Up they climbed, pulling themselves up along the run of giant shelf mushrooms. The smell of roasted chicken clung to the air. Their bags laden with all their crap, weighed them down. At last their heads hit the gills located on the underside of the mushroom cap.
“What the—” Benison shouted and batted like a madman at the gills. “What is this in my hair?”
“Gills,” Golgh explained. “We’ve reached the top.”
“So, now what?” Varghul asked. “Do we just punch our way through?”
“We’ll have to,” Golgh agreed and began cutting a hole through the underside of the mushroom cap with his sword. A cold mist like what one would find on the forest floor, spilled through the hole. Varghul collected the rope, returned it to Golgh with the grappling hook they just happened to have on hand.
“Let’s go up then?” Golgh asked.
“I’ll go first,” Varghul volunteered and, with a leg up from Golgh, the elf ranger climbed onto the Dragonborn who pushed Varghul through the mushroom cap.
Varghul poked his head up through the forest floor covered with a thick creepy forest mist.
“Is it safe?” Benison asked.
“Push me up,” Varghul said and Golgh shoved him the rest of the way through.
After a moment Golgh, Benison, and Varghul stood in the middle of a creepy forest.
“Ja’Kitch Wood!” Benison exclaimed quietly.
“What?” Golgh and Varghul said looking at Benison.
“This must be Ja’kitch Wood!” Benison said. “We must be just outside of N’Urd!”
“What’s Ja’kitch Wood?” Varghul asked and Benison shook his head.
“I don’t know really,” Benison said. “I just heard the locals talking about it in the tavern before the serving wench—”
“Howling Hag,” Golgh corrected.
“The Hag drugged us,” Benison finished.
“Which way to N’urd?” Varghul asked looking about the forest for a sign or indication as to the direction to follow.
In silence, the three Adventurers stood gazing about the Wood.
“Wait!” Exclaimed Benison who reached into his pocket. “I have this lucky dice with twenty sides! It will tell us!”
Benison withdrew an antiquated dice with tarnished sides.
“Will it?” asked Golgh.
“Yes!” Benison said. “But only if it lands on the twentieth side.”
Benison cupped his hands over the dice and shook it. He shook his ass. He shook his shoulders. He shimmied about and danced like an idiot and attempted a gig,which he botched then he dropped the dice on the ground.
“There!” he exclaimed at the dice. “What luck!”
“Okay, dice,” Golgh said to the hunk of metal. “Which way to N’Urd?”
And all at once, the way was clear. To the east they would go.
