First and foremost: You should make characters that would, for example, rescue a drowning man just because it's the right thing to do. Their heroic tendencies don’t have to be fully developed at the start, but they must at least exist and be learned or acquired during the journey (e.g., selflessness, determination, hope, humility, a sense of responsibility, compassion, a sense of justice).
Below are some notes on what might make your character more fun to play in this specific module. Don't feel like you need to incorporate all of this into your character! However, if you want a motivation beyond "obvious plot hook" I recommend incorporating something along one of these lines:
Connection with the divine: Like many Critical Role adventures, this one involves the influence of otherworldly beings. This can take many forms such as a warlock's patron or cleric's god, or it could be something smaller like one of the Fateful Moments or Mysterious Secrets from the Heroic Chronicle(linked below).
A curious or scholarly nature: Historians researching The Calamity, archeologists in search of ancient relics, and monks of the Cobalt Soul all fit very nicely. Simply, anyone who seeks knowledge or enjoys solving a mystery.
A desire for destiny: Your character hasn't figured out their destiny yet, but they know they're meant for more than an ordinary life in their hometown.
The need to prove themselves: Perhaps your character was sent from their home/university/guild on a quest to go out into the world and do something great.
This adventure begins in a town called Jigow and assumes the characters are familiar with each other. Are they using Jigow as a rest stop on their way elsewhere, are they residents of Jigow, or some combination of the two?
Your backstory does not need to be long and complex. In fact, it's sometimes more effective to create one with a few simple ideas you can focus on when making decisions for your character.
If you are unfamiliar with Exandria and the lands of Xhorhas, you might find it daunting to create a back story set in this world. Have no fear! The Explorer's Guide to Wildemount has a section to help. You are more than welcome to use this for inspiration. I do not recommend blindly rolling on the tables. Just look through for information that sounds good! It is called the Heroic Chronicle.
Your characters already know some information about the world, as listed in the adventure section. Working together we will determine what other bits of information your characters might know about Xhorhas, Wynandir, Wildemount and the world beyond. There are other continents on Exandria and the adventure does not stay in Xhorhas, so don't feel that you have to contain your character to the peoples typical of Eastern Wynandir.
TBD
This website is a work in progress. I will add them here later, but for more options see Tal'dorei Campaign Setting Reborn.