Raistlin Majere | DragonLance Saga
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 Published On Oct 12, 2021

You cannot separate the story of Raistlin Majere from his twin Caramon or the lich, Fistandantilus that fed off and empowered him. Let's take a closer look at Raistlin Majere, Master of Past and Present! Buy Dragonlance Adventures: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/...

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Transcript
If there was even an exception to the rule for a wizard on Krynn, it was always, and will always be Raistlin Majere.
Intro
Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today we are going to talk about Raistlin Majere. I would like to take a moment and thank my collaborator patrons, the Heroes of the Lance, and invite you to consider becoming a patron or member of this channel by visiting the links in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate link. I am referencing novels and sourcebooks for this information, but we all know how deep and intrinsic Raistlin is to the history of Krynn, so If I skip over something or misspeak, please leave a comment below.
Discussion
The entire backstory for Raistlin was left for Margaret Weis to determine. She had to base it on Jeff Grub’s idea of him having hourglass eyes and golden skin. She had help as she recalls because of the painting Larry Elmore made of Raistlin, showing suffering in his face. The design team planned him as being the unlikable character as he was sly, greedy and weak. Weis saw Raistlin as the tragic anti-hero; The man who will finally be consumed by his fatal flaw--his thirst for power. She was insistent that readers and players understand him however. Raistlin turns to evil, but the Heroes would not have defeated the Queen of Darkness without him. We are first introduced to Raistlin in Margaret Weis’ short story ‘The Test of the Twins’ in Dragon Magazine #83. She described Raistlin as a frail and sickly magician and scholar. He and his twin Caramon made up one whole person. Caramon was the body and Raistlin was the mind. This would prove to be the driving force throughout the Chronicles and Legends trilogies which would propel Raistlin from that originally designed unlikable character into arguably the most popular character in all of Dragonlance.

Caramon and Raistlin were raised by their half sister Kitiara. Raistlin nearly died in his infancy and lived by Kitiara’s will alone, as he was weak and sickly. Their mother Rosamun was unwell and more than happy to allow Kitiara take up her role. It was Raistlin's father Gilon that would set him down on the path of magic, with the visit to a local illusionist Waylan. Raistlin was obsessed with the craft and by the evening had learned every one of the sleight-of-hand tricks through observation alone! His father would enroll him in a prestigious school, taught by a highly-reputed Master Mage Theobald. He was talented in math and memory. Raistlin even inherited his mothers Psychic abilities, though he was never able to control or channel them. The Mage did not like Raistlin and was going to turn him away when Raistlin began reading the master's spell books. This can be deadly to those too young or weak in the craft. He was immediately accepted as a pupil.

By the age of 16, Raistlin had outgrown his master. He was picked on and bullied by the other boys around his age and his brother Caramon would be the only one on his side. After their fathers death and mother’s retreat into her mind which preceded her death, Raistlin would find nothing but contempt for others. They were either less intelligent than him or outright harmed him. This would come to be a defining characteristic in Raistlin revealing itself in the defense of those marginalized. Eventually, they gained respect from the townsfolk. Caramon for his strength, and Raistlin for his skills in magic. They earned money from the strength of Caramon and performances by Rasitlin which only infuriated his master. They became friends with the other heroes of the lance and shared misadventures together. At the age of Twenty, Raistlin was offered an opportunity to take the Test of High Sorcery. He knew that it meant the possibility of death, but also, the possibility of realising his true potential...

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