【魔兽世界】埃瑟里克斯·纳拉辛的故事，曾经的暴雪是如何 ...

唐伯虎爱挑美眉

在《魔兽争霸Ⅲ冰封王座》的兽族战役最后一章，玩家能从塞拉摩的道具商店购买一些强大魔法道具，其中包括一件名为埃瑟里克斯的力量之戒（Athrikus' Ring of Power）的人造物品。这件装备能增强持有者三点全属性和五点护甲值，而且物品描述很值得关注：

Athrikus Narassin coveted the Well of Eternity and its arcane powers. When it finally exploded, Athrikus' magical items were blasted from his body and scattered across Kalimdor. He survived and found that he had been imbued with demonic powers which he used to chain the souls of lesser highborne to himself, granting immortality.

这枚戒指曾经属于名为埃瑟里克斯·纳拉辛（Athrikus Narassin）的上层精灵，他一直觊觎着永恒之井的力量。当永恒之井最后爆炸时候，虽然埃瑟里克斯拥有的魔法物品因此散落在卡利姆多大陆各地，但是他本人从这场灾难幸存，而且掌握一股神秘恶魔力量。他将那些较为弱小的上层精灵灵魂囚禁起来，获得永生的力量。故事到这里戛然而止，根据物品信息仅能知道上古之战期间，上层精灵法师埃瑟里克斯出现在靠近永恒之井的地方，他还通过囚禁一批上层精灵的灵魂获得永生的力量。但是埃瑟里克斯究竟是谁？他在哪里进行邪恶仪式？现如今又在哪里？
这些问题在《魔兽世界》的香草时代得到回答。根据位于黑海岸亚米萨兰的上古石碑记录，上古暗夜帝国围绕着永恒之井建立一系列城市和居住地，而在这些地区中巴莎兰和亚米萨兰是最重要的，艾萨拉女王宠爱的上层精灵仆从被她带到这两个城市居住，同时任命埃瑟里克斯·纳拉辛负责治理这两座城市。不过埃瑟里克斯居住住在离巴莎兰和亚米萨兰有些距离的私人法师塔，他不经常离开法师塔。

Long had the children of the stars dwelled upon the banks of the shimmering waters of the Eternal Well. To all was known that Elune, light of the eternal twilight, aspect and goddess of the moon, dwelt within its waters at such time that she rested from her works. Upon the shores of the Well did the children of the stars, favoured of Elune, build their homes, even as their gaze was trained ever skyward, into the moonlit night.
Though there were many towns and places of habitation constructed upon the lakeshore, Ameth'Aran and Bashal'Aran were the foremost, having the touch of Azshara, the Kaldorei's beloved queen, in their creation. Her favored servitors, those of the highborne, she brought to the twin towns to reside, and to govern them she placed Athrikus Narassin, though it would be that he would spend most of his days in his Tower of Althalaxx, some ways removed of the towns.
His second, a mage known of his prowess in the arcane arts as much as with his physical abilities, was Asterion, who lived among the people of Bashal'Aran, and went many times to Ameth'Aran, to see to the needs and wants of its people.
And so it was, upon the shores of the Well of Eternity, the twin towns grew and prospered, while the world beneath the stars fell slowly to madness.

而另一块石碑记录下埃瑟里克斯·纳拉辛的背叛过程。在上古之战的最后阶段，卡多雷抵抗军和艾萨拉追随者相互厮杀，大地颤抖，连天空的颜色都因魔法而改变。一些上层精灵居民呆呆只是站在那里，眼前的疯狂的场面已经让他们不知所措，看着城市和森林崩坏。当永恒之井爆炸时，亚米萨兰的人们匍匐在地上，仿佛这样可以使他们免于毁灭的命运。就在此时埃瑟里克斯来到这里告诉幸存者，他的咒语能保护大家的安全。

The Earth trembled as the ancient trees in the enchanted forest were uprooted and toppled. The groves and glades tended by the sons and daughters of Cenarius and the stone towers of the Children of the Stars were brought to the rolling ground. There was our Queen, radiant even in the desperation, in the chaos that was the battles. The enchanted sky changed colors with the discharge of magic, with the explosions that threatened to tear the world asunder.
Brother fought brother, Chosen fought Blessed. It was not all the Highborne that fought. Some stood, transfixed, as the madness took them. Mighty cities and humble towns alike were felled around them.
In Ameth'Aran, all was in ruins, its people clinging to the ground as though that might spare them from the destruction. It was then that Athrikus Narassin, favored of Azshara, appeared to guide them to safety.
With a spell he could protect them, he would say. While around them, brother and sister, father and mother perished, they would have life eternal, and have naught to fear from the sundering to come...

埃瑟里克斯·纳拉辛的故事在香草涉及很漫长的任务链，玩家扮演的冒险者从被囚禁的上层精灵灵魂口中知道埃瑟里克斯在黑海岸创建暗滩教派继续进行邪恶研究，他还招募萨特和兽族术士帮助自己。而在《大灾变》的任务里，暗夜精灵忙于对抗上古之神的爪牙，被遗忘者趁机来到埃瑟里克斯的法师塔废墟搜寻古代遗物，这一次冒险者拿回埃瑟里克斯的魔法书。一件小物品牵扯出的故事居然能横跨半张地图，而且重制地图这段剧情再度更新，这就是暴雪编剧和设计师过去的魄力吧。