CharactersStorys
Translator's Helpers
This page is intended to help Translators figure out how characters should be translated. Sometimes, you need some information about a figure, a race or a plot, that might influence the translation. Campaign designers may define their intention for a character and each translator may include his/her implementation in his/her language (e.g. look for the "German" remarks in THoT). In case you are not the author of a campaign, please state where you got the background information from.
Campaign designers: Please supply us mere translators with the flavor of your campaign to keep the high standard in all languages. Characters that do not appear repeatedly in the campaign are excluded from the character list. If they are important for translation purposes, feel free to add them.
All of the campaigns have a wiki-presentation of their dialogues - started in 2009, a few details might change in future reworks of the po-files, but the overall story and characters should not have changed. Therefore, those pages are a good start to get a "feeling" for the characters. Storyline, Walkthrough and more are accessible via this page as well.
A page containing helpful shell scripts, e.g. to extract the speaker+text out of the po-file may be found here.
The Rise of Wesnoth
Story • Walkthrough • Dialogue • Translators • Discussion • Forum Resources • Statistics • Maintained by zookeeper |
Prince Haldric
Description: He is not the educated type of prince - not a stupid brute as such, but certainly not very knowledgeable and calm either. Haldric has always seemed more like this eager hack-and-slash-fellow-made-leader than a contemplating strategist. He bears a certain hot-headed, arrogant attitude.
Lady Outlaw/Jessene
(had been changed from "Jessica" to "Jessene" during 1.6)
Description: A pretty kick ass/bad ass lady, she appears rather calm and waiting - she is very intelligent.
Burin the Lost
Description: Burin is pretty nutty. He's been travelling and living alone for a long, long time. A hot-headed dwarf, half-crazed comic reliefed, although, he's also a bit of a whiner.
Commander Aethyr
Description: A man who gets in the thick of melee.
Minister Edren
(had been changed from "Edmond" to "Edren" during 1.6)
Description: A white priest, battling the dark forces. So, he is not too passive. He's a minor character and basically all his dialogue is in the vein of "No you won't, you soldier of darkness!", so a little bit more restrained anger or some other kind of tension would be good for him. He has a psychorigid vibe which is a nice change from the usual wise-and-holy look of priests. After all he's more country priest than archbishop.
Sir Ruddry
A knight; sole survivor of the Clearwater Port expeditionary force. He's the one you get if you take the branching path thru the Swamp of Esten.
Sir Ladoc
A knight; the equivalent of Sir Ruddry for players who take the branching path thru the Midlands instead. He is from Southbay, as opposed to Ruddry's Clearwater Port.
Lich-Lord Jevyan
Description: In TRoW, Jevyan is basically this posturing super-aggressive overconfident lich brute over half of whose spoken lines end in an exclamation mark. Jevyan never really has a deviously cunning plan or does anything subtly. He is the most powerful lich in of his time, he would probably try to show that.
King Addroran IX
The King of Southbay. He is like a captain who is willing to "go down with the ship" (so to speak), except that in this case the "ship" is Southbay.
King Eldaric IV
Description: Eldaric is the king of a small backwater kingdom and introduced as a sovereign who'll rather be in the thick of melee than parading behind his soldiers. Therefore, my take is that regalia and embellishment should be toned down as much as possible in favor of a more practical gear. I might even get as far as denting it here and there.
Lord Logalmier
Description: The local elvish warlord. He is mostly guided by prejudices and survivalist instincts, which don't take much more than a grouchy "the elves are for the elves" answer to all situations.
Lady Dionli
Description: It seems like she's the highest ranking one of the elf lords, and seems pretty well rooted in reality instead of being one of those elves who just daydream of faerie stuff and talk like a poet all the time. She is more like the underling that is trying to get things done in the absence of wise or strong leadership. She actively seeks cooperation and discussion between the different races, but can still be sat on by the rest of the lords, led by Logalmier, in breaking the pact.
Elilmaldur-Rithrandil
An ancient wose of Oldwood. Guardian of his fellow trees; deeply in touch with nature.
Lich-Lord Lenvan
Description: He's the one who's been sitting in a little cave under the Oldwood for a long time with the ruby, so the old and frail look would suit him - secretive and cunning.
Lord Typhon
Description: A mighty sea king.
Midnight Queen
An extremely beautiful vampire lady, who curses her island after being killed.
An Orcish Incursion
Story • Walkthrough • Dialogue • Translators • Discussion • Forum Resources • Statistics • Maintained by cycholka, esr |
Erlornas
Description: "he's a dandy, yet dangerous."
Linaera
Description: "Not real old, but grown-up and experienced, so she'll get a tad older in the process but not much."
Lomarfel
Description: Elvish Rider, "looks really surly."
Rualsha
An orcish sovereign.
