Diablo

Diablo is a dark fantasy media franchise developed by Blizzard Entertainment. The series primarily consists of action role-playing hack and slash video games, several spin-off titles and a number of novels, short stories and graphic novels. It is primarily set in the world of Sanctuary, the High Heavens, and the Burning Hells.

Diablo (1997)

Deckard Cain: [standard greeting] Hello, my friend. Stay awhile and listen.

Kael Rills: [mortally wounded townsman outside the monastery of Tristram, at the start of every new game] Please, listen to me! The Archbishop Lazarus... he led us down here to find the lost prince. The bastard led us into a trap! Now everyone is dead... killed by a demon he called "The Butcher". Avenge us! Find this Butcher and slay him, so that our souls may finally rest... [dies]

Player Character: Your death will be avenged!

Player Character: [first entering the monastery] The sanctity of this place has been fouled!

The Butcher: Ahh... fresh meat!

Player Character: [after the Butcher is slain] The spirits of the dead are now avenged.

The Skeleton King: The warmth of life has entered my tomb. Prepare yourself, mortal, to serve my Master for eternity! [laughs]

Player Character: [after the Skeleton King is slain] Rest well, Leoric. I'll find your son.

Warlord of Blood: My blade sings from your blood, mortal. And by my Dark Masters, it shall not be denied!

Player Character: [after Warlord of Blood is slain] Your reign of pain is ended!

Archbishop Lazarus: Abandon your foolish quest! All that awaits you is the wrath of my Master! You're too late to save the child. Now you'll join him - in Hell!

Player Character: [after slaying Lazarus] Your madness ends here, betrayer!

Narrator: [after defeating Diablo] The soulstone burns with hellfire, as an eerie red glow blurs your vision. Fresh blood flows into your eyes, and you begin to hear the tormented whispers of the damned. You have done what you knew must be done. The essence of Diablo is contained... for now. You pray that you have become strong enough to contain the demon, and keep him at bay. Although you have been fortified by your quest, you can still feel him, clawing his way up from the dark recesses of your soul. Fighting to retain control, your thoughts turn to the ancient mystic lands of the Far East. Perhaps there, beyond the desolate wastes of Aranoch, you will find an answer. Or perhaps... salvation!

Diablo II (2000)

[opening cinematic - a robed, hooded figure enters an insane asylum, surrounded by the screams of the mad, until entering one cell to find a wretched, emaciated figure lying on the floor. The man scurries away from the hooded figure as it sits down]

The Hooded Man: So, Marius... at last, I find you.

[in Marius' blurry vision, he can see angelic wings on the figure]

Marius: Tyrael. Yes. Yes, now... now I recognize you. I should have known you would travel in disguise. They're... they're always watching.

The Hooded Man: I've been searching for you for a long time, Marius. I was rather beginning to think you didn't want to be found.

Marius: Oh, forgive me, Tyrael, please... [sobbing] It wasn't my fault...

The Hooded Man: Not your fault? Tell me, Marius, how was it "not your fault"?

Marius: The Wanderer! Yes, it was... was the Wanderer!

[flashback to a tavern, and a younger-looking Marius in something of a stupor from his pipe, as a dwarf waiter makes his rounds]

Marius: [voiceover] My days at the Rogue Citadel seemed so long ago. I sought refuge from my memories in the company of other outcasts, high in the mountains past the Eastern Gate.

Waiter: [to the nearly-unconscious Marius] Do you want something? [seeing no response, he sighs, and moves on]

Marius [voiceover] Oh, I fought sleep for days at a time, for when I dreamt... the memories would return. [flashback of Marius in a room of fire, surrounded by skeletons] Memories of the monastery, and the evil that had claimed it. Dreams, memories - I couldn't tell the difference anymore.

[the tavern comes to a hush as the Dark Wanderer enters, dragging a sword at his side]

Marius: [voiceover] Had the evil in my dreams followed me at my heels? How had he found me here? How could this broken shell of a man, barely able to carry the weight of his own sword, be the burning terror which drove me to hide here?

[the Wanderer sits down, and conversation in the tavern resumes; soon, however, the Wanderer's hands begin to shake, and his sword drops to the floor]

Marius: [voiceover] He seemed to have demons of his own, that he struggled to contain. [the Wanderer spasms, grasping his hand, as one of the patrons begins to laugh; a greenish glow flashes over him several times] He was losing.

