Episode 152 - Zenith Ocho

This episode takes place in Silver Strings.

## Intro

**Episode description:**
Sorry they've been so short lately! Longer episodes coming soon.

**Opening Quote:**
Stephanie: (singsong) "I can still see it! Ha ha haha ha!"

**Player introduction:**
Sean: "Hello and welcome to another episode of the Tabletop Champions Podcast. I'm Sean your Dungeon Master and with me tonight we have Lauren who p-plays Brenna..."

Lauren: "What do you call a Centaur Trickster? One trick pony!"

Sean: "Stephanie who plays Boone..."

Stephanie: "Ahoy-hoy."

Sean: "Kyle who plays Cam..."

Kyle: "Howdy."

Sean: "Ben who plays Kallas..."

Ben: "Hello."

Sean: "and Matt who plays Cyrus..."

Matt: "Look into me eye."

Sean: "I did that without looking at your guys' characters!"

All: "Yay!" "Yeah!" etc.

Kyle: "We're going to overlook the part where you stuttered over..."

Sean: "I stuttered before Lauren's because I was like 'who do I do first?' Boone and Brenna is the hard thing especially because people have been shipping them in chat."

Kyle: "It's just been Broone. Broone is the, I think, kinda the ah ship name as of now."

Matt: "It kinda sounds like brew."

Ben: "I thought it was Broona."

Stephanie: "Oh, I thought it was Broona, no?"

Kyle: "Oh sure, we could do Broona."

Sean: "I think it was Broona."

Lauren: "That's okay, Broona will sweep you off your feet."

Kyle: "Anyway..."

Sean: "Too bad the real ship is Kallas and Cyrus, but I digress..."

Matt: "What?!"

## Episode Summary

As this episode begins, we find our heroes following their new found contact, Trebeck, head of the Bards College, as he leads them through Silver Strings to his office. With the exception of Cyrus, who decided to stay behind at the Bloomin' Onion for some alcoholic consolation, the party members soon find themselves making introductions to Trebeck. Trebeck in turn explains that Silver Strings is in need of independent agents, like our heroes, to investigate the disappearance of Zenith Othos.

Zenith is an emissary from the Ebreosea whose task is to establish trade relations with Silver Strings and establish a teleportation circle. He signed a treaty with Silver Strings that guaranteed their autonomy, then directed a mage in his company to set up a teleportation circle. These things accomplished, Zenith wanted to see how quickly and easily a caravan from Silver Strings could reach Thistlepot Junction, an important gnomish agricultural settlement to the northeast. On foot, he should have returned in four days; it's been a week and, given that they traveled by horse, they should have returned days ago.

Trebeck provides our heroes with a tiny, magical rustic cabin and the command word to use it: frío. He asks that they not try it out until they are outside of town and says that it plus an unspecified amount of gold will be their reward for turning up anything useful about Zenith. He warns them that he suspects foul play and to be careful.

Before heading out, the party swings through the market to see if they can learn anything useful about Zenith. All they discover is that he was friendly and fair to everyone he met in Silver Strings and that his escorts seemed competent and well-equipped. Cam makes contact with a shady character named Daleg in an alley near the Market, but doesn't learn anything new.

As our heroes leave town, they decide to stop by the stables and get horses. Sean the Stablekeep abruptly informs them that he doesn't have any horses for sale. His last horses were taken by Zenith and his escorts. Cyrus and the stablekeep nearly come to blows, during which Sean rolls up his sleeves to reveal enviably large, cut, muscular arms. But no fight erupts, thanks to Boone's quick intercession between the two.

Resigned to walking, the party finally leaves Silver Strings as evening settles in. They walk for several hours before deciding to make camp around midnight. Cam carefully places the tiny cabin they received from Trebeck on the ground and speaks the command word. Instantly, the tiny cabin is replaced by full sized door, complete with welcome mat. Hearing the sound of crunching snow as they approach, the party swings open the door to find a cozy 20' x 20' foot cabin, complete with a roaring fire in the fireplace and enough bunks for everyone to their own to sleep.

As the episode draws to a close, they notice the best surprise the cabin has to offer: Ghost Butler. Standing front and center in the room is an ethereal form with five steaming cups of hot chocolate. As Brenna races forward to claim her cup, Cam goes to claim a top bunk.

## Memorable Quotes

Matt: "(Cyrus is) sulking about the whole dick punching thing."
Lauren: "You're lucky that's all you got, motherfucker!"

Lauren: (to Matt) "Did you find your sense of purpose?"
Stephanie: "Yeah, did you have enough alone time with your hand?"

Lauren (in Brenna's voice): "Well, we're not here to fuck spiders! Let's go! Come on!"

## Trivia

Daleg is later taken up as a player character in the Faerunners podcast, also DM'ed by Sean.