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And it is no longer 'Sister' Nicci—either of the Light or the Dark. Nor is it Death's Mistress, or the Slave Queen. It is just Nicci now, if you please...and even if you don't.
―Nicci to Prelate Annalina Aldurren[src]

Nicci was a former Sister of the Light and Dark, who withdrew her support of both factions in favour of the D'Haran Empire. However, beforehand, Nicci was an important supporter of the Imperial Order who earned herself the titles "Death's Mistress" and the "Slave Queen". Originally among Richard Rahl's instructors at the Palace of the Prophets, Nicci fled along with his other teachers after being revealed as Sisters of the Dark. After being captured by Emperor Jagang, Nicci became his most feared lieutenant; eventually capturing Richard Rahl in an attempt to convince him that the Order stood for the greater good. However, it was Richard who ultimately altered Nicci's views on the Order and life itself, converting her to his cause. Nicci served Richard and his wife Kahlan as one of their closest friends and supporters throughout the remainder of the Imperial Order War. She also assisted Richard in the search for Kahlan after she was put under the Chainfire spell.

Biography[]

Early life[]

As a young girl, Nicci was often told by her mother of her father's evil nature. Nicci's father was a successful businessman who had acquired vast wealth, which her mother believed he should give charitably to others. Nicci's father let her mother do as she wished, since they had agreed before her birth that her mother would have sole responsibility of the child's upbringing if she was a gifted daughter. Eventually, Nicci's mother introduced her to Brother Narev and his Fellowship of Order. Nicci became a member of the Order and proceeded to spend most of her time working for others, to help with their needs.

Life as a Sister of the Light[]

After several years, Nicci's mother was approached by Sister Alessandra who wished to take Nicci to become a Sister of the Light.

SotD-ceremony

Ritual of becoming a Sister of the Dark

Despite Nicci's fathers objections, Nicci was taken to Tanimura to train to be a Sister. Nicci was said to be the most selfless novice at the Palace of the Prophets and she worked hard to help others. Nicci eventually came across Brother Narev, working as a stable hand in the Sisters' stable. He asked that Nicci not inform the Sisters that he was gifted, so he could continue to live under the spell that slowed aging. Eventually, Nicci's father died, and she managed to attend his funeral. Her mother told her that he had begged to see her for the last six months, but that she had thought he would 'get better'. It was the first time that Nicci had felt any emotion in some time. Many years later, Nicci's mother died. After acquiring a beautiful black dress from a tailor, to whom she had to 'give favors' in order to receive the dress, she attended her mother's funeral. It inspired no feelings such as her father's had. From that day forth, Nicci always wore black.

Life as a Sister of the Dark[]

After becoming a Sister of the Light, Sister Nicci was eventually persuaded by Sister Alessandra to join the secretive Sisters of the Dark, as she herself had. She underwent a ceremony which allowed to her to absorb the male Han, as well as gain the use of Subtractive Magic.

Instructor[]

Nicci-SotD

Sister Nicci with other Sisters of the Dark.

Sister Nicci became one of Richard Rahl's instructors upon his arrival at the Palace of the Prophets. When she first saw him enter the room, she swore to herself that she would become one of his teachers no matter what. She had to make promises and trade favors that she never before would have dreamed of granting in order to achieve this. When she tried to teach Richard to touch his Han, she never sat on the floor like all the other Sisters (except Merissa) did; instead she sat opposite him in a chair and held his hands across a table. On the day she finally decided to kill him, Richard brought Nicci a flower from a forbidden section of the Palace and she was perplexed as to whether this was a simple gesture of kindness or a threat to her life. Confused, she hid this behind a mask and simply gave him one of her subdued smiles while saying, "Why, thank you, Richard." Nicci was able to see something in Richard's eyes that none of the other Sisters could and grappled to discover what this was. When the Sisters of the Dark were discovered, Nicci fled the Palace by ship along with Sisters Ulicia, Armina, Merissa, Tovi and Cecilia.

Capture[]

Sister Nicci and the other five Sisters all awoke screaming aboard the Lady Sefa. Each had dreamed a dream that was not a dream. But rather than the Keeper appearing, Emperor Jagang had. He ordered they arrive at his stronghold immediately. The Sisters were quick to oblige, fearing to feel the pain they suffered in their dream.

Nicci-evil

Nicci, while a Sister of the Dark.

The Sisters ordered the boat be turned around and Sister Merissa made an example of two of the sailors. The Sisters discussed their predicament and decided that the blame of their troubles lay at the feet of Richard Rahl. Nicci agreed with the other Sisters that they should rid themselves of Jagang and then Richard. Having linked their powers, with Sister Ulicia as the director of the force, the Sisters arrived at Jagang's stronghold. Ulicia unleashed the combined powers of the Sisters, but while Jagang was embedded in their minds, their gifts could not avail them. Nicci and her companions became the property of Jagang and each had a golden ring placed through their lower lips to mark them as such. After being used for the amusements of the crew of the Lady Sefa, the Sisters were sent back to the Palace of the Prophets with instructions to ready the arrival of the Emperor, however Ulicia concocted a plan to swear loyalty to Richard and escape Jagang's power as a dream walker. Ulicia and the other four Sisters failed to find Nicci in time to include her in their plan.

Death's Mistress[]

The D'Haran Army quickly began noticing that there was something very strange going on in Anderith, the land that had rejected the D'Haran Empire in favor of the brutal Imperial Order. The army had received reports about a powerful gifted woman who had become even more feared than Emperor Jagang himself, by the people of Anderith. She was known as Death's Mistress. She was blond of hair and blue of eyes. It was said that she looked like "a vision of the good spirits, though they themselves would fear her". She always wore a beautiful black dress. Nicci was not like the other gifted controlled by the dream walker. Unlike the others, who were simply tools, she acted as an agent, but it was rumored that she does what she wants, regardless of the emperor's orders.

