I have a hard time imagining Heaven and Hell merging because of the World Stone shattering, seeing as they we're never connected in the first place. And while Sanctuary is described as being "in-between" Heaven and Hell, I don't know if that is in a physical sense or just figuratively speaking. But it certainly a possibility.
I don't know much about the Nephalem, having never read the books, and I prefer to keep it that way. I just don't like the idea of introducing new villains when the Sin War is far from over. So I rather ignored them when writing out my synopsis, particular the part about the Worldstone.
That of course would depend in the manner of the invasion. If it starts with flames in the sky and raving demons appearing everywhere at once, I have a hard time seeing in-fighting occur in large degrees. If the invasion however starts slowly (much like the Scourge did in WC3) then in-fighting is very plausible given the human nature.
Another possibility is demonic corruption, much like what happened with the Zakarum religion. A demon might possess a Druid leader, say, and exacerbate pre-existing tensions between the Druids and the Barbarians until they were as interested in fighting each other as they were battling the demons.
This though raises the obvious question, if all demons out there are always vying for more power, how did Diabli, Mephisto and Baal stay allied? i doubt it was from brotherly love, so what was it?
From the way they acted toward each other in the Chapter IV cinematic, I'd actually say they are - well, if not loving towards one another, then at least closer. And certainly more mature. Whereas the Lesser Evils are more interested in battling each other to become Prime Evils, the Prime Evils are dedicated to the ultimate triumph of Chaos and aren't willing to fight amongst themselves and risk not accomplishing that goal. They know they need each other to do that.
The problem is, who would be this factions benefactor? Diablo is at thsi time dead, so it cannot be him. Heaven would of course try to prevent them from succeding, as would Azmodan and Belal. All mortals, Heaven and Hel against a relatively small group. Considering what powers Inarius has shown us, that must prove to be a daunting challenge (though his powers could of course be linked to him creating Sanctuary, that is up for debate).
It would certainly need to be a corrupted angelic power for it to make sense, but I'm utterly opposed to the tendency by fans to want Tyrael to 'turn evil'. As far as I'm concerned Tyrael died shattering the Worldstone. So perhaps it could be an angel mentioned previously in the lore but not fleshed out, or an entirely new character.
This priest of Zakarum is dedicated to annihilating the forces of darkness that perverted and destroyed his religion. Using a skillset consisting of Healing spells, Divine Retribution (attack spells), and Aura spells, he will venture into the very mouth of Hell to exact his revenge.
Most similar to a Healadin - weaker than an attack Paladin, but with greater magic.
2. The Ranger
Hailing from a group of soldiers trained to patrol the border between the Barbarian lands and the 'civilized' regions of Einsteig, the Ranger now turns his sights to stopping the demonic invasion through the use of his Tracking abilities (includes skills like revealing the entire auto-map, town portal, find potion and find gold, etc.,), Enchant Arrow skills (similar to the Amazon's in D2), and Call of Nature powers (similar to a Druid's summoning skillset - can summon plants to heal him or hurt the enemy or act as a shield of leaves, etc.)
A cross between an Amazon and a Druid.
3. The Ninja
Raised amongst the Vizjerei mage clan to serve as a bodyguard to high-ranking sorcerers, many ninjas died during the final demonic attack on the Vizjerei stronghold. Many of those who did not lit out for the West, using their Stealth abilities (invisibility, opening chests without a key, and thinks of that nature), Traps (the Assassin's skillset), and Martial Arts (likewise) to fight against the demonic invaders.
An assassin with a bit more focus on melee.
4. The Shaman
Following the death of Baal, many of the Barbarian clans re-united into a single faction looking to avenge the desecration of their sacred lands. To this end they trained many of their number in the ancient ways of Summoning (golems, animals, etc.), Totemic Magic (summoning a totem from the Earth to give the Shaman a temporary power, similar to the Paladin's auras), and Elemental magic (using the raw elements of nature - like lightning, fire, etc. - to attack their opponents) and sent them west.
A cross between a Necro and a sorceress.
5. The Bard
Hailing from the fractured lands of Westmarch and Khanduras, many of these wandering rogues fled the destruction of their lands to find refuge amongst the Rogues of Einsteig. Since then many have traveled further East, using their Thievery (stealing from shops, opening chests and doors, pick-pocketing NPC's), Song (aura and healing magic), and Mandolin (playing tunes on the Mandolin that can harm enemies) skills in their neverending quest for fame and fortune.
6. The Mercenary
A soldier of ill-repute from the shattered armies of Khanduras, the Mercenary is a professional warrior who offers his skillset of Melee (various melee powers), Drills (temporary stat boosters), and Strategizing (abilities similar to the Ranger's 'Tracking' skillsey) to the highest bidder.
Like a warrior from the first game.
7. The Occultist
A member of a sub-sect within the Visjerei dedicated to the study of demonology, this secretive class has the power to Enchant (temporarily give an item the powers of a gem-socketed object; higher levels can permanently enchant mundane weapons and armor), Enslave (use the powers of demons against themselves; at higher levels can turn demons temporarily to their side), and use Hellfire (magic fire-based attacks that ignore resistances and, at higher levels, invulnerabilities).
