i've been working on rewriting parts of Strixhaven in order to better fit my setting that I've been building and I think the thing i've struggled the most with is the deans and their polar principles. so many of them feel almost slapstick levels of goofy and things no real person could truly believe while still being functional at their jobs. the obvious inference for students/PCs is that neither extreme is good, and you need to find a balance of the two, but i'd still like for the deans to be somewhat believable.

Witherbloom Dean of Growth Lisette Maldock is of Maldock Trading Company fame. Students often describe her as very kind and easy to talk to, although she is also known for the incredible work she has done. The creation of the Alloid for the MTC has the potential to alter factory-work across the globe; capturing the souls of your most loyal workers after their death and inserting them into specialized metallic shells allows them to take on some of the most dangerous jobs in the factory, while also continuing to earn money to support their families. The Alloid do need to pay rental fees for their hosting bodies, but surely it is worth it to be allowed to live just a little longer.

Witherbloom Dean of Decay Valentin Laguerre hails from Aigua, a nation once dominated by vampiric overlords but now reborn in the blood of revolution. Students whisper about what role he may or may not have played on the days when rivers ran red, but there is little use in denying that freeing the snakes of their heads was a quicker, more effective route to freedom than politeness and idle hope.