Making an example[]

Nicci had been sent to a small country town to punish the 'selfish people' who resided there. She had the entire town stand in a line in the town square and proceeded to lecture them on the evils of selfishness. Among the people was a small, plain girl. Nicci, as she had found herself doing many times before, grabbed the child's chin and stared deep into her eyes. Like every other time she had done this, she didn't find what she was looking for. The child was simple. However, Nicci did notice that the girl was ridden with lice. Nicci took her to the wash house and roughly scrubbed her hair, getting soap in the girl's eyes. When she was done, Nicci ordered the girl to burn her linen. When Nicci returned to the town square, the girl ran for her mother. The commander that had accompanied her, Jagang's second in command, Kadar Kardeef, then demanded that she end her games and that it was time for the townspeople to learn the true meaning of ruthlessness. Nicci agreed and ordered two men to seize Kadar. The commander was obviously confused, but Nicci explained that true ruthlessness could be seen in having a hero of the Imperial Order strapped to a pole and left to roast for no particular reason. Kadar ordered his men to take Nicci, but the sorceress unleashed almost simultaneous blasts of her power on the men nearest her, stopping the other soldiers from even attempting to capture her, lest they be next. The men took the commander, though not without casualties, strapped him to a pole and stuck him over a fire to roast. Jagang entered the mind of a nearby soldier, furious, and through him ordered Nicci to return to Fairfield immediately. It interested Nicci to note that Jagang did not always have free access to her mind as he did his other gifted slaves.

Personal mission[]

I am going to destroy Richard Rahl for you.
―Nicci[src]

When Nicci returned to Fairfield she learned from Sisters Georgia, Aubrey and Rochelle that Annalina Aldurren had recently been captured by Jagang but had disappeared along with Sister Alessandra. She also learned that the chimes had been released into the world, but had then been successfully banished. It was then she realized why Jagang could not occasionally enter her mind; she was partially bonded to Richard Rahl. Before being on her way to see Jagang, Nicci had to deal with a D'Haran prisoner. This prisoner was a Mord-Sith named Hania. Hania asked Nicci to kill her, because she would never betray information about the Lord Rahl's battle plans. Nicci then told Hania she would kill her, if she told her all she knew about Richard's time with a woman named Denna. On her way through the Minister of Culture's mansion, which Jagang had made his own, Nicci ran into a venerable Sister of the Light; Sister Lidmilla. When Nicci had been at the Palace of the Prophets, Lidmilla had often told her that she was the one Sister she thought could handle learning some of the arcane magic she had knowledge of. With this in mind Nicci asked Lidmilla if she could take her up on her offer, in particular in regards to the Maternity Spell. Lidmilla agreed to this and then Nicci made her way to Jagang. Jagang beat Nicci and then had his way with her for the rest of the night. He told Nicci that he loved her and wanted her to be his queen at the grand palace that was being built for him in Altur'Rang. Nicci denied him, saying that she was leaving, that his power of a dream walker no longer held over her. She said she may return one day, before releasing a thread of Subtractive Magic into the gold ring that pierced her lip, marking her as Jagang's slave. The ring ceased to exist. When Jagang asked where she was going, she said she was going to eliminate Richard Rahl. Before leaving Fairfield, Nicci had her lesson with Sister Lidmilla, focusing especially on the casting of the maternity spell. She then made her way to the mountain country of Westland.

Maternity spell[]

Nicci rode into Richard Rahl and his wife Kahlan Amnell's small haven unexpectedly. While the Mord-Sith Cara was bathing and while Richard was busy elsewhere, Nicci confronted Kahlan. She raised her arms and began to cast the maternity spell. A strange hum was emitted and a milky white thread of light ran between the chests of the two women. Alerted by the humming of by Nicci's magic, Richard quickly returned to his small camp. He noticed that the magic Nicci was casting was not only hurting Kahlan, but herself too. Cara too was alerted by the sound of Nicci's power and rushed her. Using her Agiel, Cara brought Nicci to ground. Richard immediately realized something was wrong when the pain Nicci felt at the hands of Cara was mimicked by Kahlan.

Nicci-agiel

Nicci is attacked by the Mord-Sith Cara.

After Richard forced Cara off her, Nicci explained the concept of the maternity spell. It linked the two lives of the caster and the victim. If one should feel a pain, then so would the other. If the caster should die, then so would her victim. At the same time, the caster had the ability to end the victim's life at any moment. However, the drawback was that the caster's gift was useless until the spell was withdrawn or the victim was killed. Nicci then informed Richard that if he wished for Kahlan to remain alive, he would come with her immediately. Kahlan told Richard not to obey, to kill Nicci, even if it meant ending her own life. Richard told her he couldn't do that and went with Nicci. On the way, they encountered the remains of a dragon, possibly a red one. It was then she admitted that magic wasn't exactly restored into the world after the chimes were banished. Rather, the presence of chimes made the world of life farther from other worlds.

Taking a prisoner[]

Nicci took Richard to Altur'Rang, in the heart of the Old World, to show him that he was wrong in fighting the ideals of the Imperial Order. She also hoped to discover what it was that had preoccupied her about him for so long. They lived in the guise of a loving husband and wife, with Richard working as a laborer. For an entire year they lived in the capital of the Old World. Richard befriended many people, including a blacksmith named Victor Cascella, who eventually lent him a beautiful, but flawed, chunk of marble to carve a statue out of. Victor had been reluctant to carve the marble, due to a combination of lack of experience, fear that the flaw would ruin the carving, and fear that the Imperial Order would destroy his carving, because he intended the statue to be beautiful, while the Order demanded all statues be hideous, to depict the depravity of the human condition. Several times during the year that Richard and Nicci would spend together, she would lose hope and think that what she had seen within Richard's eyes had been nothing and resigned herself to kill him. But each time she would go to do so, he would intrigue her once again, causing her to believe that there was hope after all. When Richard, being suspected of plotting against the society imposed by the Imperial Order, was taken into custody, Nicci went to try to have him freed. During her visit, Richard told her where he had hidden extra money he had been setting aside from extra work he was doing at night. When Nicci retrieved the money, she was shocked to find a small fortune in gold coins. Furious and thinking that Richard had somehow stolen or cheated people out of their money, visited some of the people Richard had worked with and for, including Victor. When Victor explained that Richard had been providing them with much-needed supplies and services so they could continue doing their own jobs, she was shocked that Richard had managed to acquire such wealth without stealing, while charging less for goods than his clients were willing to pay, and without denying work to others. With her resolve renewed, she went back with the savings and was able to have Richard freed, but was forced to claim he was a skilled stone carver, and thus caused Richard's punishment to be that he would be employed carving sections of stonework for the new Palace. When the spiritual leader of the Order, Brother Narev, an old acquaintance of Nicci's, happened to see the carving, he added an additional penance to Richard's punishment: Richard was to, on his own time and with his own money, carve a statue to stand in the central plaza of the Emperor's Palace. Walking through the crowded streets of Altur'Rang, Nicci saw a familiar face in the crowd; Sister Alessandra. She knew that her former mentor was there looking for her and quickly disappeared from sight. Walking down an alley, Nicci found herself face to face with another person from her past, though no longer familiar-looking. None other than Kadar Kadeef. It turned out that the young girl she had ridden of lice over a year ago had pleaded with the towns people to save Kadar's life and had nursed him back to health. Nicci quickly fled the alley.

