User:Soranin/Sandbox4

The Great Symposium

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• Basim: The symposium should be here. Baghdad's brightest, sharing their wisdom.

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• Scholar: I am excited about Fazil's lecture! He will share the wisdom of the universe.
• Scholar: Nonsense. We have already learned everything there is to know. Nothing more will be discovered.

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• Basim: Pardon me, I am looking for the Great Scholar's lecture.
• Kahraman: Fazil Fahim's lecture about the antediluvian antecedents of humanity will begin soon. In the meantime, please enjoy our ample stock of exquisite delicacies and tasty refreshments.

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[00:47 - 01:25]

[01:31 - 01:48]

[01:55 - 02:32]

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• Basim: There is that poet Tabid loves, whose work keeps turning up in unexpected places.

[03:07 - 03:25]

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• Arib: Yes?
• Basim: Symmetry of sky and sea, but only in thine eye do these two planes meet.
• Arib: You have read my work. And who might you be?
• Basim: A lover of poetry, nothing more. And of order ... or should I say chaos?
• Arib: I know only one living poet who loves chaos that much, Ali ibn Muhammad. Are you a fan of his pedestrian work?
• Basim: The rivalry between you two is legendary, it enhances the craft. I cannot choose.
• Arib: You are most diplomatic, but I would rather seek inspiration among these lovely blooms. Good day.

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• Kahraman: Attention, Symposium attendees! The Great Scholar's lecture will begin after a short delay. Meanwhile, enjoy our bounteous snacks and the sparkling wit of your fellow guests.

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• Nehal: Hey, Nine-Fingers! Over here! I told you I'd see you around.
• Basim: Indeed. And what brings you back?
• Nehal: I want to show you something.

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• Nehal: These House of Wisdom bores collect the wildest trinkets and gadgets.
• Basim: I have been here before, Nehal. This is Ahmad ibn Musa's office. Have you been sneaking in there?

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• Nehal: Ahmad and his brothers are capable of designing some fantastic devices.
• Basim: Not all of his ideas are that practical, I'm afraid.
• Nehal: Don't be so smug, the world is full of wonders.

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• Nehal: Does this remind you of your nightmares?
• Basim: No. More like something from the Bimaristan. Or a training chart of the Hidden Ones.
• Nehal: Ah, yes. The swift ways to kill silently. Death in seconds.

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• Nehal: It gives me a tingle down my spine. Like I'm nearing a cosmic secret.
• Basim: You read too much about magicians and lost cities buried beneath the dunes.
• Nehal: You don't read enough. Perhaps there are other worlds, other people, out among the stars.
• Basim: Nonsense.

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• Basim: This. I have seen this before. Is this what you wanted to show me?
• Nehal: Yes. It reminded me of that object we found at the palace. What is it?
• Basim: A drawing from an ancient book.
• Nehal: There is something you are not telling me.
• Basim: You do not want to know what happens behind closed doors.
• Nehal: Why? Because you do not know either?
• Basim: Because, as Dervis says, sometimes it is better not to know the truth behind the things we must do.
• Nehal: The truth, Basim, is that everything is here, in front of you, but you refuse to look at it. This is about you. It has always been about you, ever since that night...
• Basim: I took an oath, Nehal. To leave my old life behind and walk this path of shadows.
• Nehal: And maybe some day you will find the light. But until then I will walk behind you, every step of the way, to remind you not to forget who you are.
• Basim: Is that a threat?
• Nehal: I do not know.

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• Basim: Sounds like the lecture is about to begin. I should return to the Kahraman (chief servant).

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• Basim: Pardon me, is Fazil Fahim's lecture ready to begin?
• Kahraman: Indeed it is. Head inside, if you please.

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• Fazil: Welcome, one and all, to the House of Wisdom, center of learning in Baghdad. Indeed, of the entire world. I am Fazil Fahim al-Kemsa, first scholar of the House of Wisdom, wisest of the wise. Today I will shock you with what may sound like outrageous blasphemies. Do not fear, good people. Though I am old, my mind remains sharp as steel. Today I speak of mysteries, of creatures from the antediluvian age. Do not the ancient prophets tell us about giants from before the flood, who forsook Allah and worshipped false idols? Is it not possible that these giants built marvels, works of wondrous power now lost to us?