Legend of Wesmere
Story • Walkthrough • Dialogue • Translators • Discussion • [yet no used Forum Resources] • Statistics • Maintained by fabi |
Kalenz
The same Kalenz from HttT, except that he is much younger here.
Olurf
Landar
Velon
Cleodil
Galtrid
Eonihar
Kior-Pur
Huraldur
Graur-Tan
Galenor
Aldar
Aquagar
The source of Kalenz's suffering and Landar's downfall.
Secrets of the Ancients
Story • Walkthrough • Dialogue • Translators • Discussion • [{{{forumresource}}} Forum Resources] • Statistics • Maintained by SigurdFireDragon |
Ardonna / Ardryn-Na
Ardonna renames herself Ardryn-Na in scenario 13.
Ardryn-Na's journal is the book of necromancy in the Descent Into Darkness campaign, so the text should match. However SotA has far more context for the text than DiD, so it might be better to translate SotA and then copy the text to DiD.
Ras-Tabahn
He's dying of tuberculosis, and "cough, cough" should be translated as such.
Vendraxis
He's the one who prompts Ardonna to change her name to Ardryn-Na.
Carcyn
An outlaw kept prisoner by his father until Ras-Tabahn's arrival.
Shynal
Carcyn's love interest, also kept prisoner until Ras-Tabahn's arrival. She's basically a recolored and feminized version of Harper.
Rudic
A sailor captain revived by Ardonna who uncovers her to his fellow in revenge.
Sceptre of Fire
Story • Walkthrough • Dialogue • Translators • Discussion • Forum Resources • Statistics • Maintained by zookeeper |
Rugnur
Description: Dwarf fighter. "Relatively young and not of especially high rank. Not particularly bright and talks in a pretty informal manner to everyone. Not greedy or very interested in gaining status, riches or fame; probably he just wants to do his job so he can go home and work on a miniature collection or something. That is, not a very exciting protagonist but more like the average joe who gets sucked into a big mess."
Thursagan
Description: Dwarf runemaster. Thursagan is THE runemaster. He's the best and he knows it. He's a hermit living in the wilderness so his outfit should reflect that (gryphon feathers, wolf fur or something like that would fit nicely), and while his equipment should include some smithing tools, he shouldn't look like he's just been hammering away in his forge like the core runemaster portrait. And, of course, he should have a big gorgeous hammer. Karrag's portrait in The Hammer of Thursagan should feature the same hammer, so you might take inspiration from that. Having faintly glowing runes on its side would be nice. Note worthy of interest: As a general note regarding the dwarves, it seems like their clan is a relatively small one and not very rich either, so I'd suggest being rather conservative with their bling.
Durstorn
Description: Dwarf lord. He's the leader of the clan, so he should have the most bling on him. He's pretty greedy and hasty, maybe even crass. Generally not a very pleasant person, but apparently not a terribly incompetent leader either (at least until the ruby corrupts him).
Alanin
Description: Human dragoon. He's the guy Haldric sends to go with the dwarves as his personal representative of sorts, so he could have some special regalia, although of course it'll have to be something other than the sceptre symbol used in later times. The whole campaign is said to have lasted 15 years, and in the epilogue Haldric tells him he's old enough to retire, so that's a hint towards his age.
Baglur
Description: Dwarf stalwart. As he himself says, he's "a retired warrior" so a bit older than the other dwarves (except perhaps Thursagan).
Haldric II
Description: Human King.
Krawg
Description: Gryphon - intelligent, but hard to understand (Its sometimes even hard to get the meaning - check CampaignDialogue:SOF for an proper english version). For translating Krawg long for "speaking raven" rather than "Long John Silvers parrot". He's the only one that survives the last battle.
Glonoin
Description: Dwarvish Lord.
Kuhnar
Description: Dwarvish Steelclad.
A Tale Of Two Brothers
Story • Walkthrough • Dialogue • Translators • Discussion • Forum Resources • Statistics • Maintained by Ivanovic |
Arvith
(Arvith was formerly known as "Arne" until version 1.??; still referred to as "Arne" in some quotes about him)
Description: "Arne looks a little fat, but otherwise they all look cool to me... his weight and his expression fit his character perfectly...long hair ... Even Arne's horse looks a bit smirky."; leader of a small band of horsemen who hired out as guards to merchant caravans.
Baran
(Baran was formerly known as "Bjarn" until version 1.??)
Description: Arvith's brother, a Red Mage. Feels guilty about having let his brother down in the past. Has an amulet that he uses to call Arvith for help.
Rotharik
A dark sorcerer known as "Rotharik the Clanless". Employs bandits, orcs, and undead. Seeks to deliver Baran to Tairach.
Nil-Galion
An elf who guards the Grey Woods. Sides with the undead.
