Goldmoon
Encyclopedia
Goldmoon is a fictional character
from the Dragonlance
fantasy series of novels and role playing games
, originally published by TSR, Inc.
and later by Wizards of the Coast
.
Introduced in the first book of the original Chronicles Trilogy, Dragons of Autumn Twilight
, written by Margaret Weis
and Tracy Hickman
in 1984; Goldmoon has become a recurring character for over 16 years in multiple Dragonlance novels and series, either as a protagonist or as a supporting character.
, author of the "Bertrem's essay on numerology" section published in Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home (1987), Goldmoon was designed to be a kind and understanding female barbarian
, who loved to travel, advise, and take care of others. As a high profile member of her community, she was a natural speaker, able to inspire others to reach for their goals.
The Dragonlance novels do not cover Goldmoon's childhood, although her birth date, February 5, 322 A.C. (Alt Cataclius or After Cataclysm) can be found in the Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home source book. Different novels and short stories agree that her parents are Arrowthorn, Chieftain
of the Que Shu—a tribe located in the plains of Abanasinia, a desolate area in the central western area of Ansalon
in the fictional world of Krynn
—and Tearsong, deceased high priestess of the tribe.
The short story
"Heart of Goldmoon", written by Laura Hickman and Kate Novak
and published in the Love and War (1987) recompilation, gives insight about her life after her mother died, explaining that the Que Shu community is built around the figure of a high priestess, and whoever marries the priestess becomes Chieftain of the tribe, with the first daughter of the couple becoming the next priestess.
The focus of the story is Goldmoon journeying to the Hall of the Sleeping Spirits, the place where the tombs of her ancestors are kept, to commune with their spirits in order to become the high priestess of the tribe. The journey ends with an exchange of confirmation of love between Goldmoon and Riverwind, a shepherd who was acting as her bodyguard during the travel, as well as the meeting between Goldmoon and Tearsong's spirit, in which Goldmoon is taught about the ancient gods and given a task in the name of Mishakal, goddess of healing, which she later fulfills.
At the end of the short story it is stated that Riverwind will be taking the Courting quest, a task he must finish before being able to marry Goldmoon.
Paul B. Thompson
and Tonya C. Cook explain this quest in the novel Riverwind the Plainsman (1990), from the Tales series, in which he succeeded in bringing back a Blue Crystal Staff, proof that the ancient gods existed.
However, the staff was not accepted as a valid proof by the tribe, and as related by Weis and Hickman in Dragons of Autumn Twilight (1984), moments before he was stoned
by the tribe, Goldmoon embraced him, and they both vanish from the village.
Reappearing just outside the city of Solace, they decide to travel, to look for someone who could tell them more about the staff, which marks the proper beginning of the Chronicles trilogy.
In the following chapters, Weis and Hickman continue to make the female barbarian the main focus of the story, stating that she discovered two constellations were missing from the firmament, and then revisiting when the staff protected Riverwind when the tribe was going to stone him. However, her protagonism fades in the battle sequences that follow, where she is protected by Riverwind, Sturm Brightblade, a Squire of the Knights of Solamnia and Tanis Half-Elven, the leader of the group. This behavior becomes constant throughout the rest of the series.
The authors give the story a harder push when they explain the group, later known as the Heroes of the Lance, travels to Xak Tsaroth, which is the broken city where Riverwind previously found the magical staff. The sixteenth chapter, "A bitter choice. The greatest gift." presents the earlier conversation between Goldmoon and her deceased mother, Tearsong, and an appearance of Mishakal, goddess of healing and protector of the Blue Crystal Staff Goldmoon carries, in which she explains the different sacrifices Goldmoon must make in order to obtain the goddess' gift and the tasks she must fulfill, including the retrieval of the Disks of Mishakal, a sacred book of platinum with the teachings of Paladine
, highest god of light in Krynn
within it.
The novel continues, indicating that Goldmoon receives the power of healing before the goddess departs, which Goldmoon promptly uses to save a mortally wounded Riverwind after an encounter against Khisanth, a black dragon
protecting the broken city.
Goldmoon reaches the peak of attention when the authors write about her apparent sacrifice to defeat Khisanth, during the retrieval of the Disks of Mishakal. However, it is soon explained that her sacrifice was the last test the goddess Mishakal needed from her, and as the group nears the exit of the dungeon, they find Goldmoon waiting for them, blessed by the deity as a true cleric of Mishakal with the power of calling upon Mishakal's help when in need.
