OK, let’s recall our Calcutta run-in with the Begum.
Remembering the Black Hole of Calcutta II: The Begum’s Task
“The British built a prison in this fort,” Ghaseti Begum tells you, as if you get wrapped in carpets and ushered behind the purdah every day. “Do you know of it?”
Your eyes stray to the girl sleeping a drugged and untroubled sleep on the Begum’s bed - you do not yet understand why you have been chosen as an instrument of the Begum’s will, but you are unhappily sure that it will become clear soon. You only pray she does not demand treason.
This is a four-part quest - enhance your Perception and collect Memories to progress.
No, Begum
Your talents – abundant as they are – did not qualify you as part of the Nawab’s martial force. You had barely entered Calcutta before the Begum’s guards caught you – and unfortunately, the British commanders whose dreams you reconnoitred did not dream of prisons.
A very chancy challenge (Your Perception quality gives you a 50% chance of success). You need Perception 3 (you have 4).
You need 3 x Memories (you have 3) Go
Yes, Begum
Luckily, you slipped into Calcutta behind the troops and explored as they looted and burned. You peered into the prison that very afternoon, right before your unlucky visit to the battlements – that was where her guards found you, lost in thought as you contemplated the view.
A very chancy challenge
(Your Curiosity quality gives you a 50% chance of success). You need Curiosity 3 (you have 4).
You need 3 x Memories (you have 3) Go
✓ Perhaps not
I don’t know if this matters, but there are other things to check out, so I’ll put it to a vote. Do we know about the prison, or not?
Also, now our main stats should be high enough to see at least a few of the options that were locked before, so let’s draw and play a hand or two.
Memories of your past
Sitting in your ornate rooms, stretched against raw silk bolsters tasseled with silver bells, you are drawn to think about the fate that brought you here. You might have lived and died without knowing the feel of gold on your wrist or the respectful nods of important men. If not for that day, that dream…
Gain Imagination and Memories if you succeed - but do not fear failure, it can often be rewarding.
Recall your childhood
The one room house with packed dirt floors which smelled of camphor.
A modest challenge (Your Perception quality gives you a 70% chance of success). You need Perception 1 (you have 4) Go
✓ Recall how you came to be sa-ilu
That fateful day the Nawab’s last sa-ilu stumbled upon you in the dreaming.
A very chancy challenge (Your Perception quality gives you a 50% chance of success). You need Perception 3 (you have 4) Go
Recall your training with Cani
The sa-ilu taught you to read, to write, to reason – and also to place your trust in a partner.
A high-risk challenge (Your Perception quality gives you a 20% chance of success). You need Perception 5 (you have 4) Locked
Recall your first meeting with the Nawab
He was a child then – and so were you. Your hands trembled as you held them behind your back.
An almost impossible challenge (Your Perception quality gives you a 10% chance of success). You need Perception 10 (you have 4) Locked
Perhaps not
The “Recall your mother” option is now permanently locked: we got the rewards and don’t get to play that again, so I’m leaving it out in the interest of space.
We haven’t done childhood but I’m more curious about becoming sa-ilu, so I’ll do that now and come back to the easier one later.
Gods and demons
At night, stretched beside your mother on the thin pallet, you would fall into her dream without realising it – and roam beyond. You did not realise the danger you were in; inevitably your luck ran out. You slid into a dream of shipwreck and found yourself pitched into the raging black ocean. You remember wishing that you could just – wake up. (You know now, this is one of the rules: you cannot wake from a dream that is not your own.) You lost consciousness, but when you roused, instead of a god or demon you looked upon the irritated face of the Nawab’s near-mythical sa-ilu. “Allah show mercy,” she said. “You are an idiot.”
Perception is increasing…
You succeeded in a Perception challenge! (Risky challenges mean you learn more.)
You’ve gained 6 x Memories (new total 9).
You now have 2 x Imagination.
Onward
Investigate the mood of the town
The Nawab asked you to listen to the mood of the people. Do they burn with anger at the British and think the Treaty of Alinagar a craven act? Do they fear the provocations of the French? Do they believe their Nawab will protect them?
You have your servant bring you worn clothes, and you wrap your amulet in rags and tuck it under your scarf. The places you are going, you do not want to look like a courtier.