Mordak
The initial mage antagonist. It turns out that he is actually acting on behalf of Rotharik.
Brena
A knight errant who pursues the undead. Only available on the easiest difficulty.
Tairach
The orcish warlord from Toen Caric that Baran had wounded previously. Wants revenge on Baran.
Muff Toras
A dark adept who acts as a courier between Mordak and Rotharik.
Descent into Darkness
Story • Walkthrough • Dialogue • Translators • Discussion • [yet no used Forum Resources] • Statistics • Maintained by zookeeper |
Darken Volk
A very cold person, Darken Volk is also an excellent actor, easily able to deceive others with false sincerity, hatred, or affection. However, he is a singularly self-centered individual and does not care what, or who, gets in the way. And whatever gets in his way must be destroyed. He is well learned, and as such his speech should be one very precise and two have a very extensive vocabulary.
Drogan
Drogan is very, very loyal to that which he holds dear. Parthyn is one of these things, as well as Malin Keshar's father. He does not want anything to harm his loved ones, and so sees many an unpleasant duty as necessary for upholding the peace. His speech is plain and conventional, no long words or complicated sentences.
Malin Keshar/Mal Keshar
Malin Keshar is a young man who had his childhood and his father ripped away from him by the orcs. He now has only one goal in life: to make the orcs suffer. There is nothing he wants more and it has become his constant obsession. If he can do anything to harm the orcs, he will do so gladly, even if it harms other people. Still, he is a basically honorable person and does not enjoy the death of any save the orcs. Malin Keshar is a mix of the illiterate world of his former village and the literate world of the mages' islands. As such, he speaks almost like a reasonably educated person of today might, with a broad vocabulary but not overly complex sentence structure. At the end of the campaign he becomes an ancient lich named Mal Keshar.
The book of necromancy
The book is Ardryn-Na's journal from the Secrets of the Ancients campaign, and the text in the two campaigns should match. SotA has much more context for the book's text, so its translation is likely to be better than old translations of DiD.
Foolish Hero
Either a Dwarvish Lord, an Assassin, a Royal Guard, an Orcish Warlord or an Elvish Marshal, he's the proverbial knight in shining armor, who has come to vanquish the darkness. He is very brave, but also somewhat brash and arrogant, thinking that this is just one more battle to face. This should show in his speech as flowery and yet somewhat haughty language. He has bested many foes before, won many battles, and is very experienced. This darkness however, may be a little more than he can handle . . .
Dela Keshar
Malin Keshar's older sister, she tries to kill him after his troops killed Drogan.
Karae
Delfador's Memoirs
Story • Walkthrough • Dialogue • Translators • Discussion • [yet no used Forum Resources] • Statistics • Maintained by tapik |
In German: My primary goal was to create some sort of medieval sounding German without truly using the language of the german middle ages (middle high german). I tried to use so called "Archaismen" (words not or almost not used anymore) and played with the syntax; e.g. the genitive had been used a lot more in the middle ages than it is used today.
Delfador
In German: As for Delfador, in the beginning he hast just finished his apprenticeship and still is unsure of his powers and abilities. In time and through the hardships he has to undergo, he gains in self-confidence which is reflected by the way he expresses himself. Furthermore his education and literacy shows up in his phrasing and diction.
Methor
In German: He is teacher and good friend to Delfador and you can see this in his conversation with him. Towards other people he shows is wisom gained by a lifetime as a magician.
Lionel
Iliah-Malal
In German: He thinks of himself as being without any boundaries and limits and that there exists nobody who has the power to stop him on his way. In his conversations with other beings you can see his inhumane age and his arrogance. He is very well spoken but depreciatory towards people he thinks are unworthy of his attention.
Leollyn
Description: Leollyn is a good man - honest, intelligent, loyal to his king, and a friend of Delfador's mentor Methor. He takes Delfador under his wing at court. He doesn't watch his back, though, and will be murdered by a conniving rival. I imagine a man in healthy middle age with a benign, open expression, someone who would both inspire trust and deserve it. I see him wearing simpler clothing than would be normal for a man with the kind of court position he has, well-made but unostentatious. (http://forums.wesnoth.org/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=24805&start=0)
Garard II
Tomb Guardian
Chantal
One of Kalenz's grandchildren, her fate is unknown after having been unable to escape Weldyn in HttT.
Kalenz
In German: He's one of the oldest of the Elves and bears the weight and wisdom of ages. He has very refined manners and knows how to deal with different kind of people. Both vocabulary and syntax are sophisticated.
Sagus
Asheviere's father who wants to take the whole world after his mortal demise.
