Francóis
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This page contains depictions of genitals and / or sex. |
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Warning! Spoilers ahead!
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Francóis is a major story character and boss encountered in Fear & Hunger. He is a member of the Fellowship that sought out to become one of the New Gods.
Lore
In 809, as the world's kingdoms decayed and ideals faltered without the Old Gods' guidance, a Fellowship arose. Francóis was a member of this group alongside Nilvan, Ronn Chambara, Valteil, and Nosramus. Together, they journeyed to Ma'habre in search of the Old Gods. All the Fellowship except Nosramus ascended to become New Gods, with Francois ultimately becoming the Dominating One. A selfish deity despised by his fellow New Gods that came before him and now sit idly at the Grand hall, Francóis hoped to unify the warring lands and used this goal as fuel to pursue more strength.
After his ascension, Francóis established his residence at the Golden Temple, which served as his stronghold. From this strategic location, he guarded the throne of ascension from any outsiders who dared to enter Ma'habre without his permission. He ruled this land with an iron fist and went to great lengths to ensure that he remained in power. To this end, he even trained hunting hounds as mindless beasts, who would taste only the blood of his victims and relentlessly harass trespassers who dared to challenge his rule. His efforts were so effective that no New Gods ascended during his reign, which spanned almost 800 years and was roughly twice as long as other known cycles of New Gods.
At an unknown point in history, Francóis began experiencing visions of what he refers to as the "true Ma'habre." These visions seem to lead him to believe that prolonged occupancy of the throne will lead to his "true ascension". Additionally, he appears to possess the ability to turn his body into pure gold. Although the reasons behind these phenomena are left unexplained, it is likely linked to his current presence on a throne crafted from gold, despite not owning this gold himself, and residing in a temple made of gold that is not originally his.
By the end of the 16th century, after experiencing numerous life cycles, Francóis finally gains a deeper understanding of the greater scheme that governs existence. He becomes aware that true domination is an illusion, perceiving himself and all others as mere puppets in a grand design. Driven by this newfound awareness, Francóis feels compelled to advise adventurers who encounter him at the golden temple to travel back in time and eliminate his younger self.
The events depicted in Fear & Hunger 2: Termina reveal that Francóis, despite his formidable power and dominance over Ma'habre, was in fact defeated. This defeat marked the end of his reign as he can be seen in the Hall of the Gods alongside other inactive entities, indicating that he is no longer a force to be reckoned with.
Location
Francóis can be found in the present iteration of Ma'habre, the Ancient city. To encounter him, players must possess Endless soul, Tormented soul, and Enlightened soul in their inventory to confront Nameless at the entrance of the Golden Temple located in Ancient city - central square. Within the temple, an aged and embittered incarnation of Francóis resides, breeding his prized Jaggedjaws. Upon interaction, he tasks the player with eliminating his younger self in the past rendition of Ma'habre. To do so, he bestows upon the player the King's passage key, granting access to the door of the Golden Temple in past Ma'habre. Should the player attempt to access the left path within the present Golden Temple, which leads to one of the hearts of the God of the Depths, present-Francóis will unlatch the cages of three Jaggedjaws, setting them in pursuit of the player. He will vanish afterward.
His key will open the gates of the past Golden Temple, where a younger iteration of Francóis guards the Throne of Ascension, ready to engage the player in combat. Defeating him in battle will reward the player with his Domination soul, which unlocks the Domination skill tree in the Hexen Table. Killing Francóis is also needed to access The Void, a late-game location where several endings unfold.
Battle
| Body Part | HP | Blunt | Slashing | Piercing | Fire | Otherwordly | Ev. Rate | Magic Ev. | Resistances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head | 1000 | 100% | 100% | 115% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 60% | Confusion |
| Torso | 2000 (4000) | 5% | None | Blindness, Confusion | |||||
| Left arm | 800 | 5% | None | ||||||
| Right arm | 800 | 5% | None | ||||||
| Left leg | 250 | 5% | None | ||||||
| Right leg | 250 | 5% | None | ||||||
| Head (Golden) | 4500 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 115% | 100% | 60% | |
| Torso (Golden) | 4500 (9000) | 5% | None | ||||||
| Left arm (Golden) | 600 | 5% | None | ||||||
| Right arm (Golden) | 600 | 5% | None | ||||||
| Left leg (Golden) | 250 | 5% | None | ||||||
| Right leg (Golden) | 250 | 5% | None |
- Note: HP in parenthesis is only used for Damage-over-Time calculations.
Strategy
When fighting Francóis, it is recommended to destroy the arms straight away and then focus the torso. Applying status effects onto the torso will make the fight much shorter.
When you talk to the present version of Francóis, he will give the following advice: "I used to be quite the cocky one. Use that to your advantage". This is a hint at the fact that Francóis can be rendered completely harmless for three turns by talking. If the player chooses the following dialogue options, Francóis will be left bepuzzled and will skip his attacks in order to further inquire who is stronger than him:
- "Prepare to die like a worm!"
- "Of course you are close to gods. You're standing next to one."
- "You're nothing but a puppet in the greater scheme of things."
- "How little you really know..."
This process can be repeated an infinitum with the same results, making Francóis one of the most easily cheesable boss fights in the game.
Trivia
- The older version of Francóis has spent his time breeding a special type of dogs called Jaggedjaws, which were based on Irish wolfhounds.
- A previous version of the academic book The Fellowship ch.1 (Original) gave Francóis the title "The eyes for the blind". There is no information to confirm whether he held this title during his human life or after his ascension as a New God, and the title itself is no longer canonical as the text was eventually altered in-game.
- In Fear & Hunger 2: Termina, one of the paint buckets found in Tunnel 1 is labeled "Francóis gold".