A new outlook[]

Nicci collapsed to the floor in tears, in abject shame, in horror, in revulsion, in sudden blinding comprehension... In pure joy.
―Nicci's realization[src]

During the time she had Richard captive she began to fall in love with him and even once tried to offer herself to him, but he refused. So she accosted the nearest man and let him use her there to make Kahlan feel what she felt as revenge against Richard for not taking her. When Richard's carving for the palace was finally finished, Nicci, without Richard's permission, looked at it personally and alone inside the carving room. It was the moment that would forever alter the course of her life. Looking upon the stone, Nicci finally saw what it was that she had so long sought within Richard. It was life. Simply life. At that moment, Nicci broke down in horrified tears at what she had done and in joy at what she had discovered. She quickly left to find Richard, to tell him of her revelation and to plead forgiveness. When she caught up with him, she found him to be gravely injured, with the bodies of Sister Alessandra, Brothers Narev and Neal beside him. Kahlan and Cara were miraculously also with him. Nicci quickly ran forward to sever the link between her and Kahlan, so she would once again have access to her gift and be able to heal Richard. However, Kadar Kadeef surprised her and began to choke her. Just as Nicci thought she was to die, Cara came to her rescue, under the orders of a dying Richard. Kahlan at first didn't trust Nicci, but after realizing putting her trust in her could save Richard's life, she let Nicci do as she must. When Richard came through, Nicci informed him that she was no longer a Sister of the Dark, but nor was she a Sister of the Light. She was simply Nicci. She apologized to Richard and Kahlan for her wrongdoing and pledged herself to their cause. Like Nicci, the people of Altur'Rang were able to see the meaning within the statue carved by Richard and as such revolted against the rule of the Order. Nicci proved instrumental in aiding the people of Altur'Rang, putting down efforts by surviving officials of the Order who sought to fill the power vacuum in the wake of Narev's death, as she was well-acquainted with the methods of the Imperial Order.

Dangerous conjurings[]

Later, Nicci encountered one of her former fellows, a Sister of the Dark, and after defeating her learned that Jagang had succeeded in forcing the Sisters of the Dark to reawaken the lost art of altering people to make them into human weapons. Nicci was horrified to learn that one such creature was a Slide, and was further disturbed by learning that Jagang considered such a dangerous weapon as insignificant when compared to another weapon he had had created; before the Sister died, Nicci learned that "it" was coming for Richard. Sometime after Richard and Kahlan left Altur'Rang, Nicci was due to meet with them at a rendezvous point, however, they never appeared. Nicci surmised that they had been caught up with an important issue, and not having the time herself to take the journey to them, sent a young man named Sabar to them with a letter detailing the important information she had learned from the deceased Sister and a dangerous object she had discovered while waiting for the pair. Nicci was able to discover that the object she found was a beacon that served as a warning to Richard and Kahlan.

The Chainfire effect[]

Richard's delirium[]

When Richard was nearly killed by a crossbow bolt, Nicci took a great risk in saving his life by using Subtractive magic to remove the bolt, as it had not gone completely through and pulling it out would have caused much more damage. She also removed the blood that had pooled in his lung by using Subtractive magic. These two actions are significant to later events. After Richard woke from unconsciousness in the aftermath of being shot, he asked Nicci and Cara where Kahlan was. Neither woman knew who or what he was talking about. Nicci thought that Richard had simply been dreaming. Over time she developed the belief that because of the trauma Richard had gone through from his injury, he invented a woman in whom he could find comfort. She maintained this belief even as Richard tried many times to prove Kahlan existed. Once Richard realized that there was a problem, he set out immediately to the site where he was injured and where he had last seen Kahlan accompanied by Nicci, Cara, the blacksmith Victor, and a group of townsfolk turned freedom fighters, including Victor’s apprentice Feren. There, he meticulously scoured the site for hours while the others wait. Eventually Richard asked Nicci, Cara and Victor to join him as he pointed out tracks and the lack of tracks made by himself, Cara, and Kahlan as they journeyed from the former empire of Bandakar. The others were curious as he showed them how to spot the tracks but stupefied when he pointed out what was not there. Richard even showed them an overturned rock as proof that someone else was in the area when Kahlan disappeared. In the end, the three felt that Richard was going insane. They returned to Altur’Rang and learned that an army is coming to take back the city for Jagang. The townsfolk were extremely disappointed when Richard told them he had to leave. With Nicci’s aid, he convinced them that he could not always be there to offer aid and at some point they needed to take responsibility for their choice to fight for freedom. Nicci grew increasingly distressed by Richard’s decline into delusion and was alarmed when Richard started focusing more and more effort into chasing a ‘phantom’ to the exclusion of all else. She was very troubled when he decided to leave Altur'Rang, where his presence many felt was paramount to the defense of the city, to seek out Shota the witch woman. Although she very much disagreed with him, she didn’t argue too much against it. Two events probably had much to do with this; Richard’s extraordinary healing of Cara and a conversation the two women had afterwards. In it, Cara told Nicci of the terrible loneliness she sensed in Richard during the healing but confessed her ‘feelings’ for General Meiffert and conveyed the belief that she was not the one to fill that loneliness. Cara felt that because of common attributes shared by Nicci and Richard that Nicci could fill that void.

