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If you read the official Diablo 3 site, seems the Barbarians no longer live there. Abd Al-Hazir visited Bastion's Keep and found Mt. Arreat blown, the land torn apart into islands. No sign of Barbarian race survival in the area.

"In my journey to catalogue the various denizens, civilizations, and fauna of our world, I have traveled far and wide, but never before have I been struck with such dismay as when standing upon the ramparts of the ancient fortress of Bastion's Keep. I came to see firsthand the barbarians, those near-legendary, immense, relentless, dual-wielding furies of combat dwelling upon their sacred Mount Arreat.

Instead, I stand here looking at a mountain that has been torn asunder by some extraordinary force. The sight, I must confess, is incomprehensible. Yet what I see before me cannot be denied."

If I recall, when I was at the Diablo 3 panel in Paris, I think I heard something along the fate of the Barbarian people. There are some beasts or demons in the area. I think we got hinted the Barbarian survivors were transformed or warped. Maybe they have become some kind of undead.

Kinda lost with all that mumbo jumbo. I will add a bit though. Those who still have the Diablo II handbook may remember the map below. Compare it with the Diablo 3 website map. Mt. Arreat and where the Barbarians lived went boom. It is now split into three big chunks of land and a few minor isles.

There is no artwork in the books. This Kingdom of Shadow is an entertaining yet contradicting tale that can make one go nuts trying to figure out what's going on.

To me it sounds like our way to ascend to Heaven in order to help the Archangels with the Hell invasion is probably heading to Ureh. In short, our main transport to Heaven's gates. My opinion.

Update: I updated the first post. Seems they aren't in Heaven after remaking the spell when the shadow engulfed the ruins. Gregus Mazi betrayed Ureh. The ethereal city floats in limbo. I will keep reading.

Update: Seems Gregus Mazi didn't betray them. The tale has fractured into many deceiving events that keep you wild guessing, contradicting your own suspiscions and driving you to insanity as a lector. Mazi seems to have been a victim with good intentions. However, one word escaped his lips: Diablo.

Quote from "xXAvariceXx" »

I've never been able to purchase the books, as I have no credit card(to order them), but I happened across the archive the other day, and didn't even hesitate to buy it.

You can create a paypal account if you have a bank account. It would be a matter of searching for a bookstore that accepts paypal payment.

Interesting bit. Moon of the Spider is the only Diablo book I don't have now. I am still reading Diablo Archive, but once I am done, I'm gonna grab that one too. Thanks for the quote.

Quote from "Umpa65" »

MD what makes you think that TKOS is based during the current state of sanctuary? there may be hints and obvious instances but it has been YEARS since i've read tkos

Zayl the Necromancer is in The Kingdom of Shadow, so these are events that happen somewhere between Diablo II and Lord of Destruction (maybe). I haven't read all the book yet to find any clues as to the timeline.

Diablo 3 happens 20 years after the worldstone is shattered by Tyrael. Maybe we get to visit the ruins of Ureh in Diablo 3. I won't say I am infallible, but I like to follow and stick to my hunches. I had a hunch Blizzard would announce Diablo 3 as a hack'n slash RPG at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitationals, instead of a MMO.

This time around, although Knaak won't say a word when I ask him, I do have a hunch based on what he said back on October 2006. Knaak: "Zayl has been fun and has a big following. Blzzard has some ideas for him already..."

The games have not been novelized. These are stories that are considered canon by Blizzard, but are not based on the acts of Diablo II or its expansion.

The importance of these books however is that material from them will be very likely used to develop Diablo 3. Now we will be exploring the world of sanctuary more thoroughfully than in the previous games, and NPCs will be more talkative of their past experiences.

I got a feeling we will find Zayl the necromancer in Diablo 3. Whether as a playable character or as a NPC giving quests.

As I said in a thread a few weeks ago, World of Warcraft quests and locations are based a lot on stuff that didn't exist in Warcraft II and III. Some came from the books which are considered canon by Blizzard.

Hammerfall and Durnholde and the Caverns of Time: Old Hillsbrad existed in Warcraft: Lord of the Clans. Kalecgos and Anveena in the Sunwell Plateau, Jorad Mace and Tyri in the Celestial Ridge (netherstorm), Dar'Khan in Eversong Forest -- those characters are from Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy manga.