[the Wanderer collapses to the floor, shaking and convulsing, a human soul ripped screaming from his body, as strange demonic creatures and fiery sprites begin spreading throughout the tavern]

Marius: [voiceover] Oh... as I watched, I... I became convinced that I was truly mad! The terror, the destruction, the... the evil I witnessed! How else could I explain them? Were these demons from my dream, or... were they born within the Wanderer?

[skeletons emerge from the firepit and attack, while beams of magical light tear through others, killing them... finally, the Wanderer collapses, as the human soul returns to his body... the younger Marius stands, and drops the pipe he was holding, as the Wanderer comes to his feet, walking through the flames and the carnage; after a moment, Marius follows him into the snow]

Marius: [voiceover] Why did I follow him? I don't know. Why do things happen as they do in dreams? All I know is that when he beckoned, I had to follow him. From that moment, we travelled together. East... always into the East.

[cinematic leading into Act II - Marius following the Wanderer across the deserts of Aranoch]

Marius: [voiceover] We travelled east, over the mountains and into the vast deserts of broken lands. As the days passed, my companion told me of himself, that he had once been a great warrior, and that a dark and secret burden now weighed heavily upon him. [Marius struggles with the packbeast as the narration goes; shortly after, the packbeast collapses and dies] We travelled for an eternity across that barren wasteland. How long... I couldn't say. And always, a dark cloud seemed to follow us, just over the horizon. Finally, the journey ended. We climbed the last ridge, and there below us lay our destination...[Marius and the Wanderer look over a great coastal city] The shining jewel, Lut Gholein, with the Great Sea beyond. We made camp that last night. [at the campfire, the Wanderer stares intently at Marius as he sleeps] Perhaps it was the warm desert wind or the sound of the ocean, but for the first time in many weeks, I slept. However, the dreams returned.

[flashback of a man, held by two others, in a deep tomb]

Marius: [voiceover]: But these were clearly not my own. I behold a vision of a great man - the mage, Tal Rasha. You were there, too, Tyrael. I remember seeing you in my dream. His brethren had cornered a great demon - Baal, Lord of Destruction, who had been set loose upon the world. They attempted to imprison the demon within a sacred stone... yet, when their attempts failed, Tal Rasha selflessly volunteered to contain the demon within himself, completing the prison. He instructed his brethren to bind him within a great tomb, buried under the sand, there to wrestle with the demon for all eternity.

[Tal Rasha screams in torment, and Marius suddenly awakens from his dream to find the Wanderer staring at him]

The Wanderer: Now you know what I seek, Marius. This is my brother. Sleep now; we set out with the dawn.

Marius: [voiceover] The next morning, we walked over the hill toward Lut Gholein. I had no idea then of the horrors that were in store for me there.

[cinematic leading into Act III - at the Tomb of Tal Rasha]

Marius: [voiceover] My companion drew in the dank, cold air of the tomb. It seemed to... strengthen him. I stood in the doorway between light and dark. What was left of my sanity implored me not to enter. But that voice was just a whisper now. As we worked our way down, deeper and deeper into the crypt, I began to see a change in my companion. He seemed to be gaining strength. I could hardly see in the gloom, but my companion seemed to know the way. We came at last to a great hall.

[bats are heard in the hall, as the Wanderer halts in the middle of the room, Marius at his side with a torch... suddenly, the Wanderer screams in agony, as demonic features begin showing more apparently on his face]

Marius: [voiceover] It was then I realized my companion hadn't been gaining strength. He had been losing what was left of his humanity.

[the Wanderer and Marius enter the tomb chamber, where Tal Rasha - now a withered husk, having grown tentacle-like appendages in his imprisonment - writhes and shrieks; the Wanderer approaches swiftly, hand outstretched to remove the Soulstone shard in his chest]

Marius: [voiceover] He moved with demonic speed, and then... then you appeared!

Tyrael: [wrapping part of his tendril-like wings around the Wanderer's wrist] Stop! The beast contained herein shall not be set free, not even by you!

