Under the curious and, by now, slightly hopeful eyes of many an inhabitant of Dimayen, Qvan transformed yet again into the magnificent shape of a mighty dragon with glittering golden scales. Unfurling his powerful wings, the wizard accepted Aryk, Vahid and Zhira as temporary passengers, then lifted off to fly north-west where the sun has vanished behind the horizon a short while ago. There was a general mumbling among the local population as they witnessed the group of strangers leave their home, many voices sounding bleak and grim. To them it seemed that the only people who actually made a difference in the short time they where in town and willingly helped to fight-off the Feast of Dust left them once more to fend for themselves.

About half an hour later Qvan's keen draconic eyes spotted something of interest. At the base of a dune some 1.300 feet to the right rested an overturned cart and a well-appointed palanquin. Brilliant orange-hued stems littered the ground around both, and lying in the sands nearby was the partially chewed body of a woman in extravagant garb. Some half a dozen other individuals were aimlessly wandering the area around the cart, all looking extremely desiccated and rather crazed in their behavior.

 Qvan was flying at a high speed, fairly low above the desert dunes. There generally was safety in altitude, especially at night, but the wizard was really not concerned with this — what night predator would think of attacking an adult Gold Dragon?

When he spotted the caravan, he slowed down just a bit and growled to the others, relatively comfortably nested on his back:
  “Something odd over there... I’ll fly over to take a look.”

He slowly tilted on his wing, taking a very wide berth to gradually come lower and closer.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:56, Thu 01 Oct 2020.

After a closer inspection from an advantageous aerial view, this seemed to have been a small saffron caravan consisting of only one cart and several guards on camels. After having already witnessed the devastating results of the Feast of Dust during their time in Dimayen, it wasn't difficult to conclude that some of the members of this caravan succumbed to the curse and started to tear into one another, including the female merchant who spearheaded it.

None of the animals survived the bloody and short-lived slaughter and there were more than just a few humanoid bodies lying in various pieces on the dark sands as well. Eight guards and some other travelers who had accompanied the caravan remained now, still lingering around the cart and palanquin, clearly crazy with unquenchable hunger. Their manic eyes rose up to the soaring dragon and they howled in rage and frustration, clawing at empty air in a futile attempt at reaching Qvan and his riders.

Zhira glared down at the remains of the merchant caravan with clear anger in her eyes. Her hand hovered toward the scimitar at her side, but then she let out a long, tired breath, and asked to the group, singling out somebody in particular:

"Should we try to capture them and bring them back to some place where they can be treated, put them out of their misery, or just ignore them?"

It didn't seemed like she had a particular preference, but it was clear the disaster that had befallen the merchants was affecting her to some extent.

Vahid gazed pityingly at the lost souls below, bringing his hand to his scimitar with a sigh, regret plain on his face. "We cannot leave them, lest some hapless travelers stumble upon them. Neither can we delay further by returning to Dimayen with them in tow. It saddens me, but we must end their suffering and prevent them from inflicting the same."

There was a low rumble from inside the dragon, as Qvan cleared his throat. He slowed down and the noise of the wind receded.
  "Those are our options Zhira, and neither seems very good..." he said slowly. Realising that communication was not that easy, he cast a simple spell to link the four adventurer by mental speech. Message

  "We cannot put them out of their misery. This is just what the city guards were instructed to do ––albeit clumsily–– and we nearly got into a fight with them over it," he explained in a murmur.

  "Leaving them does not seem much better, but we should factor in this: they will travel to the source of the Curse, that much we know. They will not head for Dimayen, and if they travel in a straight line across the dunes, they are unlikely to encounter travellers."

 "I suggest we get closer to see if anyone is safe and sane. If so we take them with us, and leave the others be... we can always come back for them tomorrow, and then follow them to the source. Who knows, they might meet us at Blood Rise Rock..."

 The gold dragon turned his head around to see his companions, looking for a consensus.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:23, Thu 01 Oct 2020.

Zhira nodded grimly, and said:

"I can jump down and act as bait while the others check the remains of the caravan, if you need me to. I should be able to keep them distracted for as long as needed."

Aryk smield sadly for a moment at the discussion.

"Are we sure that once they reach uncontrolled madness that they can be returned to their norm?  If not, I believe that putting them down would be a mercy, give their soul rest."

It did sadden him, but if their fate was to merely to wander the wastes for eternity even after the the curse was cleansed, then it would be just as Qvan had said.  Putting them out of their misery.

I'm aware that Rictor is waiting for us to wrap this up, so I'm going to make an executive decision.

 Qvan was flying low over the caravan. The sight was unpleasant, with survivors crazed by the Feast of Dust wandering aimlessly, and others dead in their midst. With his draconic senses enhanced with arcane sight, he scanned the area quickly.

  "No sane individuals left here... we know they can be cured if we destroy the source of the Curse. They have a smaller chance of survival than those in town, but they still have a chance. The best we can do for them is hurry in our endeavour."

 He looked at the hungry afflicted and added:
  "We can also help them keep the malady at bay for now... can someone supply them with water?"

 The draconic shape was well suited to spellcasting, and Qvan made the most of it. He quickly prepared a spell of conjuration, and created food to support them. A large basket of magical fruits and loafs of bread fell from the sky for them to eat.

  "The next hours are not going to be pleasant for them, but I think they would agree this ordeal is preferable to death. Even painless."

 As the crazed and famished survivors gathered around the summoned food, Qvan turned away and resumed his high speed overland flight towards Blood Rise Rock.

---

prepare Major Creation in open slot, and cast.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:57, Mon 05 Oct 2020.

Located in the winding, rocky canyon at the base of the Zho Mountains, Blood Rise Rock has been sacred to Lamashtan cults for centuries for the plague-bearing spring contained within. Over the eons, gnoll and human hands alike have carved the natural rock formation into an enormous likeness of Lamashtu’s swollen torso, creating a unique temple honoring the vile goddess.

Bood Rise Rock was visible from quite a distance away, even after dusk had fallen, mainly due to the many torches and campfires that were burning throughout the night. As Qvan flew closer, panicked screams could be heard and the dark shadows of fleeing humans were seen scattering in all directions away from the site. At the foot of the mighty rock a fierce battle was raging as the party arrived. Based on the distinct physical appearances of the two sides, the combatants seemed to be about 50 suli warriors-using their considerable power over the elements to wreak havoc among their opponents-and some 16 dark-skinned giants, wearing loose robes with keffiyehs over their traveling leathers, while using large curved blades to slice through the smaller foes with practiced ease.

 Even with his superior dragon eyes and ears, Qvan struggled to make out the details of the scene. Obviously a large scale battle was unfolding ahead of them, but they would have to get closer to find out more.

  "Something worrying ahead... a battle, involving magic and giants it seems," he murmured to the other using the message spell.
  "I know we said we would stop for the night before getting closer... but this calls for immediate action."

 He expected an acknowledgement from the others, and sped forward to get a better view of the scene.

---

Not sure how close we are, but Qvan will cast Haste one everyone and then use the "run" action to fly forward 600ft/round.
Are we going into Initiative mode?

OOC: Not really, no. I certainly don't plan to have a massive battle with some 70 participants in a round-by-round basis. We will narrate for now :)