Navigating their way around the foriegn city the Harbingers eventually sought out the advise and help of a Barber known as Babazayd the Boisterous. The man however was working with Anoop (against his will it would later come to be known) and he sprung a trap on the heroes creating a duplicate of the Yogi Janak. This duplicate killed Rhokti before it was in turn killed by the real Janak. During the fight a group of woman known as the White Scarves, or Moon-spinners, appeared and battled against the Harbingers. These Holy Slayers were not working with the Barber and his begger troups but were allied with Anoop none the less. Later in the fight another joined the battle, it was the Bhut of Mabruk and so the group fled. Badly wounded, and one friend down and several of them suffering detrimental effects from various spells they Harbingers retreated finally with Rhokti's body in tow.
Fleeing back to their caravanserai they plotted their next move, and Toranoshi went into the city to see a friendly mosque where they could get healing for themselves, and see about prayers powerful enough to return Rhokti from the dead. Toranoshi learned that the Holy Slayers were among the worshipers of Selan the Beautiful Moon, and for centuries Selan's followers had been removing all other relgious groups on the Isle, the Imams of Selan would be of no use to the Harbingers.
Eventually a message arrived from the very barber that tried to kill them, cryptic and vauge it suggested a meeting, which the group agreed to with little other options to go on. So the meeting was set and the group arrived and learned that Babazayd the Boisterous was under the powerful effects of a Oathbinder Genie, his life, and the life of his wife and children hung in the balance of his 'loyalty' to Anoop. He did, through an intermediary, help the Harbingers by suggesting where Rhokti might find the help he needs to return from the realms of the dead -- the Cult of the Elephant. A group of Mahasarpans who remain in hiding deep in the jungles of Afyal who worship The Lost One, an Elephant Deva that was banished from Mahasarpa during the war against Saurama. The group has promised to aid the barber against the Oathbinder Genie once they return with Rhokti alive once again. On their way out of the meeting the Bhut of Samakar, a man that was seen throughout many of their early travels, appeared and began causing havok, but the group choose not to battle him.
So leaving the city of Medina al-Afyal the group encountered a third Bhut, this time of Narmada, the traitorous healer woman from Pequot that murdered Kalyani and her two children. This time the Bhut took possession of Toranoshi and the heroes were forced to nearly kill him inorder to eject the ghost from his body. Shamad and Sujata nearly died as well, but eventually Narmada's Bhut was destroyed just outside the Gates of the Elephant's Tusk.
Fleeing into the jungle to avoid the Mamluk's the city, the group, alive (save for Rhokti) but wounded limped off into the wilds...
*** Isle of the Elephant, Karttika the 6th, Year 1096 ***
Ghanji leads the way through the jungle of the island, a jungle that is much like that of the Mahavana. With Shamad, Sujata, Janak and the corpse of Rhokti in tow the Shikari has set a strong pace away from the city of Medina al-Afyal, and as a result the Mamluk's of the city have been completely avoided. Its been many hours now since leaving the city, and the day is starting to grow later and later.
Having traveled through rough jungle for a bit, the group has finally appeared on a game trail through the jungle. The trail is wide, and easily followed for it was made by elephants, and the large beasts while suprisingly nimble, still leave quite a path to follow. The group pauses a moment where a small patch of wild flowers grows right in the center of the trail, not a single flower stomped on or disturbed by the elephants that made this trail. Not far ahead, the trail that moves mostly southwards veres to the west to avoid a lumberjack camp that Ghanji has already scouted once (a score of men work the camp).
Pausing for a drink, and to set down the coffin of Rhokti, the group talks of their next move. The coffin that holds Rhokti used to be on a cart, but that cart was left behind miles and miles ago as it simply was slowing things down here in the jungle. Toranoshi and Janak have been bearing the weight of it on this leg of the trip.