The dragon aspects, Caverns of Time, The Nexus (Coldarra) -- those existed only in Warcraft: Day of the Dragon. Not in the games. Only Alexstrasza and Deathwing existed in Warcraft II RTS game.

Most of the Burning Crusade quests are based on the book by Christie Golden World of Warcraft: Rise of the Horde.

Aegwynn at Theramore beside Jaina Proudmoore -- which showed up in the comic book World of Warcraft# 6 ... that's from Keith R.A. DeCandido's book World of Warcraft: Cycle of Hatred. It is said Aegwynn is in-game disguised as the night elf named Pained right in front of Jaina Proudmoore NPC.

Tirion Fordring and his son Taelan existed only in Chris Metzen's eBook Warcraft: Of Blood and Honor. He is now the founder of the new Silver Hand in the MMO.

Rhonin is only from Warcraft: Day of the Dragon and War of the Ancients Trilogy -- he is now an NPC in the MMO. He leads Dalaran in Northrend in Wrath of the Lich King expansion.

The point of this newspost is that we might find a lot of details in the Diablo novels that we might recognize on the fly in Diablo 3. To those who don't read the Warcraft books, most of what happens in World of Warcraft means bleh ... but to those who read and know their stuff, once you see Kalecgos, or find Grim Batol in Wetlands, or experience Old Hillsbrad, or the Ata'mal crystals questline -- people gets excited.

After reading Diablo: Demonsbane, I decided to start reading through Diablo: The Kingdom of Shadow. You can find both books in the Diablo Archive released a few days ago. I will be honest. My grammar is horrible, but hopefully you can find something that may catch your interest as to wish to read the book by yourself.

There was a specific reason I wanted to skip the first two books, and jump ahead to the Kingdom of Shadow. That is because this book talks about the ancient ruins of Ureh located at the jungles of the Necromancers, the guardians of balance. Why is all this important? Richard A. Knaak hinted back on October 2006 that Blizzard had great plans for Zayl the Necromancer. This was the same interview where he confirmed that the storyline of Diablo: The Sin War trilogy would impact the storyline of any future Diablo projects made by Blizzard -- coughs, Diablo 3.

Why am I reading about Ureh? Well, Atrumentis and Daemon had observed and speculated that what we see in the Diablo III cinematic teaser shown on June 28 at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitationals in Paris could very well be the ruins of Ureh. After both images comparing the cinematic teaser's building with the front cover artwork of Diablo: The Kingdom of Shadow (by Richard A. Knaak), one could debate whether both are similar. At the bottom, I wrote a small spoiler summary of what Ureh is and the story of the first few pages. This might encourage some fans to get their hands on the Diablo Archive (752 pages) which contains: Diablo: Legacy of Blood, Diablo: The Black Road, Diablo: The Kingdom of Shadow and Diablo: Demonsbane. The spoiler summary at the bottom of the page after both images:





SPOILER SUMMARY

This summary might be inaccurate, as I wrote it from what I remember. I did not summarize the entire book however. Merely the first 40 pages, and skipping a lot of stuff. Mostly summarized the most important details about Ureh.

The lost city of Ureh was once a central battleground for the war between Heaven and Hell in Sanctuary during the hundreds of years of the Sin War era. Ureh was a fount of light to those who followed and chose the path of the Archangels. This called the attention of the Prime Evils who sought to take Ureh. Diablo had overseen Ureh from his domain in Hell, and sought to destroy the city and its inhabitants for it offended him greatly its glorius existence. The people of Ureh were so pious they would not have fear. Something the Lord of Terror found intolerable and couldn't stand. Diablo grew determined to bring down the city and make its inhabitants the slaves of Hell.

Ureh was cut off from outside travelers and supply wagons, as the surrounding areas were overtaken by demons rallying toward Ureh. Juris Khan, lord of the city of Ureh, and his priests and mages attempted to save their people from the Prime Evils and their legions of demons. Juris Khan had a vision of an archangel who informed him the High Heaven had wished to grant them a haven from the incoming onslaught to protect them, the safety of Heaven.

