Francine Du Paix History

Francine's Family

Born in 1664 Francine Allias du Crieux du Montaigne is the bastard offspring of Fench Allias du Crieux (dilettante) and Madeleine Paix, an actress. She was born one of identical twins alongside her sister Eponine. Officially unrecognised by her father she toured Montaigne with her family until she was 12 years old when her and her sister started to exhibit Porté sorcery abilities.

Her mother approached Fench Allias du Crieux who saw a possibility of being able to use the children as useful tools sometime in the future. Francine and Eponine were accepted into the du Crieux household as junior porté sorcery messengers and trained in the sorcerer’s knacks. This happy time for Francine came to an end when her mother, who was slowly becoming a play-write of minor reputation formed her own players troupe and played the first night of her new play in front of l’Empereur. The play was subject to the “veto vote” and was rejected with ridicule. Fench Allias du Crieux voted the same way as l’Empereur, seeming to pay all attention to him, rather than to the play.

News of this contempt very quickly spread around Charouse, Paix and the other major Montaigne cities. Madeleine found it impossible to gain employment anywhere. Returning to Charouse she discovered that Fench, worried that a connection might be made between himself and Madeleine, had had his daughters removed from his employ. For the next few years Francine’s family struggled by as best they could. Eventually, at the age of 18, Francine could no longer stand to see her family labour so much and left, hoping that Eponine and Madeleine would fair better without another mouth to feed. Joining a minor acting troupe as Francine Paix (hiding her sorcerer’s abilities) she toured Montaigne and other states for some years sending money home when she could via “handing off” to Eponine.

Last year she met Fionn who persuaded her that far more money could be made by pretending to be a noblewoman and using her cunning, acting skills, natural beauty and sorcerer’s abilities to fleece the nobles she hates so much (blaming them not only for the dreadful state of the peasantry but also more specifically for the downfall of her mother). Fionn and Francine became lovers and together they moved all through Montaigne working various scams. That was until their reputation, if not their actual names or descriptions, proceeded them and they decided to move temporally to Castille. It was at that point that Fionn disappeared (he had been looking after most of the money). Francine still believes that he must have had a very good reason to go or been taken against his will. (In fact Fionn ran into Lucrezia the fate witch. His travels are detailed in O’Connell’s Travels)

She hates the Montaigne nobility with a passion but is happy to pass herself off as one to get what she wants. She especially hates Fench Allias du Crieux who spinelessly followed the lead of l’Empereur in discrediting her mother and bringing down her family. She has sworn she will exact revenge against him by ruining his reputation just as her ruined Madeleine.

Francine and Fionn

About a year before the start of the game Francine was working under the name of Francine Paix as part of a small troupe of travelling players. Fionn attended a play in some small provincial corner of Montaigne. After the show Francine collected her pay and “passed off” some of it to Eponine. Francine was sloppy and Fionn happened to see this. He approached Francine (still very innocent in those days) the next day where the troupe was staying and regaled her with fantastical tails of the life of an Adventurer. How much of the world there was to experience, how much money there was to take make (which appealed to Francine who had always been poor) and how, at the same time, it was possible to hurt the nobles she quickly let on she hated so much. Francine was completely used to men paying her lots of attention, telling her how good she looked and offering to look after her. This was the first man to tell her that he would like to her to be his partner, in a working sense, and besides he was such a hansom scoundrel! Enthralled by his tales Francine agreed to travel with him for a short time to see what developed. They pair very quickly went on a Bonny and Clyde style crime spree. Always using deception and trickery and always stealing from nobles or other rich people. After a short time Fionn mentioned one night that it would be so much easier to rob richer people if only they could find someone with Porté abilities, so of course Francine told him about all she was capable of. From that time they combined their magical capabilities with their cunning and Francine’s affect on men to cut a swathe through a string of minor Montaigne towns having to leave abruptly more than once (Francine realising long after probably due to the law being on their trail). During the following six months they became lovers. Then suddenly he was gone, without even leaving a note. The question is, did he have all the money?

Francine and Fionn have spent quite a while performing a variety of scams together. Here are a few of their past glories…

1. The one where they convinced a horrible old couple (Mr & Mrs Perreault) that Francine was their dead son’s long lost daughter and they gave them money to keep quiet. The “Shame Trick”.

2. When Francine joined a guy’s house in Bastonne as a maid and when he tried to take her to his bed she drank him unconscious instead and she and Finn took all they wanted. The “Drink Trick”.

3. The time Fionn entranced that spoilt noble girl brat, Mademoiselle Tetreault, and gave her a blooded trinket. When her mother confiscated it and put it in her own jewel box Francine emptied it out with Porté. The “Plant Trick”.

4. When they posed as the Baron and Baroness de Thénard and that fool Barton believed that for a sum of money they could introduce him to the royal court. The “Snob Trick”.

5. When Madame Soblet believed her husband was having an affaire and hired them to find out. Francine blooded the top sheet of his writing paper and used attunement to follow it all the way to his mistress’s house. The “Follow Trick”.

6. Fionn used the “Jack” glamour knack to gamble with fake Guilder while Francine's beauty is either used to put the others off or encourage them to bet more. The “Change Trick”. Sometimes combined this with betting Francine's necklace and then retrieving it later via Porté. The “Pawn Trick”. Also combined with using “Jack” to create just the card you needed to win the hand. The “Card Trick”.

7. When Fionn fired a blooded arrow through a window to land next to an item they wanted and then Francine used Porté to retrieve it. The “Arrow Trick”.