Caramon Majere

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Caramon Majere
Dragonlance character
Caramon and Raistlin Majere.
Created by	Margaret Weis
First appearance	Dragon #83: short story "The test of the twins" by Margaret Weis (March 1984)
Character information
Race	Civilized human
Gender	Male
Class	Fighter
Homeland	Solace

Caramon Majere (326 AC - 38 SC) is a fictional character from the Dragonlance series of books.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

1 Early life
2 The War of the Lance and beyond
3 Family tree
4 References

[edit] Early life

Caramon Majere is one of the most pivotal characters in the entire Dragonlance series, perhaps only outshone by Tanis Half-Elven, Tasslehoff Burrfoot, and his twin brother Raistlin Majere in terms of the impact he has had on the series and the world of Ansalon. He was a prominent supporting character in the Chronicles Trilogy, taking an important role in most of the company's adventures, and the protagonist of the Legends Trilogy during which he quite literally saved the world. He is also the father of Palin Majere, who is probably the most important and influential of all the children of the Heroes of the Lance.

Although Caramon is very physically powerful and a master swordsman, he has a gentle and compassionate soul, and would only use violence to defend his life or the lives of others. For years, even those closest to him believed that Caramon was quite slow-witted in comparison to his companions, but this is not the case. While others leap to decisions, Carmon takes time to consider a problem from every angle, and is therefore often slowest to come up with a solution, although what he lacks in quickness, he makes up for in careful consideration.

Caramon is the son of Gilon Majere and Rosamun Aelan Uth Matar, twin brother to Raistlin Majere and half-brother to Kitiara Uth Matar.

The son of a woodcutter, Caramon's birth was a complicated one. Caramon (the first born), was strapping and healthy. Raistlin, however, had to be nursed to health continuously by their half-sister, Kitiara. His father, Gilon, died in an accident when Caramon was only sixteen years old. Soon after, his mother, Rosamun, went into one of her delusional trances and never came out.

Caramon met Sturm Brightblade in his early teens; they did not get off to a good start. The two got into a fight because Sturm insulted Raistlin. Tasslehoff Burrfoot discovered the young boys and decided to "adopt" them. This is how Caramon met Flint Fireforge and Tanis Half-Elven. The six companions (seven with Kitiara) went on many treks as an entourage to Flint's business. Soon, though, the companions decided to separate to find some truth to the rumors of war. Raistlin had other plans.

Raistlin was to take the Test of High Sorcery and Caramon accompanied him on this trip. During the Test, Raistlin killed an illusion of his twin, which Caramon witnessed. Their relationship has been strained since. The five years following this, the two brothers became mercenaries to learn how to combine magic and steel effectively and became a very lethal team in battle.

Caramon was the strongest of the Heroes of the Lance, and a fearsome warrior. He is described as 6 ft tall (182.88 cm) and massively built. He was trained in a battle craft by his half-sister, who later became a Dragon Highlord in Takhisis' dragonarmies. Although they were complete opposites, Caramon was never far from his twin Raistlin. Much of Caramon's experience in combat came from dealing with the charlatans and fakes whom Raistlin delighted in exposing and humiliating.

[edit] The War of the Lance and beyond

Caramon was one of the heroes who brought the War of the Lance to an end and was instrumental in the defeat of Takhisis and her Dragonarmies. He helped to defeat the evil dragon Khisanth in Xak Tsaroth and to free the slaves captured by Verminaard of Nidus in Pax Tharkas. He shared in the dream that all the Heroes of the Lance endured when several of the heroes (including Caramon) entered the realm of Silvanesti and found themselves trapped in the nightmare of Lorac, Speaker of the Stars.

Caramon was also a participant in the final battle at the Queen's temple in Neraka when she was finally banished from Krynn. After the battle was won, Caramon was confronted by his brother Raistlin, who had now turned to the Black Robes. Caramon offered to walk the path of evil with his brother, but Raistlin refused, and left Caramon alone for the first time in his life.

