Where did you get the inspiration and ideas for the Swords of Destiny?
命運之劍的靈感從何而來？
The Swords of Destiny was an idea that began to develop during my early days on the original EverQuest team. I was working in Freeport on a quest that involved the faction known as the Knights of Truth and their arch-nemesis, Sir Lucan D’Lere. I wanted the knights to be the sworn protectors of an ancient force that they did not even fully understand, but their faith would drive them. I eventually developed a story around the magical blade we now know as Soulfire. Unfortunately, my duties on EQ shifted before I could reveal more of the true lore behind Soulfire. The EQ Soulfire was the first in-game glimpse at the Swords of Destiny storyline, but the tale would not continue until EverQuest II arrived.
我早期在無盡的任務團隊工作時，發展出命運之劍的 點子。我那時正在進行自由港真理騎士團的名聲任務，也和他們的主要敵人路肯德萊爾爵士有關。騎士們誓言要保護他們不了解的古老力量，堅強的信念驅使著他 們。最後發展出來的故事圍繞著魂火這把有著魔法力量的劍。可惜我還沒來得及揭露更多魂火的傳說就轉換了部門。無盡的任務裡的魂火是命運之劍故事線的靈光一現，這個故事一直到了無盡的任務二才得以繼續下去。
What does the name ‘The Swords of Destiny’ imply?
命運之劍這個名字有什麼隱含的意義？
The title Swords of Destiny refers to two things, the Age of Destiny and the fate of Norrath. From the dawn of creation to the Age of Cataclysms, few Norrathians had knowledge of the Swords of Destiny. However, in our time, we now find a number of entities on Norrath spreading the legend as they seek to unlock the secrets of the swords.
命運之劍的名稱指向兩件事，命運的年代和諾瑞斯的命運。在變革的年代的早期，只有一小部份的人擁有與命運之劍相關的知識。然而現在有很多團體在諾瑞斯上散佈傳說，同時找尋方法來解開這把劍的秘密。
Can you share with us few details of the story behind the Swords of Destiny?
你可以跟我們分享一些關於命運之劍的詳細故事內容嘛?
The Swords of Destiny is a tale of creation and fate. It is a story of the balance of power and petty grievances that permeate every soul in the universe. The tale spans eons and covers epic tragedies and jubilant victories that we may never know in EQ II. The Swords of Destiny is but a piece of a universal puzzle, but to Norrathians, the tale is much more localized.
命運之劍是與創造、宿命有關聯的故事。它訴說了力量的平衡和宇宙裡每個靈魂裡都會有的微小痛苦的故事。它橫跨了無限的時間，包含了我們可能沒有機會知道的史詩悲劇和勝利戰役。命運之劍是一個大謎團，但對諾瑞斯上的人們來說，這個故事很有這個世界的特色。
Is there any relation between the Swords of Destiny’s Quest & the Qeynos Claymore Quest Line (from KoS)?
命運之劍的任務和KoS的奎諾斯Claymore任務有什麼關係嗎?
I would rather not reveal the relationship between primary quest lines, odysseys if you like. What I can tell you is that there is a lot of content in EQII that is both directly and indirectly related to the Swords of Destiny. The Swords of Destiny is also a clue to a greater enigma. We have always known where we are going in the Age of Destiny and as we march along that path, clues will rain down upon Norrathians. So, yes, the Qeynos Claymore is somehow associated to the Swords of Destiny.
這些主要的任務線間是否有相互關聯，最好不是我透露出來的，而是讓有興趣的人來挖掘。我只能說在無盡的任務二裡面，有很多內容都直接或間接的和命運之劍有關係。命運之劍也是另一個更大的謎團的線索。我們已經知道在命運的年代裡，我們要往什麼方向前進，更多的線索將隨著事件的發展而出現。所以是可以說奎諾斯Claymore和命運之劍之間有某種程度的關係。
Can you tell us a bit about the factions involved in the Swords of Destiny?
你是否可以告訴我們一些命運之劍牽扯到的名聲呢?
