Caramon Majere

Dragon magazine introduced some of the Heroes of the Lance in a series of short stories, as a preview to the Dragonlance story; "The Test of the Twins" in Dragon #83 (March 1984) was the first of these, and is a story about the twins Raistlin and Caramon.[1]

Caramon Majere was created by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman as one of several characters to be involved in an epic Advanced Dungeons & Dragons campaign which they had written and designed.

Raistlin Majere harbors a secret hate for his twin's physical power and easygoing manner, and for the attention and comradeship it seems to earn him, as Raistlin's own appearance and secretive nature causes others to be mistrustful and apprehensive.[3] Caramon, conversely, holds Raistlin in high regard and tries to protect him.[4]

Caramon is the son of Gilon Majere and Rosamun Aelan Uth Matar, twin brother to Raistlin Majere,[5] and half-brother to Kitiara Uth Matar.

The son of a woodcutter, Caramon's childhood was a complicated one. Caramon (the first born), was strapping and healthy, while Raistlin was so sickly that the midwife feared he would die as an infant.[4] Raistlin had to be nursed to health continuously by their half-sister, Kitiara. From an early age, Caramon's deliberate way of considering ideas earned him a reputation for mental dullness.[4] His father, Gilon, died in an accident when Caramon was only sixteen years old. Soon after, his mother, Rosamun, went into a delusional trance and never came out.

The novel Brothers Majere by Rose Estes reveals the origins of the love/hate relationship of Caramon and Raistlin; Caramon, distraught over his ailing mother, reluctantly allowed her to die.[6] 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 over 6 ft. tall and massively built. He was trained in a battle craft by his half-sister Kitiara, 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.

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.[5] 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. Despite this, Caramon remains loyal to his brother, with a willingness to provide aid at any time.[3]

The character was popular enough for Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman to base the Twins Trilogy around Caramon's and Raistlin's relationship. The final book of the trilogy Test of the Twins appeared on the New York Times bestseller list for several weeks in 1986.[2] Ian Hewitt, a staff reviewer from d20zines.com stated focus of the trilogy was "Caramon's heart-wrenching quest to save his brother if he can, but to ultimately stop him at any cost is the test that the twins must face" and awarded Test of the Twins an A+ rating.[16] In Religious Concepts in Fantasy Literature, Nadine Wolf wrote that while Caramon is the physically stronger twin compared to Raistlin, it is the latter who "dominates their relationship".[3] This is equivalent to what studies of real life twins has shown happens.[17]

Jason Heller, of The A.V. Club, calls the twin brothers Caramon and Raistlin the series most compelling characters: "Caramon is a large, powerful, goodhearted, slightly childlike warrior; Raistlin is a sickly, complicated, mysterious, morally iffy magician. The dynamic feels like it's lifted straight from Thor and Loki, and that archetypal resonance is what Weis and Hickman are obviously shooting for. And almost entirely hit."[18]

Lauren Davis of io9 notes that while "Caramon is physically strong, but has invested so much of his life and identity in protecting brother that he's blind to Raistlin's growing darkness." Davis notes the flaws of the main characters, commenting that Caramon "isn't sure who he is without his brother—even in a crowded field of characters. That's what lets us weep over doomed characters, shake our heads at foolish ones, rally at moments of true bravery and growth, and sigh over star-crossed lovers. Weis and Hickman may stuff their books with all a sorts of magical creatures and artifacts, but they clearly love their characters and never forget that it's the human(ish) stories that form the series' heart."[19]

In the Io9 series revisiting older Dungeons & Dragons novels, Rob Bricken commented that "Raistlin's twin brother. He's strong, beefy, and not particularly bright. He does love Raistlin unequivocally, which is good because no one else does."[20]