You may not know it, but Kronin Thistleknot is one of the most influential kender besides Tasslehoff Burrfoot. Let’s learn a little more about Kronin Thistleknot, kender Barbarian. Buy the War of the Lance sourcebook: https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/3164/war-of-the-lance-3-5?affiliate_id=50797
Transcript
Cold Open
Let’s just say, hunting him doesn’t end well for the hunter.
Intro
Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today we are going to talk about Kronin Thistleknott the kender barbarian. I would like to take a moment and thank the DLSaga members, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate links. I am referencing the Annotated Chronicles, the novel Lord Toede and the War of the Lance sourcebook for this information. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below!
Discussion
When we are speaking of influential or memorable kender, let’s be honest, the list is pretty short. There are the kender who seem to be clones of Tasslehoff Burrfoot, then there are the one-off, wild ones like Nightshade. But in the vast world of Krynn there must be more kender of legend. Uncle Trapspringer seems to be the most influential kender of all time, simply due to how many claim to be part of his family and celebrate his exploits, but I would hazard a guess, only some of you know of Kronin Thistleknott. Now here is a kender who did some truly amazing things!
Kronin Thistleknot comes from a small town in Hylo called Legup. The town’s inhabitants are known to be a bit more antagonistic in their dispositions, and Kronin shares this trait in spades. Some kender in the region claim ogre or mountain dwarf blood flows in their veins, but you know kender and their wild tales. Kronin has a rugged and regal bearing. He is unlike most kender in every way. He has a strong and straight stature, standing taller than most kender, and rather than wearing a topknot, he cuts his minnow silver hair short. His piercing blue eyes are arresting when they are fixed on you, and his scarred ear due to an encounter with an ogre from Kern speaks to his tenacity and persistence in battle. He is a husband and father of Paxina Thistleknot, Kronn-alin Thistleknot, and Taywin Kroninsdau. Being a father myself, I can only imagine parenthood forced him to develop his mellow ability to relax and truly consider a situation before reacting, truly atypical behavior traits amongst kender.
While visiting distant relatives in Kendermore with his family, the Black Wing of the Dragonarmy invaded. Seeing as there was no central leader in Kendermore to square off against the invaders, Kronin stepped up and talked, coerced, and bribed the other kender, serving as a resistance leader for them against the Black Wing of the Dragonarmy. Kronin centralized the resistance power from all the disparate groups, and consistently and successfully struck back at the Black Wing. For his military leadership and strategy, the council of elders awarded the title of Grand Marshal to him, a title he adopted with enthusiasm. Kronin would offer assistance to Gunthar Uth Wistan during the Whitestone Forces counter attacks against the Dragonarmies, proving that while the Whitestone forces were none too thrilled about the prospect of a division of kender warriors at their side, kender were more courageous than most. They stood and fought while others backed down and hid.
While hunting in the forests in three hundred and fifty-two Alt Cataclius, Kronin and his friend Talorin were captured and charged with poaching in Lord Toede’s land. Seeing this as a mistake, as how could anyone own a forest, they resisted, but ultimately were subdued. Lord Toede ordered a deer carcass to be chained to them, and ordered them to run, so that he and his men could hunt them down. Choosing active resistance, as he did in war, Kronin set a trap for Toede by hiding the carcass in a green dragons cave, so when Lord Toede and his henchmen discovered it, they got a lot more than Kronin and Talorin in the process. The Green Dragon killed Toede, making Kronin a national hero among most kender.
After the War of the Lance, Kronin stayed in the city of Flotsam. To his great surprise, Lord Toede returned from the dead, but this Toede was changed by his experiences. Kronin actually assisted Toede in regaining control of the city from his treacherous insubordinate, and when the dust settled, Toede promoted Kronin to Chief Game Warden of Flotsam. This presents the mindset of a character in Kronin Thistleknot, who doesn’t hold grudges, and will work with anyone for the betterment of the community he resides in. A trait I wish more of us shared.
During the Fifth Age of Krynn, in the absence of the gods, great and terrible dragon overlords claimed the continent of Ansalon for their own. The Great Red Dragon Overlord Malystryx attacked the kender in Goodlund. While Malys was in the village of Woodsedge she was amazed to see one kender in particular who did not go running away from her, screaming in fright. Malys is not one to allow dissension in any form, and demands her foes to show respect through fear, so as Kronin stood up to the mightiest force Krynn had seen since the Chaos War, Malystryx became the instrument of Kronin Thistleknot’s demise.
Outside Tasslehoff Burrfoot, I can’t imagine a more influential and impactful kender. He stood up for peace and justice, excelled at military tactics, and even aided the restoration of a leader who hunted him in a previous life. I think Tasslehoff’s father was right when he said “kender were small because they were meant to do small things. However, all the big things in the world are really small things, joined together. And it’s the small things that make the difference.” I am paraphrasing there, but I think you get the idea.
Outro
And that is all I have to say about Kronin Thistleknot, Kender Barbarian. What do you think of the life of Kronin? Do you think he should have helped Toede when he returned from the dead? And finally, if he would have fled from Malys, would he still be alive? Leave a comment below.
I would like to take a moment and remind you to subscribe to this YouTube channel, ring the bell to get notified about upcoming videos and click the like button. This all goes to help other Dragonlance fans learn about this channel and its content. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time, remember:
We should be fighting dragons. Not each other.
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