((I think then that we're resting until nightfall then using feather fall to get down, yes?))

((Looks like it))

Eligos points south.  "They didn't scale the walls.  They tried to walk right in, disguised as the Usurper's lackeys.  I observed from a distance, and the mercenaries guarding the ravine to the south seemed to let them pass without question.  Yet they haven't returned."

Looking at the broken statues, he shakes his head.  "No.  They were like this when we arrived.  Its possible these statues served some purpose and the mercenaries had to destroy them.  Or perhaps it was just bored vandalism."

[Skipping forward a bit, as the party continues to lay low and lurk about the highlands surrounding the hidden city....]

Several hours later, the sky darkens in the south and soon a massive storm blows in.  Strong winds and driving rain lash the jungle.  This is easily on par with the fiercest of storms you have experienced during your trek.  While the docked airship remains, the one in the sky departs north ahead of the gathering storm.

It is still midday, but with the rain and heavy cloud cover, its reasonable to think visibility would be diminished to the extent that your penetration of the city could go unnoticed.

Any likelihood the rain and wind will make the climb more difficult (Survival? 12  )

Ran would surmise that attempting to climb down under these conditions would be incredibly difficult, if not impossible.  

Falling down magically, however... well, Ran probably has no idea how that would work.

[The two wizards would know it should work fine, though the wind and rain might make the slow fall more unpleasant than normal.]

Mica looks up as the winds and rain set in and watches as the airship moves away ahead of the storm.  “We should go now.  We can take advantage of the weather to remain hidden.”  He looks over at Eligos and Nalomanterys.  “What now, how does this spell work?”

Meili tried her wings. She still was not completely sure when the darkness was dark enough for her to fly. If she could fly, it would free the place for the spell.

Meili, as dark as the cloud cover and storm are, it is apparently still not enough to trigger the magic of your cloak.  Seeing that Meili is unable to fly properly, Eligos and Nalomanterys can confirm that it will take two castings of the spell to bring the entire group down.  Eligos proposes the following:

He offers to make both castings.  A group of 3 descends first, that includes Nalomanterys.  Eligos will cast the spell as the three step off the cliffside.  If there is some doubt about Eligos' commitment or trustworthiness, Nalomanterys will be with that plummeting group and cast feather fall himself if necessary.  Then, once that group is safely on the ground (about 12-18 seconds later), Eligos and the other two will step off the cliff and he will cast it again on the three of them.  

He waits to see if there are any objections.

 Meili flapped her "wings" once more, then sighed in disappointment and nodded to Eligos.

"I'll go with you in the second group." Someone had to and she still could not master enough distrust of the man to suspect an ambush or anything like that.

Ran steps up to the cliff edge, deciding it's worth the risk.

"Ready."

Mica steps forward and grabs Eligos by the shoulder. “I’ll go with you.  And don’t think about trying any tricks, I will be right there watching you the whole time.” He nods over to Danica, Ran and Nalomanterys. “Whenever you are ready.”

Nalomanterys confirms everything Eligos says about the spell. "No objections on my part." the wizard announces confidently. He is ready to cast feather fall if needed, but doesn't expect the red wizard to betray them in this way, if at all. He steps off the cliff into the stormy air and waits for Eligos to 'catch' him, Ran, and Danica.

Once at the bottom, he'll prepare to catch Eligos, Mica, and Meili. Again, Nalomanterys is prepared, but expects no treachery from Eligos at this point.

Nalomanterys, Ran and Danica gather at the cliff's edge and - at the appointed moment - step off into the gusting wind and rain.  True to his commitment, the wizard Eligos quickly utters a spell.  Immediately, the three Seekers feel their downward momentum dampened.  They are still falling, but no longer gaining speed.  

The whipping winds are disorienting and warm, stinging rain make it hard to maintain orientation as you drift down toward the ground.  Lightning flashes, illuminating the cliff walls and the vine covered ruins below.  It is more than 10 seconds of dropping before the ground rushes up to meet you.  It is still not a pleasant landing, akin to jumping down to the ground from horseback, and your knees and ankles bark complaints as you crunch to the ground one-two-three.

