You spend most of the morning circling wide around the border of the camp. Midian notes that the line of deceased vegetation has increased since he last saw the camp. The patrols of guards and "guard dogs" continue around the borders, occasionally sweeping through the camp itself. A few enslaved natives toil away at moving bits of rock with wheelbarrows. They seem to enter and leave from two different buildings set against the cliff face. Large portions of the exposed cliff face are now covered with sheets and tarps to protect whatever is below it from the weather. Knowing that time is of the essence, you quickly proceed along the edge of dead vegetation.
Before long you are out of sight once more and climbing the ridge. The slope is steep and you find yourself often using ropes and vines to move upwards. Finally you reach the summit where the land levels off. The trees above the camp have largely been spared from whatever sickness is killing off the plants in the lowland. The ground drops away to the north forming a natural cliff above the camp. Midian stops in a small clearing and sets to work sweeping away leaves, sticks, and brambles. Once the area has been prepared he sketches a circle in the dirt and stands before it with his arms raised, his face contorted as he focuses. He begins intoning in a language unknown to you. The words cause the earth to ripple and vibrate as if he was speaking loudly at a surface of water. The distortion grows more turbulent until suddenly several shapes erupt from the field. Three large hippogriffs claw their way up out of the earth and stand erect on the forest loam. Their gaze is imperious as they survey your party, though they stand still and allow themselves to be mounted under Midian's direction. Without a saddle their backs are highly uncomfortable and lack good hand holds, though luckily you just need to grip them long enough to make it to the ground. Dorel covers himself and the others with a shroud of invisibility as you prepare to leap. Midian wildshapes into a bird of prey and glides down ahead with Garuk making his way down the rocky cliffs behind him. Dorel cast another spell to cause his hands and feet to cling to stone like a gecko and he follows the ape nimbly down the slope. The three hippogriffs buck and strain forward until you can restrain them no longer and they leap forward. They fall rather than fly, their wings tucked close to their bodies. You have to stifle a scream as the ground rushes up towards you. In unison, the three mounts snap their wings open and pull out of the dive. The ground blurs by underneath you and before you know it you are landing near one of the buildings.
It takes a few moments of confused movement before you locate each other by touch. Dorel and Midian soon join you, while Garuk tries to keep out of sight behind a nearby dead tree. There is no patrol in sight from your current location, though it could be just on the other side of the wall for all you know.
OOC
[SBLOCK]
Midian expends 1 wild shape and Summon Nature's Ally 3 (and 1 action point). Dorel expends 4 invisibilities for himself, Kraken, Whisper, and Glaive. I am assuming you're having the 2 natives patrol the outskirts and try to draw attention later on, otherwise you'll need 2 more invis (or 1 invis sphere) for them to approach the camp from the ground since there aren't enough mounts with just 1 spell.
If you use any buffing spells before flying down let me know of changes to your AC or Saving Throws
[/SBLOCK]
