Birthday:  June 17th, 326 A.C.  (Born near dusk, whereas Caramon was born mid-morning.)
Sign:  Gemini (the twins)

Misconceptions

1)  "Raistlin is a woman."  This was a bad joke from AFDL a long, long time ago that just won't seem to die out.  Even Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman are sick of it.

2)  "Raistlin has a daughter."  This one was pretty clearly put to rest in Dragons of Summer Flame, but rumors sill persist that Usha is Raistlin's child. However, Margaret Weis herself states that these rumors are erroneous.

Family

Father
Gilon (a woodcutter).

Mother
Rosamun - rōs'-a-mûn (n).  1)  Raistlin's mother.  2)  An example of why repression is a dangerous thing, esp. in cases of magic.  Source: The Soulforge, Margaret Weis, 1998.  

Gilon died in a wood-cutting accident; Rosman took ill and passed away shortly after.  Raistlin was never close to his father, but took his mother's death very badly, becoming ill and verging on the edge of death for days afterwards.

Brother
Caramon Majere. A bear of a man with a good heart, cheery disposition, and weakness for strong drink.   Raistlin's twin; had a very complex relationship with his brother.  Aside from one "fit" just after Rosamun passed away, he never showed any signs of being magically gifted.  He never really understood his brother.  Caramon married his hometown sweetheart, Tika Waylan (later Tika Waylan-Majere) and had five children -- three boys (Sturm, Tanin, and Palin) and two girls. Out of that lot, Palin is the only child Raistlin ever met.

Half-Sister
Kitiara Uth-Matar. A prowling, ruthlessly ambitious woman with dark, curly hair and deep brown eyes.  Daughter of Rosamun and a man who Kit always claimed was a Solamnic knight, Kitiara was always more concerned with her own schemes and mercenary lifestyle than with taking care of her half-brothers.

Raistlin's Physical Description

Approx. 5'8" tall.  Raistlin was always thin, with well-defined features that might have been attractive if he wasn't always snarling, smirking, etc.  Long-fingered hands. Other features vary depending on timeframe:

Before the Test: Pale blue eyes, light brown hair (auburn), fair skin.  Probably asthmatic.

After the Test:  Golden eyes with hourglass-shaped pupils, white hair, golden skin.

Back in Time:  Brown eyes (!), fair skin, light brown hair (auburn).

The skin = Raistlin's innate magical response to a fireball thrown at him during the Test and a symbol of his "magical armor." Fistandantilus might have been involved here.

The hair = a result of stress, and a side-effect of dealing with the lich Fistandantilus.

The staff = The Staff of Magius, a tall wooden staff with a draconic claw gripping a crystal at the top. Very old and magical artifact, originally belonging to the wizard Magius (hence the name, obviously), who aided Huma; also a nifty flashlight:  "shirak" to light, "dulak" or "dumak" to dim. It took Raistlin quite a while to figure out how to use the staff's powers, having few historical texts or journals to go by.

The cough = also a result of fighting with Fistandantilus.  Raistlin's lungs were "shattered," leaving him with a cough something like consumption.  He drank tea, a recipe given to him by Par-Salian, to soothe the cough.

This tea works as an expectorant and soothes coughs and bronchial trouble. A warming tea, it raises the body temperature as well.

1/4 ounce dried lemon peel
1/2 ounce mullein
1/2 ounce angelica
1/4 ounce dried orange peel
1/2 ounce burdock
1/2 ounce coltsfoot

Place the above herbs in a jar; shake until well mixed. Put 2 teaspoons of mix in mug, and add boiling water. Let steep for 10 minutes before drinking.

The hourglass eyes were given to Raistlin after the test by the white-robed head of the Conclave at the time, Par-Salian.  They cause all things to wither and die in Raistlin's vision; a sorceress called Raelanna was the first and only other known example to have that particular curse. Only the long-lived elves failed to wither in Raistlin's sight -- even as walls crumbled around him, he saw Laurana as beautiful.  Interesting, no?

Debates range about whether Raistlin ever could've removed the curse.  As far as we know, he couldn't -- though he may have had reasons for actually wanting to keep the eyes.  It was never addressed.

Also, arguments still fly about why Raistlin's eyes were brown when he went back in time, instead of blue.  The general answer to this is that Raistlin merged with Fistandantilus, whose eyes were brown, thus leaving Raistlin with brown eyes until he returned to his own time-stream.

"I, Magus" is the phrase Raistlin wrote in sheep's blood on lamb's skin with a raven-feathered quill when in magic school; a magus's rite-of-passage.  Raistlin made a deal with the three gods of magic, swore he'd devote his life to them if they'd grant him power.  They apparently agreed, because the words, which were supposed to glow, burst into flame and devoured the lamb's skin parchment.

Fistandantilus -- Raistlin first encounters Fistandantilus during the Test and, through a battle of wills, manages to keep the lich from stealing his body.  Fistandantilus survived by leeching bits and pieces of Raistlin's life-force, and played a minor role in Raistlin's life for years.  When Raistlin went back in time, the first thing he did was launch a cunning attack on Fistandantilus which led to another battle of wills.  Raistlin won, but ended up absorbing a lot of Fistandantilus into himself.

Dalamar Argent (Dalamar the Dark) -- Dalamar was sent by the Conclave to spy on Raistlin.  A cast-out Silvanesti elf, Dalamar agreed to be Raistlin's apprentice, balancing the dangerous job with the knowledge he gained.  Raistlin knew he was a spy all along, of course, and allowed Dalamar to carry just enough information back to the Conclave to keep them guessing.  He also burned a handprint that never heals into Dalamar's chest as an additional punishment.  Rumors fly about a slash relationship between Dalamar and Raistlin, but there isn't any evidence of it happening in the books.

