They all meet for breakfast and discuss their plans. They would like to go to the north side of Baldur's Gate, but the road from here leads them only to the eastern gate, which will require them to pass through the city to get to the north gate. If they do that, they won't be able to bring their cart, stock, wolves - or the dragon egg. Or they will have to hide them and have them portered through the city.

Ontharr tells them he's heard of people making their way to the Coast Way just north of Baldur's Gate, but the only road is many days' travel (Leosin says they don't have time for that), so they would need to go through the uncharted woods. They would definitely need a guide who knows the way.

"Do you know of such a guide?" ask Karat.

"I don't know," says Ontharr, "but I do know people to ask, if you'll give me a couple hours."

"Do we have a couple hours?" asks Karat of Leosin.

"Well a few hours, yes, but we should get going as soon as possible, tomorrow morning at the latest. The sooner the better."

Ontharr says he'll look into it after breakfast, and disappears into the kitchen. A few minutes later they notice him passing by, from the kitchen toward the back door, with a large platter of something very gross. It looks like some sort of food, but greasy and lumpy like guts, and the stench of it is noticeable. He disappears through the back door.

Hooflepoof, curious, slips on his Cloak of Invisibility and follows. Ontharr steps outside and then into another door, into a sort of barn building that also houses the stables. The door closes behind him, and lest he draw suspicion, Hooflepoof doesn't dare open it. Instead he sneaks around the building looking for another way in. Along the side is a large sliding door used for bringing in horses and carts, and it has enough of a gap that he can see through it, if he puts his eye right up to the crack.

He sees Ontharr go through another door, at the back of the stables. This door isn't obvious; one could quite easily walk right past it and think it is only another part of the wall. Ontharr emerges almost immediately with the empty, greasy platter, and goes back to the inn.

Then Hooflepoof goes back to the door to the barn, and creeps inside. He listens at the hidden door, and hears sounds of eating and talking in a language he doesn't understand. Very slowly he pushes the door open, slowly enough that it might appear to be just drifting open due to the wind or something, just enough to get a partial view into the room. He sees goblins, eating breakfast.