Fulfilling her final mission, Goldmoon delivers the Disks of Mishakal to a former Seeker, Elistan, whom the group meets in Pax Tharkas after they have been captured by the Dragonarmies of Ansalon, the forces of evil invading the continent of Ansalon. In this way, at the end of the book, Goldmoon marries Riverwind in a valley not far from Pax Tharkas after their group defeated Lord Verminaard in Pax Tharkas and freed the slaves.
The marriage vows the characters take are based in the Mormon
ism Celestial marriage
.
Her involvement in the last two books of the trilogy—and therefore during the War of the Lance
—abruptly diminishes at the beginning of the second book, Dragons of Winter Night
(1985). Her appearances are mostly to give counsel, spread the teachings of Mishakal and order new clerics. During the second half of the last book, Dragons of Spring Dawning
(1985), Goldmoon learns she is pregnant. Her goodbye to Laurana Kanan in Kalaman is the last apparition in the Chronicles trilogy.
According to Tracy Hickman, "The restoration of truth and faith are Goldmoon's central theme and, to a great extent, the theme of this first book in the series."
and Raistlin Majere
, Riverwind makes an appearance at the beginning of the first book of the Legends trilogy, Time of the Twins (1986), written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman and published by TSR, in which he is recognized as leader of the Que Shu and other barbarian tribes by wearing the Mantle of the Chieftain.
This apparition is also used by the authors to explain the current situation of the couple. With a two year old son—Wanderer—and twin daughters—Moonsong and Brightdawn—the couple have worked hard to join the different tribes of Abanasinia, their homeland. It is finally explained that Goldmoon is spreading the teachings of her patron deity there, but nothing more is said about her.
, an event in which the mad god Chaos tries to destroy the world of Krynn
. However, in Spirit of the Wind (1998), Chris Pierson explains that Wanderer, Riverwind and Goldmoon's son, has a three year old son, Cloudhawk, but nobody remembers his mother. The author hints that Goldmoon's tribe was attacked by shadow wights, chaotic creatures that banish anyone they possess to utter oblivion, destroying even memories from others about the person in question. This hint is given through Wanderer's sisters, Moonsong and Brightdawn, when they speculate that one such creature killed her.
The novel ends with the death of Brightdawn and Riverwind while fighting the red dragon overlord Malystryx, and Moonsong scarred forever, events that weighted heavily on Goldmoon's spirit.
Jean Rabe
's novel The Silver Stair (1999) explains how Goldmoon, following a recurrent dream, travels to the Isle of Schallsea with Jasper Fireforge, where she finds the fabled Silver Stairs, an endless stair that was thought to be a portal to reach Solinari, the white moon of Krynn
. The novel reveals that while climbing it, she experiences a new vision about the Power of the Heart, a special magic that would come to replace the one provided by the gods of old
and which she first discovered while healing a dying Jasper, three years before in Solace.
The novel continues explaining the different difficulties the group had to establish a camp, while at the same time introducing a branch of mysticism, dark mysticism, which was discovered by Goldmoon's wish to talk with Riverwind. From that point Goldmoon continued using it to communicate with Riverwind's spirit, although conversations between the couple are usually kept secret from the reader. Other authors like Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman made use of that bond between the couple in subsequent books.
By the end of the novel she has managed to found the Citadel of Light, which was established as the healing center of Ansalon.
Because of this, Goldmoon has been used by Dragonlance authors to first bring clerical healing from the gods of good back to Krynn during the Fourth Age, and then to bring mysticism during the Fifth Age.
Goldmoon's most controversial appearance was in the Dragons of a New Age trilogy, written by Jean Rabe
between 1996 and 1998, in which it is related the coming of the Dragon Overlords, dragons
of exceptional size and power, to the world of Krynn.
In The Dawning of a New Age (1996), the first book of the series, Jean Rabe indicates that Goldmoon appears as an illusion to Dhamon Grimwulf, a former Knight of Takhisis, summoning him to the Last Heroes' Tomb, the tomb where the heroes of the Chaos War
are kept. The author gives the reader, at that point, the guidelines for Dhamon's mission throughout the trilogy.
