Jan Van Eck

Jan Van Eck
@bucumber
Biographical Information
Full name	Jan Van Eck
Age	40s
Status	Alive
Relatives	Wylan Van Eck (son) Marya Hendriks (ex-wife) Alys Van Eck (wife) Unnamed son
Physical Information
Gender	Male
Hair Color	Blond
Eye Color	Blue
Affiliation
Nation	Kerch
Occupation	Mercher

Jan Van Eck is a rich merchant from Ketterdam and the father of Wylan Van Eck.

Appearance and Personality

Van Eck is described as having the prosperous look of a merchant, with a gaunt but handsome face and a receding hairline. He is built leaner than his son Wylan, but there is a family resemblance. He has bright, clear blue eyes that are devoid of any kindness. He wears the perfectly cut frock coat and vest of all Kerch merchants - dark, refined, deliberately staid. His pocket watch's gold fob is made up of heavy links of laurel leaves and his tie pin is a massive, perfect ruby.

Van Eck appears to be a man of faith as he tells Kaz not to blaspheme. He is prosperous, pious, and a widower recently remarried to a bride not much older than Kaz.

History

Van Eck is first seen with Councilman Hoede testing jurda parem on their Grisha indentures: Yuri, a Fabrikator and Anya, a Healer. They confirm the drug's power, but the test also gives Anya the power to control the minds of all the guards and Hoede before escaping.

Kaz later meets Van Eck after he is brought to Councilman Hoede's house by Mikka, a Tidemaker indenture of Van Eck's. Kaz was able to recognize him because of the symbols on his watch and tie pin. Van Eck explains what jurda parem is, and tells the young thief that its creator, Bo Yul-Bayur, has been captured by the Fjerdans and taken to the Ice Court. The mercher fears that word of Parem will spread around the world, so he hires Kaz to rescue the chemist for 30 million kruge.

After Kaz returns to Kerch with Bo Yul-Bayur's son, Van Eck reveals that he meant to kill Kaz and his crew after they delivered him Bo Yul-Bayur. He wanted to use parem to wreak economic havoc on the Kerch market while reaping profits for himself in the process. He is not aware of the fact that his son was a part of Kaz's crew until Kaz uses him as a bargaining chip, though to ill effect; Van Eck had already disowned his son and felt no concern for his welfare.

Trivia

• Jan Van Eck is an allusion to the Flemish painter Jan van Eyck.
• Van Eck's crest is the red laurel.