本文摘选自《Warhammer Quest - Blackstone Fortress》，该译文作为练习仅为个人与交流使用，不用作商业用途。

在黑石要塞中栖身的实体全都来自于现实空间中最黑暗的角落以及更加遥远的彼方之所，他们种类繁多，而且致命无比。在不断移动的舱室中逡巡徘徊的他们被要塞的邪恶之意撵向了外来者，其与生俱来的残暴本性会在那里一展所长。那些在战斗中倒下的家伙只会令走廊中沿路堆积的残渣徒然增多，不然就是被神秘的科技修缮复原，如此一来，他们便可以继续劫掠了。

Hailing from the darkest corners of realspace and beyond, the entities inhabiting the Blackstone Fortress are as varied as they are deadly. They prowl the shifting chambers, herded by the fortress' malefic will towards those who enter from outside, where their inherent brutality is put to its use. Those that fall in combat simply add to the piled detritus that lines the corridors, or else are restored by arcane technologies so that they may continue to maraud.

深渊之仆·SERVANTS OF THE ABYSS

(相关资料图)

奥西迪斯·马雷克斯 · OBSIDIUS MALLEX

奥西迪斯·马雷克斯为人残暴专横，他是深渊之仆战帮的混沌领主。在第十三次黑色远征期间，他参加了那场爆发于卡迪亚九天之上的激烈海战。在穿刺者，他的冥王级重巡洋舰上，马雷克斯和他的战帮看着永恒意志号砸入了世界的地表，一万年来守卫该星的帝国余部就此灰飞烟灭。在随后的至高天爆裂中，穿刺者被掷进了亚空间，在那里，它受到了牵引，那股潮流既非源自天生，亦非来自恶魔。它在银河西部湾区的黑石要塞里现身了。在现实宙域中，自亚空间涌出的固态物体通常都会导致灾难性的爆炸，所有的交叠之物都会被彻底摧毁，然而通过某种神秘的方式，穿刺者与黑石要塞融为了一体，其扭曲怪异的船身与巨型宿主的内部构造铰成了一团。随着嵌纹舱室的重新排列，穿刺者被撕成了碎片，马雷克斯和他的战帮也被困在了上面。

Obsidius Mallex is the tyrannical Chaos Lord of the warband known as the Servants of the Abyss. He fought in the ferocious naval battles far above the surface of Cadia during the Thirteenth Black Crusade. Aboard his Hades-class heavy cruiser, Impaler, Mallex and his warband watched as the Will of Eternity crashed into the surface of the world, obliterating the last of the Imperial forces that had defended the planet for a hundred centuries. In the ensuing empyric explosion, Impaler was sent hurtling into the warp, where it was pulled along by currents neither natural nor daemonic in origin. It emerged in the Western Reaches of the galaxy, inside the Blackstone Fortress. Warp emergences into solid objects within realspace usually lead to cataclysmic explosions in which all overlapping matter is utterly destroyed, but by some esoteric means, Impaler was melded with the fortress, its grotesquely twisted hulls inter-splicing with the internal structures of the colossal host. As the tessellating chambers rearranged themselves, Impaler was ripped apart, stranding Mallex and his warband.

“我曾经见识过由黑石要塞所造成的破坏。把持这种力量是我的天命所在。很快，这座（囚禁）我们的监狱就会成为我的黑暗之锤，我会用它击碎群星。”

"I have seen the destruction wrought by the Blackstone Fortress. It is my destiny to wield such power.This prison of ours shall soon become my dark hammer, and with it I shall smite the stars."