One faction I truly enjoyed bringing into the world is the Circle of the Unseen Hand. In the original EverQuest, the Hand was a thieves’ guild located in the lawful city of Qeynos. As you might guess, over a period of 400 years, the law discovered them and booted them out of the city, but that was not the end of the Hand. They evolved into a global thieves’ guild that maintains secret guild taverns in every major city on Norrath. These taverns are safe houses for not only the members of the Hand, but for their allies or those willing to earn the right to carry one of the valuable tavern coins. In the Swords of Destiny we get a greater glimpse of Crow’s Resting Place, the Hand tavern located beneath the lawful city of Qeynos. You just can’t keep a good thief away.
我 很享受把Circle of the Unseen Hand帶進這個世界裡這件事。無盡的任務裡，the Hand是一個位於奎諾斯的小偷公會。不難猜到，在這四百年間，執法單位發現了他們並把他們逐出城市之外，但the Hand沒有因此結束。他們發展出一個世界級的小偷公會，並且在諾瑞斯各個主要城市裡都設置了秘密的公會酒館。這些酒館對the Hand的工會會員來說是安全的地方，對他們的同盟和願意獲得權力以便運送酒館珍貴財產的人來說也是。我們有機會藉由命運之劍的故事，參觀the Hand在奎諾斯底下的分部—Crow’s Resting Place。你終究沒法子趕走一個好的小偷。
Other than the Hand you will encounter the Order of Marr and possibly even the League of Freethinkers. Of these two organizations, one is an ancient order sworn to a secret code of honor while the other is a clandestine organization of monster slayers. There is also a chance you will meet new agents of darkness known as the Libant.
除了the Hand之外，你還有機會跟Order of Marr甚至是the League of Freethinkers的人打交道。一個是服從秘密榮譽法典的古老組織，另一個是一群私底下暗殺怪物的團隊。你也有機會遇到一個來自於Libant的黑暗使者。
What is your personal favorite quest in the Swords of Destiny series?
你最喜歡哪一個命運之劍任務線裡的任務？
I do not really have a favorite quest in the odyssey of the Swords of Destiny. My favorite part is getting out the lore to the people and planting my hooks for future tales. I do have favorite npc’s in the story. Two of my favorites were Inspector Berlok Beeglesnoop and Chypp the talking rat. As with most npc’s I create, you never know when you will be meeting them again, but you will most likely bump into them again.
我 其實沒有特別喜愛的任務。我最喜歡的事情是把傳說散播給人們和設下未來故事的伏筆。不過在故事中有我喜愛的角色，就是調查家Berlock Beeglesnoop和會說話的老鼠Chypp。我創造出很多角色，你從來不會知道會在什麼時候再度遇到他們，不過有機會跟他們不期而遇是很開心的事。
What are a few of the surprises that players should look forward to?
有沒有玩家應該要期待的驚喜呢？
Players can look forward to speaking to Norrathian personalities that they thought they would never get a chance to speak with. They can also look forward to being introduced to a secret the Queen of Felwithe has been keeping for a long time, a key to destiny.
玩家們可以期待跟一些特別的人交談，特別是那些他們從來沒想過的人。他們還有機會知道菲爾維斯女王保守很久的秘密，一把跟宿命有關的鑰匙。
What are the difficulties and challenges that you encountered during this project?
你在做這個專案時有遇到什麼困難或挑戰？
The greatest challenge was finding the time. I monitor the lore on EQII so I usually get involved in lore creation and review between expansions and live content while still trying to implement content. I can often find myself working on the past present and future content of EQII. To help alleviate some of the pressure, I decided to introduce the Swords of Destiny to the game world in chunks rather than all at once. It would have been impossible to complete the quest line by the launch of EoF.
最 大的挑戰是空出時間來。我負責管理無盡的任務二裡面的傳說故事，包括資料片和各種內容相關的傳說故事的創造及檢閱工作，同時又要實作內容。我常常發現我同 時在做EQII的過去、現在和未來的故事內容。為了減輕時間上的壓力，我決定分段釋出命運之劍的任務，要在EoF上市之前就把全部的任務線完成實在是不太 可能的事。
How long did it take you to finish this project?
你花了多少時間來完成這個專案呢？
Finish? Ask me again in a month or two.
完成？一兩個月以後再來問我一次吧。
