The Engineer (memory)

The Engineer was a virtual representation of an Alamut Hidden One apprentice's genetic memories relived through an Animus.

Description

A Hidden One is tasked with helping an engineer at Al-Banat Mountain.

Knowledge needed

• Database: A Crossroads of Cultural Influences
• Database: Mastering the Water
• Database: Rites of Passage
• Database: Tayyarahs
• Database: The Path to Eternity

Dialogue

Elevated Structures

The engineer greets you and introduces himself as Tayyib ibn Wasi. He thanks you for your assistance and begins by asking what the elevated structures that appear above the streets of the Old Town are.

RoomsShadeSupport

You explain that these structures are upper-floor rooms built over the street.

You correctly identify the Tayyarahs: upper-floor rooms that span the street, providing additional living space. This is the correct answer.

You suggest that the structures are built to provide shade for those in the streets below.

Whilst the small amount of shade would likely be appreciated by some, this is an accidental effect of the construction of these Tayyarahs. These rooms on the upper floor, spanning the street, provide additional space for the house owner.

You suggest that these structures help support the buildings on either side of the street.

These structures are built between already constructed buildings and offer no support benefits. You should have explained that they are Tayyarahs, elevated rooms that span the street and provide additional space for the house owner.

Water for Farming

Tayyib turns his attention to the oasis and the farms it sustains. He wonders how farmers channelled water from the aquifer to fields lying at a lower elevation, without the use of pumps.

QanatsWellsRainfall

You explain that they use qanats, a system of underground channels that carry water using only the natural slope of the land.

You correctly recall the qanat system, underground channels that draw water from the aquifer and carry it to the fields below using gravity alone. Tayyib is delighted by the elegance of the solution. This was the perfect answer.

You explain that wells were dug throughout the oasis, allowing people to draw water by hand.

Tayyib acknowledges that many wells were indeed dug to reach the water table. But wells alone could not supply the distant fields. That was the role of the qanats—underground channels that carried water by gravity, making large-scale farming possible.

You suggest that the farmers rely on the seasonal rains to water their crops.

Tayyib reminds you that rainfall in the region is far too unpredictable to rely upon. The farmers use qanats instead, underground channels that carry water from the aquifer to the fields using gravity.

Water at Ithlib Mountain

Finally, Tayyib turns to the sacred spaces carved into Ithlib Mountain, where no wells exist. He asks how the Nabataeans brought water to such a dry and isolated place.

Rainwater CollectionA Hidden WellCarried from the Oasis

You explain that they built a system of channels, cisterns and a reservoir to collect and store rainwater.

You correctly describe the ingenious system of channels, cisterns and a reservoir that captured and stored rainwater, supplying the sacred site with water. Tayyib nods, impressed by their foresight. This was the ideal answer.

You suggest that there must have been a concealed well somewhere within the rocks.

Tayyib shakes his head. The area is known to have no wells at all. The water was in fact supplied by a system of channels, cisterns, and a reservoir that collected rainwater.

You guess that water was carried up from the oasis whenever it was needed.

Tayyib doubts that enough water could have been carried over such a distance for every gathering. In reality, the site was supplied by an ingenious system of channels, cisterns and a reservoir that captured and stored rainwater.

Outcome

All correct answersAt least 1 wrong answerAll wrong answers

Tayyib ibn Wasi is thrilled by the depth of your understanding of the region's ingenuity. He thanks you warmly and presents you with a fragment of an ancient Nabataean inscription, certain that your shared discoveries will enrich his studies.

Tayyib ibn Wasi is grateful for your help, despite a few moments of confusion along the way. He leaves you with a fragment of an ancient Nabataean inscription before setting off to continue his studies.

Tayyib ibn Wasi appreciates your attempt to help, but is left with more questions than answers. He entrusts you with a fragment of an ancient Nabataean inscription before setting off in search of other sources.

Outcome

The Hidden One received a fragment of an ancient Nabataean inscription as a reward for their help.

Behind the scenes

Choices within each step were reordered based on the score given in the application's source code, from best possible choice (score of 3) to worst possible choice (score of 1). Considering the hint included in each step points towards the best answer, it is assumed that is the canon choice.