Richard Rahl
From Sword of Truth Wiki
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| Richard Rahl | |
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| Physical description | |
| Species |
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| Gender |
Male |
| Hair color |
Brown |
| Eye color |
Gray |
| Chronological and political information | |
| Affiliation | |
Richard Rahl, born Richard Cypher, was the Lord Rahl and leader of D'Hara, who formed the D'Haran Empire to combat the Imperial Order. In addition, he was named the rightful Seeker of Truth and was the first war wizard to be born in over three thousand years. The husband of the Mother Confessor of the Midlands, Kahlan Amnell, Richard was responsible for the defeat of Darken Rahl.
Later, Richard would be forced to create the D'Haran Empire in an attempt to combat the growing threat of Emperor Jagang and his fanatical Imperial Order. Along with Kahlan, Richard served as a strong and intelligent leader, who thwarted a variety of plots masterminded by the Emperor to crush resistance to his Order.
Through Richard's efforts, the devastating effects of Jagang's plague, the chimes and the Chainfire spell would ultimately be reversed, whilst the Imperial Order was defeated and banished to a world without magic and the hope of an afterlife.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early Life
Richard Rahl was raised believing his name to be Richard Cypher. Raised by George Cypher, he also thought that Cypher's son, Michael, was his brother. Richard's mother married George Cypher after Richard was born and so Richard was raised as George's son. Sadly, when Richard was young, his mother died in a fire. After she had ensured Richard's and Michael's safety, she rushed into their burning house to save an unknown item.
Richard grew up in Westland, a land to the west of the boundaries. With the teachings of his adopted father and the man he knew as his best friend, Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander, Richard eventually became a woods guide while Michael became an important political figure in Westland.
As Richard grew up, his father had him memorize the words of a book, the Book of Counted Shadows. Richard had to read and reread the book to memorize its words, but he didn't mind this, feeling honored that his father had chosen him for the task. Eventually, after many years of studying the book, George asked Richard to recite the entire book one last time. When he succeeded without a single error, knowing that the secret knowledge of the book was safe, they burned the book.
As time went on, Richard helped Zedd whenever he could and became friends with the likes of the boundary warden Dell Brandstone, who he would come to call Chase. He honed his skills as a woods guide, and became at home in the forest.
[edit] New Beginnings
After discovering that George Cypher had been murdered, Richard set out to find out the truth about what had happened to him. Finding a dried up vine, the likes of which he had never seen in his capacity as a woods guide, in a jar that only he and George knew about, Richard set out to find the source of this vine thinking it was a message left by George. Richard's search led him into the Upper Ven where he found the strange vine growing. However, after getting too close to the vine, the plant bit him, embedding a piece of itself inside the bite.
Before he was able to set off to fix the bite, Richard noticed a woman unknowingly being chased by four men. After studying them for a moment, Richard rushed forward to intercept the woman without the men knowing of it in order to warn her. Taking her to a side path, hoping that the four men would keep following the road, Richard was surprised when, near the end of the path, the four men have caught up to Richard and the woman. Together, the woman, who identifies herself as only Kahlan Amnell, and Richard dispose of the men and make their way to safety.
[edit] Fighting Rahl
[edit] The New Seeker
Richard took Kahlan into Westland to meet his friend, Zedd, as he was falling ill from the poisonous sting he had recieved from the strange vine, which he later learns is called a snake vine. En route, Kahlan revealed that she was an inhabitant of the Midlands, who had crossed the boundary in search of the First Wizard whose help she hoped to recieve in defeating the wicked Darken Rahl. Zedd healed Richard from the sickness, who he soon deduced to be the very wizard Kahlan hoped to find. Kahlan beseeched Zedd to, in his capacity as the First Wizard, name a new Seeker. Reluctantly, Zedd complied to Kahlan's horror by naming Richard as the true Seeker of Truth.
Kahlan pledged her life to Richard as the new Seeker, and volunteered to act as his guide through the Midlands. Kahlan, Richard, and Zedd found an ally in Richard's old friend Chase, who being the head of the boundary wardens knew the boundary better than anyone, sought to aid them in bypassing it. However, Zedd and Chase were soon struck ill by the shadow magic of the boundary, and Richard and Kahlan were forced to take them to the mysterious bone woman, Adie.
