George Cypher

George adopts Richard Rahl, and raises him as his own in Westland. Richard is ignorant of his parentage for most of his early life, but is brought to a rude awakening when his real father, Darken Rahl, kills George Cypher in his home. Only then does he begin to learn the truth about his heritage, and about secrets that his adopted father George had kept from him.

George Cypher was the father of Michael Cypher and lived in a small wood home with a plank floor in the Hartland Woods of Westland. Richard Rahl, his adopted son, grew up in his home believing to be his true son. George Cypher, at one time, lived in the Midlands.

George Cypher was a trader and traveled often looking for the chance exotic or rare item. People of means often sought him out, interested in what he might have turned up. It seemed to be true that he enjoyed the looking more than the finding, as he was always happy to part with his latest discovery so he could be off after the next. Whenever he left, he would leave Richard a message in a blue jar Richard had made as a child, telling him the latest news, gossip, or of some sight he had seen. His wife (Richard's real mother) died early in Richard's life and he raised Richard and his son Michael alone. George raised Richard to respect the rights of others. Although his father was often away, sometimes for weeks, Richard loved him dearly and was devastated at his death.

On one of his adventures, George Cypher came across the Book of Counted Shadows, guarded by an intricate web of shields in the Wizard's Keep of Aydindril in the Midlands. He retrieved the book from a creature of the underworld that guarded it (summoned by Darken Rahl) and brought it back to Westland to keep it safe until the keeper of the book came to claim it. He also took a tooth from the creature that he gave to Richard to keep as proof that the book was not stolen, but rescued. He had Richard commit the book to memory before they destroyed it, so it could not fall into evil hands.

George Cypher was murdered 3 weeks before the start of the series in his home in an especially violent and bloody manner (leaving the contents of the home almost completely destroyed). His belly had been cut open and his guts had been spread out all over the floor. It was rumored that he was killed by something that came out of the boundary or by magic. According to Michael, George Cypher's death was followed up with an extensive search for the killer by the best trackers in the Westland army, led by Michael himself, although Richard had no part in this due to Michael's intervention. The search came up empty and, according to Michael, the killer had left no tracks. Richard eventually learned that George Cypher had been killed by Darken Rahl.