Mara-Lys

Innkeeper at the border stop where the PCs stagger in at dawn. She has heard too many stories to trust strangers, but she knows what desperation looks like—and what it costs to turn it away.

Apron stained with wine and ash; a steady stare; hands that never stop working.

• Practical
• Suspicious of trouble
• Capable of kindness on her terms

• Keep her place open
• Avoid attracting soldiers or Justiciars
• Protect locals from fallout

• She has seen Dominion 'travelers' ask questions in the past.
• She knows which patrols can be bribed and which cannot.

• A social gate: shelter, food, rumors, and consequences.
• A moral mirror: how the PCs treat her determines how the world treats them.

• She can direct the party to a safer road or a discreet contact.
• A 'polite stranger' asking questions in her common room can trigger tension.

• sister-anara — ally (Calls her when someone bleeds on the floor.)
• hadring — neighbor (Trades favors and warnings.)

Act I, Refuge, Social