So as we all know, Maltheal, the Angel of Death, controls death. But how? How does he specifically control Death? Being the former Archangel of Wisdom, Death was not his forte, not his power. But he somehow got the power. According to the Audio Lore, he heard voices. The Chalice of Wisdom, Chalad'ar, was not able to discern what they were. Yet he knew what they were. He knew that they were human souls. Or Nephalem souls. And when he found the souls, he apparently gained the power of Death.
Now the remaining questions are, why the souls gave him the power of Death and where did the souls come from. And why Maltheal? Why not Imperius who never wanted the Nephalem to live. Or even Itherael, the Archangel of Fate, who could no longer see the future, the perfect being who could never regain his foresight of the future. I believe it is because Maltheal was being corrupted. At first, I think it was frustration. When the council voted to kill the Nephalem, he abstained. He did not have enough knowledge at the time to make a decision. But when he tried to find the knowledge afterwards, he could not. The Chalice did not help it. It would not tell him what they were. And even Itherael could not see their future. So he had no insight into them. He grew frustrated over the fact that there was something that he knew nothing about and could not find anything about it. That is why, when stated in the Book of Cain, he began the darken. He was slowly corrupted. The perfect vessel for Corrupt Souls to take him over to their side.
Yes, I did just say Corrupt Souls. I believe the voices he heard were those from the Worldstone when it was "destroyed". I'll touch a bit on the Worldstone later. But Maltheal disappeared around the time the Worldstone was gone from Sanctuary and that was presumably when he heard the voices of the Nephalem Souls. And if you all can remember, Baal tried to corrupt the Worldstone. In fact, he succeeded in corrupting it so Tyreal destroyed it before it was fully corrupt. If left alone, all the Nephalem most likely would have been corrupt as well. But not all of it was corrupt. So when it was destroyed, the souls within the Worldstone, escaped. Those that were corrupted sought out Plan B. Use the Black Soulstone. So the corrupted souls sent out their voices to those that were also corrupt, trying to get them to be on their side. When they found Maltheal, they lead him on the path of Knowledge. They told him what he wanted to know and some. I believe they lead him to Adria, who further corrupted him to allow Diablo to live once more. When he finally found the origin of the voices, the Pandemonium Fortress, he got the power of Death there.
So those that give him the power of Death was the dead. But those of the corrupted souls. There were still souls that were not corrupt but they were weaker and thus brought under control of Maltheal. This would explain why the souls gave him the power of Death to wipe out the Nephalem. And why those other souls, like the Ancients of the Barbarians, were unwilling to give Maltheal their power but willing to give the heroes their power. But why Pandemonium Fortress? Why would they go there instead of staying on Sanctuary?
That brings me to my final point, the Worldstone was never destroyed. How could an object so immensely powerful be destroyed by a single Angel? Even if Tyreal was an Archangel, he still should have been too weak to destroy it. So I believe that the Worldstone was weakened enough by the corruption to be "destroyed" but in a material sense. The Worldstone is the Eye of Anu, maybe not literally, but it is a part of Anu. And not the pure Anu but the complete Anu. The one with both good and evil. Angel and Demon. So as the Nephalem, born of both Angel and Demon, we are the true descendents of Anu. So the Worldstone is ourselfs. That is why Uldyssian was able to change the Worldstone. And that is why, when it was destroyed, it was actually changed to the Souls of the Nephalem. And when it was destroyed, whatever binding it to Sanctuary was released and it returned to the Pandemonium Fortress. So when the Nephalem die, they aren't sent to the void, they are sent to Pandemonium Fortress. The Nephalem are the Worldstone now.
So what do you guys think? Any flaws or holes in this theory? Or do you have other theories to explain why this happened? I would love to hear all your opinions and discuss this further.
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I don't always burn. But when I do, I use hellfire.
So you're saying that the Worldstone's "destruction" was just Tyrael eliminating the containing vessel, a shell, which revealed its true nature: Anu's spiritual power, which is embodied in Nephalem spirits? Makes sense, and explains the "Soul Prison" at the heart of Pandemonium.
But did Malthael not realize the true nature of the Soul Prison/Worldstone, then? He could not recognize Anu's being, as it was composed of Nephalem spirits? Was Baal's influence 20 years before still that powerful?
Or, perhaps Malthael DID see it for what it was for, but attempted to do two things at once; 1.) Win the Eternal Conflict, and 2.) Purify the Worldstone of Baal's influence by overpowering it with Angelic essence (Nephalem spirit minus their demonic heritage)?
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Be it through hallowed grounds or lands of sorrow
All in the Forger's wake is left bereft and fallow
Is the residuum worth the cost of destruction and maiming;
Or is the shaping a culling and exercise in taming?
The road's goal is the dark Origin of Being
But be wary through what thickets it winds.
-Excerpt from the Litany of Residuum;
As Translated by He Who Brings Order
I think no one knew the true nature of the Worldstone. As the Angels and Demons reportedly used it to create worlds, but to no avail, it seems that they did not have full control over it. They were just one half of the actual power. Which when Inarius and Lilith took the Worldstone, they were able to use it more because of both the powers of Angels and Demons. But still not fully.
And, I believe Maltheal created the Soul Prison. It was not created by the souls, nor the remains of the Worldstone. When the corrupted souls gave him the power of Death, he created it to control the remaining souls, the ones that he was not able to control. And as none of them, Angels and Demons, knew what Anu's presences even felt like, they could not recognize it.