[the Wanderer leaps at Tyrael and tackles him over the bridge; as the Wanderer tries to climb back onto the bridge, Tyrael's wings grasp him again and throw him across the room, as the angel tries to strike the Wanderer with his sword, El'druin. As they battle, Marius looks up at the possessed Tal Rasha]

Baal: Look what they've done to me! [Tal Rasha's still-living face flashes over the withered one] Release me! Help me!

[Marius makes his way carefully across the bridge as the Wanderer and Tyrael still battle one another]

Baal: Hurry... please hurry!

[Marius grasps the Soulstone shard in Tal Rasha's chest, and begins to pull...]

Tyrael: No! Don't do it! [too late; Marius removes the Soulstone shard from Tal Rasha's chest, as Tyrael picks him up off his feet] Fool! You have just ensured the doom of this world! You cannot even begin to imagine what you've set in motion this day! Go to the Temple of Light, in the eastern city of Kurast. There, you will find the gate to Hell opened before you. You must find the courage to step through that gate, Marius! Take the stone you hold to the Hellforge, where it will be destroyed. Now run! Take the stone and run!

[Tal Rasha's tentacles grasp Tyrael's sword arm and pull El'druin from his hand, sending it tumbling into the fire, as the twisted form breaks free of the prison and attacks; Marius runs out of the door of the tomb]

Marius: [voiceover] What choice did I have? I ran.

[cinematic leading into Act IV - in the Temple City of Travincal in Kurast, Marius enters the Durance of Hate, finding three figures standing at the gateway to Hell]

Marius: [voiceover] I did as you told me, Tyrael. I found the temple of the Zakarum. In the deepest recesses of the temple, I found a dark gathering. My companion, the Wanderer; Tal Rasha; and a Great Evil, who could only be the Lord of Hatred himself... Mephisto! [shaking voice] I heard a voice then, like a thousand needles in my heart...

Mephisto: My brothers, at long last, we stand reunited! The Infernal Gate has been prepared, and the time of our final victory is at hand! Let the way to Hell be opened! [Mephisto, the Wanderer, and Tal Rasha begin channelling energy into the portal] And the evil that was once vanquished shall rise anew. Wrapped in the guise of Man shall he walk amongst the innocent, and Terror shall consume they that dwell upon the earth. [a whirlwind of bones begins swirling around the room] The skies shall rain fire, and the seas will become as blood! The righteous shall fall before the wicked, and all Creation shall tremble before the burning standards of Hell!

Marius: [voiceover, sobbing] What I saw then was not meant for mortal eyes!

Mephisto: The Gate stands ready! [the Wanderer screams as his skin begins to split open, and blood rushes from his temples; he collapses to the ground] Now, my young brother, the time has come to assume your true form! [the Wanderer's robe shreds as he transforms into a monstrous, horned creature, with great spines on its back] Arise, Diablo... Lord of Terror! [Diablo tosses aside the ragged remnants of his robe, and marches towards the open gateway] You are the harbinger of our return, Diablo! Send forth your Terror into Hell! [Diablo turns and disappears into the portal; driven utterly mad, Marius collapses against the wall, staring at the shard of Baal's Soulstone he carried...]

[closing cinematic, after Diablo is defeated - at the asylum, Marius concludes his story to his visitor]

Marius: I heard later that he was defeated. [flashback to Diablo's defeat, and the destruction of both his and Mephisto's Soulstones] And that the Soulstones were destroyed at the Hellforge... all except one. [breaks down sobbing] I failed, Tyrael. I couldn't do as you asked... I couldn't enter that gate! Forgive me, Tyrael... forgive me...

The Hooded Man: Marius. Give me the stone, and all is forgiven. [Marius reaches under his shirt, pulling out the shard he still carries, and looks up pleadingly at his visitor] Give it to me, Marius.

Marius: Take it! Take it, take it! I'm glad this is finally over, Tyrael! Look what the stone has done to me! [sobbing]

The Hooded Man: [takes the stone from Marius' hand] You haven't failed, old man. You've done exactly as you were meant to do. However... I am not the Archangel Tyrael.

[the hooded man raises the stone to his face - revealing the ravaged visage of Tal Rasha!]

Marius: Baal! No! No, no, no, no! [breaks down sobbing and gibbering]

Baal: [laughing] You have done well, Marius. Now I think you should have your reward!