Liberty
Story • Walkthrough • Dialogue • Translators • Discussion • [yet no used Forum Resources] • Statistics • Maintained by esr & zookeeper |
Baldras
From the comments in S01: "Baldras is an old man from the country and both speaks and writes with many grammatical errors due to his relative lack of education. He is also a little bit rude and grumpy, so languages with ruder or more informal variants of words should use those where appropriate."
Harper
The nephew of Baldras, or more specifically the son of Baldras' younger sister Erwen. "Harper has a bit of an accent, but not as much as Baldras. He's a bit of a reckless kid as Baldras alludes to, but he's much more polite."
Relana
(Became a female character in 1.9, was named "Relnan" before)
The magistrate of Delwyn. Has an accent like many of the other countryfolk. Baldras and Harper go to her for help.
Helicrom
A Shadow Lord (advancement of a Shadow Mage) known as the "Crow of the Grey Woods" (since that's where he's found). Joins forces with Harper and Baldras.
Lord Maddock
Lord of Elensefar. He is nobility, so his speech is somewhat fancier than normal. He doesn't really want to help Baldras and Harper that much, but he still has a little bit of a conscience, so he agrees to provide some assistance to them.
Thhsthss
A saurian oracle who works for the orcs. Has the usual snakelike speech patterns that most saurians have.
Heir to the Throne
Story • Walkthrough • Dialogue • Translators • Discussion • Forum Resources • Statistics • Maintained by zookeeper |
Character Descriptions by vodot (Forum Userpage) (Wiki Userpage)
Konrad
At the outset of Heir to the Throne, Konrad is the twenty-two-year-old and last surviving nephew of King Garard II. After the king's betrayal and Asheviere's subsequent rise to power, Konrad alone was saved by Delfador from the queen's bloody purge of the royal household in Weldyn. The infant heir was taken to the Aethenwood, the great southern elvish forest, to be raised in secret and groomed by Delfador until the time was right for his accession to the throne.
Konrad is intelligent and somewhat reserved (for a human), and being raised among the elves has given him a sensitivity to living things and a compassionate spirit. Delfador has proven a diligent tutor in history, rhetoric, and military theory, and under the mage's patient wisdom the boy has learned humility and discipline as well.
As Heir to the Throne begins, Konrad is growing restless with waiting and hiding in secrecy, being eager to repay the queen and her servants for the blight they have brought to Wesnoth and the vile betrayal of his uncle. With the invasion and destruction of the Aethenwood by the queen, the time for the heir to step forward has come at last.
Delfador
Delfador the Great is the legendary and ancient archmage of Wesnoth; befriended by elves and dwarves, wielder of the Staff of An-Usrukhar, advisor to kings and slayer of traitors; the latter of which has resulted in his exile by Asheviere these past twenty-two years. In the queen's hearing he is called the Kingsbane, for Asheviere has worked feverishly to spread false tales that it was he (and not herself) that was behind the deaths of Garard II and crown prince Eldred.
After rescuing Konrad from death, Delfador has lain hidden in secret in the southern wood, instructing the growing prince and watching anxiously the movements and events of the greater kingdom. His whereabouts are still unknown to the queen, though that will not last long when his terrifying power is revealed and the heir that he has long concealed steps out of the shadows.
Asheviere
Queen of Wesnoth these 22 years; often called the 'Dark Queen' by the free peoples of the coast and by the especially courageous (or foolish) of her subjects. Executing plans laid long before, the queen caused her son Eldred to betray her husband, king Garard II, and then assured her rise to the throne by goading the crown prince into foolishly challenging Delfador the Great to solo combat.
After cleansing the palace of rivals, the queen has laid hold of Wesnoth in an iron fist, making alliances with orcs and undead alike to secure her personal wealth and the security of her throne. She is a master deceiver and worker of lies, a sorceress in her own right, and is hated and feared by her people and by the wise; scattered and helpless to stop her and her allies from plunging the realm into darkness.
Li'sar
Most of what little royal blood remains in Weldyn now flows in the veins of one of two people: Asheviere the queen and her daughter Li'sar, princess and heir-apparent. Li'sar has grown up in the palace, but her headstrong and indomitable spirit have assured her frequent escape from the cushioned pavilions and courts of royalty.
She entered the military academy of Weldyn where she graduated swiftly with honors, and as Heir to the Throne begins she has begun leading a division of her mother's loyalist army in the field. Li'sar was born for the battlefield; leading troops with uncanny skill and poise. She is a budding master of misdirection and tactics.
Like her mother, princess Li'sar is prideful and quick-witted, but to the queen's vexation she has also inherited much of her father's nobility and sense of honor. Now, her forays taking her further from the capital and into the larger countryside, the princess is slowly becoming aware of the true impact her mother's reign has had on the realm.
Kalenz
The High Lord Kalenz is a storied warrior and leader of elves and men. He is ancient even for an elf, his younger days stretching back into the shadows when men first landed on the great continent.
