Fianna reaches out and puts a consoling hand upon Toc’s shoulder.  “I wish I had the power to help you, my friend,” Fianna says.  With her words there is a surge of power running from her to Toc...

((True Seeing accidentally cast upon Toc...))

Toc perks up a bit, glancing around.  "Fianna, thank you.  I can see much further!"  

He turns to the rest of the group with his shut eyes, "So...we've had a bit of a rest. Mirica is recommended we head back to town. I'll need to rest for several more hours before I can teleport us back to Hillsfar if that's our goal. Do we rest here longer? Proceed?  Perhaps investigate this deep dark pit and consider resting there?  Honestly, I'm unsure what we'd find in Hillsfar that would assist us in our quest anymore, but if we wish to, I think that is fine. I'd prefer to be prepared if there are things people need.  For certain, when we rest, I will focus my spells more on assisting Chen and others fight hand to hand...and less on direct attacks."

I'll take an extra 1d8 HP, thank you. 8

Chen watches as FinFin disappears down the hole, and as Fianna concentrates on what her familiar sees and does, glad that the warlock has something to take her mind off her antlers. He listens with interest as Fianna narrates the findings, and experiences some brief alarm as FinFin appears back suddenly. But his interest is piqued. When Toc says he requires more rest before returning, Chen jumps in: Well we ought to have a look around some more first. Gather intelligence, that sort of thing. If we were to return to Hillsfar, then the more we know, the more prepared we can be. Chen feels no real need to return to town, nor any urgency to locate the mysterious villain, but is as excited about exploring as a child in a toy shop.

Mirica sighed. Loudly, almost demonstrative. "I did say what we can "find in Hillsfar", did not I? So far the only counter to the madness of magic was one prayer, which comes with a cost - diamond dust. We do not have that dust anymore, meaning, next time Chen become mad and decides to kill us all, we shall have to fight him." Toc's closed eyes combined with elven features and commanding tone made him look particularly haughty now, as if even looking at the mundanes around felt too tiresome to him. But is was not the time to concentrate on negativity (that thing they were about to get in abundance). And she learned long ago, that you can warn people all you like, they will ignore the warning and go straight to the danger. Those who survives usually blame the healer for not being loud enough with said warning, but that was another story.

"One of my teacher once said after particularity troublesome resurrection of an adventurer: "with these lot I am sure that if there were two doors one with the plate "Certain death" and the other with "Infinite wealth", nine out of ten would choose the first one. And the last will hesitate only on account of being a greedy gnome." Guess he was right." She looked at the "blind" Toc again and breathed out another sigh. "You are not the only one who wants to press on. It does feel like we must go and time might be of the essence - can not explain it better, it just a feeling, but I trust those feelings. All I am saying, we can be more prepared and it's better to understand the risk. Once again, ready when you are."

     “Could we not do both?” Fianna asks. “Scout about a little to find a reasonable place to rest.  Do so.  Teleport back to Hillsfar to stock up on what seems to be very important components if we run into these troubles again, then come back to our rest area?”

     “Whatever I did to Toc was temporary, I don’t think it’ll last long.  If some spell components are a day away from making him good as new, I’m not sure we can afford not to do it.  And I have no urge to be righty the mighty Chen, right mind or no,” Fianna explains.

     “My...” Fianna finds herself at a loss of words a moment, gestures  vaguely at where the antlers were and just Stubbs bound tightly remain. “My issue... that can wait. It’s been dealt with sufficiently for now... but Toc needs his vision if to properly assist us.”

     “We need not all return to Hillsfar. May be best if not, considering how we were treated last time.  I’m reluctant to split up but if we find a place to home up and camp while supplies were bought...”  Fianna trails off and gives a small shrug.

"I agree." Loane nods to Fianna. "As much as splitting up can make us more vulnerable, if we find a good place to rest, we should be fine. If we wish to do some extra scouting or looking over the area, while some get supplies. It shouldn't take too long to get what we need in Hillsfar, if we go back. We can also possibly grab up a few more items if we need. Anything we might think would help with... this. Cuffs, if some of us go berserk. Things like that."

