1642, city of Agra

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The quest line takes place in the period when the Taj Mahal was in the process of being built, roughly around the year 1642. The structure is halfway done, yet some mysterious figures are scheming to stain its magnificence with their plots. I am imagining an ASSASIN’S CREED type of atmosphere, structure, and gameplay. The main character is referred to as The MC, with they/them pronouns. The quest line has multiple possible outcomes.

 

Quest 1: The MC learns that there is some kind of unrest spreading among the laborers. To find out what the rumors are about, they converse with the construction site foreman who says he is just as baffled as the MC. The MC tries to say they are not baffled or anything, but the foreman is too flap-mouthed to give them the opportunity. According to the foreman, there are rumors being spread about Shah Jahan’s plans to sever the hands of every worker on the construction site so its brilliance can never be imitated by others. That is why the laborers are hesitant to work any further. The MC is advised to speak to them and find out who spread the rumors.

(Objective: Speak to 5 laborers)

The MC hears a lot of conspiracy theories about the shah’s relationship with his wives, his sexual life, his children, and the accidents caused by “intentionally flawed” materials. The MC is directed to the quarry whence the stones are brought to the construction site to investigate the cause of faulty material deliveries.

(Objective: Speak to quarry master)

The quarry master refuses to have any fault and denies all accusations. He says he himself double-checks every single piece of rock for cracks and defects before the deliveries. He shows the MC the route that caravans take and tells them to investigate the roads.

(Objective: Locate the caravan and question the workers to find the suspect)

The MC stops the caravan and begins questioning the workers. There are around ten workers in the caravan, and the MC is supposed to speak to at least five of them.

• If none of the first five workers the MC speaks to is the suspect, the suspect will panic and run away, which initiates a chase section.

• If by chance the suspect is one of the workers the MC speaks to, he fails to form intelligible sentences in his nervousness, which makes his lies easy to see through. This situation does not trigger a chase section.

In return for a promise of penalty reduction, the suspect takes the MC to a cave where the culprits who paid him to crack the stones while on the road are located. There, the suspect gets shot with an arrow and falls dead.

(Objective: Kill the bandits)

The MC traverses the cave and kills some bandits, finding soldier gear as well in the cave while at it. They wonder if the bandits stole the gear or are, in fact, soldiers in disguise. There, the MC also locates an official signet ring that comes from the palace.

(Objective: Bring the ring to the foreman)

Quest 1 is completed when the MC talks to the foreman.

 

Quest 2: The foreman tells the MC to speak to some officers in the sarkar edifice, ask around if anyone knows to whom the ring might belong, and leave him out of the drama if possible.

(Objective: Talk to an officer in the sarkar edifice)

The MC locates an officer in the edifice. A clerk, scribing some official records in an account book. When asked to whom the signet ring belongs, the officer responds that the seal is fake. He inspects the gem on the ring with a lens and concludes that it is a spinel stone, which means the forger is a pretty wealthy person. The carvings are sloppy, however, not up to the imperial standards. Whoever had it crafted knows what a top-tier signet looks like and can afford the materials, but does not have the skill of an imperial jewellery crafter in the kharkanas. He points at a bookshelf in the room so the MC can compare the forged seal’s carving to the signets of high-ranking officers in the records, in search of a possible match.

(Objective: Inspect the books to find a matching seal)

The MC finds the original signet symbol and asks the clerk about its owner. The clerk says the seal belongs to Alqas Mirza of Kandahar, brother to Kandahari Begum, Shah Jahan’s first wife. The clerk then kicks the MC out, figuring their presence will only bring him trouble. In the streets, the MC overhears that one of Kandahari Begum’s brothers has arrived in Agra and is residing in Agra Fort. The MC decides to ask around in the fort and inform the nobleman about a possible identity theft but is not let in.

(Objective: Get in that frigging fort and find Alqas Mirza)

The MC has two options; to put on the soldier outfit he found in the cave, or secretly break in by climbing the trees outside and walls. The armored camouflage option requires a high diplomacy skill whereas the climbing option requires a high acrobatics skill.

• If the MC gets caught while doing either of the two options listed above, they will end up in a dungeon to be questioned by Alqas Mirza, where the nobleman asks the MC about where they found the fake signet ring.

