Doctor Richard Nicholas Edward Prince

> *"When asked "Why?" the answer should, more often than not, be something akin to 'Why not? I was curious to see what would happen.'"*
>
>

Ričardas Niccolò Edoarado Princo is known at the Society as Doctor Richard Nicholas Edward Prince.

## Doctor Richard Nicholas Edward Prince

### Aliases

Nicky-boy, Rich, Ricky-boy, The Patchwork Prince, (Scar-Muffin by some narrators), machine-man

### Field of study

Geology, mechanical, biological and theoretical engineering, metallurgy, and cryptography in his spare time

### Occupation

He sells prosthesis, metal sculptures, tools, clocks, trinkets, clockworks, and decor.

### Age

Richard believes he is 27. Due to some gaps in his memory, and some years he'd rather forget he doesn't know his exact age.

### Gender

Male

Richard has olive skin that hints at his partially Italian heritage, though it is pale due to his lack of proper self-care and sunlight. His hair, which had once been rather long, is now just barely shoulder-length, a deep chestnut-red color, and very curly. He has a rather wiry but muscular frame cultivated from strenuous exercise and the same lack of proper self-care that leaves him with his pale skin.

The right side of his face is covered with a variety of wounds ranging from weapon scars to acid burns to missing his right eye altogether, the socket normally filled with a 'glass eye' of his own making and subsequently covered with an odd, crystalline-looking monocle of sorts. The rest of his body hasn't fared much better- his neck is bisected by a long knife scar shaped like a smile, and the same acid damage travels down his right side, across his chest and back, and onto his left side at the middle of his ribcage. There is a bullet scar in the small in his back, a smattering of scars from many different blades, and several series of tally marks to boot.

The upper half of his back is covered with many metal plates that resemble a sort of chainmail. The middle and lower part of his back is spanned by a grandiose mark that looks equal parts fire burn and tattoo in the shape of a dragon or a phoenix, depending on how one looks.

All four of Richard's limbs are now completely or partially prosthesis- typically his own design. His right arm from the elbow down, his left arm from the shoulder down, his left leg from about two inches above the knee down, and his right leg from shortly below the hip down are all mechanical creations. At this point, he wonders if he is not more metal and machine than man.

Naturally, the majority of his scars and prosthetic limbs are covered by his clothes. In addition to the monocle mentioned previously, Richard's attire typically consists of a large periwinkle scarf with many patches, a leather apron in similar condition, and a dark-colored waistcoat, pinstriped shirt, and solid trousers, usually in shades of monochrome gray, black, or navy- the better to hide oil stains. He carries a cane shaped in the hyper-realistic visage of a toucan he calls Stephan, and often alludes to a semi-sentient teakettle by the name of Gerard that he keeps as a companion.

Until recently, Richard was a man of dual natures, as likely to be detached and cold as to be social and jovial- the former a remnant mask of his past, the latter an attempt to throw the mask away. However, in the wake of Artemis' death, he experienced a shift in personality, the traumatic event forcing him to prioritize and reevaluate his sense of self.

Nowadays, he is much more adept at hiding the terrors that plague him with every step. He appears to be, calm, charming, and composed- perhaps a little too much so, given his fondness for Artemis and his role in the man's death. Regardless, he is calm and assured, his forced stutter and limp discarded for the guise of a man who is coping, rather than rebuilding himself piece by piece. While he is more secretive now, bordering on the edge of paranoia, he hides it well under the cheer and sophistication he cultivated in the early years of his life, mingling with the nobility and divas of many different countries.

Despite his inner turmoil, Richard is stepping out from under the shadow of his past and accepting his true nature, slowly but surely.

Narrator--Tairais

## Biography

Richard's past is one shrouded in grief and misery, and while large parts of it are still mostly unknown to his fellow Lodgers, much has been revealed to the narrators in the form of his memories, dreams, and his waking combinations of the two.

Richard was born into an as-of-yet-unspecified family of Lithuanian nobility in Jurkarbas, Lithuania. His father was a native Lithuanian and his mother was Italian nobility. He had an older brother and a pair of younger twin siblings; his brother Benediktas, and a little sister whose name is unknown. He has mentioned his older brother was an architect, and that they didn't get along (for unknown reasons)- he much preferred the company of his younger brother and sister, who he adored fiercely. His father was distant and wanted to groom Richard to be their heir to the estate (presumably because his father and his older brother got along even less), against the wishes of both Richard and his mother, with whom he was close.

