The Gem Splitters (Patreon)

You arrive inside the main part of the citadel. Its beauty takes you by surprise. Vast halls, all lit by crystals of varying size and colour. The place looks like the inside of a geode but more organized.

Zeek and Zim smile at you and the party. Saying "it's impressive, no? Vast halls of crystal... as we are heading in the right direction, I will introduce you to some of the others.

The next hall over features lines of miners holding their finds. At the end of each, you see a larger geckold carrying an immense hammer. A miner places their crystal on a stone plinth, where it is smashed by the hammer carrying ones. zeek explains these are the gem splitters. Only the important crystals can withstand the smash of these hammers.

Miners lucky enough to find an important crystal are paid handsomely. The rest are still paid, but not as much. There is only so much you can do with shiny rocks.

Your parties rogue seems to be having a fit at this sentence, knowing full well even a small handful of these rocks would set any one up for life.