D&D 5E Heart of the Abyss

[Tyler Dunn]

I have an idea for a powerful artifact, but I need some help with it

I know what it is. The artifact is a large crystal containing a massive amount of Abyssal energy. If a demon lord were to lay his or her hands on it, they would gain incredible power.

What I need to know is where did it come from. What are its origins?

Any ideas?

 

[MarkB]

It's the literal heart of a long-forgotten demon lord - one who succeeded in doing what so many of them aspire to, ascending to the full power of a deity. It took an alliance of many gods to take him down, and even then, though they destroyed the demon himself and struck all record of his name from history, they could not destroy his power. It remained, in the form of the Heart, and was sealed away for safekeeping.

 

[Tyler Dunn]

It's the literal heart of a long-forgotten demon lord - one who succeeded in doing what so many of them aspire to, ascending to the full power of a deity. It took an alliance of many gods to take him down, and even then, though they destroyed the demon himself and struck all record of his name from history, they could not destroy his power. It remained, in the form of the Heart, and was sealed away for safekeeping.

I like that idea, thanks!

 

[MockingBird]

Read up on the lore about Artorias of the Abyss from Dark Souls. That will give you some good ideas

 

[dave2008]

There is something like the Heart of the Abyss in 4e. It was a shard of pure evil that Tharzidun took from the Far Realm(?) or dead universe(?) and place it into the elemental chaos, creating the Abyss. It lies at the bottom of the abyss. It is possibly what drove Tharzidun mad. That is a brief overveiw of what I remember and 4e often, purposely, had conflicting lore for and this may have been the case with the "Heart of the Abyss."

 

[Tyler Dunn]

There is something like the Heart of the Abyss in 4e. It was a shard of pure evil that Tharzidun took from the Far Realm(?) or dead universe(?) and place it into the elemental chaos, creating the Abyss. It lies at the bottom of the abyss. It is possibly what drove Tharzidun mad. That is a brief overveiw of what I remember and 4e often, purposely, had conflicting lore for and this may have been the case with the "Heart of the Abyss."

I like it, the Heart of the Abyss could be a fragment of this shard.

 

[dave2008]

I like it, the Heart of the Abyss could be a fragment of this shard.

FYI, in 4e Orcus raised a primordial to be his undead servant and break off a fragment of the the shard. He used this fragment to slay the Raven Queen - unless the PCs stop him. It is in the adventure "Prince of Undeath." The last adventure in the first AP for 4e.

 

[Hexmage-EN]

Basically in 4E a group of demon lords called the obyriths, led by the Queen of Chaos, created a Seed of Evil that passed through the Far Realm to another multiverse. Tharizdun found and "planted" it, creating both the Abyss (with the "Seed of Evil" becoming the "Heart of the Abyss") and a portal to the obyriths' original multiverse, allowing them to enter into the new Abyss. Tharizdun, the obyriths, and new demon lords spawned by the creation of the Abyss tried to claim the Heart of the Abyss, but it constantly bored through reality to create the Blood Rift/Grand Abyss.

Special rituals are needed to even reach the "bottom" of the Abyss, where the Heart is, and the forces of chaos and evil are so potent around it that even Orcus was unable to approach it himself. He had to create an undead pawn of godlike power to even break off a sliver of the Heart and return to him for his own plan to use the shard.

In 4E both times these shards of the Heart of the Abyss were used it was to kill a god and transfer their divinity to the user. Asmodeus' attempt was successful, but Orcus failed to complete the process.

 

[dave2008]

In 4E both times these shards of the Heart of the Abyss were used it was to kill a god and transfer their divinity to the user. Asmodeus' attempt was successful, but Orcus failed to complete the process.

Hmm. that is not how it happened in my game

 

[UnknownDyson]

There is something like the Heart of the Abyss in 4e. It was a shard of pure evil that Tharzidun took from the Far Realm(?) or dead universe(?) and place it into the elemental chaos, creating the Abyss. It lies at the bottom of the abyss. It is possibly what drove Tharzidun mad. That is a brief overveiw of what I remember and 4e often, purposely, had conflicting lore for and this may have been the case with the "Heart of the Abyss."

I believe the Shard of Evil originated from the universe that the Obyriths destroyed and it was their intent for Tharizdun to find it so they can do the same to the setting universe.