The temptation is too great to resist. Diablo 1 is very difficult... until you get one of each exlir and make fifty or sixty duplicates of each, thus jacking your character up the equivalent of ten levels.
I've been a fan since 1996. I was seven(!) years old when the first Diablo was released, and since then I've been addicted. Since then I've beaten all three games (as well as Hellfire) dozens of times.
I'm fascinated by the universe. The plot is simple, yes, but there's enough plot in the game to really keep one's interest in the intricacies of the universe and enough mysteries about the storyline to allow the imagination to run wild. Here's an idea I've had in my head for the past several years as to how I imagine a Diablo III ought to go:
Immediately after the shattering of the Worldstone, the barriers between Heaven and Hell collapse and the three planes merge with each other - Tyrael, for some reason I haven't though of, being mistaken about its purpose. Sanctuary is overrun by demons and by the angels sent to stop them.
The mortal kingdoms of Westmarch, Einsteig, Scosglen, and Kehjistan unite with the Barbarians, Amazons, and mage clans in a massive effort to repel the demonic invasion, but this alliance is short-lived as petty rivalries between groups leads to infighting and demonic corruption. One by one each faction falls, until very soon only the northernmost Barbarian tribes, the Amazons safe on their fortified isles, and Westmarch remains intact.
The High Heavens are in disarray, also. Suffering from from a lack of leadership following the death of Tyrael at the end of Lord of Destruction and lacking sufficient numbers to purge Sanctuary of demonic influence and defend Heaven from the forces of Hell, the angelic host again relies upon mortal servants to do the bulk of their fighting for them. All efforts to re-establish the Horadrim fail, however, due to lack of numbers following the invasion of Sanctuary in Diablo II and subsequent pandemonium following the merging of the Realms, and so the angels turn to a much smaller number of powerful mortal champions to do what they can to save humanity.
But everything isn't going as planned for the Burning Hells, either. Only two Lesser Evils are left, and Belial and Azmodan are just as interested in waging their perpetual war for domination against each other as they are burning down Heaven and claiming Sanctuary as their own. To make matters worse, the merging of the realms has lead to frequent angelic and human forays into the very pits themselves, diminishing the already depleted forces of Hell and forcing them to pull back a number of their minions to prevent these attacks. And a number of demons, banding around a shadowy figure unknown to either of the Evils, have decided to take advantage of the chaos by rebelling against both dark lords and claiming all of existence for themselves.
And this is where the game begins.
The rest is more foggy; I have an idea for a less linear game than the last two, where the player character, having no particular loyalty to any faction, can, say, choose between doing quests for Belial or Azmodan, or eschewing the demons altogether and fighting on the side of Light. One of the notions I had was for the third demonic faction to be a cult dedicated to the resurrection of the Lord of Terror in an effort to re-unite the forces of hell and end the civil war in order to focus on destroying Heaven, thus allowing Diablo to make his customary appearance in the game. The player could travel to places hinted at in the Diablo II manual, like Westmarch and Scosglen and the Amazonian isles.
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I don't know much about the Nephalem, having never read the books, and I prefer to keep it that way. I just don't like the idea of introducing new villains when the Sin War is far from over. So I rather ignored them when writing out my synopsis, particular the part about the Worldstone.
Another possibility is demonic corruption, much like what happened with the Zakarum religion. A demon might possess a Druid leader, say, and exacerbate pre-existing tensions between the Druids and the Barbarians until they were as interested in fighting each other as they were battling the demons.
From the way they acted toward each other in the Chapter IV cinematic, I'd actually say they are - well, if not loving towards one another, then at least closer. And certainly more mature. Whereas the Lesser Evils are more interested in battling each other to become Prime Evils, the Prime Evils are dedicated to the ultimate triumph of Chaos and aren't willing to fight amongst themselves and risk not accomplishing that goal. They know they need each other to do that.
It would certainly need to be a corrupted angelic power for it to make sense, but I'm utterly opposed to the tendency by fans to want Tyrael to 'turn evil'. As far as I'm concerned Tyrael died shattering the Worldstone. So perhaps it could be an angel mentioned previously in the lore but not fleshed out, or an entirely new character.
0
This priest of Zakarum is dedicated to annihilating the forces of darkness that perverted and destroyed his religion. Using a skillset consisting of Healing spells, Divine Retribution (attack spells), and Aura spells, he will venture into the very mouth of Hell to exact his revenge.
Most similar to a Healadin - weaker than an attack Paladin, but with greater magic.
2. The Ranger
Hailing from a group of soldiers trained to patrol the border between the Barbarian lands and the 'civilized' regions of Einsteig, the Ranger now turns his sights to stopping the demonic invasion through the use of his Tracking abilities (includes skills like revealing the entire auto-map, town portal, find potion and find gold, etc.,), Enchant Arrow skills (similar to the Amazon's in D2), and Call of Nature powers (similar to a Druid's summoning skillset - can summon plants to heal him or hurt the enemy or act as a shield of leaves, etc.)
