オーバーフロー対策済み
tagJadePalace_Villager1_A2=A Taoist mage of great power lived by himself in
the Jinghe Valley, not far from Qiyun. He used to visit us for news and rice on
every new moon. But the moon has come and gone, and we haven't seen him.
tagJadePalace_Villager1_A7=The mage was peaceful. He disliked violence and
discord. Though he lived simply, he was rumored to possess many treasures.
tagJadePalace_Sister1_A1=Why yes, stranger, you are now on Qiyun Mountain. But
how did you come here? It is not safe; strange beasts are all around.
tagJadePalace_Sister1_A2=This path does lead to the mountain top.
tagJadePalace_Sister1_A3=My sisters and I live in the Jinghe Wetlands by
ourselves.
tagJadePalace_Sister1_A4=No! The monsters are no worry to me. They would not
touch me. But you must be careful.
tagJadePalace_Sister1_A5=Qiyun is named for the white clouds that cover its
peak. There are many legends regarding that mysterious height.
tagJadePalace_Sister1_A7=The mountain top is not far. Be careful.
tagJadePalace_Sister1_B7=You reached the top of Qiyun Mountain safely? I hope
you found what you were looking for.
tagJadePalace_Sister2_A2=Please! Warrior! You must help. Something terrible has
happened – my sister is in trouble.
tagJadePalace_Sister2_A7=Lao-Jun's charm has broken, the monsters are all
around her. Please help!
tagJadePalace_Sister2_B1=Oh, stranger! You saved her! Thank you. Please, have
this.
tagJadePalace_Sister2_B2=We are so grateful, stranger, that you saved our
sister Ru Zhao. She stumbled from the Way... she is subject now to the laws of
life and death. But now, perhaps, she has time to re-learn the secrets of
immortality.
tagJadePalace_Sister2_B3=When the spring rains come, when the cherry blossoms
fall – we will remember your kindness.
tagJadePalace_Sister2_B7=Remember – the true way is like water. It benefits
all and asks no reward.
tagJadePalace_Sister3_A1=Oh! I have never been so terrified. I broke the
enchantment. I didn't mean to. Suddenly I was surrounded by monsters. Thank
goodness you arrived!
tagJadePalace_Sister3_B1=I will explain, good warrior. Long, long ago the great
sage Lao-Jun concealed himself as a beggar and wandered through our land. No
one would spare him rice, none took him in – none except me and my sisters.
The great sage revealed his true self to us and gave us each a magic seed. If
you eat this, he said, no harm shall come to you, so long as you do no
harm.
tagJadePalace_Sister3_C1=For hundreds of years we have lived peacefully alone,
far from folly and wickedness. But today by a stream, I saw a tiger man about
to strike a harmless deer. Before I could think I struck the monster with my
staff… I killed it. I knew at that very moment that the enchantment had
lifted – that I was protected no longer. I dropped my staff and ran.
tagJadePalace_Sister3_C2=I was terrified! For so long I had known peace and
safety. Suddenly every shadow was filled with danger. Oh! How can I live here
with my sisters? What have I done!
tagJadePalace_Sister3_C3=What will I do now? I must go to the city… or learn
the way of the warrior.
tagJadePalace_Sister3_C7=You saved me. Thank you.
tagTomb_General_A1=Wusao Mountain is not far. Cross this bridge. Now leave me
be.
tagTomb_General_B1=Once I was a powerful general, caught up in the illusion of
life. Then I was disgraced by my failure to stop the monsters; I resolved to
come here to reflect upon my own nature… so I could truly learn theirs.
tagTomb_General_C1=Having no need for weapons or armor, I threw all I had deep
into a cave near here.
tagTomb_General_C2=Mystery and knowledge are born of the same source: darkness.
Darkness is born of darkness, the mother of all things.
tagTomb_General_C3=Freed from desire, one can learn the hidden mystery.
tagTomb_General_C4=Wusao lies beyond this river. Cross it and walk until you
come to the barrens.
tagTomb_General_C5=Disgraced by my failure to defeat the monsters, I resolved
to come here and reflect upon my own nature… so I could truly learn
theirs.
tagTomb_General_C7=That which you seek lies across this bridge, as I told you.
A mountain cannot be hidden! Now leave me to my meditation.
tagStarting_Peasant_A2=At harvest time the whole village sets to work in the
fields. The crops must be gathered and properly stored. We make an offering to
Demeter, goddess of bounty.
tagStarting_Peasant_A3=Here in Helos we live quietly. We have avoided most of
the wars. We are farmers, unlike our Spartan brothers.
tagStarting_Peasant_A4= What drives these creatures to burn our fields and slay
our cattle. How do we stop them?
tagStarting_Peasant_A5=All the nights Timanthes played harp on the moonlit
hill, we would dance and drink! Now we hide in our homes and pray that we see
another sunrise.
tagStarting_Peasant_A6=It was three nights ago, traveler, that the shepherd boy
ran up crying about a satyr. We didn't believe him, but he was right and now I
never wish to see a satyr again.
tagStarting_Peasant_A7=Even the animals of the wild have turned against us;
carrion birds and savage boars now hunt those who used to hunt them.
tagStarting_Storyteller_A2=O Muse, inspire me to speak of the mightiest hero
ever known, son of Zeus, a god, and of a mortal woman – the man named
Herakles. Hated by the goddess Hera and beloved of Zeus, mighty-handed Herakles
battled monsters great and fearsome. The Nemean Lion he slew, and the Hydra,
many-headed; the Erymanthian Boar and thunderous giants. Twelve tasks of legend
did he perform. Herakles rose above the realm of mortals. Once, it is told, he
took the place of Atlas, who holds the world aloft. Herakles, yes, Herakles
bore the world itself upon his shoulders! And now – now, where is a hero half
as great as he?