In Heir to the Throne Kalenz emerges from his second retirement to undertake his final adventure with his friend Delfador the Great, shepherding Garard II's last remaining heir in his journey to Find the Scepter of Fire and dethrone the wicked queen. It's unknown if he dies between HttT ending and NR beginning.
Relgorn
Relgorn son of Ulrek is lord of the Knalgan dwarves. After being sent there as a youngster at his father's command, he has diligently safeguarded his people and tried to make inroads against the orcs and other wicked creatures that inhabit the tunnels of Knalga near those ancient caverns where the Scepter of Fire is said to rest. He bears little love for elves, men, or any other race outside his small earthen realm, but in his youth he once befriended a young Delfador. Relgorn owes the mage a debt of gratitude for saving his father and his people.
Moremirmu
A white mage and survivor of the free coast peoples that were exiled to the Three Sisters as a result of their rebellion against Asheviere's tyranny. As Heir to the Throne begins, Moremirmu and the other Liberty survivors are waging a crusade to reclaim the Isle of the Damned from the necromancer Muff-Malal.
Sir Kaylan
A Grand Knight, horse-lord, and leader of the free peoples of Blackwater Port. Kaylan and his knights have long held the port against Asheviere, but have been coming under increasing pressure as she ramps up her campaign to destroy the elves of the Aethenwood.
Reglok
Reglok is head of the Thieves Guild of Elensefar, a loyal (if dubious) band of highly skilled "traders".
Keh Ohn
A great Drake-lord of Thoria, leader of the northern race of those creatures that were previously unknown to inhabit Wesnoth.
Northern Rebirth
Story • Walkthrough • Dialogue • Translators • Discussion • Forum Resources • Statistics • Maintained by Taurus |
Tallin
Description: "The typical hero stereotype, and also the main character of this campaign. He originally starts out as a peasant, but over the course of the campaign Hamel trains him up and he switches over to being a lieutenant. He is young - between 20 and 30, and has all that usual hero stuff around him - brave, intelligent, good looking, blah blah blah."
In German: An educated but not very "upperclass" language in the beginning, but starting to be much more "noble" when courting Eryssa.
Hamel
Description: A very wise, tough grizzled veteran Dwarvish Lord who, until recently, has been trapped in the caves of Knalga fighting an unending war with undead, trolls and orcs. He also appears in The Hammer of Thursagan, which takes place chronologically after this campaign.
In English: He has a strong Scottish accent ("In English-language folklore, the Scottish share many characteristics with fantasy dwarves. Both are tough, dour, canny mountain folk who are good at engineering and hold grudges forever; the similarity even makes sense to a Scot. This is why a Scots accent “feels right” for a dwarf.") (http://www.catb.org/~esr/wesnoth/campaign-design-howto.html#toc5)
In French: While I am not the French translator and do not know how Hamel was translated in French, in "The Three Musketeers" Dumas says that in French, the Gascons are the equivalent of the Scottish, so maybe he could be given a Gascon accent?
In German: Dwarves are speaking "medieval", as no accent fits the "dwarf"-description above. It somehow fits in the German knight tradition, especially holding grudges forever :).
In Greek: Choosing a particular dialect was difficult, since I don't know greek dialects that well. I used "village" greek for making it rougher, and added ancient greek and byzantine terms whenever I needed to sound medieval or pompous, and for many "army" and "battle" terms.
Camerin
Description: A very powerful but crazy Arch/Great mage who loves to blow things up.
Father Morvin
(Name was changed from "Marcus" during Version 1.6)
Description: A wise and experienced White Mage (Mage of Light) missionary who - until recently - has been a prisoner to an Ancient Lich (Malifor). He has traveled a lot, knows many people, and has much experience in different lands. Husband to Sister Thera.
Eryssa
(Name was changed from "Anita" during Version 1.6)
Description: A beautiful, virtuous, brave, but at times snobbish and stuck up, elvish princess (Elvish Sorceress). Her father holds a high position with the north elves and she has been captured and held for ransom by the orcs. Sister of Elenia.
Elenia
Description: Eryssa's wild older sister. Elenia is a beautiful elvish Druid who had a strong desire to see the world and set off on her own. She was eventually captured and held prisoner by an Ancient Lich.
Hidel
Description: An elderly elvish marshal who is Eryssa's (Anita's) longtime guardian and mentor. Although he is very wise, he is at times inflicted with the typical elvish snobbishness and superiority issues. He was sent by Eryssa's father to rescue her from the orcs.
Sisal
Description: A lady elvish avenger, Hidel's second in command. She is brave and ferocious and will fight to the death if necessary.