- 奥西迪斯·马雷克斯，述于穿刺者号的王座之上

- Obsidius Mallex, from the throne of Impaler

如今，在黑暗中暴跳如雷的混沌领主会把自己的被俘之怒宣泄到所有胆敢进入要塞边界者的头上。不过，透过沸腾的怒火，马雷克斯看到了一件巨大宝物，它正待人前去领取。正是因为有其它的黑石要塞，阿巴顿才能在哥特战争中造成如此大范围的破坏，而正是凭借永恒意志号，卡迪亚上的守军才最终得以被歼。如果他能让自己的意志凌驾于黑石要塞那令人惊异的科技之上，那马雷克斯将会成为一股无与伦比的毁灭力量。因此，他在寻找一种能够将自己的监狱变成武器的办法，并争取赶在阿巴顿亲自前来认领这份恐怖的奖赏之前控制住黑石要塞。

Now the Chaos Lord rages in the darkness, taking out his fury at being made a captive upon all those who dare enter the boundaries of the fortress. But through his seething anger Mallex sees that there is a great prize to claimed. It was with the other Blackstone Fortresses that Abaddon wrought such widespread devastation during the Gothic War, and it was with the Will of Eternity that the defences on Cadia were finally obliterated. If he could bend the awesome technologies of the Blackstone Fortress to his will, Mallex would become a force of destruction without compare. So it is that he searches for a way to turn his prison into a weapon, striving to control the Blackstone Fortress before Abaddon himself comes to claim this dreadful bounty.

混沌星际战士 · CHAOS SPACE MARINES

混沌星际战士是深渊之仆最恐怖的存在。就跟他们所有的同类一样，这些已经堕入黑暗诸神腐化影响之中的混沌星际战士是对帝国阿斯塔特修会的可怕嘲讽。在漫长的千年中，他们的武器和铠甲已被扭曲成了噩梦一般的形状，藉由精神强制灌输而成的责任感和荣誉感也被自私的贪婪和无法抑制的仇恨所取代了。

The most terrifying of the Servants of the Abyss are the Chaos Space Marines. Like all of their ilk, they are horrific mockeries of the Adeptus Astartes of the Imperium, having fallen to the corrupting influences of the Dark Gods. Over the long millennia, their weaponry and armour have become twisted into nightmarish shapes, and their psycho-indoctrinated sense of duty and honour has been replaced with selfish avarice and unquenchable hatred.

（那些）在穿刺者号从黑石要塞里的亚空间中再度出现时（依旧）置身其中的混沌星际战士如今（已经）成为了他们领主奥西迪斯·马雷克斯的贴身保镖，马雷克斯想要唤醒这座庞然巨筑，好让要塞的末日之力为己所用，而他们则如影随形， 杖履相从。当遇到登上巨型构造体的外来闯入者时，混沌星际战士一见到对方就会发起无情的攻击，他们会以一种诞自万世长战之中的残忍效率将敌人轰成血淋淋的碎块。就连马雷克斯也不知道究竟有多少自己的混沌星际战士捱过了战舰的逝亡，如今，他们的穿刺者就散落在黑石要塞那不断变化的舱室之中，因为这构造体似乎铁心要把深渊之仆分隔开来。这让混沌领主大为火光，因为这不仅让他无法使出战帮的全部力量，而且还令那些更具野心的混沌星际战士能够在他们的座监狱里自寻其秘。随着对黑石要塞诸多厅室的深入了解，在这些可憎的超人战士中，许多人都希望通过获取足够的力量来杀掉奥西迪斯·马雷克斯领主，从而夺取深渊之仆的领导权。

The Chaos Space Marines that were inside Impaler when it reemerged from the warp within the Blackstone Fortress now serve as bodyguards to their lord, Obsidius Mallex, shadowing him as he searches for a means to awaken the ancient edifice and harness its apocalyptic power for himself. When interlopers aboard the vast structure are encountered, the Chaos Space Marines ruthlessly attack them on sight, blasting their enemies into bloody chunks with a cruel efficiency born of untold centuries of warfare. Even Mallex does not know how many of his Chaos Space Marines survived their battleship's demise and are now scattered throughout the Blackstone Fortress' shifting corridors, for the structure seemingly strives to keep the Servants of the Abyss divided. This irks the Chaos Lord greatly, for not only does it deny him the full strength of his warband, but it allows the more ambitious Chaos Space Marines to seek out for themselves the arcane secrets of their prison. As they delve deeper into the Blackstone Fortress' chambers, many of these abhorrent transhuman warriors hope to acquire power enough to slay Lord Obsidius Mallex and usurp leadership of the Servants of the Abyss.

