They were created by Weis and Hickman, then fleshed out as player characters in gaming sessions of Dungeons & Dragons at Hickman's apartment.
#DRACONIAN DRAGONLANCE SERIES#
The Heroes of the Lance are the protagonists of the Chronicles trilogy, the first series of Dragonlance books. Greater dragonlances are blessed with the power of Good, unlike lesser dragonlances. There are lesser dragonlances, which are made when only one of the artifacts is used to create them, and greater dragonlances, which are made when both artifacts are used to make them. The weapons clearly draw upon Christian iconography, as the two mythical figures shown defeating dragons, Archangel Michael and Saint George, are often portrayed wielding lances to do so.ĭragonlances are rare and not commonly traded. Dragonlances have this power because of the way in which they are created, which requires the use of "two god-blessed artifacts". The eggs of good dragons create evil draconians, and vice versa.ĭragonlances are magical weapons first created in the Third Dragon War, designed with the purpose of killing evil dragons, and are the only weapons with which mortals can kill dragons. Draconians are created by corrupting a dragon egg, thereby creating a reptilian humanoid. During Krynn's various wars, armies of draconians are used as troops.
Hickman had previously served as a Mormon missionary in Java for two years, and uses Indonesian in Dragonlance spells. Clerics derive magical powers from their gods, and wizards derive their power from the three moon gods, Solinari, Lunitari, and Nuitari. Humans are Krynn's most common humanoid race, but elves, dwarves, kender, gnomes, and minotaurs occupy the world as well. Depending on the time period, the evil chromatic and the good metallic dragons are rare or plentiful. The gods are opposed by Chaos, who seeks to destroy Krynn. The world's major gods are the High God and his children: good Paladine, neutral Gilean, and evil Takhisis. The majority of the novels take place in the various regions of Ansalon, a small continent, though some have taken place on the continent of Taladas, located northeast of Ansalon. The setting contains numerous characters, an extensive timeline, and a detailed geography.ĭragonlance is set on the world of Krynn. The Dragonlance world is described in dozens of books and novels. Along with the world of the Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance is one of the most popular shared worlds in fiction. The Heroes of the Lance, created by Weis and Hickman, are the popular protagonists of the Chronicles trilogy. Since February 2009, the fifth age, the Age of Mortals, has been used. The novels and related game products are primarily set in the fourth age, The Age of Despair. The history of Krynn consists of five ages. The fictional Dragonlance world of Krynn contains numerous characters, an extensive timeline, and a detailed geography. In 1997, Wizards of the Coast LLC purchased TSR, and licensed Dragonlance to Sovereign Press, Inc in 2001 to produce game materials this licensing agreement expired in 2007. Over 190 novels have used the Dragonlance setting, and have been accompanied by supplemental Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting material for over a decade.
While the authoring team of Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis wrote the setting's central books, numerous other authors contributed novels and short stories to the setting. It began the Chronicles trilogy, a core element of the Dragonlance world. In 1984, TSR published the first Dragonlance novel, Dragons of Autumn Twilight. The adventures during that game inspired a series of gaming modules, a series of novels, licensed products such as board games, and lead miniature figures. At TSR Tracy met Margaret Weis, his future writing partner, and they gathered a group of associates to play the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The Hickmans conceived Dragonlance while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job interview. Dragonlance is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc.