Welcome, everyone!

The one you're about to read is a novelization of a series of adventures I have written for the 1st Edition of the famous tabletop game "Pathfinder", which I have quickly become a fan of! To the point where I decided to try my luck at worldbuilding and creating an entire campaign setting of my own, by taking inspiration from several other games and fictional works - among which, other tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons, Warhammer Fantasy, Lex Arcana and the Italian-only Kata Kumbas.

This story is set in the fictional land of Tilea, which is basically an high fantasy version of Italy in the early Middle Ages. Hopefully it will turn out to be enough of a fascinating place, and it will provide for some exciting adventures for the original characters that will be introduced here.

I also need to thank my friend Xamusel for all the support he gave me, in terms of emotional support, ideas and anything else!

Dario, Pandora, Gunter, Nisa, Maria, Iaco and everyone else is property of this author and Xamusel. All the other trademarks are property of their respective owners and have not been used for profit.

With that said... let us take our first steps in the land of Tilea, where the scent of basil and rosemary fills the air, and fauns and nymphs frolic in the woods.

Happy reading!

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NEXOS CHRONICLES: MADNESS RISING

Prologue - Welcome to Grisborgo

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The Bo River was calm and peaceful, and a thick fog enveloped the river port of Grisborgo, creating an atmosphere of mystery and disquiet. Although it was only the beginning of spring, the weather was not exactly mild, and that night was especially, annoyingly moist, the cold creeping into the bones and slowing pacing to a crawl. A blanket of gloomy silence had fallen over the river city, interrupted only by the lapping of the water on the riverbeds, and by the footsteps of some lost soul who wandered the streets, using a candle or a lantern to be able to see a few inches in front of himself.

On board of a wooden barge slowly approaching the river docks, young Dario Cezar was reflecting that this wasn't exactly the most heroic or exciting way to start his adventuring career... but he wasn't the kind of guy who minded the small stuff. After all, he had found himself in far more uncomfortable situations in the past, and he had managed every time, even as such experiences had left him a much more jaded and hardened man. At this point, a slightly uncomfortable bench, the bitter cold, and the feeling of wetness were all things he didn't particularly mind.

Wrapping himself up in the black cloak that hid most of his body, the blond young man glanced at the rest of the passengers, sitting on the benches and trying to protect themselves as best they could from the cold night.

Despite only having been a couple days at most, that journey had felt like weeks. To be fair, Dario hadn't been all that willing to get close to the people in there. A lifetime spent in the seedy, dangerous streets of Auridanio, dodging ruthless guards and fellow street urchins, struggling to steal or scrounge together enough money to feed oneself, didn't leave much in the way of trust for one's fellow men.

But some of the people sitting in the same barge as himself seemed to have different ideas. Especially the young girl who was now sitting next to him - she was probably sixteen or seventeen, with blonde hair tied in a long ponytail, dressed in a rather down-to-earth manner, although she did not look like her family really wanted for anything. She was wearing an ankle-length earth-colored dress over a slightly worn white shirt, and a pair of work shoes. The thing Dario had noticed immediately, however, were her eyes - one blue and one green, almost hypnotic in their beauty, complementing her innocent, vivacious beauty in a way that left Dario quite intrigued, even though he was not going to be so obvious about it.

Beside her sat a quiet-looking red-haired dwarf with matching, well-kept mustache and a neatly trimmed beard, dressed in a leather jacket with a pair of long trousers and yellow traveler's boots. A heavy cloth cloak was wrapped around his torso, but it did nothing to hide a particularly large and bulky object tied behind his back, which Dario assumed was a weapon. The dwarf sat in silence, his demeanor stoic and serious just as his race is usually described as, and sometimes took a look outside, showing some slight discomfort at travelling on water.

Sitting at the opposite end of the bench was a graceful female elf – her pointed ears, her slightly almond-shaped eyes with almost glittering pupils, and her delicate features made it impossible not to recognize her as such - with long curly hair of an unusual emerald green color, wearing fairly revealing clothes that recalled the dark, vibrant green of a forest in full bloom. Her green bodice and her boots that seemed to be made of interwoven leaves, her earth-colored trousers, and an headband made of flowers and leaves adorning her head - all of that made for the appearance of someone who enjoyed living in the untamed wilds, in contact with nature and animals.

