【更多信息请参见:国度天宇Realmspace(书名)】
2eSP<Realmspace.p003>天宇概述Sphere Overview
国度天宇Realmspace 直径约64亿英里(注1)。无论从内往外、还是从外往内,其壳层看起来都像一堵完全平坦的固体墙壁。其表面在抚摸时触感有些凹凸不平和冰冷,并对几乎所有已知的伤害、攻击和法术免疫。宇宙中没有任何已知事物能扯下或撕裂它。
Realmspace is about 6,400 million miles in diameter. The shell, whether viewed from the inside or outside, looks like a perfectly flat, solid wall. The surface, somewhat bumpy and cold to the touch, is completely immune to nearly every known damage, attack or spell. Nothing known in the universe can begin to tear or crack it.
[译注1:64亿英里(此处是直径而非半径)约合103亿公里,约合70个天文单位,约合0.001光年。作为对比,太阳系天宇的冥王星近日点约合30天文单位,远日点约合49天文单位。]
对该天宇的居民而言,这种坚不可摧算是一种祝福。因为如果 晶壁crystal shell 崩决,世界之外的 燃素phlogiston 将会毁灭其内的行星。燃素将导致整个世界范围的大气燃烧,居中的恒星将被点燃为一团火球,其力量足以瓦解天宇内的每颗行星。
This indestructibility is a blessing for the inhabitants within the sphere. If the crystal shell were ever to be breached, the phlogiston outside would doom the planets inside. The phlogiston would cause worldwide atmospheric burning, and the sun would ignite into a fireball powerful enough to disintegrate every planet in the sphere.
偶尔的情况下,晶壁系本身会神秘地开启通向 燃素海phlogiston 的传送门。这种入口足以让固体以任何方式通过,但它不会允许燃素进入、污染 荒宇wildspace 的完美真空。天宇上传送门的开关看上去是随机的。通过专为此目的设计的法术或魔法物品,可以找到这些临时传送门。咒法魔法也能在任何需要之处开启这样的传送门。然而,这会立即关闭距离咒唤地点最远的那道自然生成传送门。
Occasionally, the crystal sphere itself mysteriously opens a portal to the phlogiston. This portal allows solid bodies to pass through either way, but it does not allow phlogiston to enter and contaminate the perfect vacuum of wildspace. Portals seemingly open and close at random on the sphere. These temporary doorways can be sought by divination spells or by magical items specifically designed for that purpose. Conjuration magic can be used to open a portal wherever desired, as well. This, however, immediately closes the naturally occurring portal farthest away from the conjuring location.
已有有许多飞船在该天宇中失踪,但这是否与自然生成的传送门被提前关闭、进而把飞船碾压成无法辨识的微粒直接相关,目前尚不清楚。某位来自该系统排序第三的世界的著名巫师(注2)曾说过,在任何时候,该晶壁系同时总是会有3200道自然和人为的传送门被开启。
Many ships have been lost in space, but it is not known whether any of these losses directly related to a naturally occurring portal being prematurely closed, thereby crushing the ship into unidentifiable particulates. A famous mage from the third world of this system said once that there are always 3,200 natural and unnatural portals open on this crystal sphere at any one time.
[译注2:排序第三的世界指的托瑞尔星球,也即费伦大陆所在星球,著名巫师疑为著名话痨伊尔明斯特。]
在巫师们的无声帮助下,贤者们已发现了一条适用于所有晶壁系的定律。该定律规定:天宇的大小是由最远离 主轨道吸引子the Primary Orbital Attractor 的行星的轨道半径决定的。主轨道吸引子是在该恒星系中央的占星天体——就像国度天宇那样,通常就是该星系的恒星。国度天宇中距离恒星最远的行星是 赫卡斯星球H'Catha,其轨道半径为16亿英里。这意味着该晶壁系必须有32亿英里的半径。既然该天球是如此巨大,它的表面看起来是完全平坦也就不足为奇了。
The sages, with the silent help of mages, have found a law that applies to all known crystal spheres. This law dictates that the size of the sphere is governed by the orbital radius of the planet farthest from the Primary Orbital Attractor. The Primary, usually the system's Sun as in Realmspace, is the central astrological body in the solar system. The planet farthest from the sun in this sphere is H'Catha, which has an orbital radius of 1,600 million miles. This means that the crystal sphere must have a radius of 3,200 million miles. With a sphere this massive, it is no wonder that its surface appears to be perfectly flat.
