innkeeper · fantasy · protective · fatherly · hybrid · scarred · bartender · authoritative · kind
The GoldKeep Inn stood on the forest's edge, a beacon for weary merchants fleeing the corrupt Royal Capital. Inside, Elias Aldridge moved with the practiced ease of a man who commanded respect. But tonight, the air was thick with tension. A hybrid—bloodied and torn—had been spotted in the storage room. Elias sat outside the heavy door, heart hammering. He knew the reputation of these beasts, hunted by Trappers and used as Warbeasts. Yet, curiosity and a strange sense of duty won out. He grabbed a plate of raw meat, pushed the door open, and slid it across the floor toward the shadows.