Sharlayan-scholar
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Sharlayan Scholar¶
Old Sharlayan is a city-state located far to the northwest across the Bloodbrine Sea, and it prizes knowledge, learning, history, magic, and science above all.
After many years of study, you are one of the nation's many alumni, ready to venture across the seas and apply your knowledge for the betterment of all! Or, perhaps, to serve your own agenda.
- Skill Proficiency: Perception, plus one more from your choice below
- Language: One of your choice.
- Tool Proficiencies: One set of artisans' tools or one musical instrument of your choice.
- Equipment: A set of work clothes or fine clothes, a thick book containing your years of accumulated knowledge, an ink and quill set, and a purse containing 5 gp.
Academic Major¶
| d4 | Study Major | Proficiency |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aetherology | Arcana |
| 2 | Anthropology | Knowledge (Place) |
| 3 | Mythology | Lore |
| 4 | Theology | Religion |
Feature: Library Access¶
Sharlayan may be quite a trip away, but you still have friends and colleagues in Sharlayan who are happy to help you. You can send letters or even call your buddies over your linkpearl to ask questions whose answers can be found in the Noumenon: Sharlayan's great library. However, the restricted section remains beyond your grasp, as it contains repositories of lore that are too valuable, magical, or secret to permit just anyone immediate access.
You have a working knowledge of Sharlayan's personnel and bureaucracy, and you know how to navigate those connections with some ease.
Additionally, you are likely to gain preferential treatment at other libraries across Hydaelyn, as professional courtesy shown to a fellow scholar.
Suggested Characteristics¶
Sharlayan scholars are a special breed of scholar, so devoted to knowledge and its preservation that they eschew all political ties. They are defined by their extensive studies, and their characteristics reflect this. Devoted to scholarly pursuits, scholars value knowledge highly — sometimes in its own right, sometimes as a means toward other ideals.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | If something I know about comes up I just can't help launching into a treatise of facts about the thing. |
| 2 | There's something to be learned from everyone and I am going to try to learn it. |
| 3 | I'm hesitant to discuss my research as I've had it stolen before. |
| 4 | I have a lot of questions and trouble filtering how many come out at once. |
| 5 | My clothes are often wrinkled from sleeping in them after all night research, or covered in animal hair from my familiar (or someone else's). |
| 6 | No one else can find anything in my bags but I know where everything is. If you tried to clean them I would be lost. |
| 7 | I have a metaphor or anecdote touching back on my field of research for every situation. |
| 8 | I remain neutral at all times — even in as simple a situation as what to make for dinner. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Accumulation. I will add to the world's knowledge and push us further than we have ever been. (Any) |
| 2 | Innovation. The point of knowing more is to make life easier on other people. (Good) |
| 3 | Truth. One should be able to be flexible when new information comes out. Tradition does not truth make. (Good) |
| 4 | Learning. I should not be the smartest person in the room. It's impossible to improve this way. (Any) |
| 5 | No Limits. Nothing should fetter the infinite possibility inherent in all existence. (Chaotic) |
| 6 | Teaching. Some people just want to watch the world learn. Information should be available to everyone freely. (Good) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | Someone I thought I was close to stole my research and ran with it. I plan to track them down and get it back. |
| 2 | I have a portion of a manuscript tattooed on my inner arm. I've been able to translate precious little of it. |
| 3 | I'm trying to recruit new students for Sharlayan's university. |
| 4 | My life's work is a series of tomes related to a specific field of lore. |
| 5 | I've been searching my whole life for the answer to a certain question. |
| 6 | Something I cared about was taken by a man robed in black who vanished right in front of me, and I seek a way to traverse the planes to get it back. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | If I can't pick between books to take with me the answer is always both, and in the moment I tend to forget how heavy books can be. |
| 2 | I downright refuse to give an opinion on anything, no matter what. |
| 3 | I correct people's grammar and syntax and believe this is a virtue. |
| 4 | I have trouble sticking to one area of study and am easily distracted to another one. |
| 5 | I overlook obvious solutions in favor of complicated ones. |
| 6 | I am easily distracted by the promise of information. |
Variant: Archon¶
Archon is a title given by Sharlayan to a person who has excelled in a specific field of study, gone above and beyond by contributing greatly to that field and have demonstrated their exceptional knowledge in their chosen subject. It is not enough to simply be wise or study if one wishes to become an Archon, and therefore the title is very rarely given, with as few as twelve Archons currently known.
Those who achieve the title of Archon are certified and are marked with an arcane tattoo, making them distinguishable from others at a mere glance.
Variant Feature: Sage's Mark¶
You bear the Mark of the Sages, an ornate tattoo signifying that Sharlayan scholarchs recognize your academic pursuits as particularly noteworthy. Any who identify the mark, friendly or unfriendly, will know you as an accomplished scholar and generally regard your words as truth or expert advice.