tagStarting_Storyteller_A7=What became of Herakles, you ask? The gods gave him
immortality, and gathered him up to Olympus.
tagSparta_Soldier2_A2=I’ll tell you the truth – I just joined Leonidas’
men today. My father gave me permission – and his old spear and shield –
and I took off like Hermes himself.
tagSparta_Soldier2_A3=I’ll tell you, this is the time for heroes!
tagSparta_Soldier2_A4=I can’t wait to start the fighting. Just let me get my
spear-tip near one of those cursed satyrs…
tagSparta_Soldier2_A5=The old soldiers, they scoff. They say you prove yourself
fighting men. But didn’t Herakles fight fabulous beasts? And Theseus,
too.
tagSparta_Soldier2_A6=I know it’s awful, those beasts should not attack old
men and children. They’re cowards. They should attack us. We Spartans could
take on a sea of those dull-eyed harpies and centaurs!
tagSparta_Soldier2_A7=I can’t wait!
tagSparta_Soldier3_A2=I'll tell you, stranger, we've seen invasions.
Macedonians, the Persians – a human enemy may lower his weapons and yield.
But these monsters only yield to death.
tagSparta_Soldier3_A3=It's true they may be coming from some foreign land. But
I say they were here all along -- unseen.
tagSparta_Soldier3_A4=We know not where they are from, or what fuels their
wrath. In places where the corrupt beasts don’t hunt us, the dead crawl from
the cold ground and take arms against us.
tagSparta_Soldier3_A5=I've been in wars. There you can look your enemy full in
the eye – he looks back. The eyes of the beast, they are cold, black
beads.
tagSparta_Soldier3_A6=I woke with dawn. I'll see satyrs fall at my spear's tip
before I sleep.
tagSparta_Soldier3_A7=If this plague of beasts persists, soon the only Greeks
will be warriors.
tagSparta_Soldier4_A2=First we thought our enemy stemmed from Corinth. We
marched to meet them, but everywhere they attacked; from our flanks, from
behind, at night, even in broad day!
tagSparta_Soldier4_A3=Now we're trying to push the beasts beyond our borders.
We patrol the roads and clear out farmers' fields - they just keep coming.
tagSparta_Soldier4_A4=General Leonidas is as great a man as I've ever followed.
I would place my life in his hands. Still… I don't see how to fight these
beasts.
tagSparta_Soldier4_A5=The monsters show no fear and attack on sight. We are
better warriors, but many of us are unnerved by it. They are truly beasts.
tagSparta_Soldier4_A6=I do not know what General Leonidas has planned. But I
will follow and I will fight.
tagSparta_Soldier4_A7=Be wary, traveler, these beasts do not fight like
men.
tagSparta_PineVillager2_A2=News from all over Greece brings the same tale of
destruction. The creatures roam everywhere. What are the small villages to do?
Spartans cannot protect us all!
tagSparta_PineVillager2_A3=You know, it was not far from here that Herakles
fought the Nemean Boar. If Herakles were here now, he would have his hands
full!
tagSparta_PineVillager2_A4=I have lived here all my life as my father did
before me. I know where my grandmother's bones lie buried, and soon I fear mine
will rest near hers.
tagSparta_PineVillager2_A5=We made offerings to Zeus for protection, and to
Ares fearing we had offended the hateful god of war. But still, the satyrs,
centaurs and harpies beset us night and day.
tagSparta_PineVillager2_A7=May safety and fortune follow you.
tagSparta_Storyteller_A2=I sing now, Muse, of the goddess huntress we call
Artemis; and I sing of a mortal man named Actaeon. The goddess Artemis, sister
to Apollo, and mistress of the moon: there is no greater hunter than she, none
more fleet, or sure of her mark with bow or spear. Actaeon, too, was a master
hunter, and many a deer fell to his bow, and many offered up to Artemis in
thanks. But Actaeon was given an ill fate. One night, chasing a boar, he burst
into a clearing by a stream. And there – that very stream had keen-eyed
Artemis selected for her moon-lit bath. Naiads, dryads, all her nymphs around
her, she had just disrobed and stepped into the stream when Actaeon appeared,
wild from the chase. She grew angry that a mortal man had seen her unclothed,
and with one cold look, she turned him to a stag! A stag he then became, and
Actaeon's own dogs chased after him, snarling at their master, now their
prey.
tagSparta_Storyteller_A7=So are we, stranger, the hounds snapping at our heels.
So are we.
tagCoastal_Fisherman_A2=By the looks of you, traveler, your feet are sure and
firm on land. Well mine are just as sure aboard a sea bound vessel.
tagCoastal_Fisherman_A3=Fisherman: that is my trade, that is my life. It's
dangerous these days. Sirens stupefying sailors – and now, according to that
fellow, kraken beasts big enough to eat a ship. Think of it!
tagCoastal_Fisherman_A4=We are out on the water long before rosy-fingered dawn.
A good day, we're back in time to sell our catch.
tagCoastal_Fisherman_A5=Oh, there's bigger boats that come here – soldiers
and traders from the corners of the earth. But before them, my grandfather's
father sailed fishing boats in Megara.
tagCoastal_Fisherman_A6=At first, when the monsters showed up I didn't worry.
Take to the sea, I thought. But there are strange beasts in the water, too.