Rakshas
Description: A powerful Orcish Sovereign that likes being called, "The Master". He has thrashed enough orcish Warlords into servitude that he poses as a serious threat to the entire northlands. He has a large imagination and delusions of grandeur and when combined with his power, makes him a foe to be reckoned with.
Malifor
Description: A powerful ancient lich with more delusions of grandeur. He wields vast power over any creature that has died and has been resurrecting the long dead defenders of Knalga to carve out an underground empire for himself.
Sister Thera
Description: The dedicated wife of Father Morvin (white mage of course). She does not quite fit the profile of a saintly subdued holy lady however, as she is very spirited and takes great pleasure in blowing evil creatures to pieces as well as occasional theatrical displays of drama.
Stalrag
Description: A Dwarvish Lord who is the leader of the Shinsplitters - a tribe of Dwarvish Ulfserkers (same guy from HttT, in the scenario Hostile Mountains). He has a long standing feud with the mages/liches Ro'Arthian and Ro'Sothian (see below).
Ro'Arthian
Description: A Great Mage that refused to die and reincarnated as an Ancient Lich instead. He and Ro'Sothian are powerful liches that have the ability to control gryphons, ogres and trolls. Although he and and his brother are good at heart they have no qualms about using dark and evil means to achieve their ends.
Ro'Sothian
Description: The brother and side kick of Ro'Arthian. He was an Arch Mage until he was killed and reincarnated as a Demi-Lich. Pretty much the same profile as his brother.
(name changed from Ro'Sarthian somewhen before 1.8)
Abhai
A ghost of a former Lord drawn into half-life by Malifor. May be especially important in the "dark tallin"-path of NR, that, unfortunately, is still under construction.
Krash
A drake that Tallin rescues from the dungeons of Malifor. Rather feral; doesn't communicate well with humans. Has other drake friends.
The Hammer of Thursagan
Story • Walkthrough • Dialogue • Translators • Discussion • Forum Resources • Statistics • Maintained by esr |
Campaign specialties: About noble titles in the Northern Alliance [1]. Cave-related vocabulary in 13 languages may be found here
Aiglondur
Description: A dwarf, the guard captain of the Eastern Gate. Young, intelligent, related to the clan chieftain. Dwarven society doesn't have a noble class as such, but Aiglondur is from one of its leading families and will have war-gear of the best quality. If weapons are in the portrait, his will be your standard Dwarvish double-bitted axe. Great-nephew of Lord Hamel and Captain of the east Gate. Unusual diplomatic type of dwarf.
Angarthing
Description: A junior loremaster. Young but self-conscious about being an authority figure; will dress to look older than his actual age. Very intelligent and rigidly honorable. Should be sagelike or priestly in appearance with an especially long beard. If weapons are in the portrait, he uses a bolas and a morningstar — neither of them heavy as he is not a line fighter (he will wear only partial or light armor).
In German: I let him cite "Stabreime" from time to time to introduce an old fashioned feeling. In the beginning (in Hamels court) he will stumble over the rimes but in the end he gained full authority. The biggest problem was to translate "I am a Witness" as there is no German equivalent having both flavors of jurisprudence and religion. I decided for introducing "Der Fels" -> "Ich bin Skalde - ich bin der Fels", as the mountain/rock is something set in stone.
In Greek: His translation was not as deliberate as the german one, since Middle-Age greek poetry sounds rather not-wesnoth. However his vocabulary is extended and more formal compared to the other characters. As for the "witness" part, it was a nightmare. I resorted to using an ancient greek term for witness (Προΐστωρ, Proistor) as a title (you know, like Steelclad, or Loremaster),which sounds really majestic, but translated the "I am a witness" part as it was, since the whole point was that, err, he was actually witnessing things.
Ratheln
Description: Mage, sarcastic. A human mage and teacher of magic. A scholar but a very tough and experienced one — not someone to cross lightly. Good at heart but gruff and a bit irascible.
Perrin
Description: The master of a school of magic. Wise and kindly. An Albus Dumbledore in Wesnoth, basically.
Ollin
Description: Human peasant, refugee.
In German: He may sound like a bondman/villain using a lot the term "Herr", which sounds VERY servile and is not used any more nowadays but in posh haberdashers.
Dulcatulos
Description: The dwarfish captain of Kal Kartha's guard at the West Gate, a good dwarf unknowingly working for an evil master. Aiglondur's counterpart, but a few years older and not as intelligent. Dwarvish soldier, battling through the ranks to become Captain, not born to be one.
Karrag
Description: An evil dwarf-lord who uses a mask and spells of illusion to conceal the fact that he has in fact become a lich. The wrongness in this portrait should be much clearer.
Pelias
Description: A human lancer, who serves effectively as a royal courier, even if Tallin doesn't have the title of king.
Elurin
Description: An Elvish Rider of high rank.
