Elistan

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Elistan
Dragonlance character

Created by	Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
First appearance	Dragons of Autumn Twilight (1984)
Character information
Race	Civilized human
Alignment	Lawful Good
Gender	Male
Class	Cleric
Homeland	Haven

Elistan was a Seeker (a religion that provided false gods in the turbulent times after the Cataclysm), but he later became he first cleric of Paladine in the fictional series of Dragonlance novels. His early life is unknown. He had grayish hair along with a white beard.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

1 War of the Lance
2 After the War
3 References
- 3.1 Further reading

[edit] War of the Lance

According to Michael Dobson, Elistan, at the age of forty, contracted cancer. Verminaard promised him a cure if he joined the ranks of Takhisis, but Elistan refused. The Highlord sent him as a slave to Pax Tharkas.^[1] When the Companions came to Pax Tharkas, he was healed by Goldmoon, which soon led him to convert to become a cleric of Paladine. He was also given the Disks of Mishakal, which allowed him to become leader of the church on Ansalon. Elistan became the leader of the refugees until he moved to Palanthas after the War of the Lance.

[edit] After the War

Elistan built the Temple of Paladine in Palanthas, where he would later comfort Raistlin when he nearly died. When Dalamar called Tanis Half-Elven to Palanthas to discuss Raistlin, Elistan also met with them, but even then he was close to death. Dalamar provided some comfort to repay the debt he owed him, and soon afterward he died, leaving Tanis with the proper papers to declare Crysania the next head of the Church. Paladine himself, in the guise of Fizban, came to claim the body.

Margaret Weis, one of the writers of the original trilogy, did not like the way Elistan was supposed to act. According to her, "The character was hopelessly good, which makes for a boring character."^[2] Having removed him completely from the first chapter of the second book of the Chronicles trilogy, Tracy Hickman reminded her that the character should appear at that part of the book. Margaret expressed her thoughts to have the character killed, to which Hickman answered "He's the only cleric of Paladine in the world! You can't kill him!"^[2] Weis rewrote the chapter after Hickman promised she would be permitted to kill Elistan in the next book.^[3]

[edit] References

^ Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman [November 1999]. “Volume 2, book 1, chapter 1, White-winged ships. Hope lies across the Plains of Dust.”, The Annotated Chronicles, 1st edition, Wizards of the Coast, 495. ISBN 0-7869-1870-5.
^ ^a ^b Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman [November 1999]. “Volume 2, book 1, chapter 1, White-winged ships. Hope lies across the Plains of Dust.”, The Annotated Chronicles, 1st edition, Wizards of the Coast, 496. ISBN 0-7869-1870-5.
^ Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman [November 1999]. “Volume 2, book 1, chapter 1, White-winged ships. Hope lies across the Plains of Dust.”, The Annotated Chronicles, 1st edition, Wizards of the Coast, 497. ISBN 0-7869-1870-5.