So I went and installed Diablo 1 and was playing a bit and in the 1st level of the catacombs i believe it is theres a book and it says something about evil rising and the Sin War came.
It saddens me to see the people who are suppose to be the pioneers of Diablo III lack basic knowledge in the lore of Diablo.
The Sin War is the straggle between the powers of Heaven and Hell over the Sanctuary, it began when the Three first diverted the war between Heaven and Hell upon the mortal realm as part of Izuals plan to let the Three gain control over the soul stones.
The Sin War faded into a second phase once the Three were exiled into the mortal realm, this is known as The Dark Exile, the three still continued to wage war upon the humans but this time the majority of Hell did not back them up and where now once again fighting directly against the forces of Heaven and also between themselves.
The Sin War finally came to a halt once the Three were captured by the Horadrim.
In the book called The Tale of the Three, which was probably written by Lazarus, it is said that once the Three are reunited, the Sin War will once again spread across the mortal realm.
Though at least one of the purposes of gaining control over the soul stones was clearly to use their powers to corrupt the World Stone as many prophecies had predicted, it is fair to say that the Three still have something to gain by taking over the mortal realm as we can see in the book Moon of the Spider that even though the World Stone is destroyed demons keep fighting for control over Sanctuary.
So much for the lore of it, as for Diablo III, I hate speculating but yes, there is a chance that it will take place in the past during the time of the Sin War but I don't think that if that was to be the case then it will still be called Diablo III.
The name will them probably be transformed the same as did Warcraft to World of Warcraft.
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- Everything you ever wanted to know about the lore of Diablo and never knew where to look (In construction).
The terms might be a little vague but mixing them up like this gives me a headache.
“The coming of the Great Conflict to the mortal realm is known as the Sin War.
Angels and Demons, disguising themselves while traveling amongst men, attempted to secretly lure mortals to their respective causes.”
The struggle between Heaven and Hell is called by mortal men The Great Conflict.
The Sin War, the coming of the Great Conflict into the mortal realm is just a speck of this vast collision between good and evil.
The Diablo series takes place between the years 1260-1265 to the Kehjistan count, (Probably set by the Vizjerei) thats about 700 years after the Dark Exile in 510, the event that marked the end of the period when both Heaven and Hell, hidden in the shadows, fought for the faction of men, when mortal champions rose up the ranks of both sides and when both angels and demons took a more active role in the shaping of Sanctuary's history.
The period of the Dark Exile is greatly distinguished from the Sin War because once the forces of Hell abandoned the realm of men, so did the forces of Heaven, leaving the humans to the mercy of the exiled three.
The lack of will by Heaven to help the mortals fight against the Three was the reason why Tyrael gave the soul stones the the Horadrim, and why it was considered to be “Against the wishes of Heaven”.
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- Everything you ever wanted to know about the lore of Diablo and never knew where to look (In construction).
The lack of will by Heaven to help the mortals fight against the Three was the reason why Tyrael gave the soul stones the the Horadrim, and why it was considered to be “Against the wishes of Heaven”.
yes Tyrael has often done things that werent not sanctioned by Heaven, angels are forbidden from meddling in the affairs of mortals. this is why i choose to believe Tyrael is more likely to be banished from Heaven rather than becoming corrupted. the in d3 you could prehaps help him redeem himself and renter heaven.
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-Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's First Law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only, truth.
i see it more possible to see a MMORPG called "Diablo - The Great Conflict" sometime after Diablo 3. But i dont believe Blizzard will make a prequel of Diablo to re-play the Sin War and the Dark Exile. Its all in the lore, cant expect them in the game.
well the way i see it and im not alone is Diablo III is the end of the series, and any future game, is either an expansion to d3, a prequel or a spin off.
d3 sequel
d4 prequel
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-Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's First Law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only, truth.
well you guys might wanna read richard a. knaak's new book which is the first installment in a new diablo series about the sin war and how it came to be. it is out now for about $8 at any book store. it is called sin war: birthright
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You can tell the same lie a thousand times but it never gets any more true so close your eyes once more and once more believe that they all still believe in you......
I was under the impression that it was after the seeming stalemate of the Great Conflict that the forces of Heaven and Hell realized that the world of Sanctuary, where mortals existed, would need to be the key factor in deciding the outcome of this Conflict. Cause either force could clash with each other all they wanted in their own realms and neither side could hold sway for long. So for the sake of chance, they forsaked the predictability of their methods and turned to the mortals.
The mortals, who had unique qualities about them: being finite in their existence, unpredictable, and easily swayed to either side, made them ideal for shaping the outcome of the war.
And while the Sin War was a new dynamic to the battle as a whole, most mortals did not have much understanding of it all except for just one long Great Conflict. Except of course a minority of mortals who understood things on the greater level, and were convinced or coerced into fighting each other in the name of good or evil (of course, ignorant people were also drawn into the war without really understanding what was really happening).
So I've always interpreted the Sin War as a sort of bet between the two forces to decide the fate of all creation. And both sides would be allowed to infiltrate Sanctuary posing as various things to get mortals to fight in the name of this or the name of that. Then over time as demons and angels came to either admire mortals for what they were or be jealous towards and hate them, both sides began cheating sort of and became more actively involved in the Sin War and began abandoning their methods of subterfuge.
Most importantly, since it was the Three that realized the mortals' potential in the outcome of the Great Conflict, they worked hardest of all to corrupt them. Then I suppose due to the ignorance of the Lesser Evils, the Prime Evils were overthrown and banished directly to Sanctuary. Which is ironic I suppose because this exile is exactly what allowed them to become so powerful and influence mortals the way they did, almost gaining complete victory in the end, except for that your character kills them all and destroys their soulstones.
there is a small degree of constantineism in the sin war, a kind of bet between Heaven and Hell, but the majority is the war between Heaven and Hell and it has kind of spilled into the mortal realm, both sides use man to achieve there goals. Heaven used man to contain the Prime evils, Hell corrupts man to do what it wishes, this included releasing the Prime Evils.
the Arch Bishop Lazarus was corrupted and released Diablo, virtually the entire order of the Zakarum was corrupted and released Mephisto, slightly different is Baal, he in the guise of Tal rasha convinced Maruis to release him.
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-Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's First Law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only, truth.
Thats why heaven and hell are so polarized around man, he may not see the big picture but it is he, lowly mortal that holds sway upon the entire world not the hells or high heavens, it is mans inclusion into this conflict which makes him the key to victory.
the war has waged on for so long wth out man only drawing constant stalemates but look at what man was able to do..heroes from both side feature prominently in the diablo lore ad even the weapons and armor they leave behind have a myth unto themselves.
I say if d3 will be a battle between good players and bad players then so be it, to glorify heaven or to reign in hell..cant wait.
And about the bet suggestion, I don't think thats the case, in war you don't send a bunch of your best warriors to fight against a bunch of the enemies warriors and thus determine who wins the war or anything for that matter, and especially not in a war as vast as this.
The puzzle is very simple if you take it one step at a time.
When Izual was captured he gave the Prime Evils the secrets of the Soul Stones and probably also the secret of the World Stone, “The Worldstone, the ancient source of all the Soulstones and their power”.
It is safe to assume that Heaven knew about the mortal realm for a lot of time, they have been using the power of the Soul Stones to their advantage in the war against Hell and through time, it might also have been the season for their rules of not interfering with man kind directly.
A drawing that might raise a few thought can be found in the manual of the first Diablo, page 57, you can see an angel crushing a demon, a stone is chained to hes chest and in hes forehead there is what appears to be a Soul Stone.
Now the Prime Evils, with the help of Izual needed a big and complex plan that will allow them to take over the mortal realm, gain control over some Soul Stones and then use them to corrupt the world stone, thus the Sin War had began.
Hell made it very clear that they want to gain control over the mortal realm, that until now was not involved in the conflict, and Heaven, whether they wanted to protect the secret of their Would Stone or simply stop Heall where ever they might have found something that they can gain to their favor, followed.
The Three stirred the conflict masterfully, always making it look as if it was meaningless until finally the rest of Hell had enough.
The four Lesser Evils coalitioned together against the Prime Evils and after a great internal struggle in Hell, were able to exile them into the place they “loved” so much, the mortal realm.
With the Three out of the way, the struggle between Hell and Heaven was once again diverted to the borders of the two realms.
But what was happening on the mortal realm was exactly the opposite, now that the forces of Heaven were out of the way, and with no interference from those who are not loyal to them, the Three could had their way with Sanctuary.
The Prime Evils waged continuous war over the mortal, and just as Izual had predicted, Tyrael finally made hes move.
As we know, Tyrael was almost too sentimental when it came to humans and their suffering and was deeply involved with the humans during the Sin War, this can be seen in the book Demonsbane that takes place in the second stage of the Sin War, before the dark exile.
Seeing the humans in and their suffering, he decided to band together a group of mortals and give them the Soul Stones so that they could trap the Prime Evils within them, they were given the name Horadrim.
Whether their plan was to wait until the Horadrim brought the Soul Stones and then take them from the humans or to let the Horadrim imprison them, it was the later the took place.
