Table of Contents
Exohumans | NPC
EZRAH SCHERKENSTEIN
Race and Faction
- Species: ExoHuman
- Born: 2556, aboard the spaceship Last Frontier
- Affiliation: Founder & Director, Office for Special Operations (OfSO) — private investigative bureau (founded Sept 2626; shuttered by decree 2631, operates discreetly thereafter)
- Place of Residence: New Kourou — upstairs flat above OfSO HQ (2626–2631); Residential Ring apartment (2631–present, “retired”)
Background
A former biologist with the 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 Trando Orchid, a vibrant, rare canopy blossom sacred to the Trando Tribe, which she tends with ceremonial care and never trades.
At her side is “Bubi”, a tamed Croplight Lemur (called “Yali-Muun” by the Orlanda Tribe): a nimble, nectar-loving primate native to the canopy fringes and elevated glowlily groves of the Orlanda Marshes and the Tropical Forest of 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 HQ quietly collaborated with her on murders, cold cases, missing-persons searches, and protective escorts. After the founding of the 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 (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 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.