The younger girl had been the one to initiate conversation – and though at first Dario had been somewhat evasive and standoffish, he had found himself willing to chat a little with her and her friends. As it turned out, in spite of their different appearances, those three were all from the same region of Tilea, a town called Livizei, located in the north-western mountains, and had been friends for quite a long time.

The blonde girl with the dual-colored eyes, Pandora Bartoli, had turned out to be the adopted daughter of a couple of farmers; the dwarf, who went by the name of Gunter, was a guide and a woodsman in the small community of Livizei; and the elven girl, who simply went by the name of Nisa, was a member of a small community of elves settled near the mountain village, and was apparently an initiate in her community's druidic circle.

Dario certainly couldn't miss just how unusual friendship between a dwarf and an elf was, but he didn't really dwell on it too much – after all, life is always full of surprises, and stranger things had certainly happened in a country as diverse and full of ancient lore as Tilea.

Still, the other two passengers on the boat were still a mystery to him, in much ways. Also wrapped in their heavy cloaks to protect themselves from the cold of the night, sat a young human woman - as far as Dario could see - with long black hair and a slightly tanned complexion; and a small figure, little more than three feet tall, whose hood completely covered his face. Dario guessed it must have been a gnome or a Halfling, but he didn't really have enough elements to say. They sat in silence, occasionally exchanging a few words in low voices, and looked like they weren't at all interested in the other passengers.

"Here we are." Nisa's clear voice broke the silence as the emerald-haired female elf looked in the direction of the docks that were getting closer and closer. Due to the thick fog, the helmsman maneuvered cautiously, and the passengers estimated that it would take some time before they could disembark and complete the necessary formalities. "Welcome to Grisborgo. A city of merchants, travelers and scoundrels. Even now, the idea that we're about to spend several days in there kinda rankles me."

"Heh. Can't say I don't get where yer comin' from, elf. If it were up to me, I'd still be sitting in my cabin in Livizei, in front of a nice burning fireplace." Gunter stated, stretching his shoulders. Being a dwarf, a race who was more accustomed to the underground, he could handle the humid weather better than his companions, but he still couldn't blame them for feeling under the weather. "But... what the heck, if this is where our investigation has led us, then this is where we need to start."

"If I can ask," Dario ventured in a clear voice. The hood he wore on his head pulled back a little, allowing the trio of mountain dwellers to see the boy's dark blond hair, and his blue-to-gray eyes - a somewhat unusual color, though not as unusual as Pandora's differently colored eyes. "Can I ask you what you are looking for, here in Grisborgo?"

"It's quite simple, actually... recently, some strange events have occurred near my hometown. Several animals have disappeared, only to be substitutes by odd creatures of strange shapes and sizes... plants have grown that shouldn't even be there... and we have the feeling that something very strange, and perhaps even dangerous, is about to happen." replied Pandora, whose voice had a pleasant tone that would have been difficult to associate with a peasant woman. "Gunter, here, has been investigating... and has come to the conclusion that we could find clues as to what lies behind all this here, in Grisborgo."

"As it turns out, many of the strange animals that appeared around Livizei around this time come from here… and from other places in Tilea, to be honest" the dwarf went on, smoothing his beard a little. "We still don't know where to look exactly, but... well, I guess that if one goes looking around with some prudence, we'll be able to find the information we need. In the meantime... the three of us will make like we're a bunch of adventurers looking for employment."

"I see." Dario said. "You could say that I'm looking for something important to me myself."

"I hope you can find that." Nisa said with a nod, feeling sympathetic to the young man's plight. "Indeed... since we're in this together, and we don't know exactly where to look at first... don't you think it might be a good idea to team up? Your name is... Dario Cezar, right? Well, if you were willing to join our so-called party, you'd be more than welcome. Right, guys? "

"Absolutely, Nisa! After all, don't they say that 'the more, the merrier'?" Pandora said enthusiastically. "You wash my hand, I wash yours… and both hands wash the face!"