Adie proved able to heal the pair, though she believed the process would take time Richard and Kahlan would not have and suggested that they leave them in her care whilst they continued their quest. Richard agreed to this, and in the short time Kahlan spent with Adie, she learnt that the old sorceress had known her mother and given her a bone necklace; similar ones she proceeded to give to Kahlan. Richard had no need of a bone because he was protected by the tooth that George Cypher had passed onto him.
Adie also placed into their keeping a Night stone and a warning in the form of a riddle, which aided the duo in their journey through a pass in the boundary. In the Midlands, the pair found friendship with the Mud People, who initiated them as honorary members of the tribe, and allowed them to participate in a spirit gathering. The spirits summoned by the Mud People divulged to Richard and Kahlan, that the location of the Box of Orden not possessed by Rahl, was known only by the witch woman, Shota.
Knowing of the witch woman by reputation, Kahlan was apprehensive as to meeting her; legend held that even wizards feared to enter Shota's domain. Whilst guiding Richard through Agaden Reach, Kahlan was captured by the witch woman. Immediately hostile towards the Mother Confessor, Shota covered her in illusionary snakes; removing them only at Richard's insistence. Through Shota, the pair learnt that the last Box of Orden was in the possession of Queen Milena of Tamarang, but not before revealing that both Zedd and Kahlan would betray Richard by using their powers on him. Kahlan became greatly distraught and wanted only to kill herself for a time, but Richard was able to convince her otherwise and they together proceeded to Tamarang. En route, the pair finally reunited with Zedd.
Venturing to Tamarang proved opportune to Kahlan and Zedd, as Milena was the same queen who Kahlan's personal wizard, and Zedd's former student, Giller, had seemingly dishonourably pledged himself to. Keen to deal with Giller, the trio arrived at Tamarang, only to find that he had been killed when Darken Rahl had visited in order to attain the last Box of Orden. It was found that Giller had sacrificed himself by using Wizard's Life Fire in order to protect the person that he had hid the box with, proving that both Zedd and Kahlan were wrong in their judgement of him.
Whilst leaving Tamarang in low spirits, the trio met up with Chase, healed by Adie, and the young girl Rachel, whom Giller had entrusted the Box of Orden. The group were soon in high spirits as the hardest task of their mission was complete, however it soon became clear that Richard had been spelled with the use of artistry and was later captured by the Mord-Sith, Denna, whilst dealing with Milena's court artist James, who was responsible for the spell. Kahlan and the others followed Richard's last order to a certain extent; they brought the box to Michael's army, to better protect it. They did not stay put with the box for long though and soon chased after Richard.
[edit] Denna's pet
Denna was assigned to torture Richard so he would be compliant and provide Darken Rahl with the text from the Book of Counted Shadows which would allow Rahl to open the Boxes of Orden and unleash the Keeper, thus granting himself immortality. For some time, Denna proceeded to torture and break Richard in the palace of Tamarang; however, Richard lashed out after she allowed the young Princess Violet to participate in his torture, breaking the jaw of the princess and severing her tongue. Queen Milena, horrified at his treatment of her daughter, attempted to apprehend him and Denna, forcing the Mord-Sith to kill the queen.
Shortly afterwards, Denna took Richard to the People's Palace in D'Hara, where she allowed her sister Mord-Sith, particularly Constance, to occasionally participate in his torture and breaking. To survive the horrors exposed to his body, Richard learned to partition his mind; an ability of the gifted. Later, Rahl informed Richard that Zedd had placed an extremely powerful spell over him that hid the true identity of his father. Richard disputed this, claiming George Cypher was his father, only to learn that he had only been his adoptive father.
Denna fell in love with Richard, due to his insistence on showing her compassion despite the way she treated him. She eventually asked him to kill her to free both himself from Darken Rahl's clutches and herself from her role as a Mord-Sith. She gave Richard her Agiel as a token of her love right before he killed her; to do so, Richard was forced to turn the blade of the Sword of Truth white, as stated by prophecy.
However, Rahl had placed an enemy web over Richard, causing all those who were loyal to him to view him as their greatest enemy; Rahl himself. Only those who were not loyal to Richard would be able to see him for who he truly was. Richard soon learnt through this web that his brother Michael had betrayed him and joined Rahl's cause.
