An examination of Diablo 3 lore.

[Dalarsco]

I think that the power of the Nephalem will be flooding into normal humans giving them new powers. There may be some sort of bonus "Nephalem powers" that all classes have access to after a certain point in the game. I also disagree that Diablo won't be in it, though I don't think he'll be the main threat. All in all it was a very well written article.
 

[Slayz]

Well this should clear up the debate about Diablo's soulstone.
"Still we must count our blessings: The Soulstones of Mephisto and Diablo have been destroyed at The Hellforge and they will trouble us no further, only one remains."
Now these are words spoken by Deckard Cain who was with your character during the whole entire game of Diablo 2. Check Deckard Cains journal on diablo3 website.
 

[Eli]

Destroying the embodiment of something is far different than destroying them.

I for one hope he makes a resurgence.
 

[Chaos]

All that Nephalem stuff sounds too fantastical for me to be a Blizzard game.
 

[Roland]

Originally Posted by Slayz

Well this should clear up the debate about Diablo's soulstone.
"Still we must count our blessings: The Soulstones of Mephisto and Diablo have been destroyed at The Hellforge and they will trouble us no further, only one remains."
Now these are words spoken by Deckard Cain who was with your character during the whole entire game of Diablo 2. Check Deckard Cains journal on diablo3 website.

I hadn't noticed that... but I would like to point out once again, that even if their stones were destroyed, they could come back, like Eli(?) said. In terms of lore it wouldn't be hard, but does Blizzard want them back?
 

[Chaos]

I think the question is just what are the soulstones? They were created to trap the souls of the Three inside them when the Three were exiled to Sanctuary, because there was allegedly no other way to keep the Three from moving all over Sanctuary and doing whatever they wished. The soulstones were just cages for the Three. They weren't some kind of phylactery or objects that the Three were dependent upon for their survival. I don't see how destroying the stones with their souls inside would banish the Three to the Abyss. Or how doing so would prevent them from entering Sanctuary again. There's no lore I know of about there being some kind of connection between the soulstones and the souls of the Three, where if the soulstones were destroyed with the Three's souls inside, it would destroy the Three or prevent them from entering Sanctuary forever. It was the plan of the Three for the Worldstone to be destroyed all along, so Hell could easily and directly access Sanctuary. What if the plan was also to have the soulstones destroyed so there would be no way to contain them? No worldstone, they can get into Sanctuary easily now, in their own true bodies, not having to use possessed bodies or create avatars of themselves. There's no lore saying that the Mephisto in the Durance of Hate was Mephisto's real body, or that the Baal at the worldstone was Baal's real body. The only Prime Evil whose real body we've seen for certain is Diablo's, and we saw that when he was in Hell.

No soulstones, there's no known way of containing them once they get there.

To go a bit more in depth with the idea of the Three being banished to the Abyss, remember what the lore said about Izual:

For his transgressions, the spirit of Izual was bound within the form of a terrible creature that was summoned from the Abyss.

So it's possible to leave the Abyss.

I think that in Diablo II you didn't defeat any of the Three at all, you played right into their hands, which was exactly what we were told again and again in Lord of Destruction. Diablo and Mephisto distracted you while Baal headed off for the worldstone and corrupted it, and Tyrael was "forced" to destroy it. The Three's plan has worked, Hell (and Heaven) now both know the precise location of Sanctuary and can easily gain entrance to it. And with the worldstone gone, both Heaven and Hell know they have to take control of Sanctuary before all the powers of the Nephalem return to humanity.

I think Diablo III's general plot will be pretty straightforward: the Three are trying to take control of Sanctuary before humans turn into Nephalem, Heaven is trying to do the same (or destroy Sanctuary instead). Hell has not yet invaded Sanctuary at the start of Diablo III and either Azmodan or Belial is behind the lack of an invasion, so I suspect that Lilith is working with one of those two to try to prevent the Three from invading Sanctuary so she can use the Nephalem to make her supreme over Heaven, Hell, and Sanctuary, as she tried during the Sin Wars. But obviously from the gameplay video the invasion has begun, and there's no one who can possibly be behind it but the Three. Azmodan wouldn't have the power to take on Belial and Lilith combined, and Belial wouldn't have the power to take on Azmodan and Lilith combined. It has to be the Three.

It could be Inarius, if Mephisto is really gone then he would probably be able to free himself and he would be one of the strongest powers in Hell, 3000 years of his torture would be more than enough to turn him evil, he could be trying to use the forces of Hell to stop Lilith by invading and trying to destroy Sanctuary, and I'm sure he will be in the game, but I really doubt that the Three will not be major characters in Diablo III.
 

