It was true through and through that there was nowhere back from the forsaken land they found themselves marooned in, a little spit of civilization in a vast sea of relentless, restless wilderness. Even the road cut through the fields and the odd wood was far from safe unto itself and if they withdrew now they would well have returned to the town which they launched from, only to find they would need turn around and repeat this process; the rats likely having returned in strength, or worse. If there were beasts as these about, as well as the sizable, knife-tusked boar they had seen prior, undoubtedly those things that consumed these manner of animal would be afoot too, be them beasts as well or worse, [i]monsters[/i].

Able to restrain herself from gagging at the filthiness of the rats, who were living in squalor underground and feeding on the carrion of this stead's land turned battleground, Tracan motioned to the door. She didn't share their concerns for the same reasons, rather the longer they dallied and delayed, the sooner night would come, and she had no intention of hiding in some burned out barn or a rat's barrow to keep alive over the wash of darkness.

"Let's go."

She said nothing more and led them in, soon stepping aside so the men, with heavy armor upon their frames and shields in their hands, could pass her by. As with any elf she was lithe, dexterous, and gracile, but she was far from banking her life on her reflexes and the bite of her dagger to get her through the tight quarters ahead.

Once they moved into the remains of the house, they saw clearly what had taken place here, at least so far as the [i]dire rats[/i] had invaded. The floorboards had been gnawed away, a hole dug into the center of the room, the blackened wood furniture torn asunder into bits from grinding teeth, and the precarious bits of roofing hanging in. There was a floor above in the farmhouse, although daring there would be a risk to life and limb in no short order thanks to the long extinguished fire's effects. So too was there probably little of value, the highwaymen and thieves that raided this little homestead all but certainly having taken everything. All else that remained now was the cellar and the tunnel, of which both seemed now interconnected...

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[b]Initiative Table[/b]
Renault - 21
Vah'lux - 20
Gorosk - 18
Quentin - 14
Tracan - 13
Creatures - ??

The party enters the remains of the large, ruined house on the stead and find it mostly destroyed. There is an upstairs as well as a cellar, which the massive hole burrowed into the floor now seems part of. All of the group is to roll for initiative, as combat is pending in the near future.
[/hider]
[@BangoSkank][@Hellion][@Lord Wyron][@TyrannosaursRex]