Marth Tak
Description: An allied orcish chieftain, member of the Northern Alliance
Hamel
Description: The same person as in Northern Rebirth, but a bit settled.
Locations
A particularly difficult point in the greek translation was the name of the city "Dwarven Doors". I finally went for Θυρόγαια (pronounced Thy-ró-ge-a), a word comprising of θυρα, ancient greek for door, and Gaia, greek for earth, soil. It should mean something like Doors of the earth, and it is the coolest-sounding word that still resembles an actual city name.
The South Guard
Story • Walkthrough • Dialogue • Translators • Discussion • [Derived from story not the Forum Resources] • Statistics • Maintained by zookeeper |
Deoran
Description: Young, of noble birth - therefore he may appear a bit naiv in the beginning and may use a higher type of language - anyhow, he is a soldier at least by heart.
Sir Gerrick
Description: Deorans mentor. An officer and hero - rather by deeds than birth; speaking blunt, if needed.
Urza Afalas
Description: An outlaw-leader forced into the forests longing to return to civilization, even with lying. Somehow a normal person having a peasant's cunning.
Ethiliel
Description: A big-headed female elf, disciple of Mebrin. Becoming more and more self-reliant and shakes off the elvish racist arrogance while living through its foul outcomes (Mal M'Brin, Itheldens War)
Minister Hylas
Description: A white priest - high language.
In German: There seems to be no good translation for the term "minister". Neither "Vikar", "Pfarrer", "Pastor", "Prediger" works properly imaging a fighting priest. I went for "Vater" / "Bruder" or "Pater" (as in "Bruder Tuck" or "Pater Brown") and put it terminological close to moncs.
Jarek
Description: A cavalry soldier.
Urza Mathin
Description: An outlaw-leader without the brain of Urza Afalas.
Queen Xeila
Description: Queen of a Naga-clan, hostile and speaking "snakish" with interfering "Hss"-sounds.
In German: The "Hss"-sounds translate quite nice by lisping - but go for "Harry-Potter-Parselmouth" rather than "Terry-Pratchetts-Igor".
Mal M'Brin
Description: An elvish sage gone rogue and undead.
Ithelden
Description: Elvish marshal, waging the "righteous war" against the humans.
Eliomir
Description: Elvish ranger, helping Sir Gerrick.
Eastern Invasion
Story • Walkthrough • Dialogue • Translators • Discussion • [yet no used Forum Resources] • Statistics • Maintained by zookeeper |
Dacyn
Description: Dacyn is a 92 years old white mage [2].
Gweddry
The main character of the campaign. A new commander who hasn't been trained much yet at the beginning of the campaign. Rather cowardly to start with, but experiences character growth.
Owaec
Commander of the northern outpost. A noble of the horse clans.
Mal-Ravanal
The ancient lich behind the titular Eastern Invasion and the main antagonist of the campaign. Had previously competed with Dacyn to be an advisor to the king, but then became evil and fled. In other words, the two of them have past history with one another. Mal-Ravanal is extremely powerful and can teleport. His forces also appear in Dead Water, although he himself does not.
Konrad II
King of Wesnoth at the time; successor to Haldric VII (according to the timeline). Uses the royal "we" in his speech.
Grug
An ogre. Has rather stupid-sounding speech as many ogres do. In Grug's case, the stupidity comes from his mangling of syntax. Think like Yoda from Star Wars, except stupid instead of wise.
Engineer
An unnamed Red Mage found in the Northlands. Speaks with a heavy accent. Offers to blow up a bridge in exchange for protection.
Pelathsil
A xenophobic dwarf who fights against all who would encroach on what he considers dwarvish land. In English, he has the usual Scottish accent that most dwarves have.
Mal-Skraat
One of Mal-Ravanal's underlings; seeks a promotion.
Volas
Some random elf that Gweddry can possibly come across, depending on which branching story path he takes.
Elandin
A xenophobic elf who fights against all who would encroach on what he considers elvish land.
Dead Water
Story • Walkthrough • Dialogue • Translators • Discussion • [Derived from story not the Forum Resources] • Statistics • Maintained by beetlenaut |
In German, I felt the need to introduce some more vocabulary related to the sea; mainly, I used Gwabbo for this purpose.
Kai Krellis
Kai Krellis is the son of the King of the merfolk, who succeeds to the crown while being a child.
In German, I changed the writing to "Cai", as Kai is a common Christian name in German. But changing it to "Cai" looks old fashioned and it still sounds as an abbreviation to "Kaiser" (which is "Emperor" in German). So it fits quite nice.
Cylanna
A mermaid priestess and a counselor to Kai Krellis. Should speak a high language.
Gwabbo
A veteran of the merfolk fighters and a counselor to Kai Krellis.