国度天宇的一项独特特征是其晶壁系的内衬覆盖着数以亿计的符文与结界。这些印文的字有几百英里高、完全看不清。若有10级或以上的巫师施展了一道 阅读魔法read magic 法术,那么这些印文就将变得清晰可辨。在阅读、甚至只是在脑海中阅读时,这些文字中存储的魔力也将被激发。这些文字即便是在被阅读时仍将保持魔力,而这实际上给予了它无限的力量。其魔法可能是任何已知或未知的法术。在天球的各处铺陈着像 飞龙守卫wyvern watch、反魔法场anti-magic shell 和 剑刃护壁blade barrier 这样的法术,但除此外还有数以千种可能性。神秘的是,在天球上所写的法术没有两道是相同的。
A feature unique to Realmspace is the hundreds of millions of glyphs and wards that cover the inside lining of the crystal sphere. These printed words are hundreds of miles tall and completely illegible. If a mage of 10th level or higher performs a read magic spell, the lettering becomes discernible. When read, even if merely by thought, the magic stored in these writings is invoked. The writing maintains its continuous power even when read; efficiently giving it unlimited power. The magic can be of any known or unknown spell. Spells such as wyvern watch, anti-magic shell,and blade barrier spread themselves across the sphere, but thousands more remain possibilities as well. Mysteriously, no two spells written on the sphere are identical.
因为字迹那难以置信的巨大尺寸,法术的效果也随之得到了延展。蠢到会去阅读其中某个刻文的家伙将触发一道力量与范围百倍于常的法术。不过,其豁免检定将如常,所以该角色至少与些许的生存机会。
Because of the writing's incredible size, the spell effect expands itself as well. A person foolish enough to read one of these glyphs unleashes a spell at over 100 times the power and size of any normal spell. The saving throws should be the same, though, so characters have at least a slim chance of surviving.
这些文字的起源仍然成谜,但人们普遍认为,是 国度天宇诸神力Powers of Realmspace 将它们放置于此来保护他们的天宇、杀死那些愚蠢或贪婪的访客。阅读到增益性法术的概率约是千分之一。不知何故,以任何手段都无法将这些文字复制或摹仿到纸上。
The writings origins remain a mystery, but it is a common belief that the Powers of Realmspace placed them there to protect their sphere and to slay stupid or greedy visitors. The chance of reading a beneficial spell is about one in a thousand. Somehow, it is impossible by any means to duplicate or copy the writings onto paper.
而晶壁上那些描绘着点号、破折号和波浪号之处所发出的永恒之光,被伪装成了群星闪烁的光芒。这些位置是通向 辐射准元素位面quasi-elemental plane of Radiance 的传送门。这些光辉给了天宇的居民们闪烁的群星与星座的幻觉。
Where the writings on the crystal shell dot, dash, and tilde themselves, the flickering of pseudo-stars shine with their everlasting light. These portals open to the quasi-elemental plane of Radiance. These radiances give the sphere's inhabitants the illusion of twinkling stars and constellations.
这些传送门的直径从几码到数百英里不等。其尺寸的不同给了人一种它们在天穹上与自己的距离不同的幻觉。大部分传送门都大到足以供魔法船通过,但通过这些传送门是一种自杀性的行为。
These portals range in diameter from only a few yards to hundreds of miles long. The different sizes give an illusion of distance in the celestial heavens. Most of the portals are large enough for spelljamming ships to pass through, but traveling through these portals is an act of suicide.
一旦这艘船只进入了辐射位面,任何木材、布料和其它可燃物都将立即开始燃烧。对此效果无法进行豁免检定。金属物质将在2轮内熔化,而所有有生命的存在都必须进行对抗喷吐武器豁免检定,否则将立即在进入该位面时死亡。
Once the ship enters the plane of Radiance, any wood, cloth, or other combustible material begins to burn immediately. No saving throw is allowed to counter this effect. Metallic substances melt in two rounds, and all living entities must make successful saving throws vs. breath weapon or die the instant they enter the plane.
之后,幸存者每轮将遭受4d10点伤害。进入这些传送门的角色应该可以能很容易地退出或转身逃离。不幸的是,他们可能在高温中没法撑到逃脱的那一刻。(对那些想知晓更多信息的人而言,《位面手册The Manual of the Planes》有位面旅行的全部细节。)
Thereafter, survivors suffer 4d10 points of damage per round. Should the characters enter these portals, they can easily escape by backing out or turning around. Unfortunately, they may not survive the heat long enough to remove themselves. (The Manual of the Planes completely details planar traveling, for those who would like more information.)
幸运的是这些传送门通常相隔数千英里,并不会被无意进入。这些开口放射出的强光打在来往船只上、拉出了很深的阴影,但只要它们保持在至少100英里之外,就不会对乘客的眼睛造成伤害。而该位面中磅礴的热量也只有在进入后才能感觉到。
Luckily, these portals, usually separated by thousands of miles, cannot be entered accidentally. The bright light radiating from these openings cast deep shadows on passing ships, but as long as they remain at least a hundred miles away, there is no danger to the eyes of passengers. The tremendous heat within the plane is not felt until the plane is entered.
