Richo

This article is about the Frankish criminal. You may be looking for the Japanese kidnapper.

Richo, best known by his chosen moniker of Rat King, was a criminal active in West Francia at the time of the second Viking Siege of Paris. He was wanted for harassment, extortion, torture, and murder by rodent.

Biography

Originally a cook, Richo eventually started experimenting with adding rat meat into his porridge. After 15 days of eating his "rorridge", as he called it, Richo's mental health had deteriorated until he crowned himself as the "Rat King", believing the rats obeyed his thoughts. Word eventually reached the poor public on how to make his macabre food that his addled mind described as "an acquired taste, but such a joy to slurp down". The local clergy were horrified that peasants would willingly eat it, while the same citizens considered it better than starving to death even if they got sick afterward, though there is little indication whether Richo knew or cared about this. He soon began a small criminal enterprise, gathering allies and stealing from smugglers, but eventually planned a big caper to take all the ransom silver underneath Sainte-Geneviève Church using the Vikings' attacks as a distraction.

However, many of the people who pledged their services to Richo plotted against him. When Richo discovered their betrayal, hearing the whispers in the sewer tunnels of Paris, he fed the traitors to his rats, remarking that the remaining bones were troublesome to deal with. He eventually decided to show his entourage "what it took to be a Rat King" by taking poison and becoming himself a meal for the rats.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – The Siege of Paris (mentioned only)