History TearJerker / DragonLance

* The death of Tanis in ''Dragons of Summer Flame''.

* Flamestrike, is an incredibly elderly red dragon half-blind who has gone senile. During the previous dragon war, she begged her spawn not to continue to fight in a war she knew was already lost once the forces of Good started to use the dreaded Dragonlance, she watched them die. Now she ''relives'' their deaths, while is described in her insanity as thinking of the children of the hostages she's guarding AS her children. The women hostages outright pity her and are on speaking terms with her, while the children hostages thinking of her as "their" dragon, even the heroes are reluctant at the idea of killing her. When the arc-villain declares he'll kill the hostages, mentioning the children in particular, she attacks without hesitation, dropping the villain into his duel with the heroes, while she fights his partner in crime, the red dragon Ember, who she kamikazes herself to kill, her last thoughts being of her brood.

* At the end of ''Autumn Twilight'', Mataflur had taken care of children and woman captives... but upon seeing a weapon made to kill dragons, suffered traumatic flashbacks of her own children flying off and never returning. The kids see her in such a state and start screaming at the heroes not to hurt her, and of course they're not. So they get forced to make a tearful goodbye to Matafleur. She later on performs a HeroicSacrifice when another dragon comes to kill them and pushes them into a mountain. It's said later on you could hear her spirit say "My children".

* [[spoiler:Sturm's]] death in the ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' novels. Apparently even the authors cried as they wrote the scene.
** And the death of [[spoiler: Tanis]] in ''Dragons of Summer Flame''.
** [[Tropers/ParcaKnight This humble contributor]] must have gotten some dust in his eyes or something when he reached the part with [[spoiler: Tas sitting there with Flint's helmet, crying for his lost friend.]]

** Unexpectedly for a book that's basically a comedy about the Knights of Takhisis being flummoxed by tinker gnomes, ''The Siege of Mount Nevermind'' has a few strong ones, mostly near the end. The determined resistance of the gnomes after spending most of the book as comic relief is surprisingly moving at many points, but the strongest comes with [[spoiler:Halion Khargos, the leader of the Knights expedition to Mount Nevermind, recalling his youth on the island and realizing there was more nobility and strength in the simple life he abandoned, and sitting down to die in the face of a rampaging dragon out of the depths of the mountain. This act left the strictly regimented group of Knights leaderless and easier to push off, but was also just an attempt at [[RedemptionEqualsDeath atoning for his life of evil]].]]
** Why has no one put up the end of ''Test of the Twins'' yet?
--->And then the light was gone. The Portal slammed shut, and blackness pounced upon him with raging, slathering fury. Talons ripped his flesh, teeth tore through muscle, and crunched bone. Blood flowed from his breast, but it would not take with it his life.
--->He screamed, and he would scream, and he would keep on screaming, unendingly...
--->''Something touched him... a hand... He clutched at it as it shook him, gently. A voiced called, "Raist! Wake up! It was only a dream. Don't be afraid. I won't let them hurt you! Here, watch... I'll make you laugh."''
--->The dragon's coils tightened, crushing out his breath. Glistening black fangs ate his living organs, devoured his heart. Tearing into his body, they sought his soul.
--->''A strong arm encircled him, holding him close. A hand raised, gleaming with silver light, forming chilish pictures in the night, and the voice, dimly heard, whispered, "Look, Raist, bunnies..."''
--->''He smiled, no longer afraid. Caramon was here.''

* [[spoiler:Caramon's death]] in the hands of [[spoiler:Tas']] and his reaction to it.

* At the end of Autumn Twilight, Mataflur had taken care of children and women captives... but upon seeing a weapon made to kill dragons, suffered traumatic flashbacks of her own children flying off and never returning. The kids see her in such a state and start screaming at the heroes not to hurt her, and of course they're not. So they get forced to make a tearful goodbye to Matafleur. She later on performs a HeroicSacrifice when another dragon comes to kill them and pushes them into a mountain. It's said later on you could hear her spirit say "My children".

* At the end of Autumn Twilight, Mataflur had taken care of children and women captives... but upon seeing a weapon made to kill dragons, suffered traumatic flashbacks of her own children flying off and never returning. The kids see her in such a state and start screaming at the heroes not to hurt her, and of course they're not. So they get forced to make a tearful goodbye to Matafleur. She later on performs a HeroicSacrifice when another dragon comes to kill them and pushes them into a mountain. It's said later on you could hear her spirit say "My children"

* [[spoiler:Sturm's]] death in the ''{{Dragonlance}}'' novels. Apparently even the authors cried as they wrote the scene.

