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Nathan bought himself a sword today. He is now fighting invisible monsters. He is a one thousand year old child.
―Ann

Nathan Rahl was a talented wizard with the gift of prophecy. He had a strong relationship with Annalina Aldurren before her death, despite having been imprisoned by her for most of his thousand year life. He was called upon to take up the mantle of Lord Rahl on several occasions.

Biography[]

Early life[]

At an early age, Nathan Rahl was taken by the Sisters of the Light to the Palace of the Prophets in Tanimura. Though he was a "guest" at the Palace of the Prophets, he was privileged with almost anything he asked for, including the finest wines and rarely, women for his pleasure. The question hangs in the midst, how did they manage to get a gifted Rahl out of D'Hara? As well as this, it would be necessary for him to have fathered a child before his departure, as there is only one gifted Rahl in each generation. Nathan then, in his late days, ran away with Ann, the Prelate of the Palace of the Prophets. He was obliged to wear a Rada'han. Ann made people think that he was an old and dumb wizard that was also deaf. He sometimes screamed or said other things, but Ann told told the others that he was mumbling nonsense.

Tear in the veil[]

Having used the small amount of power he was able to get around the blocks the Sisters had placed on his gift with the Rada'Han, Nathan had successfully caused a tiny breach in the powerful shields that locked him in his compound in the Palace of the Prophets. Through it, he called out for the Prelate, to immediately come down and see him. The guards, not daring to wake the Prelate in the middle of the night, instead sent for a Sister. It would be Sister Margaret that would answer.

Margaret entered the prophet's quarters, using her gift to repair the breach he had created in the extensive shield network, with a barbed piece of power that would thwart him should he try the same thing again. Nathan entered from the small garden outside his room when he sensed that the Sister had come.

Nathan at first reminded Margaret that he had called for the Prelate herself, not any old Sister. Margaret retorted by saying that any Sister is capable of writing down the prophecy he had given. Nathan then informed the young Sister that he had given no prophecy; one had come to pass.

Nathan then offered to show the Sister something he had never shown anybody else. Prophecy in its true form. As a vision, not just words. Margaret accepted the offer. She saw the path the prophecy would now have to take for the world of life to continue. She also learned from Nathan that she would soon find herself asking a question and when she had need for the answer, to go to him. Nathan also asked Sister Margaret to give the Prelate a message; "The pebble is in the pond."

Margaret would soon return to Nathan with the question of whether there were Sisters of the Dark in the Palace. Nathan would then confirm her suspicions. It would be following the Sisters she had come to suspect, that would lead to Margaret's demise.

Later Richard Rahl, Nathan's descendant, would be taken as a student to the Palace and would talk his way through Nathan's guards, into his compound. There Nathan would help Richard to accept that he is a war wizard and set his gift to rights.

Richard would later call upon Nathan's aid again, to help heal Prelate Annalina, who had been gravely injured in a battle with the Sister of the Dark, Sister Ulicia, who had finally revealed herself. He would also teach Sister Verna, how she could shield the Rada'Han around Richard's neck so as to help him escape the Palace outer shields before setting back to the extensive healing challenge before him.

Imperial Order War[]

Invoking prophecy[]

Battle of the Palace of the Prophets[]

Renwold[]

Nathan arrived in Renwold just before the Imperial Order invaded. Going to the Abbey, he meets Clarissa, a scribe. He rescues her from the terrible fate of being a slave of Emperor Jagang. Before leaving, Nathan made sure to burn all books of prophecy contained in the Abbot Archives. Nathan falls in love with Clarissa who is later killed by a Sister of the Dark. Kahlan refused to let him look at her, telling him to remember her how she was, not by the gruesome manner of her demise. Verna states that Nathan got another of his whores killed and he responds by breaking her jaw as Kahlan recognises the love in his eyes.

Negotiations[]

Lord Rahl[]

Althea's sacrifice[]

Slide[]

The Chainfire Effect[]

Holes in prophecy[]

Wizard's Keep[]

Lord Rahl once more[]

In Phantom, Nathan became Lord Rahl once more at Zedd's suggestion after Richard was believed to be missing or dead due to Six's attack while he was traveling in the Sliph. Six had somehow removed both Richard's additive and subtractive sides of his gift. Zedd and the others realized the magical bond between Richard and the D'Haran or his allies was no longer active and that they would no longer be protected from Jagang's dream walker ability, leaving them open for Jagang to enter their minds and control them at will. Nathan became Lord Rahl to restore the bond for the time being.

End of the war[]

Aftermath[]

Personality and traits[]

Nathan was a tall, broad shouldered man. He had a raptor like gaze, as all Rahls did and had bright azure eyes. His long white hair was straight and met his shoulders and he was clean shaven. Though he was close to one thousand years old, Nathan appeared to be in his seventies, though far from defeated. While living at the Palace, Nathan always wore a black hooded robe, though since gaining his freedom he relished the opportunity to wear different clothes. He was often seen to be wearing a white ruffled shirt, with a green vest and a long black cape.

Many Sisters at the Palace feared to hear the prophet's name even mentioned. Some believed that he was deranged, though this was not the truth. Though he could be eccentric and sometimes forget that normal people did not think the way he did, he was very intelligent and still had his wits about him.

Nathan Rahl wore a sword in an elegant scabbard at his side. "It makes me look dashing," Nathan has said on several occasions. If not for that sword, Annalina Aldurren would have died in Naked Empire near the end. A pristinely ungifted woman almost slit Ann's throat as she tried to use her gift to stop the woman. Nathan then drew his sword and ran the woman through.

Powers and Abilities[]

Shall I heal you now? Or would you rather I try my hand at resurrection?
―Nathan[src]

Nathan Rahl was a powerful wizard and prophet. Having lived one thousand years he was incredibly knowledgeable about magic and able to use it in innovative ways; as when he simply linked the Rada'Han he wore to the bifurcated web around the Palace of the Prophets as it was being destroyed, as a means of removing it. He was a talented wizard and had an extraordinary talent for prophecy.

In Temple Of The Winds, Nathan placed a series of webs around where he was staying. He said the keeper himself would not dare attack him. When Jagang sent two Sisters of the Dark and wizards to him, Nathan was not afraid. One of the wizards tried to attack him and was turned to ash.

In Confessor, Nathan threatened Imperial Order messengers that he would use conjured wind to blow them off the road. When Richard goes back to the People's Palace with a horde of Imperial Soldiers after him, Nathan unleashed blasts of Wizard's Fire burning all of them to death.

Appearances[]

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