Gunter shrugged. "No objection. As long as the boy knows how to do it." he stated. He looked towards Dario, who gave the impression of pondering the green-haired elf's proposal. "So, what do you say, boy? Are you thinking about it?"

After a moment of thinking about it, Dario decided that he might as well accept. After all, he mused, one never knows what might happen, and it would be a good idea to have someone reliable at one's side. Besides, the young man thought, they seemed like good people, and it would be worth it to lend them a hand. Sure, he'd be careful - growing up on the streets of Auridanio had taught Dario not to trust anyone too easily – but his instinct told him these people were just what they came across as – travelers who could use a hand.

"Okay, I don't see why not." he finally answered, still maintaining a neutral expression. "I'm in."

The blonde girl with the mismatched eyes, Pandora, clenched her hands into fists and gave a short exclamation of delight. "Yay! Wonderful, now we are an actual party!" she exclaimed. Dario blinked in surprise. What did she mean by 'party', exactly?

"Thanks for your help, Dario." Nisa continued, and Gunter nodded an affirmative, without saying a word. "We will also help you find what you are looking for."

"Much appreciated." the blond lad answered, smiling slightly in turn.

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The two passengers sitting on the opposite side of the cabin didn't seem interested in the conversation... but the small cloaked figure was actually keeping his ears peeled and paying attention to the four other people's every gesture. Taking care not to attract attention, he shifted on the bench, approaching the young woman he was traveling with. Then, he scratched three times on the wood, in an almost rhythmic manner. It was clearly a signal between the two of them, in order to convey that there was something to discuss about, and in fact the tanned brunette leaned slightly towards her tiny partner to listen to what he had to say.

"It is clear." whispered the smaller humanoid in a strangely harsh and strident voice. "They are not danger. They here in Grisborgo for their own business."

The woman nodded slightly, almost imperceptibly so. "Glad I can count on your sharp ears, Iaco." She whispered. "You're a life saver here..."

"Hey, Maria always helped Iaco. Only fair that Iaco help her." the little guy answered. "Seen anyone weird around here?"

"No, not yet." Maria answered in a whisper. "Anyway, let's keep an eye out for those four. I have the feeling that they are not just anyone. There is that blonde girl, for instance, who seems to be more than meets the eye. Did you notice how her eyes were?"

"Blue eye and green eye, yes." Iaco answered. If anyone could see his face under the hood of his cloak, they would have seen his eyes narrowing, either in suspicion or in concentration. Whatever it was, Pandora had caught his attention. "Iaco feels magical power in her. Very strange. Different from Iaco's."

"I know jack about these arcane matters, so I trust your judgment." Maria answered with a shrug. "In any case, better keep an eye on them for a while. Who knows... maybe they could become allies. You never know."

"Iaco not sure... Iaco not trust humans. Only Maria." He answered, his voice took on a darker and more spiteful tone. His companion said nothing, just resting her head on the palm of one hand. She couldn't exactly blame him, but at the same time... "Sure... they not all bad. But they never let speak!"

In an attempt to drop the subject before Iaco could get upset, the black-haired young woman looked out, and saw that the dock was now very close. A few more minutes, and then they'd be getting off at last. "Okay, Iaco. But now let's get ready, for now. We have to get off here and go through the customs." she stated. "After we enter Grisborgo, we will think of what to do. We need to make sure they aren't looking for me, after all..."

Iaco nodded slowly, and the boat rolled for a few moments, before the screams of the sailors and the workers, both on land and on deck, signaled the start of the mooring operations. Sitting on his bench, Dario took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the cold and humid air of the foggy night of Grisborgo ...

"Here we go." he said to himself, glancing at the bronze ring he wore on his right hand - a ring roughly chiseled to resemble a four-leaf clover. "This is where my search begins... finally, I might be able to know something more about this ring... and about myself, too..."

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TO BE CONTINUED...