译者:这是龙枪的主笔之一，玛格丽特·魏丝关于她所塑造的雷斯林·马哲理的一些感想，鉴于我的英文水平，有哪里翻译错了，还请多多原谅。；P

我经常被问道：“谁是你最喜爱的角色？”这就好象问一位母亲谁是她最喜爱的孩子！我们爱自己的每一个孩子，并因为他们不同的禀性而给予独一无二的爱。
但是尽管如此，相对于笔下的其他人物，一位作者往往更善于把握和偏爱另一些角色。如同无论我们怎么遮掩，造物主仍能洞察我们最深的隐秘一样，我就对某些角色比对自己的朋友或家庭更为了解！在我所创造的角色中，我就是神，我看得见他们的脆弱，他们的力量，他们心底的疑惑和他们黑暗、秘密的那部分。雷斯林·马哲理就是这样的一个角色。
当我第一次见到他的时候，他只是人物名单上的一个名字。尽管我了解他的那些为了推动龙枪的角色模拟游戏而被赋予的设定：早在他二十多岁的时候，他就是一个三级法师；他身体羸弱，穿着红袍，被伙伴被称为“狡诈鬼”；他有一个名叫“卡拉蒙”的强壮、健康、力大无比的兄弟。但是直到我读到雷斯林有着“金色的皮肤和沙漏状的瞳孔”之前，他对我来说依旧只是那群人物里普通的一员——如同坦尼斯、史东、佛林特、泰索何夫。
“为什么他会有金色的皮肤和沙漏状的瞳孔呢？”我大惑不解地问道。
“只是原画觉得这样看起来比较酷！”
这一下子就吸引了我，我必须知道雷斯林有着这样的外貌的原因。也就在努力试图揭开谜底的过程中，我逐渐把握了雷斯林真正的性格特点。
他嫉妒他那英俊、强壮的双胞胎兄弟——对于每个曾经和兄弟姐妹一起成长起来的人，这种嫉妒是不难体会的。在同龄人中，他也很明显的不被信任和喜爱。如果他的伙伴称他为“狡诈鬼”的话，那么他的敌人又会怎么称呼他？他会顺理成章地成为坏蛋的靶子，而他的兄弟则会挺身而出保护他。在我看来，雷斯林一边是依赖着这种保护成长起来，一边却又因此而怨恨卡拉蒙。所以他才会一直反抗着这份滋养他同时又让他窒息的爱。瘦削的体格和远比卡拉蒙虚弱的肉体预示着一个苍白多病的青年，但几乎也预示了一种习惯于挖掘自身的天性，尤其是当他不得不被病床所拘禁，独自熬过漫长的时光。这样的童年提供给雷斯林一种与同龄人隔离的体验，不过随后也使他的注意力集中到了思考诸如周遭环境等一类事物中去。那么他会选择去学习魔法的原因就更加显而易见。当然，这同时也离不开奇蒂拉——雷斯林同母异父的姐姐，一个精力旺盛又野心勃勃的女人——将他的思想导向这条道路。处在动荡和险恶的世界里，如果她年幼的弟弟没有足够的体力去挥动武器，那么他就要有一些别的方法来保护自己。魔法就是答案，特别是在他已经显露出在这一领域的天才的时候。雷斯林很快就意识到魔法同时也是他获取力量和所向披靡的唯一手段。
所有的一切都很吸引人，但是它们仍不能解释金色的皮肤和沙漏状的瞳孔的来由。这自然不是他与身俱来的。他的双胞胎兄弟和他同母异父的姐姐看上去完全是正常的人类。也许他对魔法的学习可以解释这种转变。他必定曾经通过某种测试来向大法师之塔里的魔法师证明他的能力。然而哪种测试会是法师们给予年轻的后生们的？一项困难的测试，而且大多是极端困难的试炼。否则任何一个有点小聪明的人都会宣称自己是个魔法师。要求法师赌上他或她的整个生命的试炼的后果是什么？在试炼中会有什么事情发生，使得雷斯林获得了金色的皮肤并可以用他的眼睛看到时间对一切生命造成毁坏？所有的疑问让大法师之塔里的试炼变得生动起来——正是在这次试炼里，雷斯林和费斯坦但提勒斯有了那个令人憎恨的相会。
我对雷斯林变得如此着迷以至于去写了一个有关他在前往大法师之塔的途中的短篇。通过这次旅途，我也开始了解了卡拉蒙的总总。我窥见了卡拉蒙内心崇高的善良——这在他的朋友看来可能是一种软弱，但是到最后却是他构建成功和欢乐生活的基石。
我仍旧在不断地了解雷斯林。通过我所写的每本关于这对兄弟和他们在世上历险的故事里，我都会发现新的东西。雷斯林是，并且将继续是，在众多不同的角色里我特别喜爱的一个，并且这已成为我的特权和快乐的来源。