The author keeps Goldmoon's interventions small, especially through visions and communications with Jasper Fireforge and Palin Majere, until the second half of the second book in the series, The Day of the Tempest (1997), when the party of adventurers arrives at the Citadel of Light. It is here when the author details how an enchanted Dhamon is forced to slay Goldmoon.
The prologue of the last book in the trilogy, The Eve of the Maelstrom (1998), relates a shortened version of Goldmoon's death, adding her travel to the afterlife and her meeting with Riverwind, her husband. However, while at the end of the second book Riverwind was expecting her, in the third book she is told that her time has not arrived yet. During the length of the book, Goldmoon appears as an encouraging voice when her friends need her. It is towards the end of the book when the author reveals how Goldmoon is brought back to Krynn, as Goldmoon tells a dying Jasper he was supposed to die in Schallsea, and that his faith and his death against Onysablet, the black dragon overlord, restores her life.
even calling this change a curse instead of a blessing.
Her protagonism increases near the end of the first book when she becomes the first character to discover that the souls of dead people are draining the magic from clerics
, mages
, and dragons, giving the reader the first solid reference of the reason about why magic has been weakening in the world of Krynn
.
The initial shock is replaced with the unexplained urge of following the River of Souls, also referred as the river of the dead, the continuous stream of wandering souls moving towards an unknown meeting location. Goldmoon spends the end of the first book and most of the second book, Dragons of a Lost Star (2001), following the stream until arriving to Nightlund, where the Tower of High Sorcery of Palanthas was hidden.
The final chapter of the second book relates the meeting between Goldmoon and an orphaned girl she found in the Isle of Schallsea whom she had raised and trained in the clerical arts, Mina. Mina now serves the One God, or Takhisis
in disguise, in her attempt to bring the "true gods" back to Krynn, like what Goldmoon did many years ago. During this meeting the reader is revealed that Goldmoon's body was restored by Takhisis, evil goddess of darkness, through Mina's prayer. However, refusing to become Takhisis' herald, the goddess drains the life out of Goldmoon and orders Mina to secure her corpse in an amber sarcophagus
.
In the first chapter of the last book of the trilogy, Dragons of a Vanished Moon (2002), Weis and Hickman rehearse Goldmoon and Mina's meeting, and is the last time Goldmoon is seen alive in the Dragonlance series. From that point, it is explained that her soul was enslaved and forced to join the other magic draining ghosts. Throughout this book she is only present as a body in a coffin that is being carried to the Temple of Huerzyd, where Takhisis would possess it to spread the word of her return, confident that people would worship her if one of her own greatest enemies, Goldmoon, has been converted.
In the last chapter of the book, the authors explain that her spirit is freed after Takhisis is defeated, and has joined her friends' souls to travel to the afterlife.
Her death puts an end to the Heroes of the Lance, as she was the last surviving character from the original group created in 1984 by Weis and Hickman.
(2001), Fistandantilus through his powerful magic and his bloodstone in Fistandantilus Reborn (1997), and Raistlin Majere
returning from the Abyss through Dalamar and Palin intervention in "The Legacy" short story in The Magic of Krynn (1987) the main examples). Although fans theorized about her death and resurrection, the matter was clarified by a mail sent to the Dragonlance list by Miranda Horner
, Wizards of the Coast
Web Content Developer, and a forum post in the official Dragonlance forums by Jean Rabe
, author of the trilogy.
According to Miranda Horner:
Jean Rabe
wrote in the official Dragonlance forums:
Synchronization problems between novels and gaming material, and even between novels themselves are common in the Dragonlance environment where, except in few cases, the novel authors do not assist in the creation of the role playing game modules.
voiced Goldmoon in the animated Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight movie,
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.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the Dragonlance
Dragonlance
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. into a series of popular fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived Dragonlance while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job application...
fantasy series of novels and role playing games
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
, originally published by TSR, Inc.
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
and later by Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
.
Introduced in the first book of the original Chronicles Trilogy, Dragons of Autumn Twilight
Dragons of Autumn Twilight
Dragons of Autumn Twilight is a fantasy novel by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, based on a series of Dungeons & Dragons game modules...