Nowhere is safe.
tagCoastal_Fisherman_A7=Well, safe travels a-land.
tagCoastal_Citizen4_A2=Why these monsters came, or what they want – nobody
knows.
tagCoastal_Citizen4_A3=I have heard news from almost every city-state in
Greece. Beasts everywhere. Houses burning. Is there any hope left?
tagCoastal_Citizen4_A4=Megara will hold out. We have warriors. We can fish if
we can't farm. Beyond the walls I've heard rumors of bigger beasts – Cyclops.
Would the walls of Megara hold out against one of those?
tagCoastal_Citizen4_A5=What am I really afraid of? I'll tell you. I'm afraid
I'll survive when these monsters have had their way with Greece... and raise my
family hiding in caves, or cowering deep in the woods.
tagCoastal_Citizen4_A7=Megara has always been my home. I will stay here come
what may.
tagCoastal_Storyteller_A2=Muse, grant me voice, voice and memory to tell about
the first of wars, the oldest battle, in the times before the gods had come to
rule, when they were bowed beneath the heavy Titan hand. The ill-formed Titans,
great in strength and cruelty, oppressed the gods, their offspring – until at
last behind the leadership of lightning-wielding Zeus, the gods took arms
against the Titan kings. It was the first war, and the greatest. Oceans were
moved and mountains overturned. Gods and Titans struggled for dominion, might
and cunning making victors first of one and then another, until at last,
wearied in their age, the Titans lost the war. The gods threw down their foes
beneath the earth, into the pit of Tartarus – except for one, the strongest
and cruelest of the Titans, and he they chained beneath a mountain for revenge.
Then Zeus was king of gods, and ruler over all the world.
tagCoastal_Storyteller_A7=The first gods, daughters and sons of the Titan
Kronos, are Zeus, Hera, Demeter, Poseidon, and Hades. They rule the sky, the
earth, the sea, and the underworld where the dead come to dwell.
tagDelphi_GuardCaptain_A1=You're not the first to come here, thinking that the
god Apollo would protect his own temple from the monsters. Oh, *we* protect it.
Good warriors have fallen, and no meteor, no arrow has come down from the
heavens to strike our enemies.
tagDelphi_GuardCaptain_A2=Last night was the worst. So many of them came. We
sent the refugees up to the Temple courtyard and prayed to Athena we would not
fall back that far. But we held out...
tagDelphi_GuardCaptain_A3=The temple still stands unmolested, and I will see to
it that it stays that way.
tagDelphi_GuardCaptain_A7=We are besieged by this monster plague. But still, we
stand firm.
tagDelphi_Villager3_A2=Everywhere across Greece harvests go untended. Country
villages are burned and abandoned. Peasants gather in cities for safety. I say
the arrow is already in Greece's breast.
tagDelphi_Villager3_A3=If the monsters were gone tomorrow, how many would still
die from starvation… homeless... families torn apart?
tagDelphi_Villager3_A4=Thinking they had offended the gods, they gathered a
great offering to Zeus: sixty sheep and goats and other livestock. The fires
were lit. They were ready to begin, and a pack of maenads descended on them
leaving none alive.
tagDelphi_Villager3_A5=Do these monsters fear no gods? It's as if they fear
nothing.
tagDelphi_Villager3_A7=Yes, I think the arrow has already pierced Greece
through the heart.
tagDelphi_Delphian2_A2=The tents you see on our roads, the travelers standing
around, they are all refugees. They are all people who came here, and could not
leave because of the monster scourge.
tagDelphi_Delphian2_A3=Do you know about the Oracle? It is said that when she
delivers a prophecy she speaks not with her own voice, but with the voice of
the god Apollo himself.
tagDelphi_Delphian2_A4=The Oracle belongs to the Temple of Apollo here in
Delphi. Apollo – god of the arts and prophecy, meteors, and medicine. God of
harmony and reason, brother of the archer-goddess Artemis.
tagDelphi_Delphian2_A5=It is safe here, for now. But every day that passes is a
darker day for Greece.
tagDelphi_Delphian2_A6=The Delphic Oracle is the most famous. Philosophers and
generals seek council here, and the Oracle never errs.
tagDelphi_Delphian2_A7=If you are going to the Oracle, you will find her inside
the great temple along this road. Good luck.
tagDelphi_Storyteller_A2=Speak through me, O Muse, and tell of the war with
Troy. The war began with gods, but ended among mortal men. When the goddess
Eris threw a golden apple to the gods, "to the fairest" written on its side,
Athena, Hera, Aphrodite, the three great goddesses, could not agree to whom the
thing belonged. Athena wise and warlike, Hera regal queen, and Aphrodite whose
domain is love. They sought a mortal man, a royal prince of Troy, named Paris,
to resolve their fight. Hera offered kingdoms, Athena offered skill in war and
bravery, but Aphrodite offered Paris the most beautiful woman in the world, and
he chose her. Alas! This woman was the wife of great king Agamemnon, and when
Paris claimed fair Helen, the house of Troy brought on the wrath of all the
Greeks. They sailed in war to claim the stolen bride, and many men fell in that
bitter feud, fought for the folly of the vain, proud gods.
tagDelphi_Storyteller_A7=The greatest mortal warrior ever to live, was born and
died to fight that war. For he was named Achilles, Thetis' son, whose wedding
Eris was not invited to. He led the Greeks to victory, but died himself in
glorious battle.
tagAthens_Bodyguard_A1=Well! How much has happened since I saw you last? I'm
sure the tales you could spin are at least as long as mine.
tagAthens_Bodyguard_A2=If you had asked me when we were in Sparta if I would
ever stand guard before the walls of our old enemy – I would've laughed at
you. But here we are!
tagAthens_Bodyguard_A3=General Leonidas does not deserve the blame he puts on
himself.
tagAthens_Bodyguard_A4=There are times I am filled with the deepest doubt.