The Prime Evils were captured and during the time they spent inside the Soul Stones, they corrupted them, twisting their function to enable them to achieve their own goals.
A couple of centuries later, the Three started to break free from their imprisonments one by one, and the rest, is history.
So what was the Sin War?, certainly not a bold bet, getting the favor of the mortal was never the real issue as far at the Prime Evils were concerned.
“The angel Tyrael has watched over the guardians or Arreat throughout history.
I do mot believe that Baal and Tyrael have come here to fight over a paltry few souls.
They are here to settle a conflict as old as time itself.”
The Sin War was a cold and calculated move that ensured both the Three's exile to the mortal realm and gaining possession over the Soul Stones, humans were simply the ones who got stuck in the middle of it.
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- Everything you ever wanted to know about the lore of Diablo and never knew where to look (In construction).
this may or may not help, sorry guys its a hell of a lot of reading. I know its long but would PEOPLE PLEASE READ IT!!!!!! it explains a lot of the story of diablo.
The Great Conflict
Since the beginning, the forces of Light and Darkness have engaged in a eternal war: The Great Conflict, whose victor will rise from the apocalyptic ashes to hold sway over all creation. To this end, the Angels of the High Heavens adhere to strict militaristic disciplines. Seraphim warriors strike at the enemies of Light with swords imbued with righteous wrath and justice. The Angels believe that only absolute discipline can properly restore order to the myriad realms, while demonic denizens of the Burning Hells hold that absolute chaos is the true nature of all things.
The battles of the Great Conflict rage across both time and space, often infringing upon the very fabric of reality itself. From the Crystal Arch at the very heart of the High Heavens to the arcane Hellforge of the Underworld, the warriors of these eternal realms journey to wherever their timeless conflict carries them. The legendary deeds of the heroes of the realms beyond elicit both veneration and insight.
The greatest of these heroes was Lzual, lieutenant of the Arch-Angel Tyrael and bearer of the Angelic Runeblade Azurewrath. He once led a fierce attack upon the Hellforge as the creation of the dark demonblade Shadowfang was nearing completion. His quest was to destroy both wielder and weapon - a charge that he was destined never to complete. Lzual was overcome by the legions of the chaos and, tragically, was lost to the darkness. His fate stands as testament to the fact that Angels and Demons alike shall fearlessly enter into any domain - so long as their hated enemies swell within.
Although the great Conflict burned hotter and longer than any of the stars in the sky, neither side could gain dominion over the other for long. Both factions sought some way to turn the tides of the war to their favor. With the ascension of Man and his mortal realm, the Great Conflict ground to a mysterious halt. Both armies paused in a breathless stalemate, waiting to see whose side would Man eventually turn.
Mortals had the unique ability to choose between Darkness and Light, and it was held that this would be the deciding factor in the outcome of the Great Conflict. Thus, the agents of the nether-realms descended to the mortal realm to vie for the favor of Man...
The Sin War
The coming of the Great Conflict to the mortal realm is known as the Sin War. Angels and Demons, disguising themselves while traveling amongst men, attempted to secretly lure mortals to their respective causes. Over time, the forces of Darkness discovered that mortals responded much more to brute force then to subtle coercion, and so began to terrorize Man into submission. The Angels fought to defend humanity against this demonic oppression, but all too often their austere methods and severe punishments succeeded only in alienating those whom they sought to protect.
The violent battles of the Sin War occurred often, but they were seldom witnessed by the prying eyes of Man. Only a few "enlightened" souls were aware of the supernatural beings that walked amongst the huddled masses of humanity. Powerful mortals arose and accepted the challenge of the Sin War, allying themselves with both sides in the Great Conflict. The legendary deeds of these great mortal warriors served to earn both the respect and hatred of the nether-worlds. Although lesser demons kneeled before those possessing power and strength, they also cursed the very existence of the mortal man. Many of these fiends believed that the deadlock brought about by the emergence of Man was a perverse offense of their "higher" role in the great scheme of things.
This jealousy of man led to harsh, atrocious acts of violence by the demons against the mortal realm. Some men learned of this deep hatred and used it against the denizens of the Underworld. One such mortal, Horazon the Summoner, delighted in summoning demons and then breaking them to his will. Horazon, along with this brother Bartuc, were members of the Eastern mage-clan known as the Vizjerei. This mystic clan studied the ways of demons and had cataloged their lore for generations. Empowered by this knowledge, Horazon was able to take the work of the Vizjerei and pervert it for his demented purposes. The denizens of Hell sought revenge against this bold mortal, but Horazon managed to keep himself well protected within his arcane sanctuary.
Bartuc, the brother of Horazon, was eventually lured to the side of Darkness. He was granted exceptional strength and longevity, and fought alongside the legions of Hell against the cursed Vizjerei, and eventually his own brother during the Sin War. Although Bartuc was renowned amongst his warriors on many realms, his dominance in battle came with a terrible price. Bartuc soon became as fond of bathing in the blood of his enemies as he did of shedding it, and in time he came to be known only as the Warlord of Blood.
The Dark Exile
"Seven is the number of the powers of Hell, and Seven is the number of the Great Evils."
Duriel, the Lord Of Pain
Andariel, the Maiden of Anguish
Belial, Lord of Lies
Azmodan, the Lord of Sin
These are the true names of the lesser of the Great Evils. For ages uncounted each have ruled over their own domains within the Burning Hells, seeking absolute domination over their infernal brethren. As the Lesser Four continuously vied for the control of those forces that dwelled within their realms, the Greater Three held absolute power over the whole of Hell. The Lesser Four used dark and evil measures in their quest for power, and herein begins the legend of the Dark Exile.
Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred
Baal, the Lord of Destruction
Diablo, the Lord of Terror
These are the Prime Evils of Hell that wielded their power as a dark, sovereign triumvirate. The Three Brothers ruled over the Lesser Four by brutal force and malicious cunning. Being the eldest and strongest of the Evils, the Three Brothers were responsible for countless victories against the armies of the Light. Although they never held sway over the High Heavens for long, the Three were justly feared by enemies and subjects alike.
With the ascension of Man and the subsequent standstill of the Great Conflict, the Three Brothers began to devote their energies to the perversion of mortal souls. The Three realized that Man was the key to victory in the war against Heaven, and thus altered their rigid agendum that they had propagated since the Beginning. This change caused many of the Lesser Evils to question the authority of the Three, and so brought about a great rift between the Prime Evils and their servitors.
In their ignorance, the Lesser Evils began to believe that the Three were afraid to continue the war with Heavens. Frustrated by the cessation of the war, Azmodan and Belial saw the situation as their chance to overthrow the Prime and take control of Hell for themselves. The two demon lords made a pact with their minor brethren, assuring them that the wretched plague of humanity would not deter the ultimate victory of the sons of Hell. Azmodan and Belial devised a plan to end the stalemate, achieve victory in the Sin War and ultimately ride the bloody crest of the Great Conflict straight into the very arms of Armageddon. Thus, a great revolution was set into motion as all of Hell went to war against The Brothers.
The Brothers fought with all of the savagery of the Underworld, and to their credit, annihilated a third of Hell's treacherous legions. In the end, however they were overcome by the Horned Death led by the traitors Azmodan and Belial. The Prime Evils, weakened and bodiless, were banished to the mortal realm where Azmodan hoped that they would remain trapped forever. Azmodan believed that with the Three set loose upon humanity, the Angels would be forced to turn their focus upon on the mortal plane - thus leaving the Gates of Heaven abandoned and defenseless. Those few demons who still pledged allegiance to the Three Brothers fled the wrath of Azmodan and Belial, escaping to the realm of Man to seek out their lost Masters.
As the warfires died out upon the battlefields of Hell, Azmodan and Belial began to argue over which of them held the higher authority. The pact that they had made quickly fell to ashes as the two demon lords took up arms against each other. The legions of Hell that remained were polarized behind either warlord, launching themselves into a bloody civil war that lasted to this day...
The Binding of the Three
In the ancient days, before the rise of the Western Empires, the dark and terrible entities known as the Three Evils were exiled to the world of Man. These eternal entities wandered throughout the waking world and fed upon the lusts of men, leaving chaos and attrition in their wake. The Evils turned father against son and prompted many great nations into brutal and petty wars. Their Exiles from Hell left them with an insatiable hunger to bring suffering and pain to all who would not kneel before them, and so the Three Brothers ravaged the lands of the Far East for countless centuries.
Eventually, a secretive order of mortal magi was gathered together by the enigmatic Arch-Angel Tyrael. These sorcerers were to hunt the Three Evils and put an end to their vicious rampage. The order, known as the Horadrim, consisted of wizards from the diverse and numerous mage-clans of the East. Employing disparate magical practices and disciplines, this unlikely Brotherhood succeeded in capturing two of the Brothers within powerful artifacts called Soulstones. Mephisto and Baal, trapped within the swirling, spiritual constraints of Soulstones, were then buried beneath the dunes of the desolate Eastern Sands.
The powers of Hatred and wanton Destruction seemed to diminish in the East as a nervous peace began to settle over the land. Yet, for many decades the Horadrim continued their grim search for the third Brother, Diablo. They knew that if the Lord of Terror was left untamed there could never be any lasting peace within the realm of humanity.