, written by Margaret Weis
Margaret Weis
Margaret Edith Weis is a fantasy novelist who, along with Tracy Hickman, is one of the original creators of the Dragonlance game world and has written numerous novels and short stories set in fantastic worlds.-Early life:Margaret Weis was born in 1948 in Independence, Missouri, and later attended...
and Tracy Hickman
Tracy Hickman
Tracy Raye Hickman is a best-selling fantasy author, best known for his work on Dragonlance as a game designer and co-author with Margaret Weis, while he worked for TSR...
in 1984; Goldmoon has become a recurring character for over 16 years in multiple Dragonlance novels and series, either as a protagonist or as a supporting character.
Character background
According to Patrick Lucien PricePatrick Lucien Price
Patrick Lucien Price is a game designer and editor who worked on the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game from TSR.-Early life and education:Pat Price was born in Whiting, Indiana. Price earned a B.A...
, author of the "Bertrem's essay on numerology" section published in Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home (1987), Goldmoon was designed to be a kind and understanding female barbarian
Barbarian (Dungeons & Dragons)
The barbarian is a playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Creative origins:The barbarian is based on Robert E...
, who loved to travel, advise, and take care of others. As a high profile member of her community, she was a natural speaker, able to inspire others to reach for their goals.
The Dragonlance novels do not cover Goldmoon's childhood, although her birth date, February 5, 322 A.C. (Alt Cataclius or After Cataclysm) can be found in the Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home source book. Different novels and short stories agree that her parents are Arrowthorn, Chieftain
Tribal chief
A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...
of the Que Shu—a tribe located in the plains of Abanasinia, a desolate area in the central western area of Ansalon
Ansalon
Ansalon is a continent on Krynn, the fictional world of the Dragonlance campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game....
in the fictional world of Krynn
Krynn
Krynn is the fictional world of the Dragonlance novels, co-written by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis. It has also been used in many other books, set in the Dragonlance universe. It is also used as the main setting in the Dragonlance campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing...
—and Tearsong, deceased high priestess of the tribe.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
"Heart of Goldmoon", written by Laura Hickman and Kate Novak
Kate Novak
Kate Novak grew up in Pittsburgh, where she graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a BS in Chemistry. She is a fantasy author primarily published in the Forgotten Realms and Ravenloft shared worlds....
and published in the Love and War (1987) recompilation, gives insight about her life after her mother died, explaining that the Que Shu community is built around the figure of a high priestess, and whoever marries the priestess becomes Chieftain of the tribe, with the first daughter of the couple becoming the next priestess.
The focus of the story is Goldmoon journeying to the Hall of the Sleeping Spirits, the place where the tombs of her ancestors are kept, to commune with their spirits in order to become the high priestess of the tribe. The journey ends with an exchange of confirmation of love between Goldmoon and Riverwind, a shepherd who was acting as her bodyguard during the travel, as well as the meeting between Goldmoon and Tearsong's spirit, in which Goldmoon is taught about the ancient gods and given a task in the name of Mishakal, goddess of healing, which she later fulfills.
At the end of the short story it is stated that Riverwind will be taking the Courting quest, a task he must finish before being able to marry Goldmoon.
Paul B. Thompson
Paul B. Thompson
Paul B. Thompson is a freelance writer and novelist. He has published twenty books to date, many of which are novels set in the Dragonlance fictional universe. A number of these novels are co-authored with Tonya C. Cook....
and Tonya C. Cook explain this quest in the novel Riverwind the Plainsman (1990), from the Tales series, in which he succeeded in bringing back a Blue Crystal Staff, proof that the ancient gods existed.
However, the staff was not accepted as a valid proof by the tribe, and as related by Weis and Hickman in Dragons of Autumn Twilight (1984), moments before he was stoned
Stoning
Stoning, or lapidation, is a form of capital punishment whereby a group throws stones at a person until the person dies. No individual among the group can be identified as the one who kills the subject, yet everyone involved plainly bears some degree of moral culpability. This is in contrast to the...
by the tribe, Goldmoon embraced him, and they both vanish from the village.
Reappearing just outside the city of Solace, they decide to travel, to look for someone who could tell them more about the staff, which marks the proper beginning of the Chronicles trilogy.