In German I added some "nautical wording" and went for a little north-german dialect as this one is related to the sea.
Growloff
A weired person that tames sea monsters and argues resembling "Hagrid" from "Harry Potter".
Tyegëa
A mermaid high-priestess and the unknown grandmother to Kai Krellis. She is a bit unpredictable.
In German I gave her a snobby attitude. Discussing with Cylanna, I tried to assume that they both still remember having a long lasting tiff (tendency "mother-in-law", or "elder sister").
Inky
Growloff's favourite "pet", after the former's defeat, the latter is given to Kai Krellis' army and lives in the royal castle till his old age.
Caladon
A middle aged Silver Mage who desires the Sword of Fire and to retrieve it he's willing to do anything.
Keshan
A drake who has been prisoner of the Saurians and later disowned by his fellows for being merfolk's ally. He later comes back to Bilheld and becomes Drake's new leader.
Siddry
A poacher, also kept prisoner by Saurians along with Keshan and Teelöa, who later helps merfolk to retrieve the Fire Sword.
Son of the Black Eye
Story • Walkthrough • Dialogue • Translators • Discussion • Forum Resources • Statistics • Maintained by zookeeper |
With Version 1.12, the city of "Dorset" is renamed to "Dorest".
Kapou'e
Description: He is an young orkish Chief, more intelligent than his fellow orks, but as ruthless as they are. A natural leader.
In German: For Orks in general, I tried to stick to main clauses and tried to avoid subordinate clauses. Additionally, I aimed for ominous mystery-style-sentences (like "Wer Wind sät, wird Sturm ernten"). Of course, orcs are not "noble savages" (like Karl May's Winnetou), but the rest fits the "Böser Indianer"-stereotype (tribes, fighting each other, physical strength as important social attribute, brutality) from Karl May. Anyhow, this should not be overdone :).
Grüü
Description: Grüü is a young troll who decides to join Kapoue's quest.
In German, he uses a simplified and often wrong grammar that fits his simple approaches to reality, e.g. shown by Grüü in the scenario "Back home": "Of course. Squash elves, squash undead, squash dwarves, squash humans. Squash them all, very good plan!". He seems sometimes a little bit childish and simple, so the terms "tut/tun" and "kaputt" are used a lot.
Howgarth III
Description: "Big, fairly pot-bellied, but powerful. Bearded, something of a wild man. [..] Wielding a big greatsword or claymore. Possibly leather armour, or leather-with-plates - fairly simple. He's Northern Alliance, which (depending on which version of the history you're working from) means he's from a relatively poor group descended from slaves, and fairly far from civilisation." [3] "Howgarth. I was aiming for a slightly wild look, a bruiser rather than a thinker." [4]
Shan Taum
Description: "Arrogant, but smart orc with leadership qualities - opponent of Kapou'e and his late father; uses an offending and arrogant language."
Flar'Tar
Partner to Al'Brock. Prejudiced against trolls. Occasionally puts himself in more dangerous situations than Al'Brock does.
Vrag
Description: A smart goblin rider, who favors evasive maneuvers over battles and is a counselor to Kapou'e.
Earl Lanbec'h
The main antagonist of the campaign.
Al'Brock
Description: "Flar'Tar came out tall and relatively skinny. I'd like Al'Brock to be short and dumpy, just for contrasting purposes =D" [5] "He looks like the 'GET OFF MOI LAAAAND' type =D" [6]
Vraurk
Description: A young orcish shaman
Pirk
Description: An orcish shaman
Gork
Description: An old orcish shaman
Jetto
Description: An assassin.
Under the Burning Sun
Story • Walkthrough • Dialogue • Translators • Discussion • [yet no used Forum Resources] • Statistics • Maintained by cycholka |
Kaleh
Nym
Zhul
Garak
Elyssa
Eloh/Yechnagoth
Melusand
Esanoo
The Explorer
Grog
Rogrimir
Cloaked Figure/Keratur
Tanstafaal
Sergeant Durstrag
See Also
- Some introductory words on translation philosophy
- Mainline campaign hub for walkthrough, storyline and the developers discussion thread
- Central campaign dialogue page
- Background on Wesnoths races but see also Races and of course their Secret Lore
- History_of_Wesnoth
- Detailed campaign analysis by the stalled (?) Lore Collection Project here or here - preliminary analyses exist for EI, SoF, DiD, TRoW.
- some technical help for translators might provide TranslatorShellscript
- TextdomainStatus will tell you, if it makes sense to translate a certain mainline campaign now, or to wait.
- Some entry points for forum discussions (from translators of different languages) about "how to translate (Wose, Naga, Merfolk, etc.)" can be found in the TranslatorsGuide or use the "search" function of the forum board.
- An IC-Counterpart of this page is WesnothFigures (stub).