Richard

Richard Gottfried Kasper

Hr. Dr. Kasper’s father. The OG Grim Reaper Death himself when he was briefly human once every thousand years.

Richard was an incarnation of Death reborn as a human into the Kasper Family in the 1950s. He was the younger brother of Heinrich, second son of Olaf (the current patriarch of the family, also known as “The Black Skull of Kiel”). Richard’s childhood was rough since the day he was born, especially with his mother Ida wanting a daughter and Olaf not expecting having a second son who was determined to be a more significant than his beloved oldest son just by being the very entity that dictates their means of living in the world of the mythical and occult. Richard was sent off to Johannesburg, South Africa where his mother’s parents lived for the first few years of his life to allow Heinrich time to excel in his studies “without unwanted distractions”; once he was old enough to attend school himself, he was brought back to Kiel, Germany. It wasn’t long before Ida left her family behind for a young American soldier stationed in Berlin out of unhappiness and shame of giving birth to who would be the new living physical form of Death. It was during this time Richard and Heinrich grew close while their father Olaf became more abusive in response to their mother’s actions; Olaf was more critical of his youngest child since as Death Incarnate he wasn’t expected to live long enough to contribute to the failing family business and legacy (Death Himself usually lives no longer than 30 – 40 years as a human, often just enjoying life at the expense of his host family), and that it was Richard’s fault that Ida left in the first place. Because of his past lives and experiences, Richard breezed through school and easily became a Doctor as a teenager alongside continuing the family side business of collecting souls and hunting monsters.

At 15, Richard had a rude awakening when Heinrich gave up his role of heir when he met and married Yoko Kobayashi. Richard was upset, not liking that now he had to uphold the responsibility of continuing the bloodline and running the family business when he only has a limited time to enjoy whatever life had to offer. For a few years he and Heinrich didn’t get along, but with the birth of Hansel and Hannah, Richard couldn’t hold up his grudge against his beloved brother for long; he enjoyed playing with his nephew and niece, often spoiling them with candy and toys despite Yoko’s constant scolding for doing so.

At the meantime, Richard was notorious for being a playboy and breaking numerous hearts of many girls and young women. Both his father and brother were appalled by his promiscuous behavior, and Olaf conspired to have him engaged to an Enchantress named Sheila from a prestigious family within the occult society; Richard reluctantly agreed to the engagement until breaking it off nearly a year later after witnessing his fiancée mistreating Yoko and calling the children “mongrels”. Richard was miserable being pressured finding a wife and having a son before his time was up being a human, at this time just having one-night stands and brief dates to alleviate the stress (overall a total of seven girlfriends, his failed engagement, and four one-night flings). He decided to take a break and look into a rare case given to him directly from Fate Herself of a girl in Copenhagen, Denmark who had a life curse placed on her by her father since birth to steal years from her lifespan.

On Valentine’s Day, Richard arrived at a house converted into a flower shop owned by an albino woman named Aina Faustus (she removed her former married last name and gave herself a new one after leaving her husband); the shop owner immediately recognized him as a Grim Reaper and the youngest son of “The Black Skull of Kiel”. Aina was saddened, explaining that she expected Death to send a Grim Reaper after her only child Sigrid now that her age limit was almost up; not saying he was Death Himself and referring to himself in third-person, Richard said he was only there to observe her daughter until Death says it’s time to collect her soul. He finally met Sigrid as she sold roses out in the street, instantly falling in love after seeing how beautiful she was; but Richard was also wary once he found out how young she was – Sigrid was only a teenager while he was nearly twice her age. With Aina’s permission, Richard started to pursue Sigrid with countless gifts of cards, candy, jewelry, and perfume despite initially being shot down repeatedly; but over time as he visited often to get rid of Tatzelwurms in their backyard, collect vials of plant extracts for potions and medicines, and work at the local university for research as an Epidemiologist, Sigrid slowly warmed up to Richard while he gradually grew more ill with lovesickness.

After returning from a long trip to Greece, Richard collapsed from fever at the shop, confirming his severe case of lovesickness; Sigrid felt guilty for rejecting him over the months, and to make up for her actions, Aina insisted that her daughter should take care of him until he fully recovers. Richard ended up staying in Sigrid’s bedroom, barely awake as he was placed on her bed and patted down with rags soaked with iced rubbing alcohol. As the night progressed, Sigrid and Richard conversed and became more intimate; by morning the two were passionate lovers inseparable from each other’s embrace.

The two tried their best to keep their relationship secret secret from non-family members and close friends to avoid criticism. But with Sigrid’s classmates reporting it to teachers and the local arcade owner’s oldest son (a police officer) trying to investigate Richard’s sketchy background, the two quickly married to lessen the attention on themselves and move on with what’s left of their short lives. Sigrid gave birth to their son Johannes Faustuz by the end of the year, dying within days with her lifespan up. Richard was heartbroken but managed to get by for another three years before contacting his brother Heinrich to adopt his son as he reverts back to being Death once again. His physical body finally gave out, declaring his identity as Richard “dead” as he slowly recedes deep underground in a hidden crypt where he oversees his network of Grim Reapers and manage the collection of souls.