The Soulforge Read online

  I did not forget about Raistlin’s charge to me, as some have implied. Neither Caramon nor I deemed the time right for publication of his book. Now that his nephew Palin has grown to manhood and has taken his own Test in the Tower, Caramon has given his permission for the book to be published.

  This is the true account of Raistlin’s early life. Astute readers will note discrepancies between this account and others which have come before. I trust those readers will take into consideration the fact that the name of Raistlin Majere had become legend over the years. A great deal that has been written, told, and sung about the great mage is either false or a distortion of the truth.

  I am guilty of some of this myself, for I deliberately misled people in regard to certain aspects of Raistlin’s life. The Test in the Tower of High Sorcery—the Test that proved to have such a devastating and fateful influence on him—is one of the most important. Other accounts exist of his Test, but this is the first time the true account has been written.

  The Conclave of Wizards has long decreed that the nature of the Test be kept secret. Following Raistlin’s “death,” certain wild and destructive rumors began to circulate regarding him. Caramon asked for permission from Par-Salian to lay these rumors to rest. Since the rumors appeared likely to damage the reputations of all magic-users on Krynn, the Conclave granted permission for the story to be told, but only if certain of the facts were altered.

  Thus Caramon caused to be written an abbreviated story of Raistlin’s Test, which came to be known as the Test of the Twins. In essence, the story is true, though you will see that the actual events are a great deal different form those earlier portrayed.

  I finish with the conclusion of Raistlin’s letter.

  … I break the silence now because I want the facts known. If I am to be judged by those who come after me, let me be judged for the truth.

  I dedicate this book to the one who gave me life.

  Raistlin Majere

  2 The enterprise to which he refers is his attempt to enter the Abyss and overthrow Takhisis. Those interested may find this tale in the Great library, in the books marked “Dragonlance Legends.”

  RAISTLIN CHRONICLES

  MARGARET WEIS & DON PERRIN

  An ambitious young man sacrifices all he has to gain the powers of a wizard. What happens will change him in ways he never expected.

  The Soulforge

  Brothers in Arms

  DRAGONLANCE CHRONICLES

  MARGARET WEIS & TRACY HICKMAN

  A group of friends reunites to save their homeland from the forces of the Queen of Darkness. But can these disparate men and women come together to become heroes?

  Dragons of Autumn Twilight

  Dragons of Winter Night

  Dragons of Spring Dawning

  THE ELVEN NATIONS

  PAUL B. THOMPSON, TONYA C. COOK, AND DOUGLAS NILES

  When the proud leader of the Silvanesti elves dies, his twin sons find themselves locked in a bitter battle for the future of the elves.

  Firstborn

  The Kinslayer Wars

  The Qualinesti

  Margaret Weis

  Margaret Weis began her collaboration with Tracy Hickman on the DRAGONLANCE® series nearly twenty years ago. Two decades later, she is the author of numerous DRAGONLANCE novels, the four-volume galactic fantasy Star of the Guardian, co-author with Don Perrin of the Doom Brigade, Draconian Measures, Knights of the Black Earth, Robot Blues, Hung Out, and Brothers in Arms, and author of The Soulforge. She lives happily in a converted barn in southern Wisconsin and is currently working on a new series of novels for TOR.

  DRAGONLANCE, WIZARDS OF THE COAST, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries. ©2003 Wizards.

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