地膨胀使得精灵们孕育发生了危机感，他们害怕自己的主体地位被人类所取代。过了短短的27年，SKYRIM王国又征服了整个晨风行省和HIGH ROC行省的大部分。至此，人类王国控制了几乎整个北方国土，人类第一帝国建立。从上面可以看出，在早期历史上人类和精灵族的较量最后由人类胜出。1纪元240年，这是个人类历史上最辉煌的时刻之一；诺德人建立了人类第一帝国，控制了大陆的整个北部地区并对精灵一族给予了扑灭性的打击：北方地区的雪精灵在此之后便消失了，有人说这是诺德人屠杀所至。行省的居民诺德人经常自称是”天空之子“，因为他们信赖在世界之喉上，天空用自己的呼吸创造了人类，所以这里是人类最古老的诞生之地。但到了第一纪元的中期，随着中央人类帝国的崛起，不少诺德人都放弃了山崖之上的乡村而来到峡谷之内设立定居点；这样，温暖的峡谷气候便可以使得这些居民在峡谷内种上各种农作物，以更好地维持生存。不外在第一纪元的242 年，Alessia，一位被称为是“奴隶女王”的人类向导者领导着人类奴隶开始了抵抗野精灵贵族暴虐统治的起义运动。在北方人类第一帝国的支持下，在1纪元的243年，代表野精灵政权的白金塔被起义军攻占。这样，中央行省的人类政权也被建立，中央人类王国也成立了翻译及心得作品。这样，在北部，中部都建立了以人类为主导的国家政权，人类也从一开始的弱势群体发展到了主导整个大陆的最强力量。在这里，诺德人的作用是不可以轻忽的上古卷轴翻译及心得作品。与此同时，在HIGH ROCK行省的布莱顿人的势力也在诺德人帝国的庇护下垂垂强大，并逐渐超过了当地的高精灵。此时的诺德人势力可以说是方兴未艾，但在126年之后的1纪元369年，随着诺德人国王Borgas殒命（Borgas国王在Winterhold城被一群变身了的木精灵所暗杀），随后整个帝国便陷入了混乱的局面并爆发了争夺王位继承权的内战，这就是著名的“王位争夺战”。玩过晨风的朋友一定记得那多山难行的瓦丹费尔岛；在纬度上晨风的瓦丹费尔岛和这个诺德人行省是雷同的）。这场战争对诺德人帝国带来的影响也是巨大的：在这51年战争中，西边的HIGH ROCK行省乘机摆脱了诺德帝国的控制；东边晨风行省的黑精灵则与族联合把留在东方的诺德人赶回了SKYRIM上古卷轴翻译及心得作品。至此，诺德王国元气大伤以后便再也无力重新夺取晨风和HIGH ROCK了上古卷轴翻译及心得作品。在人类初到Tamriel的时候，Tamriel的主体居民是精灵一族。从发展到辉煌再到末落，一共是277年。宗教：讲完了SKYRIM的历史，接着要说明一下该地区紧要居民诺德人的宗教信仰。从此以后，Lorkhan便脱离了神性：他的心脏被埋在了红色山脉之下；他的身体化则作双月。我们最熟悉的就是帝国的九圣灵，其实当初帝国的八圣灵宗教是以诺德人宗教为基础并揉杂了不少精灵族信仰的身分，成为新的帝国宗教。在帝国的九圣灵中，主神即是Akatosh（时间龙神）；而在诺德人的宗教中，Akatosh就是Alduin，又被诺德人称作“世界的吞噬者”。诺德人信赖Alduin （也就是Akatosh）吞噬了上一个世界而开始了这个世界，它既被认作是时间之神，也被认为是灾祸的带来者：一个严酷，可怕的神灵。在这里要说明一下：为什么Akatosh的形象会在帝国九圣灵宗教和诺德宗教中以截然不同的两种情势出现呢？前面我们说过：”当初帝国的八圣灵宗教是以诺德人宗教为基础并揉杂了不少精灵族信仰的身分“。在行省的极北地区是整个大陆最北的海岸线，固然在这里通常笼罩着大量的积雪；东部Akavi流氓软件王陆的军队或者会经常性的打击这里的定居点和城市，而强悍的诺德人居民却一次次地将他们击退。而他却在凡人世界中形成了化身并领导着人类进行抵抗精灵的斗争，所以说他是人类的一点也不为过。所以精灵们（特别是高精灵，因为黑精灵的信仰已经有所改变）一直特别痛恨Lorkhan而崇拜Auri-El（也就是Akatosh）；有资料说明，在神秘纪元中Auri-El一直领导着先代精灵们与”Lorkhan的军队“战斗并建立了第一个先代精灵国家，随后Auri-El便回到了精神领域永久庇护着精灵一族。但在神秘纪元时，和先代精灵们战斗的”Lorkhan的军队“到底是什么呢？我在这可以肯定地说，Lorkhan的军队就是人类。精灵们痛恨 Lorkhan是因为Lorkhan创造了凡人世界从而把精灵们所禁锢；而人类则特别敬爱Lorkhan，因为正是他的创世行动才使得人类能够诞生在这个世界。在诺德人的宗教中Lorkhan就是Shor，一个被所有诺德人所敬仰的嗜血战神；在黑暗年月，Shor一直领导着人类对抗精灵族的压迫。所以 Akatosh可以说是精灵族的主神，而Lorkhan才是真正的人类主神。（注：这里还要提一下虎人族的宗教信仰，在虎人族的宗教中Akatosh又被称作龙猫之王，他曾经在第一纪元抵抗过Pelinal Whitestrake对先代精灵的屠杀，因此在这里也可以看出Akatosh一直站在精灵族的一边）。有记载表明，Lorkhan欺骗了众神创世后，因为创造的世界极不稳定而且泯灭了众神过多的能量所以愤怒的众神把Lorkhan撕碎并把他的心脏掏了出来并扔在了红山底下，而当时掏心的正是 Akatosh。诺德人的宗教信仰和精灵族有很大的不同，和帝国人以及布莱顿人的宗教也不一样。在高精灵的宗教中， Akatosh就是Auri-El（先代精灵之王）；高精灵一直认为精灵族的祖先是AEDRA神族，当年创世神之一的Lorkhan欺骗了众多AEDRA 神而创造了现在这个凡人世界，从而使得精灵们的祖先从精神领域堕落而被凡人世界所禁锢。诺德宗教中除了Alduin（也就是Akatosh）和Shor（Lorkhan）这两大神外，还有诸如Dibella（俏丽之神），Mara（爱之女神），Kyne（人类之母，Shor的老婆），Ysmir（北方巨龙），Mauloch（山地恶棍）等等。其中Mauloch是兽人的战神，兽人也是诺德人的传统劲敌；而Ysmir则可以理解成第三帝国皇帝TALOS；爱之女神Mara在这里则是人类之母Kyne的婢女（在帝国九圣灵宗教中Mara则是人类之母）。人物等：上面大致地讲了一下诺德人的宗教很多图片看不到，希望楼主修复。。起首最有名的即是上面提过的Ysgramor。Ysgramor领导了人类第一次登上 Tamriel大陆建立了人类第一个城市，他也发明了人类最早的书面语言：他以人类的北方语为基础，并借鉴了精灵语的语法。所以他也被认作是第一位人类历史学家。后来的国王Harald是Ysgramor的第12代子孙，他统一了SKYRIM行省，为以后的诺德人帝国打下了坚实的基础。而后来的第三帝国皇帝TALOS（TIBER SEPTIM）也曾在SKYRIM的”世界之喉“上学习了”暴风之吼“。（现在对TIBER SEPTIM的身世还有争论，有的学者说他来自北方的Atmo流氓软件王陆；还有的说他来自HIGH ROCK行省）上古卷轴翻译及心得作品。目前，SKYRIM作为Tamriel帝国（第三帝国）的北方边疆，由诺德人组成的帝国军队在行省的北方和中部驻扎，尽力保卫着中央帝国行省的安全。诺德人天生善战，并且比力看重战斗荣誉，所以参加帝国军队以夺取个人荣誉是他们最好的归宿。在山谷的乡村里，老人和孩子们占了大多数，因为年轻人大都参加了帝国军队上古卷轴翻译及心得作品。对付中央行省来说，SKYRIM是他们最好的屏障--------因为在这里有着勇猛的诺德战士，易守难攻的山间碉堡接下来总结一下诺德人的知名人物。接下来总结一下诺德人的知名人物。所以SKYRIM行省又被称为”帝国之盾“。-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------前段时间买的上古官方小说,题目是"地狱之城"(The Infernal City),最近有些闲余时间于是断断续续把它看完了..总的来说是比力短的一本小说, 总页数才288页, 而现代普通的欧美奇幻类小说一本普遍是400页以上...该书作者是职业奇幻小说和科幻小说作家, 写过"星战:新绝地教团"等系列小说..先来说说这本小说的意义..这小说发生的时间是设置在之后的大约40年..而上古卷轴的官方小说筹划有2本, 这是第一本..而这两本小说很有可能就是相连上古卷轴4和之间的桥梁..因此了解这本小说的背景和事情对展望之后上古卷轴5的内容照旧有帮助的..上古卷轴4的结局就是"OBLIVION CRYSIS"的竣事, 皇帝马丁的自我牺牲换来的恶魔DAGON的溃退....但虽然"OBLIVION CRYSIS"竣事了, 但这次危机留给整个帝国大陆的创伤却是永久的:第一, 马丁牺牲了.所以帝国没有了皇帝, 而上古4主线剧情竣事后整个帝国(至少在中央行省Cyrodiil)的事务暂时是由元老院来主持, 但这种情况肯定维持不长..第二, "OBLIVION CRYSIS"中, DAGON的恶魔军队血洗了整个帝国大陆, 除了上古4游戏里涉及的Cyrodiil行省外, 其余行省遭受的破坏更加严重...这也加速了整个帝国在"OBLIVION CRYSIS"后分裂及走向殒命....公然, 在官方小说里, 也就是上古卷轴4的"OBLIVION CRYSIS"发生的40多年后, 帝国的确发生了剧变..确切的说原来上古4里存在的帝国已经殒命....而取而代之的是各个行省的独立, 以及新Cyrodiil帝国的形成..书里提到的几个行省情况如下:亚龙人的BLACK MARSH(黑沼泽)行省已经不受帝国管理. 在旧帝国(上古1---上古4中的帝国)倒塌后, 亚龙人把渣滓的帝国势力彻底的赶出黑沼泽行省并成立了独立的王国政权..虎人的Elsweyr行省也实现了独立..原先的虎人的首领mane被暗杀, 凭据书里的描述, 在Elsweyr行省应该还存在多个并存的虎人王国.中央行省Cyrodiil(也就是上古4所在的地方)则被新兴的Cyrodiil帝国管理,目前皇帝是Titus Mede..他和第二纪元末的旧帝国开国皇帝Tiber Septim大帝类似, 也是亲自征战慢慢统一原来分崩离析的Cyrodiil行省..而皇帝Titus Mede的最终目的则是统一整个大陆,和几百年前的Tiber Septim大帝那样重新建立一个Tamriel帝国...黑精灵的晨风(Morrowind)行省最为悲惨..起首在遭受了上古4的"OBLIVION CRYSIS"后晨风的实力就大减...在"OBLIVION CRYSIS"中晨风行省受到的创伤是整个大陆诸省中最重的, 几个家族都遭到了扑灭性打击..而其中最尚武最擅战的雷杜兰家族则几乎被扑灭..后来则是来自西方的诺德人军队和兽人雇佣军入侵晨风的战争...最后也是最严重的, 也就是悬挂在VIVEC城上空的"Ministry of Truth"突然下坠, 导致了红山又一次的火山爆发, 扑灭了大半个晨风地区:整个Vvardenfell岛(上古3的发生所在)成为焦土;北部的晨风大陆也被扑灭,;晨风的Inner Sea直到40年之后还一直是沸腾的.而南部晨风虽然损失不是很大, 但从黑沼泽行省却来了大量的亚龙人. 因为之前黑精灵强盛时一直歧视亚龙人, 还经常越界抓亚龙人奴隶,导致亚龙人对黑精灵的仇恨很深..这次晨风遭到扑灭性打击之后, 亚龙人就集体北上复仇, 他们进入晨风, 屠杀了大量的黑精灵幸存者, 而余下的一部分黑精灵则集体逃离了晨风大陆来到了北方的Solstheim岛(上古卷轴3血月的发生地)...以上就是在小说里对这几个行省的描述.. 而其它几个行省在书里基本都是一笔带过或者是轻描淡写, 估计要细致的还得等第二部小说的到来..下面在说下这部小说的最重点部分,也就是这个"地狱之城"(The Infernal City)..The Infernal City的真名是Umbriel, 它是一个悬空的城市, 在这个城市里有它自己完整的系统,包括食品链,居民以及存亡循环等, 其实就相当于是一个小型的世界.. Umbriel里居住着各种奇形怪状的生物及人物..他们绝大部分都是出生在Umbriel, 然后在Umbriel里事情劳动, 直到殒命..他们的灵魂被网络,再重新诞生;然后再事情劳动, 再殒命, 再诞生.......就是云云循环....Umbriel里比力重要的一部分就是,厨房负责的是制作食品,然后把食品分配给这些Umbriel居民以及居住在更高层的几个LORD(领主)..Umbriel里有多个厨房, 每个厨房之间会有竞争关系,甚至发生流血的战争..而给LORD(领主)做食品是最值细致的一部分, 因为这些领主的口味很叼, 食品一不合他们的口味就会惹怒他们,甚至给厨师带来杀身之祸..不同的领主又不同的口味, 而这些领主到底长啥模样??至少这本小说里没提及..在Umbriel的居民都有自己不同的事情, 除了很大一部分在厨房事情外, 其余一部分有的则在底层网络食品, 又或者在SAMP(每个Umbriel居民诞生的地方)照看复活的Umbriel居民但Umbriel这座浮空城市也不是完全与外界隔绝的, 它需要来自外界的灵魂来维持它的浮空及运作..所以它所到之地, 阿谁地方的居民及生物的灵魂都会被它所网络, 而剩下的只是一些具有打击性的..所以它也被称为"The Infernal City"..Umbriel的由来:至于Umbriel这座城市的由来, 也是有很长的历史...最早在晨风的VIVEC城, 因为VIVEC的失踪导致支持"Ministry of Truth"的力量不断流失, 为了防止"Ministry of Truth"的下坠, 一个叫Vuhon的黑精灵设计并制造了一个叫"ingenium"的类似于发动机的东西, 它可以阻止"Ministry of Truth"下坠但必需不断有新鲜的灵魂里支持"ingenium"运作..开始他们每天牺牲10个奴隶的灵魂来保持"ingenium"的正常运行, 但后来Vuhon找到了一个更好的解决方案: 他发明他的朋友Sul的女友的灵魂具有更好的相容性, 这样他们就不用每天牺牲10个奴隶了, 而运用Sul的女友的灵魂则可以维持"ingenium"连续运作几个月以上....Sul是另一个强大的黑精灵, 他固然不同意用他的女友灵魂来满足"ingenium"的要求..于是他和Vuhon在"Ministry of Truth"里发生了战斗, 最后"ingenium"爆炸, "Ministry of Truth"急速下坠导致红山爆发, 而Sul和Vuhon也一起被卷进了OBLIVION的空间..而这个OBLIVION空间是属于DAEDRA王子Clavicus Vile 的.在OBLIVION空间里,Sul看见了一个黑色的人影..这个黑色人影名字是"UMBRA"(就和上古4里的U姐同名), 这个黑色人影看见他们后随即把他手中的剑,也就是UMBRA剑投到了OBLIVION之外.. 原来UMBRA被DAEDRA王子Clavicus Vile 困在了这个OBLIVION空间里, 他试图逃离却失败了..但是这个UMBRA特别强大, 他的实力甚至靠近于DAEDRA王子Clavicus Vile, 他从Clavicus Vile身上抢夺了许多能量..然而他却一直无法逃离Clavicus Vile的领域...于是他便在Clavicus Vile的领域边缘建造了一个自己的城市, 把自己和Clavicus Vile的世界隔绝....Sul和Vuhon在进入这个世界后, 就被UMBRA抓住并监禁了起来, 在那里Vuhon答应为UMBRA建造一个"ingenium"以便逃离Clavicus Vile的OBLIVION空间.UMBRA答应并释放了Vuhon, 于是Vuhon就开始运用UMBRA从Clavicus Vile那偷取的能量来制造"ingenium"和城市..不久之后Sul便寻机逃离了这个空间..之后即是Vuhon和UMBRA建造Umbriel成功, 然后他们也逃离了OBLIVION空间来到凡人世界, BLAH,BLAH, BLAH....................书里的紧要人物:主角之一是一位17岁的布莱顿姑娘,名字叫Annaig, 她从小和她父亲生活在亚龙人黑沼泽行省最南部的Limoth城..她的好友是一个名字叫Mere-Glim的亚龙人,年龄应该和她相仿..后来她和Glim喝了飞行药水进入了Umbriel,并亲眼目睹了Umbriel经过并扑灭整个Limoth城的经过,,..无数人类和亚龙人的灵魂被吸走, 而他们则成为具有打击性的... 在Umbriel,他们被抓住并差点丧命...最后Annaig以她精湛的配药技巧得到了在厨房事情的机会, 而Glim则因为亚龙人天生可以在水中呼吸的特性被安排在SAMP事情..(这部分笼罩了起码10章内容)..另一位主角就是皇帝Titus Mede的儿子----王子Attrebus Mede, 22岁.他在一次危难中被黑精灵Sul所补救, 于是他们一起以阻止Umbriel为目标向Umbriel进发..