If say he did recognize what it was and attempted to purify it, I don't think it would work. At least not him alone. I think it would take the combined powers of the Angels, at least, to uncorrupt the remaining souls. Now, he could have created a new Worldstone with the Black Soulstone if he could remove the demonic essence from it. But when he destroyed it to absorb its power to destroy us, I think that showed his hand pretty well. He wanted to destroy all Demonic Essence because we had the power to choose.
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I don't always burn. But when I do, I use hellfire.
At the end of Lord of Destruction Tyrael destroys the worldstone in the Diablo 2 cinematic which seems like a really huge event. Does that have any implications on Sanctuary?
Chris: Yes…. Yes. The destruction of the worldstone… or was it? Is a huge moment in the universe of Diablo. Can you destroy a worldstone? I know what we saw, but was that real?
Now the remaining questions are, why the souls gave him the power of Death and where did the souls come from. And why Maltheal? Why not Imperius who never wanted the Nephalem to live. Or even Itherael, the Archangel of Fate, who could no longer see the future, the perfect being who could never regain his foresight of the future. I believe it is because Maltheal was being corrupted. At first, I think it was frustration. When the council voted to kill the Nephalem, he abstained. He did not have enough knowledge at the time to make a decision. But when he tried to find the knowledge afterwards, he could not. The Chalice did not help it. It would not tell him what they were. And even Itherael could not see their future. So he had no insight into them. He grew frustrated over the fact that there was something that he knew nothing about and could not find anything about it. That is why, when stated in the Book of Cain, he began the darken. He was slowly corrupted. The perfect vessel for Corrupt Souls to take him over to their side.
Yes, I did just say Corrupt Souls. I believe the voices he heard were those from the Worldstone when it was "destroyed". I'll touch a bit on the Worldstone later. But Maltheal disappeared around the time the Worldstone was gone from Sanctuary and that was presumably when he heard the voices of the Nephalem Souls. And if you all can remember, Baal tried to corrupt the Worldstone. In fact, he succeeded in corrupting it so Tyreal destroyed it before it was fully corrupt. If left alone, all the Nephalem most likely would have been corrupt as well. But not all of it was corrupt. So when it was destroyed, the souls within the Worldstone, escaped. Those that were corrupted sought out Plan B. Use the Black Soulstone. So the corrupted souls sent out their voices to those that were also corrupt, trying to get them to be on their side. When they found Maltheal, they lead him on the path of Knowledge. They told him what he wanted to know and some. I believe they lead him to Adria, who further corrupted him to allow Diablo to live once more. When he finally found the origin of the voices, the Pandemonium Fortress, he got the power of Death there.
So those that give him the power of Death was the dead. But those of the corrupted souls. There were still souls that were not corrupt but they were weaker and thus brought under control of Maltheal. This would explain why the souls gave him the power of Death to wipe out the Nephalem. And why those other souls, like the Ancients of the Barbarians, were unwilling to give Maltheal their power but willing to give the heroes their power. But why Pandemonium Fortress? Why would they go there instead of staying on Sanctuary?
That brings me to my final point, the Worldstone was never destroyed. How could an object so immensely powerful be destroyed by a single Angel? Even if Tyreal was an Archangel, he still should have been too weak to destroy it. So I believe that the Worldstone was weakened enough by the corruption to be "destroyed" but in a material sense. The Worldstone is the Eye of Anu, maybe not literally, but it is a part of Anu. And not the pure Anu but the complete Anu. The one with both good and evil. Angel and Demon. So as the Nephalem, born of both Angel and Demon, we are the true descendents of Anu. So the Worldstone is ourselfs. That is why Uldyssian was able to change the Worldstone. And that is why, when it was destroyed, it was actually changed to the Souls of the Nephalem. And when it was destroyed, whatever binding it to Sanctuary was released and it returned to the Pandemonium Fortress. So when the Nephalem die, they aren't sent to the void, they are sent to Pandemonium Fortress. The Nephalem are the Worldstone now.
So what do you guys think? Any flaws or holes in this theory? Or do you have other theories to explain why this happened? I would love to hear all your opinions and discuss this further.
But did Malthael not realize the true nature of the Soul Prison/Worldstone, then? He could not recognize Anu's being, as it was composed of Nephalem spirits? Was Baal's influence 20 years before still that powerful?
Or, perhaps Malthael DID see it for what it was for, but attempted to do two things at once; 1.) Win the Eternal Conflict, and 2.) Purify the Worldstone of Baal's influence by overpowering it with Angelic essence (Nephalem spirit minus their demonic heritage)?
All in the Forger's wake is left bereft and fallow-Excerpt from the Litany of Residuum;
As Translated by He Who Brings Order
And, I believe Maltheal created the Soul Prison. It was not created by the souls, nor the remains of the Worldstone. When the corrupted souls gave him the power of Death, he created it to control the remaining souls, the ones that he was not able to control. And as none of them, Angels and Demons, knew what Anu's presences even felt like, they could not recognize it.
If say he did recognize what it was and attempted to purify it, I don't think it would work. At least not him alone. I think it would take the combined powers of the Angels, at least, to uncorrupt the remaining souls. Now, he could have created a new Worldstone with the Black Soulstone if he could remove the demonic essence from it. But when he destroyed it to absorb its power to destroy us, I think that showed his hand pretty well. He wanted to destroy all Demonic Essence because we had the power to choose.
Chris: Yes…. Yes. The destruction of the worldstone… or was it? Is a huge moment in the universe of Diablo. Can you destroy a worldstone? I know what we saw, but was that real?
That was from the lore panel at BlizzCon 2011.