Diablo 3 Storyline

What do you think the story of D3 will be?



When the Worldstone was destroyed, the Soulstone holding Baal's defeated spirit ceased to function, releasing the Lord of Destruction again into the world. This time, he lays low, waiting. Years pass, and the adventurer who slew his brothers passes away. Sensing the time is right, Baal forges an alliance with the two great demons Belial and Azmodan. Together they plan to resurrect Diablo and Mephisto through an abominable ritual. Their alliance has weakened the barriers between Hell and the mortal realm. Overrun once again by the detestable minions of hell, the mortals turn to the angels for help. Archangel Tyrael, learning of the secret alliance attempts to help the mortals, but is prevented by divine law that he cannot directly help the humans. Knowing that the world will surely fall were the deceased Prime Evils be resurrected, the forces of Heaven make a final effort to stop the forces of Hell. It is during this that Tyrael falls, struck by a blow from Baal himself. A bright star falls from the sky.

Hundreds of miles away from the Pandemonium Fortress a baby is born. To the amazement of the locals, a burning bright star falls upon the cottage where the baby was born. The villagers entered the cottage to find a beautiful baby, radiating power and wisdom from its frail body. They know now, having looked upon this baby, that he was the Archangel Tyrael in a mortal form. They know now that he is their only hope against the forces of Hell. Whether he can even surive till maturity remains to be seen....

Just my crackpot theory.

 

darn, got baten to it. there goes this month's '''discussion

nice theory

 

In a distant land, unaffected but not untouched by the Evil's affliction, their dormant power starts to grow. At first their powers start to spread anger and suspicion, turning the village against themselves. Plants start to die, the sky clouds over, riots break out and the whole village becomes icy cold. Eventually their powers grow strong enough to taint the minds of three villagers that they deem 'worthy' and with time, they emerge through them into their physical form. The village is razed and the Prime Evils begin their reign of terror again...

That's my theory. They were destroyed, but their affliction could have already started tainting distant lands. Personally I don't believe too much will have happened in between Diablo2 and Diablo3, but that's just me. I also hope that they keep a relatively simple storyline. WarCraft3 seriously, well, not messed up as there was nothing to mess up in the first place, but it seriously took it in a far too complicated direction.

 

Disclaimer: This is not my work. I found it on the net a long time ago and saved it cause I thought it sounded good. I have no idea who wrote this. This is not my work.

Possible Diablo III storyline
Well, seems to me the Worldstone was destroyed. I figure the Worldstone's job was to keep the realms of our world and the "Demon World" seperate. As soon as the Worlstone was destroyed, the barrier between the two worlds broke down, and monsters started pouring right past Tyrael and up to Mount Arreat. The Prime Evils would, of course, be accompaning these lesser demons through the barrier, in order to take total control of our world.

With no Worldstone to keep the two worlds divided, the physical properties of the Demon World would start melding with ours, turning trees to dead withered staffs of wood, burning the ground and wildlife, turning the sky jet black and blood red. All this destruction would feed Baal. All the death in the world would feed Diablo. And the world's hatred of what is happening would feed Mephisto.

With no Worldstone to prevent the power of the Demon World from fueling the Prime Evils, it would be a very simple task for them to turn Tyrael, just as Izual was turned before him. The Prime Evils would then turn their attention to Harrogath, where the last member of the Horadrim, Cain, and the hero who beat them back, you, are located. Their demons would set siege to the town, attacking relentlessly to destroy it.

Our hero would start in Harrogath, where Tyrael's portal last sent him/her, and have to fight back up the charred and broken landscape to the peak of Mount Arreat. There (s)he would finally get a chance to see the full extent of the changing landscape. The earth dry and cracked, the rivers turned to lava and blood, the once healthy trees now no more than dry withered sticks. And for some reason, no sign at all of the Prime Evils.