The archangel opened the gates of Heaven to the mortals of Ureh, where the Prime Evils could not touch them. The archangel told Juris Khan in two more visions how to accomplish this. However, the archangel was not allowed to intervene or offer much help. It was up to Ureh to do the task. And thus the Mages of Ureh opened a way into the gates of Heaven. Gregus Mazi was the only inhabitant of Ureh who did not enter Heaven. Gregus Mazi was one of the mages at the service of Lord Juris Khan who performed the spellcasting to open the way. A crimson aura enshrouded the city of Ureh. Gregus Mazi faltered in his faith at that moment, and was left behind. He witnessed how the whole city of Ureh split into a twin ethereal city floating above the original one. To Gregus Mazi it was as if he had seen the soul of the city of Ureh leave the mortal plane. All inhabitants of Ureh becoming decaying corpses.

Gregus Mazi was found by followers of Rathma, the necromancers. They healed his broken mind and tended his needs for a time. However, the mage left to roam the world in search of something. He was one of the circle of mages to cast the spell that enabled the people of Ureh to ascend into Heaven, but he didn't know all of it. He became obsessed with joining his friends and family. Twelve years later, Gregus Mazi returned to Ureh with all the knowledge he needed to perform the spellcasting to ascend to Heaven, and he was never seen again.

Scrolls and books of his studies are all what remained. The mercenary who accompanied Gregus Mazi long ago to Ureh witnessed how Gregus Mazi chanted a spell that made the ruins of Ureh change, glowing golden as if the ruins had come to live. Humbart Wessel and his mercenaries did not follow Gregus Mazi into the ruins. That was the last they saw of him. In the morning, the ruins were no longer vivid. All was gone. Humbart wrote a scroll of what happened and delivered it to Lord Hyram of the Zakarum.

Hundreds of years later, a Vizjerei mage named Quov Tsin became obsessed with reading and analyzing Gregus Mazi's studies. Collecting all of his remaining scrolls, as well as the mercenary who witnessed his disappearance.

Vizjerei Quov Tsin hired a band of mercenaries led by Captain Kentril Dumon to ensure his safety through the jungle and his arrival to the city of Ureh with promises of gold and treasure bigger than that of Kings. Once every certain amount of time, the ruins of Ureh were said to come alive once more. Briefly. A faint echo of that day centuries ago when the spell to ascend to Heaven was casted by its people. The spellwork should be casted when the shadow of the mighty mountain Nymyr rested upon the ruins of Ureh. That time according to Quov Tsin would be the next day. Once at the ruins of Ureh, Quov Tsin began the chanting of the spellwork he had analyzed from the scrolls of Gregus Mazi right at the time when the shadow of Nymyr's mountain was covering Ureh. As he was about to end the spellwork, Zayl the Necromancer approached to warn them. To stop what could mean their deaths. The greedy mage put no mind to the intruder, and continued chanting the last words of the spellwork.

The shadow of mountain Nymyr covered all of the ruins of Ureh. Even with the sun on the sky, a dreadful darkness encompassed Ureh. The towers started to glitter, and slowly all of Ureh began to glow and radiate becoming alive, as it was hundreds of years ago. The ancient city was reborn again. The necromancer Zayl accompanied the Vizjerei Quov Tsin, Captain Kentril and his mercenaries into the city of Ureh. Voices, laughter and a non-stopping flute music were heard everywhere. After certain dangers experienced within, the mercenaries no longer wished to be in the ruins and headed toward the exit ... just to find the gates closed and guarded by two angels.

They could now see the people of Ureh. Suddenly, a plaza that wasn't there before was found, and the people of Ureh led them to a copy of mountain Nymyr at the center of the plaza. After walking a very long stairway, they found a gate guarded by two gargoyles. They allowed all but the Vizjerei to enter the gates unharmed. It took a lot of wit to get the mage inside as the gargoyles would come to life to stop him. Inside ... all of them met one who was thought disappeared many centuries ago: Lord Juris Khan.

Update: I have resumed reading through page 512. Seems the people of Ureh didn't reach Heaven afterall. The legends and scrolls concerning Ureh and Gregus Mazi's studies were false. Gregus Mazi betrayed them. During the casting of the spell to make the way to Heaven, was reversed by Mazi, who hoped to send Ureh into the Burning Hell realm. Lord Juris Khan attempted to counter the betrayal. The end result was, Ureh did not reach Heaven. And it did not reach the Burning Hells. It is floating in nothingness. A limbo. A place in-between. As far as I have read, with the help of Zayl, Tsin and the mercenaries they wish to find a gem that would allow them to remake the original spell to send the ethereal Ureh to its former destination: Heaven. More tomorrow.

