In The Avatar Series

The Avatar Series

The Avatar Series, originally The Avatar Trilogy, is a series of fantasy novels in the Forgotten Realms setting, covering the event known as the Time of Troubles.The books were:...

, a quintet of novels based in the Forgotten Realms

Forgotten Realms

The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...

setting, Godsbane was a magical

Magic item (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, a magic item is any object that has magical powers inherent in it. These may act on their own or be the tools of the character in whose hands they fall into. Magic items have been prevalent in the game in every edition and setting, from the...

 sword

Sword

A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...

 which was actually a manifestation of the deity

Deity

A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....

 Mask and was wielded by the then-mortal Cyric

Cyric

Cyric is a deity in the fictional Forgotten Realms campaign setting, a branch of Dungeons & Dragons. Cyric has many titles, including the Prince of Lies, the Dark Sun, the Black Sun, the Mad God, and the Lord of Three Crowns...

 during the Time of Troubles

Time of Troubles (Forgotten Realms)

The Time of Troubles, also known as the Arrival, Godswar, and Avatar Crisis, is a fictional time period in the chronology of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role playing game...

. Cyric acquired the sword by murdering a halfling

Halfling (Dungeons & Dragons)

The halfling is a fictional race found in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Halflings are similar to humans except about half the size...

 named Sneakabout, who in turn killed the former wielder of the sword.

Cyric named the sword "Godsbane" because while he was a mortal, he used it to slay Bhaal

Bhaal

Bhaal, Lord of Murder, is a deity of the fictional Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting.-Publication history:Ed Greenwood created Bhaal for his home Dungeons & Dragons game, set in the Forgotten Realms....

 (then Lord of Murder), and after becoming a deity, he used it to kill Leira, Lady of Deception.

Godsbane needs to consume the energy of souls to survive. "She" sucks all the blood from her victims, giving her a blood-red hue. When starved for a long time, she gradually fades 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. He/she would never sleep until recovering the blade or die trying.

This was also the sword Cyric used to kill Kelemvor Lyonsbane while atop Blackstaff Tower. To spite Cyric for trying to break her will while he was a mortal, Godsbane hid Kelemvor's soul from him. During a revolt in the City of Strife that marked the end of Cyric's reign as Lord of the Dead, Cyric learned of this and snapped the blade in two. This revealed the sword to be an aspect of Mask, the god of thievery

Theft

In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...

and intrigue. By doing this, Cyric greatly weakened Mask and gained the portfolio of intrigue, along with shadowy characteristics.