叛徒卫军 · TRAITOR GUARDSMEN

曾经在星界军兵团服役的士兵充当了深渊之仆的奴隶和崇拜者。在超乎想象的力量承诺的动摇之下，这些叛徒卫军被异端煽动者的连祷扭曲了神智，当混沌诸神发起战争时，他们发出了赞美的咆哮。那些最受毁灭之力庇佑的人会发生血肉变异，他们的牙齿长成了弯曲的毒獠，他们双眼闪烁着邪恶的光芒。在他们眼中，为混沌星际战士效力就是在侍奉诸神——这是获得永生的证明，只要他们能够证明自己的价值即可。虽然有时候整个兵团都会被混沌暗中污染，但深渊之仆的叛徒卫军却是由来自各个战区的排组和逃兵小队构成。他们之所以会团结一致，只是因为他们选择将自己的身心献给了混沌战帮，而非在保卫帝国的过程中惨遭屠戮。在其混沌星际战士领主和要塞本身的双重驱使下，黑石要塞里的叛徒卫军纷纷组成小队投身赴战。然后，他们会通过压倒性的火力将那些违逆其黑暗主人意愿的家伙消灭掉。

Soldiers that once served in the regiments of the Astra Militarum function as slaves and worshippers for the Servants of the Abyss. Swayed by promises of power beyond imagining, and twisted in spirit by the litanies of heretical demagogues, these Traitor Guardsmen scream praises to the Chaos Gods as they wage war. Those most blessed by the Ruinous Powers bear mutations in their flesh, with teeth growing into cruel fangs or eyes glowing with baleful light. They see the Chaos Space Marines under whom they serve as gods - proof of the immortality that could be theirs if they are worthy. Though at times entire regiments fall to the insidious taint of Chaos, those of the Servants of the Abyss comprise multiple platoons and deserter squads from various war zones. They are united only by their choice to pledge themselves body and soul to the Chaos warband, rather than being butchered in defence of the Imperium. Inside the Blackstone Fortress, the Traitor Guardsmen are formed into squads and driven into battle, both by their Chaos Space Marine overlords and by the fortress itself. Then, with overwhelming weight of fire, they obliterate those who defy the will of their dark masters.

混沌野兽人 · CHAOS BEASTMEN

野兽人是变异最为严重的亚人物种之一，他们满腔狂怒，强壮的就像野兽一样，（而且还）长着犄角，蹄子和鬃鬣缠结的皮毛。因此，他们在帝国各地受到了严重的迫害，在许多世界上，他们只会受到猎杀和屠戮。而在那些容忍他们存在的地区，野兽人被灌输了自我厌恶的思想，并被告知作为其拙创错诞的代价，他们必须得无条件地服务人类。他们的待遇并没有比机仆或者劳作用的动物强多少，并且会被安排到最危险的工作环境之中。当受召参战时，他们会装备上简单的武器，然后就被赶到战区充当突击部队或者炮灰去了。尽管外表野蛮，但野兽人的理性和智力与常人无异，并且他们非常了解自己必须忍受的东西有多么的不公。无怪乎许多人会屈服在混沌的诱惑之下，他们欣然接受了自身的变异乃是黑暗诸神的赐福，并将他们的狂行暴迹发泄到了残忍无情的帝国监工身上。混沌的亚空间污染扭曲了这些生物的思想，强化了他们与生俱来的残暴与力量，并引导他们前去寻找可以宣誓效忠的异端新主。和深渊之仆麾下的许多其他战奴不同，黑石要塞里的混沌野兽人对他们的监禁表示欢迎，因为他们在移形换位的舱室中找到了一个甚至比自己还要扭曲的家园，在那里，混沌野兽人的凶残本性会让他们繁荣兴盛。

