Richard Rahl is the son of Panis Rahl and Taralyn Zorander who was the daughter of Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander the first Wizard and a Confessor. Panis and Taralyn had another child which was a daughter who they named Jennsen Rahl. The only ones who new about the Lord Rahls other children were several loyal Mord Sith, who kept the secret when Panis Rahl died. They hid Taralyn and Jennsen from the Lord Darken Rahl. They taught Richard everything they knew about fighting so he could move up the ranks in the People's Peace Army. At Five years old his magic awakened and that's when a sister of the light found him and brought him to the Palace of the Prophets.
Where he was trained in the use of addictive magic from the sisters of the light, while secretly being trained by the sisters of the dark in subtractive magic. He trained there for fifteen years, while he was there he converted several sisters of the light and dark to his side, they left with him. Richard was a tall, well built man in his mid-twenties. He inherited the good looks of his father, Panis Rahl though his were not the cruel perfection of a statue. He had deep gray eyes, a piercing raptor gaze, and coarse brown hair. He wore soft leather armor of deep maroon over a dark tunic. Tough leather shoulder guards withe the symbol of house Rahl. Underneath he wore a simple maroon dyed linen shirt more akin to a woods guide. Long sleeves rolled up to his elbows so that the old well worn and well oiled leather arm braces were snugly wrapped around his forearms. His leather pants were deep maroon leather with heavy black boots.
He looked over at his platoon of men, they were just crossing the boarder back into D'Hara when the Mother Confessor, several other Confessor's and a group of soldiers from the midlands with them and a couple of wizards. "Get up, we are under attack." Richard yelled to his men. His Mordsith that were loyal to him were Cara, Denna, Hally, Berdine, Raina, Jura, Nyda, Triana, Rikka. His personal bodyguards were Ulic and Egan. General Reibisch, Captain Meiffert were loyal men under his command. Nicci and Portia sisters of the dark that came with him. Shota a witch that followed him. Verna and several witches of the light. Cara instantly attacked the mother confessor, while the other Mordsith attacked the regular confessor's, while the sisters of the dark and light with Shota attacked the wizards. And Ulic, Egan, Rebisch and Meiffert with the rest of the soldiers attacked the Midland's soldiers. Richard ducked on a swing from a soldier, wen coming back up he sliced threw the soldiers neck. They were wining until some of his soldiers tried to attack the Confessor's but were confessed and then turned to attack the rest of us. When he turned to get a look where Cara is, he saw her and the rest of the Mordsith bunched together by the Confessor's.
"Watch out!" he heard Egan shout. Richard instantly turned around to see the Mother Confessor about to confess Ulic, with out thinking he jumped in front of her and pushing Ulic back taking the full blast of her touch. In that moment where her hand is a inch from his hand he knew that once confessed he will be a slave forever. As he looked into her eyes he saw that she was shocked that somebody would willing do that. Kahlan Amnell looked at the handsome D'Hara soldier. 'I cant believe he did that, it takes real courage to do something like that.' she thought before her hand made contact and instantly his eyes turned black. "What do you command my Mistress?" he asked while kneeling.
Kahlan heard several women screaming Richard, 'So thats your name, Richard.' That's when one of the sorceress shot lightning out of her fingertips at her. "Protect me!" she screamed, as she ducked around Richard. Her eyes went wide when she saw Richard wave his hand and a shield appeared in front of him, stopping the lighting. 'He is a wizard!' she thought to her self in shock. And with that Richard went on to attack them using wizard fire, the elements and shields to protect him self. Kahlan watched in aw as he took on several sorceress, Mordsith and a witch with ease. "Retreat!" The second in command which happened to be a Mordsith. Kahlan watched as a tall, blond haired woman with piercing blue eyes. Her long blond hair was pulled back into a single braid, indicating her profession as Mord-Sith. She had a lean figure, visible because of the skin tight red leather she almost always wore. Along with her red leather, she had her Agiel, a thin red rod, at the ready hanging on a thin gold chain from her wrist.
Stared at her with hate so deep she was afraid she would burn alive from just her stare. With that the Mordsith, Sorceress and the soldiers that were still alive and not confessed followed the second in command, into the D'Hara land. Leaving what the Mother Confessor, some other Confessor's and some soldier's were just some regular soldiers but were wrong. 'How could you become a wizard, a regular soldier.' Kahlan thought to herself. "Soldier i want some guard's posted at the border to watch encase the D'Haren soldiers come back. Sisters we are heading home. Follow me Richard!" she said with a smile. The other confesed men followed the ones that confessed them.
