NPC Focus - Éloise Bélanger

Éloise Bélanger owns and operates a well-loved inn called Le Chat Endormi - The Sleeping Cat. Most assume the name refers to some lazy housecat dozing in a windowsill, but the truth runs deeper. Éloise is a werepanther, afflicted with lycanthropy as a child, and the name is her quiet, knowing joke. What once ruled her life now lingers just beneath the surface, acknowledged but controlled. Unlike other werepanthers, when in cat form she is truly neutral rather than evil - this is due to the good nature she possesses when in human form.

In her early years, the curse was a constant struggle. That changed when the wizard Kelwyn gifted her a black lace choker, a subtle piece with profound power. While she wears it, she cannot transform, regardless of the moon’s phase. Remove it, however, and she may assume either her hybrid or full panther form at will. Éloise does not hide what she is, but she is careful to reassure others that she poses no danger.

Her inn reflects her nature - orderly, warm, and quietly inviting. Every room is kept clean and well-prepared, with soft beds large enough for two. Guests are offered breakfast each morning until ten. Standard rooms are available for 3 gp per bed per evening, while four larger rooms provide exceptional accommodations for 10 gp, including both breakfast and lunch. Those with little coin are not turned away - for 2 sp, they may sleep in the common room with a comfortable bedroll and a morning meal. The air within always carries a blend of beer, fresh bread, and the sandalwood incense she favors.

Éloise remains intentionally single, though not without longing. She hopes one day to have a family, but the risk of passing on her condition weighs heavily on her. It is not a burden she is willing to place on a child.

She has sought a cure more than once. Remove Curse has been cast upon her repeatedly, yet the lycanthropy endures for reasons no one has been able to explain. Still, she does not dwell in bitterness. Éloise meets each day as it comes - with a steady smile, a warm hearth, and the quiet determination to live well despite what follows her.

Éloise on the rare occasion she changes form.