Paladine (Dragonlance)

Paladine is a 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.

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 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.

Character background
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.

He is first encountered, 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. He continues to present himself as "Fizban" through most of the series, although it becomes increasingly evident that Fizban is more than what he presents himself to be. His friendship with the kender character Tasselhoff Burfoot becomes so strong he declares the "Fizban" avatar to be his favorite.

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 bear strong similarities to him.

The deity is portrayed several times in the full series of novels.

After the events of the War of Souls, Paladine voluntarily gave up his status as a deity and became Valthonis, a mortal elf.

Symbols and titles
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. After the conclusion of the War of the Lance, the deity himself became known as Fizban--also the name of his most famous avatar, the befuddled wizard--among the 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. Raistlin Majere, in the first chapters of Dragons of Autumn Twilight, noted that this constellation as well as the Dark Queen, constellation of Takhisis, were missing, symbolizing that Paladine was on Krynn.

Related 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 bear strong similarities to him.

Dragonlance movie
Actor Neil Ross voiced Fizban (Paladine) 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.