Chronicles trilogy
Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman introduce Goldmoon in chapter 3 of Dragons of Autumn Twilight (1984), titled "Knight of Solamnia. The old man's party." She is presented as a heavily cloaked, silvery-gold haired woman carrying a plain staff, accompanied by a tall stone-faced barbarian. The authors explain that shortly after their arrival to the Inn of the Last Home a fight breaks out and the true nature of her healing staff is revealed, forcing the barbarians and a group of friends to run away. It is after escaping with the barbarians that the friends realize Goldmoon's desire of traveling to Haven, where she hoped the Seekers, priests who were in search of the old gods but degenerated into a political movement, would be able to teach her about the healing staff.In the following chapters, Weis and Hickman continue to make the female barbarian the main focus of the story, stating that she discovered two constellations were missing from the firmament, and then revisiting when the staff protected Riverwind when the tribe was going to stone him. However, her protagonism fades in the battle sequences that follow, where she is protected by Riverwind, Sturm Brightblade, a Squire of the Knights of Solamnia and Tanis Half-Elven, the leader of the group. This behavior becomes constant throughout the rest of the series.
The authors give the story a harder push when they explain the group, later known as the Heroes of the Lance, travels to Xak Tsaroth, which is the broken city where Riverwind previously found the magical staff. The sixteenth chapter, "A bitter choice. The greatest gift." presents the earlier conversation between Goldmoon and her deceased mother, Tearsong, and an appearance of Mishakal, goddess of healing and protector of the Blue Crystal Staff Goldmoon carries, in which she explains the different sacrifices Goldmoon must make in order to obtain the goddess' gift and the tasks she must fulfill, including the retrieval of the Disks of Mishakal, a sacred book of platinum with the teachings of Paladine
Paladine
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 Sovereign Press under the d20 Open Gaming License developed by Wizards of the Coast....
, highest god of light in Krynn
Krynn
Krynn is the fictional world of the Dragonlance novels, co-written by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis. It has also been used in many other books, set in the Dragonlance universe. It is also used as the main setting in the Dragonlance campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing...
within it.
The novel continues, indicating that Goldmoon receives the power of healing before the goddess departs, which Goldmoon promptly uses to save a mortally wounded Riverwind after an encounter against Khisanth, a black dragon
Dragon (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game , dragons are an iconic type of monstrous creature used as adversaries or, less commonly, allies of player characters...
protecting the broken city.
Goldmoon reaches the peak of attention when the authors write about her apparent sacrifice to defeat Khisanth, during the retrieval of the Disks of Mishakal. However, it is soon explained that her sacrifice was the last test the goddess Mishakal needed from her, and as the group nears the exit of the dungeon, they find Goldmoon waiting for them, blessed by the deity as a true cleric of Mishakal with the power of calling upon Mishakal's help when in need.
Fulfilling her final mission, Goldmoon delivers the Disks of Mishakal to a former Seeker, Elistan, whom the group meets in Pax Tharkas after they have been captured by the Dragonarmies of Ansalon, the forces of evil invading the continent of Ansalon. In this way, at the end of the book, Goldmoon marries Riverwind in a valley not far from Pax Tharkas after their group defeated Lord Verminaard in Pax Tharkas and freed the slaves.
The marriage vows the characters take are based in the Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
ism Celestial marriage
Celestial marriage
Celestial marriage is a doctrine of Mormonism, particularly The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and branches of Mormon fundamentalism.Within Mormonism, celestial marriage is an ordinance associated with a covenant that always...
.
Her involvement in the last two books of the trilogy—and therefore during the War of the Lance
War of the Lance
The War of the Lance is a fictional war in the Dragonlance setting, created by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.-Publication history:The War of the Lance is the prime conflict in the Dragonlance saga....
—abruptly diminishes at the beginning of the second book, Dragons of Winter Night
Dragons of Winter Night
Dragons of Winter Night is a fantasy novel by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, based on the Dungeons & Dragons gaming modules. It is the second book in the Chronicles Trilogy, preceded by Dragons of Autumn Twilight and followed by Dragons of Spring Dawning. It was the second Dragonlance novel,...
(1985). Her appearances are mostly to give counsel, spread the teachings of Mishakal and order new clerics. During the second half of the last book, Dragons of Spring Dawning
Dragons of Spring Dawning
Dragons of Spring Dawning is the third book in the Dragonlance Chronicles series, written by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis. It continues events from Dragons of Winter Night and sets up the premise of the Dragonlance Legends trilogy, also written by Weis and Hickman-Publication history:Originally...
(1985), Goldmoon learns she is pregnant. Her goodbye to Laurana Kanan in Kalaman is the last apparition in the Chronicles trilogy.
According to Tracy Hickman, "The restoration of truth and faith are Goldmoon's central theme and, to a great extent, the theme of this first book in the series."