而Sul的真正目的则是复仇...途中他们路过 虎人的Elsweyr行省, 并帮助了一个虎人部落购买"月亮糖"..接着虎人部落护送他们继续路程...为了赶在Umbriel之前到达晨风, Sul带着他们从OBLIVION空间里行走以便更快到达目的地, 然而他们却被卡在了"猎人"Hircine的OBLIVION空间里...在逃离这个空间的途中, 虎人部落全部战死..接着他们便来到了晨风并看到了Umbriel.................后来他们被Vuhon抓住并束缚, 接下去就是Sul进入狂暴状态挣脱束缚..............还有一位人物名字是Colin, 是类似于帝国特工组织的一个成员(和以前的Blade类似),调查策划谋杀王子Attrebus Mede的背后主谋, 涉及篇副不是很多..然后本书就竣事了...感觉这只是半本书, 毕竟结尾太草率了...看来第二本小说还要接着这个故事继续, 而不是新开另外的故事...因此等第二本小说出来后, 再对上古卷轴5的剧情及世界做个综合的预测吧..-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Michael Kirkbrid就是MK..上古卷轴世界观的主设计者之一, 在上古卷轴3的开发过程中离开BETHESDA..在上古3晨风里他紧要设计VIVEC和VIVEC的36 SERMONS. 在上古卷轴4的制作过程中,BETHESDA还请了他写了多本上古卷轴4游戏书籍..虽然他不在BETHESDA,但他照旧参与了九任务的设计和多本上古书籍的编写..以下就是他写的关于诺德人的宗教神话历史文章, 成品比力早...但基本确定将影响上古卷轴5的世界观体系, 因为上古卷轴5里的紧要种族就是诺德人, 紧要背景是被冰雪笼罩的SKYRIM, 类似北欧....这篇文章只是其中的一个例子此篇文章比力深奥, 如同VIVEC的三十六条教诲那样, 涉及TES世界的不少宗教神灵及历史, 只不外VIVEC的三十六条教诲紧要是晨风黑精灵的历史及宗教, 而这篇紧要描写诺德人的..建议熟悉上古卷轴世界观的人阅读The Seven Fights of The AldudaggaFight One, "The Eating-Birth of Dagon"These were the days of Hoag the Greater, born in a boot...[Long after] the two bells [of the All-Maker's Goat] rang out their clamouring, calling the end of days again in Sarthaal and the world, and Alduin's shadow was cast like carpetflame on east, west, south, and north...[he was] epoch eater. For as far as any man's eyes, only High Hrothgaar remained above the churning coils of dragon stop.And Alduin said, "Ho ha ho."But, look! Seven more mountains remained through Mereth like Hrothgaar and the Leaper Devil King (a kindly leaper demon, to be sure, but their king) jumped across the nilphony swirl. He came to Alduin (who always eats Nords first) and said, "Wait, wait, wait! Wait! It is not time to destroy the world yet!"To which Alduin roared and laughed and said, "King of Leapers, you always bounce up to me around this time (for you are one of the only spirits that can last til my last bite) and shout, 'Wait!', but I never do and I will not now. Leap up to Hrothgaar's top and wait awhile longer in little dignity. The two bells have went 'Gong! Gong!' and that means the kalpa has turned."The Leaper Demon King knew all this was true but still he said, "Wait, first and last of spirits, the kalpa-turning is brought too soon and I can prove it! Look over there on top of Red Mountain. See the Greedy Man waving his arms?"Alduin swallowed more of Mereth (this was the destruction of Njorvela and Teed County) and looked over. Indeed the Greedy Man was waving his arms as if to tell the time-eating dragon to stop. Alduin snorted gruffly (a few farms shot out of his nose but he caught them with his tongue and pulled them back into his mouth, for he eats it all) and said, "And the Greedy Man always waves his arms about around this time as if to stop me just like you. It is almost as if you two work together to delay me. Is that what this is? Is some other low spirit hiding portions of the world while you two do this thing? Is this why the kalpa-feast always takes a little longer than it did the previous time?"And then Alduin looked hard into the eyes of both the Greedy Man (far away) and the Leaper Demon King (close up), one of them for each eye of his own, and he knew it was so. These two spirits gulped big, and were caught."Oh crap," the Greedy Man said, "He knows my bargain with the king of leapers, I'd better hide under my mountain!" but he thought and said all this too fast and, without thinking, hid under his mountain even though its base had already been eaten and so it wasn't all still there. (This is how the Greedy Man became trapped both in and outside of kalpas.)"Oh crap," said the Leaper Demon King, "You have found us out, World-Eater! Yes, just after the two bells of the All-Maker's Goat sound the Greedy Man and I and our servants hoard bits and bobs of the world so you can't eat it all. And when the world comes back we sort of just stick these portions back on and so that's why it is all bigger and bigger for you to eat each time. But it wasn't my idea! The Greedy Man hates you so much and it was his idea to finally trap you one kalpa when it was all much too big and so you would explode out from your belly and die so that the world would never have to die again!"Alduin (whose stomach was hurting because it was a little too stretched, which had never happened before, and now he knew why) grew furiously angry and boomed out, "You stupid little f*cker, do you even know what would HAPPEN if that happened, my dying and being unable to eat and the kalpa left to run forever? Why do I even ask, you who are a little low spirit whose only real power is jumping around? It is the Greedy Man I should really be mad at!"And the Leaper Demon King saw a possible way out of this mess for himself but he nodded too eagerly, saying "Yes, yes, yes! Yes!" and the dragon knew that any mercy he might give to this little demon would not result in any true learning. So he cursed the king of the leapers, calling him Dagon, saying:"The Greedy Man has already f*cked himself up good, hiding inside something that didn't exist anymore, but you: you I curse right here and right now! I take away your ability to jump and jump and jump and doom you to [the void] where you will not be able to leave except for auspicious days long between one and another and even so only through hard, hard work. And it will be this way, my little corner cutter, until you have destroyed all that in the world which you have stolen from earlier kalpas, which is to say probably never at all!"Dagon (no longer a Leaper Demon King) screamed, "Please no! We have stolen from you so much and crammed it all back on in the craziest of places that it will take forever for me to regain my jumping kind of happiness! Especially if I can only come back to this world through auspicious days long between one and another that also require rituals! I beg you not to do this, O Aka! I beg you one hundred thousand and eight times!"Dagon did as he said, begging Alduin Time-Eater to reverse his decision one hundred thousand and eight times, and halfway through this number Dagon shut his eyes tight to really mean it and then three-quarters through this number he began to shout his beggings to really, really, really mean it, but when he was done begging Alduin was not near the mountaintop he stood on.In fact, after many looks east, west, south, and north, and seeing only the churning dragon stop around him, Dagon realied that at some point when he was begging with his eyes closed that Alduin had eaten him, mountaintop and all, and he had not heard the big chomp because he had been begging too loud. And he knew that the last world had been eaten entirely, except for its stolen portions, and that when the new kalpa began to form The Greedy Man (who never stayed trapped for long) would begin sticking these stolen portions back on in the craziest of places, and that he himself could never jump again until all was put back right.He also knew that the name of "Dagon" would no longer be that of a kindly leaper demon but one who would destroy and destroy and destroy whenever he could find some small escape [from his home in the oblivion]....Fight Two, "How Herkel the Fool Became a Clever Man"These were the days of Ysgrim... [whose] breath was weighted with power sounds.......