• If the MC does not get caught, they will successfully break into Alqas Miraz’s private chamber in the fort and have a conversation with him. There, the MC explains the situation and shows the forged signet ring to the noblemen themselves.

Either way, the MC informs Alqas Mirza about the forged signet ring, and they come to an agreement. The nobleman decides to help the MC with their quest. Quest 2 is completed.

 

Quest 3: The MC takes Alqas Mirza to the cave where they located the forged signet ring, but the place is cleaned up. There is no trace of any activity. Alqas Mirza’s personal guard accuses the MC of lying and leading them to a trap, but Alqas Mirza hushes him. Having inspected the carvings on the gem, the nobleman is also certain that the palace’s jewel-crafters have no finger in the forged seal’s production, but he still thinks they may find a good lead if they ask for their opinion at the kharkanas. He hands the MC an official paper which states that the person who carries the document is to be cooperated with at all costs.

(Objective: Speak to the jewelry crafter)

The jewelry crafter tells the MC that he does not know who would be clumsy enough to make the forged signet, other than … “Oh dear,” he says, proceeding to mention his former apprentice whom he had to let go after he ruined five ruby stones in a row. He gives the MC the address of his former apprentice.

(Objective: Speak to the clumsy, ruby-hating former apprentice)

The MC arrives at the former apprentice’s house only to find the place messed up like it was hit by a hurricane. They think that the former apprentice was kidnapped by the culprits, possibly to forge the signet ring. The MC finds this suspicious as well, however, thinking that kidnapping a recently fired, unskilled former apprentice for a big forgery attempt like this one is rather illogical. They inspect the house and interact with some objects to make sense of the situation. After they interact with five objects, a woman enters the house to see what is going on in there. She questions who the MC is and, after seeing the MC’s official papers, explains that she lives next door. (She is obviously illiterate but the papers look fancy enough to be legit.) She says she does not know where the former apprentice is but apparently, he left his home a few days ago with a small bag. “Poor man hasn’t been himself since his wife walked away. He says she is off to take care of her sick father, but that doesn’t explain all the gold that disappeared from the house. Err, so I heard.” The woman says that the man was a wreck, about to be homeless. Having lost his position as an official craftsman meant he had to leave his lodging. She adds that the MC may learn more from the keeper of a coffee house he frequented.

(Objective: Speak to the coffee house owner)

As they finish their conversation, however, they hear some rumbling noise coming from another room. The MC checks the room to see a veiled woman carrying a dagger in her hand and a bow on her back. She jumps out the window, and a chase sequence begins.

(Objective: Catch the … whoever that was)

The MC follows the woman until they reach the Taj Mahal construction site. Here The MC will have to do a lot of platforming to catch up with her as she will continuously jump on and down the scaffolds and stuff. At the end of the chase, the MC and the woman engage in combat. When defeated, she throws one of her daggers at the MC and pins them to a wall without wounding them right before disappearing. The wall cracks, and the scaffold crumbles. The MC barely runs with their life. They examine the dagger’s engravings and decide to look for a weapon smith in the kharkanas.

(Objective: Speak to the weapon smiths)

At this point, the MC can speak to the coffee shop owner and the weapon smith in any order they may want. They have to do both in order to complete the quest.

• The MC talks to the coffee house owner who says he has not seen the former apprentice since the day he came in with a small bag. The man adds that he looked anxious, saying he would be gone for a while. One thing that the coffee house owner found weird was that he paid for his coffee with a Safavid coin, an Abbasi.

• When the MC speaks to the weapon smiths in the kharkanas, they are told that the engravings on the dagger are of Persian origin.

(Objective: Report to Alqas Mirza)

The MC meets Alqas Mirza in an inn. They find him in disguise, incognito. They share what they learned about the signet ring’s possible forger, the attack, the Abbasi coin, and the dagger. Alqas Mirza is troubled. Quest 3 is completed.

Alqas Mirza does not understand why the Safavid’s would want to disrupt the Taj Mahal’s construction. As the nobleman gets lost in his thoughts, his personal guard pinpoints three locations on the MC’s map where Safavid traders camp outside Agra. He gives them the task of investigating each location and questioning the caravan masters.

Quests 4, 5, and 6 are done concurrently. They all have to be completed before the MC can acquire Quest 7.