Update: I am merely 70 pages from finishing the book. I can say this story is a heck of a rollercoaster ride. Things that might have seem the truth, turn out to be deceit. So anything I may have said in the summary could or not have a bit of truth. Things go from bad to worse. Worth of a tale of terror. And behind everything seems to be someone who lords it, one we all know well ... Diablo.

Update: Done reading the book. At the end some of the buildings crumble to dust, and the gem to light is destroyed. This could be seen by any reader as a hint that we won't be able to see Ureh again. However, the gem had been lost before and the city was still coming to life every certain time. Attana remains within the ethereal Ureh. That means Ureh might be able to return. Specially, if she manages to reanimate Vizjerei Quov Tsin with immortality. It could be up to debate. The city shown in the Cinematic could be Ureh, or not. We will have to hear from Blizzard what exactly they are showing in the cinematic. Regardless, I do know some who have read Kingdom of Shadow would like to visit Ureh in Diablo 3.

Diablo Archive available now, click the image to order it:

Quote from "Bimbette" »

Excellent post, indeed! Thank you very much for sharing this with us. I always love the opportunity to add to both my physical and digital libraries, and am ever appreciative of being pointed to worthy additions.

Welcome. Robert emailied me to inform me he had decided to post it. I have built communication with various Blizzard book writers over the past five years, and it is nice to get an email from them unexpectedly at times informing new stuff. Sometimes I get to know about upcoming novels a year or six months in advance, which is cool to share with fans, as well as updating follow ups and Q&As.

Hope to see a new book from Robert soon.

Robert B. Marks (Diablo: Demonsbane author) informed us he posted on his blog the first script he pitched at Blizzard Entertainment and Pocket Books eight years ago, which got him the e-book contract to publish Diablo: Demonsbane digitally. The script was titled: A Kingdom for a Sword.

It is a privilege and it is not common to get to read an original script, so I hope you guys take the opportunity and special gift to read through the three parts linked below.

Robert posted them in three parts at his blog, so click all the links below for the full story:
- Part 1
- Part 2
- Part 3

Robert B. Marks said: A Kingdom for a Sword was the story that impressed an editor at Pocket Books so much that he handed me an e-book contract. It is a story from my transitional period - it began as Diablo fanfiction, and then, as I decided to go professional writer, was revamped to take place in my Road of Legends universe (a wonderful place that, if all goes well with the current book submission, everybody will be able to explore and enjoy in the next few years). However, you can certainly see Diablo in it. And, if you take this story and Demonsbane and put them side by side, there are more than a few similarities.

The big problem with this story, however, is the ending. I'm not sure if it was just written when I was in the rationalization phase of a massive rebound (if there is such a phase of a rebound), but when I look back at it now, eight years later, I find the last paragraph absolutely asinine. It certainly lacks the emotional maturity I have today. I have kept it intact, though, because of its historical significance (well, I changed one capitalization, but otherwise it is intact).

But, otherwise, it is quite a good story, and after close to a decade, people should be able to enjoy it, particularly since everybody is now able to enjoy the e-book it made possible.

By the way, for those fanfiction writers who like this story, I'm afraid I have bad news. I don't want any fanfiction coming out of the Road of Legends, aka "The Great Road." Please respect my wishes on this - I am sharing this story so that those who are curious about where Demonsbane came from can read this for themselves. I am not opening up my pet universe to other writers. There are two full-length novels set in that world already written, and fanfiction for this showing up could cause complications in getting them published at last, particularly since they are already under consideration by a publisher.

11:49pm / 8:49pm
Two months ago, on May Activision and Vivendi Games/Blizzard had announced their membership cancellation from the ESA, basically pulling off E3 as well. Suddenly, in recent hours it was announced a ActivisionBlizzard press conference would take place today in the evening. As Gamespot, IGN and Kotaku's auto-updated blogs said, the press conference just ended with the Neversoft Band playing onstage. It is quietly disappointing to not have seen Blizzard up there to promote Wrath of the Lich King and Starcraft 2, or at least play the Diablo III Teaser. The ActivisionBlizzard press conference has wrapped up without any Blizzard game.