Legends trilogy
Although the series focus heavily on CaramonCaramon Majere
Caramon Majere is a fictional character from the Dragonlance books. He is depicted as a fighter and is one of the main characters in Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's first Dragonlance trilogy, The Chronicles...
and Raistlin Majere
Raistlin Majere
Raistlin Majere is a fictional character from the Dragonlance series of books created by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Raistlin played an extensive role in the two main series of books, particularly in Dragonlance: Legends in which he was both primary protagonist and antagonist...
, Riverwind makes an appearance at the beginning of the first book of the Legends trilogy, Time of the Twins (1986), written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman and published by TSR, in which he is recognized as leader of the Que Shu and other barbarian tribes by wearing the Mantle of the Chieftain.
This apparition is also used by the authors to explain the current situation of the couple. With a two year old son—Wanderer—and twin daughters—Moonsong and Brightdawn—the couple have worked hard to join the different tribes of Abanasinia, their homeland. It is finally explained that Goldmoon is spreading the teachings of her patron deity there, but nothing more is said about her.
Chaos War series
Goldmoon was not specifically included in the Chaos WarChaos War
The Chaos War, also known as the Second Cataclysm, is a fictional war in the Dragonlance setting. The war was massive, drawing in nearly all the people of Ansalon, as well as the gods themselves...
, an event in which the mad god Chaos tries to destroy the world of Krynn
Krynn
Krynn is the fictional world of the Dragonlance novels, co-written by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis. It has also been used in many other books, set in the Dragonlance universe. It is also used as the main setting in the Dragonlance campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing...
. However, in Spirit of the Wind (1998), Chris Pierson explains that Wanderer, Riverwind and Goldmoon's son, has a three year old son, Cloudhawk, but nobody remembers his mother. The author hints that Goldmoon's tribe was attacked by shadow wights, chaotic creatures that banish anyone they possess to utter oblivion, destroying even memories from others about the person in question. This hint is given through Wanderer's sisters, Moonsong and Brightdawn, when they speculate that one such creature killed her.
The novel ends with the death of Brightdawn and Riverwind while fighting the red dragon overlord Malystryx, and Moonsong scarred forever, events that weighted heavily on Goldmoon's spirit.
The Fifth Age series
The Age of Mortals starts at the end of Dragons of Summer Flame (1996) novel, with the departure of the krynnish gods and the banishment of magic and clerical powers known to Krynn until that moment. Needing a new source of power, a special kind of magic named mysticism is created based on previous abilities found in the Dragonlance novels.Jean Rabe
Jean Rabe
Jean Rabe is a fantasy and sci-fi author and editor who has worked on the Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, and BattleTech series, as well as many others.-Career:...
's novel The Silver Stair (1999) explains how Goldmoon, following a recurrent dream, travels to the Isle of Schallsea with Jasper Fireforge, where she finds the fabled Silver Stairs, an endless stair that was thought to be a portal to reach Solinari, the white moon of Krynn
Krynn
Krynn is the fictional world of the Dragonlance novels, co-written by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis. It has also been used in many other books, set in the Dragonlance universe. It is also used as the main setting in the Dragonlance campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing...
. The novel reveals that while climbing it, she experiences a new vision about the Power of the Heart, a special magic that would come to replace the one provided by the gods of old
and which she first discovered while healing a dying Jasper, three years before in Solace.
The novel continues explaining the different difficulties the group had to establish a camp, while at the same time introducing a branch of mysticism, dark mysticism, which was discovered by Goldmoon's wish to talk with Riverwind. From that point Goldmoon continued using it to communicate with Riverwind's spirit, although conversations between the couple are usually kept secret from the reader. Other authors like Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman made use of that bond between the couple in subsequent books.
By the end of the novel she has managed to found the Citadel of Light, which was established as the healing center of Ansalon.
Because of this, Goldmoon has been used by Dragonlance authors to first bring clerical healing from the gods of good back to Krynn during the Fourth Age, and then to bring mysticism during the Fifth Age.
Dragons of a New Age trilogy
Jean Rabe
Jean Rabe is a fantasy and sci-fi author and editor who has worked on the Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, and BattleTech series, as well as many others.-Career:...
between 1996 and 1998, in which it is related the coming of the Dragon Overlords, dragons
Dragon (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game , dragons are an iconic type of monstrous creature used as adversaries or, less commonly, allies of player characters...
of exceptional size and power, to the world of Krynn.