The Horadrim followed in the wake of terror and anarchy that spread throughout the Western lands. After a great battle, which claimed the lives of many brave souls, the Lord of Terror was captured and imprisoned within the last of the Soulstones by a group of Horadrim monks led by the Initiate Jered Cain. These monks carried the cursed stone to the land of Khanduras and buried it within a secluded cave near the river Talsande. Above this cave the Horadrim constructed a great Monastery from which they could continue to safeguard the Soulstone. As ages passed, the Horadrim constructed a network of catacombs beneath the Monastery to house the earthly remains of the martyrs of their Order.
Generations passed in Khanduras, and the numbers of the Horadrim slowly dwindled. With no quests left to undertake, and too few sons to sustain their guardianship, the once powerful Order faded into obscurity. Eventually, the great Monastery that they had built fell to ruins as well. Although villages grew and thrived around the shell of the old Monastery, no one knew of the dark, secret passageways that stretched into the cold earth beneath it. None could have dreamed of the burning red gem that pulsed within the labyrinth's heart...
Now the following is the events that lead up to the first Diablo game
Years after the last of the Horadrim had died, a great and prosperous society grew in the lands of the West. As time wore on, many Easter pilgrims settles in the lands surrounding Khanduras and soon established small, self contained kingdoms. A few of these kingdoms bickered with Khanduras over holdings of property or routes of trade. These squabbles did little to upset the lasting peace of the West, and the great Northern kingdom of Westmarch proved to be a strong ally of Khanduras as the two lands engaged in ventures of barter and commerce.
During this time, a bold, new religion of the Light known as Zakarum began to spread throughout the kingdom of Westmarch and into many of its northern principalities. Zakarum, founded in the Far East, imploring followers to enter into the Light and forsake the darkness that lurked within their souls. The people of Westmarch adopted the statutes of Zakarum astheir sacred mission in the world. Westmarch began to turn towards its neighbors, expecting them to embrace this "New Beginning" as well. Tensions rose between the kingdoms of Westmarch and Khanduras as the priests of Zakarum began to preach their foreign dogma whether they were welcomed or not.
It was then that the great northern lord Leoric came unto the lands of Khanduras and, in the name of Zakarum, declared himself King. Leoric was a deeply religious man and had brought many Knights and Priests with him that comprised his Order of the Light. Leoric and his trusted advisor, the Arch Bishop Lazarus, made their way to the city of Tristram. Leoric appropriated the ancient, decrepit Monastery on the outskirts of the town for his seat of power and renovated it to match its time-lost glory. Although the free people of Khanduras were not pleased with being placed under the sudden rule of a foreign King, Leoric served them with justice and might. Eventually, the people of Khanduras grew to respect the kind Leoric, sensing that he sought only to guide and protect them against the oppression of Darkness.
The Awakening
Not long after Leoric took possession of Khanduras, a power long asleep awakened within the dark recesses beneath the Monastery. Sensing that freedom was within his grasp, Diablo entered the nightmares of the Arch Bishop and lured him into the dark, subterranean labyrinth. In his terror, Lazarus raced throughout the abandoned hallways until he at last came to the chamber of the burning Soulstone. No longer in command of his body or spirit, he raised the stone above his head and uttered words long forgotten in the realm of mortals. His will destroyed, Lazarus shattered the Soulstone upon the ground. Diablo once again came into the world of Man. Although he was released from his imprisonment within the Soulstone, the Lord of terror was still greatly weakened from his long sleep and required an anchor to the world. Once he had found a mortal form to wear, he could begin to reclaim his vastly depleted power. The great demon weighted the souls residing in the town above, and chose to take the strongest of them - that of King Leoric.
For many months King Leoric secretly fought the evil presence that twisted his thoughts and emotions. Sensing that he had been possessed by some unknown evil, Leoric hid his dark secret from his Priests, hoping that somehow his own devout righteousness would be enough to exorcise the corruption growing inside him - he was sorely mistaken. Diablo stripped away the core of Leoric's being, burning away all honor and virtue from his soul. Lazarus too, had fallen under the away of the Demon, keeping close to Leoric at all times. Lazarus worked to conceal the plans of his new Master form the Order of Light, hoping that the demon's power would grow, well concealed amongst the servants of Zakarum.
The priests of Zakarum and the citizenry of Khanduras recognized the disturbing change within their liege. His once proud and rugged form became distorted and deformed. King Leoric became increasingly deranged and ordered immediate executions of any who dared to question his methods or authority. Leoric began to send his Knights to other villages who had once grown to see great honor in their ruler began to cal Leoric the Black King.
Driven to the brink of madness by the Lord of Terror, King Leoric slowly alienated his closest friends and advisors. Lachdanan, Captain of the Knights of the Order of Light and honored Champion of Zakarum, tried to discern the nature of his King's deteriorating spirit. Yet at every turn the Arch-Bishop Lazarus would waylay Lachdanan and admonish him for questioning the actions of the King. As tensions grew between the two, Lazarus charged Lachdanan with treason against the Kingdom. To the Priests and Knights of Leoric's court, the prospect of Lachdanan committing treason was ridiculous. Lachdanan's motives were honorable and just, and soon many began questioning the reason of their once beloved King.
Leoric's madness was growing more obvious with each passing day. Sensing that the advisors of the court were becoming increasingly suspicious of foul treachery, Lazarus desperately sought to contain the eroding situation. The Arch-Bishop masterfully convinced the delusional Leoric that the kingdom of Westmarch was plotting against him, secretly planning to dethrone him and annex Khanduras into its own lands. Leoric flew into a rage and summoned his advisors to his side. Manipulated by the Arch-Bishop, the paranoid King declared a state of war between the kingdoms of Khanduras and Westmarch.
Leoric ignored the warnings and admonishments of his advisors and the royal army of Khanduras was ordered to the North to engage in a war that they did not believe in. Lachdanan was appointed by Lazarus to lead the armies of Khanduras into Westmarch. Although Lachdanan argued against the necessity of the coming conflict, he was honor-bound to uphold the will of his King. Many of the high-priests and officials were forced to travel to the North as emissaries on errands of diplomatic urgency, as well. The desperate ploy of Lazarus had succeeded in sending many of the King's more 'troublesome' advisors to their certain deaths...
The Darkening of Tristram
The absence of prying advisors and inquisitive Priests left Diablo free to assume total control over the King's battered soul. As the Lord of Terror attempted to strengthen his hold upon the maddening King, he found that the lingering spirit of Leoric fought with him still. Although the control over Leoric that Diablo held was formidable, the Demon knew that in his weakened state he could never take complete possession of his soul as long as a glimmer of his will remained. The demonlord sought a fresh and innocent host upon which to build his Terror.
The demon relinquished his control over Leoric, but the King's soul was left corrupted and his mind crazed. Diablo began to search throughout Khanduras for the perfect vessel to act as his focus, and found such a soul easily within his reach. Enjoined by his dark master, Lazarus kidnapped Albrecht - the only son of Leoric - and dragged the terrified youth down into the blackness of the labyrinth. Flooding the boy's defenseless mind with the essence of pure Terror, Diablo easily took possession of the young Albrecht.
Pain and fire raced through the child's soul. Hideous laughter filled his head and clouded his thoughts. Paralyzed with fear, Albrecht felt the presence of Diablo within his mind, as it seemed to push him down, deeper and deeper into darkness and oblivion. Diablo gazed upon his surroundings through the eyes of the young prince. A lustful hunger still tortured the demon after his frustrating bout for control over Leoric, but the nightmares of the boy provided ample substance to sate him. Reaching deep into Albrecht's subconscious, Diablo ripped the greatest fears of the child from their hiding places and gave them breath.
Albrecht watched, as if out of a dream, twisted and disfigured forms appeared all around him. Unholy, writhing visages of terror danced about him chanting choruses of obscenities. All of the 'monsters' that he had ever imagined or believed that he had seen in his life became flesh and were given life before him. Large bodies comprised of living rock erupted from the walls and bowed to their dark master. The ancient, skeletal corpses of the Horadrim arose from archaic crypts and lumbered off into the red washed corridors beyond. As the cacophony of madness and nightmares hammered its final blow against Albrecht's shattered spirit, the bloodlusted ghouls and demons of his mind scattered and scrambled maniacally into the lengthening passageways of his waking Nightmare.
The ancient catacombs of the Horadrim had become a twisted labyrinth of raw, focused Terror. Empowered by Diablo's possession of young Albrecht, the creatures of the boy's own imagination had gained corporeal form. So strong was the terror that grew inside of Albrecht, that the borders of the Mortal realm began to warp and tear. The Burning Hell began to seep into the world of Man and take root within the labyrinth. Beings and occurrences displaced by time and space, and long lost to the history of Man were pulled screaming into the ever-expanding domain.
The body of Albrecht, fully possessed by Diablo, began to distort and change. The small boy grew and his eyes blazed as tendril-like spines ripped through his flesh. Great, arched horns erupted from Albrecht's skull as Diablo altered the form of the child to match that of his demonic body. Deep within the recesses of the labyrinth, a growing power was being harnessed. When the moment was right, Diablo would venture once more into the mortal world and free his captive Brothers Mephisto and Ball. The Prime Evils would be reunited, and together they would reclaim their rightful place in Hell.