Despite this family tension, Richard's early childhood was fairly happy, filled with music, language, art, science, and learning- all luxuries his family could afford. He learned how to play the violin and dance ballet with a level of skill approaching prodigy, even performing in prominent theatres at the behest of his socially ambitious father.

After his older brother and younger sister disappeared from his life for unspecified reason, things rapidly began to get bad for Richard. In short order, his mother grew ill, tensions began to rise against Imperial Russia, the noble families began to lose their power, and his father grew more distant from his two remaining children still, family affairs falling into disarray around him.

Shortly thereafter, RIchard's uncle confronted his father for an unknown reason, though it was alluded to be of a monetary matter. The resulting conflict led to Richard's father being shot and the family home set ablaze, both at the hands of his uncle. Richard managed to get Benediktas to safety, but fell through the second floor onto a burning pile of rubble on the first floor, gaining the burns that would lead to his loss of his right hand. In retaliation for his father's murder, Richard slew his uncle and ate his heart, then swore to his father's memory he'd never commit such violence again.

Richard and Benediktas then lived with 'family friends' until shortly before Lithuania's January Uprising, having been kicked out due to Richard's erratic behavior, which attracted shame and scandal the family couldn't afford. Richard and his brother took to living on the streets of an unspecified city just in time for the Uprising to begin in full force.

Through the course of this rebellion, Richard and Benediktas made a friend who became like another brother to them, narrowly managed to survive fighters of both sides, then lost their brother-figure to a troop of soldiers in the woods around the city when they tried to escape the fires that blazed within. It was at this point that Richard met Charricthran-Kothar, perched on the antlers of a stag. They made a deal of sorts, the details of which are only known to them.

Charricthran managed to guide them safely away from the fighting only for Richard and Benediktas to come face to face with a group of Russian officials, one of whom recognized Richard from one of his ballet performances. Upon learning the two were orphans, and seeking to gain fame and recognition, the Russian official ferried them away to his homeland. Whatever happened there left Richard with a deep-rooted fear and loathing towards Russia in any way shape or form.

After Russia, Richard sought to get as far away from it as possible, settling in Spain with Benediktas, who shortly achieved reknown of his own, hand in hand with the wrong sort of attention. Charricthran finally managed to catch back up with Richard, much to his relief and dismay. Their stay in Spain ended with the death of Benediktas, and the introduction of Torke, a man possessing great magical ability who had been cursed into the form of a gargoyle and left to guard the church Benediktas died in. Torke was freed when the circumstances of Benediktas' death burned the church to the ground. Having no other way to make amends to the man, Richard agreed to let Torke travel with Charricthran and him.

Torke quickly fell into a dark sort of unrequited love with Richard that ultimately led to their parting, the former taking Charricthran with him to the fae courts located in Spain in hopes of finding a cure for his rapidly expanding magic, which was slowly killing him from the inside out.

Richard then moved on to Italy, where he met Captain Jack Harkness and several of his co-workers: Lillian, Martha, Emily, and Elise, among others. The group of them were investigating an unspecified phenomenon and invited Richard along once he demonstrated his quick thinking and knowledge of geology and metallurgy, among other things. He, Jack, and Elise grew close, and he and Elise actually ended up betrothed, though it has been hinted that their relationship was quite unhealthy. At some point Richard discovered Lillian had been manipulating and causing trouble for the rest of the group- he then killed her when they wouldn't believe his story. Shortly thereafter, Emily's lab caught fire while the pair of them were working on their research. She died when she dove back into the inferno to try and salvage their work. Elise revealed she'd been manipulating the group to serve her own ends, and violently retaliated against Richard and Jack when they threatened to make her machinations known to the social circles she frequented. This violent retaliation resulted in Jack's death, and according to Richard, is both the reason behind the acid burns covering much of his body and his missing left arm. Naturally, when he was able to, Richard extracted bloody vengeance for Jack's murder, as he had fallen in love with the man over the duration of their friendship.

