Soon before the eighth bell strikes, the din of the marketplace grows. The locals know this is their last chance to hock their wares to the travelers going to Norbal. Travelers are welcomed to a horse cart with two rows of seats in the carriage. One after one, those who will risk their lives in the chaos dungeon climb into the back of the cart and take a seat. Ser Nelio insists on being the first to ascend, followed by Caerus, Flip and Flap, Hoal, Korgan, and the two Half-Orcs. As the eighth bell rings, the cart lurches forward to begin the journey, flanked by four guardsmen on horseback.
The cart moves slowly at first, so it is easier to navigate the busy streets of the marketplace. Once outside the town limits, the pace speeds up a bit. The respite from the rain that plagues the area ends swiftly, as large droplets begin to fall upon the travelers from above. The rain limits vision, but you are able to discern the road that leads north to the basin in which the chaos dungeon resides.
After almost eight hours of traveling in this endless pocket of wet landscape, the outskirts of Tomm Swamp begin to make themselves known. The rain begins to pool around the northeastern range of your vision, and moss clings to gnarled trees. The air feels more dense here, like a giant slowly pressing down on you from above.
Soon after the swamp landscape appears a light can be seen ahead at the extent of your vision. "Look! Is that a will-o-wisp?" asks one Halfling. "No, you silly little man, sit down," replies the driver. As you approach, you see that the light is actually a hooded lantern hanging from a sign posted at a fork in the road. In the western-facing direction, the sign reads NORBAL; and in the northeastern-facing direction it reads MULBER FERRY / BRIMM. The beginnings of an outpost can be seen in the grass on one side of the road. "Sheriff Ward has set a crew to begin working on a proper rest stop. The temporary campsites have been too risky as of late," says the driver, to no one in particular. He leads the cart off the road toward a half-built barracks. A stack of timber can be seen on the opposite side, and sawhorses and other building tools lay strewn about the area.
The driver says, "Dammit, where the hell is Norah this time? Johnson! Spread out and find those lazy sods. There'll be hell to pay if we don't get that barracks finished soon." The four guardsmen on horseback ride out and search the area, but could find no sign of the workers. "Their tools and all their equipment is still here, sir," says the guardsman named Johnson, "they couldn't have gone far without their food." The driver, a captain named Smith according to the other guardsmen, leads you into the workers' camp and points to one of the finished buildings, a smaller one set to house no more than a dozen, and tells you to wait inside until he can find out what happened to the workers.