[after] many nights, the destruction of Sarthaal finally saw fit to stop in its burning and the snows were happier. [Ysgrim] shook his head, saying to his thanes and war-wives, "And once it is buried again, who will remember its halls and mighty sights, like the fountain of voices or the tusk-house where Jarl the Tongue shot from his mother's womb yelling profanities that only adults should know? Who would stop the snows?" (For no one can stop the snows.)And so his Host moved east and north and east again, a long traveling, and passing Hrol'Dan (the first one) there was an idea that came to Herkel the Shield-Fed. "Lord, I have thought of an idea that might keep our memory of Sarthaal and its mighty sights alive, and not only in song. Would it suit your purpose, though we can never rebuild it, that if a Nord could say a small prayer then the gods would reveal the city in its former glory?"Now Herkel [had] never been a Clever Man, so Ysgrim looked at him cockeyed. What Herkel was saying was magic talk but sometimes ideas grow where there has never been soil before. (This is a gift of Kyne called [inspiration].)Finally, Ysgrim said, "You may speak, Herkel, and we shall listen."And now all the shield-thanes and war-wives were looking at Herkel, for all of them would indeed like to see lost Sarthaal again and its mighty sights, if only by an illusion brought by prayer. So Herkel began:"Well, Sarthaal was destroyed all right, the elves made sure of that!" (Here everyone present made the customary curses.) "And even though I threw up ancient shields from my gut like hurling discs that killed their first rank and Eriksdotter here danced the icicle-curtain dance and killed their second rank and Broga here mountain-farted and killed their third and fourth ranks (that was funny) and Vjevaka here rolled auspicious numbers on rune bones and killed their fifth rank and Haljor here... [at this point Herkel recites a deed for each of the "six hundred and some odd" Nordic warriors that were assembled]... and you, my king, even though you killed by yourself the five-thousandth rank with Olendrung, even after all of these things, the elves still kept coming! And, yes, we lost in the end and that losing cost of our dearest of cities and this is how come we are freezing our asses off on this long traveling...."Now at this point, Herkel the Shield-Fed had talked so long that he needed to stop. It was a [great thing] that he had talked so long at all in all the cold, but his belly was on fire [from even just reciting all their deeds], and so he was able to almost complete his thought. But look! The other Nords had frozen to death while he was talking. (This is why it is now polite to interrupt whenever you are cold.)"Oh crap!" Herkel said, "I have talked so long I have killed all of my fighting friends and even my king! [They were] bound by oaths to hear me out and now the destruction of Sarthaal is truly complete! Oh, I am a fool to think myself a Clever Man full of magic talk! See what talking too much does?"But sure enough Dagon (who had heard his name) showed up and that old Lord of Misrule laughed and said, "What a grand, grand f**k up you are, Herkel Shield-Fed! See now, you have done what whole endless legions of elves could not, and by that I mean to destroy utterly the Host of Hoary King Ysgrim!"And Herkel began to weep and supplicated himself before Lord Dagon, saying, "O Ruler of the Firestorm and the Howling Winds, O Gigantic Prince of All Things Harmful, O Dagon the Wicked One Who...hey, wait a minute! How are you even here? This is not one of your summoning days!"And Dagon laughed again, saying, "No sh*t, Herkel, but all that bloodletting and fire at Sarthaal was enough for me [to pierce the veil of the oblivion]! All that whispering into elvish ears sure did the trick!"Herkel Shield-Fed now looked at Dagon cockeyed and said, "Wait, it was you who sent that horde of elves who, though pierced to their five-thousandth rank, would not be stopped?" to which Dagon responded, "Of course! Though it was easy, as they hated you anyway, but yes, yes, it was I who stoked the fire in grim dreams and mirrors, which has only now saw fit to stop burning! Oh well, now I'm off to enjoy my stay! Who knows how long I have before Alduin notices that I've escaped his trap again?"But while Dagon had been saying all this, Herkel had broken [the hammer] Olendrung off of frozen Ysgrim's belt. And filled with renewed anger he struck the Lord of Misrule upside the head. Dagon fell over into the snow with a great flumph, unconscious. And Herkel was about to bash the devil's brains out when he thought: "Wait a minute! Killing the kings of [the void] never really lasts forever and I'm not sure if even Olendrung could do more than knock him out! Oh, Dagon will be so mad when he wakes up and destroy even more now! I must find a way to get out of this mess! What can I, a fool as can be determined by recent events, do now to put two and two together?"Herkel then had an idea and began to drag the frozen bodies of his king and his fighting friends back to the ruins of Sarthaal west and south and west again. He had to carry them in twos for they were stiff as ice and would not bend for easy lifting, so everytime he came back for another pair of them Herkel hefted Olendrung and smacked Dagon back to sleep. Finally, after all of these labors (three hundred and some trips back to Sarthaal), Herkel dragged Dagon to the edge of the ruins. Dagon was still out like a light, so Herkel had time to complete his plan.He prayed to Alduin the dragon of time, who was the greatest enemy of men, for he ate the world everytime he woke up. But Herkel knew that Dagon was a greater enemy to the dragon, so he put that in his prayer, saying, "Mighty time-eater, I am Herkel the Fool, and I am truly a fool. But I fought bravely at the fall of Sarthaal which lay now at my feet, as does the one responsible for its destruction. I do not ask you to wake up, Alduin, for that would ruin more than Dagon will (and that's a lot now that I keep hitting his head)! And I do not ask you to bring my fighting friends and king back to life, for that is the province of your brother and even I'm not foolish enough to ask all that! And I do not ask you to turn back time, for that is against the laws of all the gods! But I do ask you for a little help, even though...." (And here he kept praying.)And Dagon woke up with a hideous headache to look down on Sarthaal and look! It was not destroyed at all! There were its mighty sights, its halls, its fountain of voices, and the tusk-house of Jarl the Tongue! And arrayed before it was the Host of Hoary Ysgrim all lined up for war!"Oh crap!" Dagon said, shaking his hurt, hurt head, "I have come too early, for the destruction of Sarthaal has not occured, for I see the army of King Ysgrim waiting for the elves that I am sending. What could I be thinking, to come before the veils are pierced? Even the laws of trickery would not help me if I did that!"So Dagon vanished back to his prison [in the void]. And, with him, so did the glamour of old Sarthaal vanish, for it had been brought only by a prayer of Herkel the Fool, who stood among the frozen warriors lined up as if for battle. His plan had worked, though it did little to comfort him, and he said goodbye to his fighting friends and his king and as the snow came in to bury Sarthaal forever, Herkel climbed the steps of High Hrothgaar, where he became at last a Clever Man.