The Fall of the Black King
The war against the zealous armies of Westmarch ended with a horrible slaughter. With the army of Khanduras ripped to shreds by the superior numbers and defensive positions of Westmarch, Lachdanan quickly gathered together those who were not captured or killed and ordered a retreat back to the safety of Khanduras. They returned to find the town of Tristram in shambles.
King Leoric, deep within the throes of madness, went into a rage when he learned that his son was missing. After scouring the village with the few guards that remained with him at the monastery, Leoric had decided that the townsfolk denied any knowledge of Prince Albrecht's whereabouts, Leoric insisted that they had crafted a conspiracy against him, and that they would pay the price for such treachery.
The mysterious disappearance of the Arch-Bishop Lazarus left no once in Tristram with whom the King would take council. Overcome by grief and dementia, Leoric had many of the townsfolk executed for the crime of high treason.
As Lachdanan and his fellow survivors returned to confront their King, Leoric sent his few remaining guards against them. Believing that Lachdanan was somehow part of the townsfolk's conspiracy, Leoric decreed that he and his party were to die. Lachdanan, finally realizing that Leoric was beyond salvation, ordered his men to defend themselves. The ensuing battle carries them down into the very halls of the darkened Monastery, bringing a final desecration to the once holy sanctum of the Horadrim. Lachdanan won a bittersweet victory as his men were forced to kill all of Leoric's deceived protectors. They cornered the ravenous King within his own sanctuary and begged him to explain the atrocities he had committed. Leoric only spat at them and cursed them for traitors against both his crown and the Light.
Lachdanan walked slowly towards his King and sorrowfully drew his sword. Full of grief and rage, all honor been cast to the winds, Lachdanan ran his blade through Leoric's shriveled, blackened heart. The once noble King screamed an unearthly death-cry, and as his madness finally overtook him, he brought down a curse upon those who had so betrayed him. Calling upon the forces of Darkness that he had spent his entire life combating, Leoric condemned Lachdanan and the others to eternal damnation. In that last, fleeing moment within the heart of the Monastery, all that was ever virtuous or honorable about the stewards of Khanduras was shattered forever.
The Reign of Diablo
The Black Kind lay dead, slain at the hands of his own Priests and Knights. The young Prince Albrecht was still missing, and the proud defenders of Khanduras were no more. The people of Tristram looked about their lifeless town and were greatly dismayed. Awash in feelings both relief and remorse, they soon realized that their troubles had merely begun. Strange, eerie lights appeared in the darkened windows of the Monastery. Misshapen, leathery-skinned creatures were seen venturing forth from the shadows of the church. Horrible, wounded cries seemed to linger on the wind, emanating from deep underground. It became apparent that something quite unnatural had infested the once holy sight...
Travelers on the roads surrounding Tristram were accosted by blocked riders that seemed to now constantly roam the deserted countryside. Many villagers fled Tristam, making their way to other towns or kingdoms, fearing some unnamed evil that seemed to wait in the shadows all around them. Those few who chose to remain seldom ventured out at night, and never tread foot upon the grounds of the cursed Monastery. Whispering rumors of poor, innocent people being abducted in the night by wicked, nightmarish creatures filled the halls of the local inn. With no King, no law, and no army left to defend them, many of the townsfolk began to fear an attack from the things that now dwelt beneath their town.
The Arch-Bishop Lazarus, frayed and disheveled, returned from his absence and assured the townsfolk that he too had been ravaged by the growing evil of the Monastery. With their desperate need for reassurance clouding their good judgment, Lazarus whipped the townspeople into a frenzied mob. Reminding them that Prince Albrecht was still unaccounted for, he persuaded many of the men to follow him into the depths of the Monastery to search for the boy. They gathered torches and soon the night air glowed with the flickering light of hope. They armed themselves with shovels, picks and scythes and so prepared, they boldly followed the treacherous Arch-Bishop straight into the fiery maw of hell itself...
The few who survived the horrible fate that awaited them returned to Tristram and recounted what they could of the ordeal. Their wounds were terrible, and even the skills of the healer could not save some of them. As the stories of demons and devils spread, a stifling, primal Terror began to consume the hearts of all the town's inhabitants. It was a Terror that none of them had ever known...
Deep beneath the foundations of the ruined Monastery, Diablo gorged himself upon the fears of the mortals above him. He slowly began to harness his depleted power.
He smiled to himself in the sheltering darkness, for he knew that the time of his final victory was fast approaching...
And thus starts the Diablo series.
now a warrior, rogue, sorcerer, monk, bard and a barbarian, descend into the labyrinth to defeat the evil contained with in.
they find King Leoric, and slay him so that he may rest, the find his leiutenant Lachdanan, and they kill the Arch Bishop Lazarus who is performing some ritual on the body of a young child. they also defeat a beast locked within a vault in a crpyt, but more importantly the defeat Diablo, remove his stone, thus his body reverts to that of the prince Albrect, and the warrior places the stone he romved in his forhead, then heads east.
thus bringing us to Diablo 2.
a barbarian, a necromancer, an amazon, a paladin, a sorceress, an assassin and a druid, now follow the warrior now called the wanderer east to lut gholein. these events are slightly after the events detailed by Marius who is in a mental asylum in an unknown city.
the seven heroes kill blodd raven once the rogue from d1, and kill Andariel a lesser evil and returned servant of the prime evils.
arriving at the tomb of Tal rasha after having killed the summoner once the sorcerer from d1, and killing Duriel, another lesser evil, they find the tomb empty of its prisoner, the mage Tal Rasha. This is because Baal, in the guise of Tal Rasha convinced marius to release him. The heroes are met by the Arch Angel Tyrael, who informs them to head east to the city of Kurast, where Mephisto is.
the heroes, upon reaching the city of kurast find it over run with corrupted priests, and zakarum council members, Only two priests remained faithful to the light Que Haegan and Kalim, and they were both killed horribly. The new head of the council (replacing Que Hagan), Sankekur, eventually became the embodiment of Mephisto. they are successful in defeating Mephisto, but Diablo managed to re enter Hell through a portal and Baal whereabouts after summoning the portal are unknown as is the council member Bartuc the bloody who is know nas the warlord of blood, so either this bartuc is the reincarnation of the warlord of blood form d1 or is a different demon with the same name. The heroes now enter the same portal Diablo did earlier, It should also be noted that this is what marius could not do. he chickened out and hid in an asylum. the heroes also collected mephistos soulstone as he fell
Now the 7 heroes ventured forth to the Hellforge to destroy mephistos soulstone, and to enter the chaos sanctuary and defeat diablo. they are succesful, they are also successful in destroying diablos soulstone. two down one to go.
Baal and Bartuc are still at large and are tracked down to mt Arreat, or more specifically the worldstone chamber/keep with in the mountain.the heroes defeat both Bartuc and Baal, but as Baal has corrupted the worldstone, thus allowing the minions of Hell, now ruled by the two lesser evils as yet un killed, Belial lord of Lies and Azmodan Lord of Sin, to enter the mortal realm more easily. Tyrael is forced to destroy it. the exact affects this has on the world of sanctuary are unknown.
now there is a bit of contraversy over whether Baals stone is destroyed as well, i choose to beleive so, as they other two were, and going for the hat trick just seems logical.
now the way the soulstone work, is when you kill the body, the essence of the prime evil killed enters to stone, and will be released into any host the stone is embedded, in the warrior, tal rasha, and Sankekur. now if the stones containing the essence of a prime evil is destroyed at the hellforge instead, the essence of the prime evil inside returns to the abyss in the level of the Nine Hells, called the Burning Hells, which is where they came from.
now, if you know your fantasy lore 101, any being trapped in an abyss usually doesnt stay their for ever, there are many ways to remove trapped being from abysses, or is it abysssi. this include summon rituals and other similar very powerful spells. whether or not this is how the prime evils will come back in d3 it is unclear, what is clear is the fact that through what ever means, they do come back, they dont need their stones to exist, if you recall near the top of this extremely long post (and i klnow and not helping by dragging this out) you will notice that the prime evils once existed in the mortal realm without their stones, so logical they can do it again.
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-Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's First Law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only, truth.
Stop, I can't take this any more, so many mistakes, so few lines.
But first, if the trivia at Diablo Wiki and the old website of Nephalim (I think its down now) are your sources of information, neither is accurate.
The Wiki is poor and most armature and Nephalim's site can obly be describes as fan fiction.
I'll start by saying that Blood Raven was A Rouge who fought beneath Tristram, not THE Rouge, many a Rouges fought against the minions of Diablo and she was but only one of them, this goes the same as for the Summoner.
Second, the Blizzard approved expansion for Diablo, Hell Fire, does not have any importance in means of lore, it does not fit with what came before it and not with what came after it.
Third, the Hight Council of the Zakarum should usually consist, based on what we know, of seven High Council members and one Que-Hegan, the head of the council.