These are dark times. I was raised from boyhood to fight, but I was never
prepared for the chaos and hopelessness we now face, all of us.
tagAthens_Bodyguard_A5=When news of the monster army came, we marched at dawn
the next day. We were joined by the Tegeans and Corinthians, and word came that
the Thebans were already there. We arrived in time to stand and gaze out from
these walls here, when the first wave of beasts came into view…
tagAthens_Bodyguard_A6=What a battle! The enemy host crossed these fields at
dusk. The Greeks, united, formed a lethal wall of spear and shield. From
behind, our archers rained death upon the enemy. But there were so many
monsters, so many. We barely won, and some say this was only because their
mysterious general disappeared as the sun set.
tagAthens_Bodyguard_A7=Most of our enemy have fallen, and while small groups of
these creatures still charge our lines, towns and villages elsewhere are
burning.
tagAthens_Citizen2_A2=What I'd like to know is, why did they come here, to
Athens? Was it our wealth?
tagAthens_Citizen2_A3=I'll tell you what worries me. We drove them back from
Athens – but what about our farms? All of Athens must be fed!
tagAthens_Citizen2_A4=Not everything is bad. Goods are selling well, only what
do I do when my stocks run low? By boat, you say. Fine, but they're in short
supply. They cost a fortune!
tagAthens_Citizen2_A5=Tell me this. What will the monsters do if they take
Greece. It will become a wilderness! No philosophy, no poetry, no vineyards or
olive orchards. Utter tyranny!
tagAthens_Citizen2_A7=Well, I can thank Athena that I'm inside these walls, and
not out there.
tagAthens_Philosopher_A2=The best of human nature shows when united by a common
threat. Have you noticed this? With the monster scourge upon us, old rivals
help protect each other. Without it, we'd return to petty differences.
tagAthens_Philosopher_A3=What is it in fear that disarms a man? They say that
these monsters do not flinch or flee as humans do. Do they know the taste of
fear? Are they braver than we are, or are they mere beasts beneath cowardice
and bravery both?
tagAthens_Philosopher_A4=Yes, I am a philosopher. My greatest love is to ponder
the nature of humanity and of this mortal world.
tagAthens_Philosopher_A5=You are a warrior, seasoned in battle. Tell me, do you
think bravery is what chases out fear, or can fear and bravery share equal
portions of a man's heart?
tagAthens_Philosopher_A7=I know much, but the cause of the monster scourge is
beyond my understanding.
tagAthens_Storyteller_A2=O Muse, I sing now of a mountain nymph named Maia, and
how with Zeus, she bore a son named Hermes. Thus was born the swiftest god,
fleet of foot with sandals winged, patron god of travelers and boundaries, of
shepherds, and of thieves. Hermes – who leads the dead to Hades, and who has
often aided heroes in their tasks. When Maia gave birth, lying in a cave in
Mount Cyllene, she took the infant in her arms and quickly fell asleep. The
bright-eyed infant Hermes, seeing that she slept, crawled from her arms then
ran to Thessaly. He found the pasture where Apollo's sacred cattle grazed,
forbidden to any but their owner. The infant Hermes stole some cows and hid
them well away. He slaughtered one and took its gut and with an empty tortoise
shell, constructed the first lyre. The fleet-foot god then ran back home and
wrapped himself back in his mother's arms, but Apollo appeared, angrily
claiming Hermes had stolen his cattle. It was then the infant took the lyre and
began to play, and the lyre's sweet sound directly charmed Apollo, god of
music, and he relented in his anger. He saw the lyre, and his desire for it was
so great he offered to let young Hermes tend his cattle - in exchange for the
instrument. And so the first, but not the last, of Hermes' mischief came to no
ill end.
tagAthens_Storyteller_A7=They say that Hermes invented the pan-pipes next, and
traded them for the travelers' staff he always carries.
tagKnossos_Citizen3_A2=People are saying that some… thing of great power and
evil came into Knossos last night.
tagKnossos_Citizen3_A3=I was sleeping, I don't know what happened. When I
awoke, it was to the rumbling of the earth. A foul fog had rolled in… and
with it a horde of beasts. Great, horrible monsters!
tagKnossos_Citizen3_A4=I do not know what has happened to us… surely we have
offended the gods!
tagKnossos_Citizen3_A7=I wouldn't stay here, traveler. I'm afraid we are
cursed!
tagKnossos_Storyteller_A2=Truly, the greatest builder ever to live was the man
named Daedalus. Inspiring Muse, grant to me the words to tell his tale. For
Minos, King of Crete, did Daedalus make the Labyrinth. It was built to house
the terrible minotaur. When Minos imprisoned him high in a tower, Daedalus
built wings of wax, two sets of wings, one for himself, another for his son.
Then he gave careful warning to his son. Fly not too high, he told him, for the
sun will melt the wax. Fly not too low, for if the wings get wet they will not
fly. Then son and father put on the wings and with the dawn took flight, away
from Crete and cruel King Minos. But as the day got on young Icarus took joy in
flight, and, forgetting his father's words, soared up into the sky. He neared
the sun, the waxen feathers softened – melted – and foolish Icarus fell
from the sky. Daedalus flew on to Sicily and there he grieved. He named the
place Icaria, where Icarus fell, and then in Sicily he built a temple to
Apollo, and left his wings as an offering in the temple there.
tagKnossos_Storyteller_A7=There is a lesson to all in this story. The master
knows balance, he neither flies too low nor too high, and reaches the far
shore. The novice in his inexperience flies high, then falls, a short and
beautiful life.
tagRhakotis_Citizen3_A2=Monsters in Greece, too... So they are everywhere! Ah,
but things can’t be as bad as they are here. It’s not possible.
tagRhakotis_Citizen3_A3=First the monsters were in the desert, then in the
roads and villages. ‘It’s terrible,’ we said. But now, look! They run
through our cities. They defile our temples.
tagRhakotis_Citizen3_A4=I left my home, a fine home with servants and
livestock, for safety in Rhakotis. Now Rhakotis is overtaken, what will I
do?
tagRhakotis_Citizen3_A5=Where is the Pharaoh’s army I ask you? Scattered!