11:28pm EST / 8:28pm PDT
Gotta love how Gamespot and IGN are updating the live blog every two minutes. Right now ex-Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker to play out the drums kit for Guitar Hero World Tour. I can imagine Blizzard will come to stage at some point. ActivisionBlizzard is stealing the freaking E3 show Press and attention big time!

11:00pm EST / 8:00pm PDT
Gamespot has a reporter at E3 streaming a Live blog that auto-updates your page with new info from the floor at a restaurant near E3 where ActivisionBlizzard is holding a press conference with a massive screen. A lot of Activision games have been showcased already. We are awaiting any news from Blizzard Entertainment games. Specially Diablo 3 or the unannounced Next-Gen MMO. It is unknown whether the unannounced game might be revealed here however.

We will update anything new that is reported by Gamespot and other websites. For now, if you wish to stand alert, visit the Live Gamespot E3 Watch blog. Your page will auto-reload showing new updates every few minutes.

Thus far they have shown the latest Wolverine Film game, Guitar Hero's latest game,
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: Fusion, a simultaneous James Bond game/film release, and Spiderman: Web of Shadows trailers. With ActivisionBlizzard'a merger complete last week, this being their first Press Conference, and Blizzard Entertainment being the main jewel in said merger, that means there is a great chance a Blizzard game video or press panel could roll there at the end of the press conference.

I am speechless. After my recent review of Diablo: Demonsbane, early this morning I visited Robert B. Marks blog to see any new updates and there I find out he read my review. I had said I would like to read new adventures of Siggard, the main character in Demonsbane, to which he answers he did wrote a continuation in Garwulf's Corner# 43 back on 2002.

Robert B. Marks also responds to my wish of reading more books from him. He already has the title and topic of possible Diablo novels he could pitch to Blizzard Entertainment if they wanted him to write new Diablo books.

The title of any new Diablo novels he gets to write would be ... Diablo: Angels of Darkness, Soldiers of Light

The joy. You really should read Diablo: Demonsbane from the Diablo Archive to experience what others who have read it feel now after hearing he is interested in writing new stories based on the Diablo universe.

Read Robert B. Marks blog here.

Have you read Diablo: Demonsbane? Please share your very own review. Make sure to add SPOILER tags where needed. I will make sure to let Robert B. Marks read your reviews.

Garwulf's Corner# 43 : The Fate of Siggard by Robert B. Marks

Call it a need for closure, if you will. You see, way back when, I wrote this little e-book titled Demonsbane. It inaugurated the Diablo fiction line, and went on to become a bestseller in its own right (which, for e-books, means it sold more than five hundred copies). The hero was this tragic character, a man named Siggard who had so much vitality that death literally could not touch him. Stab him, burn him, decapitate him, he would come back for more. The only way he would finally find some rest is if his soul found peace, which is about as likely as a computer showing up and asking for a convenience store in the Diablo world.

Siggard was a really interesting character. I had hoped to do much more with him in future books, but it didn't end up that way. I can't say what Pocket books is going to do after the third Diablo novel is out (my editor threatened to do nasty things involving Barney the Dinosaur to me if I told anybody), but I've been assured that, barring some major change in the author pool at Pocket Books, I'm not writing anything for the next set. So, rather than leave Siggard to linger in the back of my mind, I've decided to tell you all what was going to happen next to our intrepid hero.

Before I start, though, I have to stress one thing: the only thing in this that counts as official continuity is Demonsbane. Everything else is my own warped imagination at work in the Diablo world. Essentially, these are little outlines of stories I had hoped to tell, and may even get to someday, assuming that when I do have the opportunity to pitch them, Blizzard doesn't have a heart attack from sheer terror...

So, we start at the end of Demonsbane. Siggard is standing in the ruins of Brennor, having just dispatched the Archdemon Assur (which, for those who missed the reference when reading the book, is the name of the home city of the Assyrians). The Archangel Tyrael, who has been showing up in disguise every now and then (it's the Sin War, for crying out loud...the angels are supposed to be subtle...that's my story, and I'm sticking to it), informs Siggard that his suspicions are correct; Siggard is one of a rare breed, who has so much vitality death cannot touch him. After an epilogue that has Siggard walking off into the sunset in search of the next battle, his sword Guthbreoht (forged by the legendary Velund the Smith) at his side, the e-book ends.