Brutishly strong and filled with savage fury, beastmen are among the most deformed species of abhumans, bearing horns, hooves and matted manes of fur. As such,they are severely persecuted throughout the Imperium, and on many worlds they are simply hunted down and slaughtered. In those regions where their existence is tolerated, they are indoctrinated into self-loathing, being told that they must at one for their miscreation through unquestioning service to Humanity. They are treated little better than servitors or beasts of labour, and are put to work in the most dangerous environs. When called to battle, they are armed with simple weapons and herded into war zones as shock troops or cannon fodder. But despite their feral appearance, beastmen are quite human in their reasoning and intelligence, and understand all too well the injustices that they must endure. It is little wonder that many succumb to the lure of Chaos, embracing their mutations as gifts from the Dark Gods and turning their savagery upon their pitiless Imperial taskmasters. The taint of Chaos warps these creatures' minds, augmenting their inherent ferocity and strength, and leading them to seek out new heretical masters to whom they can swear allegiance. Unlike many other battle-thralls of the Servants of the Abyss, the Chaos Beastmen in the Blackstone Fortress welcome their imprisonment, for within the rearranging chambers they have found a home that is even more twisted than they are, and where their murderous instincts have allowed them to thrive.

非法灵能者 · ROGUE PSYKERS

灵能变异也许是人类最危险的遗传分化，但对于帝国来说，（这种变异）也是最有价值的。通过操纵自亚空间散发而出的能量流，一位灵能者可以通过他们的武器引导奥能闪电，创造抵御来袭弹矢的屏障，或是产生其它任意数量的令现实为之扭曲的表现形式。然而，每当他们利用这种力量的时候，都会将自己以及周边的人等置于难以想象的危险之中，因为他们正在刺穿隔在现实空间和恐怖的非物质位面之间的那道薄纱。具有灵能变异的帝国公民会受到审判庭的裁断，要是没有钢铁祝福一般的意志，他们立刻就会被无情的处决掉。就连那些被判定为意志坚强到足以荣膺获准的人也依然可能会死于非命。哪怕是片刻的分心都会让一名获准灵能者作法自噬，他们会向内坍缩成一团扭动的血肉，或者被脑海中涌出的饿鬼吃掉。然而，某些人会因时间的推移而逐渐扭曲，随着渗入灵魂中的混沌腐化的进一步加深，他们的能力在不断地变强，直到最后将自己完全献给在亚空间中低语不休的赞助者为止。这些非法灵能者会去寻找支持自己的战帮，而那些与深渊之仆结盟的人如今正在黑石要塞的大厅里施展他们的巫术。

The psyker mutation is perhaps the most dangerous genetic divergence of Humanity, but also the most valuable to the Imperium. By manipulating the flows of energy that emanate from the warp, a psyker can channel bolts of arcane power through their weapon, create wards against incoming projectiles, or will into being any number of other reality-bending manifestations. Yet each time they draw upon this power they place themselves and all those around them in unimaginable peril, for they are piercing the veil that exists between realspace and the horrors of the immaterium. Citizens of the Imperium with the psyker mutation are judged by the Inquisition, and should they show anything less than a will blessed of iron they are executed without mercy or hesitation. Even those who are judged strong-willed enough to be sanctioned may still succumb to a horrendous fate. A momentary lapse in concentration can see a sanctioned psyker wracked by their own manifestations, imploding into a ball of writhing flesh or devoured by ravenous Daemons that spill forth from within their mind. But some are warped slowly over time, their abilities becoming enhanced as the taint of Chaos seeps further into their souls, until eventually they give themselves fully to their whispering patrons in the warp. These Rogue Psykers will seek out warbands with which to align themselves, and those in league with the Servants of the Abyss now ply their witch-craft in the halls of the Blackstone Fortress.

负伏教徒 · NEGAVOLT CULTISTS

尽管人类帝国（时刻）警惕，但在许多世界上依然出现了崇拜混沌的邪教。这些教派的种类不尽相同——有些会通过食人献祭来敬奉毁灭大能，另一些则是靠传播致命的疾病，还有一些仍在向那些面临楚越之急的防御者散播混乱和恐惧。负伏教徒会掠夺机器，然后用魔化祈祷和深奥的仪式腐化圣神之机的功能，以此来表达自己的异端之诚。这种邪教往往出现在机械神教控制的星球上。揭竿而起的混沌的崇拜者会将自己的机械神甫领主屠杀殆尽，然后再把他们最为神圣的战争机器转化成咆哮的恶魔引擎。负伏教徒的身上缠有情感共振线圈——这是一种有悖常理的电池，由教徒自身的痛苦和憎恨予以充能。当满负荷运作时，这些螺旋状的熔接能量电池会在尖声嘶鸣的同时喷出一道道的火花，其色彩斑斓，闪耀无比。注有亚空间能量的电弧会从线圈中释放而出，然后再经由枝桠状的附着物传送至邪教徒的导能电杖里，当目标被打中时，它们会在那里放出一连串噼啪作响的能量。在那些植入邪教徒颅骨的枝晶周围还筑有一层无序的电能力场，它会形成一道照射性的闪电光环。被深渊之仆奴役的负伏教徒以尝试拆开黑石要塞里的机器以及撕碎任何被他们偶然撞上的毫无戒心的冒险者为乐。

