Editor’s Note: The following was originally posted on the Dragonlance Forums October 8, 2007 by Paul Thompson. I’m reposting it here to serve as clarification on the background of the events in Destiny.

Eons ago Zivilyn was goaded by another god into making a being. He chose to take an existing animal and transformed into the semblance of an elf, just to show that the elves were not special because of how they looked but by what they did. His creation, having free will, eluded his creator and led a life on his own. He dabbled in the affairs of the elven nations for centuries (his lifespan was prolonged by his mastery of the magical arts). At one time, smitten with loneliness for others of his kind (and angry at the proud, selfish elves) he tried to reproduce his own creation by using his magic to breed a race of animal-elves. It didn’t work. Only a handful of these creatures managed to transform, and the change proved to be not permanent.

Zivilyn’s creation was punished for his blasphemous work and his “children” were imprisoned far from the elf realm. They died out over time, all but one. He followed in his “father’s” footsteps, prolonging his life far beyond a normal span through the use of illicit magic. He sought nothing less than the total destruction of the elf race, but chance and the powers arrayed against him were too strong.

In their extremity Zivilyn decided to intervene to aid the elves, having caused them so much grief with his earlier creation. He was forbidden to do so, so he resorted to disguises and very subtle subterfuges. He succeeded, but in the end he was caught and punished by his peers.

I leave you all to fill in the blanks here . . .