What's Going On Here?

This is a weird part of this experiment since I've completely fallen out of linear plotting. It is grating on me, but this is the final third of the adventure (or the final quarter, depending on how the acts fall in your mind), and it feels critical to know what has happened, and to be clear about how this last stage develops. I've been trying to review what I've done, and see what loose ends and plot holes I can tie up or fill in before moving forward.
But I've struggled with that element, and continued to put pieces forward. That puts me here, backtracking and resetting the story. Specifically, the interview with the githzerai monk needs to come after the dream, so the characters have information bubbling in their head that they want answers to. Then, they can approach the otherworldly monk for divination that will probably leave their heads bubbling more with less clarity than ever. The point there is to foreshadow elements of the dragon lair in a way that won't make sense until they are in the lair itself.
But without the backstory info, they won't be able to ask enough questions to create the cryptic picture. I also think the other backstory element of the battle axe also needs to be fleshed out and included before the encounter with the monk for the same reason.
Against all of this, I'm trying to jump start a stalled Roll20 game, and play in another table game. Balancing all of these is a challenge. I watched a YouTube video recently that mentioned that one aspect of being a GM is always thinking of the games... this is definitely the case, but it isn't any easy mix when all of them are at a particularly demanding stage. Focus is the missing element, and it can be tricky to find.
We've had a lot of physical movement interfering, but that it past now, so all that remains is to stabilize a routine and begin producing content again. The danger in putting so much of this campaign off until later (the characters are first level, the dragon isn't... I'll wait until they're closer to check the encounter levels..., there's a magic item, but we'll decide what it can do later..., maybe there are two, but..., and so on), is that later has become now, and I don't remember what I had in mind. Also, instead of one issue to figure out, I have five... that all need to be figured out at the same time... that time is now... So everything goes on hold until I can know where the story actually is.
I've gotten a lot accomplished in terms of figuring out where I am, now its filling out the details of what I have with me there, and letting it inform the story ahead.
I need the backstory for the axe. Then, I need to develop the dream narrative and the encounter with the ranger chasing the axe. Then, the encounter with the githzerai monk takes place. Four points before the progress forward starts again. I challenge myself to hit those four points in quick succession.