There are probably tens of thousands of Skyrims out there that run this mod. Tens of thousands of Old Hroldans filled with Hjalti’s ghost friend, Asteria the bard, and the precocious boy who gets pissed off when you spill mead on his rug (those mead stains are fucking tricky). And in every single one of those games there’s one other common denominator. An Orc. One who, despite having a name, has less to say than the bandits and peddlers that spawn across Skryim. In fact, she hardly says anything at all. She just sits on a bench and stares wordlessly at the wall.
Yet at long last, her internal, voiceless nightmare may be coming to an end. Duraz may finally get her say.
I never intended Duraz to be the only female Orc in the mod – or at least the only one with more than a handful of lines like Lagdu and Shelur. It’s just that given the difficulty finding a voice for Duraz, adding another Orc on top of that seemed rather foolish. This is why the next two hundred or so NPCs were at times female, and at times Orcs, but never both.
That may change in the future, but we shall see. The first hurdle will be getting Duraz herself voiced, and as I mentioned, things are looking up. The role has been cast and our chickens are halfway hatched. Now mind you, we’ve been down this road before. I even released a trailer for Duraz after half the lines were finished, only to have the actor vanish as quickly as she arrived. However, this time I’m somewhat optimistic.
Here is a GIF expressing my cautious optimism:
Okay, maybe I’ve already counted my chickens. Maybe I’ve already sold them to the local distributor to be chopped and Kentucky Fried. I’ve spent next week’s paycheck, I’ve seen the future, I’ve spiked the ball. Sure, we’re still on the fifty yard line, but the offense is moving and the great Jessica Osborne is playing tailback.
As far as voice actors go, Jessica is fantastic. Good, prompt, and steady. I’ve got her doing a couple of large roles for the mod, so you’ll be hearing more from her in the future. I’m absolutely sure of it.
cant wait
Okay, here’s my take II at criticizing this. Actually, I think that the problem is more with the text. You start with “if you got the boon”. A boon is “something good or very helpful: Spring rains are a boon to local farmers.” (Cambridge dictionary). It seems like you mean “dough” or gold here? / I don’t really understand the second line. Does “some giant” refer to Duraz? What’s with the tournament allegory? I’m not sure of what is meant here. Here’s an alternate suggestion: “A true warrior is fierce and ruthless. If you’re looking for something fine, maybe you should try the Radiant Raiment in Solitude.” / The actor doesn’t say “I get to keep what I kill” but “I keep what I kill” and you can sense a slight hesitation in his voice. Not a big deal, but you could change the line, though I prefer the written line to the one that was spoken. / The I’m not stupid line: The “p” is popping a little and you can hear the actor’s voice break on the word “Just”. Concerning the dialogue, I’m not sure about the “Cause that’s the way it’s always been”. My suggestion: “… 500 septims flat. And then these mammoth brains go charge at the first dragon they see and that’s the last you hear of them.” / I would change “from an Orc’s mouth” to “in my life”. This makes the connection to the previous line clearer.
She’s saying out in the real world, Giants and things don’t bow to a Jarl before clubbing you to death. The dialogue about Radiant Raiment is too out of character, Duraz isn’t the most knowledgeable Orc.
Will fix the pop.
The voice break is on the word “cause” actually, although that’s splitting hairs. Anyway I already fixed it, was just too lazy to make a new video.
I prefer “keep what I kill.” I have no idea where “get to” came from as it’s too stilted and not in the original script for Duraz. Also Jessica’s a woman.
Feedback is always welcome, so thanks. :)
My take on it is that Duraz is pretty course in general; very brusque and sharp in her manner of speech: she doesn’t waste words. As a point of fact, she seems to cut out as many of them as she can while still getting her message across. So basically, I stuck that in mind and kept her lines clipped and gruff; like she’s just not that interested in wasting a lot of breath on the conversation till she’s maybe a little more interested.
“I get to keep what I kill,” vs “I keep what I kill”– the latter is to the point and brooks no opposition; the former is just a statement. The hesitation in this case was more a matter of measuring the words out so the player character hasn’t got room to argue.
Admittedly I probably could spin a few of these lines again; I spent January battling the remains of a cold. Helped the gravel in my voice– but also made for some weird breaks here and there.
And yes, I’m female. Like Duraz. Possibly only slightly more ladylike. But if you thought I was a dude, I guess I’m getting the orc voice right…