Theodorus Fransen

"Oh, aye. I've seen plenty of comings and goings I have. Could tell you stories about the great and the good. But m'throat's too dry for that, so it is."

- Theodoras Fransen, Know-It-All Night Porter

A rotund man in his late sixties, with a small head ringed by a fringe of grey hair, a pot belly and rheumy eyes behind wire-rim spectacles that sit on a bulbous, veined nose. Always friendly, with an understanding smile on his face.

"Old Fransen", as he is known around Tempelwijk, has been a fixture at Baron Henryk's for over forty years. Once he was a promising student of the wizard Nicolaas van Mil who, a secret dabbler in Demonology, was caught by Witch Hunters as he was summoning a demon in his University chambers. Theodorus was an unwilling participant in the rites and only narrowly avoided execution. As it was, the horrors of that night shattered his mind and left him a broken, haunted man.

When he recovered, the kindly rector of the University found him a position as night porter, keeping the keys to the dormitory quad and the rooms of the students. He's served in that capacity ever since, making himself invaluable to generations of students, for whom he's come to feel protective. He arranges room assignments for incoming students, sees to their cleaning by the domestic staff, and functions as a general trouble-shooter. In the latter capacity, he is not above accepting the occasional gratuity from a student who is in no shape to see himself home and wishes to avoid the University's proctors, or even the Black Caps.

Theodorus has seen much in his years at Baron Henryk's and has heard even more - many of the students regard him as a doting uncle and tell him things they would not reveal to anyone else. Consequently he is an excellent source of gossip for generous people interested in the extracurricular activities of faculty and students.

Fransen isn't the feeble old rummy he pretends to be -he is a rummy, but he's also a recruiter for the Rainbow Flames, the Tzeentchian cult that seeks to corrupt the Vrijbond. The demon that killed his master spared Fransen's life on the condition that he would serve the Lord of Changes, and Fransen does so willingly. Given the propensity of young scholars to embarrass themselves and their families' desires to keep things quiet, Fransen gladly takes their proffered tips to keep him quiet. Students with truly promising character flaws, however, are invited to the meeting of a "secret fraternity of Marienburg's best". By the time they understand what they've done, it's too late to get out.

Source

 * Warhammer Fantasy RPG 1st ED -- Marienburg: Sold Down the River
 * pg. 94

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