Tanda arches an eyebrow, looks at Korg and Lannstucht in turn, and shrugs. 
"Sorry, good sir," she said, "we just got here ourselves."

    Roland stands calm as he looks to the goblin. "We're bound for Penticon. If 
we had seen anything odd, we certainly would have been able to handle it 
ourselves." He arches a brow towrard the goblin in plate. "I've never seen a 
paladin with a dire wolf for a mount, nor a goblin paladin, for that matter, so 
I would be lying if I didn't find your own actions somewhat out of place." he 
shrugs. "I hope that your quarry may find you soon, or that you may find your 
quarry, for that matter." He starts back up his stride towards penticon. "Good 
day to the both of you."

    Segev makes no reply, as Roland has summed his reply up nicely, and probably 
in a less offensive way. He continues to walk along, ignoring the goblins as 
unimportant.

    "I've heard of kobold bards," Tanda muses. "We had one come through 
Riverdale while me and Korg were there. You remember him, he was singing about 
ancient floating cities and medusae. What was his name...?" She turns around and 
moves on 
with the rest toward Penticon.

    Korg grunts, and thinks for a moment.  "I remember the bard, but not the 
name..." He shrugs slightly adding, with a touch of irony, "Some people find 
unusual callings."  He nods to the two Goblins and makes to resume riding.

    Lannstucht draws Dunnstacht to a (reluctant, as always) halt nears the 
goblins.  With a quelling glare towards Roland, she turns to the goblins and 
addresses them courteously in her cultured mezzosoprano.  "Good sirs Snarkle and 
Fringle, please forgive my uncouth companion.  I'm afraid he has not yet reached 
an age where his thoughts proceed more rapidly than his tongue.  I could not 
help but overhear your argument as I drew near.  What sort of creature for which 
are you hunting?  I must say that I have not yet seen signs of anything untoward 
on our journey thence, but forewarned is forearmed if there is some danger on 
our path ahead."

    Snarkle, the one speaking in the common tongue, nods to Lannstucht as she 
asks.  "Forgive Fringle, but he can't speak a word of your language.  We're 
tracking a mind flayer, a particularly nasty one that we believe is seeking out 
an ancient artifact of great power, based on its movements.  I fear it has 
already hit Caer Zitheral, but Fringle thinks it's still headed there.  He's not 
too bright.  Personally, I think it might be on its way to Caer Ritaegno, 
judging by these tracks."

    Tanda did a double take. "Did you say... artifact?"

    After a moment, she continued.  "Can you tell me what this artifact is that 
the beastie is seeking?"

    "We don't know.  I'll be sure and ask the flayer, once we find it."  His 
tone is somewhat condescending as he gives this last line, as if he didn't 
really think he'd get the chance to ask any questions of his quarry.

    Segev steps out from behind Korg and Lannstucht, and manages to give the 
impression that he's looking down on the goblins even though their dire wolf 
mounts do a great deal to change the relative eye levels between himself and the 
humanoids. Nevertheless, he maintains some caution as he holds his iron-bound 
quarterstaff leaning semi-casually diagonally across his body, ready to block an 
impulsive attack from the fool white-knuckling its sword at him. "How do you 
know it seeks an artifact, if you know neither what artifact it seeks nor why it 
seeks it?"

    Snarkle fixes Segev's gaze, and a touch of venom sneaks into his voice.  
"Because each of its victims so far has been a priestess who was known to have 
known something about a powerful artifact," he replies.  "As for why it seeks 
the artifact, mind flayers always have some infernal reason for doing what they 
do, even if it's not apparent to us."

    Korg pauses at that, remembering the scene that recently happened with 
another priestess being killed.

    Menaria had only half way listened to the commenting goblins, but the 
comment of priestess caught her attention. "What was this priestess faith?" She 
speaks up. Thinking perhaps they might know more about their own situation than 
thought originally. Fascinating...if they think the killer is a 
mindflayer...then perhaps that is what took out our head priestess.

    "Of what possible relevance is their religion?" scoffs Segev, an attempt at 
false levity that rather thoroughly fails entering his tone as he glances back 
at Menaria. A warning is in his eyes, however, which vanishes behind his normal 
ice-blue calm before he turns back to the goblin.

    "Wait," Tanda said, more than a little irked at Segev's reaction to the two. 
"Did all these priestesses know about the same artifact?"

    A stygian river could have gotten colder had Segev turned upon it the tones 
with which he graced the goblins. "We are most greatful for your warning, kind 
sirs Snarkle and Fringle," he allowed an unpleasent smile to creep into his face 
as he slipped into impeccable goblin, words carefully chosen to give insulting 
connotation while maintaining perfectly polite denotation. "We shall take your 
warning to heart, and wish you happy hunting in the city of beings with Sirrah 
Fringle's unfortunate abnormality." It is clear, from the way he looks down upon 
the more obvious signs of his profession, that he speaks of Fringle's 
paladinhood. "Your dicipline, -good- sirs, is admirable." With that, he bows a -
touch- low enough that it could be considered mockery, and turns to head towards 
Penticon.

    For once, a tiny amused smile graces his countenance. Nah, must just be a 
trick of the sunlight. Segev certainly doesn't look like he gets much of it.

    Korg blinks and sits astride his horse, somewhat astonished at Segev.  "Of 
what relevance is their religion he asks?" he thinks.  "Even I can see a 
possible connection.  I hope he's just being an asshole..." He hears the string 
of Goblin from Segev and nods to himself.  "Yes, probably just being an 
asshole." he thinks.

    "You'll have to excuse him," Tanda said by way of apology, almost letting 
something slip because she was talking a bit faster than she was thinking. "I 
happen to travel with two people who couldn't get lai-- you know."

    Glim is too busy figuring out alchemical mixtures and backblow variables, 
muttering the whole time over his work. Every so often something understandable 
can be discerned in his ramblings.

    "mumblemutter... rate of expansion from impact center... maybe a spring... 
cut out something's legs?... mumble..."

    Snarkle nods in understanding, with a slight thumbjerk at Fringle.  "He's 
the same way."  He then remounts, and the two begin argueing again, riding at a 
sedate pace towards Caer Zitheral.

    Tanda perked up as she remembered something. "Wait a moment," she muttered. 
"The inscription on the dagger was in Undercommon. And Undercommon is mainly 
used by drow, but also by mind flayers--"

    She turned back to the rest of the group. She was a bit hesitant to reveal 
this information in front of Roland and Segev, but she had to say it now lest 
she forget to later. "I think these gobbos and us are working on the same case 
from opposite ends."

    Having wasted about a half hour talking with the goblins, the party starts 
moving towards Penticon again.  Around nightfall, you come up to the wood walls 
of a village.  At the gate, speaking with the guards, a woman in full plate 
armor is attempting to enter the village.