* [[spoiler:Caramon's death]] in the hands of [[spoiler:Tas']] and his reaction to it.

** This troper would like to mention that she cried at the actual death, as well as the moments mentioned above. The reactions of Tasslehoff to the whole thing was utterly heartbreaking. I cried for probably half an hour.
** This troper had her heart absolutely broken at the end of the War of Souls trilogy, when [[spoiler:Tas goes back in time do die under Chaos' foot.]] The scene was sad enough the first time around; realizing that he chose it, for the good of everyone else... * bawls*
*** And then, after [[spoiler:Tas dies in his HeroicSacrifice, he sits down next to Flint, who has been his best friend and companion in the whole story, and, seeing that Reorx's forge's fire has been put out, Tas convinces Flint to turn it on again. And a new star appears on the sky...]] Damn, I cried loads when both things happened.

** [[spoiler:Matafleur]]'s HeroicSacrifice near the end of ''Dragons of Autumn Twilight''. Brought this troper closer to tears than just about anything that happened to the supposed main characters in the entire trilogy.
*** THAT was the saddest part. Period. It was just so sad, like the entire chapter. Just typing that would make some people I know teary-eyed, and seriously that's the ''only'' book I've ever cried reading, I was literally in tears on the bus.
*** What probably made [[spoiler:Matafleur]]'s HeroicSacrifice so sad was just reading a plot summary of it, consider that even though the character was ''just'' introduced...[[spoiler:we learn that Matafluer is an old dragoness who apparently acts as a mother to the captured kids and women. But upon seeing a weapon made to fight dragons, she starts having memory relapses of seeing ''her own children'' fly off to war to be killed, begging them not to and for them to come back. Then the kids start coming in and see her going crazy and start yelling stuff like "No! No! Don't hurt our dragon!" and they have to be persuaded to get out and say bye to her only she's too hysterical to pay attention to them. It sounds like it's over but then finally another dragon comes to get all the characters and prisoners, but Matafluer shows up and flies at the dragon who wants to hurt her children. He breathes fire at her but she doesn't care and just pushes him into a mountain and kills them both. They also say that you can hear her saying "My children..."]]

** When Raistlin came upon regiment of dead Gully Dwarves after they captured Pax Tharkas in ''War of the Twins'' was a mild tear jerker for this troper.
*** Definitely. Especially the way it's described. When Raistlin first sees them, he's confused, and wonders if time has already been changed, as the history books never mentioned a gully dwarf regiment at the battle. Then comes the horrific realization, and as sorrow, anger, and bitterness pass over his face:
--->''"No," he said to himself bitterly, "the pitiful sacrifice of these poor creatures was not left out of histories because it did not happen. It was left out simply because--"''
--->''He paused, staring grimly down at the small broken bodies. "No one cared..."''

*** What probably made [[spoiler:Matafleur]]'s HeroicSacrifice so sad was just reading a plot summary of it, consider that even though the character was ''just'' introduced...[[spoiler:we learn that Matafluer is an old dragoness who apparently acts as a mother to the captured kids and women. But upon seeing a weapon made to fight dragons, she starts having memory relapses of seeing ''her own children'' fly off to war to be killed, begging them not to and for them to come back. Then the kids start coming in and see her going crazy and start yelling stuff like "No! No! Don't hurt our dragon!" and they have to be perusuaded to get out and say bye to her only she's too hysterical to pay attention to them. It sounds like it's over but then finally another dragon comes to get all the characters and prisoners, but Matafluer shows up and flies at the dragon who wants to hurt her children. He breathes fire at her but she doesn't care and just pushes him into a mountain and kills them both. They also say that you can her her saying "My children..."]]

* [spoiler:Caramon's death] in the hands of [spoiler:Tas'] hands and his reaction to it.

* The short story "A Painter's Vision" from the anthology ''Love And War''. It's just... impossible to describe and do it justice. It's heartbreaking and beautiful and utterly destroys you inside.

--->''He paused, staring grimly down at the small broken bodies. "No one cared..."''

*** Definitely. Especially the way it's described. When Raistlin first sees them, he's confused, and wonders if time has already been changed, as the history books never mentioned a gully dwarf regiment at the battle. Then comes the horrific realization, and both sorrow, anger, and bitterness pass over his face:

--->''"No," he said to himself bitterly, "the pitiful sacrifice of these poor creatures was not left out of history because it did not happen. It was left out simply because--"''

--->''He paused, staring grimly down at the small broken bodies. "No one cared..."

** When Raistlin came upon regiment of dead Gully Dwarves after they captured Pax Tharkas in ''War of the Twins'' was a mild tear jerker for this troper.