T'laren, the whole bit about the 'Dragon Barrow' doesn't make sense.  Giants and some barbarian tribes use barrows to inter their dead, but not dragons.

Barkas, if the innkeep is offended at your assessment of his house beer, he doesn't show it.  "As it happens, friend, I've come into a bit of a surplus.  The Townmaster shut down the Sleeping Giant, the only other tavern in town, and I was able to secure their supplies for a song.  How much do you need?"

[Looking at the brewing ingredients, you see pedestrian hops and barley, and something that might be malted rye, though it smells a little funky.] 

Droknin just shrugs, as far as he knows, an ale is an ale. He tries to listen to the bard, but he got lost long time ago. He just remembers something about a lady that starts with a T.

Droknin doesn't have long to wait for another song.  Seeing the crowd doesn't take much to the song about the Dragon and Lady Tanamere, he pulls on his mustache.  "Well, I guess that sort of fancy-pants artsy music probably isn't up your alley here in Phandalin.  Of course not.   You're all simple miners.  People of the land!  The common clay of the new Sword Coast.  You know... good, common folk.  Here's something a little more your speed...".

He rips into another song about dragons.  Unlike the last song, this is a knee slapping comedy called "Not a Fair Fight."  The song is about a troupe of adventurers battling a dragon, and throughout the fight, they lament all the unnatural advantages the dragon has... extra heads, fire breath, impenetrable armor, etc.  The bard even takes suggestions from the crowd for later verses to add in more exotic draconic powers, like magic spells and the ability to summon tornados.

Aranea takes a bowl of soup and pays for her room at the same time. She eyes the ale with great skepticism and asks, "You don't happen to have any wine back there do you?" She's afraid she already knows the answer though.

As the bard concludes his first song, she claps politely. She wonders if the patrons of the inn realize that the bard just insulted them in so many words. His next song is much more raucous and lively. Aranea is almost tempted to throw in her own suggestion of a draconic power.

Droknin approaches Aranea and whispers to her. “How does this Bard knows about the Dragon of your dreams? Perhaps we should have a talk with him.”

Barkas looks at the innkeep and smiles, “Enough for three brews, at least, four if you have it.  The hops, the barley, and that funky lookin and smellin malted rye.  Haveta see how I can modify the brew to account for that.  Maybe not appropriate for Goat Scrotum ale, perhaps more of a Nuthatch Pale Ale kinda thing.  I can make it work.  How much for the ingredients?  I’ll give ya a taste of anything I produce… it may work out from a business standpoint for ya, if I could give you a different offering than that house lager.  That stuff is like making love in a canoe.  It’s F8&^ing close to water!  Hah hah hah!”  Barkas slaps his belly with his joke and gives the innkeep a grizzly grin.  

Tobem is willing to part with the supplies Barkas is seeking for 3gp.

Meanwhile, the bard saunters up to the table.  "Fare thee well, hale and hearty warriors.  You sort look like the adventuring types.  You know, its often said it pays to have a traveling bard as a friend.  What better way to speed the growth of your legend, through tale and song?  They also say it can't hurt to buy that bard a drink, either."

Droknin elbows Barkas and T'laren. "Ohh!! Can we keep him?"

The bard holds up a hand.  "Whoa, easy there, Lion-o.  I'm not looking for a sidekick.  It's nothing personal.  It's an animal dander thing."  He fake sneezes.  "See?  It just wouldn't work out.  But about that drink..." he waves to the bartender and then points at himself, then at Droknin, then gives a thumbs-up.

Barkas purchases the supplies, storing them away in his backpack and anything else that won’t fit into a sack.  He raises up to see Droknin taken with the bard, and he starts to grin.  He decides to play along.  “Yeah, you’re right.  Maybe somebody would hear it and come forward with helpful idears.  Or we could build hope to help with our cause.  Maybe somebody who had experience fightin dragons….”  He watches the bard’s eyes and face for signs of recognition, signs of interest.  “Oh yeah, have you heard?  We killed a whole band of orcs and ogres that were attacking people, ambushing passers by.  It was near this temple.  Then Aranea over there touched an altar and had a vision of a great white dragon that awoke and flew in to the area.”  Barkas makes “flying” motions with his arms.  “We hid in the wood line nearby, hightailing it out of there.  Then, all of a sudden, the very same white dragon appeared, pickin up a bell made out of gold!  Flied off, scaring the bartjeebus out of us!  That, my silver throated friend, is worthy of a tale, of a song.”  Barkas continues to flap his arms for a bit, acting out the flying dragon, then he finishes off the last of his beer.  

