The guards had been a problem. Not much of one but a problem nonetheless. What Luskan soldiers were doing in an orc cave was of concern to everyone but they had no time to try to figure out that mystery.

They entered the new room on the third level with trepidation. Something felt wrong. Avera slowly walked around the stalagmites and stalactites and stood in horror. Elanee gasped and a hand shot up to her face as Grobnar just gawked. Neeshka backed up as Casavir walked past her and Khelgar stopped dead.

Bodies. There were bodies everywhere. Humans and orcs, corpses upon corpses. The air was disturbingly heavy.

"These corpses... I know these men and women, I served with them." Casavir stumbled.

Neeshka took another step back, "Uh... I don't know what this cave is, but maybe we should back away and move on."

"This looks like some kind of burial chamber. But..." Khelgar could not get himself to move further.

Elanee slipped forward for a better look, "Strange... from what I had heard, orc tribes of the Well do not usually place their dead side by side with human bodies."

Casavir bit his lip in confusion, "Some of these soldiers fell in battle against the orcs, but their bodies were never found." Anger beat in his head, "I do not know how they ended up here."

Avera slowly stepped forward, "These bodies deserve funeral rites, not to rot in a cave like this." Her voice shook with sadness and anger.

The paladin nodded in agreement, "They deserve that much, at least." He turned to the hobbit, "I thank you for showing respect for those I stood with."

"It isn't respect that they stood with you." She squeezed his hand to show him she was not being insulting by the statement, "It is for who they were as people. This is wrong."

Neeshka stepped forward not wanting to be away from her friends, "I don't like this. I'm not above looking around... maybe robbing a corpse or two... but this place just feels wrong."

"We have a responsibility to find out what's going on here." Avera staggered around while trying to keep calm.

"I agree. I want to know who has done this, and why." Avera's words struck a chord with Casavir, making him regain his composure.

Khelgar grunted, "I'm ready for a fight. Maybe we can add some more orc bodies to the floor."

Elanee warily continued into the chamber with the rest, "As oppressive as this place is, we should see what is causing this... blight. If we do not, it may spread further."

n

Kathin returned to the party and stood waiting for further instructions from her mistress. Avera bit her lip but did not turn to her friends quite yet. She could feel them behind her, curiously watching her pet the cat. Her shoulders shook as she worked up her nerve. All of the zombies, ghasts and skeletons were bad enough. They were always bad enough. They never bothered her much before but she could feel something else going on here and it felt disturbingly unnatural.

She turned and started chanting her fighting spells. Grobnar quickly mimicked her and set up the spells he was to cast when going into a fight. Avera then used a scabbard she found to give her partners more protection.

The group gave each other concerned glances. This was not like Avera, "Casavir, and Khelgar - front with me." Both men were curious that she was not explaining anything, then handed both of them potions to drink. They drank them down knowing that she must have a reason for this, "Neeshka and Elanee – make sure to watch our backs. Grobnar – get those arrows and attack spells ready." She added in a pained tone, "We will need them."

She pushed forward, slowly and silently.

They all stopped as they noticed a young man lying in the middle of the floor, dying.

Casavir moved to Avera's side, "This place... someone is using the dead for experimentation... defiling their bodies instead of allowing them to rest." His voice broke with the horror of what he was seeing.

Elanee rubbed her arm, wary and uncomfortable, "I feel the same darkness here as I felt in the Mere of Dead Men... it is like an undercurrent that runs through the ground, through the land."

A cloaked form stepped into the light. He was followed by minions.

"A shadow priest." Khelgar growled.

The priest turned to Casavir, his tone condescending, "Ah, I thought I felt a stir within my domain... like a bright, shining light, trying to cast away shadow."

"These people... what have you done to them? You deny them their rest, deny them their peace." He could hardly contain his anger.

The shadow priest chuckled, "Peace? Come now... surely you recall how they died, paladin. These mountains have been covered in blood since your arrival. After all, you led these dead into one glorious charge after another... I think what I have done is mercy in comparison." His tone became cold, "And I shall also grant them a chance at revenge, I think."

Avera stepped forward, "We will not allow this defilement to continue!"

"Our leader speaks true - you face us both." Casavir announced firmly.

Neeshka turned to Khelgar, "Did he just forget the rest of us?"

"Aye, lass. I believe the lad has."

"Ah... fresh subjects for my experiments. Very difficult to come by. Kill them - but try not to harm their bodies too much. I prefer their corpses... intact."

They flew into action. Khelgar and Casavir charged the shadow priest as Avera pulled out a bowl and threw a water elemental in behind one of the sorcerers. She then ran in after the men and flung herself into the second sorcerer. Grobnar's arrows rang true as Neeshka and Elanee fought dead minions which were attacking from the rear.

The shadow priest finally fell and Khelgar went after the sorcerer the water elemental was attacking as Casavir helped Avera.

The fight was brutal, long and grueling as more dead kept appearing. The fighting took over their minds, trying to not think of the experimentations that must have gone on. But they finally cut down the last ghast and slunk against walls and each other in their weariness.

Avera turned to the body that had been the dying man and then pushed forward. She could see a room where they probably kept the emissary.