Name: Ewan Meldrum

Alias / Known As: The Interim Provost; The Reluctant Judge

Age: 48

Origin: Irvine, Ayrshire

Affiliations: Town council; Crown appointee after the death of Provost Andrew Tran

Summary:

Ewan Meldrum never wanted the gavel—but the sea took Tran, and the town needed a spine. Appointed to restore order, he finds himself presiding over something far more dangerous than civil disputes. The witch trials threaten to consume Irvine, and Meldrum walks a tightrope between duty, conscience, and the growing fire stoked by men like Clym Hopkins. He does not believe in witches. But he believes in order, and in that belief lies his danger. He is a good man. But good men still light pyres if the law tells them to.

Notable Traits:

— Rational, weary, and politically cornered

— Distrusts Clym but fears open defiance

— Torn between upholding justice and enforcing injustice

— Clings to protocol like a lifeline in rising waters

Status: Acting Provost of Irvine; public figurehead of the trial; privately unraveling