Basim made his way to the front of the audience and readied his Hidden Blade, as Kahraman approached Fazil to whisper in his ear.

• Kahraman: Zahra and Hassan are both death, slain by an assassin's blade.
• Fazil: They're dead?
• Kahraman: Sayyidi, I urge you to hide until it's safe.

Kahraman then spoke towards the crowd while Fazil left.

• Kahraman: Apologies people, but our lecture has concluded. Please, feel free to explore the House of Wisdom's many fine chambers.

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• Basim: You call yourself "the Great Scholar", Fazil. You who burn books and hope the smoke will hide your crimes. How many did you sacrifice in your search for knowledge? How many did you use, damage and discard in the name of discovery? Now you hide within the House of Wisdom, the house you led astray. But I will find you, and I will exact jsutice for every soul you savaged for your "Great Work".

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Assassinate Fazil the Great Scholar The leader of the Order in Abbasiyah goes by Al-Rabisu, an ancient Mesopotamian word for "demon". Now he stands revealed as Fazil al-Kemsa, the Great Scholar of the House of Wisdom. From ilicitly acquiring valuable books to conducting unholy experiments on human subjects, he is a living example of the perversion of knowledge. The Great Symposium has revealed him. Now it's time to strike. LOOK FOR intel to uncover Al-Rabisu's location

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• Basim: It is true! Fazil leads the Order in Abbasiyah. I need to hunt him down.

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• Al-Farghani: The old fraud Fazil went into hiding.
• Arib: How exciting! What do you think frightened the Great Scholar?
• Al-Farghani: The old fool must have imagined one of his antediluvian creatures. He's an absolute disgrace.
• Arib: But where did he run off to?
• Hunayn: There's rumors of hidden passages beneath the House of Wisdom. Maybe he hid down there.
• Al-Farghani: I have heard the rooftop gardener mention these places, yes.
• Arib: What a colorful detail to include in my verse! "The scholar by secret tunnels fled, chased by delusions of deities who want him dead!"

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11:55 - 12:11
12:19 - 13:14
13:24 - 13:35
13:48 - 14:11
18:46 - 19:00

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The Lovers’ Rendezvous

Dearly beloved,

Fazil's work, despite its flaws, has inspired me to bravery. Meet me on the stairway down the hall. I'll be waiting with our favorite piece of literature.

- Aisha

• Basim: Looks like somebody left a book in the stairwell.

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Caretaker Instructions

Caretaker,

I have new instructions regarding the library's book collection. Books authored by the Great Scholar Fazil must be held in a special collection for security reasons.

Specifically, the title of his book on astronomy is being used as a coded phrase.

Burn this note upon receipt.

- Guard Captain,
House of Wisdom

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The Folly of Poetry

"...Furthermore, poetry distracts young scholars from their proper and primary duty of soaking up the wisdom dripping from their superiors. Students must behave like sponges, absorbing knowledge, not like foolish barnyard animals, their passions aroused by useless verses..."

This is an excerpt of a short work questioning the value of poetry, written by the Great Scholar, Fazil Fahim.

• Basim: The Folly of Poetry by Fazil Fahim. Does not sound too romantic, to be honest.

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Many Thanks

My friend,

Many thanks for granting me access to the privace reading balcony in the northwest. I find it ideal for my discreet astronomical observations.

I may have left Fazil's astronomy text there. Did anyone find it?

- Shabir the Star-wise

• Basim: This letter mentions a private reading balcony. Might be where the reader has taken the book.

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23:43 - 23:55
24:57 - 25:10

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The Great Scholar Commands

Staff,

Yes, it is true our scholars need a clean work space. But do not disturb me with trivia about cleaning, dusting, and lost books. Show some initiative!

I am busy with my Great Work in the basement. Further interruptions shall result in a flogging.

