Er...if you want to get to the Forge without ascending, it should be incredibly difficult.
Hiking all the way is possible, even with "only" six level 20s. If you can't make it, you can't make it. The point is, if you approach from the wrong direction (the one where you get sub-20 henchmen, a six-person max group, and a poor pool of potential groupies), it's going to be way more challenging than it would be if approached from the "right" side.
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