Defense of Altur'Rang[]

While Richard was offering words of comfort to the families of the men killed when Richard was searching for clues, two spies were brought in by soldiers of the new uprising. Seeing an opportunity to escape, one of the spies grabbed a little girl and threatened to cut her throat unless they did as he said. Richard, wasting no time, took action that resulted in the man losing most of his head. Before the other spy could be killed, Nicci claimed to be the mayor's wife and chastised both the blacksmith (Victor) and the carpenter (Richard) for going against the Order. She explained to the group, for the benefit of the spy, that if they ever wanted to get back into the Order’s good graces they could not take such matters into their own hands. Nicci ordered the surviving spy to be let go so he could take the message of their wishes along with him, thus laying the groundwork for a swift and total defeat of the Imperial Order’s army. Just before Richard left Altur’Rang, Nicci gave him a gift while providing a means in which to locate him after he left. She gave him a kiss on the cheek she imbued with magic, leaving Richard filled with joy and happiness. Nicci explained to him that she had caused him a great deal of pain in his life by using magic and she wanted him to leave with the memory of a time that her magic had not harmed him. Richard and Cara left with a promise from Nicci that she would join them after seeing to the defense of the city. The campaign was to be short and brutal. After Richard and Cara’s departure, a contingent of the army arrived with Brother Kronos’s demand that the mayor turn over his wife (Nicci) as a sign of their intentions to renounce their sinful ways. Victor and Ishaq were very angry and worried when Nicci ordered them to bind her to her horse while she explained her plan. Because Nicci was once part of the army, she feared she would be recognized. To negate that, she wore a red dress and pulled open the top, thus giving the soldiers something else to look at other than her face. All went according to plan until she arrived at the army camp and realized that it is no rabble but made up of battle-tested and seasoned troops. Once brought to the center of camp a Brother of the Fellowship of Order stepped out of his tent. Nicci wasted little time killing a dark-eyed wizard. She killed a few more soldiers that surrounded her but was slammed off her horse and fell face-first onto the ground. It is then she realized that the Brother she killed was not Brother Kronos. Brother Kronos had blue eyes. Stunned and unable to get a breath, Nicci struggled to find a way to get out of her mistake of underestimating the situation. Luckily, Brother Kronos gave her that time by launching into rhetoric. Finally, Nicci was able to pull air into her lungs, and she dispatched Brother Kronos despite his shields of Additive Magic. She then scythed through the soldiers surrounding her while sending her magic around the camp to create confusion and disorder. The way clear, she mounted up and made her escape, killing any soldiers she could. The incensed army followed her, including the cavalry, as was her goal. Nicci led the cavalry into the city and through prepositioned traps. The cavalry was cut down quickly. She then went back to encourage the foot soldiers into a reckless charge, taking the time to re-button the top of her dress. The following battle was a bit bloodier than expected for the freedom fighters, and at one point looked as if they would lose it. It was soon discovered that there was a third wizard with the Fellowship of Order and their army. Nicci and Victor rallied and were able to destroy each and every member of the attacking army, thus preventing word of the battle from ever reaching Jagang.

Search for Kahlan[]

Nicci was not able to catch up with Richard and Cara before they saw Shota, so she joined them at the Wizard’s Keep. There she combined her efforts with Zedd, both of them trying to get Richard to see through his delusion of Kahlan's existence. They even went so far as to allow him to dig up the grave of the Mother Confessor, Kahlan Amnell, that he was so sure would be empty. It was not. After that discovery, Richard was crushed and grew despondent and reclusive, mostly because of Zedd’s reaction of disappointment in Richard. He was also depressed because of his hold on what was clearly fantasy and the loss of the Sword of Truth, which he had given to Shota in exchange for information. It greatly pained Nicci to see him so. After several days, she could no longer bear it and approached him. Nicci argued that though she did not believe in Kahlan's existence as he did, he had in the past stuck to what he knew to be the truth and despite what anybody thought, he always fought for what he believed. She asked him why wasn’t he doing so now, igniting the fire in him again.

Richard-Nicci

Nicci, with Richard.

She later learned of the empty pages in books of prophecy after the arrival of Nathan and Ann. Richard forgot that to decipher prophecy was to invoke his magic, which would allow the beast Shota warned him about to track him. The beast arrived to kill him. Chased through the Keep, Richard, with Nicci in tow, ended the beast's pursuit temporarily by passing through a defensive shield in the lower levels of the Keep, causing the beast to crash into it and dissipate. Richard and Nicci found themselves near the sliph’s well. Nicci then confronted Richard with a different theory she had come to about what had caused him to believe so adamantly in this dream woman. She told him that it was possible that the bolt she removed from his shoulder had contained a glamour spell, which would cause him to become obsessed with an object, usually a living woman, but in this case a fantasy. She felt that maybe the intent behind this would be to cause those who followed him to begin to doubt him, thus causing everything he had worked toward to be torn asunder. She told him she had no way to prove or to counter such magic as she had obliterated the bolt with Subtractive Magic. Several more days passed and the anxiety everyone felt about Richard rose to such a level that Nathan, Zedd, and Ann, pushed by Ann’s tenacious adherence to prophecy, called Nicci to them and asked her to use Subtractive magic to remove the memory of Kahlan from Richard’s mind. She agreed, but only to buy her time. She found Richard and told him what was planned, forcing him to flee the Keep. He asked that Nicci join him and Cara. Using the sliph to escape, the arrived at the ruins of Caska, also called the Deep Nothing. There, aided by the Priestess of the Bones Jillian, Richard found a book entitled Chainfire. Nicci used the time during Richard’s search to rid the area of Imperial Order scouts. She conducted an experiment on one them by removing the memory of Jagang from the scout with Subtractive Magic. He died very soon after. Nicci was appalled that she considered doing this to Richard. After finding the book, Richard also found a snake vine growing near the sliph’s well. Knowing all too well what that had meant, they went to the People's Palace and discovered the Boxes of Orden were missing. They also found Kahlan’s tracks and the statue Spirit, which Richard had carved for her as a representation of Kahlan's spirit. Alerted to a mysterious incident involving an old woman being stabbed near the D’Haran army, they rode out to investigate. The old woman turned out to be Sister Tovi, a Sister of the Dark and, like Nicci, a former teacher of Richard’s during his stay at the Palace of Prophets. She had been stabbed by the Sword of Truth carried now by Samuel. She had carried one of the Boxes of Orden before Samuel ambushed her and stole it. Rescued by the D'Haran army, who could not heal her, she was found by Nicci. Playing on Tovi's assumptions that Nicci was still a Sister of the Dark and providing just enough healing magic to prevent her from dying, Nicci learned the truth behind all the strange events that had been happening. Nicci found out that Richard had been right all along when he insisted that Kahlan existed, and Nicci despaired that she had fought him every step of the way. Sister Tovi told Nicci of the treatment Kahlan received from the four-headed viper, made up of Sisters Cecilia, Armina, Ulicia, and Tovi herself. They had ignited the Chainfire spell, which had destroyed the memories everyone had of Kahlan and prevented anyone from seeing or remembering her besides the Sisters of the Dark who had started the spell, Jagang, and, apparently, Richard. Finding Richard in his tent, Nicci threw herself at his feet and begged him to kill her for the anguish she thought she had caused him when she refused to believe him and battled him whenever he tried to prove Kahlan's existence. Richard forgave her easily and told Nicci that if not for her, they would have never found out the truth. Once arrived back at the Keep, Nicci was instrumental in convincing the others of that same truth.