The banks of the river
You spot a woman with a bundle and follow her impulsively. She meets with a group: they wash clothes in the Bhaghirathi, which flows in to the sacred Ganges further inland. You keep back, in the trees, close enough to hear their idle talk.
A chancy challenge (Your Curiosity quality gives you a 60% chance of success). You need Curiosity 1 (you have 4) Go
The bustling markets
Where other towns have fishermen and farmers, Murshidabad – the seat of the Nawabs for over a hundred years - has ivory-carvers, silk-weavers, gold-embroiderers, and all of them with an ear for gossip. A sharp eye will gain you more than a bargain.
A chancy challenge (Your Perception quality gives you a 60% chance of success). You need Perception 1 (you have 4) Go
The chai-shops
Instead of chasing down whispers and lurking in back-alleys you install yourself in a prime seat in one of the local chai-shops and wait for the speculation to come to you.
A chancy challenge (Your Serenity quality gives you a 60% chance of success). You need Serenity 1 (you have 4) Go
✓ The rag-pickers
Ignored by almost anyone lucky enough not to be born into - or fall into - the trade, the rag-pickers see everything. Growing up, you were fascinated by the rag-pickers: a group of people considered even more low than you and yours. Go
Perhaps not
I’m curious about the rag-pickers too.
Rags and letters
Even with your borrowed clothes, you look out of place. But you modulate your tone, and try to imitate the accent that the court tutors beat out of you. The children are the least wary. They open up the rubbish bags from the courtiers you ask about, and you retrieve some suspicious letters and a silk handkerchief embroidered with roses, in the English style. Perhaps some in the Nawab’s court are trading favours with the British?
You’ve gained 1 x Memories (new total 10). Onward
Oh, wait. The third card we have is Take a day for yourself, and that’s the one that has options at 5 for each stat, but all of ours are still at 4. So I’m going to leave that card there and draw to refill the hand until we have a stat or two at 5. Or I could just skip the card and wait until it comes up again: there aren’t that many. But let’s do it this way. OK, investigate the mood of the town again.
Investigate the mood of the town
✓ The bustling markets
Where other towns have fishermen and farmers, Murshidabad – the seat of the Nawabs for over a hundred years - has ivory-carvers, silk-weavers, gold-embroiderers, and all of them with an ear for gossip. A sharp eye will gain you more than a bargain.
A chancy challenge (Your Perception quality gives you a 60% chance of success). You need Perception 1 (you have 4) Go
Courtly intrigues
Artisans from all over Bengal – and neighbouring princedoms, too – flock to Murshidabad, bringing their fine worked goods. You hear that one of the courtiers has recently spent a fortune on reworking his lamps in silver and sapphires, another ordering lengths of silk in yellow and white, the colours of the French royal standard. You leave the market with a magnificent haul of rumours and speculation.
Perception has increased to 5!
You succeeded in a Perception challenge!
You’ve gained 1 x Investigating the situation for the Nawab (new total 4).
Onward
There’s one stat, but if it’s that easy, let’s go for another.
Explore the cosmopolitan town of Murshidabad
Murshidabad has been the seat of the Nawabs of Bengal for a hundred years. Populated by peoples from all over India, it is now also the home of some hardy Britishers, French and even the occasional Portuguese trader.
You do not particularly need to seek them out – in your experience, foreigners rarely travel inconspicuously. And you make it a policy to keep your eye on those who do.
✓ A commotion in the square
A large crowd of people is gathered, placing wagers and making muttered comments. As you draw closer, you see what has drawn them: a British memsahib wearing a full-skirted dress, sitting on a stool with an easel and canvas in front of her, fanned by servants. She appears to be painting a naturalistic scene.
A very chancy challenge(Your Curiosity quality gives you a 50% chance of success). You need Curiosity 2 (you have 4) Approach her
An inconspicuous fellow
A man in a roughspun cotton sherwani and headwrap is wandering through the market with a deliberately casual air. Your gaze would normally have slipped by him, but the way he holds his body catches your eye. He turns slightly and you see his face: it is tanned, and rough with dark stubble but foreign for all that.