Toc stands up, nodding to Mirica, "Yes, of course.  Diamond dust, I'm unsure how I could forget that given my condition. Just to be more efficient, Tic is back in Hillsfar.  If you give me a list of stuff you want, he can acquire it for us, so we don't have to wander around shopping.  Of course, I still need to rest 8 hours before I can teleport back, and once there, I'll need to rest 8 hours again to recover my magic to be able to teleport once more. And when I return, it'll be back at the teleportation ruin we started from.  So, where are we going to camp?  Out here seems exposed, and I think FinFin saw more than one of those strange magical disturbances around..."

Mirica nodded: "Would not take long for me - diamonds and diamond dust. Do not know why they are called "girls best friends", but any priest can attest, that it is god's favorite food - any true restoration needs a sacrifice of pure diamonds. I have a 1000 gold, should be enough for ten portions of diamond dust. Though, in the last fight we had four affected. You do the math."

     Fianna listens and nods and is about to comment but.... something catches her eye. Amongst the rubble, not too far off that way.  A bit askew... a bit cracked... but massive.  Impressive.

     Fianna wanders off to a Slab of black marble that, now that she sees it, demands attention.  FinFin bursts from their perch behind her hood and lets out a bit of a screech while farting up into the air. Fianna, unmindful of her familiar’s reaction, reaches out tentatively and brushes her fingertips across it.

(FinFin leaves behind a pretty bad smell after 'farting' up into the air.) 

"I can offer another 1000 gold, so you can get more diamonds. We might end up clearing a store or two out of them, but it should be enough to be more than prepared."

"Happy to chip in" remarks Jahren, having refrained from commenting on the best approach going forward.  Looking to Mirica he adds a sincere "and thank you."

(typos happen! lol)

(The next phrase made me think it was not a typo :) )

Mirica smiled and shrugged: "Part of the job. But if we all joining, could you ask Tic to get ... say six of the diamonds not as a powder but whole?" She shrugged again: "Some rituals are very particular about the shape of the offering."

Chen remembers so little of what happened or of the means of his recovery. Now listening to the conversation, he understands and feels terrible for being the cause of such difficulty, and such expense - particularly because he has so little to contribute, financially. When the opportunity arises, he walks over to Mirica and quietly says: I did not thank you properly for your aid. If you had not restored me, perhaps it would have been necessary to slay me, so I suppose I owe you my life. I cannot repay you for that, but I swear to repay you for the sacrifice you made on my behalf.

Toc nods, as business like as ever, "It's an expense, but it's one we can manage for now. The message has been sent. He'll acquire whole and crushed diamond. So, where are we going to rest for the next several hours? Pretty much until tomorrow morning."

"You will owe me your life when I resurrect you - let's hope it will never come to that. Though, even if it does, it would not be me but Lathander who will bring you back to life," Mirica was sincere in in her denial, "But let's rest. Toc, those moving statues inside - can they get out? Or is it safe to just sit in the tunnels in your comfy hut?"

She was talking and absentmindedly watching FIanna playing with the shiny boulder - thing here could be not that safe to touch, but that fact and Fianna's exploration did not connect yet in her mind.

Toc shrugs, "I've no idea what that place is down there, so I can't say, but I can cast a spell so that someone can get down there easily enough. Chen, I can turn you to mist so that you can fly down there without too much of a squeeze.  I can do that for at least a couple others, but they'd have to go down one at a time...I'm afraid I didn't prepare a fly spell today, though, like I said, based on our recent encounters, it'll be top of the list for me."

Turning into mist sounds positively fascinating, and Chen heartily agrees.

Toc looks about, "Very well, we shall attempt to rest in a tunnel a few hundred feet down from the surface.  Wonderful.  And we're sending in Chen first.  Hopefully you don't need that resurrection bit Mirica was mentioning. I'm going to give you 10 minutes and then I'm going to drop the spell. Don't be in a tight spot when that happens." 

Toc weaves his magic, touching Chen's shoulder.  Chen, and everything he is wearing and carrying turn into a hazy blue smoke.  With what you can only assume is child like glee, the smoke slips down into the passage and is gone.   Toc pulls out a minute-glass filled with white sand held inside a small carved wooden holder.  He turns it over, letting sand run slowly into the lower half.  About a minute later the sand runs out.  He flips it over. "One" he says out loud.