Faith of the Fallen begins where Soul of the Fire leaves off.
Richard is taking Cara and injured Kahlan to the high mountains of
his homeland, Westland. At the end of the Soul of the Fire Richard
realizes that he cannot win against Emperor Jagang until the people
themselves want to fight for freedom. Because of this mindset
Richard isolates himself in the woods, to allow Kahlan time to
heal, and refuses to give orders to the D'Haran army. After Kahlan
has made a significant recovery, Nicci arrives and captures Kahlan
by using a maternity spell, linking herself to Kahlan and enabling
herself to kill Kahlan at any time. Richard is forced to go with
Nicci into the Old World, leaving Kahlan, Cara, and the The Sword
of Truth to rejoin the D'Haran army.
Shortly afterward, Prelate Ann and the reformed Sister of the
Dark Alessandra visit the camp, looking for Richard, claiming his
need for the people to prove their worth is pointless and that the
prophecy dictates his required actions. This enrages Kahlan, and
she threatens to murder Alessandra unless Ann destroys her journey
book, which will prevent her from coordinating with Verna and the
D'haran army. Kahlan and Cara, despite knowing Richard's
objections, leave the Upper Ven in search of help from Zedd and
Sister Verna. Seeing the plight of her troops fighting against the
Order, Kahlan takes command of the combined armies of D'Hara and
the Midlands in a desperate attempt to halt the Order's advance
into the New World.
Following Nicci, Richard is put to work in the Old World capital
of Altur'Rang, finding work as a delivery man of steel and timber
for construction, as Nicci's only requirement is that he care for
her and himself, expecting the conditions of life among the poor
will crush Richard's spirits. Richard also meets Brother Narev, a
sorcerer who is constructing a spellform for the Imperial Palace
that will effectively make Emperor Jagang immortal. As Richard
becomes successful and relatively happy, even turning around the
deplorable conditions of the neighborhood despite the conditions,
Nicci begins to doubt her position, and finds she is viciously
hated by her neighbors for her treatment of Richard. She attempts
to seduce Richard but fails, and gives herself to a local thug,
Gadi, who brutally assaults her, thinking that Kahlan will believe
Richard finally fell for her charms. Richard is approached to lead
a peaceful protest against the Order but he refuses and begs his
friends to stay away, knowing it will be a wholesale slaughter.
Hundreds are killed, and hundreds more are hung and tortured.
Richard is eventually turned in by Gadi as a collaborator. Nicci
spends a fortune in gold she finds Richard has hidden to set him
free, finding he has been severely beaten.
Richard, as punishment for his "civil infraction," is commanded
to erect a disgusting sculpture glorifying human suffering for the
center of the New Palace. Secretly, Richard works tirelessly to
create his own statue of a noble man and woman out of a block of
flawed marble he purchases from a local quarryman. It is of such
beauty that a huge procession is lead through the city to view
it.
Brother Narev, when he finally arrives to see the statue, orders
Richard to destroy it. Richard takes up the hammer and points to
the crowd, telling them that the Order only wishes to destroy
beauty, only wishes to enslave humanity under the doctrine of faith
unsupported by the true value of life. He swings the hammer and
shatters the statue in one blast. The people are outraged, and
immediately revolt, proclaiming that the Order will not enslave
them any longer. They attack the Imperial Order, and Altur'Rang
falls to the hands of the rebels. Richard finds a group of his
friends overseeing the execution of the Order governing
council.
After fighting many battles against the Imperial Order,
overseeing the wedding of Verna to the Wizard Warren, the
subsequent death of Warren at the hands of Gadi, Kahlan and Cara
leave to find Richard, learning from Gadi's interrogation that he
is in Altur'Rang. They enter Altur'Rang in time to see the statues
destruction. As the rebellion begins, Richard enters the palace to
find Brother Narev. W