They are useless.
tagRhakotis_Citizen3_A6=Some say the monsters are the children of Set, enemy of
the gods.
tagRhakotis_Citizen3_A7=Ah, stranger, whatever you came here for, all you’ll
find are troubles.
tagRhakotis_Storyteller_A2=In the realm of the gods, things are as they are for
all of time. When each day is done, Atum-Ra, beneficent god of the sun,
descends from the sky. There it is that he must set off in the boat of Ma’at,
to travel the murky waters of night – for without the boat, in those dark
waters he would be extinguished. And there, too, lurks Apep, the giant serpent
formed at the start of time, coiled just before dawn, in the tenth region of
night. As Ra passes by, Apep leaps out and, enormous jaws gaping wide, tries to
devour the sun god. But fortunately, Ra is strong, and on his boat rides a host
of gods who struggle with the monster serpent, and fight it back, and ensure
that when the new day comes, the sun will rise again.
tagRhakotis_Storyteller_A7=It is true, some say that Apep was thrown beneath
the world and half his length is trapped beneath a mountain. They say if ever
he should be freed, all chaos will reign.
tagAbedju_Camper3_A2=You do not want to travel these ways unarmed. From what I
hear, monsters are getting into the cities now, too. Soon, nowhere will be
safe.
tagAbedju_Camper3_A3=Some of us here were soldiers in the Pharaoh’s army. I
was one. But then things turned bad – now it’s everyone for himself.
tagAbedju_Camper3_A4=If you got this far, I’m guessing you’re pretty tough.
Are you looking for something… or just looking for trouble?
tagAbedju_Camper3_A5=I lost hope after we came back from fighting in Iunu. I
don’t know what became of my wife and child... But our house was burned down
and our cattle slaughtered…
tagAbedju_Camper3_A6=Once I found myself face to face with something that
looked like a crocodile, only bigger, and it stood upright. I gave it a knock
it won't soon forget, then I ran.
tagAbedju_Camper3_A7=I’ll move on when I’m ready. Nowhere is home to me.
Not anymore…
tagAbedju_Farmer4_A2=You must understand – every year the river Nile rises.
If it didn’t rise our crops would not grow. If it rises too much our homes
and farms are swept away; not enough, and we starve. This is our life.
tagAbedju_Farmer4_A3=Yes, the monsters are terrible but the Nile is too.
tagAbedju_Farmer4_A4=These monsters are clearly sent by the gods. Maybe by Set,
who is the old enemy of Osiris.
tagAbedju_Farmer4_A5=Understand – we are farmers. If the Nile wishes to
destroy us, if the desert wishes to destroy us, if the monsters, or sickness,
or cruel soldiers wish to destroy us – what can we do?
tagAbedju_Farmer4_A6=Stranger, the gods are in everything. Bast lives through
the cat. Horus is the moon, and Nut the sky above him.
tagAbedju_Farmer4_A7=Ah! These are times of much sorrow. Worse by far than
famine or drought.
tagMemphis_Priest2_A1=Sometimes it is hard to remember the old life. When I do,
it is as a sweet dream. That life, the life of a priest, was a good one.
tagMemphis_Priest2_A2=There were the ceremonies and rituals, the rich banquets
and the humble gifts of farmers, artisans and merchants. But mostly, the many
sweet hours bent over parchment with my reed pen.
tagMemphis_Priest2_A3=Yes, I was a scribe priest. As Thoth to the gods, so was
I to the high priests and the Pharaoh, recording things of great
importance.
tagMemphis_Priest2_A4=We have tried to follow the old ways, but with the
monsters – everything is so hard!
tagMemphis_Priest2_A5=Oh, these days, the people of Egypt are losing their
sense! They do not respect us. They say 'Where are the gods to slay these
beasts? Where is your magic to protect us?'
tagMemphis_Priest2_A6=These monsters have changed everything. Our magic cannot
stop them. What I want to know is – did the gods abandon us, or did we anger
them and make them our enemies?
tagMemphis_Priest2_A7=Those old times are a dream… sometimes I think they
won’t ever return.
tagMemphis_Citizen_A1=Did you hear about this thing, they say it’s far worse
than any monster.
tagMemphis_Citizen_A2=They’re saying it is a lord among monsters. They say
the beasts flock to it, and everywhere it goes, it is surrounded by them, like
the Pharaoh with his guard.
tagMemphis_Citizen_A3=Whatever it was, people were saying it was in Rhakotis
and then it headed this way.
tagMemphis_Citizen_A4=They say this lord of monsters can kill a man just by
looking at him!
tagMemphis_Citizen_A5=I wonder if it is the evil god, Set, who the Greeks call
Typhon.
tagMemphis_Citizen_A7=Worse than the monsters – just think of it!
tagMemphis_Soldier_A1=Here’s one – you there. How about a job in the
Pharaoh’s army? No, of course not. Nobody wants this job, not these days.
tagMemphis_Soldier_A2=Have you heard the talk about this Greek hero? Mighty as
the heroes of legend. Killed the evil magi who made the beasts, is what
they’re saying.
tagMemphis_Soldier_A3=The truth is, things are bad here. Plenty of soldiers
have died, but more have deserted.
tagMemphis_Soldier_A4=What's left of the army can be found in the cities,
guarding the gates and keeping order. We're not on the offensive any more.
tagMemphis_Soldier_A5=I think the gossip is true – Set must be returning from
exile, and these monsters are his servants. That is why Pharaoh had to
hide.
tagMemphis_Soldier_A6=I’ve been a soldier all my life. I couldn’t leave it.