The former Que-Hegan was Khalim and once slaughtered by the council priests was succeeded by Sankekur who became the new Que-Hegan.
Fourthly, this is not the same Bartuc, the Warlord of Blood is dead, hes head dismembered and sent far away from the rest of hes body.
And finally, I am personally glad I have no deep experience with the lore of other worlds because it can result in uncorrect prejudice.
What happens to a soul, be it human, demon or angel in the wold of Diablo once its body is dead if far more complex, I currently am working on analyzing different examples but for now I can only say with certainty that you should consider this, why then, if Baal was nowhere near dead, did Tyrael send Marius to destroy hes Soul Stone at Hellforge.
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http://www.diablo.co.nr/
- Everything you ever wanted to know about the lore of Diablo and never knew where to look (In construction).
without Baal's essence in the soulstone he was not at full strength, he would be easily defeated. When he didnt have his soulstone he didnt seem as powerful as he did at the beginning of LOD
i said the Bartuc may have be the reincarnated Warlord of blood, or another demon with the same name, you obviously skimmed through that part. Baal would want to surround himself with powerful demons.
and I didnt use wiki, i was to lazy to do that, that requires going to another site. i just copied from another post here, maybe they used wiki.
and the a large parts of thing people say are sepculation and false, my time is limited i dont have time to check it all out to see if it is true, i have a day job unlike some people here, so why such hostility towards me? damn.
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-Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's First Law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only, truth.
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Maybe D3 will be about the Sin War??
The Sin War is the straggle between the powers of Heaven and Hell over the Sanctuary, it began when the Three first diverted the war between Heaven and Hell upon the mortal realm as part of Izuals plan to let the Three gain control over the soul stones.
The Sin War faded into a second phase once the Three were exiled into the mortal realm, this is known as The Dark Exile, the three still continued to wage war upon the humans but this time the majority of Hell did not back them up and where now once again fighting directly against the forces of Heaven and also between themselves.
The Sin War finally came to a halt once the Three were captured by the Horadrim.
In the book called The Tale of the Three, which was probably written by Lazarus, it is said that once the Three are reunited, the Sin War will once again spread across the mortal realm.
Though at least one of the purposes of gaining control over the soul stones was clearly to use their powers to corrupt the World Stone as many prophecies had predicted, it is fair to say that the Three still have something to gain by taking over the mortal realm as we can see in the book Moon of the Spider that even though the World Stone is destroyed demons keep fighting for control over Sanctuary.
So much for the lore of it, as for Diablo III, I hate speculating but yes, there is a chance that it will take place in the past during the time of the Sin War but I don't think that if that was to be the case then it will still be called Diablo III.
The name will them probably be transformed the same as did Warcraft to World of Warcraft.
- Everything you ever wanted to know about the lore of Diablo and never knew where to look (In construction).
Sin Wars= When Hell and Heaven start fighting on EARTH using MAN.
“The coming of the Great Conflict to the mortal realm is known as the Sin War.
Angels and Demons, disguising themselves while traveling amongst men, attempted to secretly lure mortals to their respective causes.”
The struggle between Heaven and Hell is called by mortal men The Great Conflict.
The Sin War, the coming of the Great Conflict into the mortal realm is just a speck of this vast collision between good and evil.
The Diablo series takes place between the years 1260-1265 to the Kehjistan count, (Probably set by the Vizjerei) thats about 700 years after the Dark Exile in 510, the event that marked the end of the period when both Heaven and Hell, hidden in the shadows, fought for the faction of men, when mortal champions rose up the ranks of both sides and when both angels and demons took a more active role in the shaping of Sanctuary's history.
The period of the Dark Exile is greatly distinguished from the Sin War because once the forces of Hell abandoned the realm of men, so did the forces of Heaven, leaving the humans to the mercy of the exiled three.
The lack of will by Heaven to help the mortals fight against the Three was the reason why Tyrael gave the soul stones the the Horadrim, and why it was considered to be “Against the wishes of Heaven”.
- Everything you ever wanted to know about the lore of Diablo and never knew where to look (In construction).
d3 sequel
d4 prequel
You can tell the same lie a thousand times but it never gets any more true so close your eyes once more and once more believe that they all still believe in you......
The mortals, who had unique qualities about them: being finite in their existence, unpredictable, and easily swayed to either side, made them ideal for shaping the outcome of the war.
And while the Sin War was a new dynamic to the battle as a whole, most mortals did not have much understanding of it all except for just one long Great Conflict. Except of course a minority of mortals who understood things on the greater level, and were convinced or coerced into fighting each other in the name of good or evil (of course, ignorant people were also drawn into the war without really understanding what was really happening).
So I've always interpreted the Sin War as a sort of bet between the two forces to decide the fate of all creation. And both sides would be allowed to infiltrate Sanctuary posing as various things to get mortals to fight in the name of this or the name of that. Then over time as demons and angels came to either admire mortals for what they were or be jealous towards and hate them, both sides began cheating sort of and became more actively involved in the Sin War and began abandoning their methods of subterfuge.
Most importantly, since it was the Three that realized the mortals' potential in the outcome of the Great Conflict, they worked hardest of all to corrupt them. Then I suppose due to the ignorance of the Lesser Evils, the Prime Evils were overthrown and banished directly to Sanctuary. Which is ironic I suppose because this exile is exactly what allowed them to become so powerful and influence mortals the way they did, almost gaining complete victory in the end, except for that your character kills them all and destroys their soulstones.
Siaynoq's Playthroughs
the Arch Bishop Lazarus was corrupted and released Diablo, virtually the entire order of the Zakarum was corrupted and released Mephisto, slightly different is Baal, he in the guise of Tal rasha convinced Maruis to release him.
the war has waged on for so long wth out man only drawing constant stalemates but look at what man was able to do..heroes from both side feature prominently in the diablo lore ad even the weapons and armor they leave behind have a myth unto themselves.
I say if d3 will be a battle between good players and bad players then so be it, to glorify heaven or to reign in hell..cant wait.
- Everything you ever wanted to know about the lore of Diablo and never knew where to look (In construction).
Siaynoq's Playthroughs
The puzzle is very simple if you take it one step at a time.
When Izual was captured he gave the Prime Evils the secrets of the Soul Stones and probably also the secret of the World Stone, “The Worldstone, the ancient source of all the Soulstones and their power”.
It is safe to assume that Heaven knew about the mortal realm for a lot of time, they have been using the power of the Soul Stones to their advantage in the war against Hell and through time, it might also have been the season for their rules of not interfering with man kind directly.
A drawing that might raise a few thought can be found in the manual of the first Diablo, page 57, you can see an angel crushing a demon, a stone is chained to hes chest and in hes forehead there is what appears to be a Soul Stone.
Now the Prime Evils, with the help of Izual needed a big and complex plan that will allow them to take over the mortal realm, gain control over some Soul Stones and then use them to corrupt the world stone, thus the Sin War had began.
Hell made it very clear that they want to gain control over the mortal realm, that until now was not involved in the conflict, and Heaven, whether they wanted to protect the secret of their Would Stone or simply stop Heall where ever they might have found something that they can gain to their favor, followed.
The Three stirred the conflict masterfully, always making it look as if it was meaningless until finally the rest of Hell had enough.
The four Lesser Evils coalitioned together against the Prime Evils and after a great internal struggle in Hell, were able to exile them into the place they “loved” so much, the mortal realm.
With the Three out of the way, the struggle between Hell and Heaven was once again diverted to the borders of the two realms.
But what was happening on the mortal realm was exactly the opposite, now that the forces of Heaven were out of the way, and with no interference from those who are not loyal to them, the Three could had their way with Sanctuary.
The Prime Evils waged continuous war over the mortal, and just as Izual had predicted, Tyrael finally made hes move.
As we know, Tyrael was almost too sentimental when it came to humans and their suffering and was deeply involved with the humans during the Sin War, this can be seen in the book Demonsbane that takes place in the second stage of the Sin War, before the dark exile.
Seeing the humans in and their suffering, he decided to band together a group of mortals and give them the Soul Stones so that they could trap the Prime Evils within them, they were given the name Horadrim.
Whether their plan was to wait until the Horadrim brought the Soul Stones and then take them from the humans or to let the Horadrim imprison them, it was the later the took place.
The Prime Evils were captured and during the time they spent inside the Soul Stones, they corrupted them, twisting their function to enable them to achieve their own goals.
A couple of centuries later, the Three started to break free from their imprisonments one by one, and the rest, is history.
So what was the Sin War?, certainly not a bold bet, getting the favor of the mortal was never the real issue as far at the Prime Evils were concerned.
“The angel Tyrael has watched over the guardians or Arreat throughout history.
I do mot believe that Baal and Tyrael have come here to fight over a paltry few souls.
They are here to settle a conflict as old as time itself.”
The Sin War was a cold and calculated move that ensured both the Three's exile to the mortal realm and gaining possession over the Soul Stones, humans were simply the ones who got stuck in the middle of it.
- Everything you ever wanted to know about the lore of Diablo and never knew where to look (In construction).
