Bastien Hugo, as Rowan came to know him during Session 2, is the mayor of Gascar and the legal owner of the Yawning Mastiff. Though villagers sometimes conflate his role with Baptiste's, he was careful to correct Rowan: Baptiste manages the day-to-day of the inn, while Hugo shoulders the responsibility of keeping the walls upright and the kegs supplied. His presence is broad, bearded, and weary, with a weight of sleepless nights pressing on his shoulders. Yet he greeted Rowan without suspicion, offering both correction and cider with the same steady hand.
Hugo spoke openly about the village's grief: the disappearances of Pierre Vercher, Anais Bordeaux, and Elodie Laval. He described Pierre's final days, asking sharp questions, leaving boots and bow behind in his locked room. He gave Rowan the key to investigate, showing trust in the Chronicler's role. He also suggested Guillaume Laval might perceive patterns in the village's rhythms, and he named the Azura Wood as a place grown wrong, where birds and timbers betray their seasons.
He corrected Rowan's initial mistake-mistaking him for Baptiste-with humility. He explained their shared burden: Baptiste runs the inn, Hugo owns it. In small villages, lines blur; everyone wears too many coats. This detail not only clarifies the structure of Gascar's authority but also harmonises the threads from both Kanka's record and the source book.
Though visibly tired, Hugo's voice carried a steadying gravity. He was cautious about stirring fear yet grateful for Rowan's presence, noting that Gascar needs ears willing to listen. He pressed Rowan to be patient with villagers' fragments of truth. By the fire, Rogue the mastiff slept as Hugo spoke, the inn's silence a mirror to its people's unease. His role as both landlord and mayor makes him central to Gascar's response to the vanishings, and his willingness to aid Rowan marks him as an ally whose support is weary but steadfast.