Sometimes I think with a true and mighty leader, we might just – ah, but
what’s the chance of that?
tagMemphis_Soldier_A7=Soon there won’t be any army, just lone soldiers at
city gates.
tagMemphis_Shepherd_A2=Far in the desert, the wind will lash sand into columns
in the air. Sometimes a demon will take such a column for a body, and we call
that a sandwraith.
tagMemphis_Shepherd_A3=Egypt is the Nile. The farther from the Nile, the less
Egypt – and the more desert.
tagMemphis_Shepherd_A4=The desert was always our enemy, and always we lived
there. Monsters are no different.
tagMemphis_Shepherd_A5=Those who tend the land, who practice magic in the
temple, they live one in place all their lives. Pha! That’s no life, no life
at all.
tagMemphis_Shepherd_A6=The sands are keepers of secrets, and the winds whisper
only riddles. Riddles and lies.
tagMemphis_Shepherd_A7=Headed into the desert, traveler? Are you sure you’re
ready?
tagMemphis_Storyteller_A2=Now Set and Osiris were brothers, children of Nut and
Geb, sky and earth. By destiny Osiris was the first Pharaoh, and he ruled over
the land with Isis, his queen. He taught us to farm the land, to build and
bake, to count and record. But Set was jealous of his brother, and he devised a
plan. Set built a beautiful box of cedar, and told Osiris that whoever fit
inside could have the box. Osiris, trusting his brother, lay down inside –
wicked Set quickly closed the box and nailed it, then threw it in the Nile. But
when Isis retrieved the box, Set grew angry. He found it and tore it open and
cut his brother into thirteen pieces, throwing them into the Nile. Isis again
went out. She searched and searched, but found only twelve. She then took wax,
and with magic formed the thirteenth part. In secret, hidden from Set’s eyes,
she performed the rites and ceremonies, so that Osiris could properly enter the
land of the dead, where ever since he has reigned. And just like Osiris, the
first Pharaoh, do all our Pharaohs go to death.
tagMemphis_Storyteller_A7=Yes, and it was Horus, son of Isis and Osiris, who
reigned in Egypt thereafter. And when he was old enough, he made war on his
evil uncle, Set. Set was banished to the desert, banished from Egypt by all the
gods.
tagOasis_Villager3_A1=Good to meet you. I’m glad to see a new face.
tagOasis_Villager3_A2=Before the monsters came, caravans were always coming and
going. Our market was filled with the noise and bustle of trading, haggling,
and friendly banter. Now all is quiet and dismal.
tagOasis_Villager3_A3=Yes, it is safe here in Fayum, but it’s lifeless.
It’s a prison. It takes ten armed men to reach Memphis.
tagOasis_Villager3_A4=Did you hear the news? The Temple of Osiris was attacked
last night – its walls and pillars toppled! To think that there are monsters
as powerful as that!
tagOasis_Villager3_A5=You could say that as long as the city walls stand, we
will get by.
tagOasis_Villager3_A6=The priests say they know all sorts of magic. I’d like
to see them use a spell to get rid of these monsters.
tagOasis_Villager3_A7=Ah… I can remember those days, when the winds blew in
off the desert… and in the market the smell of baked bread and roasted
goat…
tagOasis_Storyteller_A2=Once there were two lands, the kingdom of the upper
Nile and the kingdom of the lower. It was at this time that Horus ruled upper
Egypt, and the wicked Set ruled along the lower Nile. When they made war and
fought, Set gouged Horus in the eye, and Horus cut off half Set’s virility.
Horus emerged victorious, and he was called Horus the great. Set was exiled to
the desert. The desert was dry and infertile because of Set’s wound, and
still, the light of the moon, which is Horus’s left eye, is pale compared to
the light of the sun, which is his right.
tagOasis_Storyteller_A7=Now the first Pharaoh of the two kingdoms was called
Menes – he was the human, and he represented Horus. That’s… well, it’s
complicated. Horus was the first, and among mortals he was Menes. And it was
he who first wore the two crowns together, the symbol of the Pharaoh.
tagThebes_Citizen1_A1=Have you heard the news? A terrible monster was here.
They’re calling it the master of beasts. Creatures of the sand follow it like
loyal dogs.
tagThebes_Citizen1_A2=Oh I saw it with my own two eyes. The monsters flocked
around it, it’s true.
tagThebes_Citizen1_A3=It came right through Thebes and did not stop. It went
out that gate and on towards the Valley of the Kings. Why would it travel
there?
tagThebes_Citizen1_A4=Most of the monsters are dumb brutes. But this one, the
master, moved with a cold and terrifying intelligence.
tagThebes_Citizen1_A5=When I saw it, my hair stood on end. My skin crawled.
tagThebes_Citizen1_A7=What did it want in the Valley of Kings, I wonder?
tagThebes_Citizen1_B7=Is it true, that some great hero of legend slew the
master of beasts? It is not possible, is it?
tagThebes_Citizen2_A1=Everyone asks where the monsters came from. It is clear
as day. They were sent by the enemies of the gods!
tagThebes_Citizen2_A2=Set, who the Greeks call Typhon, was banished to the
desert, after a terrible battle against Osiris.