The Great Conflict
Since the beginning, the forces of Light and Darkness have engaged in a eternal war: The Great Conflict, whose victor will rise from the apocalyptic ashes to hold sway over all creation. To this end, the Angels of the High Heavens adhere to strict militaristic disciplines. Seraphim warriors strike at the enemies of Light with swords imbued with righteous wrath and justice. The Angels believe that only absolute discipline can properly restore order to the myriad realms, while demonic denizens of the Burning Hells hold that absolute chaos is the true nature of all things.
The battles of the Great Conflict rage across both time and space, often infringing upon the very fabric of reality itself. From the Crystal Arch at the very heart of the High Heavens to the arcane Hellforge of the Underworld, the warriors of these eternal realms journey to wherever their timeless conflict carries them. The legendary deeds of the heroes of the realms beyond elicit both veneration and insight.
The greatest of these heroes was Lzual, lieutenant of the Arch-Angel Tyrael and bearer of the Angelic Runeblade Azurewrath. He once led a fierce attack upon the Hellforge as the creation of the dark demonblade Shadowfang was nearing completion. His quest was to destroy both wielder and weapon - a charge that he was destined never to complete. Lzual was overcome by the legions of the chaos and, tragically, was lost to the darkness. His fate stands as testament to the fact that Angels and Demons alike shall fearlessly enter into any domain - so long as their hated enemies swell within.
Although the great Conflict burned hotter and longer than any of the stars in the sky, neither side could gain dominion over the other for long. Both factions sought some way to turn the tides of the war to their favor. With the ascension of Man and his mortal realm, the Great Conflict ground to a mysterious halt. Both armies paused in a breathless stalemate, waiting to see whose side would Man eventually turn.
Mortals had the unique ability to choose between Darkness and Light, and it was held that this would be the deciding factor in the outcome of the Great Conflict. Thus, the agents of the nether-realms descended to the mortal realm to vie for the favor of Man...
The Sin War
The coming of the Great Conflict to the mortal realm is known as the Sin War. Angels and Demons, disguising themselves while traveling amongst men, attempted to secretly lure mortals to their respective causes. Over time, the forces of Darkness discovered that mortals responded much more to brute force then to subtle coercion, and so began to terrorize Man into submission. The Angels fought to defend humanity against this demonic oppression, but all too often their austere methods and severe punishments succeeded only in alienating those whom they sought to protect.
The violent battles of the Sin War occurred often, but they were seldom witnessed by the prying eyes of Man. Only a few "enlightened" souls were aware of the supernatural beings that walked amongst the huddled masses of humanity. Powerful mortals arose and accepted the challenge of the Sin War, allying themselves with both sides in the Great Conflict. The legendary deeds of these great mortal warriors served to earn both the respect and hatred of the nether-worlds. Although lesser demons kneeled before those possessing power and strength, they also cursed the very existence of the mortal man. Many of these fiends believed that the deadlock brought about by the emergence of Man was a perverse offense of their "higher" role in the great scheme of things.
This jealousy of man led to harsh, atrocious acts of violence by the demons against the mortal realm. Some men learned of this deep hatred and used it against the denizens of the Underworld. One such mortal, Horazon the Summoner, delighted in summoning demons and then breaking them to his will. Horazon, along with this brother Bartuc, were members of the Eastern mage-clan known as the Vizjerei. This mystic clan studied the ways of demons and had cataloged their lore for generations. Empowered by this knowledge, Horazon was able to take the work of the Vizjerei and pervert it for his demented purposes. The denizens of Hell sought revenge against this bold mortal, but Horazon managed to keep himself well protected within his arcane sanctuary.
Bartuc, the brother of Horazon, was eventually lured to the side of Darkness. He was granted exceptional strength and longevity, and fought alongside the legions of Hell against the cursed Vizjerei, and eventually his own brother during the Sin War. Although Bartuc was renowned amongst his warriors on many realms, his dominance in battle came with a terrible price. Bartuc soon became as fond of bathing in the blood of his enemies as he did of shedding it, and in time he came to be known only as the Warlord of Blood.
The Dark Exile
"Seven is the number of the powers of Hell, and Seven is the number of the Great Evils."
Duriel, the Lord Of Pain
Andariel, the Maiden of Anguish
Belial, Lord of Lies
Azmodan, the Lord of Sin
These are the true names of the lesser of the Great Evils. For ages uncounted each have ruled over their own domains within the Burning Hells, seeking absolute domination over their infernal brethren. As the Lesser Four continuously vied for the control of those forces that dwelled within their realms, the Greater Three held absolute power over the whole of Hell. The Lesser Four used dark and evil measures in their quest for power, and herein begins the legend of the Dark Exile.
Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred
Baal, the Lord of Destruction
Diablo, the Lord of Terror
These are the Prime Evils of Hell that wielded their power as a dark, sovereign triumvirate. The Three Brothers ruled over the Lesser Four by brutal force and malicious cunning. Being the eldest and strongest of the Evils, the Three Brothers were responsible for countless victories against the armies of the Light. Although they never held sway over the High Heavens for long, the Three were justly feared by enemies and subjects alike.
With the ascension of Man and the subsequent standstill of the Great Conflict, the Three Brothers began to devote their energies to the perversion of mortal souls. The Three realized that Man was the key to victory in the war against Heaven, and thus altered their rigid agendum that they had propagated since the Beginning. This change caused many of the Lesser Evils to question the authority of the Three, and so brought about a great rift between the Prime Evils and their servitors.
In their ignorance, the Lesser Evils began to believe that the Three were afraid to continue the war with Heavens. Frustrated by the cessation of the war, Azmodan and Belial saw the situation as their chance to overthrow the Prime and take control of Hell for themselves. The two demon lords made a pact with their minor brethren, assuring them that the wretched plague of humanity would not deter the ultimate victory of the sons of Hell. Azmodan and Belial devised a plan to end the stalemate, achieve victory in the Sin War and ultimately ride the bloody crest of the Great Conflict straight into the very arms of Armageddon. Thus, a great revolution was set into motion as all of Hell went to war against The Brothers.
The Brothers fought with all of the savagery of the Underworld, and to their credit, annihilated a third of Hell's treacherous legions. In the end, however they were overcome by the Horned Death led by the traitors Azmodan and Belial. The Prime Evils, weakened and bodiless, were banished to the mortal realm where Azmodan hoped that they would remain trapped forever. Azmodan believed that with the Three set loose upon humanity, the Angels would be forced to turn their focus upon on the mortal plane - thus leaving the Gates of Heaven abandoned and defenseless. Those few demons who still pledged allegiance to the Three Brothers fled the wrath of Azmodan and Belial, escaping to the realm of Man to seek out their lost Masters.
As the warfires died out upon the battlefields of Hell, Azmodan and Belial began to argue over which of them held the higher authority. The pact that they had made quickly fell to ashes as the two demon lords took up arms against each other. The legions of Hell that remained were polarized behind either warlord, launching themselves into a bloody civil war that lasted to this day...
The Binding of the Three
In the ancient days, before the rise of the Western Empires, the dark and terrible entities known as the Three Evils were exiled to the world of Man. These eternal entities wandered throughout the waking world and fed upon the lusts of men, leaving chaos and attrition in their wake. The Evils turned father against son and prompted many great nations into brutal and petty wars. Their Exiles from Hell left them with an insatiable hunger to bring suffering and pain to all who would not kneel before them, and so the Three Brothers ravaged the lands of the Far East for countless centuries.
Eventually, a secretive order of mortal magi was gathered together by the enigmatic Arch-Angel Tyrael. These sorcerers were to hunt the Three Evils and put an end to their vicious rampage. The order, known as the Horadrim, consisted of wizards from the diverse and numerous mage-clans of the East. Employing disparate magical practices and disciplines, this unlikely Brotherhood succeeded in capturing two of the Brothers within powerful artifacts called Soulstones. Mephisto and Baal, trapped within the swirling, spiritual constraints of Soulstones, were then buried beneath the dunes of the desolate Eastern Sands.
The powers of Hatred and wanton Destruction seemed to diminish in the East as a nervous peace began to settle over the land. Yet, for many decades the Horadrim continued their grim search for the third Brother, Diablo. They knew that if the Lord of Terror was left untamed there could never be any lasting peace within the realm of humanity.
The Horadrim followed in the wake of terror and anarchy that spread throughout the Western lands. After a great battle, which claimed the lives of many brave souls, the Lord of Terror was captured and imprisoned within the last of the Soulstones by a group of Horadrim monks led by the Initiate Jered Cain. These monks carried the cursed stone to the land of Khanduras and buried it within a secluded cave near the river Talsande. Above this cave the Horadrim constructed a great Monastery from which they could continue to safeguard the Soulstone. As ages passed, the Horadrim constructed a network of catacombs beneath the Monastery to house the earthly remains of the martyrs of their Order.
Generations passed in Khanduras, and the numbers of the Horadrim slowly dwindled. With no quests left to undertake, and too few sons to sustain their guardianship, the once powerful Order faded into obscurity. Eventually, the great Monastery that they had built fell to ruins as well. Although villages grew and thrived around the shell of the old Monastery, no one knew of the dark, secret passageways that stretched into the cold earth beneath it. None could have dreamed of the burning red gem that pulsed within the labyrinth's heart...
