=== Exohumans | NPC ===

====== EZRAH SCHERKENSTEIN ======

{{ :ezrah_scherkenstein.jpeg?200|}}
===== Race and Faction =====

  * **Species:** [[the_humans|ExoHuman]]
  * **Born:** 2556, aboard the spaceship [[last_frontier|Last Frontier]]
  * **Affiliation:** Founder & Director, [[headquarters_of_the_office_for_special_operations|Office for Special Operations (OfSO)]] — private investigative bureau (founded Sept 2626; shuttered by decree 2631, operates discreetly thereafter)
  * **Place of Residence:** [[new_kourou|New Kourou]] — upstairs flat above OfSO HQ (2626–2631); Residential Ring apartment (2631–present, “retired”)

===== Background =====

A former biologist with the [[last_frontier_university|Last Frontier University]], Ezrah Scherkenstein redirected her gift for pattern-finding from ecosystems to human behavior. In September 2626 she founded the Office for Special Operations (OfSO) in New Kourou as a quiet, client-funded problem-solving bureau: taking private commissions, vetting evidence, coordinating stakeouts, and matching cases to trusted subcontractors.

Her headquarters — and the small apartment above it — overflow with plants. Ezrah breeds and catalogs VOI 700 D flora for solace and study; her most cherished specimen is the [[asari|Trando Orchid,]] a vibrant, rare canopy blossom sacred to the [[the_trando|Trando Tribe]], which she tends with ceremonial care and never trades.

At her side is "Bubi", a tamed [[croplight_lemur|Croplight Lemur]] (called “Yali-Muun” by the [[the_orlanda|Orlanda Tribe]]): a nimble, nectar-loving primate native to the canopy fringes and elevated glowlily groves of the [[orlanda_marshes|Orlanda Marshes]] and the [[tropical_forest|Tropical Forest]] of [[asari|Asari]]. Bubi perches among Ezrah’s planters, alerts her to visitors with soft chitters, and will ferry light notes between rooms on cue.

Official ties were avoided, but a handful of intrinsically motivated investigators within the [[guarding_troopers_headquarters|Guarding Troopers HQ]] quietly collaborated with her on murders, cold cases, missing-persons searches, and protective escorts. After the founding of the [[federal_confederation|Federal Confederation]] in 2631, OfSO was ordered closed. Publicly, Ezrah retired. Privately, she still brokers cases, hands out sealed envelopes to freelancers, and keeps her ledgers locked behind a tea-kitchen panel. She calls herself a “prepared pacifist” — averse to violence but ready to survive it.

===== Roles by Age =====

==== Beta Age ====
  * **Case Broker & Director (2626–2631):** Took commissions; screened clients; assigned fieldwork to subcontractors; maintained quiet liaisons with select Guarding Troopers.
  * **Amateur Botanist:** Documented alien flora; maintained a living reference library inside HQ.

==== Gamma Age ====
  * **Retired (Officially):** OfSO closed by order; front door dark.
  * **Shadow Coordinator (Unofficially):** Continues to route tips, fund witnesses, and nudge investigations through proxies; keeps her plant rooms thriving as a cover for frequent “visitors.”

===== Personality =====

  * **Traits:** Perceptive, methodical, discreet, gently sardonic
  * **Behavior:** Listens more than she speaks; asks precise questions; rewards reliability; keeps tea brewing at all hours
  * **Values:** Truth earned through evidence; respect for living systems; proportional, **non-lethal** self-defense

===== Physical Attributes =====

  * **Height:** 1.65 m
  * **Build:** Slender shoulders; slight frame
  * **Appearance:** Grey hair in a tidy twist; clear-lens glasses; practical layered clothing with hidden inner pockets

===== Combat Statistics =====

  * **Armor Class (AC):** 12 (sturdy coat, cautious stance)
  * **Hit Points (HP):** 22
  * **Speed:** 9 m
  * **Proficiencies:** Investigation, Insight, Perception, Medicine, Nature, Persuasion, Thieves’ Tools (safes & latches)

==== Actions ====

  * **[[guarding_troopers_stun_gun|Guarding Troopers Stun Gun]] (Ranged, non-lethal):** 9 m range; attack +4; on hit target makes DC 13 Con save or is stunned until end of its next turn (1 charge). Carries 3 charges; recharges at HQ only.  
  * **Pepper-Mist Satchel (Utility):** Once/encounter, 3 m cone of irritant mist; DC 12 Con save or disadvantage on attacks for 1 round; Ezrah is immune.  
  * **Call the Net (Bonus/Encounter):** If an allied “subcontractor” is within 18 m, Ezrah grants them advantage on one Investigation or Sleight of Hand check this round (pre-planned protocols).

===== Special Abilities =====

  * **Prepared Pacifist:** The first time Ezrah is targeted each encounter, she may impose disadvantage on that attack (duck-behind-planter reflex).  
  * **Case Architect:** While Ezrah is present, allied PCs gain +1 to Investigation and +1 to Insight checks in social or crime-scene contexts.  
  * **Orchid Lore:** Tests related to [[the_planet_voi_700_d|VOI 700 D]] flora gain advantage; when dealing respectfully with Trando guides about canopy plants, PCs gain +1 to Persuasion if Ezrah vouches for them.  
  * **Companion — Bubi, Croplight Lemur (“Yali-Muun”):** Keen low-light senses; soft alarm chitter (alerts on approaching footsteps or unfamiliar scents). Once per scene, if Bubi is present, one ally may reroll a failed Perception check to notice a small, moving detail (swinging thread, glint, insect trail). Can carry/return tiny items (keys, notes).

===== Motivations and Goals =====

==== Beta Age Motivation ====
Provide discreet, ethical investigations for citizens ignored by louder powers; map the planet’s living systems without exploiting them.

==== Gamma Age Motivation ====
Protect clients and witnesses from institutional blind spots; keep a quiet corridor open between truth and justice — and keep the Trando Orchid alive where politics cannot reach.

===== Tactical Advice for Dungeon Masters =====

Use Ezrah as:
  * **Patron & Quest-Giver:** The sealed-envelope mission; tea, whiteboard, and a simple retainer.  
  * **Information Hub:** Swap leads for plant cuttings, lab notes, or favors with Guarding Troopers.  
  * **Moral Compass Under Pressure:** She insists on non-lethal solutions and evidence chains; reward players who respect her code.
  * **Flavor & Utility via Bubi:** Silent alarms, note-passing, and vantage-point scouting in rafters/planters — but fragile; protect the lemur to keep Ezrah cooperative.

===== Related Pages and Further Information =====

  * [[office_for_special_operations|Office for Special Operations]]
  * [[headquarters_of_the_office_for_special_operations|OfSO Headquarters (New Kourou)]]
  * [[the_tinkerer|Martin "The Tinkerer" Gaugnon]]
  * [[new_kourou|New Kourou]] · [[guarding_troopers_headquarters|Guarding Troopers HQ]]
  * [[last_frontier_university|Last Frontier University]]
  * [[the_trando|Trando Tribe]] · [[asari|Trando Orchid]]
  * [[croplight_lemur|Croplight Lemur]] (a.k.a. “Yali-Muun” of the [[the_orlanda|Orlanda Tribe]])
  * [[beta_age|Beta Age]] · [[the_gamma_age|Gamma Age]]
  * [[federal_confederation|Federal Confederation]]