Laurana Kanan

Lauralanthalasa Kanan

Laurana, chained in the foreground with Takhsis in her five-headed dragon form in the background.
First appearance	Dragons of Autumn Twilight (1984)
Created by	Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Game information
Homeland	Qualinost
Gender	Female
Race	Qualinesti elf
Class	Noble
Alias	Laurana Kanan The Golden General

Laurana Kanan (also known as Lauralanthalasa Kanan), is a fictional character, one of the Heroes of the Lance in the Dragonlance fantasy series, written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, originally published by TSR, Inc. and later by Wizards of the Coast. One of the most beautiful women on all the world of Krynn, she is a skilled fighter, a brilliant tactician, and an inspirational leader though she is also headstrong and willful and often allows her heart to rule her head.

Tracy Hickman's wife, Laura, was the inspiration for Laurana.

Laurana is the youngest child of the elf king Solostaran, the Speaker of the Sun who rules of the elves of the kingdom called Qualinesti. She has two older brothers: Porthios Kanan, heir to the throne, and Gilthanas Kanan.

She was a rather pampered child, skilled at using her good looks and charm to get what she wanted. This trait follows her into adulthood.

When Laurana was a child (by elf reckoning), she fell in love with Tanis Half-Elven. Much of her story revolves around her love for Tanis, and her many attempts to see him return her feelings. Tanis was the ward of her father, who took care of the boy when his mother died. The two youngsters began a youthful romance which was always frowned upon by the king and Laurana's brothers, who did not think it fit that a royal princess should be so infatuated with a bastard half-breed like Tanis. The romance ended when Tanis made up his mind to leave Qualinesti.

The two met again, many years later, when Tanis and his companions sought the elves' aid in freeing the human captives in Pax Tharkas. Laurana sought to rekindle their romance but Tanis broke her heart by telling her he was in love with a human woman named Kitiara Uth Matar and returning the promise ring she had given him years ago. Laurana refused to give up on the relationship and secretly followed Tanis and the other companions to Pax Tharkas. When Tanis found out Laurana had followed him, he angrily rebuked her for acting like an infatuated child. Laurana resolved to try and prove she was more than that and fought bravely in the subsequent battle at Pax Tharkas.