Now reunited with their weapons, the group prepares to leave. "Can my friend come with us?" asks Leosin. "I think you met Jamna on the road to Waterdeep. In fact, she told me she saved your lives once." He is talking about the deadly curling bones she once pulled out of their morning cereal.

"What is her goal?" asks Elbolin.

"She's also tracking the Dragon Cult. I think she could be a real asset to us, with her magic and fighting skills."

The adventurers agree that she can come along, and Leosin goes to fetch her while they round up and pack their horses.

They have no trouble finding the trail that they left, leading back to the hatch where it meets the tunnel where they emerged from the roadhouse. From there, a well-trodden trail leads windingly northward. The way is swampy and unpleasant even in the daytime. Even the "solid" ground is soggy, and in many places the trail is covered in murky water as high as their knees. The trail is easy to follow, not only by the footprints, but by blaze marks cut into nearby trees. They see many more of the three-toed footprints.

After a few hours sloshing through the mere, they notice a putrid stench, and shortly come across four Bullywugs. There is a small clearing where the trail touches the edge of a grimy pond, and on the bank, the Bullywugs are busily chewing on some carrion. They don't notice the group of adventurers at first, who try to just sneak past without confrontation. They've almost made it past when one of the Bullywugs looks up and notices them. "Grraggleblugger" he growls, saying something in the Bullywug's primitive language, which nobody in the party can translate. The adventurers just try to ignore them and keep going.

But Bullywugs never miss a chance to bully somebody, and one of them leaps with a big frog jump, landing directly in front of Hooflepoof, who is walking last in the line, separating him from the rest of the group. "Gwarghuggle Miggle Blug!", or something like that, says the Bullywug, getting right in Hooflepoof's face and blocking his path. Hooflepoof manages to push past him, and they all start running up the trail. The Bullwugs don't try to chase them, but erupt in a chorus of shouting toward them, which of course nobody can understand, but their tone is obviously mocking.