Verification web[]

In order to gather more information about the Chainfire event, the gifted aligned with Richard decided to run a verification web from an interior perspective to gain as much information about the spell as possible. Nicci was the one to cast this web because of both her prodigious ability, as well as her specific ability with Subtractive Magic. Richard was able to intuitively decipher that the spell, and therefore the web, were terribly corrupted - most likely by the residual influence of the chimes' presence in the world of the living. He further understood that the corruption was harming if not killing Nicci. Richard was able to intuitively shut down the web and save Nicci's life, but at the cost of attracting and getting attacked once again by the blood beast. After a brief and ineffective clash with the beast by the others present, Nicci ordered Cara to take a candelabrum and use it to make the beast back away. As Cara complied, the sorceress once again cast the verification web and, once she had Cara out of her line of power, fed the beast a field of magic that was partly Additive and partly Subtractive. The magic, though, was deliberately 'almost' existing, meaning that it was nearly complete but Nicci intentionally withheld the power to make it existent. The bizarre spell then attracted lightnings from both worlds of life and dead, discharging in a powerful blast that absolutely incinerated the beast-for the moment. However, after finishing it, Nicci could not stop the verification web from completing, and she lost consciousness because of the flaw. Fortunately, Richard was able to shut down the web and had Zedd to heal her delirium of pain.

Shota's arrival[]

Shortly after waking and having a talk with Richard, Cara, and Zedd, two riders approach the Keep. It was Shota, the witch woman, and Jebra, the Seer. Apparently, Shota and Nicci, although having no encounters before, had a mutual contempt for each other. The witch woman came there to warn of a problem: a witch woman, one called by the name of Six, was bent on usurping her power on her territory. Six bewitched Samuel away from Shota, kicked her out of her domain, and prevented her from seeing things from the flow of time. Also, Nicci told her that this other witch woman ordered Samuel to kill Tovi and take the box of Orden she was carrying. It stupefied Shota, but nevertheless told her true intentions: to bring Jebra to Richard to narrate what it was like under the rule of the Order.

After Jebra told him a horrifying tale, Shota then opened the curtain in Richard's mind, showing him what would happen to Kahlan should he fail. Also, she told him about the existence of a book known as Secrets of a War Wizard's Power. Shota left alone, leaving Jebra behind. Richard realized what he must do, and ordered Nicci to come along. Jebra had a vision and told Nicci not to leave Richard for an instant, lest he be lost.

New tactic[]

Using the sliph, Richard, Cara, and Nicci reach the People's Palace. Richard ordered the D'Haran Army to vanish from the New World and attack the Old World, which was left vulnerable since most troops where in conquest in the New World. He also gave the First File a new duty-to protect the People's Palace. After that, they went into the sliph to travel to the Keep.

Losing the Lord Rahl[]

In the sliph, the beast attacked Richard. Cara was ripped away from the group. Nicci attempted to use magic, but it was weakened inside the sliph and caused pain to those inside. Subsequently, she was pulled away. Shortly after, but not immediately, the sorceress sensed a strange sense of power-a baseless form of magic with intent, without life which was necessary to generate it. However, because of being inside the sliph and its rapturous essence, she forgot about it. Cara and Nicci were dumped by the sliph in the Keep, while it brought Richard to the forests that led to the land of night wisps. Nicci reported what happened to Zedd and, after realizing that without the bond they were susceptible to Jagang's power as a dream walker, reluctantly swore loyalty to Nathan. They went to Jebra, and found her on the balcony about to jump. It was here when Zedd finally comprehended that the power Nicci felt and the aura surrounding Jebra was that of a witch woman's. Before jumping, Jebra said in a dead tone, 'Stars. Stars fallen to the ground. Stars among the grass.' Cara saved the Seer from dying, but the witch woman placed her in a coma-like state. Not even Nicci's magic could wake Jebra.

