D&D: What Is A Dragonlance Anyway
With Krynn looming ever closer, there’s bound to be plenty of both dragons and lances. But what is a dragonlance, exactly?
If you’ve never heard of Krynn, the world of Dragonlance before, you might wonder: what is a dragonlance? Is it a lance that a dragon wields? A lance made out of some part of a dragon, like a horn or a spike?
And why do they feature so heavily in the history of one world in particular? The answer to “what is a dragonlance” lies at the heart of a world called Krynn. Krynn was a world populated by dragons of all shapes and sizes. And dragonlances were forged to kill evil dragons.
What is a Dragonlance – Origins
Dragonlances first show up during an age in Krynn known as the Age of Dreams. The Age of Dreams is the beginning of recorded history. It’s a time of mighty heroes, ferocious monsters, and legends lost to the mists of time. It’s also the source of a series of conflicts known as the Dragon Wars.
Those all begin with the advent of Takhisis, a five-headed dragon goddess who was responsible for the corruption of evil dragons. Her power garnered her many followers, and when conflict broke out, it was between the Chromatic followers of Takhisis and the Metallic followers of Paladine.
It’s notable in that it was an alliance of sorts. The metallic dragons came to the aid of elves, who were encroaching upon chromatic dragon territories. The chromatic dragons, meanwhile called upon their ogre allies. And between the two, dragons discovered that they could be aided by mortals of alll shapes and sizes.
Which brings us to the Third Dragon War, when the first dragonlance shows up.
The Third Dragon War – First Dragonlances
The Third Dragon War is important because it changed the way the world worked. Up to this point, no mortals could kill a dragon. Not without magic or significant divine power.
But during the Third Dragon War, the forces of Good were losing. In the hour of their most desperate need, a smith known as Duncan Ironweaver, taught by the god of dwarves and gnomes, Reorx, set about creating a weapon that could kill evil dragons.
But it took more than mortal power to forge these weapons. The first dragonlance, an artifact known as the Great Lance or Spear of Paladine, was forged with the aid of two powerful tools: the Silver Arm of Ergoth, and the Hammer of Kharas.
Only these two artifacts in concert could tame the fluid dragonmetal found in Silver Dragon Mountain. Dragonmetal was liquid metal of pure, cool silver that was lighter than steel but just as strong.
And out of these extraordinary components, Ironweaver forged the Great Lance.
From One, Many
The Spear of Paladine was powerful enough to strike at any dragon, even the gods. Duncan Ironweaver knew this, and so he made the first knight to wield one, Huma Dragonbane, undergo three different tests before awarding him the weapon. From its template, Ironweaver forged other, lesser dragonlances. But with the Great Lance, Dragonbane was able to wound even Takhisis.
And afterwards the Chromatic Dragons retreated. So too did the Dragonlance fade into myth, until such time as it was needed again.
The Dragonlance Today
Today, there are many Dragonlances. They are the only weapons by which mortals without the aid of any other magic, can kill dragons. They not only make their bearer resistant or immune to the powers of evil dragons, they also are capable of piercing a dragon’s thick hide.
Dragonlances come in two forms: the Mounted Dragonlance which is a roughly 18 feet long, can only be mounted on a dragon’s saddle; and the Footman’s Lance which is only eight feet in length. Footmen’s Lances were forged to be wielded by humans on the ground. But this too is dangerous.
Still, without the aid of dragonlances, the world of Dragonlance wouldn’t be what it is today.
Happy Adventuring
