I need help with an idea, Veeky Forums

I need help with an idea, Veeky Forums.

I've been making a campaign focused around a newly discovered mountain that is easily the biggest mountain in the world, and it's acting as the new frontier for the world.

Deep within the mountain is the "Heart of the Mountain", a large artifact that everyone that knows about it wants to control it.

The problem is, I don't know what to do with the "Heart of the Mountain" to make it worth going to war for. So far, the mountain is infested by goblins, new settlers coming in, and has an abyssal presence, corrupting the area. The mountain itself and surrounding wildlife is being corrupted by these "Tumors of Corruption", large, red gems in and out of the mountain that turn things in to horrifying beasts and desecrate the land.

But even with all of that down set, I still can't find a purpose for the heart of the mountain. Maybe you guys can think of something to make it important?

Energy is always worth fighting over. Maybe have it be a limitless source of energy since it draws from the planet's geothermal reserves.

It gives control over the Elemental plane of Earth.
It quadriples all stats of a being, turning them into super-%speciesname%.
It is guarded by a shitload of dragons, they don't tell why is Heart important but it should be reeeeally powerful if even dragons sacrifice themselves to protect it.
It's STC, or piece of alien technology that allows to control other mechanisms left by aliens/Predecessors.

Powerful enough?

So you mean it would make my int 24? Once I'm that smart I could definitely rule the world. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

The heart controls the monsters.
Magically having control of a large army is enough reason to go to war.

Well if the heart creates the mountain/creatures/changes the landscape then it's clearly got some kind of insane creation ability.
Perhaps it's like a philosophers stone but on a far larger scale? Or essentially a terraforming device?

It's cheesy, but some sort of weather control?

Another idea is that the Heart of the Mountain is a teleport that teleports the user to another location in another continent, which can only be easily reached using the Heart.

Another idea is that the possessor of the Heart can control an army of skeletons or stone golems which slumber beneath the mountains in deep caves but can reach the surface through a tunnel system with several exits.

The heart is kept on the ground by the weight of the mountain. It doesn't corrupt life it just gives it an overabundance which causes life to become monstrous. Once you get to the heart, you can release it and it's potential. In short: it's a terraforming crystal capable of destroying the old world or creating new worlds.

Damnit. Outthunk again.

Yes.

I prefer
>The mountain is kept on the ground by the weight of the Heart. Without the Heart, the mountain would float a mile up into the sky.

Based on your picture, I'd say it lets whoever binds with it control the mountain.

The heart grants you control of the mountain, which is really the largest mobile fortress the world has ever seen. Possibly also capable of flight so it can actually go anywhere.

Aww ya beat me to it.

Does it HAVE to have a purpose? Maybe it's just some rumored magical thingy that everyone's heard fantastic stories about and are willing to wage war over. After all, for most of history gold has only been important because humans value shiny stuff, and just think of how much blood has been spilled over diamonds. So long as people THINK its valuable, that's all that really matters.

I'm loving all of these ideas, thank you guys.

I just had another idea, what if it's a huge gem inscribed with the true name of hundreds of demons? But then again, that'd just be going with what said.

The mountain is actually the sleeping body/corpse of an elemental god of earth and the heart is tied to keeping him sleeping/dead. Should it be taken, the wielded might gain godlike status.

>I've been making a campaign focused around a newly discovered mountain that is easily the biggest mountain in the world, and it's acting as the new frontier for the world.
Sounds cool.

>Deep within the mountain is the "Heart of the Mountain", a large artifact that everyone that knows about it wants to control it.
>The problem is, I don't know what to do with the "Heart of the Mountain" to make it worth going to war for.
Could you elaborate on the setting?

Aw damn, that' pretty cool too. But there should be reason for it, though. Is the mountain actually a sirt of spacecraft or something?

There's honestly not much to elaborate on. Very few people know about the heart's existence, and those that do are being impeded by the goblins infesting the area, and the demons that are just fucking with people. Nothing is set in stone (hue) yet, and I've been pretty much building the world around the players as they go along.