Crysania -- Raistlin's biggest love-affair, though really their relationship was little more than a masked power-struggle.  Raven haired, fair skinned, and generally regarded as annoying to the point of ridiculousness, the Revered Daughter of Paladine was Raistlin's key into the Abyss.  Raistlin seduced her into accompanying him, using the lure of the chance to "convert" him -- as well as sheer physical attraction -- as bait.  He manipulated her, and she used him, and despite a few lusty moments, there was generally a lot of tension and not a lot of understanding between the two of them.  Raistlin eventually left her to die in the Abyss; she was rescued by Caramon and escaped the whole messy situation blind but much wiser for the experience.  She became a formidable cleric in the end, but she started out a real cream-puff.

A two-part recipe: puffs and cream.

puff ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1 stick (~100 grams) unsalted (sweet) butter
• 1 cup flour
• 5 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

puff directions:

• preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• boil water and melt butter in it.
• when butter is completely melted add flour and stir until dough is consistent (no visible flour left) and transfer to mixing bowl.
• add vanilla extract (optional).
• add one egg. using just one beater on a hand mixer (make sure this beater is spinning clockwise) mix in the egg fully (dough should come together). be careful to only stir clockwise (going in a different direction will break up the dough).
• mix in the remaining eggs *one* at a time. dough should thicken by 3rd or 4th egg.
• using a table spoon dipped in warm water, place a half spoon full of the dough on a greased cookie sheet.

Generally yields between 15 and 20 puffs. don't worry about their shape, they'll rise in the oven. cook for about 45 minutes (or until GBD -- golden/brown/delicious) once done, take them out of the oven and move them around so they don't stick. let them cool completely.

cream ingredients:

• 7 - 8 eggs *yolks only* (number depends on the size of the egg)
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2/3 cup flour
• 1/3 cup corn starch
• 1 liter milk
• 1 stick (~100 grams) unsalted (sweet) butter
• juice of 1 lemon (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

cream directions:

• pour most of the milk into a pot that is big enough to hold about twice the milk (milk rises when heated). leave a few grams of the milk in the measuring container (it will be used later to soften the cream base).
• add sugar to egg yolks, mix completely.
• add flour and corn starch, mix completely (this process is rather tiring).
• add lemon juice and vanilla extract (optional).
• mixture may be a bit dry. make it runny with the leftover milk -- stir really well, make sure there are no remaining flour bits.
• put milk on high heat, and stir constantly -- milk burns. also don't let the mixture sit too long or it will start to separate and dry out, stir that too.
• when milk is just ready to boil, slowly stir in the mixture. it will begin to thicken within seconds. when it does, take it off the heat, but continue to stir to make everything consistent.
• cut up the butter into small cubes and stir the cubes in.
• let stand to cool the cream off and melt the butter. once butter is melted, mix everything to make it consistent. let the whole thing cool off completely.

Using a pastry filler (if you don't have one, you can use a small teaspoon instead -- it will just be a bit messy) fill in each puff with the cream.  Best served cold. Everyone says they need chocolate syrup on top, but I'm a purist. :-)

Antimodes: the traveling, down-to-earth mage who first recruited Raistlin for training as a wizard; a friend of Par-Salian's.

Bast: the cat demi-god from Brothers Majere who Raistlin could never quite outsmart; involved in the defeat of Counselor Shivas.

Belzor: the fake "snake-god" Raistlin helped denounce in the city Haven. Belzor was theoretically against magic, but turned out to be nothing more than an illusion himself. Raistlin was 20 years old when this happened, and he was nearly burned at the stake because of it; fortunately  he was rescued by his brother and his friends.

Bupu: the name of the gully-dwarf Raistlin charmed and befriended.

Counselor Shivas:  the beautiful and dangerous lich who Raistlin defeats in Brothers Majere.  Raistlin devises a potion which utilizes the magic of the "great eye" to destroy her, putting his own life in jeopardy to get the job done.

Giladarius: a 15th level black-robed mage who was supposed to have been Raistlin's first apprentice.  Only appears in the gaming module "Unsung Heroes" and isn't mentioned in the novels.

Lemuel: the wizard-turned-botanist who Raistlin meets in Haven.  One of Raistlin's first/only friends.  Also the owner of a mageware store. Gave Raistlin the dagger that he now wears in a thong on his wrist, rigged so that he can flick the weapon into his hand in an instant.

Lunitari: the name of the red moon, also the name of the neutrally-aligned  goddess of magic.

Master Horkin: a rotund, brown-robed battle mage who instructs Raistlin in the magical art of war in Brothers in Arms. He is one of the few people who ever truly taught Raistlin. Also, he apparently has a close relationship with the neutral goddess of magic, Lunitari, whom he refers to as "Dear Luni."

Master Theobald: Raistlin's first teacher of magic.  Mostly inept; never liked Raistlin much and the feeling was mutual.

Miranda:  Raistlin's first case of puppy-love; later carelessly bedded by Caramon, who was oblivious to his brother's feelings.

Nuitari: the name of the black moon, also the name of the evilly-aligned god of black magic.

Par-Salian: the white-robed mage and leader of the Conclave who had the biggest hand in Raistlin's Test.

Solinari: the name of the white moon, also the name of the good-aligned god of white magic.

Weird Meggin:  Another one of Raistlin's friends.  A healer from Solace, generally shunned by the townspeople.  Taught Raistlin about treating the plague and about herb lore.

Widow Judith:  Nasty woman very involved in the Belzor ordeal; took advantage of Rosamun and made Raistlin's life difficult in any way she could.