There was only one problem: the map came with a strict caveat. According to ancient lore, the mountain spirits only granted passage to the "Wisest of Elders," specifically defined as men with "beards long enough to sweep the sins from a stone floor."
Arthur didn't wait for a refund. He sprinted down the trail, one hand clutching his face, the other holding his map, realizing too late that while he had found eternal dignity, he had left his $400 yak-hair chin behind in the snow.
As he turned to leave, a sudden, violent sneeze erupted from his lungs. The force of it—combined with the high-altitude sweat—compromised the Forge’s legendary adhesive. The right side of the beard peeled away, flapping in the wind like a dying crow. The monk’s eyes narrowed. The mountain began to tremble.
Arthur strapped it on. The transformation was instant. He didn't just look older; he looked like a man who had survived a shipwreck and then wrestled the shark that caused it.