Rudolph van Richten

Rudolph van Richten is one of the most respected and haunted monster hunters to ever tread the cursed mists of the Shadowfell. A physician turned supernatural scholar, he has dedicated his life to the grim task of studying, confronting, and destroying the undead and other nightmarish entities that prowl the Domains of Dread. Driven by personal tragedy and sustained by grim determination, Van Richten has become a living legend—a man who dares to walk where angels fear to tread, armed not only with steel and spell but with knowledge.

Once a kindly healer in his homeland, Van Richten’s life was shattered when his son was taken and turned into a vampire. That trauma ignited a relentless crusade against evil that has spanned decades and dozens of dread domains. Though he rarely speaks of the early years of his crusade, those who have read between the lines of his writings know that Van Richten’s war against darkness is both professional and deeply personal.

Van Richten is not a warrior in the traditional sense—he relies less on brute force than on preparation, intellect, and resourcefulness. His weapons are meticulous research, holy protections, and a near-unbreakable will. Every confrontation is preceded by careful study; every victory is recorded for the benefit of those who might follow in his footsteps.

His guides to monsters, such as Van Richten’s Guide to Vampires, Ghosts, Werebeasts, and others, are regarded as essential reading for would-be monster slayers, occult scholars, and desperate villagers alike. These works combine academic rigor with firsthand experience and practical advice. While often grim, Van Richten’s tone carries an undercurrent of hope—that evil, no matter how ancient or powerful, can be understood and defeated.

Van Richten is a reserved and sorrowful figure. Age has worn down neither his body nor his spirit, but he carries the weight of every friend lost, every innocent he could not save, and every terrible truth he has uncovered. Despite his stoic exterior, he is a man of deep compassion who fights not for glory or vengeance alone, but for those who cannot defend themselves.

He is cautious, almost paranoid, and rarely stays in one place for long. In many domains, he is known only through legend and rumor: a ghostly figure seen walking away from burning crypts, a voice on the wind warning of ancient evils, a mysterious old man who arrives with silvered weapons and sacred scrolls—then vanishes before dawn.

A somber scholar of the supernatural, Rudolph van Richten battles evil not with brute force, but with insight, discipline, and the hard-won truths written in blood and shadow.