(And this is why sometimes if you pray hard enough, you can still see Sarthaal outside of only memory and in its fullest glory.)Fight Three, "The Snow Whale and the Dirtbird"These were the days of Reddotter, who surpassed her father in shield-biting...[And it came to pass that] a strange thing happened: Alduin the World-Eater, who sleeps between the [kalpas], had a disturbing dream, and he roused slightly, but not enough to bring ruin, and, heavy-lidded, he went back to the [age-wait]. But he yawned just slightly beforeso, which he had never done. And thus was born the Dirt Patch Which Does Not Gather Snow.Now this place cannot be found on any map of Skyrim, and not because we Nords are shoddy in our cartography (we crossed the Cape of Tears, after all, and marked the passages, which even the Devils in the east use still)…for you see, it is a thing that should not be, a small world-destruction that is more hiccup than intent, and so the Dirt Patch moves about, which caused all manner of trouble (and everyone knows that story) until Fjork Beard-to-Toes of Throat Mountain used a [voice spell] to contain its jumping around mainly to the west.(Which still sometimes causes trouble for the farmers of the Reachmen, ha ha ha.)Anyway, after many years, and like all things, some animal life decided that they liked to live best of all in a particular place at the expense of all other places, and some chose the Dirt Patch, and these were birds. (Who can tell why birds do anything?) We do not know where they came from, but came they did, and always, always they managed to find the Dirt Patch and make their homes in it, burrowing down deep in its soft earth, where they made their nests…. (This is not normal bird behavior, I know, but who can tell why birds do anything?) [Only] to get up and out and fly again when the Dirt Patch vanished to go find it once more. (This is why when you see a dirtbird flying north you turn south.)Now one day one of the Dumbest Things Ever happened: the Dirt Patch ended up in the sky! Right over a mountain range! (No one can remember exactly where, but it happened.) And the dirtbirds made for it anyway, and began to dig their nests down into the hovering earth, only to fall out with consternation before flying up and around the Dirt Patch [to try again]. Pretty soon they found that they just could not build their nests (and one would think that something that makes no sense, like a big stretch of dirt in the sky, would even be recognized as nonsensical by animals that really make no sense, like birds, but there you have it) and they began a’chirping away all as one in a terrible and irritating lament.So of course they attracted the snow whales.Snow whales have been in Skyrim since [the return of Man], living at the tops of the highest mountains, singing in magic tones, jumping from peak to cloud and back again, spreading their joy-snow in horn-like triumph from blowholes. We used to hunt them, our best climbers braving the rocks and ice-sheets, carrying rope and hooked spears. They had much meat, these whales, and blubber, and fluids that made paint and rosewater for our women. The earliest spouts of joy-snow [from the whales above] would drift down from the clouds and turn the men goofy. They would laugh like happy babes, some getting so tickled that they’d roll back down the mountainside in big flumphs―which only begat more guffaws-- or begin to pat each other on the back or hug in the masculine style to reaffirm their affect in essence, the joy-snow got in their heads and they just forgot what they were doing. Eventually, Huggert the Wrinkled Unto Unreadable, one of our Clever Men, made sure that the hunters remembered to occasionally hit one another out of the blue, or make lewd jokes of their respective wives or mothers or sons that had not yet shown promise, and steal and hide the shoes of their fellows, and to line the rims of their shields with wasabi so that, when they bit them, that they might ignore all happiness in fits of burning nose and choked throat. All of these measures availed them not, for the potency of the joy of the snow whales remained [unhindered by any attempt at anger], and its powder would inevitably reduce our hunters again to snickering children, who, when they saw themselves so war-laden in this state, made them chortle and jest all the more.Lesson learned. We left the snow whales alone.The dirtbirds, though, in their present bothersome sorrow, all trilling and chak chak chak, brought a herd of snow whales up and out of the mountain peaks, looking to see what the fuss was about. They were as surprised as anyone to find a plain of earth suspended in the sky, and soilCbreasted birds flitting amok in hysterical despair all around it."Holy crap," one said, "I have never seen something this dumb." And thus the snow whales crooned to each another in their way, and some, driven to pity, spat great gales of joy at the dirtbirds to remove their dirge. But just as the Dirt Patch had been misenchanted to gather no snow, so were the fowl that had inherited it similarly immune. The feathered raucous went unabated.One of the snow whales, a young bull that had only recently grown his mottles, jumped from summit to cloud and back again, twirling so that both of his eyes might see this unholy mess of things. And he snorted, and he remarked, "What we see here, my kin, is no doubt the insalubrious work of the Dagon."Now one of the dirtbirds, a young maiden, heard this declaration and took pause from her horrible wailing and flew to the great eye of the bull and said, "What now is this about the Lord of Tumult and Foul Tempers, who is known far and wide as the mucker-upper of all things in this world, and whose treachery runs even unto the sons and daughters of the Tava?" (Tava is a heathen god. Of birds, no less.) But the bull whale splashed into the ice-covered precipice of the nearest mountain, ignoring her. However, since ice is harder than snow, the wide fan of his tail stuck out for a second longer than normal, and, unanswered, the dirtbird dived down and grabbed it with her beak. And this is how she followed the snow whale into [the oblivion].The Clever Men say the realms of [the oblivion] are many, though some [limit] this number to sixteen. And there is not one that can count the endless avenues that run from one realm to another, for they change, and often, for they are as capricious in their natures as the demons that run through or rule them. Nevertheless, there is a strand to Coldharbour, which is the province of Molag Bal, and most icy beasts have touched or traveled it once, if only in nightmare, and it is perhaps by this and the will of the Gods that the snow whale navigated himself through the void that lay beyond the real world, the dirtbird behind him clamping her beak down hard and her shutting her eyes tight to the visions of evil around her.