在冒险者突破晶壁系、甚至是在一道已经存在的、通向辐射准元素位面的门径上,开启时一道魔法船传送门时,那些伪星对都不会对冒险者造成伤害。魔法船创造的传送门将取代位面开口让其能够安全通过。一旦传送门关闭,位面开口将再次闪耀永不停息的光辉。任何该行星居民如果恰好在那个特定时刻在观星,就会发现其中一颗星星消失了几分钟。
There is no danger to the adventurer from these pseudo-stars when they breach the crystal sphere, even if a spelljamming portal opens over an existing door to the quasi-elemental plane of Radiance. The portal created by the spelljammer supersedes the planar opening, allowing safe passage over it. Once the portal closes, the planar opening once again shines with its never ending brilliance. Any inhabitant planet-side who happens to be watching the stars at that particular moment sees one of the stars wink out of existence for a few minutes.
另一种只在国度天宇才能发现的特征,是群不停在晶壁系内壁各处漫步的一群类人生物。这群类人生物包含人类、精灵、矮人、半身人、兽人和任何在该天宇的行星存在的、其他智慧两足生物形态。他们中也存在着各种族的混血儿。该群体人数以十万计,排列成了一条完美的直线。他们肩并肩,一起沿着南北方向穿过天球的内壁。他们的手掌上都有 托姆Torm 的印记。
Another feature found only in Realmspace is the group of humanoids who continually walk across the inside of the crystal sphere. These humanoids are a motley mixture of humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, orcs, and any other intelligent bipedal life form existing on the planets of this sphere. The offspring of intermixed races present themselves here as well. This group, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, align themselves in a perfectly straight line. Side by side, they walk together across the inside of the sphere in a north-south trajectory. They all possess the mark of Torm on their palms.
这个被称作 漫游者Wanderers 的群体不间断地漫步着,嘴如吟唱般有节奏地律动、双手施法般地随之挥舞。无法以任何方式与他们交流,也没有什么办法让他们停下脚步。事实上,他们甚至不需要呆在含有氧气或任何类型空气的环境中。在被攻击时,漫游者有着-2的AC,生命值全都为25。在被以法术衡量时,他们的豁免如同10级战士。
This group, called the Wanderers, walks continually and without interruption. Their mouths move in a rhythmic pattern that resembles chanting while their hands move in spell-like fashion. There is no way to communicate with them, and there is no way to stop their journey. In fact, they are not even in an environment containing oxygen or any other type of air. The wanderers have an Armor Class of -2 if they are attacked, and they all have 25 hit points. They save as 10th-level fighters when attacked by spells.
传说中,这些漫游者是在行骇人之恶时死亡的居民的灵魂。他们的生前生活、以及他们是如何被弄到这里来的,相较于他们当前的目标而言已不太重要。正是漫游者们让魔法船得以进、出该晶壁系。如果漫游者不复存在,天球产生传送门的能力也将随之消失。若没有任何漫游者在吟唱,晶壁系将会闭合,直至另一位该天球中的邪恶居民死去。
Legends say that the Wanderers are the souls of individuals who died performing evil deeds of horrific proportions. Their past life, or how they got there is secondary to their current purpose. It is the Wanderers who allow spelljammers to pass in and out of this crystal sphere. If these Wanderers cease to exist, so does the sphere's ability to produce portals. Their constant chanting is the catalyst by which these portals are created. Without the chanting of at least one Wanderer, the crystal sphere would close until another evil individual died in the sphere.
如果这条由正常体型的类人生物组成的庞大队列映入了你的眼帘,你会发现他们将总是排成完美的队形行走着。当某道传送门直接开启在漫游者的路线上,他们实际上可能会从该晶壁系掉落,永远消失在燃素海中。一旦消失,失踪的漫游者可以被取代,但过程非常漫长。
If this huge line of normal-sized humanoids comes into view, they are always walking in perfect formation. When a portal opens directly in the path of the Wanderers, they can actually fall out of the crystal sphere, disappearing forever into the phlogiston. Once gone, the missing Wanderers can be replaced, but the process is very slow.
每隔五年左右,会有个邪恶到足以供此永恒奴役之人死亡。这些邪恶居民来自所有神明的势力范围。当某个邪恶角色被选中承担此“荣誉”时,他将学会 漫游者之吟诵Chant of the Wanderer。该吟诵让魔法船能够创造传送门穿越该天球。这种吟诵从未停止。漫游者的灵魂被诅咒永恒吟唱、漫步穿越天球。
Every five years or so (roughly), one person is evil enough at the time of his death to warrant this eternal servitude. These denizens of evil come from all the deities' areas of influence. When an evil character is chosen for this "honor," he is taught the Chant of the Wanderer. The chanting allows the spelljamming ships to create portals to pass through the sphere. This chanting never ceases. The souls of the Wanderers are eternally cursed to chant and walk across the sphere.
在 动荡之年Time of Trouble 期间没有魔法船能够通过该天球。诸神力的下凡导致不再有传送门被创造。在那段时间,漫游者们被从他们的诅咒中解放了出来,而他们的吟诵也随之停止。紧闭的嘴唇意味着紧闭的传送门。
During the Time of Trouble, no spelljamming ships were able to pass through the sphere. The Powers' fall caused the loss of portal creation. During that time, the Wanderers were free of their curse, and their chanting stopped. Closed lips meant closed portals.