- Fazil Fahim
Great Scholar of the House of Wisdom

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Threatening Letter

Al-Rabisu,

You consider yourself the great scholar, do you not? And as you will tell anything with cars, Alruh is your great work? Why then, with such an abundance of greatness, is there such lack of progress?

You gave assurances. I expect you to honor them.

- Al-Mardikhwar

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28:13 - 28:23

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• Basim: There is a deep wrongness here, a reek of rot and iron.

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Robing is Mandatory

No subjects shall enter if they are not wearing their robes. You may find the appropriate garb in the room ajoining the recuperation cells.

• Basim: Those robes might help me get closer to Fazil.

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• Basim: What have they done to these people?

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• Basim: Poor guy will not need this anymore.

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• Basim: This should help me blend in.

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• Civilian: Please ... take me back there, I don't belong here. Where is my robe? I can't meet the scholar without my special robe! This world doesn't look right. Someone, take me back to the bright, shiny place.

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• Guard: Next subject, in here now!
• Basim: There are horrors here. But the most terrifying thing is that I have seen it all before. Somehow.

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• Fazil: Who dares meddle with my Great Work? Killing my allies and spoiling my lecture, it's an outrage.
• The Fist of Wisdom: It looks like the handiwork of a trained assassin.
• Fazil: Must be some faction in the Round City. Or one of those jealous brutes in Sharqiyah.
• The Fist of Wisdom: These killings were too subtle for mercenaries.
• Fazil: No matter! Once I understand how the mechanism works, I will prove myself to Al-Bahamut.

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• The Fist of Wisdom: In here, lackwit.

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• Fazil: You are new, aren't you? I don't recognize you. They promised you gold when you volunteered, yes? No matter, what you are about to behold surpasses all worldly riches. Don't be afraid. Are you afraid?

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• Fazil: This is my Great Work. I call it Alruh. It will take you on a journey to another realm. Why did the Frist Ones leave this world behind filled with fools, I wonder? And make so few of me? We call this the House of Wisdom, but its foundations are unsound. For beneath the House of Wisdom lies the Dungeon of Ignorance. And upon such dark secrets we build our philosophies. Science is the noblest purpose. Knowledge is the greatest power.
• Basim: No.
• Fazil: No? Then what?

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• Fazil: Argh...
• Basim: Justice.

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• Fazil: This may be the place. It may be here where lies absolute knowledge. It ... it is not how I remember it. Behind the doors. It looked ... brighter.
• Basim: But in the end, all we see is darkness.

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• Basim: I need to get out of here, get back to Tabid.

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A Job Well Done

• Nehal: Basim ibn Is'haq.
• Basim: How did you find this place?
• Nehal: Easy. I just followed the trails of blood.
• Basim: You should not be here.

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• Nehal: Do you talk to him?
• Basim: Sometimes. Yes.
• Nehal: But he does not answer. I do. We have drifted apart since ... since that day. But what we have seen, back at the palace... This light. These sounds. You cannot have possibly forgotten.
• Basim: Unlike you, Nehal, I keep the past in the past.
• Nehal: You call yesterday the past? And this jinni of yours, this repulsive shadow that crushes your chest ... has it crawled back into the past too?
• Basim: No, it is still here. Sometimes, even in the day, I feel its breath on my neck. The nightmare invades the real world. Or has always been part of it.
• Nehal: This is part of your reality, Basim. I am a part of yuor reality too. I m your past. Tell me ... will you leave me there? In the dark corners of your memory?

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• Basim: I will not.

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• Tabid: Now if you could invent a mechanical rug-sweeper... Basim.
• Basim: It is done.
• Tabid: And how did it all play out?
• Basim: I am afraid this is a tale for another day. We will save it for one of our campfires.

Basim handed Tabid the bloodied feather.

• Tabid: You have done well, my friend.
• Ahmad: Better get back to my work. You know how easily I get bored. Thank you for what you did, Basim.

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• Tabid: It is the truth, you have done well. One last thing. Arib? Was she ... involved?
• Basim: Not that I know, but we must remain vigilant.

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