Paladine

This article explains the Paladine in fantasy. For the term referring to history, see Paladin.

Template:DL character Paladine is a fictional major deity from the Dragonlance fantasy series of novels and role playing games, originally published by TSR, Inc. and later by Wizards of the Coast^[1].

Paladine is the leader of the faction of good deities in the Dragonlance campaign setting. Among his other duties, he is the patron deity of the Order of the Rose, a prestigious order of knighthood. He is also credited with the creation of the elven race in the Dragonlance campaign world. His colors are silver and white. In keeping with his role as a major deity, He holds dominion over several concepts, which form his divine portfolio. Among these concepts are Charity, Redemption, Leadership, Law, and Light.

Paladine is described as being the elder brother of Takhisis and Gilean, the major deities of Evil and Neutrality, respectively. He and Mishakal are the parents of Kiri-Jolith, Habbakuk, and Solinari, who are all lesser deities of good. He and Mishakal, are also the parents of Mina, the Goddess of Tears.^{[citation needed]}

Character background

In the very early stages of the character's development, Paladine and the character Huma Dragonbane were regarded as interchangeable - however, Tracy Hickman soon moved to using the character of Fizban as Paladine's avatar.^[2] Thus when Paladine is first encountered in the novels, albeit incognito, in the preface to Dragons of Autumn Twilight, he calls himself "Fizban" and represents himself to be a clumsy and absent-minded wizard.^[3] The character of Paladine continues to present himself as "Fizban" through most of the series, although it becomes increasingly evident that Fizban is more than what he appears to be. Eventually, his friendship with the kender character Tasselhoff Burfoot becomes so strong he declares the "Fizban" avatar to be his favorite.^[4]

Paladine in his mortal form, **Fizban** on the left.

After the events of the War of Souls, Paladine voluntarily gives up his divine status and becomes Valthonis, a mortal elf.^[5]

Symbols and titles

The pantheon of deities in the Dragonlance mythos is divided into three factions; the Good, the Evil, and the Neutral deities. Each of these groups has several deities of varying influence. Paladine is the head of the deities that represent the forces of Good. There is nothing inherently better about the position, it is simply a hierarchy to establish and enforce order.

Paladine is also called Draco Paladin, E'li, the Platinum Dragon, Dragonlord, Valiant Warrior, The Dragon's Lord, Bah'mut (strikingly similar to traditional mythological creature Bahamut), the Great Dragon, Skyblade, Platinum Father, and Thak the Hammer.^[1] After the conclusion of the War of the Lance, the deity himself became known as Fizban among the fictional race of kender; thus, referring to "Fizban" by kender can be somewhat ambiguous.

His symbols include the anvil, a silver triangle, a pine tree, and the platinum dragon. In the night sky of Krynn, he can be viewed as the constellation known as the Valiant Warrior, sometimes referred to as the Platinum Dragon. In the first chapters of Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Raistlin Majere notes that this constellation, as well as the constellation for Takhisis, were missing, suggesting that both deities were physically present on Krynn in their avatar forms. This is later proven to be the case when Raistlin meets Paladine's avatar Fizban in person.

Dragonlance movie

Actor Neil Ross voiced Fizban (Paladine) in the animated Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight movie,^[6] directed by Will Meugniot, written by George Strayton and produced by Toonz Animation, Commotion Pictures, Epic Level Entertainment, Kickstart Entertainment and Paramount Pictures. It was released January 15, 2008.

Comparisons with other fictional characters

Weis and Hickman later introduced a similar character in the Death Gate Cycle named Zifnab, and in The Mantle of Kendis-Dai named Zanfib. Both names are anagrams of Fizban, and both characters bear strong similarities to him. Tracy Hickman notes that the character of Fizban belongs to TSR Inc. (and presumably transferred to Wizards of the Coast), while the characters of Zifnab and Zanfib are owned by himself and Margaret Weis.^[7]

Paladine (in his Fizban aspect) has drawn comparisons with the character of Gandalf in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Both serve as as guides and mentors to the other characters in the stories. But while Gandalf guides through his wisdom and legendary status, Fizban is far more awkward and seemingly senseless, constantly putting the characters into worse trouble than they were in before. Nevertheless, in the end Fizban, as with Gandalf, is revealed to be much more than was initially apparent.^[8]

Real-world influence

Paladine, along with other Dragonlance deities, has been included in Genesis LPMud, a text-based, massively multiplayer online game whose Fantasy/Adventure theme draws heavily from several fantasy settings, including Tolkien's Middle-earth and Dragonlance.^[9] Paladine also appears as a character in Ansalon MUD, where his character is played by one of the MUD staff^[10]

References

^ ^a ^b "Dragonlance Nexus: Paladine - Dragonlance Lexicon" (HTML). Dragonlance Nexus - Lexicon. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
^ "Interview with Jeff Grubb". Dragonlance Nexus. April 29, 2001. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
^ DeKirk, Ash (2006). Dragonlore: From the Archives of the Grey School of Wizardry. Career Press.
^ Weiss, Margaret. The Dragonlance Chronicles. Wizards of the Coast. p. 1030. ISBN 978-0880386524. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
^ Weis, Margaret; Hickman, Tracy (March 2003). Dragons of a Vanished Moon (Dragonlance: War of Souls, Book 3). Seatle, WA: Wizards of the Coast. p. 624. ISBN 0786929502. 178810000.
^ "Cast". Cinemagine Media Ltd. Retrieved 2006-07-30.
^ Hickman, Tracy. "Frequently Asked Questions". Official Tracy Hickman Website. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
^ Manni, Franco (2002). Introduzione a Tolkien. Simonelli Editore. ISBN 8886792395.
^ "PALADINE, THE DRAGON'S LORD" (HTML). Genesis Library. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
^ "The Immortals of Ansalon" (HTML). Ansalon MUD. Retrieved 2008-03-14.

Holy Orders of the Stars
Dragonlance Campaign Setting

List of Dragonlance deities
Good:	Paladine	Majere	Kiri-Jolith	Mishakal	Habbakuk	Branchala	Solinari
Neutral:	Gilean	Sirrion	Reorx	Chislev	Zivilyn	Shinare	Lunitari
Evil:	Takhisis	Sargonnas	Morgion	Chemosh	Zeboim	Hiddukel	Nuitari
Other:	High God & Chaos	Mina