The next story was going to be another e-book. I had this wonderful idea that would play on some things I wanted to do to...er...with the Diablo world. After all, Tyrael went through all of Demonsbane cloaked, didn't he? What if the angels held themselves in such secrecy that no mortal was ever allowed to see an angel uncloaked and live?

So, story number two, which I never did work out a title for, begins with a murder. This fellow is running through the streets of Kurast, being chased by some shadowy thing. Suddenly, the Archangel Tyrael corners him, uncloaked. The man has just enough time to say "You're too late, they already know" before Tyrael kills him.

Flash over to a tavern in the east, where Siggard is drinking some mead. Tyrael steps over to him, and informs him that somehow, somebody has discovered the name of the Lord of Terror, meaning that one of the Prime Evils can now be summoned to the mortal realm. Siggard tracks down an evil wizard and confronts him in his tower, but he is too late. Diablo has been summoned. The Lord of Terror tempts Siggard with the idea of restoring his family (killed by Assur a few centuries past in Demonsbane), and suggests that the angels have been lying to mankind all along; the Sin War was never a conflict between good and evil. At the last minute Siggard resists the temptation, slays the evil wizard, and sends Diablo back to the Burning Hells. Tyrael appears and states that it is just the beginning, but Siggard will have nothing of it. The experience has shaken him to his core, and he needs some time alone. So, the story closes with our hero wandering northwards, hoping that the northmen/barbarians will be able to sooth his soul.

The third story was going to be a full-length novel, titled Angels of Darkness, Soldiers of Light. It opens around twenty years after the events in Demonsbane. Sarnakyle, Siggard's companion in the e-book and later the wizard who turns the Vizjerei clans back to elemental magic, is asked to perform an exorcism. The exorcism goes poorly; one of the wizards is killed, but just before the demon is sent back to Hell, it tells Sarnakyle that great evils are coming. Sarnakyle is shaken, as it is impossible to tell what was a truth and what was a lie, and he leaves the Mage clans once again to seek the truth. He never returns, and his name becomes legend (as told in the epilogue of Demonsbane).

Flash forward about seven hundred years. Two of the Prime Evils have been captured in soul stones, and the final Prime Evil, Diablo, is about to be confronted by the Horadrim army led by Jared Cain. A massive battle ensues, where Diablo barely escapes with his rearguard. After seeing to their losses, the Horadrim begin to pursue.

Up in the barbarian lands, Siggard is living in peace amongst the Northmen. A sage comes to him and leads to him to a barrow, where the remains of Sarnakyle have lain buried for over six centuries. Siggard goes to the barrow, where a projection of Sarnakyle informs him of what the wizard was able to learn in his final wanderings, including a great secret that the angels will kill to protect. He leaves to contemplate this, but Tyrael appears before him and says that his services are once again needed to capture Diablo. Reluctantly, Siggard heads south.

In Westmarch, Jared Cain and his forces are pursuing Diablo and the remnants of his army. After the trail grows cold, the Horadrim are given shelter at the Monastery of the Sightless Eye, the home of a female order of healers and mystics. There, the Abbess informs Cain that there are rumblings of something evil to the north, and he takes a small group of Horadrim to investigate.

It turns out that what he has found is the rearguard of what is left of Diablo's army. The Horadrim are ambushed, but at the last minute they are saved by Siggard, wielding Guthbreoht like a demon. Siggard explains who he is, and that he has seen the main force nearby. Cain gathers the rest of his army, and they find Diablo and fight a pitched battle. Once again Diablo escapes, but not before fighting Siggard. During the melee, Siggard discovers that Diablo's sword has been enchanted with a glyph of unbinding, as the demonic blade shatters Guthbreoht. Siggard leaves the Horadrim, inconsolable.

After Cain and his army have left in pursuit of Diablo, Tyrael appears to Siggard. Siggard holds up the shards of Guthbreoht and says that he is finished. Tyrael reveals that the only other person he has ever known who had Siggard's type of immortality was Velund the Smith, and sends Siggard off to find him. Siggard finds Velund on an island, where the smith agrees to remake Guthbreoht with even stronger enchantments. Guthbreoht is reforged and renamed, and Siggard goes off with his new sword to find the Horadrim.