Marius: [gibbering] Oh, what have I done to deserve this...

[Baal raises a hand, and tentacles reach out from the sleeve of his robe; leaving Marius dead on the floor, he walks out of the cell, fire consuming the asylum around him as he leaves in triumph]

Diablo II: Lord of Destruction (2001)

Baal: [from the cinematic trailer] I have walked the earth, always searching for that which will make me whole. High in the mountains of Kae Huron, deep within Mount Arreat lies that thing. I shall have it. My brothers will not have died in vain...and I shall rule...unchallenged!

[opening cinematic, at the gates of Sescheron in the Barbarian Highlands, a herald comes out to view a great demonic army carrying banners. As the herald holds his own banner up, the four banners at the front move, two to the side, to make way for a great throne, carried by demon warriors]

Herald: Baal... [behind him the great gates slam shut, and he turns with a despairing look upon the army, before raising his voice] Baal, the gates of Sescheron have stood for eons beyond remembrance, and you shall not breach them now! Remove your foul demons from our lands! We stand on the side of Light! You shall not be allowed to reach Mount Arreat, and that which you seek will not be yours!

Baal: ENOUGH!!!

[the single word echoes throughout the mountainside, as the herald drops his banner and covers his ears; as the sound fades, he removes his hat and stares fearfully at Baal]

Baal: I shall take your position into consideration.

[leaning back, Baal channels power through the Soulstone shard around his neck, causing a great wind to blast the banners on Sescheron's walls skyward... then sends two ethereal tentacles out from his hands, waving across the air and into the back of the herald, exploding him on the spot]

Baal: [chuckling] Well, it seems your terms... are not acceptable! [chuckling rises to maniacal laughter as the banners turn sideways, and his army storms the gates of Sescheron]

Diablo III (2012)

Leah: [from the cinematic trailer] It has been said, that in the end of all things, we would find a new beginning. But as the shadow once again crawls across our world, and the stench of terror drifts on a bitter wind...The people pray for strength and guidance: they should pray for the mercy of a swift death...for I have seen what the darkness hides!

[opening cinematic]

Deckard Cain: [voiceover] And at the End of Days, the first sign shall appear in the Heavens. Justice shall fall upon the world of Men. The armies of Light and Shadow shall clash across the fields of Eternity!

[as Cain narrates, a climactic battle is depicted between angels and demons in an "animated storybook" sequence, ending with Diablo emerging from a great crack - then in a flash, a young woman awakens, gasping, in a gloomy, broken down monastery... the old cathedral of Tristram]

Deckard Cain: Leah? Are you alright, my girl?

Leah: It was nothing, Uncle. Just... a bad dream. We should be getting home.

Deckard Cain: But there's still work to be done! If these translations are correct... [coughs] ...the powers of Hell could already be on the move. The world must be told of the coming darkness! [Leah looks around at the stained-glass windows depicting angels in battle, as a storm brews outside] You do believe me... don't you, Leah? [the church begins shaking, parts of the roof collapsing; Cain looks skyward] It has begun!

[a great fireball forms in the stormclouds over the cathedral, and Cain frantically tries to collect his papers into the great book he carries]

Leah: Leave it, Uncle! It's not important!

[the fireball smashes through the roof of the cathedral, knocking Leah and Cain's book across the floor... of Cain himself, there is no sign, as Leah kneels on the edge of the great fiery hole in the floor where he had been standing]

Leah: UNCLE!!!

[opening monologues for each of the Diablo III player classes, at the beginning of Act I]