Naming the player[]

After Rachel came to the Keep with a Box of Orden, Nicci thought for a while about the prophecy about the ending of the war with the Order. She believed something was missing from her logic, and after going to a devotion with Cara, she understood. She and Cara left for the Keep in the middle of devotion, She asked Cara and Zedd if they trusted Richard with their lives, satisfied when they agreed. This was pivotal in her decision to act upon the realization she had while saying the line of the devotion, "Our lives are yours." Nicci locked herself in the room where she, Richard, and Zedd had discovered the taint of the Chimes by using the verification web - telling Cara that it was for magical purposes - and barred the door with a lock of Additive and Subtractive Magic. She used The Book of Life to guide her in the process of putting the Boxes of Orden into play again, as they had already been put into play by Sister Ulicia. When Orden asked her to name the player, Nicci named Richard, saying, "The player is Richard Rahl. Heed his will. Do his bidding if he proves worthy, kill him if he does not, destroy us all if he fails." Nicci realized that the prophecy said that Richard - as fuer grissa ost drauka, the bringer of death - had to lead the final battle against the Order. Since they were fighting a war against beliefs instead of a war against people, she thought that they way they would completely trust Richard's leadership would be to give him a chance to end the war with the power of Orden. On the dawn of the next day, the first day of winter, Richard, who was a captive of the Order in the guise of Ruben Rybnik, and Sister Ulicia received a message that the year a player was given to figure out which Box of Orden to open had started over again.

Recapture[]

Nicci Captured

Nicci is captured and subdued by a Rada'Han

Nicci asked Nathan if she could see Panis Rahl's tomb because she had heard that it was melting. Ann offered to go with her, and while they were walking they discussed Ann's feelings for Nathan and Nicci's feelings for Richard. Ann didn't believe that Richard would manage to save Kahlan from Jagang, and even if he saved her, she would not have her memories of him. Ann told Nicci that she believed Nicci should be Richard's wife like Kahlan had been. She said that they had a lot in common, such as their gifts of Subtractive Magic, and that Kahlan could not understand if Richard spoke to her about magic. Nicci argued that for Richard to love Kahlan, she had to be a very special woman. As they talked, Ann and Nicci became friends they never were. In a hallway, they met Sister Armina, Sister Julia, and Sister Greta - three Sisters of the Dark who worked for Jagang. Ann told Nicci to run, but Nicci didn't obey because she knew from experience that running would be a foolhardy action. Nicci tried to use her magic to attack the Sisters, but she realized that in the People's Palace her gift, no matter how powerful, was greatly diminished by the spell woven into the palace walls. This spell reduced the power of any wizard or sorceress who was not a Rahl. However, the Sisters of the Dark combined their powers to create lightning. Ann dove in front of Nicci, sacrificing herself to save Nicci's life. At that point, Nicci cast the strongest shield she could and ran, not even taking three steps before she was hit by a rope of compacted air summoned by the Sisters. Nicci attempted to fight the Sisters again, but it was to no avail. Jagang took over Sister Armina's mind, putting a Rada'Han around Nicci's neck. She was taken out of the palace through the catacombs, which was how the Sisters had gotten into the People's Palace without being noticed. As Nicci entered the camp of the Order, she once again took up the mantle of Death's Mistress and the Slave Queen, making herself cold and indifferent to life again. She knew that when she met Jagang, that was the only protection she had. When Nicci entered Jagang's tent, she saw Kahlan on the carpet with a Rada'Han around her neck. As she had put the Boxes of Orden into play, she could see Kahlan. Nicci could tell at a glance that Kahlan was the only woman who belonged at Richard's side. Jagang greeted her again, and they soon got into an argument about the Order's beliefs and whether or not Richard was wrong. Nicci revealed that she had turned to Richard's side, and Jagang asked her many times whether she loved Richard or not. Nicci continually asked him in return why he wanted to know, realizing that Jagang was jealous. Jagang threw her onto the bed when she told him as much, piercing her lower lip with a gold ring that marked her as his property, and beat her while he violated her. Nicci did not notice the pain, as she blanked out like she had done when she was Death's Mistress. When Jagang was finished with her, he looked at her injuries and said he was sorry, then went out of the tent to fetch a Sister of the Dark to heal her. Kahlan gave Nicci water to drink and comforted her while waiting for the Sister of the Dark, and they became friends. They talked about Richard, who Kahlan knew by the name of "Ruben" from the Ja'La games. Kahlan realized that Nicci loved Richard.

Rescue[]

Emperor Jagang brought along Kahlan and Nicci, both controlled by collars, to watch the fight between Richard's team against his in a Ja'La game. When Nicci saw Richard, she was shocked, but at least was intelligent enough not to give it away to Jagang lest he kill him. Richard team won, but the emperor, not wanting his team to lose, disqualified the two points that made his team lose. Richard scored again and again two points, with Jagang nullifying it. The crowd that supported Richard team was maddened by the unfairity and attacked the others, causing a massive-scale riot. Richard, taking opportunity of the pandemonium, acquired a bow and fired a projectile to Jagang. Unfortunately, because of the emperor's slight movements, it missed a vital organ by mere millimeters. Jagang then gave Commander Karg and his men the permission to have Nicci and Jillian for the night. Richard was able to save Nicci and Jillian, but Kahlan was taken by Samuel and Nicci was in great pain because of the Rada'Han. To their relief, Adie and General Meiffert rescued them from a Sister of the Dark and brought them inside the People's Palace just in time to warn Nathan of the incoming horde coming from the secret catacombs below.

End of the war[]

Richard, having recovered his gift because of Rachel's help, removed Nicci's collar, saving her from the excruciating pain. However, this act called the beast, which killed Commander General Trimack and a Mord-Sith. It was taken down by the First File's special arrows. Richard allowed Jagang and Sisters of the Dark access to the palace and the Garden of Life. As the emperor's Sisters prepared to open a Box of Orden, Jagang went to the prison where Nicci was locked. It was then the sorceress used Richard's gift: the Rada'Han. She clasped it around the emperor's neck and brought him along to the Garden of Life and unceremoniously murdered him, denying him a climatic battle or a chance at being a martyr. The Sisters of the Dark died because of their evil intentions and Richard opened the box that gave him power over life and death. He banished the Imperial Order and also transported the pristinely ungifted to the world without magic.

Aftermath[]

Nicci was seen by Kahlan in Cara's wedding. She waved at her with a sincere smile, looking as beautiful as ever. Although it is unsure whether she became a Sister of the Light again, one thing is clear: she is happy.

