"How do they speak and what does their voice sound like?"
(Ogods, grab a cuppa, this is a YAP!!) ☕️
Zanuluth Zaintashara (LDB)
Zanuluth has a foreign accent to pretty much everyone. Very few would pinpoint it to a specific Ashlander family from a remote cave-system in Morrowind, and it's heavy on the ñ sounds.
He rarely feels like speaking Dunmeris, for reasons we can't get into, but let's just say he has a...fractured relationship with his own people.
His Tamrielic is functional at best, and he often doesn't understand first go-around. (Luckily, he also has peak wet-cat vibes, and most people take pity on him and repeat themselves slowly).
He tends to hug himself and address the floor, no matter the situation, despite being literally Ysmir, King of the North, yada yada — being able to disintergrate people with words frightens him. Especially given the slight aphasia.
Has been known to forget parts of Shouts at the wrong moment.
His speaking voice is soft and hoarse. Later it becomes strained; dealing too closely with the toxic ash that fell on his home has had...deletrious effects down the line.
The thing most people notice first is his eyes — seemingly blind, and on top of his general faeness/shyness/standoffishness, can make some conversation partners, especially rural Nords, uncomfortable, because they can't tell where his gaze — if it ever leaves their boots — is.
Though not very mobile, his ears give away emotion, or at least attention. They're often down-slanted, adding to the lugubrious impression.
If he does swear, it's a rare use of Dunmeris. Favourite being a phrase translating to "Azura's bones". It reminds him of the few folk he remembers fondly from...back then.
Sometimes he'll imitate the local Nords, and try a "Shor's bones!" on for size instead, which is, frankly, adorable.
All this (and being a wisp-like 5'4") has many people thinking he's dim or child-like when he's merely different. He puts up with it stoically.
He's the only character where the in-game "voice", such as it is, matches my headcanon.
Ntalym 'cal Llarethiiath (Thalmor Justiciar)
Ntalym speaks Altmeris, almost exclusively, even though he understands Tamrielic reasonably well. (It's taught in all the schools on Alinor, and working knowledge of it is expected of his social class).
In his lifetime, the Isles have gone from completely isolationist to being willing to engage with foreign trade and the affairs of non-Altmer, so reluctantly he added it to his portfolio.
His accent is immediately noticeable, and not something he cares to do anything whatever about.
The voice is deep and direct. Of late, there's a bit of a cough going on, but the lovely Skyrim climate is to blame for that.
In conversation, his attention seems to drift, and you can be earnestly explaining yourself while he idly studies a cloud, or something over your left shoulder. It's off-putting if you're not used to it, and can come off as rude.
Sometimes he IS putting you in your place, of course, especially if you're some ephem he has to bend his godly golden ear to.
Nat has a fine case of resting-bitch-face, and smiles rarely reach his eyes. Gestures are sharp and controlled, and he's loud and brusque when at work, the kind of person you can hear two rooms over at normal volume.
At home he has to choose words with care, and opts for closed-off civility to superiors, and careful neutrality to everyone else. Either way he's not prone to flowery language, and uses the minimum amount of words to convey what he means.
He's fluent in Knowing Smirk, Imperious Gesture, and Death Glare, but those come free with the job.
A secret: this brave Officer of the Dominion can get more spooked than he lets on: a trick he employs is to channel any nervous movements he might want to make into his right foot; he'll be apparently totally composed, but them toes be curlin'. :3
Zhar is Breton by parentage, but grew up in Raven Rock. He speaks fluent Dunmeris, and enjoys people's reactions when he comes out with something really culturally niche around the expats in Skyrim.
He adores visiting Solstheim and behaves himself impeccably there, hiding his affection for the islanders with "I just couldn't bite anyone here; you lot literally taste of ash" — which makes his (Dunmeri) husband facepalm every time.
He'll also tell you that all Altmer taste of soap.
For an undead fiend, his voice is not sibilant as might be expected. He doesn't hiss. He tends to use a bit of vocal fry and sounds genuinely charmed to be conversing with you.
He's a natural code-switcher who enjoys words and language and goes out of his way to learn about members of his Court.
Gestures are wide and languid, he tilts his head often to indicate attention; he smiles, and the eyes often light up with genuine amusement.
Zhar rarely swears. Mr Affable Evil can be blunt and often insensitive, but rarely vicious: he'd tell Nat to take his head out of his arse, and Zanuluth to be kinder to himself.
Despite all this, mortal lives are cheap to him. He takes the view that if you kill one, another will be along in a minute(!)
4D chess and word-games he doesn't really deal in: if you piss him off, he has a cudgel with your name on it.
From the laissez-faire personality, and certain morals like aiding refugees and "not stealing from the have-nots" — some people assume "honourable". Which is a mistake he'll let enemies make time and again.
Hanging around the Volkihar Court, he often starts a sentence in Bretic, uses a Dunmer word or two, then remembers not everyone understands. He makes a joke out of it, and even old Vingalmo could admit it's a pleasenter atmosphere for the levity.
No-one would dream of crossing him, of course; Zhar will cheerfully rip someone's head off and go right back to his dinner, but at least everyone knows where they stand.
^ Omg, I just unearthed the very first Skyrim fanart I ever did; a much younger Zhar and Zanuluth about to attempt some treasure hunting xd [They lost touch and Zan later joined the Dawnguard. Awwwkwaaard 😏]
Brief mention: Agent Sanyon (oc-ified)
Frequently holds conversations with an invisible second party. Left to his own devices, he'll gesture, shrug and hand-wave as though rehearsing an interview in the mirror.
The others put it down to him having been brought back* from a brief sojourn beyond the veil and not 100% "with it".
He's smart as a tack but lacks affect when he speaks, assuming he had any before.
*Ambassador Elenwen signed-off on an Exemption Notice, so the Raising was totally legit and above-board and in every way better and more honourable than the common-or-garden Necromancy most people do. Honest.
"That'll buff right out."
