After a rest, the group decides to set out to find the dragon. Meepo accompanies them as their guide. Before they go, Meepo suggests that they meet a halfling that they found stumbling around the kobold’s territory. He leads them to the jail.
The group recognizes the halfling as Stubbs, the cousin of Corkie Thickfinger, whom they met at the House of Worship in Oakhurst. Stubbs claims he is looking for something important in the citadel, and the group lets the halfling join their party.
Meepo leads the group into the goblin territory. They come across an inately sculpted dragon fountain. Upon reading a sentence etched into the stone, a red liquid spews from the mouth of the dragon, filling the empty basin. Xanath decides he will launch a fireball at the pool, causing a great erruption of fire, singeing himself and Grisduin in the process.
The group travels on, as Ash unaware of this surrounding steps onto a caltrop. Two goblins napping behind a crumbled wall are alerted by the Tabaxi’s screeching sound. Quin, speaking goblin, speaks with the two, but quickly resorts to threatening the goblins, causing them to flee.
The group gives chase, but runs into an ambush. The group easily takes care of the goblins, Ash scores the elusive turkey, ripping 3 throats in one combat encounter. Anakis finds a key that opens a nearby door. Within the room there are 3 kobold prisoners and a half orc man in a cage.
Meepo releases the kobolds. The half orc is revived. Anakis recognizes this man as Burt, the companion of Jakilmir. Burt relays information to the group concerning Belak, the twisted druid who is found in the underground grove below the citadel. Burt tells the group that Belak is the cause for all the animated trees (twig blights) that have been terrorizing Oakhurst and the surrounding area. Burt also confirms that the goblins are working for Belak. He also tells them that the Faerwalds and Sir Bradford were also taken prisoner, but Belak came a few days ago and took them. He hasn’t seen them or Belak since.
Burt, badly injured, tells the group that he is going to return to Oakhurt to find Jakilmir, the druid.
Upon leaving, Meepo steers the group to a door, and insists that his dragon is not far from here.