 

Quest 4:

(Objective: Locate the first trading caravan site)

This caravan is rather big, led by a wealthy Safavid merchant. The two guards do not let the MC go in unless they have something of value to trade, and Alqas Mirza’s papers have no authority over them for they are not Mughals.

(Objective: Get in the first frigging trading caravan site)

At this stage, the MC has two options to move the quest further.

• Option one is to create a diversion. The MC may set fire to a tent around the campsite to force one of the guards to vacate his station. The MC may sneak in without being noticed by the other guard afterward. If this path is chosen, the caravan master will threaten the MC and shoo them away. In this case, the quest fails. This situation does not hinder the acquisition of Quest 7 but makes it harder to complete.

• Option two is to present an expensive item in their inventory as trading goods to be let in. If they do not already have one, the MC has to search for an expensive item or buy one from a merchant in Agra. With high barter/persuasion skills, the outcome may even become quite profitable for the MC. If this path is chosen, the MC will be greeted warmly by the caravan master. After they haggle, the MC shows the dagger to the wealthy merchant who says it was stolen from him by a female merchant named Banu at his previous stop. He says the woman looked timid and easy to rip off. A grave mistake, for she ran off with a sack of gold as well.

Quest 4 is either failed or completed.

(After the Quests 5 and 6 are also completed, if the player wishes to, they may sell the dagger to this caravan master for a high prize or give it back to him free of charge. The latter option provides the MC with a barter skill increase.)

 

Quest 5:

(Objective: Locate the second trading caravan site)

This caravan is raided. Most of the guards are lying dead. The old caravan master who survived by hiding away tells the MC that the bandits kidnapped his grandson when he refused to pay them a “toll”. He says that some of the bandits were in military attires, but the old man was wise enough to see through their charade. He also mentions that they had a fake signet ring. The MC believes this is another forged seal and decides to track the bandits.

(Objective: Locate and kill the bandits)

They follow the trace to a remote campsite. Weirdly enough, the tents are also military. The MC is suspicious but decides not to outright attack a campsite with military tents, so they approach the crowd. The campsite residents are quite unwelcoming. As they talk, the MC observes their clothes, stances, equipment, and grooming habits. They eventually conclude that these men are frauds. The fight ensues. After the MC kills some people, the bandit leader comes out of his tent, followed by the former jewelry crafter’s apprentice. He orders the forger to flee and attacks the MC.

(Objective: Catch the former apprentice)

After the fight is concluded, the MC finds the grandson in a tent and sets him free, chases the former apprentice, and questions him. The former apprentice was hired by a maid of Izz-Un-Nissa, Shah Jahan’s second wife. The MC brings the former apprentice to Agra Fort. Quest 5 is completed.

(Afterward, if the MC ever returns to this campsite, they will locate a note that tells them to search for the caravan master in an inn. If the MC goes to meet the old man, they receive a reward.)

 

Quest 6:

(Objective: Locate the third trading caravan site)

The MC finds the two caravan masters in an argument. Brothers, blaming each other for losing their mother’s hand-woven rug. They say the rug must have fallen from the back of one of the horses while they were en route. The MC shows them his papers and demands information, but the brothers are too busy fighting. The MC agrees to locate the rug for them, following the trail they left behind.

(Objective: Find mommy’s rug)

The MC finds the rug but wishes they did not, for on top of the rug is a sleeping lion; purring, yawning, and scratching its claws like a cute little house cat. The MC has two options, either to trick the lion by luring it away with raw meat or to outright fight the animal. The former requires the MC to go hunting, and the latter is an extremely hard fight.

(Objective: Deliver the rug covered in hairballs)

The brothers complain about the feline hairballs but agree to answer the MC’s questions. Seeing the dagger … they have no idea where it might have come from or to whom it may belong. Since they have no useful information for the MC, they offer them a prize for bringing back the rug. (It only makes sense when not everyone is a part of the plot, right?) Quest 6 is completed.

 

Quest 7:

(Objective: Speak to Alqas Mirza)

Having learned about the inclusion of a maid of Shah Jahan’s second wife -and possibly the maid’s name as well- Alqas Mirza believes his Safavid family is being plotted against by Izz-Un-Nissa. He orders the MC to locate and question her maids.

The next objective depends on the outcome of Quest 4.

