Death Gate Question Cont'
KYLE ALLEN SEVERSON
I had to put in my two cents worth on the subject of the Fizban/Zifnab
relationship. I believe they are made to be the same being. After all,
Fizban is a god and is immortal (existed from early Dragonlance to late
Death Gate). He is definitely not Sartan. In _Elven Star_ he protected
himself from Haplo's magic without chanting any runes or dancing. That is
pretty powerful magic. Also, he controlled Haplo's dog, which has been
hypothesised as Haplo's soul. Zifnab has often made comments of figures
from Dragonlance and from the 20th century. He has the same hat in both
stories that he always seems to lose and find again. He is the good force
that has come back to the world to bend the wave from darkness. Further,
I don't remember Zifnab telling Haplo that he was Sartan, I believe Haplo
just assumed that, as did Xar.
It just seems to me that there are too many similarities between Zifnab
and Fizban (including the name) for these to be two different characters.
And why not, why wouldn't W&H use a repeating character, it gives the
different books a connection, almost more reality. Anyway, hopefully W&H
will explain all in their final book of the series.
KS
--
The three laws of Fluid Mechanics:
1. You can't win.
2. You can't even break even.
3. And you can never get out of the game.
S E CHILDS
> I had to put in my two cents worth on the subject of the Fizban/Zifnab
> relationship. I believe they are made to be the same being. After all,
I really don't think so.
> Fizban is a god and is immortal (existed from early Dragonlance to late
> Death Gate). He is definitely not Sartan. In _Elven Star_ he protected
> himself from Haplo's magic without chanting any runes or dancing. That is
True. But maybe he's so powerful that he dosen't need to do the
chanting and dancing.
> pretty powerful magic. Also, he controlled Haplo's dog, which has been
> hypothesised as Haplo's soul. Zifnab has often made comments of figures
> from Dragonlance and from the 20th century. He has the same hat in both
> stories that he always seems to lose and find again. He is the good force
> that has come back to the world to bend the wave from darkness. Further,
> I don't remember Zifnab telling Haplo that he was Sartan, I believe Haplo
> just assumed that, as did Xar.
He admitted that he was Sartan to Haplo in _Hand of Chaos_ and to
Xar in _Into the Labyrinth_.
He's a really powerful Sartan. He has lived a very long time and
lived in the 20th century. He saw the war at the end of science. He wrote
the books left in the Nexus.
> It just seems to me that there are too many similarities between Zifnab
> and Fizban (including the name) for these to be two different characters.
> And why not, why wouldn't W&H use a repeating character, it gives the
> different books a connection, almost more reality. Anyway, hopefully W&H
> will explain all in their final book of the series.
He's pertending to be Fizban. That's why they are so similar.
They wouldn't use a repeating character because they don't have sole
control over dragonlance, TSR does. Besides, I feel that connecting them
would weaken the overall plot of the Death Gate series.
Stephen Childs
D.J. ROBERTS
of the impossibilities of him not being Fizban
Fizban
An apparently crazy man in mousey coloured robes, with a bent and battered
hat that he is always loosing, claiming to be a wizard with a dragon. He has a
tendency to talk of people from the 20 century and keeps muttering about his
fireball spell. Although clearly in Dragonlance he is Paladine, he does not
interfere directly, but merely points things in the right direction.
Zifnab
An apparently crazy man in mousey coloured robes, with a bent and battered
hat that he keeps loosing. On Pryan he appears as a human wizard with a
dragon. He has a tendancy to talk of people from the 20 century and people
from the Dragonlance series. He mentions fireball on Pryan a couple of times.
He also does not take direct action in anything (from what I have seen, I
haven't read "Into the Labyrinth" yet) he does however point things in the
right direction eg opening Haplo up to his true feelings and frightening the
mensch into the Sartan city in Pryan.
He does claim he is Sartan in "The Hand of Chaos" but
this is in a joke. If he was a god or paladine, he could hardly describe
himself as such, what better disguise than that of crazy old sartan. It
explains his powers and everything.
Reasons why he could not be a Sartan
From previous mail, it is said that he survived the sundering and some even
that he dated back to the 20 century (which is where he got the Fizban
identity from) Although the Sartan are powerful, they are not immortal. I
doubt he would have been able to survive from the sundering never mind from
the 20 century. The only reason the other Sartan survived was that they were
in suspended animation. Also how could a crazy Sartan know that Haplo had a
child trapped in the Labyrinth somewhere?
Why should W&H not make him as the same character, as someone has already
said, it adds continuity.
Dave Roberts
Not just another page of words!