Back atop the cliff, Mica, Meili and Eligos watch as the others descend until they appear like insects down at the bottom of the drop.  Looking as if he doesn't relish the coming experience, Eligos counts down from five and then steps off the edge himself, with the others joining.  Again, he speaks the incantation and the acceleration of your falling arrests.  It could almost be fun, were you not buffeted about by the storm.

Eventually all are present and accounted for on the ground.  Eligos gingerly steps on his leg, the one caught in the trap yesterday, as he seems to have aggravated it.  "Sssss," he hisses.  "High ankle sprain.  Glorious."  As he digs in his pack for a thick bandage, the others get their bearings on where they have landed....

[Red X is your present location...]

A heavy sock now tied around his upper ankle, Eligos turns back to your group.  "Having done my part, I hope you understand I have invested a not insignificant part of my magical reserves getting us down here.  I am still able and willing to pitch in should we find ourselves in an unavoidable scrape, but let's not go taking on the entire Cormyr Company until I've had a chance to recuperate, yes?"

You are in a space that may once have been a garden or park, set between the cliffside and a row of stone buildings.  Alleys between these buildings, choked with vines and other plant life, lead deeper into the city.  

Ran eye's Eligos thinking the sprain might be an act, though wizard's are squishy.

He looks around at their surroundings and back to the group.

"Let's check out the trashed camp site," Ran says. "Might at least give Mica a trail to follow."

Moving north under cover of the storm, the party soon comes to the site of the abandoned camp you had observed from the clifftop.  

Torn backpacks and rotted gear litter the ground around the three moldering tents.  The campsite is not recent, nor is it ancient.  The jungle heat and humidity takes a toll on material, but you would guess this camp is anywhere from a few weeks to a few months old.

At the center of the camp, a scrap of dirty yellow cloth hangs from a crude wooden flagpole.

Ran moves through the camp site, looking for anything that whomever trashed the place might have missed (Perception: 21 ), poking open the packs and tents, wary of what might be living in them.

Mica’s tone toward Eligos softens a little as the wizard holds true to his word.  Mica bends down and helps adjust the makeshift wrap around the wizard’s wounded ankle.  “You will be right as rain in no time.  Thank you for getting us down safely.” He straightens up and leads the way with Ran to the ruined campsite.  Mica joins Ran as they pick through the campsite, looking for anything valuable or still useful and not rotted away.  “I wonder what happened here.”  He eyes the ground closely, trying to pick out signs of what happened here and any tracks leading away from the campsite.  He finishes his circle at the center of the camp and pulls the tattered yellow fabric tight, looking for any markings.

Investigation:  10.

Survival: 14.

.

Nalomanterys is pleasantly unsurprised that the other wizard kept his word. He feels bad about Eligos' ankle - he certainly wouldn't want a fractured ankle in Chult - but there's really nothing he can do, so he doesn't even try. He does agree with what Eligos has to say, though: "Yes, we have no where else to be until this whole sordid affair is handled. Plus we still have to wait for Hew. Let us take as long as we need to handle this properly."

He follows the others from the site of their descent to the campsite. He has no practice in tracking or campsite investigation, so he happily lets the others handle it while he stays out of the way. While the others investigate, he ritually casts alarm with the mental (non-audible) warning around the campsite. He exempts his group members from triggering it. Given the scale on the map, it looks like if he's anywhere in the city he'll get a ping if a tiny or larger creature comes to the campsite.

Mica, examining the campsite, you find a multitude of tracks... humanoids, kobolds, dinosaurs (large and small) and other beasts such as apes and giant spiders.  None of this does much to help with what happened here, as all of the tracks are more recent than whatever befell the camp or caused its makers to abandon their tents.

The camp itself has been thoroughly looted, and Ran is not able to locate any valuables.  

Mica, taking a closer look at one of the tents, finds a hidden pouch sewn into the canvas.  Inside, there is a damp but still legible letter; a message from one comrade to another, apparently never received...

Ran looks over Mica's shoulder and reads the letter.

"Oblesik? Is that the tall pointy building we saw?" Ran asks. "Sounds like that might be where the party is."