The Road Most Travelled was a virtual representation of a genetic memory of a member of the Alamut Brotherhood active in Baghdad during the 860s.[1]
A Hidden One is tasked with preventing an astrolabe piece from falling into the hands of the Order of the Ancients.
The Barid courier will make his way to the Caravanserai with all haste. Your disguise must allow you to move quickly whilst also blending in so that you can get close enough to the agent to identify him.
Pose as another courier, follow on horseback.
Disguised as a Barid courier you are able to use stations every few miles to get fresh horses and provisions. You make swift progress and arrive at the Caravanserai just after the Barid courier you are chasing. No one questions why you were in such a hurry - Barid couriers always are.
Pose as a trader, follow with a trade caravan.
Progress is slow in a trade caravan but your disguise remains intact. You eventually arrive at the Caravanserai without anyone suspecting that you are not a trader. Let's hope the Barid courier we are following has not met the Order of the Ancients agent yet!
Look for a group of Pilgrims going the same way and hide yourself amongst them.
This is not the right time of year for the Hajj Pilgrimage so you have to journey alone, drawing attention to yourself. If you had posed as a Barid courier, you would have got there easily and quickly.
The Barid courier made good time and is waiting for his contact - you must get the piece of Astrolabe from him before the enemy can collect it, while also identifying the enemy. You don't have a moment to spare!
Insist on taking the package for the Sahib Al-Barid.
You speak with enough authority to convince the Barid courier that you represent his superior and he gives you the package. You also get a good look at the enemy's angry face when he arrives - this will help the Hidden Ones identify him. You had better leave quickly now before they see through your disguise.
Hopefully the Barid courier will not notice the package is gone until after you have left.
You slip through the crowded Caravanserai and steal the package. As you are leaving there are shouts of alarm - you dare not stay to try to identify the enemy now! If you had posed as an assistant to the Sahib Al-Barid you would have been able to deceive them.
Maybe the courier will just give you the package, for a price.
The courier refuses to sell you the parcel and an argument breaks out. You only narrowly manage to leave with the package! The enemy agent stays away because of the shouting, making it impossible to identify him for the Hidden Ones. If you had posed as an assistant to the Sahib Al-Barid, the Barid courier would not have dared to challenge you.
You will need to travel off the normal routes so as to avoid unfriendly eyes. You must find a fresh mount to carry you swiftly on your getaway back to the city. Unfortunately, all the rested pack animals at the Caravanserai are already loaded with trade goods. Which animal do you take for this long and perilous journey back to Baghdad through the mountains?
This camel has two humps and looks determined.
The Bactrian Camel is a little uncomfortable to ride but makes up for that in speed and strength. It seems to be in its element in the cooler air of the mountain pass and you make it back to the Bureau quickly and safely, this mount was the perfect choice!
This camel has one hump and looks comfortable to ride.
The Dromedary's wide feet and great strength keep it going all the way back to Baghdad. However, it is in a bad state when it gets there. Dromedaries are better suited for desert travel and this one did not enjoy the cooler temperatures and the altitude up in the mountains, the Bactrian would have been a better choice.
The horse looks well-rested, but burdened.
The horse has fantastic speed at first, but it becomes exhausted halfway back to Baghdad forcing you to walk the remaining distance. You arrive thirsty and sore! If you had taken the Bactrian camel, you would have had a mount much better suited for taking heavy loads through the mountains.
A lesser agent would have struggled with that mission, you have shown yourself to be one of the best.
You were successful, however your approach was a little clumsy. The Hidden Ones know you can do better.
This mission took a toll on you - it will take a few days to recover before you are able to find more pieces of the Astrolabe.
Mission Completed! You return to the city with another Astrolabe piece. You did well not to let that one escape your grasp! As soon as you have recovered from this mission you should prepare yourself for the next. You can rest fully when the Astrolabe is complete and not before - it is too important.
The Hidden One recovered the astrolabe piece from the courier at the Caravanserai.
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.
Discovery Tour: Medieval Baghdad memories
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| Byzantine Ambassador - My Brother's Keeper - Water, Water Everywhere - The Road Most Travelled - The Caliph, the Thief, his Wife, and her Baby - The Music of the Garden - The Quick and the Dead - Dine Like a Prince - The Astrolabe - Aligning the Stars |