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"Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) is the fifteenth episode of Talks Machina. Matthew Mercer, Marisha Ray, and Travis Willingham discuss "Tangled Depths" (1x88) with Brian Wayne Foster and special guest Gil Ramirez (@GilTheVlogsmith). Ashley Johnson joins in for the After Dark segment.

Synopsis[]

Questions addressed for Gil[]

A steel wand made by Gil

Screenshot of a steel wand, by Gil Ramirez from "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15).[art 1]

Dice by Gil for CR cast

Screenshot of the dice for CR cast, by Gil Ramirez.[art 2]

  • Gil was chosen as a moderator for the live premier of "Arrival at Kraghammer" (1x01).[1]
  • Q: What got you into smithing and for how long have you been doing the trade yourself?[2]
    • Gil started his smithing career in 2001. He was inspired by fantasy blacksmiths. As of March 2017, Gil has been teaching his craft for five years at "the local museum he volunteers in".
  • Q: What is your favorite thing to make besides dice?[3]
    • A: Loves to make wands and avoids to work with glass, which is a different path for smiths to master.
  • Q: How does Gil make sure the dice are balanced?[4]
    • A: Liquid mercury is denser than steel the dice are made of, which is the material for his tests.
  • Slide show (wands made Gil, the dice owned by the cast in Gil's forgery, Gil cosplaying as Gilmore). D4 dice, Gil producing, are shaped differently because their tetrahedron is complicated to melt out steel.
  • Q: What has been Gil's most favorite DnD related project and how long does it take to finish a full dice set?[5]
    • A: One dice set takes about eight hours. The d20s has the most time invested.
  • Q: What's been your coolest commission so far?[6]
    • A: Calcite d20 commissioned by Josh, a friend of Gil and a member of "a local" DnD that Gil is part of. Although a geologist friend of Gil concluded that it is impossible to work on, the crystal will keep shattering and shattering again, etc, Gil has managed to create a couple of dice out of Calcite, through still not knowing how he succeeded in doing so.
  • According to Matt, Gil was the first community critter that the cast ran into "in the wild", at the Ren Faire. Maybe about a month and a half after "Arrival at Kraghammer" (1x01).[7]

Main part[]

  • Q and A: Marisha once described Aramente as a test of strength. The kraken fight gave it the Kobayashi Maru aspect, wisdom to pick up the battle or retreat. Although Aramente is the necessary test for one to occupy the leading position in the Ashari community, the challenged ones can and should find associates to complete their task. Keyleth completed her first part of the Aramente with the earth Ashari by herself.[8]
    • Grog and Keyleth are both willing to endure to the bitter end. However, Grog is the only one capable to specifically do it, which made him the last one left with the kraken.
  • Q: How could the battle with the kraken have gone if members of VM, who knew their languages, tried to speak with the kraken: Percy (celestial) and Keyleth (primordial)?[9]
    • A: VM could not offered the kraken enough to part peacefully (except "passage to the Prime Material Plane" offer).
  • Q: Would Keyleth have sacrificed VM, continuing to collect lodestones, or Water Ashari, by killing the kraken, to complete her Aramente? What is necessary to become a Voice of one the Ashari tribes?[10]
    • Marisha: Keyleth, certainly, would not sacrificed well being of others, but rather failed her Aramente.
    • Matt: Aramente is a test of leadership and an ability to make decisions under pressure, which are required traits to hold the guiding position in the Ashari. In addition, depending on the results measured by success/failure scale, the most lucky or skillful becomes the Voice of its tribe. The title also can be inherited through the consanguinity.
  • Q: Had the kraken not swallowed Grog, allowing him to reach Vax's breathless body, would he killed the kraken despite Keyleth's request?[11]
    • A: Grog was possibly the only party member who could deal the necessary 50 damage to the kraken in order to leave his stomach.

