Canticle Kingdom Encyclopedia · Character Archive
Richard
The Keeper of the Old Lore
Spoiler level: Book One safe
Quick Reference
- Role: Elder relative, storyteller, and keeper of family lore
- Family: Grandfather to Johann
- Special knowledge: The hidden chamber and ancient mechanism beneath the castle
- Defining traits: Eccentric, warm, secretive, historically minded
- First novel: The Canticle Kingdom
Who Is Richard?
Richard is Johann’s grandfather, an old man with a taste for stories the kingdom would sometimes prefer forgotten. He remembers earlier reigns, forbidden names, and traditions that official history has simplified or erased.
His apparent rambling hides genuine knowledge. Richard has studied the lore surrounding a vast hidden mechanism beneath the castle, a device said to matter in times of great danger. Where Brutus understands more of its mechanics, Richard preserves the stories, warnings, and inherited responsibility surrounding it.
Memory Against Official History
Richard’s value comes from remembering what institutions have chosen not to remember. His stories make him easy to dismiss, but the crisis gradually reveals that old lore may be practical knowledge in disguise. In a kingdom where history is contested, an eccentric grandfather can become a living archive.
Important Connections
Archive Themes
- Oral history
- Forbidden memory
- Generational responsibility
- Lore versus mechanics
- What kingdoms choose to forget