玛格丽特·魏丝
1998年8月


原文：

Margaret Weis
I'm often asked, "Who's your favorite character?" This is tantamount to
asking a mother to name her favorite child! We love our children for
themselves, a love individual as each child.
It is true, however, that a writer comes to know and like some characters
better than others. Some I know better than I know my own friends and
family! The innermost recesses we hide from the world are clearly visible
to our Creator. Playing God with my characters, I see their weaknesses,
their strengths, their inner doubts and turmoil, and their dark and secret
parts. Raistlin Majere was such a character.
When I first met Raistlin, he was a name on a Character Sheet. I knew his
"stats," developed for the Dragonlance roleplaying game. I knew he was a
third-level mage in his early twenties. I knew he was slight in build,
wore red robes, and that he was known among his friends as "The Sly One."
I knew he had a strong, well-built, powerful twin brother named Caramon.
But he was just one of a number of characters-Tanis, Sturm, Flint,
Tasslehoff-until I read the passage that said Raistlin had "golden skin
and hourglass eyes."
"Why does he have golden skin and hourglass eyes?" I asked, puzzled.
"Because the artists think he would look cool!" was the reply.
This intrigued me. I had to know the reason Raistlin had golden skin and
hourglass eyes. In trying to solve this mystery, I was led to an
understanding of the true nature of Raistlin's character.
That he would be jealous of his good-looking, stronger twin brother was a
natural feeling to which every person who has ever grown up with a sibling
could relate. That he was not generally trusted or well liked by his peers
was obvious. If his friends called him "The Sly One," what would his
enemies term him? Naturally he would be the target of bullies, which would
lead his brother to protect him. It seemed to me that Raistlin would grow
dependent on his brother for such protection, but that he would, at the
same time, resent Caramon for it. Thus Raistlin would constantly struggle
against a love as smothering as it was nurturing.
The fact that Raistlin was of slight build and physically weaker than his
brother seemed to indicate a sickly youth, which might also be indicative
of an introspective nature, particularly if he was forced to spend time
cooped up in a sickbed. Such a childhood would have contributed to his
feeling of alienation from his peers but would later give him empathy for
others in like circumstances.
That Raistlin would turn to the study of magic was again obvious. Of
course, it would be his elder half-sister, the restless and ambitious
Kitiara, who would lead his thoughts in that direction. In a rough and
dangerous world her younger brother lacked physical strength to wield a
weapon. He needed some way to defend himself. Magic was the answer,
especially since he already showed some talent in that area. Raistlin soon
came to realize that magic was also the means by which he could gain power
and ascendancy over others.
All very intriguing, but it didn't explain the golden skin and hourglass
eyes. Certainly he wasn't born with them. His twin brother and his elder
half-sister were perfectly normal-looking humans. Perhaps his study of
magic had caused this transformation. He must have had to take a test to
prove his abilities to the wizards who lived in the Towers of High
Sorcery.
What sort of magical test would they give young wizards? A difficult test,
probably extremely difficult. Otherwise anyone with a bit of talent could
declare himself a wizard. What if the Test required that a mage stake his
or her very life on the outcome? And what if something happened during the
Test that caused Raistlin's skin to acquire a golden tinge and to give him
eyes that would see the ravages of time upon all living things? Thus the
Test in the Tower of High Sorcery came into existence. It was during that
Test that Raistlin had the fateful meeting with the lich, Fistandantilus.
I became so fascinated with Raistlin that I wrote a short story about his
journey to the Tower to take the Test. I also came to know a lot about
Caramon on that trip. I saw Caramon's great inner goodness that to his
friends would seem a weakness but that in the end would be the rock on
which he would build a successful and happy life.
I'm still learning about Raistlin. With every book I write about him and
his twin and their adventures in the world, I discover something new.
Raistlin is, and continues to be, a favorite of all the many different
characters it has been my privilege and my joy to know.
Margaret Weis
August 1998