The storm you braved to attend the meeting at the Morning Summit continues to rage for three long days, seemingly without any signs of stopping. Finally with the coming of the fourth day the clouds finally part and allow the sun to shine through, the air thick with the humidity that is typical of the hot summer days of this port city. Having made your final preparations you each begin to head toward the building Ladnar had marked on the map, feeling the humidity more so than the residents who aren't lugging around gear like you are. As you arrive the first thing you notice is that Ladnar's comment about the building needing work is a bit of an understatement, most of the windows are broken and boarded over, and the door hangs crooked in the warped frame. This warehouse is clearly past its prime, and you find yourself wondering if perhaps the Ranger has spent too much time smoking on his pipe in the woods. As he notices your approach the Half-elf waves madly, ushering you to come over; if you had planned to run it is too late now.

As the last of you arrives Ladnar gestures toward the structure and smiles like a mad man, "I know what you're thinking, but I got a great price on it, they practically paid me to take it off their hands! (This of course was not the case, as he could not get that lucky) The price did come with a couple minor hang ups as you can already see. Not only is the structure in disrepair, I've been forewarned that before it was abandoned the previous owners had a bit of a pest problem, the word infestation may have been mentioned. There is a plus to this though, the previous tenants were so eager to get away that a lot of their stuff was left in the rush and we're welcome to anything we can make use of." He turns away from you briefly, pulling hard on the door, which appears to be stuck. Once he finally gets the door pulled free of its frame you are immediately assaulted by the horrible odors of stale air, mildew, rotting food and excrement of whatever is living in this building. A quick peak inside gives you further insight into the level of work this place is going to need, as the floors are soaked from the storm, apparently the roof has a hole in it and several smaller leaks as well. Not only was the floor soaked but much of what had been left in this main room has already succumbed to wood rot or appears to have been gnawed on by whatever this 'infestation' is. With another smile, one in which you think you catch a glimpse of madness, he addresses you again, "So here's the deal, you fine folks are going to take care of our pest problem while I try to find a carpenter who will work cheaply. Remember, anything of value or use needs to be salvaged so we can either use it or sell it for funds."

((The hole in the roof is large enough that it lets in enough light to see in the main room once you enter, the other rooms you won't know until you enter them.))

Richard Denim takes off his long brimmed hat as the gust of are comes from the house. He waves the piece of head attire a few times in front of his face as he tries to overcome the nauseating smell of the building.

“This place sure does have a distinct odour to it now.” The young man mentions to no one in particular. Placing his hat back on his head, he strokes Cardinal’s face a few times, and then whisper’s to his companion. “Now you just stay here ol’ friend, that place aint big enough for you.” Though the mustang is not a creature blessed with sentient intelligence, Richard knows that the horse understood the drift of what he meant. Cardinal whinnies and nudges at his master’s arm as the man was setting off to enter into the neglected establishment. “Now now there boy, there aint nothin’ to worry about. I got the rest o’ the gang here to watch my back in your place. I will be back shortly.”

The mighty beast shakes its head, and its long golden mane glistens in the sunlight. Richard gives a smile and then walks back to the entrance where perhaps the others are already waiting.

“So, anyone got a torch? If not, I will go back and grab my lantern from the saddle bag.” Richard, at this point, is also looking over his items on him: his hand axe was at his left hip, his crossbow at his back, and a case of 10 bolts on his right hip. With his armor already on, the cowboy-bounty hunter was ready for any fight that might take place... though he doubted that he would need to use such weapons against cockroaches.

Aiden wore a half-mad smile as he gazed at the building. His nostrils flared as the smell assaulted his nose. Something seemed familiar, but he couldnt place it. He shrugged still, grinning, then turned to answer his comrade. "I myself have no torches.. but I should think the lantern would be beneficial even if the others do have them."
He closed his eyes, drawing into himself, as he again spoke the words he had repeated so many times. He kept his voice low, almost inaudible.As he spoke, a blue circle, ringed with arcane markings and glowing slightly appeared on his forehead, slowly revolving. He finally raised his voice near the end."Lusa vundr! Sydgoraa!" Out of the air appeared a steel-blue serpent, as long as Aiden's armspan, with a similar mark on its own head. It slowly coiled itself around Aiden, then climbed down him, waiting patiently on the ground.

Ignoring any reactions the others might have had, he carefully steps through the door, after making sure his supplies were secure and present in his robe, Sydgoraa at his heels.

Gabnar took a few steps forward. He too already wore his armour, and pulled his shield off his back, readying himself quickly as his soldier's training required.

He placed his backpack onto the ground near his companion's horse. His spear he kept strapped to his back.
He'll have overblown the idea again... Cockroaches, probably. Won't need the spear, just boots... he thought with a grin.

But then it occurred to him that...
"Smell that? Not cockroaches, at least not normal-sized."

Following Aiden into the building, he knelt to examine the gnawed wooden planks... "Cockroaches don't eat wood," he proclaimed.