As Guthbreoht is being reforged, Cain and the Horadrim come across the burnt out ruins of the Monastery of the Sightless Eye, which has been razed by Diablo. The Abbess, along with the handful of survivors, pledge themselves to become a military order, and join the Horadrim in their fight against the demonic forces. This time, the trail is fresh, and allows the Horadrim to pass Diablo's army and fortify themselves ahead in the town of Tristram.

Siggard, guided by Tyrael, arrives at Tristram and rejoins the army. While they are waiting for Diablo to appear, he begins to fall for a local woman, who has lost her husband in a recent epidemic. And then, as the friendship begins to turn to a romance, Diablo appears.

To the horror of the defenders, Diablo has managed to reinforce his army. A brutal siege begins, where the Lord of Terror vows to destroy all of the Horadrim for the capture of his brothers. As the situation becomes desperate, Siggard and Cain lead a foray out during the night, where they capture Diablo in the soulstone. Without the power of Diablo to keep them in the mortal realm, the remainder of the demonic army vanishes.

As the leaders of the Horadrim celebrate the defeat of the last Prime Evil in the house of the mayor of Tristram, Tyrael appears, and Siggard states that the cost of the angels' secret has been too high. Despite Tyrael's warnings, Siggard reveals the truth: the angels and demons are of the same blood. In the distant past, some angels settled in Heaven while others settled in the Burnings Hells, fascinated by the chaos of the place. Those who settled in the Heavens became ethereal, creatures of the noblest aspects of their nature, while those who settled in Hell were overcome by the basest aspects of their nature, and were warped in both spirit and physical appearance by the place.

As soon as the secret is out, Tyrael uncloaks himself and uses his power to subdue the entire room. As the Archangel's sword is raised to kill all who have heard the secret, Siggard manages to convince him that the Horadrim are necessary, and without them the Prime Evils will escape their prisons and reign unopposed. The Horadrim promise that the secret will remain within their order, and Siggard, feeling a bit unwell but not understanding why, goes to visit his new love.

On the way, Tyrael appears and tells him that his life is ebbing. Siggard has finally found love, which is the only thing that can bring peace to his tormented soul, and death can finally claim him. Siggard protests that he now has a reason to stay, but Tyrael points out that Siggard's family has waited for him in the afterlife for seven centuries, and it is now time to join them. Siggard sees his wife and daughter again, and reaches out to them, breathing his last breath as he does.

Cain comes out to discover Siggard is dead, and Tyrael explains what has happened, instructing that the warrior should be buried like a hero, his sword with him, until the blade chooses a new master. Siggard is laid to rest in the old Tristram church, while the foundation stones for a new cathedral to house the soulstone containing Diablo are placed by the Horadrim and Sisters of the Sightless Eye.

And that is the end of the Siggard story arc. Perhaps one day I will be allowed to write it in full. But, at least for now, the story is told (and to the fanfic writers out there, no, I don't want to see any renditions of the story arc...Siggard is my character, and I'd like to be the only one to write his stories).

After receiving the Diablo Archive, boasting 752 pages, just recently, I decided to read through it backwards starting with Diablo: Demonsbane by Robert B. Marks (of Garwulf's Corner fame).

I am sure the Diablo Archive will be a jewel among my Blizzard novels collection. Better to have four Diablo novels on a single tome, than have individual books all around the place unable to find them at times. There is one thing I disapprove from the Diablo Archive however. For such a big tome, and quiet heavy in weight, the cover designer Richard Yoo or whoever chose the cover material should have gone for thick cardboard material. This huge archive is no pocket book. It is about two inches thick. The cover material is made of the same material as any other pocket book with the same thin thickness. The result is a jellyfish-effect when you handle the heavy book around. I usually read on my bed. At times when I am uncomfortable, I usually lie on my back and rise the book above me in the air. The weight is almost unbearable after 20 minutes, but the material doesn't help. Enough with the material rant.

