A grisly Discovery on the Dessarin Road

TL;DR

• At Alexander's insistence, the party asked a favor of the Knights of Samular. They gave the knights the key to Rivergard Keep, asked them to retrieve their keelboat from Womford, then garrison the old fortress. Our heroes promised to check in when they could.
• Hoping to honor the fallen knight who had died fighting with his father in the north by retrieving his remains, Kahntun thought it a good idea to continue north on the Dessarin Road in hopes of finding clues about the missing Mirabaran party or at the very least pay a visit to Beliard in order to follow up on leads about the lost caravan (this was the last location where they were seen).
• While on the road, sharp-eyed LiKi noticed several birds of prey circling above a spot of earth a mile to the west.
• There they found looted and abandoned wagons, the remains of five dead bugbears dressed in black leather with a strange triangular symbol on it, a human woman in monk's robes with a strange golden mask shaped like a snarling gargoyle face, and a dozen dead soldiers dressed in black surcoats bearing the emblem of Mirabar. It appeared to the party that a great battle had been fought here. It was clear that they had uncovered the fate of the missing caravan. But none of the bodies seemed to be that of the important delegates.
• They found several goblinoid tracks leading westward. They followed these tracks and arrived at the Dessarin River. They discovered evidence of keelboats having recently landed on the muddy eastern banks.
• The party decided that their best bet was to head west, in search of the strange monastery where these "Sacred Stone Monks" were holed up.
• But this ideas was thwarted by the uncrossable river. Suddenly they were met by a band of Aarakocra warriors who descended from the sky above. After awkward, suspicious greetings, they exchanged information. Our heroes learned that this band was from a tribe that lived in the Sighing Valley near Feathergale Spire. In their squawking voices, the avian warriors mentioned that the Feathergale Knights were up to something suspicious, but were unable to determine the nature of their subterfuge.
• The party promised to look further into this mystery when they had a chance. The Aarakocra offered to carry each of them across the river. The party accepted gratefully.
• After another day of searching the wilderness, our heroes found the hidden valley that sheltered the Sacred Stone Monastery.