[Thus it was that] the young bull made his way to the frozen court of the King of Rape, crushing up through the very fountain of Bal's courtyard, shattering the lewd ice sculptures that crowned it in the coldest of lusts. And before the soldiers could [muster a defense against] the snow whale, a brassy sound regaled through the court and covered it all in a fog of joy, which set them all to laughing, and it was hideous to hear. And by this sound did Molag Bal deign to rise from his throne and enter the courtyard, to confront the audacity of the bull of the northern clouds. "And just what the **** do you want?" he asked.The bull eyed the Prince, and gave a bow as the older cows taught him, and started to say, "Mighty Lion of Evening, Vulgar and Low, Keeper of Coldharbour since the fall of Lyg, Destroyer of the Hearts of Men, I have come to--" but he was interrupted by the chirping and relentless admonishment of his stowaway, who had left his tail and flown directly into the Prince’s face. The dirtbird maiden’s angry diatribe is [too heinous and nasty] to even repeat here, but more or less she said, “"ne of your **** kin evidently **** our **** Dirt Patch, which is the only **** place where my people can build their **** nests and since it’s floating in the **** sky that’s **** impossible now, see, and so we cannot lay our **** eggs this season because of such an unnatural **** calamity and so we’ve been forced to wail and **** wail, you ****!"To which the snow whale assented was the truth, adding only, "Which is, of course, annoying as hell to the rest of us up there."The King of Rape took pause. It had been eons since anyone had spoken to him this way, and it had never, ever been a bird of all things. Bal thought for a second, and finally frowned, shrugging. "Well, first of all, what the **** is a Dirt Patch?"And by turns the snow whale and the dirtbird told the story, and its details, and in his magnificence did Molag Bal know that this was indeed the dream-work of Mehrunes Dagon, his brother of razors, the only Prince who dared trouble the sleep of the dragon-eater, Alduin. But while loyalty between the rulers of [the oblivion] is tenuous, Bal saw no profit in upsetting the ways of his brother, and told his visitors so, adding a threat of terrible censure on them if they did not turn back immediately and without further insult. The dirtbird remained unsatisfied and (remember that birds make no sense) began to peck furiously at the Prince’s head, rebuking him and all his kind and the mischief they wrought.Perhaps the snow whale misinterpreted this foolishness for bravery, or perhaps he admired that the dirtbird had come unbidden into the realms of the damned, or maybe it was an admixture of the two with a smidgen of the fondness that all flying things share for one another, but the bull knew that, at this point, he loved the foul-mouthed, unclean, imprudent dirtbird with all of his considerable heart. Before the King of Rape could swat her dead, he trumpeted the courtyard again with joy powder, hoping to send Molag Bal into a handicap of bliss so that they both might escape."Ho ho ho," Molag Bal roared, smiling, though none of it with joy. His aspect became so fierce that even the dirtbird maiden stopped pecking at his head, and she flew behind the bulk of the snow whale in sudden fright. The Prince of Coldharbour spoke: "You silly little snow whale, do you not know that there can be no joy for me? That long ago I gave up such things to the betterment of my rage? And while I recognize love between creatures that are unalike, I have built a bulwark against its joy and--""Wait wait wait," the dirtbird interrupted. "What’s all this about love between creatures unalike?" And if a snow whale could blush, [that is surely what] the bull did now. Even Molag Bal was taken aback, for he was sure in his heart that any maiden that would follow a man into hell did so only by token of love. For her part, the dirtbird left her hiding place and flew back into the demon prince’s face."Huh?" he said, blinking. "You two aren’t an item?""I’m a DIRTBIRD, genius," she answered, "And he’s a **** SNOW WHALE, get it? This isn’t above love, it’s about not being able to lay eggs in a floating stretch of earth, and it’s about your brother being a complete **** who needs to make things right. Or else."To which the King of Rape merely raised an opulent eyebrow.The snow whale cleared his throat [in earnest]. "Or else..." he started, unsure of himself. "... or else I will gather all of my kin," and at this he found his courage, "All of them, down to the last newborn cow, from all the mountaintops of Skyrim, and the clouds above it, and from every opening of snow there is in that land, and we will leave it. Forever."Which was a confusing thing to Molag Bal, a Prince of Misrule, whose hatred was as bellows in his belly, and who had long since kept his delight of any form of joy under lock and key. And even the dirtbird turned from him to look on the bull, and she, too, simply did not get it.Bal spoke, "And what would that matter to me?"Now the soldiers of the Prince of Coldharbour had shaken off their fits of laughter, and took up their pikes again, and remembered their stations and their vileness, and they surrounded the fountain that the bull used as his threshold. And the snow whale’s blowhole was empty, leaving him defenseless to their approach, and maybe one could read this in his eyes, for Molag Bal began to smile wickedly, and the dirtbird gulped with fear."It matters to you," the bull said, "Mighty Lion of Evening, Vulgar and Low, Keeper of Coldharbour since the fall of Lyg, Destroyer of the Hearts of Men... it matters to you because my kin bring joy to the upper world, who have not yet given up such a thing for the betterment of their rage, and who welcome love and happiness and good cheer… as much as they fear the coming of ruin, or the color of betrayal, or the visitations of demons. These last are the tools of [the oblivion], and your lifeblood, and it is only through joy that the devices of your dubious employ are the more sweeter to you, yet which are nothing if visited upon those who know nothing but despair in the first place. It matters to you, Lord Bal, for how can you destroy the hearts of men when those hearts are already empty?"And, with that, the snow whale sank back into the fountain from whence he came, but he left the wide fin of his tail up out of it for a second longer than normal. And the dirtbird took it within her beak.When they returned to Skyrim, bursting out of the zenith snow, the snow whale and the dirtbird were met with only silence. Their kin were gone, both kinds, and with them, the