A chancy challenge (Your Perception quality gives you a 60% chance of success). You need Perception 2 (you have 5) Follow him
A marketplace missionary
Benigno – or Benny, as he’s called by the locals – is in his usual corner spot at the market telling tall tales in a mix of Portuguese and broken Bengali. He appears to be about to undo the buttons of his shirt. If you get closer, you’ll probably be able to catch a glimpse of his impressive scars.
A very chancy challenge (Your Serenity quality gives you a 50% chance of success). You need Serenity 2 (you have 4) Edge closer
Perhaps not
A ship at full sail
The dress of British ladies’ has always rather reminded you of a ship at full sail. You draw up to her - ahem - broadside, and comment on her excellent use of perspective in painstakingly-learned and perfect English. “Oh, thank you,” she flutters, taking in your rich clothes and gems with a glance. “Do you…dabble?”
Ten minutes later you take your leave, weighted down with gossip and one interesting fact: the ship she arrived on last month was full, and not with tradesmen but soldiers.
Curiosity has increased to 5!
You succeeded in a Curiosity challenge! (Risky challenges mean you learn more.)
You’ve gained 1 x Investigating the situation for the Nawab (new total 5).
You’ve gained 1 x Memories (new total 11).
Onward
And there’s two. Let’s take a day for ourselves.
You take a day for yourself
The
sa-ilu are creatures of imagination and creative energy. As such, you each have your particular pleasures. Considering some of the indulgences you have read about in the secret histories of the
sa-ilu - your pleasures are innocent indeed.
Gain Imagination if you succeed - but do not fear failure, it can often be rewarding.
A swim in the river
The Bhagirathi curves around Murshidabad and divides Bengal in two. You plan to take a contemplative, refreshing swim. Go
A formal banquet
An ambassador from the Sultanate of Delhi graces Murshidabad with a visit, and the Nawab has ordered a magnificent feast.
An almost impossible challenge (Your Perception quality gives you a 10% chance of success.) You need Perception 5 (you have 5) Go
A gathering of poets
You stumble upon their grubby get-together by accident, and settle yourself on a seat in the back to be regaled.
An almost impossible challenge (Your Curiosity quality gives you a 10% chance of success).
You need Curiosity 5 (you have 5) Go
A game of chaupar
There are many games being played on streetcorners in Murshidabad. An old man, seeking a new opponent, beckons you over.
An almost impossible challenge (Your Serenity quality gives you a 10% chance of success). You need Serenity 5 (you have 4) Locked Perhaps not
The heat, the smell
The smell of liquor and sweat proves too much for you. During a particularly vicious argument conducted entirely in rhyming couplets, you push your way out into the cool air of the evening.
Curiosity is increasing…
Curiosity 5 failed in a challenge! (When you try a challenge that’s difficult for you, you learn more even when you fail.)
Onward
Heh. Good thing we waited. /s
Draw another hand. Oh hey, secret texts of the sa-ilu.
The secret texts of the sa-ilu
There have been
sa-ilu in the courts of the Mughal emperors and even before them, standing beside the Babylonians and the Assyrians as they expanded their sprawling empires. You have a collection of secret manuscripts, handed down to you by the last
sa-ilu, wrapped carefully in linen and stored in a cool room.
You open a text and read a small fragment.
Gain Visions and Imagination if you succeed - but do not fear failure, it can often be rewarding.
A most ancient text
A transcription from 7th century clay tablets from the Royal Library of Ashurbanipal, in Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire. Go
An odd sheet of pictograms
You never noticed this inked-vellum manuscript before, tucked between two weightier texts. Its colours are still rich and bright.
A tough challenge (Your Perception quality gives you a 40% chance of success). You need Perception 3 (you have 5) Go
✓ A much-read favourite
The Linga-Puranas - an ancient collection of scriptures - are one of the few Hindu texts in your collection, and therefore you treasure them particularly.
A high-risk challenge (Your Serenity quality gives you a 30% chance of success). You need Serenity 3 (you have 4) Go
Scrawled in the margins
You have read these texts back to front, but the small margin notes have always eluded you. Your curiosity is caught by one of them.
A tough challenge (Your Curiosity quality gives you a 40% chance of success). You need Curiosity 3 (you have 5) Go
Perhaps not
You can’t seem to concentrate
The words swim in front of your eyes.