One thing that might be of mention is a series of underground rivers that has differing amounts of power, some being able to house and nurture fish, while others are raging currents of white water equal to the force of ten riot hoses. They all stem from a single source in the mountain of which is a portal to the elemental plane of water. One settlement, which is based within a large cave in the mountain has fishing competitions in their underground river, while another settlement has people keeping their river guarded as they try to find the source of it.

The heart of Lorkahn is at the center.

Just a thought.
-You're on a sinking island (Atlantis like)
-The "Heart of the Mountain" gives its owner control over the island and its surrounding waters iteself. That is, the owner can raise it/sink it/or simply leave it alone.
--Currently it's under the control of goblins. I.e. they are trying to sink it. Which implies that more people try to reach higher ground. Which in turn implies that people that know what the "Heart of the Mountain" is are reaching closer. These people in turn fund expoditions into the goblins land, to get control of the "Heart of the Mountain".

Perhaps something like that?

Probably been done to death, but if your setting has "divinity" you could have a deity that shattered into untold pieces in order to seed creation. Some larger crystals still have intelligence, others bestial, but all have the power of creation. Maybe something to do with size--larger crystals have enough of the original god juice to make decisions/remember the original plan.
Those in control of the smaller crystals basically have what's been said before: Terraforming abilities or mobile army generation.

Make sure there's some where for that water to go! Or you'll literally, if slowly, drown the world. Also, a truly powerful river should be a lot more then ten horse power. If the river gets deep, and narrow enough, just sticking your hand in could be disastrous. I'd show you a link of one such river, but I can't find it at the moment.

>newly discovered
>natives already living there

Yankee go home!

The Heart has a legendary reputation of being able to do awesome things, so everyone wants it to one up the others.
Whether it actually does those things is unknown, but that's enough of a reason for nations to not want their rivals to have it.

Another thing I should probably elaborate on:

Everyone thinks the goblins are being controlled by dark forces, being either a demon lord, or some asshole human or elf, because it always happens like that, right? The goblins have actually banded together in unity because their leaders have collectively realized that they're fucked if they keep fighting each other along with getting their shit kicked in by the fair folk. They're all being headed by a group of shamans with supergoblin intelligence that are trying to lead them in a way that won't cause continual destruction of their people. But the fair folk don't know this yet.

The "Tumors of Corruption" (name is still available to be changed, I don't really like it much) are abyssal in nature, and are unrelated (or not) to the heart of the mountain. Demons are just fucking with the people on the mountain for fun. Some corruption includes a 1000ft-long perfect rectangle of land where anything that dies is eventually brought back as an undead, if kept on that land. Another includes a demonic elk that has been terrorizing hunters and gatherers.

Why do people know about "The heart of the mountain" if the mountain was just discovered and is a new frontier?
Did someone go all the way to it, see it then turn around at random?

On the mountain was a treasure, buried deep beneath a stone
But the valley people swore,
they'd have it for their very own

It is not Corruption at all. It is just a Terraforming tool of the Old Gods. Your world should actually be more akin to Arrakis or Athas.

The twisting of monsters and beings is its attempt to turn the inhabitants into crew capable of repairing it and fully activating it.

Once activated it will go Pic Related on the world until there is only heat and sand left.

>Demons dump some eldrich garbage at the heart of the mountain
>Spread rumors that there's something precious inside the mountain
>Thousands of folk becoming food and playthings for the demons and monsters on a yearly basis
Sounds like some demonic farm where they lure people into their deaths or into becoming someone's undead army.

Can anyone find a gif of that one sewer drain pipe expelling water slowly, but then extremely forcefully? That's what I'm imagining one of the rivers like, except a lot bigger.

Oh my god, that's possibly the best way to explain the flaw that pointed out.

This is the answer. All these other answers are rumors, stories, legends, etc. Put them all out there. But your goal as DM is to keep the players wanting to get to the core without ever actually letting them get there. There's always an adventure, they always find something, probably they are always investigating one or other of the stories, but they always get distracted and they never get to the core. They always find something, but it never turns out to be the real core. What they find is always sort of like one of the stories, just not the real core.

Infinite story generator. That's what you're looking for.

As much as I absolutely love this, I want there to be an eventual ending. I could only keep that up for so long before they tunnel through the entire mountain several times, destroy the mountain, and then move on to see the rest of the world that I haven't written anything about yet.

tl;dr so apols

its not an object, it's the result of the trip - +100 charisma, or you are now the Highlander and other mountain bothering twats come after you or it's a wooden cup that everyone *things* is super special and come after you .....