noise of crooning and the cacophony of bird-lament. But the maiden felt the tug of the Dirt Patch in her senses, and she sensed that it was southward, and low, and she knew that things had been more or less put back right. She let go of the bull’s tail and flew up to his eye. "It has worked," she said, "Bal has talked sense into his brother, the Dagon. I can feel it in my breast.""I suppose so," the bull said, "And I can hear my herd jumping this way through mountaintop and blue." And perhaps when she knew that the snow whale would soon be gone, having rejoined his kin, and perhaps because he had shown her a courage that was unalike as hers but as powerful, or maybe it was an admixture of the two with a smidgen of the fondness that all flying things share for one another, but the dirbird knew that, at this point, she loved the noble, unwieldy, ridiculous snow whale with all of her tiny heart."Where I live the snow cannot gather," she said in the lowest of voices. To which the bull nodded, and said, "And there is, of course, the difference in size." And, at that they smiled, and flew away from one another, and were welcomed back by their kin in songs of praise.(And this is why when you see a dirtbird heading north that you stop... and look up at the sky before turning south. Sometimes, if you are lucky, you can see him, the bull of the northern clouds, looking for her, the maiden beloved of Tava, a heathen god that we begrudgingly admit is all right from time to time.)Fight Six, "The 911th Cow"These [were the days] of Anna Kuhlsdotter, who once led her cloud-sisters into victorious war against the Skald of Broken Books....And of the Giants we speak little, even less to strangers, for their history is hidden in long loud power-shouts. At home, it is a pain in the ass to tell their stories and then clean all the things knocked down in the telling... and in a foreign hearth it is [just plain rude]. So we speak of them (for we must-- who does not honor their parents?) under the rim of the sky or, here, written on sheafs of pelt, for such is the mettle of their threat. This is [a song (or dirge, manuscript unclear)], then, of the threat of Giants and, like most, it involves painted cows.[First, though] let us put two Powers in place, the Dragon and the Dagon, for this is also and foremost a Fight of Theirs Story [so such is proper]... [text lost]... the only one to have occurred on the Demon King's birthday. (No, that inglorious day-month will not be revealed here for it is dangerous and, yes, once, a very long time ago-- ONCE-- we were all tricked into celebrating it in a very big sissy-fuss where we were made to wear special hats.)Dagon [it can be surmised] found some indefatigable lady-man wizard from the west to love him from [topside(?)] and thus-by work very, very hard in his witch-craft... [the demon lord] making warlock promises and whispering rewards of the unspeakable and mighty... appearing through shade or familiar in guises too small for the Dragon to notice that he was not in his entirety in [the oblivion] where he had been banished beforetimes... and perhaps happy (because birthdays ARE happy) and infectious with it enough to engender great industry, yet profane still in aspect to retain his stature among the eyes of the wicked from whence his followers always come (when they do not come from fools instead).[And the warlock-in-love]... [text lost]... made a mad dance of it all as in the manner of the magic arts of the west [and] summoned his infernal master on this very auspicious day through crazed and love-wrought wizardry [that went beyond the mandate] of right summonings... whereupon the Dagon popped out of a blueberry pie."I didn't think that would work AT ALL!" he said, that old Lord of Misrule, and he began to praise the baker's craft in such great cackle and length that [the warlock he had taken as paramour] became jealous in the way of wolf-headed women (you know the ones)."Pssh," Dagon said, "I, the Lord of Razors and Red-drink, King of Terrible Intent, Mehrunes the Prince of Four Dooms and One Paradise, I Who Commandeth 88 Legions Daedric... I just came out of a PIE, you swooning harpy! That is totally bat-*** insane!"Whereafter he bit out the neck of the spurned warlock and played in the blood.(This is why all bakeries in our village make "Shake the Dagon Out" part of their flour-whistling.)Now the Dragon's role here is more subtle, and existed really only in the fear of a little farm girl in the highlands of Newkreath. For who does not fear Alduin the World Eater, and especially children, who always think they are the last to come for they are the newest to be? (And children, BEING special, perhaps are right and maybe it is only through their fears that [this kalpa] still survives, so we will not question it.)Anyhow, her name was Aless (her father was fond of the South, and Ald Cyrod, and knew the stories of their famous and ancient Queen), and she had such a fear that any day now the Dragon would awake to eat up everything she ever knew that she became determined to do all she could [to protect it]. Naturally, she began to paint many, many cows.Here is why: the Giants came from Old Atmora, up there across the Northern Ice back in the gone-to-twilight-now age of myth... and settled here in the Skyrim, and all along the mountain ranges of our coasts. (Yes, they are our true ancestors-- do not believe your aunt from the university-- and, yes, we were once as big as them-- as tall as THIS-- but that is another story)... [text lost]... and after [the Great Calamity] happened [the clan-things (peoples? tribes? Text seems to indicate mankind as a whole, though that is debateable)]... we were of a kind disrupted... and we Nords fell into fighting and drove our Giant-kin up unto the mountaintops [and we were a wicked-folk for many years]... [until all] things had changed forever. Once the Moot resumed [(unspecified) years later] things got back to a new semblance of normalcy and borders were redrawn and agreed with in beer-talk, and raidings of the merethlands took everyone's mind off old feuds, and pretty soon (well, not pretty soon but whatever) the Giants began to come down from the mountains again. And they were a bit different than we Nords remembered, or perhaps we had forgotten much, but they would not speak to us anymore-- they would only smile in their lazy way, stomp over, and take our stuff.If we fought them, they roared louder than the Tongues of High Hrothgar, and brave steads would be blasted whole into so much paste, [chickens and all (?)]