PROLOGUE

A long time ago, in a remote and dark age, the pathways of four travelers meet on a quiet bank river. They had traveled long, confronting hostile lands and other adversities, but they never lost their capacity to dream. In the waving light of the bivouac, the four friends spoke for a long time, revealing themselves to each other. The oldest, an excellent cook, could embroider a weave of precious and marvelous stories. The second, a poet of design, could tell fables with the same ability with which he invented them. The third, a practical person, was a cultivator of nature and history. The forth, a master of the pen, knew how to weave with identical skill both complicated stories and shining glass jewels. They decided, since they were tired of traveling, that the place was beautiful and could be lived in and to settle there. Other travellers crossed the district, following the wide river or walking along the green grassland, spotted with poppies. Some did decide to go on, but others stopped, and the initial camp became a village, followed by a citadel, a craddle of art and fantasy. Thou also, seafaring friend, can cross the threshold, discovering the luminous side of the Dark Age.

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