The Rise of Prophecy[]

After Cara and Benjamin's wedding, Nicci stays in D'Hara and is harassed by people wanting to know what the future holds for them. When the woman kills her children by dropping them from the cliff, She sees the children hit the ground. Nicci sees it as important so she goes to the People's Palace to inform Richard. When she arrives at the People's Palace, she runs into Richard after he speaks with Ludwig Dreier. Nicci tells Richard and Kahlan about the incidences in the town square. When Richard asks her about the Hedge Maid, Jit, Nicci tells him that her magic is different than normal wizards and it could be deadly to approach the Hedge Maid. Nicci then says he must stay away from Jit, she reminds him that she was a Sister of the Dark before. When Kahlan goes to speak with the representatives from the lands that faught with them against the Imperial Order, Nicci sneaks into the kitchen to get a cookbook, she uses the book to make a fake prophecy for the representatives stating that they must be executed otherwise bad events will occur. This makes the crowd angry because Kahlan is refusing to be executed as well. The reason for this is to show the people are willing to believe anything about prophecy. However soon the ceiling in the Garden of Life collapses and a mysterious machine called Regula is found under the garden, Nicci says that she has never seen it before. It is not long before Richard can conclude that the palace was built around Regula. Regula gave off multiple prophecies that Nicci had seen in books of prohecy. After those prophecies turned out to be involved with a lot of deaths around the palace, and it predicting that the hounds will take Kahlan, Richard ordered that the machine be destroyed. After Zedd's Wizard's Fire failed to consume it, Nicci tried to destroy it. After trying to lace Additive and Subtractive Magic together she was unable to connect her magic to the machine, making it usless. Soon after she discover that Kahlan had been captured by Jit and Richard had left to save her. She left with Zedd, Cara, Ben and men of the First File to rescue them. She finds them unconscious with Jit dead. Nicci then explained to Zedd that in order to fully heal them they would need to remove the touch of death within them.

The Third Kingdom[]

Nicci and the others decide to head for the Garden of Life in order to heal Richard and Kahlan. While on the way there the group is attacked by a horde of Half people. Nicci and Zedd tried to help but they find that most of their magic doesn't work against the creatures. Trying everything they know the two are able to figure out the using the air to push them around works to a small degree. Unable to take on their numbers Nicci and the others flee the wagon holding Richard and Kahlan, hoping they chase them and leave the wagon. This works but Nicci and the others are captured in the process. The half people take her to the Third Kingdom were she is a prisioner to Hannis Arc. While imprisioned there the half people would bleed her thinking the blood of the gifted had special properites. Nicci and the others were eventually saved by Richard and they began there escape together. They had to fight their way through numerous half people and lost Ben on the way but were able to escape the Third Kingdom. She and the others, with Samantha and Irena joining them, continue toward the Garden of Life.

Removing the touch of death[]

Shortly after heading out toward the palace again the group is attacked by a group of half people. Nicci helps keep them away from Richard while he takes down one at a time with his sword. They head up a small hill surronded by a rock wall to better protect themselves against the next assult. The First File captures one of the half people alive and Richard questions them on their motives. He reveals that they will attack when Richard is at his weakest point from the poison. Soon after Richard begins to weaken from it and the half people begin their attack anew. Nicci, along with Zedd and Irena, help the soliders as best they can. Richard orders that half go up the narrow cliff with himself as bait, seeing it as their only chance for survival. Nicci heads up the cliff with half the men, lighting the way for them. After the half people begin the catch up Kahlan realizes that with some of the half people's Occult Powers they won't be able to defeat them. They begin to retreat and Samantha ends the threat by bringing down some of the rock wall and crushes most of the half people. Although it saved her life, Nicci was very concerned by the amount of power that Samantha had. After resting, Richard wakes up and Nicci confronts him on what he taught her and how she would be able to do that. Richard passes it off as something simple he learned from other gifted people he's seen. During that discussion Irena hears that they need a containment field and suggest that they go to one in Fajin Province. Later that night Nicci expresses to Kahlan that she distrusts Irena and doesn't like how close she is to Richard. Kahlan agrees to the thought but believes it comes from them both being very protective of Richard's life. Kahlan asks Nicci if she really thinks that they'll be able to make it to the citadel in time and Nicci reveals that they may only have a few days left. They continue to travel to the citadel and they reach a village of Cunning Folk. They only allow them to pass if Kahlan will speak to their oracle. The oracle turns out to be a witch woman, Red. She tells Kahlan that she has seen that Nicci will kill Richard because she loves him. Kahlan remained distant to both of them for a while after hearing this, trying not to talk about it. They soon reach the citadel and Irena leads them to the containment field. They are then captured by Ludwig and chained to the walls. Nicci trys to use her gift to escape but cannot as the room was actually a containment cell. Ludwig promises them that he will have them give him very important prophecies. Three Mord-Sith and Mohler later show up to help them escape. They use the element of surprise and Richard has one of the Mord-Sith kill one of Ludwig's. Hearing the noise Ludwig comes rushing out and Nicci uses a stone she lifted with magic to knock him out. Richard then finds out that Irena was the one who killed Zedd and in a fit of rage Richard kills her. Samantha, seeing only the end of the attack, starts to attack Richard. Richard tries to explain why he did it but she refuses to listen to reason and decides to take something that he loves. She grabs Kahlan's knife and stabs her with it, killing her. She then escapes while Richard tries to help Kahlan. Nicci tries everything she can to save Kahlan but it was too late to do anything. Richard has her heal the wounds on Kahlan's body. He then asks Nicci to kill him so he can go after Kahlan. He argues that they both have death in them and therefore she has some life in her to return to. Nicci sees that he'll die shortly anyways and because she loves him she stops his heart. Richard saves Kahlan but is unable to come back himself. Nicci and Kahlan stare at Richard's dead body losing some will to go on as a powerful threat marches toward the People's Palace.

Personality and traits[]

Nicci was an exceptionally beautiful woman who was said to look alike to "a good spirit in the flesh". She had long blond hair, strong shoulders, and intelligent, piercing blue eyes. Nicci had a soft, silken voice and was always clothed in a fine black dress. She never grinned, though she produced disarmingly subdued smiles. Nicci was apparently able to partition her mind, as Richard could, in order to save herself from pain and suffering, which she did many times. She was extraordinarily talented in magic, astonishing Zedd with her creativity.