Now the following is the events that lead up to the first Diablo game
Years after the last of the Horadrim had died, a great and prosperous society grew in the lands of the West. As time wore on, many Easter pilgrims settles in the lands surrounding Khanduras and soon established small, self contained kingdoms. A few of these kingdoms bickered with Khanduras over holdings of property or routes of trade. These squabbles did little to upset the lasting peace of the West, and the great Northern kingdom of Westmarch proved to be a strong ally of Khanduras as the two lands engaged in ventures of barter and commerce.
During this time, a bold, new religion of the Light known as Zakarum began to spread throughout the kingdom of Westmarch and into many of its northern principalities. Zakarum, founded in the Far East, imploring followers to enter into the Light and forsake the darkness that lurked within their souls. The people of Westmarch adopted the statutes of Zakarum astheir sacred mission in the world. Westmarch began to turn towards its neighbors, expecting them to embrace this "New Beginning" as well. Tensions rose between the kingdoms of Westmarch and Khanduras as the priests of Zakarum began to preach their foreign dogma whether they were welcomed or not.
It was then that the great northern lord Leoric came unto the lands of Khanduras and, in the name of Zakarum, declared himself King. Leoric was a deeply religious man and had brought many Knights and Priests with him that comprised his Order of the Light. Leoric and his trusted advisor, the Arch Bishop Lazarus, made their way to the city of Tristram. Leoric appropriated the ancient, decrepit Monastery on the outskirts of the town for his seat of power and renovated it to match its time-lost glory. Although the free people of Khanduras were not pleased with being placed under the sudden rule of a foreign King, Leoric served them with justice and might. Eventually, the people of Khanduras grew to respect the kind Leoric, sensing that he sought only to guide and protect them against the oppression of Darkness.
The Awakening
Not long after Leoric took possession of Khanduras, a power long asleep awakened within the dark recesses beneath the Monastery. Sensing that freedom was within his grasp, Diablo entered the nightmares of the Arch Bishop and lured him into the dark, subterranean labyrinth. In his terror, Lazarus raced throughout the abandoned hallways until he at last came to the chamber of the burning Soulstone. No longer in command of his body or spirit, he raised the stone above his head and uttered words long forgotten in the realm of mortals. His will destroyed, Lazarus shattered the Soulstone upon the ground. Diablo once again came into the world of Man. Although he was released from his imprisonment within the Soulstone, the Lord of terror was still greatly weakened from his long sleep and required an anchor to the world. Once he had found a mortal form to wear, he could begin to reclaim his vastly depleted power. The great demon weighted the souls residing in the town above, and chose to take the strongest of them - that of King Leoric.
For many months King Leoric secretly fought the evil presence that twisted his thoughts and emotions. Sensing that he had been possessed by some unknown evil, Leoric hid his dark secret from his Priests, hoping that somehow his own devout righteousness would be enough to exorcise the corruption growing inside him - he was sorely mistaken. Diablo stripped away the core of Leoric's being, burning away all honor and virtue from his soul. Lazarus too, had fallen under the away of the Demon, keeping close to Leoric at all times. Lazarus worked to conceal the plans of his new Master form the Order of Light, hoping that the demon's power would grow, well concealed amongst the servants of Zakarum.
The priests of Zakarum and the citizenry of Khanduras recognized the disturbing change within their liege. His once proud and rugged form became distorted and deformed. King Leoric became increasingly deranged and ordered immediate executions of any who dared to question his methods or authority. Leoric began to send his Knights to other villages who had once grown to see great honor in their ruler began to cal Leoric the Black King.
Driven to the brink of madness by the Lord of Terror, King Leoric slowly alienated his closest friends and advisors. Lachdanan, Captain of the Knights of the Order of Light and honored Champion of Zakarum, tried to discern the nature of his King's deteriorating spirit. Yet at every turn the Arch-Bishop Lazarus would waylay Lachdanan and admonish him for questioning the actions of the King. As tensions grew between the two, Lazarus charged Lachdanan with treason against the Kingdom. To the Priests and Knights of Leoric's court, the prospect of Lachdanan committing treason was ridiculous. Lachdanan's motives were honorable and just, and soon many began questioning the reason of their once beloved King.
Leoric's madness was growing more obvious with each passing day. Sensing that the advisors of the court were becoming increasingly suspicious of foul treachery, Lazarus desperately sought to contain the eroding situation. The Arch-Bishop masterfully convinced the delusional Leoric that the kingdom of Westmarch was plotting against him, secretly planning to dethrone him and annex Khanduras into its own lands. Leoric flew into a rage and summoned his advisors to his side. Manipulated by the Arch-Bishop, the paranoid King declared a state of war between the kingdoms of Khanduras and Westmarch.
Leoric ignored the warnings and admonishments of his advisors and the royal army of Khanduras was ordered to the North to engage in a war that they did not believe in. Lachdanan was appointed by Lazarus to lead the armies of Khanduras into Westmarch. Although Lachdanan argued against the necessity of the coming conflict, he was honor-bound to uphold the will of his King. Many of the high-priests and officials were forced to travel to the North as emissaries on errands of diplomatic urgency, as well. The desperate ploy of Lazarus had succeeded in sending many of the King's more 'troublesome' advisors to their certain deaths...
The Darkening of Tristram
The absence of prying advisors and inquisitive Priests left Diablo free to assume total control over the King's battered soul. As the Lord of Terror attempted to strengthen his hold upon the maddening King, he found that the lingering spirit of Leoric fought with him still. Although the control over Leoric that Diablo held was formidable, the Demon knew that in his weakened state he could never take complete possession of his soul as long as a glimmer of his will remained. The demonlord sought a fresh and innocent host upon which to build his Terror.
The demon relinquished his control over Leoric, but the King's soul was left corrupted and his mind crazed. Diablo began to search throughout Khanduras for the perfect vessel to act as his focus, and found such a soul easily within his reach. Enjoined by his dark master, Lazarus kidnapped Albrecht - the only son of Leoric - and dragged the terrified youth down into the blackness of the labyrinth. Flooding the boy's defenseless mind with the essence of pure Terror, Diablo easily took possession of the young Albrecht.
Pain and fire raced through the child's soul. Hideous laughter filled his head and clouded his thoughts. Paralyzed with fear, Albrecht felt the presence of Diablo within his mind, as it seemed to push him down, deeper and deeper into darkness and oblivion. Diablo gazed upon his surroundings through the eyes of the young prince. A lustful hunger still tortured the demon after his frustrating bout for control over Leoric, but the nightmares of the boy provided ample substance to sate him. Reaching deep into Albrecht's subconscious, Diablo ripped the greatest fears of the child from their hiding places and gave them breath.
Albrecht watched, as if out of a dream, twisted and disfigured forms appeared all around him. Unholy, writhing visages of terror danced about him chanting choruses of obscenities. All of the 'monsters' that he had ever imagined or believed that he had seen in his life became flesh and were given life before him. Large bodies comprised of living rock erupted from the walls and bowed to their dark master. The ancient, skeletal corpses of the Horadrim arose from archaic crypts and lumbered off into the red washed corridors beyond. As the cacophony of madness and nightmares hammered its final blow against Albrecht's shattered spirit, the bloodlusted ghouls and demons of his mind scattered and scrambled maniacally into the lengthening passageways of his waking Nightmare.
The ancient catacombs of the Horadrim had become a twisted labyrinth of raw, focused Terror. Empowered by Diablo's possession of young Albrecht, the creatures of the boy's own imagination had gained corporeal form. So strong was the terror that grew inside of Albrecht, that the borders of the Mortal realm began to warp and tear. The Burning Hell began to seep into the world of Man and take root within the labyrinth. Beings and occurrences displaced by time and space, and long lost to the history of Man were pulled screaming into the ever-expanding domain.
The body of Albrecht, fully possessed by Diablo, began to distort and change. The small boy grew and his eyes blazed as tendril-like spines ripped through his flesh. Great, arched horns erupted from Albrecht's skull as Diablo altered the form of the child to match that of his demonic body. Deep within the recesses of the labyrinth, a growing power was being harnessed. When the moment was right, Diablo would venture once more into the mortal world and free his captive Brothers Mephisto and Ball. The Prime Evils would be reunited, and together they would reclaim their rightful place in Hell.
The Fall of the Black King
The war against the zealous armies of Westmarch ended with a horrible slaughter. With the army of Khanduras ripped to shreds by the superior numbers and defensive positions of Westmarch, Lachdanan quickly gathered together those who were not captured or killed and ordered a retreat back to the safety of Khanduras. They returned to find the town of Tristram in shambles.
King Leoric, deep within the throes of madness, went into a rage when he learned that his son was missing. After scouring the village with the few guards that remained with him at the monastery, Leoric had decided that the townsfolk denied any knowledge of Prince Albrecht's whereabouts, Leoric insisted that they had crafted a conspiracy against him, and that they would pay the price for such treachery.
The mysterious disappearance of the Arch-Bishop Lazarus left no once in Tristram with whom the King would take council. Overcome by grief and dementia, Leoric had many of the townsfolk executed for the crime of high treason.
