Shrutsena looks calmly at the skull, "It seems it is time for us to start circling left."

"Seems that way." Jade says with a frown. She turns to start in that direction, looking for the next skull...

Looking: 7

...

You have to get closer to see more - clearly a skull like this is intended to be the first thing seen, probably no matter what direction you come from. There is not exactly a path, but it is clear when you are outside the ring and should not go further. The "fence" is not any particular material - trees, wooden stakes, metal bars, bushes, flowers, and mushroom patches all alternate. But it is very clearly a ring lined up with purpose. There are also clear gaps that look like inviting entrances, but I think you know better.

There is a next skull and plenty after that. Every couple feet there is something - a shiny rock, weapons, cut flowers, sculpture, knickknacks, other bones; hanging from a tree, set in a clear patch, balanced atop a spike or bar. It is not all skulls, but they are pretty common among the assortment. As far as you can tell, they could all be hags. Hags are descended from the Northern People (orcs and ogres) but display a wide range of mutations and disfigurements. Not all of them change the skull shape, so on average these are human to orc looking skulls, but a few are pretty fantastic.

You need to go along checking for Matilda's skull among the others, and avoid alerting the Mother Hag. Each of you please state what you can do to aid the group effort, but do not roll

((I suspect there is something up with the dice roller, or maybe my thread is just cursed because of something I did as a child. If ok with you, state your idea, and I will roll real dice off-line if needed))

Shrutsena circles the fence clockwise, thinking carefully of the words used by their 'employer' to describe their target.

"Didn't she say somthing about eyes socks in a weird place?" Vrawl tries to remember the words as well. Quietly looking for any skull that jogs his memory.

The clockwise trek goes reasonably well. Jade's guidance keeps you stealthy. You have a scare when you hear a booming voice call "Who's there?", but just the once and you eventually hear snoring. The magical interference that Vrawl and Shrutsena have sensed since before the Pool of Horror has been constant, no increase. They tick off the skulls as you pass. It is pretty tedious: something every few feet and many of the somethings being skulls, you have seen thousands, mostly mundane, but even the interesting ones are losing their interest. Gurag provides noble bearing and encouraging blessings from St Myev, not to be left out.

It does go faster than you'd think, though, and in a few hours you are almost to the northernmost point of the ring (about a third of the way around from where you started) when you spot the worm-faced skull that matches Zminza's description and sketch, sitting atop a limestone block.

"That was trying in the patience. " Vrawl chuckles in his low growling voice. "Once we grab that skull how fast do you think some sort of guardian will be on our heels?"

Shrutsena shakes his head, "Not long, but we just need to destroy it right? As soon as it's done, I can try and get us out of here in an instant through my magics."

"One of you grab it then and let's get this done with." Jade says.

So the only instructions were "So you take the skull of Matilda Wormface ... then turn your back to the fenceline and walk straight, don’t look back, walk at least a mile. Pound the skull to dust on any rock in Siberia, then back to the cave and trace the pattern." The magic presence V & S sense is no worse than it was before you reached the tentacle creature - so Create Devise or Vine Whip might work - or just Vrawl's very long arms could reach if the thief wants the magic users to nab the MacGuffin

Vrawl will reach up and snag the skull. Turning quickly sound he starts walking away, taking long strides but not running.

((real life dice was a 12 - just to compare the app 15...wadya know, not always crazy bad))

As you turn your backs to the fenceline you hear a "wha who's there?" but it is halfhearted and snoring starts back up pretty soon. Assuming you follow instructions. You successfully do not look back, no Lot's wife / Persephone action for these heroes. You walk another quarter mile past your one-mile-minimum before you find a decent flat rock without changing course. Gurag uses the copper ingot to pound the weird skull to dust. You do not feel anything special, but the actions are as instructed.

"Back to the cave then, or do you have some other magic to get us out of here?" Jade asks, glancing to the magic wielders once the skull is smashed to dust.

Shrutsena attempts his magic to connect them back to where they'd met the hag which gave them their quest.

18

A doorway through the ether opens and you can see the little house in Bonansa you have been renting. You step through and start to feel the momentary delay as normal, except

Yoink! it sounds like "yoink", it feels like being yoinked, you even see the word "yoink" in your native alphabets like you were in a comic strip as you get pulled out of nowhere

You are two each in the enormous hands of a frail old woman - or are you shrunk in normal sized hands? - anyway your perspective shifts as you get set down and it is a slightly larger than normal and on second look not so frail half-orc looking woman

Nope dearies she says My garden extends a dozen leagues into the Fairy World. Did no one tell you? I guess I have guests, or snacks, depending. Please sit a spell

"By the earth father," Vrawl groans "what fresh hell is this?"

It's "Mother" dear - not your Sky Mother, just of my daughters she says, and sniffs You are a long way from your mother's home, and rather Gifted for a Normal. You took something, didn't you? What did you take, and why, and where is it?

"A skull." Jade says with a wince. "We walked to a stone and then smashed it."

Aye that's true enough she puts in Anyone particular? One of my trophies or one of my daughters?

There is a bit of an exhale after she accepts your first true statement. I guess you are guests, she continues. So far. She is however glancing at Gurag every once in a while, like he might be an iron-coated bonbon. Care for a refreshment while you explain the whys and wherefores? Tea? Ale? Rum?

"Rum would be nice." Jade speaks up again. "The skull was Matilda Wormface's."