Character Relationship Map: Saint

Characters

• Niklas (played by Huub Stapel) — protagonist

  Former bishop turned gang leader, killed by villagers in 1492 and resurrects as a murderous ghost on full moons. Wields a sharp crosier as a weapon and rides a horse to attack houses and kill annually...

• Frank (played by Egbert Jan Weeber) — supporting

  Wealthy high school student who plays Sinterklaas. Survives a gang attack but is falsely accused of murder. Rescued by Goert, later helps destroy Niklas' ship with explosives and vows to expose the tr...

• Goert (played by Bert Luppes) — supporting

  Oldest survivor of Niklas' 1968 massacre. Becomes a police detective, researches the ghost legend, rescues Frank with a flamethrower, and plans a kamikaze boat attack against Niklas' ship but is kille...

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Niklas → Goert (Conflict Massacre Survivor And Persecutor) — Niklas's attack shapes Goert's life, leading him to investigate the ghost and try to destroy his ship.

  In 1968, Niklas and his helpers invade Goert's home, and Goert survives while his parents and siblings are killed. Decades later, Goert researches Nik...

• Goert → Frank (Alliance Rescuer And Ally) — Goert rescues Frank and shares his knowledge; after Goert is killed, Frank carries out the boat attack without requiring Goert to sacrifice himself.

  Goert saves Frank from Niklas and his horse with a flamethrower, takes him to his boat, and explains what he has learned about Niklas. Frank later use...

• Niklas → Frank (Conflict Supernatural Enemy) — Frank moves from being pursued by Niklas's gang to helping destroy the ship that carries them.

  Niklas and his gang attack during Frank's journey, and Frank later sees Niklas survive gunfire before helping send an explosive-laden boat against his...

Story Analysis

A surviving witness and a wrongly accused student confront the returning ghost Niklas, while the public is left with a protected version of the Saint Nicholas tradition.

Plot Progression

1. The Forgotten Massacre — Niklas and his gang are killed by villagers, but return as murderous ghosts on matching full-moon dates. In 1968, Goert survives their attack on his home and loses his family.
2. A Warning Ignored — Decades later, Goert warns that the approaching full-moon Sinterklaas date may bring Niklas back. The authorities dismiss him and send him on leave as Frank prepares for the celebration.
3. Frank's Impossible Pursuit — A gang attacks Frank's car, and he is arrested after deaths leave him under suspicion. Niklas's attack on the police car reveals that the ghost and his horse cannot be stopped by bullets.
4. The Harbour Trap — Goert rescues Frank and explains his research before planning an attack on Niklas's ship. Police intervention brings the group to the harbour, where Niklas's gang attacks and kills Goert.
5. The Secret Survives — Frank uses fireworks to send the explosives-loaded boat into Niklas's ship, and the police confirm the account. Despite reports of nationwide incidents, Frank is warned not to expose the truth about N...