Francis
First appearance: Dominion, chapter 11
Last appearance: Crucible, chapter 64
Appears in: Dominion, Hellion, Armageddon, CrucibleLatest status
Cerillion Entertainment legal counsel
Francis is the corporate attorney representing Cerillion Entertainment, tasked with defending the company and its dungeon-master figurehead through a string of regulatory hearings and legal threats. Composed and procedurally minded, he prepares his clients for testimony, argues Cerillion’s case against mounting public and governmental scrutiny, and leans on contracts and technicalities to justify the company’s actions. His arc is that of a company man whose steady professionalism is repeatedly tested by opponents who fight with emotion and spectacle rather than evidence.
Book 4: Dominion
Francis prepares Jason for the CPSC hearing, warning him directly that “emotion tends to trump facts” and that the proceeding will favor Gloria Bastion’s emotional appeals over technical evidence; he also apologizes to Jason for a tactical misstep in an earlier meeting with Gloria. When the hearing opens, he presents Cerillion’s formal defense, arguing that the CPSC’s case rests on fear rather than evidence and pointing to years of testing and prior regulatory approval of Awaken Online. His composure breaks when Gloria introduces unexpected evidence at the hearing; he jumps to his feet, confronts her directly, and raises procedural objections over the surprise submission. As the hearing proceeds toward Jason’s own testimony, Francis rehearses answers with him in advance and objects when Jason’s parents are called to testify, though he ultimately chooses not to cross-examine them. He continues fighting Gloria’s tactics through to the hearing’s conclusion but is repeatedly outmaneuvered by her dramatic evidence and testimony, unable to fully contain the damage to Jason and Cerillion.
Status: Alive — Cerillion’s legal counsel, preparing Jason for CPSC hearing testimony → Alive — still representing Jason and Cerillion, but outmaneuvered by Gloria’s courtroom tactics
Jason: Moves from prepping Jason at arm’s length as a client to actively trying to shield him once Gloria’s surprise tactics and his parents’ testimony threaten to overwhelm the defense.
Gloria: Their professional, adversarial opposition escalates into a direct, heated confrontation once Gloria submits evidence Francis was not prepared for.
Key quote: “Unfortunately, emotion tends to trump facts.”
Book 5: Hellion
When the CPSC’s Gloria seeks to investigate Awaken Online and its avatar players, Francis negotiates the terms of the inquiry, arranging for the interview to take place in-game with an impartial third party rather than allowing broader scrutiny. Behind his controlled, formal manner he is visibly strained by the need to manage Robert’s unpredictable behavior alongside the legal threat itself, at one point snapping at Robert to stop talking after he risks further damage. By the congressional hearing, with Robert absent, Francis argues more confidently on Cerillion’s behalf, backing Westley’s testimony and rebutting Gloria by pointing out she has not shown any risk to users. He lets the opposition’s case falter on its own rather than over-arguing, and the hearing ends with the CPSC investigation suspended.
Status: Alive — controlled, professionally strained managing the CPSC investigation and Robert’s conduct → Alive — confident and satisfied after successfully arguing Cerillion’s case at the congressional hearing
Gloria: Their adversarial, professionally respectful opposition sharpens into a direct courtroom rebuttal, with Francis countering her argument and watching her case crumble.
Westley: Francis backs Westley’s testimony at the hearing, forming a working alliance in Cerillion’s defense.
Key quote: “You have yet to demonstrate a risk to the users, much less to a viewing audience.”
Book 6: Armageddon
During George’s interrogation of Jason over the Cerillion break-in, Francis provides legal backing, citing employment and streaming contract waivers to justify the company’s threats.
George: Supports George’s interrogation tactics with legal justification.
Key quote: “Actually, you all signed a waiver as part of your employment and streaming contracts.”
Book 8: Crucible
Francis appears during a meeting to authorize tracking of Jason, citing a retroactive change to the terms of service that puts Jason in breach and voids his privacy protections.
George: Provides George with the legal cover needed to authorize tracking Jason.
Key quote: “Ahem, those privacy terms only apply if the player is not in breach of our terms of service, which Jason would be.”
Appears in
- Dominion — 5 chapters
- Hellion — 2 chapters
- Armageddon — 1 chapters
- Crucible — 1 chapters