[edit] Rahl's Defeat
Kahlan, believing herself responsible for Richard's mind being destroyed, invoked the power of the Con Dar, the Blood Rage, and was in the grips of this as Richard found her. Darken Rahl had cast a web around Richard so he would appear as the enemy to his friends and as himself to his enemies. Because of this, Kahlan believed him to be Darken Rahl when she saw him and so released her power into him. After believing that Richard had been confessed by Kahlan, the real Darken Rahl appeared and removed the web surrounding Richard revealing him to Kahlan and Zedd. Darken Rahl then instructed Richard to recite to him the words of the Book of Counted Shadows, lest he kill Kahlan.
However, Richard had fallen in love with Kahlan, power and all, and was as such immune to her magic. Using the charade of being under Kahlan's power, Richard utilized the Wizard's First Rule and tricked Darken Rahl into opening the incorrect Box of Orden, the power of which subsequently destroyed him.
Following Rahl's death, Kahlan was in great despair and wanted to commit suicide since she thought she had destroyed the man she loved. She then discovered that he had been protected by his love of her and found out that they could finally be together. Richard then had his brother executed not for his betrayal of Richard, but for the the deaths of all the innocent people that his betrayal had caused. It was also then that Richard found out that his real father was Darken Rahl and he was now the new Lord Rahl and Master of D'hara.
[edit] Tear in the Veil
Although Darken Rahl was killed by opening the Boxes of Orden, his opening the Boxes allowed for a tear in the veil which allowed the Stone of Tears to be in the world. The veil is the boundary seperating the underworld from the world of life. With it torn, the keeper could potentially consume the world and destroy all life. Richard, being the last war wizard in approximately 3,000 years was the only one who could prevent this from happening by closing the veil. This was because war wizards are born with both sides of the gift: additive and subtractive magic.
After learning of the veil's tearing, Richard discovered it was up to him to close it. Unfortunately, he was clueless to how this was to be done, so he decided to start by calling a gathering of the Mud People to call forth the spirits from the underworld for advice. Before the ceremony, Richard received a grave warning, which the Bird Man, leader of the Mud People, interpreted to mean that the gathering will be dangerous, if not deadly. Richard decided he had no other options, and went on with the gathering.
In the gathering, the ancestor's spirits had told the elders to leave. Only Kahlan and Richard had stayed. Darken Rahl's spirit appeared and went off to do the Keeper's bidding in the world of life after giving Richard the mark of the Keeper. The mark gave Richard excruciating pain and rendered him unconscious. Denna then came forth, following Darken Rahl through the upmost layer of the underworld after Darken Rahl had left. After a brief conversation with Kahlan, she took the mark off Richard, by taking it herself only after making Kahlan promise that she would do anything to ensure the survival of Richard.
[edit] Sisters of the Light
While all this was occurring, Richard was suffering from intense headaches that were caused by his gift going out of control. The Sisters of Light appeared to try to help him learn to control his gift and to get rid of the potentially fatal headaches, but Richard had refused the first two out of three offerings mainly because he would have to be collared. At the third offering Kahlan forced Richard to put on the collar and go with them in order to "prove his love" (Kahlan had only done this because of the promise she made Denna).
After being taken by the Sisters of the Light, Richard had to cross the Valley of the Lost. The valley was a desolate land where spells originating from the Towers of Perdition raged and battled each other creating great clashes of power that were potentially deadly. The towers were created by the wizards during the Great War 3,000 years ago to separate the Old World from the New World. While attempting to cross the valley to go to the Old World, Richard and Sister Verna, the sister that was guiding him, got separated and lost. While Richard was trying to find his way through, he stumbled upon two different towers, one in which he found and took some black sorcerer's sand. He later found Sister Verna again and was able to escape out of the valley.
[edit] Palace of the Prophets
They eventually reached the Palace of the Prophets, home of the Sisters of Light and many wizards in training. Richard quickly became friends with another wizard named Warren. Warren's gift specialized in prophecy and spent much of his time in the vaults of the palace. In the vaults, Warren found many books of prophecies which spoke of the underworld, the Stone of Tears, and other information Richard needed to know to close the veil.
