Raza Soora
Raza Soora was a mute Indian servant in the employ of the Assassin Arbaaz Mir. He is an ancestor to MysoreTech programmer Jot Soora.
Biography
Early life
Born in the slums as part of the Shudras caste, Raza Soora served the higher castes as a servant to Hamid, the leader of the Indian Brotherhood of Assassins. Suffering much abuse by the Assassin Mentor due to his clumsiness, Raza was eventually saved from his predicament in 1839, when Hamid was visited by his old friend Arbaaz Mir.
Bought for one gold Mohur, Raza was promised freedom in exchange for helping Arbaaz acquire the Koh-i-Noor, a First Civilization artifact. By posing as a servant, he would make the Assassin's impersonation of a Kashmiri emissary more credible, thus facilitating their entry into the summer palace. To this end, Arbaaz wiped away the mark on Raza's forehead, which had designated him as part of the Shudras, to make their disguise more convincing.
Search for the Koh-i-Noor
Since Arbaaz believed Ranjit Singh to be wearing a fake Koh-i-Noor on his person when appearing in public, their goal was to locate the Maharaja's Tosha Kana, a treasure room of sorts where the real diamond would be kept. Thanks to their cover, the pair were able to enter the palace and, following a conversation with William Hay Macnaghten and general Cotton, witnessed the Maharajah handing over the fake Koh-i-Noor to his treasurer Bustee Ram.
While Raza followed the treasurer to Ranjit Singh's treasure room, Arbaaz Mir secretly spent a moment of intimacy with the Maharajah's granddaughter Pyara Kaur. The pair then reunited, following which Raza led Arbaaz to the hidden chamber beneath the palace. Although the room initially looked to be a dead end, Raza managed to activate a mechanism, revealing an underground passage hidden underneath a fountain.
Having arrived in the Tosha Kana, the pair found a chest containing the diamond, but Arbaaz quickly realized it was a mere replica, prompting the pair to continue searching. After stumbling upon statues and illusionary walls left by the First Civilization, Raza discovered the real Koh-i-Noor in a pool of water in the hands of a statue of Durga. The young boy reached for it and was suddenly beset upon by a luminiscent tiger, though Arbaaz quickly reassured Raza that it too was a mere illusion. The pair took the Koh-i-Noor and made their way back, unaware of the fact that general Cotton, a Templar had followed them into the catacombs.
Upon their return to ground level, Arbaaz was arrested by Singh's men, who had been alerted by Cotton and Macnaghten. Still, the Assassin was able to swap the Koh-i-Noor with the fake diamond, allowing Raza to escape with the real artifact. While running, the young boy encountered the princess Pyara Kaur, who was saddened by the realization that her lover had been a mere thief. Dazzled by her beauty and moved by her tears, Raza tried to console her by giving her the Koh-i-Noor.
With the diamond in her possession, the princess then went to confront the imprisoned Arbaaz, with Raza following. The Assassin managed to convince Pyara into freeing him, claiming he could save her grandfather, who was in danger of being killed by the British. As soon as he was freed, however, Arbaaz revealed he had no intentions of protecting the Maharajah, still believing Raza to be in possession of the Koh-i-Noor. Upon his discovery that this was not the case, Arbaaz sent a scolding look in Raza's direction, before departing to go save Ranjit Singh.
Fight at the summer palace
Ordering Raza to wait for him on the rooftops, Arbaaz went in alone, but despite his efforts, failed to prevent Ranjit Singh from drinking the poisoned tea. While the Assassin was engaged in conflict with the Maharajah's guards, who had been led to believed Arbaaz was the true culprit, Raza made his way into the palace's exterior. There, he witnessed the princess being grabbed by Cotton and rushed to her aid.
Scratching at the general's face, Raza's intervention allowed Pyara to free herself, though he was soon overpowered himself. Before Cotton was able to kill Raza, Pyara activated the Koh-i-Noor, causing her to become possessed by a member of the First Civilization.
Horrified by the being that manifested itself, Cotton drew his gun and fired upon it several times, hitting the precious jewel in the process and causing it to shatter into pieces. Reacting quickly, Arbaaz managed to save Raza's life by diving with him into a nearby pool, thus avoiding the subsequent explosion that took place.
Trivia
- Raza, رضاء, is an Arabic name meaning "satisfaction, contentment".
Gallery
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Concept art of Raza Soora -
Raza as a baby -
Raza observing the meeting between Arbaaz and Macnaghten -
Raza and Arbaaz in an underground chamber
References
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