Serenity is increasing…
Serenity 4 failed in a challenge! (When you try a challenge that’s difficult for you, you learn more even when you fail.)
Onward
The odds are not on our side here. Well, we’ll keep seeing the same cards, and there are more things to try.
Explore the cosmopolitan town of Murshidabad
Murshidabad has been the seat of the Nawabs of Bengal for a hundred years. Populated by peoples from all over India, it is now also the home of some hardy Britishers, French and even the occasional Portuguese trader.
You do not particularly need to seek them out – in your experience, foreigners rarely travel inconspicuously. And you make it a policy to keep your eye on those who do.
A commotion in the square
A large crowd of people is gathered, placing wagers and making muttered comments. As you draw closer, you see what has drawn them: a British memsahib wearing a full-skirted dress, sitting on a stool with an easel and canvas in front of her, fanned by servants. She appears to be painting a naturalistic scene.
A chancy challenge (Your Curiosity quality gives you a 60% chance of success). You need Curiosity 2 (you have 5) Approach her
An inconspicuous fellow
A man in a roughspun cotton sherwani and headwrap is wandering through the market with a deliberately casual air. Your gaze would normally have slipped by him, but the way he holds his body catches your eye. He turns slightly and you see his face: it is tanned, and rough with dark stubble but foreign for all that.
A chancy challenge (Your Perception quality gives you a 60% chance of success). You need Perception 2 (you have 5) Follow him
✓ A marketplace missionary
Benigno – or Benny, as he’s called by the locals – is in his usual corner spot at the market telling tall tales in a mix of Portuguese and broken Bengali. He appears to be about to undo the buttons of his shirt. If you get closer, you’ll probably be able to catch a glimpse of his impressive scars.
A very chancy challenge (Your Serenity quality gives you a 50% chance of success). You need Serenity 2 (you have 4) Edge closer
Perhaps not
Sea-voyages and slavery
Benny does not disappoint you. You push your way to the front in time to see him slip off his shirt and display a lattice of thick raised scars all over his arms and back. There is a worked gold cross glistening against the black skin of his chest. He holds up his wrist, and runs a finger along a calloused mark in the shape of a manacle. “Oh, my friends, the stories I must tell you.”
You lose yourself in his telling: a sea-voyage that is all chains and sick fear, sugar plantations and panning for gold in bright blue Brazilian rivers, a land so different from his native Africa, the slow seeping knowledge of being owned by someone else. He finishes his story with a smacking kiss to his cross. “Nobody but Jesus owns me, my friends,” he tells you solemnly. You slip away before his usual missionary lecture, but you are left with a curiosity about the truth of his words, to know what the wind of those faraway places would feel like on your skin. What does he dream of, you wonder…
Serenity has increased to 5!
You succeeded in a Serenity challenge! (Risky challenges mean you learn more.)
You now have 1 x An interest in Benigno’s dreams.
You’ve gained 2 x Visions (new total 9).
Onward
And… somewhere here… oh, when we got Investigating the situation for the Nawab up to 5, we unlocked a new pinned card: now we can go report to him.
Report to the Nawab
You go to the Nawab and tell him all your have found out - the rumours running rife through Murshidabad, your suspicions and conjectures of the British threat to you, and the fears of your French allies.
Others would fear to tell the capricious Nawab of the difficulty of his position, but your value is not dependent on the Nawab’s regard: he needs you, perhaps even more than you need him. You need not fear his reprisals.
This card will progress the story to the next month, March. To unlock it, you must increase your ‘Investigating the Situation for the Nawab’ quality, and complete the quests ‘Remembering the Black Hole of Calcutta’ and ‘Echoes of the Dancing Girl’.
You make your report
“Thank you, my sa-ilu,” he says stiffly. Then he proceeds to break every fragile object in his audience chamber.
He curses, creatively, blasphemously, and at length, before gesturing imperiously for you to kneel.
You dare to look up at the Nawab’s face and you see the fear in the line of his mouth - he looks much older than his twenty years. He has only been the ruler for two of those twenty, but he has not had an easy reign. Reporting back to the Nawab will move you forward to March 1757.
