WELCOME TO THE INN – NEXUS DAY!
Greetings, friends and fellow companions, and welcome back to the
Inn of the Last Home! Please excuse the mess. We're preparing for
our Nexus Day celebration!

What? You've not heard of Nexus Day? Sit down, traveler, and I
shall tell you a tale! Years ago, in the Age of Dreams, a group
of companions created a portal, one that would lead to many
adventures….what? You've heard this one. Ah, but you're a very
discerning audience indeed!

Seriously, though, today does mark the 5th anniversary of the
Dragonlance Nexus. Each year, I like to reflect back on how the
Nexus began, and on how much it has all changed through the years.
This year, I'd like to focus a bit more on the great memories along
the way.

Never fear, for we shall be bringing you the latest Dragonlance News
as well, including a major announcement regarding Dark Chronicles.

So grab your hoopaks, my friends. The portal to adventure awaits!


MEMORY LANE
"... and here we are. We have done the impossible, and that makes us
mighty. "
--Joss Whedon

Though Jess Whedon was referring to the Serenity movie, I think it
applies here as well. When the Dragonlance Nexus and Whitestone
Council began, there were people who said it was impossible. Yet
here we are, five years later, and we are mighty.

Five years. That's a pretty long time. What has happened to you in
the last five years? Did you graduate high school or college? Get
married? Have kids? Where were you five years ago?

There are several things I remember fondly from the time of the
Nexus' foundation. Even with all the heated debate at the time, a
group of dedicated fans came together with the intent of keeping
Dragonlance gaming alive. They didn't do it for money or
recognition, but because it was a cause they believed in. Imagine
how thrilled we were when we got the backing of the man himself,
Tracy Hickman. To this day, I am in awe of the man. He's a
creative genius, and just an all-around great guy. He brought his
name and his Dragonlance Nexus idea to the table. You know the
results.

Another big treat came in the form of Sovereign Press. I still
remember the day that Margaret Weis called me to let me know that
Sovereign Press had gotten the Dragonlance gaming license, and that
she wanted to keep the Whitestone Council involved. Shortly
afterwards, Matt Haag and I had the opportunity to meet with the
Sovereign Press crew at Margaret's house, which she affectionately
calls "the barn" (it's a converted barn). I cannot say just how
wonderful it has been working with Sovereign Press. Our partnership
has presented several opportunities, and some of our number have
risen to new heights as game designers, cartographers, and comic
writers.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention another special group of
people, the folks at DBPro and Devil's Due Publishing. The Dabel
Brothers gave me a dream job of penning the adaptation script for
the short-lived Legend of Huma comic book series. For me, it
brought my love of comic books, Dragonlance, and The Legend of Huma
together into one single venue.

We have had a lot of interaction with Dragonlance fans over the
years, through e-mails, the various forums, and at GenCon. Putting
faces to names on the boards is always a treat. I can not say just
what a joy it has been to serve all of you over the years. Truly,
it is Dragonlance fandom that has kept the Nexus alive, and who
continues to give it new life. It is to you, the fans of
Dragonlance, that the Nexus is dedicated.


DARK CHRONICLES NAME CHANGE/AMBER AND IRON SPECULATION
Margaret Weis has announced recently that the new Dark Chronicles
trilogy has had a name change to Lost Chronicles. According to
Margaret, "The reason is due to the fact that the former turned out
to be a registered trademark of another author. Also both Tracy and
I agree that Lost Chronicles actually suited the series better!"

Margaret has also given Dragonlance audiences a bit of a teaser
regarding the upcoming release of Amber and Iron, stating that the
end of the book will contain a startling revelation. Margaret has
not given further details on the matter, but there has been much fan
speculation on the issue.

UPCOMING RELEASES
On the novel side of the fence, Amber and Iron will be released
inhardback in February. Empire of Blood, the finale to the Minotaur
Wars by author Richard Knaak, will be in paperback in March. Trail
of the Black Wyrm is the continuation of the Taladas Trilogy by
Chris Pierson, and will be released in April.

For fans of the young readers novels, The Crystal Chalice, book two
of the Elidor trilogy by Ree Soesbee, will be out in March. Plus,
Wizard's Betrayal by Jeff Sampson, book two of the Trinistyr
trilogy, is out this month! I've heard lots of good things about
the young readers novels, so check them out!

On the gaming side, upcoming releases include Legend of the Twins
(February), Tasslehoff's Map Pouch: The War of the Lance (March),
Price of Courage (April), Knightly Orders of Ansalon (May), Bestiary
of Krynn: Revised (June), Races of Ansalon (July), and Dragons of
Autumn, the reprint of the classic Dragonlance adventures (July).
Sovereign Press is also releasing their sourcebooks in PDF format
prior to the release of the hardcover, so be on the lookout for
that. You can find Legends of the Twins on RPGNow.com.

NEXUS NEWS
So what has the Nexus been doing to celebrate our anniversary? Lots
of stuff!

