Godsbane was an enchanted short sword[1][5] and the avatar form adopted by Mask during and after the Time of Troubles in the Year of Shadows, 1358 DR. It was wielded by Cyric, both when he was a mortal and when he was a god.[6][2][3][4]
Description[]
The sword had a rosy-red hue.[7][4]
Powers[]
At its most basic, it was a short sword of dancing +2.[5]
Godsbane needed to consume the energy of souls to survive. It sucked all the blood from her victims, giving her a blood-red hue. When starved for a long time, she gradually faded to white. Before she came into the grasp of Cyric, Godsbane had driven all of her previous wielders mad, forcing them to sustain her by killing victims. Eventually, the blade would be stolen by another, and the former wielder's thoughts would always be focused on recovering it. They would never sleep until they'd recovered the blade or died trying.[8][5]
The sword was sentient,[7][4] displaying a feminine personality.[8][9]
History[]
The Godswar[]
Cyric acquired the sword at Black Oaks by murdering a halfling named Atherton Cooper, also called Sneakabout, who in turn had killed the former wielder of the sword.[6][8]
Cyric named the sword "Godsbane" because, while he was a mortal, he used it to slay the god Bhaal, the then Lord of Murder, at Boareskyr Bridge.[8][1][2][3][10] Since this was Mask in sword form slaying Bhaal, this did not violate the rule of the gods that only a deity may slay another another.[2]
This was the sword Cyric used to kill Kelemvor Lyonsbane while atop Blackstaff Tower at the culmination of the Godswar in 1358 DR.[8][11][6][12] Kelemvor's soul was trapped inside the sword.[11][6][12]
Aftermath[]
To spite Cyric for trying to break the sword's will while he was a mortal,[9] Mask, as Godsbane, hid Kelemvor's soul from him.[6][12]
Soon after becoming a deity, Cyric used it to kill Leira, Lady of Deception. In this, she was betrayed by Mask.[3][10]
In the Year of the Banner, 1368 DR, Cyric used Godsbane to break the chains binding Kezef the Chaos Hound.[13][14]
During a revolt in the City of Strife that marked the end of Cyric's reign as Lord of the Dead in the Year of the Banner, 1368 DR, Cyric learned that Godsbane had been conspiring with the other gods, namely Mystra and Oghma in bringing about the revolt.[9][6] Angered by this, Cyric snapped the sword in two. This revealed the sword to be an aspect of Mask, the god of thievery and intrigue, and seemingly destroyed him.[9][7][4][10] Kelemvor was also released from his long imprisonment. He led the revolt and used the remnants of Godsbane to kill Cyric's body and drive out the god.[9][6]
By breaking Godsbane, Cyric had in fact greatly weakened Mask[15][10] and gained the portfolio of intrigue, along with shadowy characteristics. For this, Mask hated Cyric, and he plotted a way to recover his lost portfolio.[4]
Appendix[]
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Appearances[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Dale Donovan, Paul Culotta (August 1996). Heroes' Lorebook. (TSR, Inc), p. 7. ISBN 0-7869-0412-7.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), p. 15. ISBN 978-0786903849.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), p. 45. ISBN 978-0786903849.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), p. 109. ISBN 978-0786903849.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Ed Greenwood (1989). Waterdeep (adventure). (TSR, Inc), p. 46. ISBN 0-88038-757-2.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Kevin Melka, John Terra (March 1995). “Campaign Book”. In Julia Martin ed. Ruins of Zhentil Keep (TSR, Inc.), pp. 25–26. ISBN 0-7869-0109-8.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), p. 52. ISBN 978-0786903849.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Troy Denning (July 2003). Waterdeep. (Wizards of the Coast), p. ?. ISBN 0-7869-3111-6.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 James Lowder (August 1993). Prince of Lies. (Wizards of the Coast), p. ?. ISBN 1-56076-626-3.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 264. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Kevin Melka, John Terra (March 1995). “Campaign Book”. In Julia Martin ed. Ruins of Zhentil Keep (TSR, Inc.), p. 21. ISBN 0-7869-0109-8.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Dale Donovan, Paul Culotta (August 1996). Heroes' Lorebook. (TSR, Inc), p. 57. ISBN 0-7869-0412-7.
- ↑ James Lowder (August 1993). Prince of Lies. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 8, p. ?. ISBN 1-56076-626-3.
- ↑ Eric L. Boyd (September 1997). Powers & Pantheons. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 189. ISBN 978-0786906574.
- ↑ Kevin Melka, John Terra (March 1995). “Campaign Book”. In Julia Martin ed. Ruins of Zhentil Keep (TSR, Inc.), p. 118. ISBN 0-7869-0109-8.