Welcominarium
Evora, 1428
In the winding alleys of Evora, a city buzzing with merchants and street poets, tales of an ancient book were whispered among the traders. This wasn’t any ordinary tome, but a manuscript detailing the secret craft of automata, lifelike machines said to mimic both human thought and soul. One particularly ambitious merchant heard of the book’s whereabouts – somewhere north of the city, deep in the Bosque de Ferro. And so, he set out in search of adventurers daring enough to accompany him.
The merchant gathered three curious figures:
- Beatriz, a shrewd minor trader who knew every backroad between Coimbra and Salamanca and was as sharp in negotiation as she was with her hidden blade.
- Bento Rios, a herbalist whose knowledge of forest remedies was unparalleled, though he preferred the company of plants to people.
- And lastly, Pedro Cabral, a cutthroat with a reputation for loose morals and a well-worn dagger.
Into the Bosque de Ferro
Their journey was guided, at first, by a ragged wanderer with a glazed look and foggy memory, claiming he had seen “something extraordinary” in the woods. The group followed this strange guide through winding paths and shadowed groves until he stopped abruptly, muttered incoherently, and wandered back - he was not going ahead.
Left on their own, they ventured further until they stumbled upon a sight they hadn’t anticipated. Among the trees stood a large, glinting automaton clad in a vibrant colourful sari. The machine greeted them in a surprisingly warm voice.
“I am Cambrios, keeper of the cape,” it intoned with a bow. The travelers stared, astonished, as Cambrios told them of a reclusive magician named Riblerim, who had taken the book of automata into his dimension-shifting abode, Riblerim’s Interesting Place. Cambrios, however, needed their help to reach it.
A Ride into Riblerim’s Cape
The group agreed, and Cambrios led them to a gateway formed of curling iron tracks. Once inside, they were taken by surprise as the ground below them shifted and became rails - a roller coaster. Their seats glided smoothly into a portal that swirled with strange, phosphorescent colours. Their ride ended abruptly at the Welcominarium – a vast, hat like hall.
Cadoriel, a purple elf-like person, with a musical voice, explained they can withdraw rupees for a toll of “secrets.” Each of them traded a personal truth—some trivial, some profound—in exchange for the Park’s money.
From the Welcominarium they reached the Replica Tower, a marvel of toy architecture atop the horizon sea of liquid gold. The group was ushered inside, where they explored a winding library lined with books, each containing a single word. Here they found chocolates wrapped in iridescent foil and a pair of golden scissors, though the elusive book on automata remained hidden.
Of Tailors and Looms
Further exploration led them to a grand bedroom, adorned with tapestries. They dressed in fine garments before going upstairs to speak with Mustafo in his venerable suit, finding a sense of surreal comfort in the elaborate silks. After a short sleep, and a meeting with toy stone children, the automaton tailor entered, its needle-like fingers and precise gaze making it both impressive and unsettling. The group learned from Mustafo that Riblerim was located in the isle of Avalor. As the automaton continued his work, the adventurers noticed a mannequin, now visible in full, bore hauntingly lifelike features—faces frozen asking them to leave. For the mannequin dispair, Mustafo heard his plea, and killed him with a single scissors blow in the chest. He was then thrown in a pile with other dead mannequins.
Unsettled, they excused themselves, but the sight lingered with them as they continued through the magical park.
The Loom and the Grease Fire
Their journey took a darker turn when, on the way to the flock of ducks and horse boats, they came upon a large loom, its gears grinding ominously as it began to pull at their direction warps of binding clothing, almost as if trying to weave them into a tapestry.
In their hurried escape, they set a patch of grease on fire. The golden sea itself seemed to ripple in response, as if affronted by their trespass. Alarms blared, and the park’s sentient security force— a person in a large horse-like boat—descended upon them.
Battered and singed, the group was expelled from Riblerim’s Interesting Place, left in the shadowed forest once more. Though they had only found a clue to the book, they had glimpsed wonders, crossed paths with unnatural beings, and tangled with ancient secrets – and somehow, that felt like a reward in itself.