In The Dawning of a New Age (1996), the first book of the series, Jean Rabe indicates that Goldmoon appears as an illusion to Dhamon Grimwulf, a former Knight of Takhisis, summoning him to the Last Heroes' Tomb, the tomb where the heroes of the Chaos War
Chaos War
The Chaos War, also known as the Second Cataclysm, is a fictional war in the Dragonlance setting. The war was massive, drawing in nearly all the people of Ansalon, as well as the gods themselves...
are kept. The author gives the reader, at that point, the guidelines for Dhamon's mission throughout the trilogy.
The author keeps Goldmoon's interventions small, especially through visions and communications with Jasper Fireforge and Palin Majere, until the second half of the second book in the series, The Day of the Tempest (1997), when the party of adventurers arrives at the Citadel of Light. It is here when the author details how an enchanted Dhamon is forced to slay Goldmoon.
The prologue of the last book in the trilogy, The Eve of the Maelstrom (1998), relates a shortened version of Goldmoon's death, adding her travel to the afterlife and her meeting with Riverwind, her husband. However, while at the end of the second book Riverwind was expecting her, in the third book she is told that her time has not arrived yet. During the length of the book, Goldmoon appears as an encouraging voice when her friends need her. It is towards the end of the book when the author reveals how Goldmoon is brought back to Krynn, as Goldmoon tells a dying Jasper he was supposed to die in Schallsea, and that his faith and his death against Onysablet, the black dragon overlord, restores her life.
- See also the Controversy section
War of Souls trilogy
Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman give Goldmoon a more prominent role during the War of Souls trilogy, when she is well over her nineties. During the first chapters of the first book, Dragons of a Fallen Sun (2000), Weis and Hickman explain how Goldmoon is transformed by a magical storm, regaining the body she had during the Chronicles trilogy. The authors use this occasion to show an angry, depressed, and bitter side of her that had not been exploited in depth before. Her new behavior is explained due her expectation to die soon and join the soul of her already deceased husband in the afterlife,even calling this change a curse instead of a blessing.
Her protagonism increases near the end of the first book when she becomes the first character to discover that the souls of dead people are draining the magic from clerics
Cleric (Dungeons & Dragons)
The cleric is one of the standard playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. In the game, clerics are versatile figures, both capable in combat and skilled in the use of divine magic. Clerics are powerful healers due to the large number of healing and curative...
, mages
Wizards of High Sorcery
The Wizards of High Sorcery are a fictional group of people in the Dragonlance universe.- Introduction :The Wizards are a powerful institution in Krynn. They were founded when the deities Solinari, Lunitari and Nuitari taught a certain group of people how to draw power from the moons and shape it...
, and dragons, giving the reader the first solid reference of the reason about why magic has been weakening in the world of Krynn
Krynn
Krynn is the fictional world of the Dragonlance novels, co-written by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis. It has also been used in many other books, set in the Dragonlance universe. It is also used as the main setting in the Dragonlance campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing...
.
The initial shock is replaced with the unexplained urge of following the River of Souls, also referred as the river of the dead, the continuous stream of wandering souls moving towards an unknown meeting location. Goldmoon spends the end of the first book and most of the second book, Dragons of a Lost Star (2001), following the stream until arriving to Nightlund, where the Tower of High Sorcery of Palanthas was hidden.
The final chapter of the second book relates the meeting between Goldmoon and an orphaned girl she found in the Isle of Schallsea whom she had raised and trained in the clerical arts, Mina. Mina now serves the One God, or Takhisis
Takhisis
Takhisis is a fictional character from the Dragonlance universe. She is the main goddess of evil and head of the Dark Pantheon.- Titles and forms :...
in disguise, in her attempt to bring the "true gods" back to Krynn, like what Goldmoon did many years ago. During this meeting the reader is revealed that Goldmoon's body was restored by Takhisis, evil goddess of darkness, through Mina's prayer. However, refusing to become Takhisis' herald, the goddess drains the life out of Goldmoon and orders Mina to secure her corpse in an amber sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
.