... [and] eventually we learned that if we left stuff out for the Giants, and painted this stuff brightly and with swirls (they love swirls) and stuck big signs up pointing to it all, they would simply take THAT stuff and not anything else and no fighting would be have to be done (not that what I have described was really fighting-- no one fights the Giants is the point). And that explains the Painting The Cows tradition, for as lazily-smiled as they are, so much that they seem that they wouldn't hurt a soul (ha!), the Giants eat meat and lots of it. Aless (remember her still?) thought to herself, "I am so, so afraid the Dragon will awake and eat the world-- ANY DAY NOW-- that I will paint every cow I see so as to summon all the Giants I can to beat up old Scaly Face, and beat him up really, really hard-- hard enough to knock him out and back to sleep!" (Aless had heard, as you have now, that "no one fights the Giants" and took it a little bit too much to heart.)She began with her stead's herd, some four-dozens strong [with] two bulls (the old one broken off in a separate cattle-gate to stomp out his last days in complaint-- and Aless made her father swear not to kill this old bull for she loved him in the way children love the things others see as useless or spent) ...and yet by the seventh cow Aless had run out of paint. "I shouldn't have done so many swirls," she said, sighing. And that is when he appeared, the Dagon, drawn up in the stolen Nordskin of a Clever Man, come from the west by side-stepping [through the real]."No," he said through his impressive bead-knit beard, "You did well. If I were a giant, these would be mighty fine looking cows to take. But why paint so many? [One a season per stead] is the norm."Aless frowned up at Dagon-turned-Clever, and with no suspicion, for she was a child and they are taught to respect our [magic-men]. "Because I hate the Dragon," she admitted, immediately fearing admonishment. (It is not very wise to talk ill of Alduin at any time, especially in the presence of the Very, Very Wise.) She corrected herself: "Well, more like I hate the fear of him. I'm sorry for saying the thing before.""Hmm," Dagon said, "Your fear is well-founded. The Time Eater comes soon.""WHAT I SO KNEW IT" Aless said, grabbing her paint buckets and brushes [in a scramble], intent on going back to her hearth to get her play-dolls and kid-shields to sell them for more supplies. "I gotta go, mister, I need to summon the Giants REAL FAST and A BUNCH.""Child," Dagon laughed, "You will never paint so many as that, given your little power. But, aye, your plan is a good one. Many Giants, really fast. Yes. That's smart. Now come with me. Kyne--" and at this name of the Sacred, the demon almost choked, "--she lends me the winds and I can walk us from one to another. And Tsun--" and at this Name Dagon finally did choke, coughing harshly but hiding it as age, "--he grants my craft-wit with provisions from the aether. You will have all the paint you need, and be swift enough to swirl every cow from here to Windhelm.""That is SO cool!" Aless said, jumping. But by speaking of so many Gods [and the Heavenly Halls in which they live], Dagon had brought a horrible scratch to his throat. He coughed again, and at length, finally doubling over. Aless frowned again, this time with what looked like pity, and put her hand on his back. "You okay, mister? I believe you about all your magic, but maybe you should just rest. I can sell my play-dolls and get paint and just, like, run fast--""I'm fine, dear," Dagon said, waving her off, too harshly, and then [realizing he was frightful] found a composure, "And I am sorry myself for scaring you just then. It is only because I can feel the Age turning, and so am sick with the impending death of the World.""Um," Aless said. "You're still being scary.""Then paint the rest of these and let us move. You are brave, and worthy, but cannot run so fast as we need. We have cows to swirl and Giants to bring down from the mountains. Through their might only can we make the Dragon retreat back into slumber and thereby save all that we know." And soon then did the Dagon and the girl step into a wind [and disappear].[Now] it can be guessed that Dagon was a lying sack of ****-- the Dragon wasn't coming at all and would be asleep til...[text lost]...which is far from now. But the Lord of Razors has ever hated the North, for it was here that he was born (after a fashion), and it was here he was cursed, and so on this, his birthday, he had determined that he would destroy all of the Skyrim and all the Nords in it. He indeed needed his little cow-painter to draw down the Giants (or maybe it only amused him to use one of our own, we cannot say), and so he [played her fear] for a fouler purpose: he knew that so many Giants come down from the mountains would cause the High King to think it war, and muster. And any war with the Old Fathers would undo us.Now Dagon-as-Clever did as he said, wind'ng Aless from stead to stead, watching over her as she painted the cows at each, summoning [snow-fogs to hide her quickened labors], from Newkreath to Gant and the Uttering Hills of Jarlmung County, filling her buckets [in fast conjurations] and even blessing each cow in Kyne's name alongside her, coughing each time. By the 400th cow, his beard was hack-stuck [with sickness]. By the 650th cow, he would speak no more names wrought by the Gods. And it was by the 700th cow that the Dagon noticed that Aless was painting the swirls [in a different fashion], to which she explained, "Each county has a different Lookit Me Stamp," and frowning at him she asked, "But you know that, right?""Oh, right, right, indeed," he said, "Blame my ailment and our hasty mission. It has left me with a perplextion of the brain. Stamp away!" to which Aless smiled, "No problem, I'm getting tired, too. There, seven hundred and fifty-two! How many do you think we'll need?""At least nine hundred and ten," Dagon said, "That is a lucky number." (This is true.) And then they vanished [into the wind] again, coming out into Windhelm, fortress-lands of the High King. "We'd better hurry here," Dagon advised."Why?""Why what?""Why hurry here? You mean more than seven hundred and fifty-two cows in five hours hurry?""Um," Dagon said, feigning more sickness, "Because these are the king's cows and we have not the Special Royal Cow Painting Permits, nor the time to explain [the turning of the Age]. The Dragon is coming too soon for parley such as that."And just as she started swirling these new cows (under cover of snow-curtains and in the shadow of the Thaneswall) Aless asked, "But why doesn't the High King know this already? Doesn't he have Clevermen advisors and Witching Wives to tell him? And the Queen, doesn't she have that six-pair of Scrying Eyestalks of Old Man Mora?""Who knows the way of kings and queens, little farm girl," Dagon countered, beginning to lose his temper and seeing now this always-questioning Aless as a turkey-leg in his stomach. But no, he thought, I can wait. [I can wait.]Aless shrugged, painting the cows in what Dagon assumed was [the manner] of Windhelm now, and saying only, "I guess you're right, mister. But I'm named after a queen, a really pretty one, the books say." And [at this] Aless spoke of South Cyrod and its tales of mereth-kill by Men and heroes sent by the Gods, and Dagon's head began to swim with it, wind to wind and herd to herd in the Windhelmlands with the girl always talking and talking, for the demon hated the [lands of the Aleshut-tribes] nearly as much as our own but for