[Bluesang]

I like the idea of Inarius as a final boss or a penultimate boss instead of the Three or a new evil. That way Blizzard doesnt have to go through the trouble of corrupting a good character because they already have one right i the lore.

Not to mention that Inarius woud probably be amazing art wise. He has so many similarities to Lucifer that hes bound to have a cooler apearance than just a rehash of a WC3 Abomination.

He would probably try to cover up his hideous self with beautiful robes and armor. Personally I see his armor golden, smeared with blood, and with motives similar to those in the Reinassance and Barroque. That would really enfasize his narcisistic side.
 

[Roland]

Originally Posted by Chaos

I think the question is just what are the soulstones? They were created to trap the souls of the Three inside them when the Three were exiled to Sanctuary, because there was allegedly no other way to keep the Three from moving all over Sanctuary and doing whatever they wished. The soulstones were just cages for the Three. They weren't some kind of phylactery or objects that the Three were dependent upon for their survival. I don't see how destroying the stones with their souls inside would banish the Three to the Abyss. Or how doing so would prevent them from entering Sanctuary again. There's no lore I know of about there being some kind of connection between the soulstones and the souls of the Three, where if the soulstones were destroyed with the Three's souls inside, it would destroy the Three or prevent them from entering Sanctuary forever. It was the plan of the Three for the Worldstone to be destroyed all along, so Hell could easily and directly access Sanctuary. What if the plan was also to have the soulstones destroyed so there would be no way to contain them? No worldstone, they can get into Sanctuary easily now, in their own true bodies, not having to use possessed bodies or create avatars of themselves. There's no lore saying that the Mephisto in the Durance of Hate was Mephisto's real body, or that the Baal at the worldstone was Baal's real body. The only Prime Evil whose real body we've seen for certain is Diablo's, and we saw that when he was in Hell.

I agree with you, except your off on some of your lore, I think it was Chris Metzen who said that they were banished to the abyss, your right, it is confirmed bby Izual the Prim Evils probably planned the whole thing, and your right they can come out of the abyss. Once again though, remember Blizzard won't go with the lore above all, they'll go with the best story. I'm going to write a big update soon, and I'll include a lot of stuff like this.

Originally Posted by Chaos

No soulstones, there's no known way of containing them once they get there.

To go a bit more in depth with the idea of the Three being banished to the Abyss, remember what the lore said about Izual:

So it's possible to leave the Abyss.

I think that in Diablo II you didn't defeat any of the Three at all, you played right into their hands, which was exactly what we were told again and again in Lord of Destruction. Diablo and Mephisto distracted you while Baal headed off for the worldstone and corrupted it, and Tyrael was "forced" to destroy it. The Three's plan has worked, Hell (and Heaven) now both know the precise location of Sanctuary and can easily gain entrance to it. And with the worldstone gone, both Heaven and Hell know they have to take control of Sanctuary before all the powers of the Nephalem return to humanity.

I think Diablo III's general plot will be pretty straightforward: the Three are trying to take control of Sanctuary before humans turn into Nephalem, Heaven is trying to do the same (or destroy Sanctuary instead). Hell has not yet invaded Sanctuary at the start of Diablo III and either Azmodan or Belial is behind the lack of an invasion, so I suspect that Lilith is working with one of those two to try to prevent the Three from invading Sanctuary so she can use the Nephalem to make her supreme over Heaven, Hell, and Sanctuary, as she tried during the Sin Wars. But obviously from the gameplay video the invasion has begun, and there's no one who can possibly be behind it but the Three. Azmodan wouldn't have the power to take on Belial and Lilith combined, and Belial wouldn't have the power to take on Azmodan and Lilith combined. It has to be the Three.

Why would either Beliel or Azmodan side with Lilith, she has her own agenda, and that is to conquer everything. Andariel and Duriel both sided with The Prime Evils, there's no solid evidence that Beliel and Azmodan didn't also, exceot that they didn't appear, which may just be due to how Andariel and Duriel were Pain and Anguish, something that can be used as a weapon, Lies and Sin are more deceit less brute force. I think the whole idea about Lilith siding with one of the Lesser Evils is false.

Originally Posted by Chaos

It could be Inarius, if Mephisto is really gone then he would probably be able to free himself and he would be one of the strongest powers in Hell, 3000 years of his torture would be more than enough to turn him evil, he could be trying to use the forces of Hell to stop Lilith by invading and trying to destroy Sanctuary, and I'm sure he will be in the game, but I really doubt that the Three will not be major characters in Diablo III.