You need Investigating the situation for the Nawab 10 (you have 5)
You need Sa-ilu: you walk in dreams 5 and Sa-ilu: you walk in dreams no more than 5 (you have 3) Locked
Perhaps not
Not enough Sa-ilu. And I’m not sure we want to advance the month anyway: there’s more to investigate here. I think most of the cards are still available in March, but I haven’t been paying close enough attention to see if it’s all of hem.
Investigate the mood of the town
The Nawab asked you to listen to the mood of the people. Do they burn with anger at the British and think the Treaty of Alinagar a craven act? Do they fear the provocations of the French? Do they believe their Nawab will protect them?
You have your servant bring you worn clothes, and you wrap your amulet in rags and tuck it under your scarf. The places you are going, you do not want to look like a courtier.
✓ The banks of the river
You spot a woman with a bundle and follow her impulsively. She meets with a group: they wash clothes in the Bhaghirathi, which flows in to the sacred Ganges further inland. You keep back, in the trees, close enough to hear their idle talk.
A modest challenge (Your Curiosity quality gives you a 70% chance of success). You need Curiosity 1 (you have 5) Go
The bustling markets
Where other towns have fishermen and farmers, Murshidabad – the seat of the Nawabs for over a hundred years - has ivory-carvers, silk-weavers, gold-embroiderers, and all of them with an ear for gossip. A sharp eye will gain you more than a bargain.
A modest challenge (Your Perception quality gives you a 70% chance of success). You need Perception 1 (you have 5) Go
The chai-shops
Instead of chasing down whispers and lurking in back-alleys you install yourself in a prime seat in one of the local chai-shops and wait for the speculation to come to you.
A modest challenge (Your Serenity quality gives you a 70% chance of success). You need Serenity 1 (you have 5) Go
The rag-pickers
Ignored by almost anyone lucky enough not to be born into - or fall into - the trade, the rag-pickers see everything. Growing up, you were fascinated by the rag-pickers: a group of people considered even more low than you and yours. Go
Perhaps not
An unpopular ruler
They complain about the rising costs of rice and flour, and offer each other suggestions for where to bury their valuables when the war comes. They talk in hushed whispers of the Nawab’s cruelty, his opium addiction, his debauchery. One offers the name of a neighbour girl, who was seen by the Nawab on the riverbank and carried off to the palace. They praise the name of the last Nawab, Alivardi Khan, and mutter, God save us, God save us! How disturbing.
Curiosity has increased to 6!
You succeeded in a Curiosity challenge!
You’ve gained 1 x Investigating the situation for the Nawab (new total 6).
You’ve gained 1 x Traumas (new total 6). Onward
A visit to your lover
As a courtier of means and standing, it is understood that you would keep a lover. You seek them out for an evening of pleasure that will divert you from the fears and whispers of war. You perfume your clothes, and tell your servant to buy a box of fine sweets wrapped with silver ribbon.
Gain Memories and Desires if you succeed.
Your lover is a woman
She is imperious and lovely, a Christian convert thrown out by her family and – it appears – into your tender care.
A very chancy challenge (Your Curiosity quality gives you a 50% chance of success). You need Curiosity 1 (you have 6) Go
Your lover is a man
He dresses in your silks and wears your ruby at his throat.
A very chancy challenge (Your Curiosity quality gives you a 50% chance of success). You need Curiosity 1 (you have 6) Go
Your lover is a woman, but once she was a man
But she prefers not to think of herself as what she was, and, of course, you oblige.
A very chancy challenge (Your Curiosity quality gives you a 50% chance of success). You need Curiosity 1 (you have 6) Go
You cannot go through with it
You give up your lover, and eat the sweets yourself. Your thoughts are filled with Cani – and her green Portuguese eyes.
A very chancy challenge (Your Curiosity quality gives you a 50% chance of success). You need Curiosity 1 (you have 6).
You need An unrequited passion for Cani Theruvil 1 (you have 1) Go
Perhaps not
Another one for a vote. I ran a few more cards, but I’ll just show the outcomes here, I think?
Investigate the mood of the town
The banks of the river
The bustling markets
✓ The chai-shops
The rag-pickers
The chai-shops
Instead of chasing down whispers and lurking in back-alleys you install yourself in a prime seat in one of the local chai-shops and wait for the speculation to come to you.