Our hero would return to Harrogath to seek council with Cain, who will tell of a once sacred place where all life is worshipped, and where great mystical powers are located. This will surely be where the Prime Evils are going, for with such power they would truly be unstoppable. Cain will then reveal his true power, hitherto unknown to anyone, and transport him and the hero to this place.

The Prime Evils, however, will interfere with the spell, and instead direct the spell toward a waiting horde of monsters. Spent from the casting of the spell, Cain will have no energy to defend himself, and will fall, in an elegantly cinematic cut-scene.

The hero will become filled with rage, and begin to massacre all creatures in range of sight, cutting a bloody path across the land, fueled only by hate. The land will become scarred with the blood of devils and demons, piling up so high as to change the shape of the horizon. The hatred of our hero will draw the attention of Mephisto, who will send the familiar face of Tyrael to meet with the hero halfway.

Tyrael will make kind words to the hero, who does not know the fallen state of the ArchAngel. Tyrael will then present the hero with a white Holy Sword, designed to facilitate the killing of demons. Over the course of the conversation, Tyrael will make a slip-up and tip off to the hero that he's no longer the ArchAngel he once was. Tyrael will then attack the hero, who will thrust the sword into Tyrael's chest. The sword, purified by the strength of the hero, actually will kill the now-demon Tyrael, and destroy itself in the process. Tyrael's death will take the form of a slightly more disturbing, but just as cinematic, cut-scene.

The hero will then proceed North, for that is where Cain said the holy place was. Still fuelled by hatred, even more now that Tyrael has been turned and killed, the swath of death will be vast. Mephisto, still drawn by the hate of the hero and now certain Tyrael has failed in his task, will come.

The hero will encounter Mephisto, and a great battle will begin. The hero will, inevitably, be beaten back, but not destroyed. Mephisto wants the hero's hate to live long and healthy, as it is such a good source of fuel for him. The hero will then retreat, beaten and broken, to solitude, in order to reflect on what has just been endured. (S)he will then realize what must be done, and return to Mephisto. When confronted, the hero will release all hate, and embrace the power of love. Love for fellow man, love for Cain, love for Tyrael who must by now be cleansed and residing in Heaven. Powered by the unstoppable force of love, the hero will combat the Lord of Hatred with peace. In a cinematic cut-scene involving lots of white light, Mephisto will be destoyed from the inside out, because the power of Hate cannot stand up to the power of Love.

The journey will then continue Northward, where Baal has sensed the genuine destruction of his brother Mephisto. The bloody path will still be cut by the hero, but no longer fuelled by hatred. The cause is now to reach the holy place, because only the purest light can defeat the purest evil of Diablo and Baal.

The hero will encounter Baal at the base of a great mountain. The battle will again be fierce, and yet again the hero will discover he is no match for an unrestricted Lord of Destruction. The retreat will be made, and in the retreat the hero will discover a small outpost village that has not been corrupted by the invading Demon World.

The town priest will reveal the existence of a minor magical barrier surrounding the town, through which Evil cannot pass. However, the barrier is losing power, and the priests are running out of energy to charge it with. In town, the hero will find a pregnant woman who also has a baby, and lead her out of town. The forces of Baal will have descended upon the town, and the hero must fight now not just to reach and destroy Baal, but to protect the woman and child. The path will be cut, and Baal will be reached. The hero will present the mother and baby to Baal, showing the Lord of Destruction the ultimate act of Creation. When confronted with this, Baal will not be able to endure, and will fall in a cut-scene involving lots of squishy guts and gory blood.

The hero will return to the small village to rest for the night, before continuing North to encounter Diablo. This will be chronicled in the expansion.

 

I always thought the Diablo lore was dry...I guess I was wrong lol.
These are great.

