Overview
Tal'Massar is an engineered god core and ancient god bound to Isandriel, later known as Isaac. His god core is based on Hrzai's successful creation, and his unmaking magic is an advanced form of divine magic designed to make gods killable. Through Tal'Massar, Isandriel wields balance magic, the power that makes him the Unmaker and Malverand's hidden failsafe against gods and guardians.
Tal'Massar is a sentient god core. He speaks with Isandriel, counsels him, communicates with gods such as Hrzai, Nahm, Ozaith, Horol’Khai, and Xoh'Tenol, and avoids sustained contact in the God Realm. He is hard to find there, even for gods such as Ozaith and Kharvos.
Personality and Severed Form
Tal'Massar is calm, loyal, pragmatic, and severe. He usually leaves final choices to Isandriel, but he accepts lethal actions when he believes they are necessary to protect Valrindor. He reassures Isandriel after the atraxi destabilization and promises to remain with him.
He normally speaks from Isandriel's cracked palm shard. After Abraxas severs him from Isandriel during the Thalion-Abraxas War, his severed body is an immense, unfinished humanoid of essence and light with no distinct face or clothes. The severed form is heavy enough to crack the ground, weakened, and focused on reaching Isandriel.
Magic and Abilities
Tal'Massar's unmaking power attacks essence bonds. Through Isandriel, it erases spells, disintegrates matter and bodies, severs divine links, destabilizes essence over time, and can kill guardian- and god-level beings. Isandriel uses it against the atraxi, Uriandel, Jeremiah, and Thamrielle, though dense essence from the source resists instant unmaking.
Tal'Massar also anchors Isandriel's divine magic and healing. When Abraxas severs Tal'Massar from Isandriel, Isandriel's healing fails to restore him properly until they can reunite.
History
Tal'Massar comes from Malverand's god-core research after Hrzai's successful creation. Isandriel grows up with Tal'Massar as his closest companion, learning first to control accidental disintegration and later to use full unmaking. Barachiel created Isandriel and Tal'Massar as a failsafe against the guardians if Malverand fell beyond control.
During Malverand's decline, Tal'Massar remains with Isandriel as the guardians fracture and the empire collapses. During the Jazarel Battle, Thalion engineers the release of Jazarel Lake, and Isandriel uses Tal'Massar's unmaking power to destroy the ice holding the lake back. The resulting flood devastates Jazarel and kills millions. Isandriel also uses Tal'Massar's power to plant a slow essence destabilization in an atraxi after warnings that atraxi essence use could ruin the world.
Tal'Massar stays with Isandriel through the hidden work that becomes the Order of Thalion Zenith. His power lets Isandriel unmake Uriandel and Jeremiah, and his counsel steadies Isandriel after the moral cost of those deaths. During the source front of the Thalion-Abraxas War, Abraxas severs Tal'Massar from Isandriel. Tal'Massar reaches Viviana, Gren, and Drashir, asks Ozaith to send aid, and directs the group toward Isandriel on the ruined battlefield.
After Isaac disappears, Tal'Massar is the isolated ancient god of unmaking. Ozaith and Xoh'Tenol keep searching for Tal'Massar alongside searches for Gabriel and Khauren. The returned gods, including Tianlei and Hrzai, can join the search for additional gods once they recover. The search expands toward Durakarn after Isaac's disappearance.
Relationships
Isandriel is Tal'Massar's wielder and closest bond. Tal'Massar's history also runs through Barachiel's failsafe, Michael's knowledge of Malverand's god-core work, Thalion Zenith's Order, and divine contacts including Hrzai, Nahm, Ozaith, Xoh'Tenol, and Horol'Khai.