The desert is alive tonight.

The sun sinks low, painting the sands in rust and gold. Ahead, the Glass Spire pierces the horizon — a mile-tall shard of crystal refracting the last light of day. Normally it glows faintly with inner radiance, but tonight… its light sputters, dimming like a dying torch.

Professor Senna Varr, the eccentric scholar who hired you, mutters as she rides the lead camel:

“Too soon… too soon. The calculations were wrong. We must reach the Spire before its power collapses.”

Then the ground shudders beneath your feet. A deep vibration, like something vast stirring underground. In the distance, sand geysers erupt into the air, each one closer than the last.

The caravan master yells, “Something’s moving under the dunes! Protect the camels!”

From the nearest geyser, shards of glassy crystal twist and writhe upward, coalescing into skeletal shapes — Glass Wraiths, their hollow eyes gleaming with violet light. Three of them claw free of the sand, and more geysers begin to stir.

Brother Frontier spent most of the journey to the Spire tending to saddle soreness or caring for blisters and chaffing from the caravan's employees.  He took on the role of expedition physician although he longed to play a more prominent part in unraveling the mystery of the Glass Spire.  What little downtime they had was usually spent in discussions with Professor Varr about her research on the ancient architectural artifact or learning about the others that were hired on/accompanying the Professor.  As a man of learning, he had studied plenty of subjects in their own right...yet the Glass Spire wasn't prominent in most of them.  Still, he hoped to share in the Professor's discovery, maybe contribute in a small way to understanding its purpose and what was currently happening to it.  At the very least he could be there to observe and document the experience while keeping everyone alive and healthy.

Not quite hearing the Professor's mutterings about wrong calculations and time, the Priest of the Grand Library was about to ask her to repeat herself when the sand began to erupt.  He tried to steady his own mount when he fully comprehended the Caravan Master's call to protect the camels.  As he spun around in his saddle to fully assess the situation, he saw the creatures...and the signs of potentially more.

"Make for the Spire! Take cover where you can!"  He prepared to add to his own protection and rain Sacred Fires against the creatures if needed.  He tried to calculate the best chances and path for the caravan to take, hoping for the most survivability for the lot of them.

Rik Connelly squinted across the sands, pulling his bandana up closer around his face to keep out the dusty winds.  They had been riding for a while now, and the soreness and the heat was wearisome, but curiosity and the promise of reward kept him going.  As his eyes took in the sight before him, he saw it - a blink at first - what was that - had it even happened?  Then another blink, followed by more, and the light in the crystal then began to stutter and flicker. The earth shook and the geysers began to stir up.  Then, clawing their way free, the wraiths began to march toward them.

Rik stirred his camel forward, placing himself between the advancing horrifying creatures and their benefactor,  “Stay behind me Professor.  I don’t know what these are, but they’re not here for a lecture.”   Rik positions himself to protect Senna, ready to follow the lead if there was room to flee.  He drew one of his crossbows, holding the reins with his left hand, and watches for the wraiths began to come into range.

Mirella would have spent the trip listening to Brother Frontier and Prof. Varr, only occasionally adding in a bit of arcane knowledge she could add to flavor the conversation. When suddenly the sand begins to stir and as if violently thrown out from mother earth, a number of Glass Wraiths appear before us. 

She quickly uses her skill to Calm Emotions across the caravan. She readies Fire Bolt incase they become hostile. 

Garrick has been just enjoying himself riding on his (not camel) mount. He has happily told all of you that he will not Ride one of those beasts. And that he has summoned his own steed.
An elegant desert stallion. 
He has been wrapped in his own bandana and trying to ignore the bitter, sandy wind. "Do you guys never get over this wind?" "Any more of it and I'm going to cast a spell against it"
"Say... The crystal, it falters. This is not my area of expertise, what does it mean?

Garrick feels the vibrations brightens considerably. "Finally, a challenge to take our minds of this cursed wind. Hopefully one worthy of us"
As soon as he feels them he casts bless on himself, Rik and Brother Frontier if there is enough time.

He then rides his elegant horse into combat drawing his Greatsword

Combat considerations with your Paladin here.
- If you are within 10ft of me you get +5 bonus to saving throws.
- You can't be charmed while within 10ft of me.

Sten plodded along on his mount. He wears scale mail armor which in this heat would slow cook him like meat on a skillet though luckily his fiendish heritage made such heat less of a concern. From time to time, he would look to the far-off Crystal Shard and wonders was it powered by magic alone or were some forms of clever engineering at play. His musings were interrupted by the sand geysers and the grasping glass wraiths. 

From his outstretched hands fire blossomed ready to scorch these wraiths.