Why would he be against Lilith? Sure he's probably evil by now, but he must Hate hell as much as he probably hates heaven by now. Three thousand years in the presence of Hate incarnate will make you just hate everything. So go back to your lover who has also just returned, and has the plan to conquer everything you hate, essentially having the same motives and plans as you, not to mention an unstoppable army of Nephalem rising.

Just above you said that you thought they masterminded the whoole thing...

Oh, and I'm pretty much repeating myself, please reread about the Nephalem and Lilith in my article. I put a lot of work into it.
 

[Chaos]

Didn't Lilith betray Inarius in the Sin War? And he was aware of it? Also at the end of the last Sin War book when Inarius is offered to Mephisto in order to make the truce, with everyone believing that taking Inarius out of the picture would largely solve the problem, he starts laughing.

I don't remember Lilith's plan including Inarius at her side, she was going to use the Nephalem to make her supreme over all. Lilith wanted to use the Nephalem as an army and Inarius disagreed with her. He was the one who created the worldstone to depower them.

And Lilith siding with either Azmodan or Belial, she's probably far stronger than they are and could compel their obedience, or they would see her as a valuable ally if she approached them.

Here's the quote from the last Sin War book:

The Angels were clearly not very trusting of the intruder, but Tyrael suddenly stepped beside Imperius.

"If you would wish a truce, Lord Demon ... Would you cast your mark on a place chosen by me?"

Mephisto seemed to hesitate. "Show me, and it shall be done - but only if something is in turn given to me by right of the aspect of justice you champion."

The Angels glanced at one another. Imperius nodded to Tyrael.

"Speak what it is," the latter said to the shadowed form.

Again, the taloned hand thrust forth - at the prisoner. "Him ... let he whose crimes are already legion among you now be cast to me to pay for my loss - and the sealing of the truce, as it happens."

Inarius did an odd thing upon hearing this. He laughed. He laughed loudly until Imperius, with a contemptuous wave of his hand, caused all sound from the captive to cease. "If it is agreed, you will cast your mark?" asked the haughty angel.

"Before the eyes of all - and even these," Lord Mephisto concluded, his red orb shifting around to survey Mendeln's group.

Even as the demon proclaimed this, the chamber faded, and once more they stood on Sanctuary, but in a slightly different location. The rubble of the Cathedral of Light surrounded them.

"The humour of Angels", Mephisto mocked.

When Mephisto lays blame on Inarius for the "crimes" (which are the creation of Sanctuary and the Nephalem and the starting of the Sin War) on Inarius, Inarius starts laughing. It seems clear to me that neither the Angiris Council nor the Prime Evils knew what Inarius did: of Lilith's role in it all, and her plans for the Nephalem.
 

[Roland]

Desparate tiems call for desparate measures, the two powers need each other now, formerly they betrayed each other and fought, but now, they have the same goal, any hatred must be forgetten so they can fight together to save their world of Sanctuary and destroy the Angels and Demons. Inevitably though, if they suceeded, they'll end up fighting each other.
 

[Chaos]

I don't really buy that, Lilith doesn't care about Sanctuary other than to use it as a way to conquer Heaven. Inarius does care about Sanctuary though.
 

[Eli]

I hope it's as complex as you guys say. Blizzard better do a fucking bang-ass job on this.
 

[Roland]

Originally Posted by Chaos

I don't really buy that, Lilith doesn't care about Sanctuary other than to use it as a way to conquer Heaven. Inarius does care about Sanctuary though.

Does he still? He hasn't been in stasis, he's been chained up in the prescense of Hate incarnate for 3000 years. That's not something to be scoffed at, he's changed.
 

[Neo]

I'll be pissed if they pull another copy of the Kerrigan-Infection storyline (eg: Kerry, good, then went bad because of evil super being, Arthas, was good, then went evil because of evil super being, for that matter the parrallel can also be drawn between Sylvannas and Kerry).

Definitely don't need another good turned evil bad guy, although granted being able to fight an archangel (Tyrael or not) would be pretty awesome.

-Neo
 

[mr. peasant]

The thing is, the good-turned-evil concept is a classic plot device, and one that is very useful and pretty universal. I personally wouldn't mind their reusing it as long as the circumstances around his 'evilness' is interesting. For instance, rather than being corrupted by some greater evil, why not merely make the character misguided or overzealous? By this I mean that he could simply consider humanity beyond saving and decide to simply wipe the slate clean and start over, etc. as opposed to revenge or a hunger for power. Indeed, the greatest harm is often inflicted by well-meaning individuals.