**"Chilling Tales: The Revel Collection"**
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### **Introduction**
**The Birth of Kolvan**
*«Woe to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity!«* (Habakkuk 2:12).
— Avvakum Petrov (1620–1682), archpriest, leader and ideologist of the Old Believers, writer.
### **Harold’s Forbidden Love**
In the ancient, faded yet still mighty castle of Elsinore, a forgotten, sorrowful tale lingers. Here, within these walls — once silent witnesses to the tragedy of Prince Hamlet, immortalized by Shakespeare’s pen — another legend unfolded. A legend of forbidden love, a sister’s sacrifice, and the miraculous birth of the fair land of Kolvan.
Harold, a prince of royal blood, had always felt like an outsider amidst courtly intrigues. His true passion lay in the world of art and literature; he spent hours in the castle library, finding solace in the quiet wisdom of books. Behind his cold façade of indifference hid a soul yearning for true beauty and profound understanding.
One day, during a solitary walk through the royal gardens, fate brought him face to face with Nils, a young artist from the Guild of Saint Luke. Nils’ free spirit and fiery nature, reflected in his vivid paintings, ignited a long-smoldering flame in Harold’s heart. For the first time, he felt truly seen — not as a high-ranking noble, but as a man. Their friendship quietly deepened into affection, then into a forbidden love that blossomed despite all dangers.
They met in secret, savoring every stolen moment, yet the shadow of discovery loomed over them. Their hidden trysts
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