"Oh honestly. Lets just rattle the bars and see what comes out."
With a wave of her hand and a few arcane syllables, motes of light and shadow swirl and dance in dizzying spirals and patterns; finally settling on the shape of a human man in wizardly robes, with an old weathered face and kindly sparkling blue eyes. His beard is braided in the fashion of dwarves, and at one side is a sturdy leather pouch with strange leaves and such poking out. On the other is a leather sling with a large book in it. He carries a stout staff, with a glowing jewel set in the tip.
In a resonant voice, the wizard declares, "You are as brilliant as you are beautiful, Ilshana. Merely instruct me, your humble servant, and I shall do as you ask."
Ilshana flicks her fingers at the fort. "Climb up there and enter the fortress there. We want to see when the spidergolemdemons attack you, and how."
The archmage beams. "Capital! Cheerio!"
With that, he begins climbing up towards the fort, grunting and using his staff. After a moment he incants a spell (or what sounds like one) and floats up off the ground to skim more rapidly to his destination.
Ilshana looks apologetically at the others. "Just realized he wouldn't leave tracks," she explains, forehead creased in concentration.
(ie - Sending in a major image decoy to see how the retrievers react. I figure if they react a certain way against one foe, they most likely will act similarly against another...not being especially creative, they.

If anyone objects, Ilsh will stop it before it gets to the gates.)