Talks Machina 99: The Endless Burrows

is the ninety-ninth episode of Talks Machina. Taliesin Jaffe and Matthew Mercer discuss with host Brian Wayne Foster.

Synopsis

 * @KyleWithAnN: Matt: Can you walk us through the process of how Chris Perkins got the shortest-lived guest spot in Critical Role history?
 * @CarnotLesbian: Taliesin: Caduceus has a strong connection with nature, especially organic material. Is being underground for so long putting him on edge, or does he perceive it as just another part of the Wildmother's glory?
 * @MytiaMann: For Matt: Why do you keep referring to it as "underground" instead of "Underdark"? Is this a personal choice or are your players not truly in the underdark yet?
 * Nate Moorman: Taliesin: As a very open character, how does Caduceus feel about all these people who are so closed off and deceitful being his companions? Is he enjoying seeing them finally begin to let some of those skeletons out of their closets?
 * Elizabeth Quintanilla: Both: How does it feel watching all the sadness pour out of Caleb's and Nott's backstories? Taliesin, how does Cad feel about it?
 * @Evan_Litvik: For Matt: What was it like playing the kobolds during the episode compared to reading lines for kobolds and catacombs?
 * PaperVolcano: Taliesin: When Cad started travelling with the Nein, you described him as unhealthily skinny – after spending months travelling with the Nein, how's he doing?
 * @Townsend_S_W: Matt: So far we've seen a mid-level party descend into the Underdark in search of a halfling, briefly befriend a doomed native, and almost lose a rogue's foot to lava. Any more callbacks in the works?
 * FraeuleinKamera: Taliesin: Have you and Laura agreed that Caduceus is the healer of the two clerics or is that something that just comes more naturally to Caduceus than to Jester?
 * Boffleslop: Matt: You've said character death works best when it's narratively fulfilling. How would you rate Spurt's?
 * Gulstab: Taliesin: What did Caduceus think about the romance novel as it was being read aloud? Did he enjoy it?
 * BadSkeelz: Matt: How proud were you to see the Mighty Nein come up with a good plan to avoid the Giants? How sad were you to derail it in two rolls?
 * @BrainBlowX: Taliesin: What feat did Caduceus take? Which were you considering?
 * Fan Art of the Week: Sarah Drews aka @Larimonium's "the bravest goblin of them all."
 * Jesse: Taliesin: Cad often seems very curious of things he has never encountered, preferring to talk to creatures even when they might be dangerous. Is it because he was surrounded by things people are needlessly freaked out by (graves, the dead) that he assumes most things aren't as scary as people think?
 * Karolina Chalupska: For Matt: The encounters in this episode were resolved in three different ways, mostly without fighting. How do you get the players to understand that not every encounter has to be a bloody fight to the death?
 * @PaleNewMoon: Taliesin: Caduceus' staff is so interesting! Where did he get it and is there anything you can tell us about it without spoiling too much?

Quotations

 * Taliesin: "We're just riding the monorail at Disneyland. We're not actually on any of the rides."
 * Taliesin: "Tell me about the outside world. What part of it that I don't understand hurt you?"
 * Taliesin: "Not a lot of muscle on that boy."
 * Dani: "Matt, you've already done horrible things to Taliesin this campaign."
 * Taliesin: "I went with War Caster."
 * Matt: "We're charging into Xhorhas earlier than I was expecting."
 * Taliesin: "'We are not those people and we do not want anything to do with this.'"
 * Taliesin: "Beau is also Caduceus' favorite."
 * Taliesin: "The angsty boys are very angsty."