Kahlan is described as an attractive young woman, even more so than Nicci. She has thick, long brown hair, the length of which is a symbol of her authority and position. She has green eyes, a trait she inherited from her mother. She is almost as tall as Richard and about the same age (she starts the series in her mid-twenties). She typically wears the white, square-necked dress of the Mother Confessor. The weave of the fabric is fine and smooth, almost glistening, and bears none of the lace or frills of more conventional dresses, with no print or colors. It hugs her curves and complements her form. She wears good boots of soft leather, the kind of boots worn by one used to traveling. Even when not dressed in her Mother Confessor garb, her hair, her face, her figure, and mostly her bearing speak of what she is and the power she has.
Kahlan Amnell is the Mother Confessor, the last of her kind. She can speak every major language in the Midlands and most of the minor ones. She has been known as a strong climber, and quick. Rarely does anyone need to slow on her account while traveling. She also has a gift for knowing and reading people and realizing why they do what they do even if the person himself doesn't know why. Due to her authority and power, Kahlan is a person who is used to getting answers when she questions others. She is courageous and determined, full of intelligence and wit. Nevertheless, she is terrified of the underworld and the boundaries, due to her time spent crossing one and the things she saw inside. She is also uncharacteristically afraid of snakes and of the witch woman Shota, although the latter is common of most people in the Midlands.
Kahlan can recover the strength of her power unusually fast, in about two hours after she releases it, as opposed to at least a day and night for most Confessors. Because of this, her power is also stronger than most others and works more powerfully in the ones she touches. That is why some of the people she touches are able to perform far beyond their normal strength or even fall over dead at her request. It would not be so for a weaker Confessor.
Kahlan was born and raised in the Midlands of the New World. Due to her race and position she received very little comfort or friendship as a child. As a child, she was taught a great many things about war and sword-fighting by her father. However, girls in the Midlands were not meant to shoot a bow. Nevertheless, Kahlan took it up as a diversion when she was young, before she began taking confessions.
Before Kahlan became a woman, her mother was stricken with a terrible sickness which no healer could cure. She died quickly of the disease. Dennee's mother took in Kahlan and comforted her. The two girls, best friends, had been thrilled that they were to be sisters, as they called themselves from then on, and it helped ease the pain of Kahlan losing her mother. Dennee did not have the strength of power that Kahlan did, and over time, Kahlan became her protector, shielding her from situations that required more force than she could bring from within. Kahlan would often go to take confessions in Dennee's place, to spare her the torment of the task. Kahlan, too, disliked taking confessions, but she was stronger, wiser, and more reflective and thus better equipped to handle it. She understood and accepted that being a Confessor was her power; it was who she was, and so it didn't hurt her the way it did Dennee. She recognized and accepted that she had no choice, her life was the life of a Confessor, she was born with it and could never give it up. Kahlan had always been able to put her head before her heart. For a long time, in the beginning, the confessions of those she touched would give Kahlan such nightmares she would fear sleeping. However, she would have done any dirty job in Dennee's place.
Dennee died after she was hunted down by a quad shortly before the series began. Kahlan discovered her discarded in the brush at the side of the road and moaning with mortal pain. It was the first time Kahlan had ever wanted to user her power to hurt someone, to kill someone.
In her mid-twenties, Kahlan left the Midlands for Westland to find the First Wizard in order to convince him to appoint a true Seeker of Truth who could defeat Darken Rahl, the cruel leader of D'Hara, a powerful country to the east. Kahlan herself was chased and attacked by a quad. It was at this time that she was spotted by Richard (then known as Richard Cypher) who offered to help her. With his help, they were able to kill the members of the quad and travel to Hartland. Richard brought her to meet his good friend and mentor Zedd, who turned out to be the First Wizard and appointed Richard as the Seeker. After this, Kahlan and Richard went into the Midlands to find the Boxes of Orden and keep them out of the hands of Darken Rahl.
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