However Richard was in a terrible situation, because he was bound to an area around the Palace of Prophets; he was a prisoner and could not leave the palace for more than a few miles. To make matters worse, the sisters did not realize the extent of the problems that faced Richard and intended to keep him there for hundreds of years in order to train him to be a wizard (this was possible since the palace was spelled to slow down aging).
[edit] Uncovering the Sisters of the Dark
Richard escaped by getting help from a distant relative, Nathan Rahl, who told Sister Verna how to get Richard past the magical barricade outside the palace. Richard then helped the people of the Baka Man Bana to help get their land back from the wizards who took the Valley of the Lost from them. He did this by destroying the Towers of Perdition to free the valley of the raging storm of spells and all the people that were stuck within them. Chase and Rachel were among the people freed. Richard took the Stone of Tears from Rachel, who protected the stone in a necklace given to her by Zedd. Then he called the red dragon Scarlet with the tooth she gave him, and flew to D 'Hara. He arrived in time to stop Darken Rahl and the Sister of the Dark who had drawn the necesasry spell forms in sorcerer's sand. Richard threw some of his black sorcerer's sand on the pool of white sorcerer's sand, which contaminated and destroyed the spell form that was drawn in white sorcerer's sand. Then he put the Stone of Tears in the glow emitted from the opened Box of Orden, which puts the Stone of Tear's around the Keeper's neck, effectively locking him away once more.
[edit] Imperial Order War
[edit] Aftermath of the Mother Confessor's Exectution
After successfully defeating Darken Rahl once more, Richard then made his way on horseback to Aydindril to prevent Kahlan's death at the hands of the council, even though he knew it would be well past Winter Solstice when he arrived and would be too late to stop it.
He meets Mistress Sanderholt at the Confessor's Palace kitchens who informs him of Kahlan's death at the hands of the council members. Seething with the Seeker's rage, Richard sentences and carries out the execution of the council for their betrayal of the Midlands.
He then visits Kahlan's grave, where he deduces from a coded message on the marker that Kahlan is in fact alive. Both he and Kahlan pray to the good spirits at the same time, and the spirit of Denna visits them and takes them to the place inbetween worlds, where they could finally be together as one.
[edit] Rise to Power
Richard decides to depart Aydindril to find Kahlan and Zedd, but changes his mind after seeing the brutal oppression of the Imperial Order who had seized control of Aydindril. On his way to the D'Haran consulate, Richard is saved from an unpleasant encounter with Galtero, Lord General Brogan's (General of the Blood of the Fold) right-hand man by Ulic and Egan, two of the Master Rahl's guards and taken to Cara, the Mord-Sith.
Using Cara, her sisters of the Agiel, Hally, Berdine and Raina, Ulic and Egan, Richard seizes control of Aydindril from the Imperial Order by forging the D'Haran's loyalty to him using the bond, a counter to the Dream Walker's magic created three thousand years ago by Richard's ancestor, Alric Rahl.
He then gathered the representatives of the varied lands of the Midlands, dissolving the alliance and demanding their unconditional surrender to D'Hara or be left to the brutal Imperial Order's mercy.
[edit] Battle of the Palace of the Prophets
[edit] Battle of Aydindril
[edit] The plague
After Richard and Kahlan are reunited to lead the Midlands and D'Hara against the threat of the Imperial Order, its leader, Emperor Jagang sent an assassin through the sliph deep inside the Wizard's Keep in Aydindril.
While Jagang's plan to eliminate Richard Rahl by using a wizard from the Palace of the Prophets was initially foiled, the Mother Confessor and Lord Rahl soon learnt that another of Jagang's agent has unleashed a deadly plague into them, through a breach into the banished structure of the Temple of the Winds in the underworld.
Things fall in place and intents are unveiled, as Richard's half-brother Drefan and childhood friend from Hartland, Nadine come to Aydindril. For Richard to undo the damage caused by Jagang's minions, he fulfilled prophecy and also the spirits' intent, to enter the long-lost Temple of the Winds. The requirements of the spirits included the marriage of both Richard and Kahlan to Nadine and Drefan, with resentment and bitterness from the part of the former.
Prophecy mentioned that Richard would be betrayed by the 'one in white', the Mother Confessor, his true love. This was inadvertently fulfilled by the consummation that was required by the spirits, and with it, Richard was able to enter the Temple of the Winds to provide a solution to the magical plague.