In the first chapter of the last book of the trilogy, Dragons of a Vanished Moon (2002), Weis and Hickman rehearse Goldmoon and Mina's meeting, and is the last time Goldmoon is seen alive in the Dragonlance series. From that point, it is explained that her soul was enslaved and forced to join the other magic draining ghosts. Throughout this book she is only present as a body in a coffin that is being carried to the Temple of Huerzyd, where Takhisis would possess it to spread the word of her return, confident that people would worship her if one of her own greatest enemies, Goldmoon, has been converted.
In the last chapter of the book, the authors explain that her spirit is freed after Takhisis is defeated, and has joined her friends' souls to travel to the afterlife.
Her death puts an end to the Heroes of the Lance, as she was the last surviving character from the original group created in 1984 by Weis and Hickman.
Controversy
The character of Goldmoon was killed in the Dragons of a New Age trilogy, during events explained in The Day of the Tempest novel, and resurrected in the last novel of the series, The Eve of the Maelstrom. In the Dragonlance environment, resurrection is extremely rare (with Beldinas Pilofiro, latest Kingpriest of Istar, resurrecting Cathan MarSevrin with Paladine's intervention in Chosen of the GodsChosen of the Gods
Chosen Of the Gods is a fantasy novel set in the Dragonlance campaign series, and is the first of a trilogy about the Kingpriest of Istar, Beldinas Pilofiro.-Plot introduction:...
(2001), Fistandantilus through his powerful magic and his bloodstone in Fistandantilus Reborn (1997), and Raistlin Majere
Raistlin Majere
Raistlin Majere is a fictional character from the Dragonlance series of books created by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Raistlin played an extensive role in the two main series of books, particularly in Dragonlance: Legends in which he was both primary protagonist and antagonist...
returning from the Abyss through Dalamar and Palin intervention in "The Legacy" short story in The Magic of Krynn (1987) the main examples). Although fans theorized about her death and resurrection, the matter was clarified by a mail sent to the Dragonlance list by Miranda Horner
Miranda Horner
Miranda Horner is a game designer and editor who has worked on a number of products for various roleplaying games, including Dungeons & Dragons and the Star Wars roleplaying game.-Biography:...
, Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
Web Content Developer, and a forum post in the official Dragonlance forums by Jean Rabe
Jean Rabe
Jean Rabe is a fantasy and sci-fi author and editor who has worked on the Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, and BattleTech series, as well as many others.-Career:...
, author of the trilogy.
According to Miranda Horner:
Jean Rabe
Jean Rabe
Jean Rabe is a fantasy and sci-fi author and editor who has worked on the Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, and BattleTech series, as well as many others.-Career:...
wrote in the official Dragonlance forums:
Synchronization problems between novels and gaming material, and even between novels themselves are common in the Dragonlance environment where, except in few cases, the novel authors do not assist in the creation of the role playing game modules.
Dragonlance movie
Actress Lucy LawlessLucy Lawless
Lucy Lawless, MNZM is a New Zealander actress and singer best known for playing the title character of the internationally successful television series Xena: Warrior Princess....
voiced Goldmoon in the animated Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight movie,
directed by Will Meugniot
Will Meugniot
Will Meugniot is an American writer, storyboard and comics artist, film producer and director.- List of works :* The DNAgents * Exosquad * G.I. Joe: Valor vs...
, written by George Strayton and produced by Toonz Animation, Commotion Pictures, Epic Level Entertainment, Kickstart Entertainment and Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
. It was released January 15, 2008.
See also
- List of Dragonlance deities
- War of the LanceWar of the LanceThe War of the Lance is a fictional war in the Dragonlance setting, created by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.-Publication history:The War of the Lance is the prime conflict in the Dragonlance saga....
- War of SoulsWar of SoulsThe War of Souls is a fictional war set in the popular Dragonlance fictional universe. The series follows the heroes of The War of the Lance to fill in many details of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game storyline...
- Advanced Dungeons and Dragons: Heroes of the LanceAdvanced Dungeons and Dragons: Heroes of the LanceAdvanced Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Lance is a video game released in 1988 for various home computer systems and consoles. The game is based on the first Dragonlance campaign module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Dragons of Despair, and the first Dragonlance novel...
External links
- Goldmoon at Dragonlance NexusDragonlance NexusThe Dragonlance Nexus is a Dragonlance fansite that was created in 1996 as "Dragon Realm". The site was overhauled and a new name was given to it as the "Dragonlance Nexus". Beginning on November 28, 2005, the site began publishing articles written by established authors starting with an article on...
.