 

ironic idea:
the destruction of the worldstone caused a time rift that brought all the prime evils to the time of d3

 

Nah, if you go beyond the games itself, which already have an adequate amount there are still a series of novels. Even without, you can postulate on how an on-going war between Heaven and Hell, and the twisted machinations of a truce could possibly be points of interest

I'm not too familiar with Diablo lore myself, but I like your idea Wick. Two things though, one, I like how you 'killed' Tyrael and made him a toddler. This explains why the game is set 20 years after Diablo 2: LoD (if I recall correctly from one of the trailers or handful of recent sources.) Second, I don't think after 2.5 games that the High Heaven's give a damn about what Tyrael does in his spare time. That could have changed since he blew up the Worldstone though.

I'll say it here first, I think we need a Diablo 3 section if we don't already have one. The Lord of Terror is all over both Blizzard games and Other games sections.

As for possible story/plot. The Worldstone that separated the High Heavens, Sanctuary and Hell is destroyed. Hell attacks Sanctuary in full force (as seen in the cinematic) and given the Angels established method, they won't do **** for a while. But under dire circumstance, Tyrael, Hero and company and Angels face off in at least ONE giant massive battle with Angels and Heroes going up against Corrupted Men and Demons... And maybe the game will end with a classic boss stomp of Diablo, Mephisto and Baal.

Also, since the shattering of the Worldstone and whatnot, I'm guessing maybe certain characters, perhaps even the Hero get endowed with special, awesome Nephalem powers.

I hope Tyrael doesn't go bad. There should at least be some internal struggle and not a limp phrase in a random dialogue that says something like, "Oh yeah, Tyrael the super angel turned into a bad guy, go kill him!"

 

Well dang....I can't even be dumb and say that actually, America's put a hit on the demons and kills them off in the end because I've never played them. So, wait a bit and I'll get there

 

First of all, very nice writing there Wlck742. You really have talent.

While we have some nice theories here, I think it's a good move to first examine some facts that are available to us. The Blizzard guy gave us some hints at the D3 panel. We also have existing Diablo lore to work off of.

At the end of D2, the forces of Hell were ready to assault the mortal world. The World Stone was a barrier that separated the mortal realm from Heaven and Hell. Hell's invasion on the mortal world was all but imminent, especially since the World Stone was destroyed at the very end of D2. However, as the Blizzard guys told us at the panel, it never happened. The invasion never took place, that's a real "omg" right there. I think we can rule out all scenarios where murder and destruction spread across the lands of Sanctuary.

The Blizzard guy also said to count how many of the Seven Great Evils of Hell were killed off so far to see who's left. I think that was a very strong hint at the inclusion of Azmodan and Belial in D3, in plot as well as in gameplay. The Blizz guy also mentioned that just because the game is titled "Diablo" it doesn't mean Diablo would be in it. However, he looked like he was kidding on that one, playfully trying to throw off the fans.

There are some loose ends at the end of D2 as well. One major one obviously being that the exact effect of the destruction of the World Stone is unknown. Another thing though, is that Baal's Soul Stone was never destroyed at the Hell Forge. At least it was never shown to the player. But the Soul Stone is not a natural part of the Prime Evils, they did not start out with it. Instead, it is a mechanism of containment utilized by the Horadrim. So even if the Soul Stones are destroyed, it doesn't 100% guarantee that Meph and Diablo are killed off for sure. Soul Stones have been shattered before, and it never harmed the Prime Evils. Also, Diablo and Meph easily corrupted entire regions even from within the full containment of a Soul Stone. So at the very least, we can assume that the power of a Soul Stone over the Prime Evils, is very limited.

There are a few more things to consider, one of which is whether the Pandemonium Event in D2 was canon. If so, then Lilith, daughter of Mephisto, already exhibited that despite the destruction of the Soul Stone, Diablo could be brought back. Even if the Pandemonium Event was not canon, it at least leaves Lilith alive to do whatever Blizz wants her to do. In any case, there are still characters like Mephisto's son Lucion that Blizz can bring into the mix.