[edit] Death of magic
To end the plague, Richard Rahl traveled to the Temple of the Winds, where he learned how to take the plague from the world, though upon leaving the temple the spirit of Darken Rahl made him take the plague upon him so he could leave. He did so, but was then committed to dying. Kahlan Amnell traveled through the sliph to find Nathan Rahl, who told her to recite the names of the three chimes to save him. Kahlan returned to Richard and did so, which in turn released the chimes into the world.
The function of the chimes was to drain the world of additive magic, which would leave everyone with the gift helpless. Zedd and Ann tried to trick Richard and Kahlan into believing the chimes were not the cause of the magic's failing, but as the Seeker of Truth, Richard learned otherwise. Though Additive magic failed, Subtractive did not, allowing the Sisters of the Dark to still use some of their magic. Jajang was unable to use his powers as dream walker. Cara found it troublesome that she could not feel the bond with Richard, and her Agiel did not work.
Richard learned that the chimes were defeated by Joseph Ander, nicknamed "The Mountain," and discovered that Joseph used the chimes to power the Dominie Dirtch, a bell-shaped defense system that formed a perimeter around his country. Richard turned the chimes against Joseph, destroying the Dominie Dirtch and sending the chimes back to the underworld.
[edit] Captive
After sending the Chimes back to the underworld, Richard and his company fought for the freedom of the people of Anderith. When they chose to follow the order and abandon Richards help, Richard was dumbfounded and went for a night walk to think about what the people just had chosen.
In that night Kahlan got attacked by a horde of people, Richard came to help her not knowing it was Kahlan. After he found out it was Kahlan, Richard came to realise that he should not earn the trust of the people but the other way around.
By making this decission Kahlan and Cara scowled him for bein unreasonable, yet Richard insisted that if they'd started fighting the order, they would lose the war and lose the chance to be free for the next 50 decades.
He started taking Kahlan and Cara to the woods where he grew up so that Kahlan could recover, and so that Richard wouldn't be inclined to involve himself with the war. Richard let his army know that he didn't want any messages anymore and that he wouldn't give out any orders.
Nicci rode into Richard Rahl and his wife Kahlan Amnell small haven unexpectedly. While the Mord-Sith Cara was bathing and while Richard was busy elsewhere, Nicci confronted Kahlan. She rose her arms and begun to cast the maternity spell. A strange hum was admitted and a milky white thread of light ran between the chests of the two women.
Alerted by the humming set 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.
After Richard forced Cara off of 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 victims life at any moment. However, the draw back 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.
[edit] Life with Nicci
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 labouror.
For an entire year they lived in the capital of the Old World. Richard befriended many a people, including a blacksmith named Victor Cascella, who lent him a beautiful chunk of marble to carve a statue out of.
When the spiritual leader of the Order, Brother Narev, an old acquaintance of Nicci's, happened to see the carving, he hired Richard to carve a statue to stand outside the Emperor's Palace.
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.
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 come 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.
[edit] Reunion
During the time she had Richard captive she began to fall in love with him and even once try to offer herself to him but he refused so she grabed the nearest guy and let him use her, there for making Kahlan feel what she felt as revenge against Richard for not taking her.
When Richard's carving for the palace was finally unveiled, Nicci was present in the crowd. 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 into tears, in horror 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 wrong doing and pledged herself to their cause.
[edit] Pristinely Ungifted
[edit] Bandakarian Empire
[edit] The Chainfire Effect
[edit] Search for Kahlan
[edit] Infiltrating the Imperial Order
[edit] End of the War
[edit] Aftermath
[edit] Personality and traits
Richard was a tall, well built man in his mid-twenties. He inherited the good looks of his father, Darken Rahl though his were not the cruel perfection of a statue as his father's were. He had deep gray eyes and coarse brown hair. He once wore the simple clothes of a woods guide, but was later known to wear the extravagant clothes of a war wizard, these consist of black trousers, a vest top and a golden cape. The outfit also included a golden belt and wrist brasers inscribed with runes that represent death. It was finished with a necklace that had the symbol of a war wizard.
Richard possessed unlimited patience, but little tolerance. He believed that it was the right of all people to be free and that they must step up and fight for that freedom, not rely on others to do the job for them.