Despite the vigilance of the Imperium, cults of Chaos-worshipping humans arise on many worlds. These cults take different shapes - some venerate the Ruinous Powers through cannibalistic sacrifices, others by the spreading of virulent diseases, and others still by sowing confusion and fear amongst those who would defend against an imminent invasion. Negavolt Cultists express their heretical devotion by despoiling machinery, corrupting the function of sacred technologies through daemonic invocations and abstruse rituals. Such cults are often found on planets controlled by the Adeptus Mechanicus. The Chaos worshippers rise up to slaughter their Tech-Priests overlords, taking their most holy war machines so that they may be transformed into roaring Daemon Engines. Negavolt Cultists wire themselves with empathic-resonance coils - perverse batteries that are charged by the cultist's own pain and hatred. At full capacity, these spinally fused energy cells scream and thrum as they cast off showers of iridescent sparks. From the coils, arcs of warp-infused energy aresent coursing through dendritic appendages into the cultist's electro goad, where they release bursts of crackling power when a target is struck. An anarchic electric field also builds around those dendrites that the cultists implant in their skulls, creating an illuminating halo of lightning. The Negavolt Cultists in thrall to the Servants of the Abyss delight in trying to rip apart the machinery of the Blackstone Fortress, as well as any unsuspecting adventurers they come across.

据点 · STRONGHOLDS

深渊之仆已经设法在黑石要塞扭曲变形的壁龛中找到了几处据点——即稳固的舱室群，他们可以在那里集结兵力。和一直被组配成各种形状的小型舱室不同，每个据点都保持着裂缝状的结构，并且会作为一个不可变的整体于要塞内部移动。这些固定建筑群的存在原因尚不为人所知，但奥西迪斯·马雷克斯在要塞里走得越深，他就越发了解它们的真正用途。他在据点里发现了超维度物质的碎片，混沌领主认为这是解锁其它未知舱室的钥匙。马雷克斯将其中的一把钥匙装在了自己的雷霆锤柄上，然后前去查找钥匙给出的线索，在此期间，他在其它（钥匙）的周围驻派了异端战士充当守卫。因此，据点里埋伏着许多深渊之仆，他们一边对身陷囹圄的自己感到闷闷不乐，一边想象着在逃走时会犯下的暴行，同时还聆听着磁悬浮运输器所发出的回响，以提醒自己已经有新猎物上门了。

Amongst the twisting recesses of the Blackstone Fortress, the Servants of the Abyss have managed to find several strongholds - stable conglomerations of chambers in which they can muster. Unlike the smaller rooms that are constantly reconfigured intodifferent shapes, each stronghold retains its chasm-like structure, and is shifted through the fortress' interior as an immutable whole. The reason for which these fixed complexes exist is unknown, but the further Obsidius Mallex roams inside the fortress, the more he learns of their true purpose. Within the strongholds he found shards of hyper-dimensional material, which the Chaos Lord believes to be keys capable of unlocking some other, undiscovered chamber. One of these keys Mallex has mounted in the hilt of his thunder hammer, and around the others he has stationed heretical warriors to serve as guards while he searches for clues as to what the keys will unleash. So it is that many of the Servants of the Abysslie in wait within the strongholds, brooding over their imprisonment, dreaming of the atrocities they will commit when they escape, and listening to the telltale echoes of maglev transports that alert them to new prey that has entered their domain.