Fleeing Italy and coming to realize how horribly he'd broken his oath to his father, Richard adopted a new set of morals, a new (false) personality and a new mindset to boot. He began to terrorize the cities of Germany as a serial killer, giving into the violent urges that had haunted him since early childhood; The newspapers dubbed him the Patchwork Prince. His actions and skillful evasion of the police earned him the attention of Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham, and eventually he entered into a teacher-student relationship with them. This period of relative happiness was marked with the honing of his darker skillsets and an increase in the cannibalistic tendencies he'd shown at his uncle's murder. The trio moved to France in order to escape the attention that Richard's killing had caused and resumed their training and appreciation of the finer things in life there.

As tends to be the case with the relationships he cares the most about, Richard's friendship and partnership with Hannibal and Will came to a violent close. While never fully explained, Richard appeared to have had a change of heart regarding his attitude towards murder, manipulating Hannibal into hypnotizing him to forget large stretches of his memories. Incorrectly assuming that Hannibal was forcing Will to stay and kill with him, Richard revealed he had been working against the pair for some time and had framed Hannibal for his murders in order to free the both of them from his influence. Given Will was Hannibal's partner in every way, this did not go over well. The resulting animosity left Richard short part of a leg and his right eye, and earned him the massive scar on his neck.

An unnamed doctor treated his wounds and formed a friendship of sorts with Richard. It lasted for only a short time before Richard decided to try his luck in London, having nothing left to lose. Once there, he made ends meet by selling intriguing mechanical contraptions and prototype prosthesis for the less fortunate, like himself. The latter of these is what eventually earned him the intrigue of Doctor Henry Jekyll, who, upon seeing his low standard of living, offered him a place to stay at the Society. He readily accepted, hoping to finally make a new name for himself under the mask kindness that he'd fashioned.

The rest, as they say, is history.

## Story Appearances

### Normality

A series of stories that captures life after the crash as the Society tries to adjust back to normality.

### A Prank Too Far

Nex attempts to create a smoke bomb, however there are some unexpected side effects.

### Life Continues

Helen and Eliana have an announcement. The rest of the lodgers carry on with their lives.

### Haunting Pasts

A figure from Elias's past appears, Richard tries to process some harsh memories, Not-Allison tries to hide from the consequences of her actions, and the new lodgers get some advice and a room.

### Actions Have Consequences

Familiar figures return to the society, Richard's nightmares become reality, Hela puts pressure on Lodgers, the Society is targeted by a group of thieves.

### Tales from the ER

The new doctor's, Dr. Lezo, skills are put to the challenge as several of the lodgers require medical assistance.

### Halloween Special: Monster Mash

A strange green fog has infiltrated the Society turning all of the lodgers into monsters!

### New and Old Faces

Elaina returns to the Society and several new lodgers join. Elias returns to the Society wounded and Alicia has an attack.

### Halloween Special: Nightmare or Reality?

More spooky madness as the landscape of the society warps and changes into visions of the lodger's pasts!

### Potential

Alicia has an attack, it's Elaina's Birthday, and a figure from Jasper's past appears.

### Forgiveness

Elias disappears leaving behind a note and a very worried brother. Alice's past returns with a vengeance threatening not only to claim the life she's built but the Society as well.

## Pictures

Drawn by TairaisRichard and Dr. Elias Castellanos in the kitchen. Drawn by TairaisDr. Elias Castellanos and Richard drawn by DeciphererBack of Richard. Drawn by TairaisRichard and Madame La Déchante Drawn by ATasteForVintagesDrawn by TairaisDrawn by TairaisDrawn by DeciphererDrawn by TairaisDrawn by TairaisDrawn by DeciphererDrawn by DeciphererDrawn by TairaisDrawn by TairaisDrawn by TairaisHighschool!Elias and Highschool!Richard by DeciphererDrawn by DeciphererElias and Richard drawn by TairaisDrawn by TairaisDrawn by TairaisDrawn by TairaisDrawn by TairaisDrawn by TairaisTop left is Elias as a bitter coffee, top right is Oliver as orange juice, bottom left is Richard as a scar-muffin, and bottom right is Lewis as tea.Drawn by TairaisDrawn by Doodle