They came upon the sight of Aydindril which is the capital of the Midlands and is home to the Confessors and their Wizards and the Central Council of the Midlands. It is also the location of the Wizard's Keep home of the First Wizard. Aydindril is a beautiful place. Many of the side streets were narrow with tightly packed buildings and tiny courtyards. The streets were always teeming with people, especially the market streets. Each of the larger lands of the Midlands had their own palace located in Aydindril along King's Row, though each was nothing in comparison to the splendor of the Confessor's Palace.
The Home Guard of Aydindril kept the city safe, and patrolled the Wizard's Keep as well. They wore breastplates or chainmail covered with red tunics banded around their edges in black. They were heavily armed with swords or battle axes, as well as knives, and many additionally carried pikes tipped with winged and barbed steel. The Midlands were the lands between Westland and D'Hara, ruled by the Mother Confessor, through the Central Council of the Midlands. Each separate nation of the Midlands was entitled to have its own monarch or other form of government, depending on the culture of said land, though each separate land still came under the jurisdiction of the Central Council and hence the Mother Confessor.
As they were moving through the streets the people got scared because there were a few D'Haren soldiers in their city. So they screamed and ran inside to get away from them. "My people, there is nothing to be afraid of. These soldiers are confessed so they can not harm you." Kahlan said with a smile. 'Yes, you better be afraid of my people.' Richard thought deep inside while outside his face was blank.
Kahlan and the other Confessors stopped at the Confessor Palace which was bigger and more elegant than any of the other houses. "Richard follow me." she told him. "Yes, My Lady!" and started following her. Kahlan was taking Richard to the Wizard's Keep, for the First Wizard Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander to look at him and tell her that he really is a wizard. The Wizard's Keep is a huge fortress that overlooks the city of Aydindril. The Wizard's Keep is carved into a mountain and there are literally thousands of rooms. Magic radiates from the Keep and the webs that protect it are surpassed by none.
The Keep is the home of wizard's. The most powerful of the wizards is named the First Wizard and it his job to coordinate the Keep, it's defenses and those who live within. In times of war, the wizards generally act as generals. At the time of the great war the Wizard's Keep was laced with magic of all kinds, that protects it even today. Some of the shields that are placed there are impenetrable even to Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander, the latest First Wizard, because he, like every other gifted person, does not possess Subtractive Magic. Someone exceptionally skilled in the gift would alone be able to hold the Keep against a great army, because the webs there are so powerful. The First Wizard's Enclave is a special location in the Wizard's Keep where only the First Wizard can enter. It is protected by magical shields, and many sacred items are kept there including books of magic and prophecy, the Sword of Truth, constructed magic, and many other items that would be dangerous in the wrong hands.
'So this is the Wizard's Keep! Very impressive for some Midland Wizard's. Hopefully I will be able to learn some of their Magic.' Richard thought, as Kahlan lead him into the Wizard's Keep and straight to the library where the First Wizard was sitting on a bench reading some pages from a old book. "Zed, there somebody I want you to meet." she said to him across the room. Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander, commonly known as Zedd, was a Wizard of the First Order, who was named First Wizard during the D'Haren War. Earning the sobriquet, "the wind of death", for his service throughout the war, Zedd led the Midlands to victory over the forces of Panis Rahll, and erected the Boundaries that separated the three lands of the New World, at the wars conclusion. He had long white hair, dark eyes, long brown robe, with designs on sleeves that are realted to magic.
'What is Kahlan doing with a D'Haran soldier, and why take him here?' Zed asked himself. He looked at the young man, there was something about him that just bugged him. And he couldn't tell what it is, only that he doesn't know if he could trust the young man even though he was Confessed. "Kahlan, what brings you up here?" he asked the Mother Confessor. "Zed, I came here to talk to you about Richard. You see when me and the other Confessors came upon a D'Haren squad we attacked them and confessed some men. And when I confessed Richard here and told him to protect me from the Witch that was with the D'Haren soldiers. He used magic to protect me and send them running." she told him. The look on his face was of astonishment. "That cant be, what I mean is that the D'Haren people are not magical. In the whole D'Haren history there has never been a Wizard in the regular population.." Zed said, Kahlan saw the look Zed gets when he is thinking about something. "What is it Zedd?" she asked. Zed looked up, "Hmm, oh, I was thinking about something. I tell you when I have more on the subject." he said with a glance at Richard before heading to the personal library of the First Wizard.
Kahlan watches as Zedd leaves her in the dark before heading back to his rooms. She turns towards Richard and sees him watching Zedd leave with a peculiar look on his face. 'I think he knows that I have Rahl blood in me.' he thought before turning back to Kahlan. 'God she is so beautiful, what am I thinking. She Confessed me.' "Lets go Richard." she said, turning around and heading home. 'I wonder if I have his kids will they be able to have his powers and mine. He is very handsome I don't think I could do any better.' Kahlan thought.