Francisco de León
| NPC | Trivia |
| “ | Bolívar will defitively break free from Iberia's control | ” |
| —Fransisco de León's final words on his deathbed, ca. 759[1] |
Francisco de León is a background NPC in Arknights who is explicitly introduced in Terra: A Journey.
Background
The famous explorer Francisco de León was born in 698 in a poor village in northern Iberia. He spend his first decade of life being an anonymous drifter in the wilderness, until he joined a small expedition team that passed through his village in 717, whose goal was to explore the unknown lands starting from eastern Iberia. Not long after joining, De León demonstrated his strength, resourcefulness, planning and ambition, qualities worthy of a great explorer. In the following years, his reputation started to increase, becoming a guest of honor in various countries. From Ursus to Yan, and passing through Sargon, De León explored and visited almost the entirety of the known Terran continent at the time, aiming to archive something far greater. During his travels, he advised the Gaulish emperor to expand the country's borders, and presented treasures from distant, foreign lands to a certain Victorian Duke.[2]
In 735, De León requested sponsorship from the King of Iberia for his most ambitious geographical expedition yet. His objective was to explore the unknown lands of northwestern Terra. By the 8th Terran century, the sole idea of exploring the land was seen as an act of extreme bravery that only a few were willing to take part off, and the King of Iberia and his royal advisors were swayed by De León's strength and promises of glory. After two years of planning, De León gathered enough manpower and resources for the journey, and provided his route plan to the king, where he intended to follow the trade routes of the Terra heartland, theoretically being the most costly, but safer path to take. However, in reality, the route plan was indeed fake. De León actually intended to leave Iberia and seek for uncharted lands to claim for his own, so he instead decides to pass through Sargon in order to reach the northwest in the shortest amount of time possible. Upon arriving to Sargon, De León made political alliance with Padishah Bayad whom he proposed to establish diplomatic relationships and a viable trade route. Impressed by his bravery, Padishah Bayad accepted De León's plans and help him to get through Sargon by lending his army to guide his men.[2]
De León and his crew finally arrived to their destination, and found a large, open plain rich on Originium depots and other resources. They decided to stop there and build their first settlement and monastery, while at the same time sending envoys back to Iberia to discuss colonization terms. A Royal envoy was sent to announce that the newly-founded colony will be named "Viceroyalty of Bolívar", and De León was assigned as its first viceroy. The Viceroyalty's main initial purpose was to be used for agrarian production, mining and colonizing activities. And the revenue was divided to pay the trade routes with Sargon and maintain the colony's economic activities, while the rest was sent to Iberia.[2]
De León passed away in 759, and his position was later succeeded by a new viceroy assigned by the Iberian crown. But with the passing of Padishah Bayad in 767, the constant harassment of Gaul, Leithanien, and Victoria, and finally the fracture of the Sargonian alliance following the succession of the new Padishah who sought to eradicate Padishah Bayad's legacy, Iberian could no longer withhold the colony, forcing the Iberian troops to withdraw south and allowing Bolívar to declare its own independence.[2]
References
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