OOC: @DM Yes, Morgan would like to take Dallur with him. If you’d prefer to fast-forward this part, Morgan will keep up a relaxed, conversational tone with him on the way to the cave (not interrogating, just talking). He’ll ask about these Bert and Ernie, whether they are humanoids. And then he'll ask about Dallur’s story: whether he has family, how he ended up here, why he’s running with bandits instead of working an honest trade, that sort of thing. The goal isn't only to keep Dallur cooperative (the Suggestion handles that), but to gauge his character, whether there's genuine regret or decency beneath the surface. If Dallur (and maybe these “Bert and Ernie”) show potential and regret, Morgan is thinking of them as possible hirelings for the future bastion. He’s watching closely for signs of sincerity or treachery, and whether they might deserve a real chance once this is all over.

OOC 2: Morgan will have trouble keeping up with Randa; before reaching the cave, he’ll need a short rest.

Rolls if needed-

Perception-8

Stealth-9

Survival-11

( Wow....7 is the highest roll out of 3...Obviously some stuff on her mind....)

Ylis says, "OK so as I was saying..."

"Wildfire delighted in her new responsibilities. Her mentor had only last week entrusted her with the care of his fungus circle and garden. The path of whispering green lichen and stands of fragrant honey tops ended in a circle of softly glowing blue mushrooms. The area was truly enchanted.

Being noble born, her family frowned on her choice to be an adherent of nature, but she didn’t care. She always felt most comfortable in the shroom forest bordering the main city of Cliffside. The sense of peace, and quiet sounds of the grand cavern put her at ease.

It took a moment for her to realize she was not alone. A hooded figure was standing respectfully, waiting for her to finish her pruning before handing her an engraved, black envelope. Wildfire’s name was printed in gold script, and she wondered who it could be from."

DM: What is the pace that Ylis and Sacha are setting in their wagon? Ayo will follow. 

DM: Don’t worry about what I want, Morgan. If you want to play the scene, we play the scene. Dallur is Charmed by you, so not only could he not harm you if he wanted to, but you, a Charisma-based PC, have Advantage on social incounters. So the question is do you want to fast-forward?

As the duo travels with Dallur, who labors to keep up as he is still quite injured, he does his best to answer questions. Dallur struggles to understand Morgan’s meaning about humanoid, but figures them human. Dallur has no family that he is aware of and he got into raiding as a matter of survival; the Wastes are deeply unforgiving and are haunted by creatures and things that make solo life impossible.

You get with others to stay safe and when you are on your own, you don’t get a lot of options nor can you be picky, at least as he has reasoned. He simply doesn’t know how to do anything else. Just another orphan in the Wastes. Not a common occurrence, but not as uncommon as one might think. Nomadic tribes sometimes lay waste to competing tribes. When this happens, kids get absorbed into the winning tribes as slaves, or they escape out into the Wastes and survive there… or don’t.

Regret doesn’t really factor into the equation for Dallur. He doesn’t wish to harm people, he admits, but taking from others is simply survival. It is simply what the strong do to the weak. What good does worrying about it do when it is the only way to survive out here?

DM: Morgan, give me an Insight Check to gauge sincerity and treachery.

DM: Randa is at the mercy of Dallur’s guiding ability. Fortunately, he seems to know the way.

After four hours (longer due to Dallur’s slowed travel speed), the party can see a giant boulder in the middle of nowhere. Miles of desolate land and a single, lonely boulder the size of a house just sits there.

“The opening’s on the other side.” Dallur says. "You sure you want to do this? No one is going to chase you if you leave now."

We will be keeping a slow pace, whatever that is called. We want the others to be able to catch up.

Morgan (Insight Check: 14)

"Alright, Dallur. You can stay here… or you can help us. Your choice."
He studies the man closely, his tone calm but firm.
"If you help us, I will help you. And maybe you’ve still got a future, one where assaulting travelers isn’t part of it. If you don’t help us… well, if we lose, maybe you’ll still have your friends Bert and Ernie. If we win…" — Morgan lets the thought hang in the air. — "So, Dallur, what's your choice?" (Morgan is not using Suggestion to impose a choice on Dallur.)

He turns to Randa, a sly grin flickering across his face.
"Let me try something. I’d like a little preview of what’s waiting for us."

With a sparkle in his eyes, almost like a kid setting a long-awaited trick in motion, Morgan takes off his top hat and sets it on the ground.
He mutters a few words, focuses... and the hat shudders, twitching once, then begins to glide away on its own, quiet as a shadow, toward the boulder.
(Familiar’s Stealth Check: 21)

(OOC :
- If it is not clear, Morgan is summoning his familiar back from its pocket dimension, placing it inside his hat, and sending it ahead to scout.
- Also, since the pace of travel wasn’t rushed, could we count that walk as a short rest? If not, Morgan would strongly suggest to Randa that they take a quick breather before approaching the cave.)

Jacaeanda nodded and covered the hat as it crept forward, arrow knocked to her bow....

Morgan gets the sense that Dallur is mostly telling him the truth because he has no reason to lie about the harshness of life in the Wastes. He does however seem to hold back some truths when questions orbit his feelings or wants. Not explicitly lying, but Deception of omission regarding the 'why' of his life. 

DM: Dallur is under the charm effect for the next four hours that is: Do everything we tell you to do. Strictly speaking, telling him to make a choice is within that scope and the Suggestion spell does not allow him to take an action that harms him or his allies. So when given the choice to harm his allies or through choosing inaction directly come to harm himself, he is left with one option. 

"I-I can't. I don't.. It... Uh." He seems to be trapped in an endless logic loop. His brow furrows and his eyes dart back and forth as he tries to land on one option or the other, yet being entirely unable. 

DM: We can give you guys a short rest, sure. 

With a Stealth Check of 21, your familiar is Hidden and has the Invisible Condition while it is covered by the hat. 

Randa continued sighting just above the hat as it travelled, careful to keep her eyes fixed on it as she feared she wouldn't be able to find it again if she lost sight of it.

(OOC: Morgan spends 2 hit dice and recovers 11 HP and he's back to full. He also restores 2 Sorcery Points via the Bloodwell Vial, +1 .
And I removed the temp HP from Sacha.)

"Shit!" Morgan blurts, realizing Dallur is "overloading". He winces and rubs his temple.
"Dallur, please… go back that way." He points down the road, thinking quickly. "Six hundred feet or so. Or let's say one thousand. And if you really want a shot at redemption... wait for us there, alright? Go!"

He watches to make sure the man starts moving before turning to Randa with an apologetic grin.
"I might’ve… made a small mess. If those ‘Bert and Ernie’ are tough, I’ll have to drop the spell on Dallur. Didn’t think that far ahead..."
He sticks out his tongue playfully. "Didn't want him too close anyway. I don't want him to think that sneaking up on us from behind is a good idea. We'll see if he waits or bolts."

Once Dallur’s out of sight, Morgan exhales and focuses, his tone turning serious.
"As long as my familiar is not too far..." Morgan's pupils vanish, replaced by a faint milky glow. "...I’ll describe everything we see as we go."

The hat twitches, then slinks quietly toward the cave entrance.

(Perception: 13 if it helps)

“That… sounds like a good idea.” Dallur says as he begins to walk away.

The hat moves along the ground as Morgan’s eyes cloud over. He no longer sees with his own eyes or hears with his own ears. Instead, he sees through those belonging to his trusty familiar.

DM: What animal have you chosen as your familiar? The one on your page is an octopus, which probably not the intended form here.