A frank exchange of views
You fall into an almost meditative state, sipping your chai and letting the voices – hushed, urgent, amused – wash over you. The rumours are contradictory and overlapping but on one point they all agree: war is coming. Most suspect the British, but regard the Nawab’s rickety allegiance with the French with distaste. They talk of the Afghani threat to the north and their resurgent Mughal emperors, and the Marathas to the west, squeezing Bengal close. They believe the Nawab to be hopelessly outmatched.
Serenity is increasing…
You succeeded in a Serenity challenge!
You’ve gained 1 x Investigating the situation for the Nawab (new total 7). Onward
Explore the cosmopolitan town of Murshidabad
A commotion in the square
✓ An inconspicuous fellow
A marketplace missionary
Perhaps not
An inconspicuous fellow
A man in a roughspun cotton sherwani and headwrap is wandering through the market with a deliberately casual air. Your gaze would normally have slipped by him, but the way he holds his body catches your eye. He turns slightly and you see his face: it is tanned, and rough with dark stubble but foreign for all that.
Pearls that were his eyes
Perhaps you were a little too obvious, perhaps the fellow is habitually overcautious. He tips over a basket of fish as he walks past, and you slip in the entrails and slick pearl-like eyes. By the time you have paid off the distraught fisherman, the man is long gone – and you are in need of a long bath.
Perception is increasing…
Perception 5 failed in a challenge!
You’ve gained 2 x Traumas (new total 8).
Onward
This one kept coming up. And I kept failing this 60% chance. Three times, I think? Before finally succeeding:
A pay off
He stops at various stalls and spends time admiring various objects and making small talk. The little pickpockets in the square avoid him assiduously, which you find intriguing. He hands over an overly-generous sum to a mango-seller. Too generous. Murshidabad’s mangoes are famously sweet and pleasing, but there are limits even to foreign profligacy. You quietly point the mango-seller out to a guard, and watch as he is dragged away, protesting. You can find out his secrets later.
Perception is increasing…
You succeeded in a Perception challenge!
You’ve gained 1 x Investigating the situation for the Nawab (new total 9).
You’ve gained 1 x Memories (new total 15).
Onward
Investigate the mood of the town
✓ The chai-shops
A frank exchange of views
You fall into an almost meditative state, sipping your chai and letting the voices – hushed, urgent, amused – wash over you. The rumours are contradictory and overlapping but on one point they all agree: war is coming. Most suspect the British, but regard the Nawab’s rickety allegiance with the French with distaste. They talk of the Afghani threat to the north and their resurgent Mughal emperors, and the Marathas to the west, squeezing Bengal close. They believe the Nawab to be hopelessly outmatched.
Serenity is increasing…
You succeeded in a Serenity challenge!
You’ve gained 1 x Investigating the situation for the Nawab (new total 8).
Onward
Memories of your past
✓ Recall your childhood
The one room house with packed dirt floors which smelled of camphor.
A very modest challenge (Your Perception quality gives you a 80% chance of success). You need Perception 1 (you have 5) Go
Ritual and fire
Your mother worked in a camphor distillery, pressing crystalline camphor extracted from the wood of trees into small tablets that light the flames of daily aartis - rituals at the local temple. She lit the house with the stuff as well, and its smoky, aromatic smell clung to your clothes and hair. Some days, when there was not enough to eat, your mother put a handful of camphor in your mouth. It dissolved slowly, leaving your teeth slightly numb, tasting of divinity.
Perception is increasing…
You succeeded in a Perception challenge! (Simple challenges mean you don’t learn so much.)
You’ve gained 3 x Memories (new total 14).
You’ve gained 1 x Imagination (new total 3).
Onward
I was worried that we hadn’t found much Imagination (we only have 3) but I belatedly remembered that there’s that pinned card that lets us trade 3 other things for I think 1 imagination each. And we have 15 Memories (your own and others, some sharply painful, others softened by nostalgia) and 12 Traumas (a compendium of pain - you do not know what compels you to collect these little miseries) so that should get us enough for another foray into the Dream.
Still no Desires though. And we need… was it 3 of those? 5, I think. For the dancing girl in the Dream.
Hrm. This was a long one: I had to split it. Easy to click through a lot of cards. Maybe I should do less at a time – or abbreviate more? I’ll have to think about that.