Threshold: The Scholar (Patreon)

In a surprise upset, the Stonespeaker went from being a cranky old man to a curious old woman. So our Stonespeaker is a Zil grandmother who was assigned to Threshold due to the intrigues of her rival, who stole her first novel and who, on consideration, is her ex-husband. While she'll surely find a path to vengeance, she's a curious gnome. She's especially interested in identifying and resolving whatever's interfering with the sending stone, but she's also just generally curious, and always wants to know what's troubling other people and if she can find a way to help. Beyond this, she's working on her new novel, which has, to her surprise, become sentient. I'm going to establish a base set of spells and cantrips for the Stonespeaker, but I will allow anyone who plays her choose spells and cantrips to fill the empty slots -- but they will have to describe the current chapter of the novel and explain how the spells granted are related to the chapter or its themes. As a side note, the Stonespeaker is around 300 years old, and is thus older than the Last War... and many of the local kobolds call her Sora Stone. 

Meanwhile, let's talk about the Scholar. Here's what we know. 

The Scholar is a Mror dwarf sage with a particular interest in the Xoriat incursion that destroyed the Empire of Dhakaan. They're keen to seek out ruins and artifacts that could shed new light on this ancient conflict. While they're devoted to their work, they've also volunteered to run a schoolhouse for the local children. Depending on the follow-up poll, they may or may not be Ruinbound...

To this, I will add a few more details. The Scholar is around 60. This is young for a dwarf, but not TOO young; think early thirties for a human. Their wealthy aunt has a stake in the town and helped him establish the schoolhouse ("It's about time you had a real job."). The Scholar has a great interest in the Xoriat Incursion—the period of history in which the daelkyr arrived in Eberron and clashed with the local cultures, destroying dwarven and goblin civilization. There's many dwarf scholars studying Sol Udar in the Mror Holds; the Scholar is following a more obscure lead that has brought him to Threshold. 

So the questions begin with their subrace. If they're a Mountain Dwarf, they served with the militia and fought in Sol Udar, hence their armor training; it was this experience in the Realm Below that sparked their interest in the Incursion. If they're a Ruinbound Dwarf (from Exploring Eberron) they have been touched by the power of Sol Udar and have a symbiont bound to them, and this is the source of that interest. 

The next question is class, which determines the focus of their studies. If they are an alchemist artificer they are very interested in the practical workings of symbionts—the living tools of the daelkyr—and I may add a few infusion options tied to this. If they're a Genie Warlock they have found an artifact tied to the daelkyr Orlassk; this functions like a Dao Genie warlock, but it's not a dao that they're tied to, and it's this artifact that has led them to Threshold. 

The choice of clan is a general reflection of their personality. The Narathun are known for their deep interest in arcane knowledge, but they are calm and systematic in their work. Soldorak prefers to challenge traditions and make a lot of noise. Is our scholar boisterous or calm?

The final questions get to the quirks. Does the Scholar enjoy teaching, or is it an onerous obligation imposed by their aunt? What is their unusual fact? I'm adding an "All of the Above" option to these facts because I think it's a logical possibility for these options, but don't get used to it...