300 years ago, man's arrogance angered the [[Dragonlance deities|Gods]]. To make man humble again, they threw a fiery mountain down on the nation of [[Istar]], rearranging the face of [[Krynn]], and appeared to have left the world altogether. Now a [[Canon:War of the Lance|war]] is on the horizon. A group of friends met a barbarian couple, exiled from their homeland, and carrying the ''Blue Crystal Staff'', which those in power seek. Those authrorities have discovered the location of the ''Staff'', and the group of travelers, the [[Heroes of the Lance|Companions]], decide to aid the exiles. They are beginning a journey to learn the secrets of the staff and the real meaning of the absense of the gods. They will see the return of the dragons, as well as the fabled weapons known as [[dragonlances]].

''Dragonlance'' is set on the world of Krynn. The majority of the novels take place in the various regions of [[Ansalon]], a small continent, though some have taken place on the continent of [[Taladas]], located northeast of Ansalon. The world's major gods are the [[High God]] and his children: good [[Paladine]], neutral [[Gilean]], and evil [[Takhisis]]. The gods are opposed by [[Chaos (Dragonlance)|Chaos]], who seeks to destroy Krynn. Depending on the time period, the evil [[Chromatic dragon|chromatic]] and the good [[Metallic dragons|metallic]] [[dragonCanon:Dragons on Krynn|dragons]]s are rare or plentiful. [[Human]]s are Krynn's most common humanoid race, but [[SRDCanon:Elf(Dragonlance)|elves]], [[SRDCanon:Dwarf(Dragonlance)|dwarves]], [[kender]], [[Gnome (Dragonlance)|gnomes]], and [[Minotaur (Dragonlance)|minotaurs]] occupy the world as well. Clerics derive magical powers from their gods, and wizards derive their power from the three moon gods, [[Solinari]], [[Lunitari]], and [[Nuitari]]. Hickman had previously preached as a [[Wikipedia:Latter Day Saint Movement|Mormon]] missionary in [[Wikipedia:Java|Java]] for two years, and uses [[Wikipedia:Indonesian language|Indonesian]] in ''Dragonlance'' spells.<ref name="Hunt"/> During Krynn's various wars, armies of [[draconian]]s are used as troops. Draconians are created by corrupting a dragon egg, thereby creating a reptilian humanoid. The eggs of good dragons create evil draconians, and vice versa.

The [[Canon:Dragonlance Timeline|history of the world of Krynn]], and thus the settings for both the novels and gaming supplements, is roughly split into five separate ages. The first age is the time of creation, when the [[List of Dragonlance deities|gods]] are born and Krynn is formed. The Age of Dreams, the second age, is marked by the rapid growth of the world's first great civilizations and the appearance of myriad new [[character race |races]]. This era is also marked by three great wars between dragons and their minions. Following the Third Dragon War, in the Age of Might, the [[Cataclysm (Dragonlance)|Cataclysm]] obliterates the great empire of [[Istar]] and changes almost the entire surface of Krynn. A three-hundred year depression follows this event, in what is called the Age of Despair. This period also marks the [[Canon:War of the Lance|War of the Lance]]. When Dragonlance was first introduced to ''Dungeons & Dragons'', events happened during The Age of Despair. Since February 2009, the Age of Mortals has been used for most of the setting's new novels.

{{Main|Canon:List of major Dragonlance characters}}

* The ''[[List of Dragonlance novels#The Chronicles Trilogy|Chronicles]]'' trilogy relates the events since the meeting of the Companions until the end of the [[War of the Lance]] and the defeat of the Dragon armies of Ansalon.