tagThebes_Citizen2_A3=You see, Set, cursed be his name, hates our gods, and
thus he hates Egypt’s two kingdoms.
tagThebes_Citizen2_A4=No human mage could have done this. It was the giant
serpent Apep, who dwells coiled beyond the edge of the world. As Atum-Ra
descended from the sky, Apep bit his heel, then he spit out the blood, and,
uttering a magic spell, turned each drop into a monster.
tagThebes_Citizen2_A5=No, there is nothing we can do – nothing. It is Osiris
who must save us, but he is sleeping, for Set cast a foul spell upon him!
tagThebes_Citizen2_A6=It may very well be true that Set seduced Sekhmet,
goddess of war, to his side. That is why the gods could not stop them.
tagThebes_Citizen2_A7=Truly, this is a war of the gods, just as they fought
long ago.
tagThebes_Storyteller_A2=Oh the dead – in these times, so many dead! When
Egypt was untroubled, all were buried with the book of the dead. In this book
are written many spells and other things one must know to safely pass through
Duat, the kingdom of death. After using the spells to get past demons and
monsters of various types, they reach the halls of the dead. There Osiris, lord
of the underworld, will weigh their heart upon the scales of justice. On one
side the heart, on the other side, the feather of truth. If they were wicked in
life, their heart will be heavy, and they will be thrown to the monster Ammut,
devourer of souls. But if the heart is light, they are free, given a second
life there in Duat, the land of the dead.
tagThebes_Storyteller_A7=Many, many are not properly buried, in these times.
Few of those souls will ever reach happiness and peace.
tagBabylon_Storyteller2=In ancient times, the goddess Ninsun bore a son to king
Lugalbanda, and he was called Gilgamesh. Two parts god and one part mortal, he
came of age and became king, the mightiest of men ever to live. Now Anu, the
sky god, created a man named Enkidu, wild and untamed, and sent him to Babylon.
There Enkidu and Gilgamesh fought; now no other man was stronger than Enkidu,
but even he could not defeat Gilgamesh. So he bowed to the king, and they
became best of friends. Now, the great are called to do great deeds, and before
long, Gilgamesh longed to vanquish the terrible guardian of the cedar forest,
called Humbaba. So he and Enkidu set out, praying first to the sun god Shamash.
And it is good they did, for without his help, it might have gone badly. But
the two warriors, helped by the sun god, traveled far to the cedar forest and,
heroes that they were, slayed the demon monster there. It was Gilgamesh,
rightful king, who cut off the monster's head. From the cedar wood, they built
a giant raft, and with it floated home again, victorious.
tagBabylon_Storyteller7=After Enkidu died, Gilgamesh sought long the secret of
immortality. But in the end, even he, mightiest of mortals, in truth part-god,
was forced to realize death is a part of life.
tagSilkRoad_Traveler3_A1=Hello. We're just preparing for the ascent into Natu
La Pass. Thought we'd be in the east by now but travel has been rough.
tagSilkRoad_Traveler3_A2=I hate to say it, but with all these monsters, we
might just turn back.
tagSilkRoad_Traveler3_A3=Trading goods – one end of the world to the other.
Spices, silk and jade that way; cedar, gold and lapis lazuli this way. Good
money, when it's not too dangerous!
tagSilkRoad_Traveler3_A4=Most people live their entire lives in the same
village. No new faces, no new anything. The lands I've traveled to, the things
I've seen and heard – it's all worth it.
tagSilkRoad_Traveler3_A5=No bones about it: this monster scourge is not good
for us traders. Oh yes, they're in most lands by now, east and west.
tagSilkRoad_Traveler3_A6=The people here are simple and kind. They believe
powerful spirits are in the mountains, lakes, and streams. Always ask
permission, they'll tell you. Don't anger the land you walk on.
tagSilkRoad_Traveler3_A7=Well, friend, I hope you find what you're looking
for.
tagSilkRoad_OldMan_A1=Over the mountains you came. Now, into the caves of ice
you go. It is the only way. And after that – ah, but you'll see for
yourself!
tagSilkRoad_OldMan_A2=Yes, you've come far, far, for the curved blade… and
its master.
tagSilkRoad_OldMan_A3=Through the ice caves. Otherwise, you won't catch up! He
moves quickly. You must, too.
tagSilkRoad_OldMan_A4=How do I know? Earth told me, when it heard your
footsteps.
tagSilkRoad_OldMan_A5=How do I see? Wind told me, when it felt your breath.
tagSilkRoad_OldMan_A7=Yes, the ice caves and then – then you will see for
yourself!
tagSilkRoad_Storyteller_A2=The eighteen kingdoms are ruled together from the
Silver Palace of Garuda Valley, far south of here. They say that valley is none
other than Shambhala - the Land of Happiness. Our shamans, who we call Dongba,
tell us of these things. I have never gone so far myself!
tagSilkRoad_Storyteller_A3=Our shamans use many things such as prayer flags and
rice offerings to appease the spirit world.
tagSilkRoad_Storyteller_A4=If we do not live harmoniously with the spirit
world, many ill things will befall us. All of nature... that’s what is the
spirit world.
tagSilkRoad_Storyteller_A7=Our shamans learn powerful magic from the spirits.
They lead us and protect us.
tagGreatWall_OldMan_A2=Now do you see? Through the caves. Follow the blade…
beware the master.
tagGreatWall_OldMan_A3=The earth cried when that one passed… now it laughs
when you walk here.
tagGreatWall_OldMan_A4=The wind runs ahead, with tidings of destiny!
tagGreatWall_OldMan_A7=Beware the master, you do not know him.
tagGreatWall_Villager2_A1=Ah! A guest to our village. Lately, we've only had
the rude kind – I mean the monsters.
tagGreatWall_Villager2_A2=A peasant – he fears to walk the roads these days.