First up is some great fan art, including a wonderful pic of
Raistlin by Rolando Rios, a pic of Nightshade from Amber and Ashes
by PsychaDurmont, and a wonderful character portrait of Laurana by
Nick Barfuss. Nick's work has also graced the Dragonlance Lexicon
lately, so check it out.

On the fan rules side of things, we've had a ton of submissions
lately, including an article on Krynnspace! Plus, we've started on
a major project for this year – the Unsung Heroes Project. Our goal
is to convert all of Unsung Heroes, and as many pregenerated
characters from prior editions as we can. Not only that, but we're
working on expanding on some to make them even more useful in your
campaigns. Beyond Unsung Heroes, we've had a few other additions of
late, including Jaclyn Cashell, head librarian of the Tower of
Wayreth, and Finkle of the Green Robes, and eccentric sorcerer.

From Ben Jacobson, our Lexicon editor: "One of the largest
libraries of Dragonlance information is in the process of being
compiled into a Lexicon, by not only fans, but a few authors have
also joined to contribute a write-up on their characters. The
Lexicon staff is in the process of posting up some portraits of
characters by Nick Barfuss, maps from 550 PC era of Krynn by Justin
Parkoff, and Weldon Chen's Timeline will all be incorporated into
the Lexicon. A special thanks for write-ups to Doug Niles,
Ashe "Uziel" Potter, Achmos, Archangle21, Chronocrosselite, Gerrin,
Joe Mashuga, and Heron for all their hard work in submitting work."

From Ravenmantle, our Palanthas Herald editor: "The Palanthas
Herald has evolved immensely since it was first started back in
October. The many exciting articles submitted by fans have made the
city and its citizens come alive. The recent months have been very
interesting for those living in Palanthas as well, maybe a bit too
interesting at times. Whispered rumors tell of the return of the
Shadow Sorcerer, the destruction of the Shrine of Takhisis caused a
riot in the streets, and the mysterious Hawkstones terrorize
innocent civilians. It's been a turbulent four months for the
reporters of the Palanthas Herald and if things continue, we're in
for another exciting four months."


FAN LETTER
I wanted to share with you a fan letter I received recently from
Nelson Baietti in Brazil. This really touched my heart.

Dear Trampas,

I'm a designer in love for Dragonlance for about 15 years, and I
believe that we have something else in common as to say that both of
us crate passionate works of art, such as the beautiful job you have
been doing for Dragonlance for so long or, in my case, my models.

For this reason, I feel, and I imagine that you would feel it as
well, that when we dedicate ourselves so much to something that we
love and show it to people that we expect to love that subject as
much as we do, the least they can do is to say something!

Well, I'm writing again to say something to you. You deserve it!

Your job is amazing! You've kept it up for so long, and haven't
abandoned the Dragonlance Nexus, even when things get difficult,
after all, they might have been difficult one time or another,
right? This alone is something outstanding, and I'd admire you for
that reason alone if not for so many others, like the always so rich
content of your letters, your will and determination to dig up news
of the Dragonlance universe and share it with us, and so on.

The news is fascinating every single time, and I'm always thrilled
when I see a [Dragonlance Nexus News] in my e-mail box.

I want to really congratulate you for helping to keep Dragonlance
alive so well. Stirring it up from time to time `telling us' what's
going between books… For instance, I'm very glad to know that Laura
is taking care of the kender in the cell now on Yule time, even the
poor locked up kender deserve a little attention this time of the
year, right?

The Dragonlance universe is huge and seems alive thanks to the help
of people like you and all the other authors and fans, everybody
really seems to always be talking of the same subject,
contradictions are nearly non-existent, and taking into account the
enormity of the work done by so many people, it's unbelievable! I'm
reading around my 30th or 40th book already, (I've really lost track
by now…) and I can't recall any other work of fiction so richly
detailed in any other place!

I do restrain myself for keeping sending you guys messages all the
time, because I know that so many people probably already write to
you and I don't want to be just another one filling up your mail
box, for instance. It's already hard for me to gather up courage to
write to you, I don't think that I'll ever have the guts to write a
single message to Mrs. Weis letting her know how deeply I love her
books, I don't want to sound too geeky, although it's probably
already impossible at this length.

Nevertheless here I am again risking annoying you with another fan
letter. But I think it's worth it. You deserve to have your work
recognized and know that it is so very much appreciated for people
living even as far away as me in Brazil.

Parabéns pela sua 50ª edição! 5 anos, Trampas!
(Congratulations for your 50th edition! 5 years, Trampas!)
You are really amazing!!
Merry Christmas, Merry Yule!

UNTIL NEXT TIME
Wanderlust calls again, and I must be off. I hope that the New Year
is finding all of you happy and safe. Here's to the next 5 years,
and beyond!

Long Live the Lance!

Trampas Whiteman
"Dragonhelm"
Dragonlance Nexus