The thing that piques my interest and curiosity the most is, above all, why the heck did Hell not invade Sanctuary? I personally do not think it will be anything similar to a disruption in the time space continuum caused by the destruction of the World Stone. That is lame and cheesy, everyone will have seen it coming, as it is just a lazy reset button after running out of ideas. I really think Azmodan and Belial would have an integral part in moving the story in D3, and perhaps also Baal. It could be that the brothers Azmodan and Belial, who came into conflict after banishing Meph, D, and Baal and taking over Hell, decided to patch things up. They decide to not invade right then and there, and instead to strengthen their alliance first to launch a better planned assault in full force, like about 20 years later.

Another possibility is that Blizz decide to bring in Inarius, who is the one guy who would be against EVERYBODY. He walked away from Heaven because he was too good for it, he's got his back to Tyrael and the heavenly gang. He's got major beef with Mephisto, and no reason to like anyone from Hell at all. If Heaven wasn't good enough for him, Hell sure as heck ain't either. Inarius wouldn't like the mortal world either since he created it himself, but it didn't turn out like how he wanted it. The humans, who he originally created as the Nephalem, are far from his original intentions. So he wouldn't be too fond of them, they are failed projects after all. If Inarius comes to power somehow(possibly with the help of Lilith, his former lover), he could be what prevented Hell's invasion since he could invade Hell himself.

I'm not sure how Tyrael would fit into anything anywhere. Although an archangel, his actions are almost of a rogue agent. I don't think it's correct to think that Tyrael takes on a stand not to intervene on the mortal world, whether by some divine law of Heaven or by his own will. At the end of Act 3 in D2, we clearly see Tyrael getting his hands dirty in the Tomb of Tal Rasha. Although it involved the Prime Evils, it was clearly in the mortal realm/plane of Sanctuary. And the Dark Wanderer, who was corrupted by Diablo, was still partially mortal at that time. If Blizzard wanted Tyrael to become more active than he has been in the story and take some actions on his own part, I don't think it's a problem.

 

Again, I haven't played Diablo, but if what you say is correct Remy and Inarius created the world, but it didn't go as planned, then wouldn't there also be the possibility that he would try to destroy it and rebuild?

And again, Blizz likes to recycle plots and such, so maybe the Angels will fill the Xel'Naga/Titans role in all this.

 

How are humans failurs?? He made the world stone because when they first were made they were Too strong. the world stone made humans less stronger every generation that was born. I dont see that as a failure. and since its gone now wouldnt the main chars be gaining new powers. I think so.

Look at the barb who in D3 is the same barb from D2 just 20 years older. Dont you find it odd that he should be a roughly a 40 year old man but hes going to be way more pwerful then he was in D2 and that gose for the other classes too that are returning. I wanna see how the world stone has played into the role of the humans in Diablo lore and whats going to happen to them now.

 

I'm assuming the loss of the world stone (lorewise now, not gamewise) is why the Barbarian has gained new abilities.

 

No. That's just what happens when you give them a syringe and enough juice to prep up the East German Olympic Team

 

I think that too major willy, I mean givin in the mid-evil times when your 40 your really going down hill. The barb is about 40 and that gose for any of the returning heros from D2. i cant wait to play the game and see what they say lore wise.

 

I thought he was like... Mid twenties to mid-thirties in Diablo 2.

His starting weapon should be a walker or cane.

 

My theory is that humans are summoning creatures from hell. Powerful cults that do demonic rituals to summon the prime evils. Thats the furtherest im going to get. I am not quite imaginative to write a whole story explaining all the details
My inspiration was from that boss fight that they showed in the Word Wide Invitational. They were doing some sort of ritual to summon the boss i think.

 

Humans are failures because that was not Inarius' original intention. Inarius wanted the Nephalem to be lowly worshipers/followers. He only resorted to the World Stone because Nephalem were more powerful than he had wanted, not because it was part of his plan all along. And unlike the original purpose behind Inarius creating the Nephalem/humans, they do not worship him, follow him, adore him, etc. Thus, to Inarius, the humans, and the entire Sanctuary actually, are projects that have gone wrong. He actually would've wiped them all out before, but Lilith kind of beat him out of it. So the people of Sanctuary are definitely not beloved creations to Inarius in any way.