• If the MC was able to get the information regarding the name Banu from the caravan master, they have only one target; Banu herself. The nobleman’s contacts in the palace told him that Banu is the pseudonym that one of Izz-Un-Nissa’s maids uses when she leaves the palace in secret (Continues in State 1).

• If the MC failed Quest 4 and did not get the name, they have to question all three of Izz-Un-Nissa's top-ranking maids (Continues in State 2).

 

State 1:

(Objective: Locate and capture Banu)

• The MC is tasked to find Banu. They learn that she is at the bazaar for a “personal business”. The streets are crowded, so they track Banu for a while in order to not cause unrest in the streets. Banu notices the MC, leads them to a backstreet, and disappears for a few seconds. Then the chasing begins once again. From the way she runs and jumps on roofs and stuff, the MC rightfully assumes that Banu is the woman who darted the dagger at the Taj Mahal construction site. Throughout the chase, Banu throws nearby objects at the MC and knocks over stalls to lose them. This state may lead to both Outcome 1 and Outcome 2.

State 2:

(Objective: Question Izz-Un-Nissa’s maids)

The MC is tasked to locate and question the three maids in any order they may want to.

• If the MC, by chance, questions Banu before the other two in the market, the woman throws a bowl of spice to the MC’s face. She runs away, which initiates the chase sequence and gives Banu a head start. From then on, the rest of this state’s course will be identical to State 1’s chase sequence. The outcome may lead to both Outcome 1 and Outcome 2.

• If the MC questions one of the other maids first and then proceeds to Banu secondly, they will again find the woman in the bazaar. However, this time she is ready for them because she was notified beforehand by a spy about the MC’s investigation. (Spoiler Alert: The spy is Algas Mirza’s personal guard.) Banu has her bow on her back now as well. She shoots arrows at the MC during the chase scene in this state, making the section a lot harder. This state may lead to both Outcome 1 and Outcome 2.

• If the MC questions both of the other two maids before Banu, she simply vanishes, having had even more time to be prepared and run away. No one in the palace can locate her, and it is unthinkable to question one of the wives of Shah Jahan about the location of a simple maid. This state will only lead to Outcome 1.

 

Outcome 1: It is possible to lose Banu’s trail during the chase sequence or waste too much time before questioning her, missing the chance to capture the culprit maid. These outcomes lead to a bad ending where the MC can get no further information about the ongoing scheme. The MC says that at least they know whom to investigate now; Izz-Un-Nissa. However, Alqas Mirza has his doubts. He says it is too obvious and does not feel right, but since they have no further leads, that is whom they will have to go with until they find further clues.

The nobleman informs the MC that he will continue the search and the investigation. He will let them know if their services are needed again.

Quest 7 and the entire questline are completed with the bad outcome where the investigation has taken the wrong turn.

 

Outcome 2: If the MC captures Banu for questioning, she sheds some light on the happenings.

In Agra Fort’s dungeon, she explains to the MC and Alqas Mirza that the fake signet ring was in the cave because her employer wanted to assign their own foreman to the quarry which would make their job a lot easier. The documents were being forged as the bandits monitored the sabotage attempts while withholding the first forged seal.

Her employer believed that kidnapping one of the better jewelry crafters would have raised too many questions and decided to hire the former apprentice, which she thinks was a bad idea. She adds that the former apprentice wrecked his house all by himself during a tantrum. She went there to clean up his mess and make things seem normal but was too late.

She robbed the Safavid merchant because she required Abbasi coins to pay the forger, hoping he would leave behind a suspicious trace that could lead to the Safavids. The dagger she stole, she simply fancied.

Lastly, regarding the gossip, she says, “Sad to see that my hand-chopping rumors didn’t catch on.”

She says her employers simply wanted to make enemies of the Mughals and Safavids. Hindering the Taj Mahal’s construction was only the first step.

The MC asks why Izz-Un-Nissa is plotting against the Safavids, but Alqas Mirza halts them, saying the MC is wrong. He believes that Izz-Un-Nissa is not to blame. The nobleman demands to know who Banu’s real employer is, adding they cannot be Izz-Un-Nissa. If they were, Banu would have referred to them as “master” instead of “employer”. The maid is baffled to hear that and refuses to speak further.

Alqas Mirza informs the MC that he will continue the investigation and let them know if their services are needed again.

Quest 7 and the entire questline are completed with the good outcome where the investigation has taken the correct turn.