迷宫里的栖居者 · DWELLERS IN THE LABYRINTH

在黑石要塞中，深渊之仆是一种可怕的存在，然而他们绝不是唯一在阴影里逡巡潜近的实体。随着绝壁星的先驱者们对要塞的厅室展开了进一步的探索，其所遇到的奇异生物变得越来越多，它们来自银河各地。（其中）有一些以可怕的残忍而闻名于世，而其他的就只有那些最古老的存在才知道是什么了。

The Servants of the Abyss are a terrifying presence within the Blackstone Fortress, but they are far from the only entities that stalk the shadows. As pioneers from Precipice explore further into the fortress' chambers, more and more strange creatures from across the galaxy are encountered. Some are well known for their horrifying cruelty, and others are unknown to all but the most ancient beings.

乌尔-古尔斯 · UR-GHULS

乌尔-古尔斯（1）是穴居型掠食者，它们的速度和凶残程度可以说是难分轩轾。这些网道——即位于实体空间和亚空间之间的次位面点阵——的原住民被残忍的艾达灵族分支精英，亦被称作德鲁卡伊（2），当成了宠物和战兽，而且经常会被带到上流社会的社交聚会之中，如此一来，它们就可以将无助的俘虏剖腹挖心，以此礼飨宾朋。乌尔-古尔斯完全没有视力，不过它们会用成排的嗅孔去锁定猎物，在绝对的黑暗中，那些不幸的家伙会束手就擒，然后就会被强壮的利爪撕成碎肉。关于乌尔-古尔斯是如何进入黑石要塞的，绝壁星的居民们观点各异，但对于它们所构成的威胁却有着绝对的共识。

Ur-Ghuls are troglodytic predators whose speed is matched only by their savagery. Native inhabitants of the webway - the sub-dimensional lattice that exists between realspace and the warp - they are kept as pets and guard-beasts by the elite of the cruel Aeldari faction known as the Drukhari, and are often brought out during high-society functions so that they may eviscerate helpless captives for the entertainment of guests. Ur-Ghuls are completely sightless, but with quivering rows of scent-pits they lock onto their prey, hunting unfortunates down in absolute darkness and shredding their flesh with powerful claws. There are conflicting theories amongst the inhabitants of Precipice as to how the Ur-Ghuls made their way into the Blackstone Fortress, but there is absolute consensus regarding the threat they pose.

（1）Ur-Ghuls，又译乌尔食尸鬼。

（2）Drukhari，即暗都灵族。

纺锤机蜂 · SPINDLE DRONES

在黑石要塞里所遇到的各种实体中，没有哪一个能像纺锤机蜂这种形如昆虫的哨兵那样无处不在。 它们成群结队地从行廊中疾穿而过，不知疲倦地翻找着新近堆积的残屑，而且还会用能量脉冲将任何发现的异物切成越来越小的碎片。如果遇到了入侵者，那么纺锤机蜂会遵循相同的协议规程，在为自保而战的敌人面前，它们会变得越来越凶。根据各方面的说法来看，纺锤机蜂是由与黑石要塞相同的物质构成的，而它们的三角外形也是仿自其所居住的变形舱室。想要对这些金属生物进行深度分析已被证明是有难度的。当遭到摧毁时，它们的尸体很快就会被要塞的内部重新吸收，而获取被消灭的纺锤机蜂的努力也被证明是完全徒劳的，每当机蜂的尸体被带上磁悬浮舱室时，它们都会一动不动地停在那里。

Of all the entities encountered within the Blackstone Fortress, none are as ubiquitous as the insectile sentinels known as Spindle Drones. They skitter through the corridors in tightly packed groups, tirelessly searching for newly accumulated detritus and cutting any foreign materials they find into smaller and smaller pieces using pulses of energy. If Spindle Drones encounter intruders they follow the same protocols, becoming steadily more aggressive as their enemies fight to defend themselves. By all accounts, Spindle Drones appear to be formed of the same substance as the Blackstone Fortress, and their trianguloid forms mimic the shifting shapes of the chambers they inhabit. In-depth analysis of these metallic creatures has proven difficult. When destroyed, their bodies are quickly reabsorbed by the interior facets of the fortress, and efforts to extract neutralised Spindle Drones have proven completely fruitless, with maglev chambers remaining inert whenever a drone corpse is brought on board.

Fin

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