As Lachdanan and his fellow survivors returned to confront their King, Leoric sent his few remaining guards against them. Believing that Lachdanan was somehow part of the townsfolk's conspiracy, Leoric decreed that he and his party were to die. Lachdanan, finally realizing that Leoric was beyond salvation, ordered his men to defend themselves. The ensuing battle carries them down into the very halls of the darkened Monastery, bringing a final desecration to the once holy sanctum of the Horadrim. Lachdanan won a bittersweet victory as his men were forced to kill all of Leoric's deceived protectors. They cornered the ravenous King within his own sanctuary and begged him to explain the atrocities he had committed. Leoric only spat at them and cursed them for traitors against both his crown and the Light.
Lachdanan walked slowly towards his King and sorrowfully drew his sword. Full of grief and rage, all honor been cast to the winds, Lachdanan ran his blade through Leoric's shriveled, blackened heart. The once noble King screamed an unearthly death-cry, and as his madness finally overtook him, he brought down a curse upon those who had so betrayed him. Calling upon the forces of Darkness that he had spent his entire life combating, Leoric condemned Lachdanan and the others to eternal damnation. In that last, fleeing moment within the heart of the Monastery, all that was ever virtuous or honorable about the stewards of Khanduras was shattered forever.
The Reign of Diablo
The Black Kind lay dead, slain at the hands of his own Priests and Knights. The young Prince Albrecht was still missing, and the proud defenders of Khanduras were no more. The people of Tristram looked about their lifeless town and were greatly dismayed. Awash in feelings both relief and remorse, they soon realized that their troubles had merely begun. Strange, eerie lights appeared in the darkened windows of the Monastery. Misshapen, leathery-skinned creatures were seen venturing forth from the shadows of the church. Horrible, wounded cries seemed to linger on the wind, emanating from deep underground. It became apparent that something quite unnatural had infested the once holy sight...
Travelers on the roads surrounding Tristram were accosted by blocked riders that seemed to now constantly roam the deserted countryside. Many villagers fled Tristam, making their way to other towns or kingdoms, fearing some unnamed evil that seemed to wait in the shadows all around them. Those few who chose to remain seldom ventured out at night, and never tread foot upon the grounds of the cursed Monastery. Whispering rumors of poor, innocent people being abducted in the night by wicked, nightmarish creatures filled the halls of the local inn. With no King, no law, and no army left to defend them, many of the townsfolk began to fear an attack from the things that now dwelt beneath their town.
The Arch-Bishop Lazarus, frayed and disheveled, returned from his absence and assured the townsfolk that he too had been ravaged by the growing evil of the Monastery. With their desperate need for reassurance clouding their good judgment, Lazarus whipped the townspeople into a frenzied mob. Reminding them that Prince Albrecht was still unaccounted for, he persuaded many of the men to follow him into the depths of the Monastery to search for the boy. They gathered torches and soon the night air glowed with the flickering light of hope. They armed themselves with shovels, picks and scythes and so prepared, they boldly followed the treacherous Arch-Bishop straight into the fiery maw of hell itself...
The few who survived the horrible fate that awaited them returned to Tristram and recounted what they could of the ordeal. Their wounds were terrible, and even the skills of the healer could not save some of them. As the stories of demons and devils spread, a stifling, primal Terror began to consume the hearts of all the town's inhabitants. It was a Terror that none of them had ever known...
Deep beneath the foundations of the ruined Monastery, Diablo gorged himself upon the fears of the mortals above him. He slowly began to harness his depleted power.
He smiled to himself in the sheltering darkness, for he knew that the time of his final victory was fast approaching...
And thus starts the Diablo series.
now a warrior, rogue, sorcerer, monk, bard and a barbarian, descend into the labyrinth to defeat the evil contained with in.
they find King Leoric, and slay him so that he may rest, the find his leiutenant Lachdanan, and they kill the Arch Bishop Lazarus who is performing some ritual on the body of a young child. they also defeat a beast locked within a vault in a crpyt, but more importantly the defeat Diablo, remove his stone, thus his body reverts to that of the prince Albrect, and the warrior places the stone he romved in his forhead, then heads east.
thus bringing us to Diablo 2.
a barbarian, a necromancer, an amazon, a paladin, a sorceress, an assassin and a druid, now follow the warrior now called the wanderer east to lut gholein. these events are slightly after the events detailed by Marius who is in a mental asylum in an unknown city.
the seven heroes kill blodd raven once the rogue from d1, and kill Andariel a lesser evil and returned servant of the prime evils.
arriving at the tomb of Tal rasha after having killed the summoner once the sorcerer from d1, and killing Duriel, another lesser evil, they find the tomb empty of its prisoner, the mage Tal Rasha. This is because Baal, in the guise of Tal Rasha convinced marius to release him. The heroes are met by the Arch Angel Tyrael, who informs them to head east to the city of Kurast, where Mephisto is.
the heroes, upon reaching the city of kurast find it over run with corrupted priests, and zakarum council members, Only two priests remained faithful to the light Que Haegan and Kalim, and they were both killed horribly. The new head of the council (replacing Que Hagan), Sankekur, eventually became the embodiment of Mephisto. they are successful in defeating Mephisto, but Diablo managed to re enter Hell through a portal and Baal whereabouts after summoning the portal are unknown as is the council member Bartuc the bloody who is know nas the warlord of blood, so either this bartuc is the reincarnation of the warlord of blood form d1 or is a different demon with the same name. The heroes now enter the same portal Diablo did earlier, It should also be noted that this is what marius could not do. he chickened out and hid in an asylum. the heroes also collected mephistos soulstone as he fell
Now the 7 heroes ventured forth to the Hellforge to destroy mephistos soulstone, and to enter the chaos sanctuary and defeat diablo. they are succesful, they are also successful in destroying diablos soulstone. two down one to go.
Baal and Bartuc are still at large and are tracked down to mt Arreat, or more specifically the worldstone chamber/keep with in the mountain.the heroes defeat both Bartuc and Baal, but as Baal has corrupted the worldstone, thus allowing the minions of Hell, now ruled by the two lesser evils as yet un killed, Belial lord of Lies and Azmodan Lord of Sin, to enter the mortal realm more easily. Tyrael is forced to destroy it. the exact affects this has on the world of sanctuary are unknown.
now there is a bit of contraversy over whether Baals stone is destroyed as well, i choose to beleive so, as they other two were, and going for the hat trick just seems logical.
now the way the soulstone work, is when you kill the body, the essence of the prime evil killed enters to stone, and will be released into any host the stone is embedded, in the warrior, tal rasha, and Sankekur. now if the stones containing the essence of a prime evil is destroyed at the hellforge instead, the essence of the prime evil inside returns to the abyss in the level of the Nine Hells, called the Burning Hells, which is where they came from.
now, if you know your fantasy lore 101, any being trapped in an abyss usually doesnt stay their for ever, there are many ways to remove trapped being from abysses, or is it abysssi. this include summon rituals and other similar very powerful spells. whether or not this is how the prime evils will come back in d3 it is unclear, what is clear is the fact that through what ever means, they do come back, they dont need their stones to exist, if you recall near the top of this extremely long post (and i klnow and not helping by dragging this out) you will notice that the prime evils once existed in the mortal realm without their stones, so logical they can do it again.
But first, if the trivia at Diablo Wiki and the old website of Nephalim (I think its down now) are your sources of information, neither is accurate.
The Wiki is poor and most armature and Nephalim's site can obly be describes as fan fiction.
I'll start by saying that Blood Raven was A Rouge who fought beneath Tristram, not THE Rouge, many a Rouges fought against the minions of Diablo and she was but only one of them, this goes the same as for the Summoner.
Second, the Blizzard approved expansion for Diablo, Hell Fire, does not have any importance in means of lore, it does not fit with what came before it and not with what came after it.
Third, the Hight Council of the Zakarum should usually consist, based on what we know, of seven High Council members and one Que-Hegan, the head of the council.
The former Que-Hegan was Khalim and once slaughtered by the council priests was succeeded by Sankekur who became the new Que-Hegan.
Fourthly, this is not the same Bartuc, the Warlord of Blood is dead, hes head dismembered and sent far away from the rest of hes body.
And finally, I am personally glad I have no deep experience with the lore of other worlds because it can result in uncorrect prejudice.
What happens to a soul, be it human, demon or angel in the wold of Diablo once its body is dead if far more complex, I currently am working on analyzing different examples but for now I can only say with certainty that you should consider this, why then, if Baal was nowhere near dead, did Tyrael send Marius to destroy hes Soul Stone at Hellforge.
- Everything you ever wanted to know about the lore of Diablo and never knew where to look (In construction).
i said the Bartuc may have be the reincarnated Warlord of blood, or another demon with the same name, you obviously skimmed through that part. Baal would want to surround himself with powerful demons.
and I didnt use wiki, i was to lazy to do that, that requires going to another site. i just copied from another post here, maybe they used wiki.
and the a large parts of thing people say are sepculation and false, my time is limited i dont have time to check it all out to see if it is true, i have a day job unlike some people here, so why such hostility towards me? damn.