WELCOME TO THE INN
Greetings, friends and fellow companions, and welcome!

Normally, I try to present more of a fact-filled newsletter, telling
you about the latest novel and game releases, and other interesting
notes that affect Dragonlance. Never fear, for you shall still get
all this great info. However, I'm feeling especially nostalgic this
time around, so I'll be talking about some very special
anniversaries, including the 20th anniversary of Dragonlance!

So grab your hoopaks – the portal to adventure awaits!


20 YEARS OF DRAGONLANCE
It's hard to believe that Dragonlance is 20 years old. That's quite
an accomplishment, and is testimony of the staying power of what I
can only call an epic.

There has to be something special and magical about a setting to
last this long. It is an epic of the highest level, and a worthy
successor of Lord of the Rings. What began as the brainchild of
Tracy Hickman has grown over the years to epic proportions, becoming
Wizard of the Coast's best-selling novel line and a gaming line that
has seen 4 editions (Dragonlance Adventures for 1st edition, Tales
of the Lance for 2nd edition, the Dragonlance 5th Age boxed set, and
the 3rd edition Dragonlance Campaign Setting).

From all of us on the Whitestone Council, congratulations to all the
authors, game designers, editors, and contributors who have made
Dragonlance the epic it is today.

Congratulations are also in order to the fans. For it is the fans
who have kept Dragonlance alive for 20 years. Your love and
dedication to the setting that invigorates Dragonlance, taking it to
new heights.


WHITESTONE COUNCIL – 3RD ANNIVERSARY
My involvement with Dragonlance beyond simple fandom began in
January in 2001 with the formation of the Whitestone Council and the
birth of the Dragonlance Nexus.

At the time, the future of Dragonlance gaming was bleak. Wizards of
the Coast announced that they would not continue producing a
Dragonlance gaming line. It was at that time that the Whitestone
Council formed, with the intent of supporting Dragonlance gaming and
ensuring that it lived again with our Dragonlance Adventures 3rd
Edtion (DLA3e) project.

Much time has passed since then, many things have changed, and the
Whitestone Council has grown in its influence. Our work on the
DLA3e project saw fruit when Sovereign Press gained the license to
Dragonlance gaming. We were very pleased by this move, as it not
only saw the rebirth of Dragonlance gaming, but in a printed
format. Not only that, but the future of Dragonlance gaming would
be overseen by Margaret Weis herself.

What made this even more special was that Margaret wanted the
Whitestone Council involved. Since this time, we've helped
Sovereign Press with all their Dragonlance d20 products. Two of our
members, Cam Banks and Andre' La Roche, will be getting cover credit
with the upcoming Bestiary of Krynn (March release).

The Whitestone Council is the driving power behind three websites.
The Dragonlance Nexus is the gaming site we put together under the
watch of Tracy Hickman to promote Dragonlance gaming.
Kencyclopedia.com is Sean "Kipper" Macdonald's all-kender website,
giving you everything you ever wanted (or didn't want!) to know
about kender. Be sure to check out his Kencyclopedia Kender
Handbook, the greatest resource for kender on the web.

Our greatest accomplishment on the web lies with Dragonlance.com,
the brainchild of Matt Haag. Dragonlance.com is the largest
Dragonlance website out there, including product info, setting info,
news, games, interviews, message boards, fan art, fan writing, fan
rules, and tons of other goodies.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Tobril, our bi-monthly e-
zine and the unofficial successor of the Legends of the Lance
newsletter. Luis De Pippo, Neil Burton, and Richard Connery put
together this fantastic e-zine with tons of new setting and gaming
info.

Plus, yours truly has now delved into the world of comic books with
the upcoming Legend of Huma comic adaptation.

The members of the Whitestone Council have approached Dragonlance
with a sense of honor and dignity and with the utmost love. They
are my friends, companions, and above all – my heroes.

Est Sularus oth Mithas.


DRAGONLANCE GAMING NEWS
The Dragonlance Dungeon Master Screen is now available in stores.
The screen has fantastic art by Larry Elmore, and includes a booklet
to serve as a tool for dungeon masters.

Coming in March is the Bestiary of Krynn by Cam Banks and Andre' La
Roche. I have to say, this book looks fantastic and will be hailed
as one of the best 3rd party monster books out there.

In May, the long-awaited Towers of High Sorcery will be released,
detailing all five of the Towers of High Sorcery for the first
time! Many of your questions on wizards after the War of Souls will
be answered here.

To celebrate 20 years of Dragonlance, Sovereign Press will be
releasing War of the Lance!


DRAGONLANCE NOVEL NEWS
The Legend of Huma has been re-released with fantastic cover art!
Even though I owned a copy with the old cover, I had to have the new
cover as well. The sequel, Kaz the Minotaur, will be re-released in
July with a brand-new cover. Again, it looks like I'll be picking
up a second copy!

In further Richard Knaak news, the paperback version of Night of
Blood (book I of the Minotaur Wars) will be released in February.
The Minotaur Wars will continue with Tides of Blood, due out in
hardcover in April.

February also sees the release of The Wizard's Fate, book two of the
Ergoth Trilogy by Paul Thompson and Tonya Cook.

Plus, the young readers adaptation of Chronicles is out as well,
laying down the path for some original young readers novels.

I also wanted to mention one other novel coming out in July –
Wizard's Conclave, by Doug Niles. Wizard's Conclave will be
answering many of the questions fans have on wizards after the War
of Souls.


DRAGONLANCE COMIC NEWS
The first issue of The Legend of Huma comic book adaptation is
slated for release on February 4th! Be sure to tell your local
comic book retailer to save a copy for you. Legend of Huma is done
by Dabel Brothers Productions (DBPro) and is being published through
Devil's Due.

As I mentioned above, I'm taking over the writing duties for this
series starting with issue #3, due out in March. I've already
turned in the scripts for issue #'s 3 and 4 and am now working on
issue #5.

Adapting a novel is both easy and hard. It's easy in that the story
is already told, and you just have to present it in comic book
format. It's hard in that some elements from novels are hard to
translate and you have to fill in the visual side of things.

The most enjoyable part for me is the battle scenes. I like getting
pretty descriptive (while not being graphic), and showcasing some
elements that don't get a lot of attention (such as copper, brass,
and bronze dragons). The wizard battles are quite fun as well, and
here you can see some of my D&D background slipping in.



UNTIL NEXT TIME
My friends, this is a great time to be a Dragonlance fan. In the
last year, we've seen a ton of growth between gaming, comics, and
the new direction of the novels. The world of Krynn is changing,
and there will be many new faces to meet and new adventures to
follow.

It is a great time to be a Dragonlance fan.

Trampas Whiteman
"Dragonhelm"
Whitestone Council
Dragonlance.com
Dragonlance Nexus