Being the Seeker, Richard was prone to asking questions with overwhelming precision. He had much experience in the role of the Seeker and had gained himself the respect of the people of the New World, not just because he was the Lord Rahl, but because he was a man with an honorable agenda.
[edit] Powers and abilities
Seeker of Truth
Richard Rahl is a Seeker of Truth - a true Seeker, named by the current First Wizard based on his inherent abilities, as opposed to pretend Seekers named arbitrarily by governments in the decades preceding the story of the books. As such, he has several unique character traits on the verge of magic: although he dislikes riddles, he is driven to always find the truth of things and is extremely proficient at it, apparently by instinct. Also, he has a temper that sometimes acts on wim. Since otherwise his personality is quite pleasant and optimistic, albeit impatient, the anger appears to stem mainly from his being a Seeker. Considering how the Sword of Truth, the unique magical weapon of the Seeker, works, anger may very well be called the primary characteristic of a Seeker. Without it, the Sword, and most of his combat abilities, which are linked to it, would be next to useless, even dangerous to its wielder. Aside from its main function, the Sword of Truth possesses other qualities, usually in relation to certain other powerful magics (like the ability to partially counter a Chainfire, for instance), hinting at it being likely one of the most powerful magical objects in the New World. However, as First Wizard Zorander had said, the Sword is not the weapon, the Seeker is. It is the unique personality and abilities, supported by the powers of the sword, that make a Seeker capable of influencing events at a grand scale. Accordingly, the Seeker is held in extraordinarily high esteem throughout the New World and granted complete independence from monarchs and governments.
War Wizard
Later on in the series it turns out that Richard is a War Wizard - one born with the Gift in its full form, both subtractive and additive magic. This made Richard the first person in thousands of years to be born with both sides of the gift, the way that it was meant to be. At that time it was thought natural that the gifted only possessed additive magic. The circumstances leading to Subtractive magic going next to extinct are the subject of the plots of several books in the series and are the doing of wizards in the distant past during the Great War. Being the only one to be born with both sides of the gift presents Richard with the challenge of learning to master an ability none other alive have or can truely teach him. He was able to recieve some instruction from Nicci, a former Sister of the Dark, since she was able to acquire subtractive magic. To make things harder, a War Wizard did not use his han or magic like other wizards. Instead, his han was called through his need and usually through his anger; much like the Sword of Truth. As a result, despite Richard having the potential to easily be the most powerful wizard alive, the powers actually at Richard´s command are growing only gradually, making him still look up to his friend (and grandfather) First Wizard Zeddicus "Zedd" Zu'l Zorander as the more experienced, wiser and stronger one.
Lord Rahl
By inheritance of bloodline, being the gifted son of Darken Rahl, Richard is the Lord Rahl of the House of Rahl and the Empire of D'Hara. While that is not an ability in itself, there is the matter of the bond, or Devotion. The bond is an ancient spell created by Alric Rahl that bonds the reigning Lord Rahl to his people. Individuals with D'Haran blood are able to sense the Lord Rahl through the bond and determine his location through it. The purpose of the bond, however, was to counter the ability of Dream Walkers; those that were bonded to the Lord Rahl by giving the devotion meaningfully were shielded from the Dream Walker's ability to enter their minds through their dreams.
Truly in Love With a Confessor
Again, this is not precisely a power, rather, a means of resisting one. Richard Rahl is deeply, completely, and truly in love with Mother Confessor Kahlan Amnell and is thus completely devoted to her. The Confessor's magic works by making the victim fall competely in love and devoted to the Confessor. Since Richard was already so completely in love with Kahlan and devoted to her, her power did nothing to him, making him immune to it. As far as is known, this is the only way of resisting the Confessors' magic. Nobody had been able to discover this since the original Mother Confessor and her wizard Merrit. The knowledge could not be passed down since any foreknowledge would create a doubt and would prevent it from occuring. As a result, the couple would have to discover this on the own. As a result Richard and Kahlan were extremely happy and pleased with the discovery since they could finally be together without fear of her power destroying him.
[edit] Behind the scenes
In Legend of the Seeker, a television series based on the events of the Sword of Truth series, Richard is portrayed by actor Craig Horner.[1]
[edit] Appearances
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