Ixir receives a message from his father to find Sildar Hallwinter. Milo meets Lymmura. At dinner, the group is joined by Kazo, an old retired soldier/adventurer, who shares that Phandalin would be a fine place for sellswords and opportunities abound. Eyeing Oohye as a fellow soldier, Kazo asks after his regiment, learning of his time spent slaying dragons. Ricola was warned by a contact to leave town as they had pissed off Glowkindle. Myrl walks into Thelorn’s Safe Journeys to check out the horses and sneaks back out. The group finds a job with a caravan in the outskirts north of Red Larch.
After 8 days of travel north through badlands of Sumber Hills, passing Westbridge and crossing the Black Maw Bog Bridge, they arrive at the mercantile town of Triboar. Myrl asks the caravan leader how the vegetables are kept fresh and learn that the druids of Goldenfields have magic to preserve the produce. Ixir (followed by Milo and Ricola) finds Sildar, an older fighter in his 50s, and learns that he is looking into the Cult of Dragons, amongst other things. He has also partnered with the dwarven prospector Gundred Rockseeker and learn they need an escort for their mining supplies. An excited Gundred bursts in and tells Sildar there is no time to lose and they must head to Phandalin now. He eagerly hires the group as an escort, estimating it would take about 6 days to get to Phandalin. After showing them the wagon being loaded at the general store, Gundred and Sildar ride off.
The next day, after getting supplied for the trip, the party heads into the wilds of the Triboar Trail. The evening of their second night of travel, they are attacked by 3 stirges. These mosquito-like bat creatures were easily dispatched. In fact, Kavier managed to catch one while Myrl restrains it with her lantern hood and some rope. The rest of the night was peaceful and uninterrupted.