I opened up the .dlg for Perriman Smythe and found a couple neat things. First is that he has a voice code for every speech. I suspect he was to be a talking character like Virgil and the others! The credits don't have anyone playing him, so I doubt there's a sound file hidden in the game. Second is that he has quest responses for everything, starting with the Schylers! Clearly he is not available that early in the game. So maybe they wanted him to be available at the same time as Magnus! I suspect he was to be an early good magic follower the way Magnus was an early good tech follower. Perhaps in playtesting it didn't work, or people dumped Virgil for him. Clearly after all the story work for Virgil, they couldn't make him disposable. Virgil has healing skill (bandages), but suppose he didn't have White magic? It wouldn't matter too much if he couldn't heal magically before Tarant but I think people would choose Perriman when they got there. Some people badmouth Virgil, but a magical healer is indespensible. Without one it's a real pain to buy potions, or bandages or search for stems and roots as well as to keep having to leave dungeons for healing. Third is that he doesn't like Geoffrey Tareland-Ashe. They were at Tulla together and when Simeon Tor's .dlg is fixed he has something to say to both or either. He says he was at Tulla for twenty years, but that might just be a change they made; he could have been Geoffrey's classmate in the draft. So I think they upgraded Virgil and changed Perriman Smythe to a higher level and made him appear later, making a voice for him not necessary since his story was already over when you meet him.
Interesting find. As it stands now, I rarely bother with Smythe. Typically I have all the people I want by the time you get him, and I'm strongly in favour of voiced characters.
you have waaaaaaay too much time on your hands, but kind of cool to know. in that "dammit, why do i know this, why?!?!!?" kind of way.