Low Estate/Characters/Antheunis

Antheunis Opgieten: Background

Antheunis Opgieten was left on the steps of Sister Marianne's Home For Children Of Unknown Or Ill-Fated Parentage some fifteen years ago as a baby: naked, crying, and lying in a puddle of water. His affinity for swimming and the river in general has led some to speculate that his mother was a naiad.

While you're 15, you're supposed to find a place to go--someone to apprentice to; a school to attend; something. Antheunis's 16th birthday is two months away and he hasn't found anything yet, and he's getting a little bit desperate. Especially since Celye found a job with the blacksmith's wife--and the blacksmith's son Engelbert has tormented him on the streets for years.

Skills

• Great (3): Athletics, Nature
• Good (2): Stealth, Fingersmithery
• Fair (1): Reflexes, Weapons (Wrestling)*
• Average (0): Resolve, Sailing
• Untrained (-1): Academics, Brawn, Community (all), Riding, Science, Weapons (other)

Wrestling: When Antheunis wrestles and wins, it's generally because he's slithered out of his opponent's grip and ended up on top. When he loses, it's generally because he's been overpowered, and was unable to slip away.

Aspects

Primary aspects:

• Naiad blood: Antheunis doesn't know if he's actually the offspring of a naiad (or, frankly, whether naiads really exist) but there's no doubting he has a preternatural affinity for the water. The other kids learned to not bet against him in holding-your-breath contests years ago. It's even possible his luck with the weather has something to do with something he can do, though he doesn't quite believe it.
• Savvy Street Rat: Antheunis knows the city like the back of his hand--hiding places, sewer entrances, how to get to the back alleys behind the nicest restaurants, all the regular police beat schedules, where to get the best deals on anything you want to buy, even how to get into the steeple of the cathedral with the most spectacular view of the sunset.

Secondary aspects:

• Slippery: Antheunis is able to get out of most situations he finds himself enmeshed in, both physical and social. The downside is that he always looks like he's about to dart from the room, and people tend not to trust him.
• Sanctuary: Antheunis has taken over the roof of the orphanage, and has his various treasures up there, along with homes for the animals he's rescued over the years. He also knows safe places to hide all over the city, particularly the ones near the bridges.
• Animal friend: Antheunis doesn't really get along with large groups of people all that well, but animals like him. The roof of the Orphanage is almost always a home to three or more recovering animals, and is frequently haunted by previous rescues. The place seems to be some sort of 'neutral zone', and (for example) the cats never seem to chase the pigeons up there. Though they do eye them hungrily.

Story Hooks

• Might he discover the secret of his parentage?
• Will he get to prove his worthiness to Celye?
• Will he get beaten up again by Englebert, or will he come out on top? Or will they become unlikely allies?
• Will an animal he was kind to in the past come back and repay the favor?

(All of these are merely *possible* hooks; no need to twist the story around to accommodate any of them, really.)