I guess I managed to write one more blog post before abandoning this little Dragonlance project of mine. The following text is a collection of information about Fistandantilus that I have been able to find in various novels. One of the cool things about The Dark One is that his history is so obscure, so my take on him is by no means meant to be definitive history of Fistandantilus.
I expect to create a PDF version of this blog post at some point for your downloading pleasure.
The first time we hear about Fistandantilus is in Dragons of Autumn. Raistlin Majere finds one of his old spell books in Xak Tsaroth and at the same time establishes that Fistandantilus wore the Black Robes. Furthermore, it is established that he was the most powerful wizard in Krynn.
In Dragons of Winter Night, Fistandantilus talks through Raistlin Majere after the destruction of Tarsis. He recounts the creation of the Dragon Orbs, indicating that he was one of the creators. If this is indeed true, Fistandantilus was truly ancient. In order to participate in the creation of the Dragon Orbs, he would have had to be powerful, which means that he could not have been a young man at this point.
According to Test of the Twins, Fistandantilus tells Raistlin Majere that he used to wear the Red Robes. He must have spent the better part of a lifetime, before he besieged the Queen of Darkness and was allowed to don the Black Robes. It was at this point in time that he was given the Bloodstone of Fistandantilus, which would ensure his eternal life. The same section in Test of the Twins, tells us a few details about the Citadel of Fistandantilus. The location is never disclosed, but given his reputation, it is doubtful that it was situated in a highly populated area. Furthermore, it seems fairly logical that he did not reside in a Tower of High Sorcery. One might be tempted to think that Zhaman was the residence of Fistandantilus; however, in War of the Twins, Raistlin Majere claims to never have been there, although he retains the memories of Fistandantilus. If this was the place where Raistlin Majere defeated Fistandantilus it is likely that he would have remembered. According to Wizards’ Conclave, Fistandantilus carried a staff, which was topped by a dragon. However, Legends describe Fistandantilus as a mage who had no
need for staves, familiars etc. he wore unadorned black robes with a hood, which only revealed his beard. An unnatural cold radiated from his body. Considering how many times Fistandantilus used the Bloodstone it is plausible to believe that he looks nothing like he used to. This same book describes a cave, which is guarded by a green dragon that leads to the Tower of High Sorcery in Wayreth. These tunnels are allegedly created by Fistandantilus.
According to Fistandantilus Reborn, the wizard was able to take part of his life force and imbue a magic item with it. He gave this item to an apprentice, providing Fistandantilus with extra life insurance. Additionally, the skull, which rests beneath Skullcap, still contains the essence of the lich Fistandantilus. Allegedly, these two versions of the ancient mage battled each other resulting in the essence of Fistandantilus being scattered through the River of Time.
The Kingpriest trilogy recounts Fistandantilus’ role in the Lost Battles. Allegedly, he gave the Kingpriest the power to penetrate the magical groves surrounding the Towers of High Sorcery in order to weaken the Conclave, which would oppose his bid for godhood. Furthermore, Fistandantilus carved out a laboratory for himself underneath the temple of the Kingpriest. The protective spells laid on this place were so powerful that they were able to withstand the destruction wrought by the Cataclysm.
In Legends, Astinus reveals that Fistandantilus wanted to enter the Abyss to battle the Queen of Darkness. In order to open the portal to the Abyss, Fistandantilus needed a priest of Paladine. Evidently he chose Denubis who was a priest in the holy temple in Istar. When Raistlin Majere became Fistandantilus, he chose lady Crysania over Denubis.
Today is the 7. January 2024, and I think it is time for a little update to this post.
Having read Dragons of the Hourglass Mage, we have a little more information about Fistandantilus. We see, that he was talking to Raistlin through the beginning of the book, but was uanable to manifest a physial body. He was trapped in the Dragon Orb by Raistlin, where he was forced to battle Viper. We also see towards the end, that he was able to manifest a physical body, which looked like Raistlin. Apparently, he made up with Takhisis, and he was looking to work for her. This seems a little odd for the character in my opinion, but does seem to fit with Raislin’s comments in Legends, where he tells Crysania that Fistandantilus wanted to lead the Dark Queen’s armies. That being said, Fistandantilus did not seem like the kind of person who would bow down like that. However, since he was trying to get Raistlin to trap the gods of magic, maybe he had a change of heart?
Raistlin and Fistandantilus battle each other, much like in legends. Here Raistlin ends up using the Bloodstone on Fistandantilus, feeling that he has done this before. This appears to be the end of Fistandantilus. The question is, if the idea to challenge the gods were actually Fistandantilus’s idea and not Raistlin’s. Whatever the case is, the two wizards’ lives were heavily intertwined.