Caramon and Lady Crysania

After the War of the Lance Caramon married Tika Waylan and settled down to a quiet life in the town of Solace. However, without his brother, Caramon did not feel whole. At one point, Caramon wrote a heart-felt letter to his brother, which was returned to Caramon unopened, with the words "I have no brother" written on the outside of the envelope/scroll casing. Heartbroken, he soon turned to drinking to fill the emptiness. He becomes an overweight alcoholic and an embarrassment to his wife. His journey to redemption began when Caramon travelled back in time with the cleric, Lady Crysania and Tasslehoff Burrfoot to the city of Istar on a mission to reclaim Raistlin from evil. Caramon became a gladiator in the Istarian arena and became the man he had once been, physically if not yet emotionally. Caramon then travelled forward in time one hundred years with Crysania and Raistlin (masquerading as Fistandantilus) to participate in the Dwarfgate Wars.

Caramon, with his friends in the Istarian arena

Using a magical device, Caramon and Tasslehoff escaped that time period before a magical explosion could kill them and accidentally found them in an alternate future where Raistlin had succeeded in becoming a god, but had destroyed all life in the process. Caramon and Tasslehoff returned to the present at last where Caramon confronted his brother in the Abyss and told him what the future would be if his plans came to fruition. Raistlin realizes his own mistake, and sacrifices his own life to make the mistake right and win his soul peace. Caramon escaped with Crysania back into the real world, having finally found the peace he sought.

After his long journey, Caramon returned to Solace to be with his wife. Together, they had five children: Sturm Majere, Tanin Majere, Palin Majere, Laura Majere and Dezra Majere. Caramon also later became a grandfather to Ulin Majere and Linsha Majere, son and daughter of his son Palin.

Although Caramon Majere had retired from adventuring, he did have one more important part to play. In the story, "Kitiara's Son" by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, Caramon is visited in the night by a blue dragon-rider named Sara Dunstan who is the adoptive mother of Steel Brightblade, the son of Sturm and Kitiara (making him Caramon's half-nephew.) She begs Caramon to help turn Steel from evil before he becomes a full-fledged Knights of Takhisis. Together with Tanis Half-Elven, they kidnap Steel and tell him the truth about his father and his heroic sacrifice in the High Clerist's Tower on behalf of the Knights of Solamnia and the world at large. Although Steel is not dissuaded from joining the evil Knights, this experienced indelibly changes him. He appears in a new adventure, "Dezra's Quest" Released later in 2000, with his daughter Dezra Majere. Rumor has it he will be in other novels later. He dies in the year 38 SC after throwing himself off the stairs of the Inn of the Last Home, hoping to see his brother. Tasslehoff Burrfoot had traveled forward in time to an alternate timeline to speak at Caramon's funeral, and told him that many people would be there and things were different. His soul joins the River of Souls where he is, at long last, reunited with his brother after Takhisis is defeated in the War of the Souls trilogy.

[edit] Family tree

Gilon Majere

Rosamun

Gregor Uth Matar

Caramon

[edit] References

Weis, Margaret (March 1984). "The test of the twins". Dragon #83 Vol. VIII (No. 9): 26-30.
Margaret Weis; Tracy Hickman (2000). Dragons of Autumn Twilight: Chronicles vol. I. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-1574-9.
Margaret Weis; Tracy Hickman (2000). Dragons of Winter Night: Chronicles vol. II. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-1609-5.
Margaret Weis; Tracy Hickman (2000). Dragons of Spring Dawning: Chronicles vol. III. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-1589-7.
Margaret Weis; Tracy Hickman (2000). Time of the Twins: Legends vol. I. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-1804-7.
Margaret Weis; Tracy Hickman (2000). War of the Twins: Legends vol. II. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-1805-5.
Margaret Weis; Tracy Hickman (2000). Test of the Twins: Legends vol. III. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-1806-3.
Margaret Weis; Tracy Hickman (2002). The Second Generation. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-2694-5.
Weis, Margaret (2003). The Soulforge: Raistlin Chronicles vol. I. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-1314-2.
Margaret Weis; Don Perrin (2000). Brothers in Arms: Raistlin Chronicles vol. II. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-1429-7.
Margaret Weis; Tracy Hickman (2003). Dragons of a Fallen Sun: The War of Souls vol. I. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-1807-1.
Stein, Kevin (2000). Brothers Majere: Preludes vol. III. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-2971-5.