Improv: ECL 2, Zhangri'if Duskwood, Lesser Aasimar, Cleric 2: Entry 3

Strange goings on indeed.

The orc became infected with some sort of putrifying disease.  Osiris noticed it first and managed to alert several of the other party members including myself in a clandestine fashion.  It is surely a clue to this plague of zombies.  I had assumed that some evil power is responsible for producing the shambling undead creatures, but if there is some kind of infectious sickness behind it, that creates an even more puzzling picture.  The Orc had apparently not been struck, chewed on, or otherwise directly contacted by one of the Zombies, so it's origin remains a mystery.  I am not yet invested with the power to remove such a disease, so it was quite a dilemma as to how we should proceed.  The Orc had proven his merits thus far, so it seemed the fair and just thing to inform him of the issue...despite my misgivings about his reaction to the news.  After some calm and quiet discussion (so as not to alarm the townsfolk) Trebuchet, as I learned his name was, came to the courageous and eminently reasonable decision to sever the infected appendage in an attempt to halt the progression of the flesh rotting sickness.  Ha, imagine that!  An eminently reasonable Orc!  Wait until I tell Jhered about that.  The amputation appears to have stymied the spread of the disease, so thank the Seldarine for small favors.

Curiously, the zombies seem to "sleep" when left undisturbed for some amount of time.  That is good news.  We were able to sneak past most of the zombie horde that had accumulated outside of the shop without much incident.  Unfortunately, keeping these townsfolk alive and out of trouble is like herding cats.  More like kittens...stupid kittens.  They decided to strike out on their own and we promptly had to go rescue them less than an hour after we parted company.  Predictable.

What was less predictable was the state of the church when we arrived.  Dead bodies were arranged in neat rows on the grounds outside the church.  Inside the church dozens of zombies sat calmly in the pews...and the Paladin who ran the church seemingly in discussion with a decaying horse appeared to be controlling them or at least in league with them.  He seemed so normal when I spoke with him upon my arrival in town.  No more.  He is changed...or at least more than he first appeared.  Is he the source of this mess, or just a symptom?