Support Laravel 12

[LukeTowers]

Replaces #173, continuing the work done by @mjauvin @bennothommo & @wverhoogt

Summary by CodeRabbit

• New Features

  • Native MariaDB support and broader cross-database schema change handling.
  • Configurable auth password attribute and fluent authentication method chaining.
  • publicPath() now accepts an optional subpath.

• Bug Fixes

  • Simplified maintenance handling to consistent 503 responses.
  • Improved robustness for SSL host verification and section parsing.

• Refactor

  • Database layer modernized and pagination accepts an optional total.

• Chores

  • CI/workflow, PHP requirement, dependency, and test tooling updates.