What can be found inside is worth the nuisance. For years, I have heard of Diablo: Demonsbane. A lecture painted in myth. Something I knew existed, but couldn't reach. It was a few years ago, when I first heard of its existence. It was released on 2000 in ebook format. I have a lot of Warcraft RPG books in ebook format, and even purchased Warcraft: Of Blood and Honor as an ebook. But for some odd reason I never got around reading Diablo: Demonsbane, even when I craved it more than any other book. Curiosity compels one's craving. I have never read a review of Demonsbane, or heard what it was about. I just knew it was the first of the Diablo stories ever released.

I reported about the first printing of Diablo: Demonsbane on paper two years ago on July 2, 2006. It was titled Blizzard Legends Vol. 1. It contained a printed version of three ebooks from each game franchise: Warcraft: Of Blood and Honor (by Chris Metzen), Starcraft: Uprising (by Micky Neilson), and Diablo: Demonsbane (by Robert B. Marks).

However, it is now with the release of Diablo Archive that fans have the opportunity to get this craved story more broadly as it comes bundled along with Diablo: Kingdom of Shadow, Diablo: The Black Road, and Diablo: Legacy of Blood.

Personally, I was expecting something different in Diablo: Demonsbane. More of a dark fantasy meets Lord of the Rings with some fancy Shakespearian old-english language accent. Part of the myth I envisioned for lack of any knowledge of a Demonsbane's summary.

I started reading on Sunday evening and couldn't stop reading. It caught my attention. It is a short novella spanning through page 685-738. According to the epilogue, these events take place on year 302 and seem to happen during the Sin War. Right at the end when I read the epilogue, it made me wonder. Did Diablo: The Sin War somehow retconned Demonsbane? I have no idea. What I do know is that none of the events of the Sin War trilogy seem to be mentioned in it. Nor did the main character in Demonsbane show up in the Sin War trilogy.

Which book comes first in the timeline is also a mystery to me. One thing does gets mentioned that might help those who have better knowledge of the time line than me. Sarnakyle the Kejistan mage of the Spirit Mage Clan mentioned he was among the party of mages that killed Bartuc the Warlord of Blood at Viz-jun two years earlier.

The story is centered around Siggard, a warrior who fought at Blackmarch with the Entsteig's army. They had fought demons there led by the favored archdemon of the Lord of Terror: Lord Assur. This archdemon has a peculiar glyph of invincibility that makes him feared by the Vizjerei Mage clans. There is however one thing that may kill him, and that would be spoiling it. I did see it coming when I read what could kill him, but was unsure as the requirements for it to happen were not clear at sight, specially with the interaction of Siggard with the other characters.

Ever since the Night of Souls through the events in Brennor, it kept bouncing around my mind why Siggard can't remember anything about Blackmarch until certain point as if he had magically forgotten. As I was reaching the last pages of the story, it was more evident my suspicions were right, but the idea resulted contradictory. Making me doubt. Robert B. Marks wrote here a very nice story, and wrapped up with a surprise few could have seen coming. It keeps a fast pace, while adding elements of suspense. I enjoyed the read and don't regret it. One well-known character appears a couple of times, but heavily weights on the outcome of the story: Tyrael.

I will be reading through the Diablo Archive in upcoming days. One thing I am glad of doing, however, is to have started backwards, reading Diablo: Demonsbane first. It is a pity this story was brought as an ebook and as a short novella. As an ebook, it didn't get the attention it deserved in 2000. And as a novella, it was too short. The story was worth an entire book of 378 pages. I hope the author writes a continuation of Siggard's adventures. Otherwise, I would like to read a new story from him again. Take note Blizzard. Cheers, Robert B. Marks.

Go grab your copy of the Diablo Archive.

Bashiok: One of the larger things to think about when balancing game sizes is that with mechanics that encourage players to stick together, only so many players can be doing these huge over-the-top type abilities without it turning into a visual mess.

---- That means while a normal Battlenet game can support let's say 32-60 players in a single game, it just become too crowded visually. Imagine all these players in a single spot casting. You won't be able to see things on-screen with all those graphics hitting every area of the screen. And there wouldn't be enough mobs for a crowd of big people. So the game is made to accomodate a handful of players per game. Or if there are way too many players they would be going ahead of your group and wipe most NPCs. by the time you catch up, there is nothing for you to kill or loot.

A small group guarantees you all stick together, and find enough mobs to kill / loot. That's how I view it.

In an MMO, everyone spreads around, and mobs spawn every few minutes. There are quests everywhere too.