Francisco Hareleg

Francisco Hareleg is both the civil governor and commander of the Hombres Valientes for the city of Alsem, in the domain Conquista. Although he is a member of the Casian tribe, he is notable for treating all people equally, regardless of their tribe or nationality.

Background

Commander Hareleg was appointed to his position by President Erik Hughmann after the fire-bombing of the Alsem office of la presse libre due to that paper's reports on the Butterfly Murders of 753 BC.

Unlike preceding governors, the Commander's main focus was on dealing with corruption, rather than feathering his own nest. He took witness statements and actually acted on them, conducted investigations on every level of government and los Hombres Valientes, and proved impossible to bribe. A wave of arrests and firings followed, after which Commander Hareleg actually filled the open positions with competent people of good character, regardless their tribe or nationality.

The Commander is not solely responsible for the improvements to Alsem; but he certainly hired the men and women who did the work, creating councils in the spirit of the original Viejos Sagrados, and establishing law and order with equal treatment for all.

Current Sketch

It is no exaggeration to say that Commander Hareleg is the most beloved man in Alsem. His governance is strict, but unfailingly fair, and has done much to undo Conquista's rampant racism, classicism, sexism and religious intolerance - within Alsem's territory, anyway. People who endorsed those evils have either left the city or learned to keep their mouths shut.

Even the city's criminals appreciate the Commander and his rule; the city is much wealthier now due to being a safe and reliable trade hub (meaning there is more to steal), and any criminal who is arrested can count on fair treatment and fair trial. Violent crime is at an all-time low, especially resistance to arrest.

Some of the more benign witch covens of the region have even allied with the city because Hareleg refuses to allow the church of Taiia and its followers to kill people based on tradition. Any who do will be investigated and tried for murder.

Lair

Commander Hareleg does not reside in the Alsem governor's palace, as is his right, but rather lives with his wife of many years, their infant daughter and a small servant staff at 'Hareleg Manor'. This is a more modern, but very solid two-story villa, paid for with the Commander's wages, rather than the taxpayer's money. Both the manor and its gardens are rumoured to be riddled with traps and hexes placed by friendly witches, and the area is regularly patrolled by los Hombres Valientes. (The Commander may be universally beloved within Alsem, but he has many enemies among the region's malignant Witch covens, as well as elsewhere.)

Secret

The Commander's marriage was arranged by his and his wife's parents for financial gain. This much is normal in Conquista, but they were not in love - and Francisco could never bring himself to play a husband's role with Giuliana. The two of them settled into a relationship that was more like two good friends sharing a home.

Love did come for both of them later in life, with Giuliana having a discrete relationship with her secretary - which became a little less discrete when she became pregnant. The pregnancy took its toll on her body, but the child was born safely and Francisco adopted little Valia as his daughter without any fuss.

Nor did Giuliana make a fuss when Francisco fell in love with the gardener at their old home in Hughsrest - an Ulan woman named Pitié. Officially, Francisco took Pitié on as a concubine - a minor scandal, but by and large acceptable to secular society - but in truth they were husband and wife, united before the altar of the Loa and in their hearts. Giuliana did not object to this, either; she was happy for them both. The ones who ultimately objected were members of a sect of the Taiian faith, who were infamous for murdering people of mixed blood. Pitié was slaughtered in the street before she could even give birth, and Francisco's furious attempts at investigation were stonewalled by his superiors, who wished to keep relationships with the Church going smoothly, and did not ascribe any value to an Ulan life.

Francisco had sunk into depression when his childhood friend Erik Hughmann appointed him governor of Alsem, promoting him to the rank of Commander and giving him a chance to make actual change - and prevent disgusting crimes like the one that robbed him of his true love. He has seized the opportunity with both hands and refuses to let go.