Corpses and mushrooms...

"By Helestria's light!" Althea gasped. Illuminated by the orange torchlight lay a sprawl of long-dead corpses, each showing advanced stages of decay. Strangely, they all bore lumps beneath their clothing, and they all had several dark, fleshy, foot-long stalks sprouting from their backs. Some kind of fuzzy mold had grown out of their eyes and covered the upper halves of their faces. Well, what was left of their faces. By Althea's assessment, these poor souls likely met their demise quite some time ago. The mold and stalks presented another new anomaly for the healer. Overall, a dank and musty stench filled the air pouring out of the building. Clearly this place had been sealed off for some time.

"What do you think happened, Fabian?" Lorna murmured, nudging one of the corpses with the head of her axe. "Look like Razortusk's men by their armor," the dwarf added. "Hard to say with the poor state they're in," she sighed. Her keen, dwarven eyes pierced the dim light of the building before settling on something in the corner. "Over there!" she pointed and gingerly stepped over the carpet of corpses toward the other side of the modest warehouse.

Althea whispered more prayers. Already she had seen so much ****, and it was only her first day out in the world. Just what exactly was happening in this village? Did they know about this place? And where did that sick man come from? Question after question poured into her mind... until she tripped over one of the dead bodies.

"Try to stay on your feet, little lady," Fabian shook his head with a sigh of his own as he followed after his axe-wielding partner, "What'd you find?"

"Spices, dyes, silks, you name it! They've got at least two wagonloads of the rare stuff!" Lorna laughed like a giddy child.

Althea tried to stand, but the clumsy acolyte found that her foot was caught on something. Perhaps one of the dead's bag or maybe a cloak? That's when the body stirred and slowly turned its mouldering gaze toward her, baring a lipless sneer. A familiar, throaty howl croaked from the corpse's lips, and Althea screamed in terror.