卡爾蒂姆Caldeum

  Caldeum was once the proudest city in all of Kehjistan, the trade capital of the entire world. Caldeum was never seen as the heart of the empire, even

 though it rivaled Viz-jun, and later Kurast, in size, and those who called Caldeum their home liked it that way. Even when the Mage Clan Wars erupted, the battles were never tolerated to affect trade in Caldeum, for while politics and magic may be important, trifling with trade is a serious matter. Let Kurast see itself as the center of the world, they would say. We'll keep our free exchange of goods, currency, and ideas, thank you very much.

 

       卡爾蒂姆（Caldeum）曾經是凱基斯坦（Kehjistan）王國中最令人驕傲的城市，同時也是世界的貿易中心。卡爾蒂姆在城市規模上一點也不會輸維茲郡（Viz-jun）以及後來崛起的庫拉斯特（Kurast），但卡爾蒂姆卻沒有被當作是帝國的中心。可是那些出生在卡爾蒂姆的人們卻不那麼想。即使是魔法公會戰爭爆發時，卡爾蒂姆的貿易往來也絲毫有沒受到影響。畢竟人們都認為政治和魔法兩者都很重要，如果因此而影響到貿易可能將會帶來更嚴重的後果。他們或許會說：就讓庫拉斯特的人們認為自己是世界的中心吧。我們只要能在這裡繼續貿易、買賣以及思想的自由交流，那樣就非常感謝了。


    But the pride I once held in this great city has become tarnished and dull. In looking back on it all, now, I would have to say that this rot infecting our city started when a good number of Kurast's nobles fled their homes and took up residence in Caldeum. I have heard all the horrific and unbelievable rumors as to why they fled their great city, but the reasons did not concern us. It was their attitude that held our concern. As relief at being safe from whatever drove them here faded, their mood changed to entitlement and then, ultimately, to arrogance. They had no trouble demanding their "rightful" place on the trade consortium council governing our city, and they were prepared to use their wealth to hire the mercenaries needed to see their ambitions through.
 

    然而我對這個城市所持有的自豪感卻逐漸消失殆盡。現在回首整座城市，我不得不承認它正在逐漸墮落下去；自從庫拉斯特城裡面大量的貴族紛紛逃到卡爾蒂姆並定居之時，就已經開始墮落了。那些使貴族逃離庫拉斯特，令人恐懼且難以置信的謠言我也都有聽過，不過這並不會讓我有所擔憂。但真正引起我們關注的不是他們逃離的原因，而是他們逃亡到卡爾蒂姆之後態度的轉變。他們當初逃到這裡的時候是為了自身的安全，而迫使他們離開庫拉斯特的原因隨著時間慢慢被沖淡，貴族們的醜惡嘴臉漸漸顯現出來，自認為是這裡的主人，既傲慢又自大。他們很輕易的就在管理卡爾蒂姆的貿易公會中取得他們所謂的「正當」地位，而且他們準備運用他們的巨大財力招募傭兵來實行他們的野心。

    I was initially dubious when the emperor of Kehjistan emerged to confront this quickly deteriorating situation. But the charm, leadership, and intelligence that he brought to bear as he quickly resolved the conflict between our council and the Kurast nobles were nothing less than masterful. When the people fully supported him in his role as our emperor, I saw this achievement as nothing short of a miracle. Though we had always been part of the empire of Kehjistan, and therefore under his rule, we had always behaved as if we were a free entity, beholden to no one but ourselves. It truly seemed at the time that catastrophe had been averted, but now it has become all too apparent that it was merely hidden beneath a thin veneer of civility.

    凱基斯坦國王意識到並迅速開始著手處理這種惡化的態勢，我起初對他的能力心存疑慮。但是他快速有效地解決了庫拉斯特貴族與我們法師議會之間的紛爭。他展現出的非凡魅力、領袖群倫的能力以及無窮的智慧，當人們完全支持他擔任我們的帝王時，我認為這個成就簡直可以說是奇蹟。雖然說我們一直都是凱基斯坦帝國的一部分，接受他的統治，但是我們認為在卡爾蒂姆的大家是一個自由的整體，只屬於我們自己。當時人們認為自己已經躲過了這場災難，不過現在大家才發現，那場災難並未遠去，只是被帝國繁華的外表所掩蓋。
 

 

  This veneer began to shred when Emperor Hakan became ill. His influence started to wane, and the mood in Caldeum changed with his health. As he got worse, so did our once fair city.

    在哈肯王（Emperor Hakan）生病之後，這種虛偽的假象逐漸瓦解，他的影響力也開始減弱；而卡爾蒂姆的氣氛也隨著他的健康狀況所改變。一旦他的病情變壞，我們美麗富饒的城市也跟著變得慘不忍睹。

   

 

     When he died and his ineffectual child heir took the throne, Caldeum began to circle the abyss. Our list of ills seems never-ending: the state of our downtrodden and the slums they are forced to live in, our incompetent leadership, the reemergence of the intolerant Zakarum, and their quarrels with our mage class...I could go on for pages.

    當他去世後，他那年幼無能的繼承人接替了王位，而卡爾蒂姆也開始陷入深淵之中。我們的夢魘似乎永無止境；被他統治的人民都成為被壓迫的對象，他們被迫搬入貧民窟、無能的當權者、再次出現的偏執的撒卡蘭姆（Zakarum）以及他們對我們法師階級萬般刁難……這不是幾頁紙就能說清楚的。

     It is all too much for one to bear, really.

    任何一個人都無法負擔這重荷！