WAIT!! Kar’niss can purr?????!!!!!???
Yes!
...Well, sort of.
While the term “purr” does fit to describe his sounds, it’s not exactly like what we would expect from cats. I’d say it’s more akin to a reverberated croak or trill. I don’t believe Larian included the isolated background crowing he does in the game files but it is present anytime he speaks. It also seems to intensify in response to high emotional stimulus, such as rage and ecstasy. So I imagine when he isn’t speaking but he feels very content, calm, or deeply annoyed then he will idly purr in response.
Another neat addition to his speech is how breathy every word is. He pants a lot and it sounds like the very act of pushing words out is an exhausting endeavor for him. This would make sense considering his anatomy is fifteen flavors of fucked up. There is a debate on if the organs in his torso still function or if all of his inner workings are delegated to the spider body alone. Either way, his humanoid lungs wouldn’t be equipped to supply oxygen to a form that large which would make breathing and speaking a chore. Either that or the book lungs in his abdomen have to work overtime to deliver air to his mouth due the distance between the two and the same issue crops up as a result. I’m not sure if this was intentional on Larian’s part but if so I think it’s a clever addition to his character design. It tells the player a lot without explaining it. Show, don’t tell, as they say.
The voice clip included here is one of the few times we witness Kar’niss pretty pleased with himself. As usual, his tone is very labored and breathy. But we can also hear the background reverb that clings to his speech. I really enjoy the sound effect, more than I probably should. I’ve always wanted an eight legged cat.
Thanks for the ask!