((I know we haven't gotten a post from DB yet, but he can backpost in easily enough))

As you enter the condemned building you find yourself in an open foyer like area, approximately twenty feet wide by 35 feet. The sounds of movement can be heard throughout the room, though it is hard to pinpoint through all the splashing due to the puddles collected on the floor and the water still dripping in from the holes in the ceiling. At first glance all you can see is scattered piles of refuse, mostly trash and other useless junk. A few broken chairs and three legged table sit in the corner just to your left in a haphazard pile of mangled wood. About 15 feet in on the right hand side is a stack of about 5 crates, the amount of damage they have sustained is impossible to determine from where you are. Roughly 10 feet in there is a door on the left wall, and there are two other doors on the far wall opposite where you entered.

Richard draws out his hand axe as he hears the movement in the shadow. he then points his bullseye lantern in the general direction of the sound, and peers into the gloom.

"Sounds like we got some big ol' roaches in this building..." Richard hesitantly joked. "What kind of infestation are we talking about here I wonder..."

The storm had finally gave way to a glaring sun and a heavy air that seemed to glide by with a sticky tongue, concerned more with soaking men in sweat than cooling them off in the breath of a breeze. The wet air seemed to grip tightly to whatever clothes one wore and press them clingingly into skin. Though the heat hugged Joseph intimately luring sweat out beneath the leather armor and cloak overtop, the druid had been used to days of walking under a vicious sun and met it calmly and indifferently.

Joseph approached the warehouse that had fallen into the hands of the Wolf Pack, his eyes sweeping over the dilapidation with apprehension. Joseph never felt comfortable in buildings, he always felt the walls and ceilings longed to squeeze the life out of him. It was no vote of confidence for the man-made structure looked as though it actually was waiting to collapse, either on top of him or not. The man took a deep breath. Though he was a man of the wild, he had greater hopes in life than wondering aimlessly. If he was to achieve his goals, he would have to learn to tolerate the claustrophobia of four walls around him.

Stepping through the ill-made door, Joseph gazed around at the wreckage that was to be a meeting place. The wood was gnawed out by the teeth of time, much had been swallowed by the water the sky had poured out the past few days. The work of man was so mediocre thought Joseph. Ladnar however, seemed pleased by the shoddy craftsmanship that caged them in now and was eager to send them to the first task. Infestation. No doubt there were more than just onee species of parasite living off this abandoned building. Joseph smiled, nature had found a way of crawling up through the floorboards. Man thought he was so safe in his cities, blocking out the wild world, but it would always find a way to burrow in and take control.

Gazing around at his companions and their varied displeased and unsure expressions, Joseph wondered how they would eliminate this ‘infestation’. His method would be to let nature take its course, they could just as easily meet in a clearing in the forest at their doorstep. The most advisable route would be to find out what plagued the house and determine, based on that, what the most effective solution would be. Poison, probably, thought Joseph.

Though he felt the chains of anxiety around his stomach, Joseph steeled himself against the taunts and advances of the walls, which seemed to want to squeeze him down into oblivion. The outdoorsman stepped inside the room that Ladnar had directed them towards and gave it a preliminary scan. The predator nature had began chewing the guts out from it and looking to the floor Joseph reminded himself not to trust a single step.

"So here's the deal, you fine folks are going to take care of our pest problem while I try to find a carpenter who will work cheaply. Remember, anything of value or use needs to be salvaged so we can either use it or sell it for funds." Came the eager call of their leader from through the door. Joseph turned back and looked at the man curiously wondering how mad the man had gone.

As Joseph eyed the room slowly, his gaze passing from the pools of water to rotten wood, the group discussed how to light their mission of extermination. Joseph was not very concerned, Richard Denim, the eager young wrangler was off to fetch a lamp. Joseph smiled, “I’m sure my staff may serve as a light.” Joseph waved his hands over the head of the staff, whispering quietly and transforming the simple wood into a bright illuminating force.

Certainly it would not take more than one man to find out what vermin had taken up residence in the abode. In fact, now that Joseph thought of it, it seemed odd that Ladnar himself hadn’t investigated that. A man may easily pick his way through rotten wood to find the source of decay and hire or buy the appropriate remedy.

Joseph’s thought leapt to the mad gleam in the ranger’s eyes more suspiciously this time. Could it be that ‘The Wolf’ knew precisely what darkness lurked within the building and was releasing the party into it as a sort of first test or team-building exercise? Or Ladnar himself is the exterminator and we are the vermin, Joseph thought. But the ranger had earned Joseph’s trust, enough to lure him into an adventuring party, it was not possible that he had misjudged the leader of the Wolf Pack… was it?

Whatever the reason, he was now trapped inside this building with three strangers and the only obvious solution he knew was to complete the task slowly, carefully and logically. Resting his staff against the wall Joseph turned to his companions. “I will begin clearing out this rotting wood from the building. It is useless to us. If the vermin do eat wood they are most likely termites or carpenter ants.” But perhaps they were something larger, stranger, Joseph thought to himself as he began inching his way towards the closest pile of garbage, being sure not to break the wood beneath his feet.

-Dragonblood