Puzzled by the comment from the human bard, Droknin sniffs between his armpits. It might not smell the greatest, but the Leonin doesn't see anything wrong with it. "You know, that fellow is a little bit strange... Why does he speak in riddles?" He comments to Barkas, while nodding to the thumbs up.

"Orcs?" the bard asks disinterestedly.  "Listen, pal, this isn't 1479 DR anymore.  Nobody cares about Orcs."  He does raise an eyebrow at the rest of Barkas' story.  "So the lady here got down with some wacky visions and saw a dragon, eh?  Groovy.  But its all talk.  Now, you shoot one of those big galoots out of the sky, you come talk to me.  A dead dragon is something we can work with.  Something we can market."  He thinks for a moment, then waves a hand through the air in front of him.  Big, balloon-like letters spell out 

Luycotas the Handsome

and the Dragonslayers

After a moment, the letters fade away.

The barkeep brings a mug of ale to the table, which the bard greedily accepts.  "Hey, thanks for the drink, fellas.  Nice talking with you."  He walks back to his lute and warms up for another song.

“Why that hot winded, lily livered, goat herder!  I’ve got a mind to entangle his lute strings!  Dontcha like how he put his name all big and up front, then at the bottom, “and the dragonslayers”.  Hah!  He doesn’t know his arse from a hole in the ground.”  Barkas gives a nod and thanks to the innkeeper for the brewing supplies, then turns to his companions saying, “You want ta get outta here?  This place is dead anyway…I can’t sit around in here and listen to b-e-a-utiful ole Louis cotas up there strummin his lil’ ukulele.”

Aranea puts a hand to her mouth to stifle the laughter that escapes her at the bard's antics and her companions' reactions. For a moment, she almost tells Barkas she would love to watch him entangle the bard's lute strings, but her better nature prevails. There's no use getting into a tavern brawl right now.

"I rented a room here," she tells Barkas now. "Are we retiring for the night?"

"I will not crowd your room. I prefer to look at the stars when resting for the night." With that said, the Leonin will take his leave. He will find a good tree, hop on it, and rest for the night.

Barkas says “Yes, I’m ready to head in for the night.  I think we’ve had quite enough for one day.  Maybe I can get a batch brewing before I head to sleep…”

The is a bitter chill in the air tonight.  

[Droknin is free to tough it out and sleep in a tree, but even his fur isn't enough to cold back the winds.  He will need to make a CON save DC 10 or take one level of exhaustion from the poor quality sleep.]

For anyone sleeping at the inn, rooms are 5sp.

The noise in the tavern below eventually quiets down and the party finds sleep.  They awake in the morning to a crisp, clear blue sky.

Everyone can take a Long Rest.

Barkas, assuming that, as a druid, you have some magical skill with plants, lets say you can get the yeasts working overtime and get a brew started before bedtime.

[There doesn't seem to be an immediate objective.  Here is a recap of some of the current events the party has learned about.

• There are at least two dragons terrorizing this region, a young green dragon laired in the ruins of Thundertree, and an adult white dragon laired at a ruined fortress on Icespire Peak in the Sword Mountains. (Source: major events from the campaign)
• The white dragon's activities have disturbed Orcs, Manticores, and possibly other monsters and humanoids from their own lairs, increasing threats on the local populace.  (Source:  major events from the campaign)
• Someone hired mercenaries to take over the town of Phandalin.  Those same persons were also working with a goblin tribe and possibly a Red Wizard.  (Source:  battles against Redbrands; battles against Cragmaw goblins; Red Wizard found at meeting with Cragmaw boss)
• Zombies were sighted somewhere west of the Butterskull Ranch (Source:  those halfling merchants)
• Legends say there is a powerful weapon buried in a 'dragon barrow' somewhere nearby (Source:  bard's song)
• The party has restored Townmaster Harbin Wester to control in Phandalin, and they are attempting to organize some basic defenses.  (Source: recent events)
• The party has heard of a number of locations that have been visited by or attacked by the white dragon, including an old dwarven ruin, a gold mine, and a place where the dragon was seen digging. (Source: stories related by Harbin Wester)
• There is an old dwarven forge in the area that Sildar Hallwinter and Gundren Rockseeker were working with Harbin Wester and allies in Neverwinter to reopen.  The same people who hired the mercenaries that took over Phandalin were also harassing Sildar and Gundren.  (Source: earlier events from the campaign)

Just providing some notes as you think about what to do next. ]

Droknin CON 18

(This is so perfect. LOL)

In the morning light, the others find brave Droknin, climbing down from a tree, looking even paler than normal and with a shimmer of ice crystals on his whiskers.