Z's drinking problem

Intro
Matt: Hello and welcome to Celestial Expanse, a real play D&D podcast set in the Celestial Expanse universe, my name is Matthew, and today I'll be playing as your DM, and playing with me today with a special character development episode is Nat as Z. Natalia: Ewo! Matt: Like in the others, you've probably noticed that this is gonna be one of the solo episodes we're doing for each character before the beginning of season 2. This is basically just gonna show you how they get like certain powers, what's been happening since the, I wouldn't say disastrous? invasion of the Inquisitorial starbase, but yeah. Take it as it is, wouldn't you say? Natalia: Mmhm. It was uh, it was definitely quite a time.

Episode Description
Z goes on a adventure after getting drunk while trying to look good for a cute woman. That always leads to problems.

Summary
In the two months since the season 1 finale, Z has been helping out around the station, trying to pick up more skills. One day she goes to a bar and finds that there's a drinking contest. There are some Hunting Lodge members present, who were rescued by the pirates as their ship was destroyed by a crystal ship. Z asks about Bunric Bloodchest, who isn't there, but is known by the lodge members. Z joins the contest. The hunters bring out a watered-down dwarvish whiskey. Z faces off against an orc and wins after four drinks. The next contestant is a gnome, who earlier asked Z to give Bunric a kick for calling both of them short. He passes out after one sip. The last contestant is a human woman, 5'9", with a long brown ponytail and a scar on her cheek. Z flirts a bit, then passes out after the second drink.

Z wakes up with the worst hangover she's ever had, not on the station, surrounded by the hunters and the pirates who saved them. They cheer when she wakes up, and the gnome gives her a brownish liquid with mysterious lumps, which is disgusting, but cures her hangover. He says it's made from the gallstones of a humpback hydra, which is fermented for two months before the juice is squeezed out. Upon hearing this, Z throws up, and is told that's the usual reaction. He says everyone was impressed by how she held her drink last night, and Cecilia, the last person she drank against, invited her on the hunt they're going on. Z apparently said yes after she blacked out. Z asks if there are any flowers she can get, and the gnome says no, but there might be some on the planet they're going to: Sejera, in the Dracora Core system, the system where Starbase Cronus is located. They're hunting a Gargazon, which is 26 meters tall. It's attacked a hospital, and the Hunting Lodge was asked to take it out. Z finally realizes they're on a ship and asks for a drink, and follows the gnome to get more dwarvish whiskey. He goes to the cockpit, where Cecilia is piloting. They see the planet ahead, which has a reddish-pink atmosphere and rocky canyons. The gnome says it's said to have purplish-red flowers that are good in medicine and cuisine, and he hopes to cook some for the ship. He's the ship's cook, and also tries out new foods for the crew; he had an artificial throat implanted after his original was ripped out by the hydra that later became a hangover cure.

The rocks on the planet are a rusty red, and Z sees lots of strange creatures, apparently herbivores. They're very tall and very social. When leaving the ship, Z flirts with Cecilia, then learns that she's in a relationship with the gnome Z's been talking with. Z congratulates him with no jealousy. He apparently thinks it's funny to let people flirt with her, then realize she went for a gnome. After leaving the ship, they meet Bunric Bloodchest, who calls Z "Shortstack". She sneaks around him to kick his butt, only to find he's wearing dreadnought armor. Z claims it's a traditional gnome greeting, and Bunric says he was part of the alliance that attempted, and failed, to protect the gnome home planet. He grabs her by the ear and starts dragging her somewhere. On the way, he briefs them on the Gargazon, which has skin as tough as starship metal, and a mouth large enough to devour a whole platoon. He says he needs Z's particular help as they reach his tent. He pulls out a leathery, dusty tome filled with information and drawings of various creatures. Bunric says these are the private logs of the Hunting Lodge: every Huntmaster adds a page before they retire (or die). He compliments her on her fighting prowess, and says he wants her to become a big game hunter. It's not the same thing as being invited to the Hunting Lodge, but she'd be an honorary member, and he or any other hunter would be able to invite her to their lodges, or on hunts, though she'd have to leave when they say. He says she's too bullheaded to be a full member, but Z says she's improved over the past two years. She proposes he give her one year to prove herself, and if she does, they'll revisit the idea of her becoming a full member. Bunric agrees, to her delight. Z asks if they wear anything to show they're members, and Bunric puts on his pin. It has two bright red swallow feathers on the hilt of a small dagger, with a bullet casing on top. Z begs for one, and receives a snapped-off feather pin. Z asks where she can find some flowers, but Bunric holds her back for training, which consists of reading a book.

They go over where they're going to hunt the Gargazon, at a cliff two hours' travel away. The rest of the group will drive the Gargazon to the cliff, where Bunric and Z will be waiting to kill it. Z looks for a drink, but is unable to find one, so gets water from the gnome instead. She then returns to Bunric's car and is relegated to the backseat, despite her protests. They reach the cliff, and Bunric pulls out an artificial fire and a flask of dwarvish firewhiskey. He reminisces about his old hunting group, who are all dead, and they talk more about the destruction of the gnome home planet.

The Gargazon approaches, driven towards them by the rest of the hunters. It's massive and sinewy, with a bunch of tentacles obscuring the mouth. It's kept from retreating by artificial air blasts. Bunric says they're going to jump off the cliff onto its head: the back of its skull is thin, and its only weak spot. They jump, and Z starts slipping off its neck, unable to grip its chitinous skin, but Bunric grabs her and throws her onto its head. They struggle to pierce its skull, and Z says she would have been better off shooting it from the cliff. They switch to guns, and after a few tries, Z manages to shoot through the brain. The Gargazon falls, and when they hit the ground, Z goes unconscious.

Z and Bunric wake up to the dogs licking their faces, surrounded by laughing hunters. They prepare a bonfire, and Z inspects the body. It's an omnivore, and has starship-tough skin. She requests some of the hide for armor, and Bunric says he'll send her crew a roll of the leather. Z gathers some flowers, which grow out of purplish moss. Bunric gives her a big flagon of dwarvish firewhiskey, and says it's tradition for the person who landed the killing shot to drink the whole thing. He also says to remember the friends she adventured with, even if they've passed away. Z thinks of Olive Boy, and requests some olives in his memory.

New Information

 * The Hunting Lodge has a thing called the Grand Hunt, where they hunt down the biggest apex predator around just to prove they can. They were formed around the Age of Discovery, almost 50,000 years ago. Even Parliament gives them some leeway, knowing their reputation. One hunter is said to be equal to five Parliament soldiers.
 * Bunric is around 300 years old.
 * The Titanium Accords were the alliance of dwarves, gnomes, and humans that joined together to fight the orcs.

Memorable Quotes
Z: Fuck yeah, she yeets too?

Bunric: You can be a little, um ... what's the word, um... bullheaded. Z: Awesome. Badass. Eh, bullheaded, I guess I could add that to the list.

Bunric: In the morning, be a bastard. In the afternoon, have a drink. At dusk, be a drunk bastard and go kill something.

Trivia

 * For the second time, Nat was called the Kyle of CE for not opening Roll20 until well into the recording.
 * Z had 7 successful CON saves in a row for the drinking contest, the last one a crit.
 * Natalia proposed having a gnome cheer.
 * The gnome Z made friends with never got a name this episode.
 * This is the first episode with Z's new gnome friend and Cecilia.