Reece

Reece was the leader of the Nine Ra-Kacharz of Noradz.

Early life
Reece started out as a human living in the Plains territory sometime before the reign of King Lucan. In exchange for immortality, he and eight others became willing servants of the Shadow Lord. Their first tasks were to infiltrate the city of Hira disguised as rat catchers and breed a plague of rats to force the people of the city to flee. During this time, Reece and the other rat catchers discovered the serpent Reeah, and provided him with rats to feed on and grow.

Once the people of Hira abandoned their city, Reece and the other rat catchers led them to build a new city named Noradz. He and the others became the nine Ra-Kacharz, with Reece acting as their leader. Thanks to their immortality, Reece and the Ra-Kacharz were able to keep the people of Noradz subjugated and ignorant to the world around them. This made them ideal puppets to the Shadow Lord, who used the people of Noradz to provide food for the royal family in Del. Even after the Shadow Lord's conquest of Deltora, Reece insured that food would be delivered to the Shadow Lord's servants.

The Deltora Book of Monsters
Josef heard a lot of rumours that the Ra-Kacharz ruled Noradz with an iron fist. A lot of people who ventured near Noradz narrowly escaped with their lives and some disappeared forever. Josef warned everyone to stay away from Noradz and to avoid an encounter with a Ra-Kachar.

City of the Rats
Reece and other residents of Noradz discovered Lief, Barda, and Jasmine at the gates of the city after the trio had been thrown from the backs of their Muddlets. Reece introduced the three to Noradz and insisted that they stayed in the city, as food had already been prepared and blessed for them.

During the feast, a serving girl named Tira accidentally knocked a loaf of bread to the floor, and the Ra-Kacharz immediately seized her. Reece determined that her mistake had earned one hundred lashes, but Lief intervened and took the blame for the accident. The Ra-Kacharz spoke briefly and decided that Lief, as an ignorant outsider, did not deserve punishment, though Reece visibly disagreed with the decision. Shortly after, however, Reece noticed Filli on Jasmine's shoulder and, mistaking him for a rat, had the three arrested.

At their trial, Reece made it clear that he wanted Lief, Barda, and Jasmine executed, thinking that they deliberately brought a rat to Noradz. He offered Lief a goblet that held two cards: one, reading "Life" meant that they would be imprisoned in Noradz for life, while the other read "Death". Unbeknownst to the other Ra-Kacharz, however, Reece replaced the "Life" card with a second "Death" card. Tira, watching from the audience, managed to warn Lief of this. Lief, with the help of the Topaz, found a way out by pretending to trip and drop his card into the nearby fireplace. Since the second "Death" card was in the Cup, it was assumed Lief pulled the "Life" card, and the three were brought to the city dungeons. Despite this, Reece continued to try and have the companions killed. He claimed that he would personally bring them food and water, but did no such thing, hoping for the three to starve or die of thirst. Tira, concerned and unnerved by the First Ra-Kacharz's actions, freed the prisoners and tried to help them escape through the only known exit to the city: a hole located just outside the Ra-Kacharz's chambers.

Reece intercepted Lief, Barda, and Jasmine at the entrance to the Hole and attempted to drive them inside and to their deaths. However, Tira hit him over the head with a frying pan and knocked him out. Lief, Barda, and Jasmine incapacitated three more Ra-Kacharz shortly afterward and stole their uniforms, assuming that the red clothing would protect them from whatever danger lurked within the Hole. This allowed the companions to see the Shadow Lord's brand on their necks. Lief, Barda, and Jasmine carried Reece with them into the Hole, hoping to use him as a hostage or force him to help them escape. However, Reece's bare hands and head brushed against the sides of the Hole’s walls, coming into contact with the toxic fungus that covered them. Reece began thrashing wildly in pain and fell onto the conveyor belt that transported food through the Hole. Lief chased after him and managed to wrestle with Reece for a bit, but he soon died from the poison.

Anime
Reece's role in the anime is mostly identical to his role in the book. However, the companions do not take the uniform of the Ra-Kacharz they defeated, instead wearing spare robes near the entrance to the Hole when they went inside. They also do not take Reece as a hostage. Instead, he wakes up and follows after the companions in an attempt to kill them. During the fight, Lief sliced the robes on his arm and forced him to touch the fungus growing on the wall, which quickly spread all over his body. Knowing he was about to die, Reece lunged for the companions to spread the fungus to them, but they sidestepped him easily. After he died, the companions discovered the Shadow Lord's brand on his hand.

Physical appearance
Reece was a large man with black eyes, a shaved head, and the Shadow Lord's mark burned onto his neck. He, like the other Ra-Kacharz, was dressed from head to toe in thick, red clothing. He wore heavy boots and gloves, his face was wrapped in red cloth, leaving room only for his eyes, and he had a long, plaited whip that hung from his wrist. The clothing protected Reece from the effects of Scarlet Night and prevented rats from climbing him, due to the clothing’s smooth, slippery surface.

Personality
Reece was a controlling individual, repeatedly disregarding the laws of Noradz and resorting to lies and trickery to try and have his way. He ruled Noradz with an iron fist, enforcing the laws of Noradz cruelly. He was somewhat paranoid, convinced that Lief, Barda, and Jasmine were spies deliberately attempting to set rats loose in Noradz, and was determined to kill them for the offence. He demonstrated some sadistic tendencies, telling Jasmine that he would kill her friends in front of her so that she could hear their screams. Reece seemed to have a fear of rats, much like the rest of Noradz.

Abilities
Reece was reasonably strong, able to restrain Jasmine with one arm. He was highly skilled in the use of his whip, using it to drive back his opponents and cause painful welts and cuts. As the leader of Noradz and the Ra-Kacharz, Reece seemed to be very successful. Everyone in Noradz listened to him without question and considered him a just leader, even when the evidence suggested otherwise, such as Tira's denial that Reece wanted the companions dead.