Drefan Rahl

Drefan Rahl is Richard's half brother, the son of a prostitute who was concealed from Darken Rahl's gaze so as to spare him his life since he was born as an ungifted son. His mother thought she would fall into Darken Rahl's good favor if she were to bear him a gifted heir. Drefan is said in the book to have exactly the same build as Richard, and almost the exact face as Darken Rahl. He shares the "raptor gaze" that is common with the Rahl family and he has blue eyes.

Drefan was left by his mother with a community of healers called the Raug'Moss or "Divine Wind" in High D'Haran. In Temple of The Winds, Drefan arrives after Jagang has terrorized the Confessor's Palace in the body of a wizard. Jagang had tortured Cara and left her to die. Drefan healed Cara after the bout and presents himself to Kahlan and Richard as the High Priest of the Raug'Moss.

As the plague sweeps through the Midlands in the fourth book, Drefan is used to aid the people the best he can with his knowledge of healing. When the message from the winds comes, Kahlan is forced into marriage with Drefan. Cara, acting as the protector to Kahlan and Richard, leads Kahlan to Richard's room to consummate the marriage between Drefan and Kahlan. Not knowing that Drefan is actually Richard due to the darkness of the hut they are in Kahlan is forced to make love to him so that Richard can be allowed to enter the Temple of the Winds and stop the plague that was started by magic stolen from the Temple. Due to Kahlan enjoying the consummation with Drefan (actually Richard) she is able to fulfill a prophecy saying that she would betray Richard. Richard walks off into the Temple of the Winds and Kahlan is left with Drefan as her husband.

Drefan soon claims control of the D'Haran empire and he begins to show his unstable nature. He beats Kahlan, Cara and Berdine and forces everyone to refer to him as "Lord Rahl" even though he is not the true master of D'Hara due to his being born without the gift. Upon Richard's return to the world of the living, Drefan attempts to kill him so as to maintain his place of power. He is revealed to be the murderer behind several deaths described earlier in the book and he tortures Kahlan and Cara in the room holding the Sliph, until he is stopped by Richard. In the end it is discovered that Drefan was always an unstable child and he was not truly the High Priest of the Raug'Moss, as he had claimed to be.