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Godslayer is one of the seventeen Great Weapons. It is said to be equal in power to Iceflame and the Imperial Orb and intertwined in purpose and destiny with Pathfinder. She generally seems to take the form of a thin bladed short sword but both blade and sheath shift shape in combat depending on the wielder's needs. Her wielder is currently Vladimir Taltos, who calls her "Lady Teldra", because of the soul contained within it.

History[]

Godslayer was apparently deliberately dismantled by the gods in the distant past, or perhaps the future, and the component parts dispersed.

However, Godslayer was re-formed in the hand of Vladimir Taltos during a battle between the gods and the Jenoine. The component parts were a very powerful long Morganti dagger with a fuller, Spellbreaker, and the soul of Teldra.

As told by a certain Serioli, there was a legend that when Pathfinder was found, so too would Godslayer. While several years passed between the rediscovery of Pathfinder and the re-formation of Godslayer, this legend does appear to have been more-or-less borne out of truth.

The Serioli was also very vague on the tense of Godslayer's existence, basically suggesting that our language was unable to express whether it occurred in the past, the future, or both. So "dismantled" and "re-formed" might be oversimplifications.

See also Speculation:Spellbreaker.

Attributes and Powers[]

In addition to presumably doing what her name implies, Godslayer is also highly effective against Jenoine. In part, this is because the weapon improves on the nature of Spellbreaker to disrupt various forms of sorcerous energies (magical power derived from amorphia), which both the Jenoine and the Gods use for attack and defense. We have also seen a certain amount of surprising autonomy and unusually proactive manipulation of these energies: At one point, Vlad was attacked by a form of sorcery meant to kill him, but because Godslayer took control of the magical channel that was created, the individual casting this spell lost her soul as if struck directly by Godslayer.

Reminiscent of Spellbreaker, Godslayer changes form (along with her sheath), perhaps to suit the wielder's mood or need. Her size usually remains small, though, that of a long dagger or knife, but has also been seen as a rapier. Spellbreaker's ability to cancel magic on contact appears to remain available to Godslayer.

Godslayer can, apparently, heal Vlad's injuries to the degree allowed by available energies in spite of the fact that he is wearing the phoenix stones at the time. According to The Warlock, her energies must be replenished either by contact with the Orb, or by feeding on human souls.

Like other Great Weapons, Godslayer is sentient—though as of the events of Iorich, some four years after the event binding Teldra's soul, Spellbreaker, and the Morganti dagger, she has not yet "woken up".

In Hawk, Godslayer does wake up. She speaks psychically through Vlad, but sporadically and in a way that he finds hard to separate from his own thoughts. Her changing of form now appears directed by her own opinions at least as much as Vlad's: she at one point encourages him to spare an enemy, by becoming heavier.

Some of the more mystical stories about Godslayer state that the sword is a link to Destiny, and the "powers beyond the world". Legend has it she's destined to kill Verra.

And Godslayer is indeed a link to Destiny, in ways even she isn't aware of. Her violent (and unintended) reaction to contact with Iceflame appears (according to Sethra) to hint at a destined epic conflict between the Empire and the Gods.

Other new powers we've seen include:

  • The ability to psychically dominate nearby Morganti weapons, and kill their wielders (with optional soul-eating), even without actual contact. She can do this faster than humans can react, and without the wielder's input.
  • The ability to sense the direction of a hidden sorcerous attack and to communicate it to her wielder.
  • The ability to heal the wielder's injuries even if he's just vaguely in contact, through clothing. Direct touch not required.
  • Enhances Vlad's psychic ability, perhaps. On two occasions he has sent his consciousness through a chain or rope, in her presence, and used this psychic journey to affect the real world. These journeys appear to be a form of psychic projection, since they're too fast for witchcraft, and don't seem to require the help of the Orb.

Serioli Name[]

The Serioli name of Godslayer is translated as Remover-of-aspects-of-deity.

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