GIF of the Week

  • Q: During the most dire moments of the fight with the kraken, has Grog considered to pull cards from the Deck of Many Things?[12]
    • A: If Grog would have been stuck in the belly of a whale, this would be THE dire situation to pull cards.
  • Q: What is the purpose of Aramente?[13]
    • Matt: Aramente is created only for those who are next in line to become the Voice, the position which can be occupied by individuals from multiple backgrounds (e.g. warriors, druids). Druids are highly regarded in Ashari communities only because of their closer connection with elemental nature of the rifts they are guarding. Some elderly Ashari willingly merge with elements (e.g. become trees to "continue" the watch over the tribe).
  • Q: Why Water Ashari have not send Vilya's leg back to Korrin and Keyleth, letting them wonder at her disappearance for ages?[14]
    • A: To create a mystery for Keyleth for a narrative purposes.
  • Q from Gil: If lodestones are digested product of a kraken's meal, could Vilya be one of the lodestone?[15]
  • Q: How Grog will react when Friends cast by Percy to save Tary, risking his life, expires?[16]
    • A: Grog's decision had no strongly roots. He is neutral toward Taryon, and when Percy asked him to turn around and save Tary, Grog had no problem to do it even without the spell.


Fan Art of the Week


  • Q: Do you think Keyleth would have Plane Shifted with Grog, if his and Vax's roles were switched: Grog — dead and Vax — still up?[17]
  • Q: How big of a role do you think the Raven Queen will play in a resurrection ritual for Vax?[18]
  • Q: Would Grog have any interest in participating in Vax's resurrection ritual?
  • Q: How encounter with the kraken might have gone differently, if not for the two natural ones?[19]
    • A: If all would had gone smoothly, the kraken would have woken up just as VM would have rushed toward the portal, at least showing his presents and striking a couple of short blows. Also Freedom of Movement spell would be a really clutch option against a kraken and an underwater circumstances.


Talks Machina After Dark with Ashley[]

  • Q: What was the most unusual, hilarious, or ribald thing someone has ever shouted at Matt right before the broadcast started?[20]
    • A: Liam and Sam are very good at this.
  • Q: Between Umbrasyl, feymire crocodile, and the kraken, would Grog develop a fear of small, warm enclosed spaces?[21]
    • A: Grog would not develop a fear of enclosed spaces, because a person in peril must have a certain intelligence to recognize the scale of their misfortune.
  • Q: Have you drank the Royale Dragon vodka after the fall of the Chroma Conclave?[22]
  • Q: What would Grog do with 20 intelligent for 24 hours?[23]
  • Q: Are Matt and Ashley disscuss the story of Pike when she is not with VM?[24]
    • A: Only did a couple of those during the "pre-stream". One session involved only (Ashley and Liam), another one involved (Liam, Ashley, and Sam). When the rest of the party have fallen down into the Crystalfen Caverns, Pike, Vax, and Scanlan went on their separate adventure.
  • Q: How would Pike take the news of Grog was swallowed and left behind in the gullet of a kraken?
  • Random fact from Matt: If someone from VM would have went through the rift during the battle with the kraken and asked for help from Water Ashari, they would have sent waveriders to aid.
  • Q: How do you feel in the "I have not died" club?[25]
  • Q from Travis: What is the ideal death for Keyleth?[26]
    • Circumstances not as embarrassing as a trip fall into lava.
  • Q: Ashley plays cleric Pike and has played a cleric in Force Grey. Does she have special love for this particular subclass?
    • A: She already had experience playing a cleric and the party needed one.
  • Q: What would be your character's superhero names?[27]
    • A: Void for Gil; Calamity Ray for Marisha; MeatyAlbatross Travis' Xbox nickname. Originally, Travis typed in an allusion on his surname — raped bacon. willing ham. However, Xbox suggested to change it.

Quotations[]

  • Brian': "Welcome my guest, the last person you want to be fucked by, Gil Ramirez".[28]

References[]

  1. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 6:39.
  2. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 8:00.
  3. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 11:14.
  4. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 13:53.
  5. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 18:34.
  6. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 19:58.
  7. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 27:34.
  8. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 30:05.
  9. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 34:54.
  10. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 38:55.
  11. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 42:21.
  12. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 45:55.
  13. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 46:34.
  14. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 47:58.
  15. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 49:16.
  16. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 49:54.
  17. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 53:25.
  18. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 54:12.
  19. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 1:02:33.
  20. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 1:11:22.
  21. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 1:13:14.
  22. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 1:14:18.
  23. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 1:15:28.
  24. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 1:16:44.
  25. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 1:21:39.
  26. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 1:26:00.
  27. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 1:30:13.
  28. See "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15) at 1:04.

Art:

  1. Screenshot of a steel wand, by Gil Ramirez from "Talks Machina #15: 'Tangled Depths'" (TMx15). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
  2. Screenshot of the dice for CR cast, by Gil Ramirez (source). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
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