The Silent Miners

**The Silent Miners** was the fourth episode of Series I of Blyth. It introduced Schlitz Montgomery.

## Plot

After finally arriving in Telesto -- the party seeks out the Editor. Welty being a local figures out quickly how to get to the Editors workshop and after reading a note from Inspector Hawk, she gets to work right away. Preferring to work uninterrupted and without distraction she puts the group up in a nearby Inn and Bar called *Man's Best Friend.* The group meets the eccentric bartender Schlitz. Welty reveals that he over-heard a group of ladies gossiping about a nearby mine that utilizes child workers and they never come home. Schlitz offers to show the party the mine.

Being tricked into giving a tour, Lonnie (The Accountant) shows the group around the first floor-- when they find that the Children lack any sort of mouth or nose-- with just flesh covering those areas. Danny attempts to cure a child, causing it to stare at him. The Accountant reveals that they are just mask that help the children breathe. Lonnie than demonstrates how it's a way to give direction to the young miners instructions. Lonnie calls the foreman and the two put on odd gauntlets that create letters around the users head. Lonnie claims that the children should obey when the gauntlets are utilized however the children just continue to stare at Danny. In unison the Children all start to attack the party, Lonnie and the foreman with their pick axes. Lonnie is killed in the attack.

Baldric, Welty and Wilton escape via a mine cart while Danny, Bernard, Foreman Imre and Schlitz barricade the office. Inside the office Danny is introduced to Webb, the only child that the "mask" wouldn't stick to. Danny and Bernard meet Mr. Serrick who claims the mask are simply devices used to protect the children's lungs. Danny convinces Bernard to distract the engineer named Darni while he uses an invisibility spell to spy on a meeting between the Foreman and Mr. Serrick. Danny finds out that the children are indeed being mind-controlled and that Serrick loves the devices because it shut the kids up from whining. The Foreman gets into an argument saying that it's wrong but Serrick ignores the Foreman and just wants the "tour group" out so he can cover everything up.

The four who fell down the mines search around for some time until they find a mineshaft-elevator. As they start to ascend Miners land on the roof of the elevator and attack from above, however the group crawls through the roof and throw the Silent Miners off the side giving them time to escape and manually pull the rope to get back to the top of the mines.

Foreman Imre tells Danny and Bernard the truth about the mask. He says he'll help the group out, but first he has to find the missing miner "Rogers." Bernard goes with Foreman Imre. Soon after they leave, The Silent Miners start to breach the barricade in the office. Everyone attempts to escape via the elevator, though the ropes are cut from above--presumably by the miners. Serrick tries to escape via the hole in the elevators roof to avoid being killed by the fall, however Schlitz cast an enlarge person spell on him and Danny threw a molotov at the large man. The enlarged flaming body crushed most of the group that was riding the elevator. Danny luckily crawled out of the elevator and pulled the near dead bodies of Webb and Schlitz out-- however Darni was crushed in and killed.

Though separated, the groups meet up at the depths of the mines all to witness a large statue being surrounded by miners. The Statue conjures a cosmic-coated liquid imitation of itself and fights the party while Schlitz and Danny fight and kill a mind-controlled Rogers in a strange room. Upon defeating the liquid conjuration, the party heard a voice say that "The Congregation will rise again" and the mine started to collapse. The mask dripped to the shaking grounds as the voice was heard by the party. Escaping by jumping into the waters below; the party, the Foreman and the children swam until they found the sewer entrance and returned to Aphelion.

Danny and Bernard took the children to a hospital and paid for their medical bills. Afterwords taking them all to an orphanage except for Webb, who stayed with Danny. Schlitz got fired from his job for leaving midshift.