But you – by your looks, it's the monsters that tremble. Am I right?
tagGreatWall_Villager2_A3=Yes the monsters were here before. Now more come, so
peace and harmony will stay far from our land.
tagGreatWall_Villager2_A4=My sons have gone east to Luoyang. I long so much to
see their faces, but I hope they stay there where it's safer.
tagGreatWall_Villager2_A5=Ha! The army. They'll defend the wall, but look!
Monsters are here, here on this side. Well. Will they defend all of us? No,
they can't, can they?
tagGreatWall_Villager2_A7=A good day to you.
tagGreatWall_StoryTeller_A2=When Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, was invited up
into the heavens, it was trouble. The Monkey King was stubborn, strong and
clever. Sun Wukong knew all kinds of magic; he could jump eight hundred miles
in a single leap, and he had a staff that changed size at will! When the Jade
Emperor, ruler of the immortals, invited the Monkey King, they thought he might
behave! Maybe he would have, but sadly for them, they did not invite Wukong to
the royal banquet. To spite their rudeness, he was later found eating all the
Peaches of Immortality from the Empress' tree, and he did many other wicked
things besides. Then there was trouble. After he defeated the army of the
heavens single-handedly, and caused much other trouble, the Immortals finally
caught Sun Wukong. They trapped him under a mountain, a whole mountain, and
there he's still stuck today!
tagGreatWall_StoryTeller_A7=That's the story they tell. I didn't see it happen,
and you didn't either. Some say earthquakes happen when Sun Wukong struggles
against his bonds.
tagChangan_Citizen1_A2=The Great Master, Confucius, taught us that ritual and
virtue would perfect the world. But what good are they when rough beasts burn
our houses and storm our walls?
tagChangan_Citizen1_A3=It is said our highest aim is to create virtue and
harmony throughout the world… but such thoughts seem like a baby bird,
trapped in a raptor's jaws!
tagChangan_Citizen1_A4=All my life I have studied and tried hard to observe my
duties… what if all of it is swept away, like the wind sweeps fog from the
river's edge.
tagChangan_Citizen1_A5=You are a true warrior, I can see. We all should have
studied the ways of war – in the end, maybe that is the only wisdom.
tagChangan_Citizen1_A6=Rites and music' is what Confucius taught, meaning order
and harmony. One is our duty, the other, our reward.
tagChangan_Citizen1_A7=There is little hope in these times… yet we still must
live by virtue.
tagChangan_Citizen2_A2=Ah, warrior, what will become of our world? What will
happen to us when the monsters rule it?
tagChangan_Citizen2_A3=I lost my sister, my mother, my father... Would you call
me lucky to live – in times such as these?
tagChangan_Citizen2_A4=Hope? How can we have any hope? More and more monsters
come. Who knows how to stop them?
tagChangan_Citizen2_A5=True, there is the army. At first they marched in unison
against the monsters. But then in the chaos they were scattered. Harmony and
order are broken, hope is lost.
tagChangan_Citizen2_A6=Look around you. This is the imperial city, where kings
once trembled to approach the gates. I ask you – will it ever be rebuilt?
tagChangan_Citizen2_A7=No, stranger, I have lost too much to hope.
tagChangan_Storyteller_A2=These are terrible times, times of great woe to the
living. And so it is we should hear about Nuwa, the mother of all mortals. Of
clay she made us, after she made all the animals, to fill the world so it would
not be empty. And then, when the great monster Gong Gong broke the pillar that
held the heavens aloft, it was Nuwa who set it right. When the four directions
were scattered, she returned north to north, and south the other way, where it
belongs. Her husband was Fu Xi, who taught mortals to be civilized, and many
other useful things.
tagChangan_Storyteller_A7=The world is broken again. Will Nuwa come to fix it?
Or will some mortal fix it - this time?
tagJadePalace_Villager2_A2=Some cry and curse against these monsters, but they,
too, are part of The Way. A wise man accepts, studies – and then fights
without fear or desire.
tagJadePalace_Villager2_A3=Life is harder out of the city. We have no walls and
soldiers to protect us. Ah, but out here, we are tougher, too!
tagJadePalace_Villager2_A4='Who can keep still until it is time to act?' the
great sage asks. Balance is required in all things. But perhaps you have
learned this lesson?
tagJadePalace_Villager2_A5=In truth, I do not believe the monsters will
prevail. But to survive, we must perfect ourselves and embrace The Way. For The
Way is immortal and at peace. It can never be defeated.
tagJadePalace_Villager2_A6=As a child, I remember great festivals with flowers,
brightly-colored costumes, lanterns and fireworks. And I would climb the
mountain, sometimes to sit and play my reed pipe.
tagJadePalace_Villager2_A7=These times are troubled so that heroes will be
born.
tagJadePalace_StoryTeller_A2=It is said that before the great sage Lao Tzu left
his post at the Imperial Library, Confucius found him there, and they talked
for many days. It is said Confucius learned more from the sage than all the
books in the whole library. When Lao Tzu left, he rode west on his water
buffalo. Far at a western gate, a guard stopped him. 'Before you go, Great
Master,' he pleaded, 'write down your teachings. If you do not, they will
surely be forgotten and lost!' And because of this, we have the Tao Te Ching.
Then Lao Tzu went west - he went into the desert, gone from all mortal
eyes.
tagJadePalace_StoryTeller_A7=The Tao, 'The Way', is what Master Lao taught. To
be in harmony with the way is to prevail. To be in harmony with it, one must be
quiet, still - an uncarved block. Only then can one act.
