Rodolf and Fistspark interrupt Charlie Company’s breakfast with a new assignment. The Eberron airships previously captured by Charlie in the temple beneath the City of Shade might be serviceable. Ander’s eyes dilate to the size of Khyber dragon shards, which incidentally is the arcane focus material needed to refurbish the airships. Technomancer Fistspark is going to need about thirty of the dark blue or purple, tri-pronged crystals. They occur, as Ander knows well, in the Eberron underdark of Khyber. Hall of doors cartographer Rodolf directs Charlie to the one door he identified and annotated as opening into Khyber.
While traversing the Hall of Doors, Charlie gets a combat function check versus a wandering trio of an animated armor, a goblin, and a hobgoblin. Ander warns that goblinoid lives matter where they are going and attacking them on sight is morally unjustified.
Through the Khyber door, the party finds a small natural cavern worked into an apparent mine, if the mine car rail tracks are any indication. A rubble pile of loose dirt stymies the doughy group until Sqyylarr pushes the pile aside revealing a mine rail track passage running north, toward another pile of earth beyond which they hear authoritarian shouting, and south, toward some malcontent murmuring. Propaganda posters strewn along the tracks praise King Bi’hig Bruhu’ther and his high expectations for an endless supply of slaves. Indignant Ash flips from crystal collecting mode into downtrodden liberation mode.
The party follows south toward the audible debate in progress. Around a corner they find dolgrim cart pusher WynkGlarx halfheartedly attempting to dig his way to freedom. WynkGlarx’s other half heart loves King Bi’hig Bruhu’ther with all his half heart. Smooth talking Sqyylarr persuades WynkGlarx that together they will liberate the dolgrim and duergar workers to unionize against the animated armor overseers of King Bi’hig Bruhu’ther. The rousing speech snaps WynkGlarx out of his half bewitchment.
Ten, wreathed in shadow and ready for some shillelagh powered overseer womping, quietly chants WynkGlarx on. Ash delays the inevitable mayhem with pass without trace allowing the party to surreptitiously enter a greater cavern to the north where a flaming animated armor overseer supervises several duergar diggers and dolgrim pushers. A mine car full of Khyber dragon shards is parked enticingly next to him. Sqyylarr recruits more malcontents as word of the imminent insurrection spreads among the laborers. Watc defaces a propaganda poster. Ander’s cloak billows nobly as he catapults a rock over the head of overseer Josef.
The insubordinate workers file past their overseer using their shard mining picks as war picks. Overseer Josef slays duergar digger Thybek with his scimitar. Ten revives Thybek with a goodberry while Sqyylarr avenges Thybek by slaying Josef. No one give Josef any goodberries. The glorious party of workers marches on into the next cavern gathering new recruits along the way thanks to WynkGlarx’s unexpected cha.