The assumption that the people of Sanctuary would all of a sudden gain power is also incorrect IMO. The World Stone weakened the power of the Nephalem over many many generations. And over the course of a very long history, the World Stone succeeded in making the people of Sanctuary the normal folks they are today. It would be illogical to think that powers that have been essentially bred out of the humans since the creation of the world of Sanctuary up until the end of D2:LoD would all of a sudden be restored in as short as 20 years.

New powers are not even needed to explain new skills for the returning Barbarian. The Barbarian can simply learn new tricks, swing the same weapon in a different way or whatever else. Most of the ones we've seen so far are physical techniques that are based on the Barbarian's physical attributes that existed even in D2. Even Hammer of the Ancients does not need much explanation since we were already introduced to the Ancients in D2:LoD and know that they tie into the Barbarian's lineage, heritage, and lore.

 

If you look at some of the artwork there's two things that stick out for me...

A) What looks like to be a possessed Cultist with a relic called "Teeth of Diablo" rammed into his neck.
B) The soldiers overlooking what appears to be a demon army infront of a hellish mark in the earth. This piece is located a snowcapped mountain range. Barbarian lands anyone?Now remember those portals you could take to parts of hell in Act 5?

And in the cinematic trailer, there's a very Diablo-looking demon roaring savagely for a few seconds.

Crazy theory time.

Cultists that are loyal to Diablo or atleast his agents are trying to gather the Teeth of Diablo in order to reincarnate their master, the Lord of Terror. In the cinematic trailer you can see the meteor mentioned on the D3 homepage strike the Tristram church, where Diablo first came into the world. If this isn't a hint to something in D3...
If to add to the story, and because we haven't heard much from the Lesser Evils, the remaining ones (Duriel we KO'd in Diablo 2 along with Andariel but nothing has been heard about Belial and Azmodan) could have some part to play now in the fight for Sanctuary.

And since the game will be involving Tristram again and Deckard Cain, I believe the girl in the cinematic trailer (possible named Leah, as the Barbarian says to Cain in the gameplay trailer?) is atleast Adria's witch, or involved with Tristram somehow through a family connection.

 

AH, Thanks Remy. I thought Inarius wanted an army of his own, but i remeber now he wanted to escape the war between hell and heaven.

and i agree with you on the people gainning there powers back right away. I dont see how untrained people would gain anything if they had nearly nothing to begin with. I think the heros from D2 if they all return will be first in line like any other important figers with power see a difference after the loss of the WOrld stone. I mean the givin age of the barb should be reason enough. I mean the guy has to be about 40+ and after watching the movey hes moving better then he did at his 20ish age in D2..... IMO only those with some form of combat type training and a strong will to push the limit of there power will see the gain in power they got. Most of them wont know why there gaining power but its clear to see they will be. I also wanna see the amazon if she returns. its ganna be cool to strike down people with an old lady

 

I think at some point in the Diablo novels, the power draining mechanic of the World Stone had been altered. I believe it was by Uldysian the Nephalem hero. And the High Heavens decided that they would have mankind slowly regain their powers so that they may learn to use their powers responsibly. So by the end of D2:LoD, all issues with the World Stone effecting Nephalem/mankind's power, whether positively or negatively, should have already been a non-issue.

Also, Nephalem power isn't about a Barbarian swinging a mace harder or being a bit more fierce in battle. That kind of stuff doesn't need lore explanation. Even the age factor is really a non-issue in a fantasy setting. Lore wise, Nephalem power was so great that Uldysian singlehandedly beat back the forces of Heaven and Hell, all by himself. That's the scale of power we're talking about, not how whether an individual can fight a tad bit harder after he's aged a few years. Nephalem power has more to do with the overall balance of the three realms/factions in the overall story of Diablo.

Anyway, I just read this stuff from somewhere else. Folks who've actually read the novels can explain better.