different reasons, and just as he was about to let loose his rage (for that was his Base Nature), Aless spoke up, giggling with victory, "Nine hundred and ten with paint to spare!"At which point, Dagon thought the deed to be done, and he began to grow fangs behind his beard."Holy crap!" Aless said, looking at her paint-covered dress. "We totally forgot the signs!""Huh?""In all of this crazy fast painting, mister, we forgot to stick up the Look Over Here signs! The Giants won't know to come! We really screwed this up!"Dagon slid his fangs back in, for what she spoke was [true]. He sighed, "Yes. The signs. Totally forgot them. Crap.""Tell you what," Aless said, "Take me back home. We can grab the signs I've made there and you can Tsun-them-up and make more and zip everywhere we've been to everywhere ELSE we've been putting them all up. And meanwhile I'll paint ONE MORE COW to make it nine hundred and ELEVEN. That's gotta be luckier than lucky, right?"Dagon-as-Clever now frowned, for he wanted war soon, and said, "I suppose so. Really, what's one more cow going to hurt?" And [they stepped back] through the wind to Aless' own stead, whereupon she ran to the sign-sheds and retrieved as many as she could carry, dumping them nearly on Dagon's foot. Oh by the sixteen hells I'm going to eat this dumb girl, he thought, with WASABI! But he picked up the Look Over Heres and multiplied them unto a bigger bundle, shouldering them all."Night is falling fast, mister, you better hurry!"And Dagon faded into the winds, dizzy with his plannings and smirkings and thinkings, stamping sign after sign at each herd of cows from Newkreath to Windhelm and all the places between, wishing himself another warlock-bite for all this trouble, finally growing out his four arms to make the goings-on faster, wind-step to sign-post, dreaming of [a tide] of Giants come down from the peaks of Skyrim to blast the Northmen away for all time, and time it was he lost track of, until he finally arrived back at the stead of Aless the Dragon Hater."Hi," she said, seeing Dagon's true form, "You totally forgot we painted every cow here at the beginning of all of this, you big dummy. So I painted this old bull instead."And it was true, Aless had taken from its cattle-gate the bull she had begged her father not to kill and to which her father had agreed, and instead of swirls, she had painted [wings on it]. Before the Dagon's eyes this bull [transformed itself as in the manner of god-guiser magic] into Mor, the Bull of the South, Son-of-Kyne, and demiprince of All Winds.Mor snorted through the hoop of his nose-ring and greeted the [King of Razors]. "Hello, Dagon. The prayers of children very seldom go unnoticed."Aless said, "That means me."Mor continued: "You are trespassing outside your mandated day of summoning, Lord Daedroth. Heaven is not happy of it."Aless smiled and lifted up one finger, "One, you're NEVER supposed to badmouth Alduin in front of a Clever Man. And YOU didn't berate me." She lifted up a second. "Two, you can't even speak the names of the Gods without choking, and every Clever Man has wind enough in his throat to revere them without censure, involuntary or not." Three fingers, five, and six with a second hand. "Then of course the swirls, which we Nords paint the same no matter whichever clan we belong to, because the Giants speak only ONE language and it's in our best interest to talk straight with them. I could mention several others, but you've guessed them all: the spell you suffered at the mention of my ancient namesake, whose story I peppered with sayings that are supposed to be repeated by any that are near as in the hymnal halls, and the Eyestalks of Say What Huh? that don't even EXIST which you just nodded your fake Clever head to, and--""I think, little namesake," Mor bellowed, "That he gets the point."Dagon was fuming now, snow melting around his new-wrought hooves, stretching up and out into demon-skin, red like terror, ebon-armed and frothing. Aless stood her ground. Mor stamped twice, an [approval and a threat]."You would have made my beloved proud with your courage," the Bull said to Aless, and to Dagon: "Stand down, Demon King, and go down. You will not win this day, even though it is crowned with the power of your first coming.""WHAT NOW," Dagon roared, sending them both back with a [bellows-fire], "YOU ARE NOTHING TO ME, MORIHAUS HALF-SPIRIT! THE DAGON FIGHTS NOT THE SONS OF HEAVEN'S CONCUBINES BUT HEAVEN'S KING ITSELF.""Yeah, sure," Aless giggled, "And how does that work out for you? Every single fight you have with the Dragon ends up with you losing, King Chump. And it will always be like that. Here, there, then, now, or in the future: the Dragon wins over you, as he wins over us all. I'm not afraid of that anymore. More importantly, I'm not afraid of YOU."Dagon stepped forward, crackling now [with flame and old woe]. Mor bent his horns to the ready. Aless stayed where she was."I wouldn't do that, mister" she said. "Those swirls that I started painting as soon as we went a-wind'ng? They weren't Giant-Come-Shiny Swirls but hearth-warnings... that YOU were here. In the language of each clan, on all the cows they're looking at RIGHT NOW since you put all those signs up. That you're here-- right here, right where I asked you to return. I think pretty soon you'll start to hear the horns. And even you can't take on all the Sons and Daughters of Kyne, you *******."And that's when they did hear [the horns of all clans], and the closest was as like a stormsong of thundernachs, for Mor was near, and he [was the issue of the Greater Sky]. And Dagon knew that where the horn soundings landed, the Tongues of High Hrothgar could step, and, when together, the greybeards could breathe unto being the ghost of Shor, which lay all Powers low [even in half-death]."A curse on the house of Alessia," Dagon muttered before summoning himself a Gate to [the oblivion], for he knew his works were all undone, "And eight more on the Men of the Dragon. There will be an hour when--"Aless leaned against her bull."Hey, Coughy," she said, "Shut up and go already. It's way past my bedtime."And he did, missing the arrival of the hosts of Hrothgar and Newkreath, and the runners of nearby [Hjaalmarch], and, of course, the thanes of Aless' own stead, which included her father, all of which saw the farm girl in her messy dress leaning against the [Bull of Heaven], glorified in story and song since the days of our first dawn, and all afit for battle and confused [that it would not be met] and more still overcome with the blessings of the Skyrim by the Gods we hold aloft.To which Aless could only answer: "It's a really long story, guys."----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 现在的上古卷轴玩家很多都是由3代看始打仗上古系列的(固然还有不少新玩家只打仗过上古4),因此大家对上古系列前作应该不是很了解.所以我今天就要像大家来说明一下上古卷轴2的世界观背景,这样大家就算没有玩过上古2也可以对它的游戏背景有个充分的认识..今天我讲解的紧要方式就是放出我最近翻译的几本书籍,这些书籍全部都出现在上古2的游戏中,是我从上古2的众多游戏书籍中挑选出来的.从这些书籍中我们可以很好的了解上古2游戏的历史和文化.好了废话不说,咱们先进入正题吧!上古卷轴2游戏的发生所在就是在Iliac海湾地区.那边是Iliac海湾地区呢??HIGH ROCK行省的西南角,HAMMERFELL行省的西北角统称Iliac海湾地区.在这里有几个比力著名的邦国和地区,这在下文我会着重说明的