She detested flattery, because "vacous flattery was the sound of a prybar, a tool used by a thief as he tried to get at what she had." She also had a deep-seated hatred of lice, having been infested by them several times during her childhood in the Old World. Her least favorite color was pink.

Sister-Nicci

Nicci looked like "a good spirit in the flesh".

Having grown up under the influence of the Fellowship of Order, Nicci felt that mankind was filled with nothing but selfish desires. She selflessly submitted herself to the will of others less advantaged than herself and felt that her resentment was proof of her wickedness. As she became ever deeper immersed in the ideals of the Order, Nicci's emotional state slowly changed. She no longer possessed the ability to feel emotion and she became nothing but indifferent toward life. Any emotion that succeeded in breaching her mental barrier faded quickly and Nicci no longer cared whether she continued to live or die. That changed after she left the Order to aid and serve Richard Rahl. During her time with him, she came to value all that he valued, and love all that he loved. She would still put on her old ways as a mask in times of desperate need, such as in the defense of Altur'Rang and during her brief recapture by Jagang. In the end, she fell deeply in love with Richard and went to extraordinary lengths to protect and assist him in everything that he did. In fact, so deep was her commitment to him and his ideals that the mere thought that she had failed him drove her to offer her life in supplication for her failure.

Powers and abilities[]

She was probably the most powerful sorceress ever to have drawn a breath.
―Richard Rahl[src]

As the daughter of a sorceress, Nicci inherited the ability to wield Additive Magic from her mother and her gift was very strong for a sorceress. She was noticed by the Sisters of the Light while still young, and quickly recruited by them. Through her studies with them, Nicci became a powerful sorceress, though her strength didn't reach its peak until she eventually joined the Sisters of the Dark. She absorbed the Han, the essence of life and magic, of a wizard, combining it with hers, and Subractive Magic, which was acquired while the wizard's soul was passing through the veil. At her peak, she was one of the most powerful sorceresses ever to live, with the possible exception of Sister Ulicia. It is also likely that Prelate Verna Sauventreen was more powerful in the Additive than her, as she claimed to be stronger with that side of magic than any Sister of the Dark.

Magical Mastery: Even whilst still a young girl Nicci was recognized as being prodigiously talented with the gift. The Sister of the Light who discovered her, Alessandra, noted that she had never before met a female with whom the gift was so strong. She was commended throughout her training as a Sister of the Light and developed a reputation for being very talented. In her long life(180+ years) she acquired great control over and power with the use of her gift.

Nicci-telekinesis

Nicci using telekinesis.

General Additive Magic: As a Sister of the Light, Nicci's training focused predominatly on Additive Magic. As she was born with the gift, it was one of her strongest suits. Her powers with Additive Magic were later augmented with the Han of a wizard, making her more powerful than any living wizard or sorceress, to the point where her powers surpassed the millennia-old Annalina Aldurren and Nathan Rahl, and even Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander, the First Wizard himself. Only war wizards, Slides, or other Sisters of the Dark were capable of matching her in magic. Nicci demonstrated a wide variety of powers associated with Additive Magic, including the use of webs for myriad purposes, the creation of potent blasts of heat and fire(and probably Wizard's Fire as well, as she had absorbed the Han of a wizard), and bolts of lightning strong enough to burn and tear through both flesh and magical shields. One of her strongest assets was her enormously powerful ability for Air Manipulation; she could form shields of air to protect herself from attack, move objects telekinetically by enveloping them in hardened air, immobilize targets by thickening the air around her, deflect arrows and other projectiles, and fire focused blasts of air. Her power with air manipulation was so strong that she could literally form hardened air into a blade sharper than any sword that was capable of slicing through armored men, and control over the blade fine enough to decapitate multiple targets in seconds without a sound.

Nicci-power

Nicci creates a blast of deadly lightning.

Subtractive Magic: As a result of her association with the Keeper of the Underworld, Nicci possessed limited control over Subtractive Magic, though she did not have the inborn gift for it that war wizards possessed. By utilizing Subtractive Magic, Nicci could make any object she targeted vanish into nothingness, pass shields that were laced with Subtractive Magic, erect webs around herself that deflected any magic that was purely Additive, and unleash black lightning created with Subtractive Magic that destroyed anything it touched. Her preferred tactic was to chain bolts of Additive and Subtractive lightning together to produce an even deadlier attack. As her attacks were powered by Subtractive Magic as well as Additive, she could easily blast through the shields of even the strongest Additive wizards and sorceresses, "as if they were paper."

Healing: Nicci was a proficient healer, able to mend injuries and wounds with Additive Magic, though healing was not her specialty and she admitted that more experienced Additive wizards and sorceresses knew more about it than she. Nicci was creative in using Subtractive Magic as well as Additive to heal, a trick that even master wizards such as Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander could not do. She would use Subtractive Magic to remove excess blood and foreign objects, such as arrows, caught in the person she was trying to heal, thereby saving them worse pain and injury. She was able to bring Richard Rahl back from his seemingly fatal injuries following an ambush by a small Imperial Order force.

Behind the scenes[]

  • In Legend of the Seeker, a television series based on the events of the Sword of Truth series, Nicci was originally portrayed by actress Jolene Blalock. Blalock first appeared as the character in the episode "Dark", and reprised her role for the episode "Perdition". Blalock's Nicci died in this episode, however, in the later episode "Princess" Nicci's spirit was resurrected into the body of Sister Porsha, portrayed by actress Emily Foxler.
  • The physical appearance of Jolene Blalock's Nicci differs significantly from that described by Terry Goodkind; rather than being blonde and blue eyed she is depicted with dark hair and brown eyes. However, Emily Foxler's Nicci adheres more closely to the version of the character created by Goodkind.
  • In Legend of the Seeker, Nicci appears to have been the leader of the Sisters of the Dark, rather than Sister Ulicia.

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

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