A cross between an Amazon and a Druid.
3. The Ninja
Raised amongst the Vizjerei mage clan to serve as a bodyguard to high-ranking sorcerers, many ninjas died during the final demonic attack on the Vizjerei stronghold. Many of those who did not lit out for the West, using their Stealth abilities (invisibility, opening chests without a key, and thinks of that nature), Traps (the Assassin's skillset), and Martial Arts (likewise) to fight against the demonic invaders.
An assassin with a bit more focus on melee.
4. The Shaman
Following the death of Baal, many of the Barbarian clans re-united into a single faction looking to avenge the desecration of their sacred lands. To this end they trained many of their number in the ancient ways of Summoning (golems, animals, etc.), Totemic Magic (summoning a totem from the Earth to give the Shaman a temporary power, similar to the Paladin's auras), and Elemental magic (using the raw elements of nature - like lightning, fire, etc. - to attack their opponents) and sent them west.
A cross between a Necro and a sorceress.
5. The Bard
Hailing from the fractured lands of Westmarch and Khanduras, many of these wandering rogues fled the destruction of their lands to find refuge amongst the Rogues of Einsteig. Since then many have traveled further East, using their Thievery (stealing from shops, opening chests and doors, pick-pocketing NPC's), Song (aura and healing magic), and Mandolin (playing tunes on the Mandolin that can harm enemies) skills in their neverending quest for fame and fortune.
6. The Mercenary
A soldier of ill-repute from the shattered armies of Khanduras, the Mercenary is a professional warrior who offers his skillset of Melee (various melee powers), Drills (temporary stat boosters), and Strategizing (abilities similar to the Ranger's 'Tracking' skillsey) to the highest bidder.
Like a warrior from the first game.
7. The Occultist
A member of a sub-sect within the Visjerei dedicated to the study of demonology, this secretive class has the power to Enchant (temporarily give an item the powers of a gem-socketed object; higher levels can permanently enchant mundane weapons and armor), Enslave (use the powers of demons against themselves; at higher levels can turn demons temporarily to their side), and use Hellfire (magic fire-based attacks that ignore resistances and, at higher levels, invulnerabilities).
0
0
I've been a fan since 1996. I was seven(!) years old when the first Diablo was released, and since then I've been addicted. Since then I've beaten all three games (as well as Hellfire) dozens of times.
I'm fascinated by the universe. The plot is simple, yes, but there's enough plot in the game to really keep one's interest in the intricacies of the universe and enough mysteries about the storyline to allow the imagination to run wild. Here's an idea I've had in my head for the past several years as to how I imagine a Diablo III ought to go:
Immediately after the shattering of the Worldstone, the barriers between Heaven and Hell collapse and the three planes merge with each other - Tyrael, for some reason I haven't though of, being mistaken about its purpose. Sanctuary is overrun by demons and by the angels sent to stop them.
The mortal kingdoms of Westmarch, Einsteig, Scosglen, and Kehjistan unite with the Barbarians, Amazons, and mage clans in a massive effort to repel the demonic invasion, but this alliance is short-lived as petty rivalries between groups leads to infighting and demonic corruption. One by one each faction falls, until very soon only the northernmost Barbarian tribes, the Amazons safe on their fortified isles, and Westmarch remains intact.
The High Heavens are in disarray, also. Suffering from from a lack of leadership following the death of Tyrael at the end of Lord of Destruction and lacking sufficient numbers to purge Sanctuary of demonic influence and defend Heaven from the forces of Hell, the angelic host again relies upon mortal servants to do the bulk of their fighting for them. All efforts to re-establish the Horadrim fail, however, due to lack of numbers following the invasion of Sanctuary in Diablo II and subsequent pandemonium following the merging of the Realms, and so the angels turn to a much smaller number of powerful mortal champions to do what they can to save humanity.
But everything isn't going as planned for the Burning Hells, either. Only two Lesser Evils are left, and Belial and Azmodan are just as interested in waging their perpetual war for domination against each other as they are burning down Heaven and claiming Sanctuary as their own. To make matters worse, the merging of the realms has lead to frequent angelic and human forays into the very pits themselves, diminishing the already depleted forces of Hell and forcing them to pull back a number of their minions to prevent these attacks. And a number of demons, banding around a shadowy figure unknown to either of the Evils, have decided to take advantage of the chaos by rebelling against both dark lords and claiming all of existence for themselves.
And this is where the game begins.
The rest is more foggy; I have an idea for a less linear game than the last two, where the player character, having no particular loyalty to any faction, can, say, choose between doing quests for Belial or Azmodan, or eschewing the demons altogether and fighting on the side of Light. One of the notions I had was for the third demonic faction to be a cult dedicated to the resurrection of the Lord of Terror in an effort to re-unite the forces of hell and end the civil war in order to focus on destroying Heaven, thus allowing Diablo to make his customary appearance in the game. The player could travel to places hinted at in the Diablo II manual, like Westmarch and Scosglen and the Amazonian isles.
I quite like it.