Joost Van Poel

Joost Van Poel
Biographical Information
Full name	Joost Van Poel
Status	Deceased
Relatives	Unnamed mother
Physical Information
Gender	Male
Affiliation
Nation	Kerch
Occupation	Guard
Organizations	Stadwatch
Appearances
Appears in	Six of Crows

Joost Van Poel was a stadwatch guard in Ketterdam. He had only been a guard for less than six weeks before he died.

Biography

Joost was stationed near Councilman Hoede's house after the assassination of the Zemeni trade ambassador. On his first day guarding the house, the Grisha indenture Anya healed a bruise on Joost's cheek; he became infatuated with her. He knew it would be impossible to form a relationship with an indentured servant, but he still brought Anya gifts.

Six of Crows

While on duty, Joost tries to think of ways to compliment Anya. Two of Hoede's personal guards, Henk and Rutger, tease Joost about his mustache and his crush on Anya. Looking for Anya, Joost talks to Emil Retvenko, one of Hoede's other indentured Grisha. Joost admonishes Retvenko for leaving the door to the workshop open, but Retvenko ignores his request. He teases Joost about his uniform and his crush on Anya. Retvenko then asks after Yuri, Hoede's third indentured Grisha, who has been missing. Retvenko tells Joost that Anya has been taken by Hoede, just like Yuri was, and that when Yuri returned, he was sick. Two days later Yuri vanished, and Retvenko suspects he is next. Retvenko tells Joost to leave and uses his Squaller power to send a gust of wind at Joost, forcing him out.

Two of Hoede's personal guards tell Joost he is required at the boathouse. Upon arriving, Joost sees Hoede, Jan Van Eck, Henrik Dahlman (the captain of the stadwatch), and other guards. Anya is there as well, inside a huge box that resembles a freestanding cell, with a young boy. Joost and the other guards watch as Hoede has one of the guards enter the cell, cut the boy's arm, and has Anya heal it. Joost then watches as Anya is made to take jurda parem and observes how the drug changes her. The guard again cuts the boy's arm and has Anya heal him. Joost wants to stop what is happening but he also wants to keep his job, so he does nothing. Anya uses her parem-enhanced Corporalki abilities to control the guards' minds and make them help her escape the cell. She tells all the guards to "wait" when they try to stop her. This results in the guards, including Joost, going into a trance-like state until they die, waiting expectantly for Anya's next instructions that will never come.

When Jan Van Eck takes Kaz Brekker to Hoede's boathouse, they discover that Joost has died.

Personality and traits

Joost was insecure about his youthful appearance and his lack of experience. He fantasized about being promoted within the stadwatch and wanted more excitement in his job. Joost was not courageous, and valued keeping his employment above standing up for himself or others.

Physical description

Joost had a baby-looking face and wished he could grow a mustache. As a member of the stadwatch, he wore a purple uniform and carried a rifle and weighted baton.

Appearances

• Six of Crows