What is "apols"?

How exactly do all the cool kids know about it? Plot twist idea the heart of the mountain is a rumor and there is nothing.....

That a good idea?

This guy basically stole my idea.

Checked that shit, trips comfirm! Turn out hundreds of people died for nothing

The heart of the mountain is said to grant any wish of those that can reach it.

I hadn't exactly fleshed out that bit too much, all I have for that is a mysterious group called "The Hooded Men" (also subject to change) that knows about and is seeking out the heart of the mountain. They're using any tools available to move the goblins out of the way and get closer toward the heart.

>Quadruples all stats
>Now you are WIS 28 you realise how this power will never bring you happiness.

"It is said"

Perfect for the ruleslawyering fiend of choice. Noone stated that it was true just that "It is said".

It is also said that if you tip the devil with a few thousand gold, you will live long and fruitful lives.

>Quadruples all stats
>You now have 80 strength
>Nothing fits anymore

No i think the other user is on the right track.
The heart of the mountain is not for anything. It just IS.
An underpinning of creation that holds down reality/prime material.
Have a big sign on it that reads in every language "Heart of the mountain. Do not remove".
Have it staked into (party number) dessiccated corpses.
If they remove it after a week or two things start going nuts and falling apart. Im talking reality breaking down and it becomes a race to reclaim it if they flogged it and fight back in to return it.
Maybe the goblins are in the way. Maybe the demons dont want it put back. Maybe the wizards guild figured out who did it and have mobilised to lay the smackdown on them.
Maybe every BBEG has banded together in an Evil league of Evil to stop you from destroying THEIR world. Maybe all of it at once in a race against time, trying to lead the armies into each other and push through the chaos.
Make it clear that not only is this a war they could not win, but they just don't have the time.

To reaffix it they require the bodies of those who took it. Hope they didnt leave anyone behind......

>This= +1

Oh my god this idea keeps getting better and better. Perhaps them removing the heart of the mountain causes all of the other rumors to become truth?

It teleports whoever touches it to another world. That's where the monsters and demons are coming from, it also explains why nobody found it before, the mountain is also from that world. The rumors can come from otherworld adventurers. I'm on my phone or I'd write more.

Get out of here, stalker

Started off sounding a bit like Monster Mountain.

>you now have 80 charisma and nobody cares if you walk around naked.

So, your "idea" is that the biggest mountain - by far - in the whole world has never before been seen? Presumably because no one has ever got within horizon-distance of it? Ever? Yet "everyone" knows there's a powerful artifact within the never-before-seen-world's-tallest-mountain-that-also-shits-magical-rubies? But - against all odds - your brilliant creativity is balked at contriving a way for these "facts" to make sense?

Say it ain't so.

Nah KISS
Bonus points if you have a madman raving at them not to take it, and desperately dogging them and ruining their shot till they kill him or something drastic just to get rid of him
>he was just trying to save you damn murderhobos

Why is it newly discovered if it's the hugest? It should've been obvious part of the skyline for any natives.

Which means the mountain has just APPEARED.
The HEART thus must be an artefact that controls seismic processes.

Don't be a dick. Give OP constructive feedback, even if the setting is a little autistic you don't have to shit all over it.

>seismic
i think you mean tectonic, or possibly even orogenic if you want to get specific

I am not a geoscientist and odds are none of my players are either. So whatever.

Thanks Satan

It makes you fucking fabulous.

The Heart of the Mountain is a seed.

It's not a mountain, but a petrified gigantic tree trunk, a very literal World Tree whose roots kept the world together so far.

It is dead, but it still keeps the world as it is. If that seed is properly nurtured, it will become a new Tree that makes the world stronger and better, or may be sent into space to make a new one.

The Abyssals want to consume the greatest, albeit fossilized, soul that has ever existed, one so extensive they can only slowly desecrate fragments of it.

btw, tell the local dorfs to stop mining ore veins containing diamonds, adamant and orichalcum. Those are actually the roots, and the damage may destroy the ley lines flowing through them, thus making parts of the world loose.