Demon Hunter: My family was butchered by hellspawn. To witness such a thing is enough to leave your mind in ruins. The madness killed my sister, and left me frightened and alone... until I was rescued. Rescued by survivors who had joined together to rid the world of the creatures of Hell. They saw in me the strength to resist the demons, and they forged me into a weapon. Now I am ready. A meteor has fallen in Tristram, and the dead have risen in its wake. I will send them back to their graves. Once, I was hunted. Now... I am the hunter.
Monk: The gods are in all things, and everywhere, I see signs of change. The wind bears an unnatural chill, and my people grow... uneasy. Now, fire burns the sky and scorches the vault of the Heavens. I must carry out the will of the Patriarchs. When they need to see, I am their eyes. Where they wish to strike, I am their fist. When they would ignite the light of truth, I am their torch. They have sent me to where the heavenly fire has fallen. My mind is clear. I will rid Tristram of the shambling corpses that have risen in the fire's wake.
Wizard: Since my youth, I have been told that I was "special". A prodigy of vast potential. I came to the Yshari Sanctum, seeking what knowledge I could glean from the masters. But I found them fearful of the truth. I would learn nothing from them. But the old books, the prophecies they contained, showed me all that might come to pass, and all that I might become. Then a star fell from the heavens - the sign that my moment had come. I will go west, to Tristram, to stop the darkness that the star portends... and fulfill the destiny that beckons me.
Barbarian: I tire of the empty battles I once craved. I wander, outcast, while my tribe curses the gods that abandoned us. Our home is in ruins, yet I stand firm. Six days ago, the falling star struck the town of Tristram. The dead rose in its wake. What evil is this? Could it be what I have sought these long years? A foe worthy of my blade?
Witch Doctor: I wander to places beyond imaginings, far from the jungles of my youth. My knowledge has grown vast. The people, they think me banished, shunned to the end of my days. They say I defy the spirits. But I say no, I follow them. The spirits show me alone that the sky-fire is where the end begins. They say this must not be. I live to serve the spirits, so I go. There is none but me to answer the call.
Crusader (Reaper of Souls): At twelve, I swore the oath, leaving home and family. At sixteen, I saw my master die. I took up [his/her] shield and [his/her] name, and on that day, I became a Crusader. Armored by faith, driven by duty, bound to kill the enemies of Zakarum. Sworn to live as a Crusader, and to die as one. Now, corruption returns to the hearts of Men. I see it in the eyes of the mad, hear it in the howling of the damned. A falling star in the west leads me to the town of New Tristram. The Crusade calls me, and so, I go.
Necromancer (Rise of the Necromancer DLC): All that grows must also wither and die. What dies and rots will then nourish the living. This is the Great Cycle of Being, and we, the Priests of Rathma, use our dark art to protect it. Though most do not understand us, we go where we are needed. My master has learned that a star fell in the West, drawing the dead from their graves. He commands me to journey to Tristram and return them to their rest...for if the Cycle is not upheld, it would mean the end of all things.

[cinematic leading into Act II - in the cemetery outside Tristram Cathedral, Deckard Cain is laid out on a funeral pyre after being killed by Maghda; Leah places his great book of Horadric lore on his chest, while the now-mortal Tyrael holds a torch]

Leah: It was all just stories. My uncle saw what he wanted to see.

Tyrael: Deckard sacrificed much to protect this world, but his work is not over.

Leah: What would you know about sacrifice?

[Tyrael gently grasps Leah's arm, revealing a flashback - Tyrael confronted by Imperius in the chambers of the Angiris Council, after destroying the Worldstone]

Imperius: Tyrael, the ancient law of the High Heavens strictly forbids us from interfering with the mortal world! Yet you have done so - brazenly!

Tyrael: All I am guilty of, Imperius, is bringing justice, while you hide, cowering, behind your throne!

Imperius: Silence! [leaps down to Tyrael and grasps him by the breastplate with one hand, the other summoning his great spear, Solarion] You will now answer for your transgressions!

[Tyrael grasps Solarion by the haft and wrestles Imperius across the room, knocking it from his hand and pinning him to the floor; Imperius throws him off and leaps to grab it, but Tyrael grabs it first]

Tyrael: You cannot judge me! I am Justice itself! We were meant for more than this - to protect the innocent! But if our precious laws bind you all to inaction... then I will no longer stand as your brother!

[Tyrael slams the tip of Solarion into the floor of the council chamber; in the present, Leah falls to her knees, shocked by the revelation]

Leah: You chose... to be one of us!

[Leah touches Tyrael's robe, and the vision continues - as Tyrael's armored wings begin to shed from him]

Imperius: Sacrilege!

[Tyrael's wings fall to the ground, and his hood falls back, a human head forming in holy fire... tendrils of light rise up from the floor and grasp him, pulling him through it. Next, he is seen falling from the heavens as the great fireball, the "falling star"]

Tyrael: Thus, I fell... willingly... [holds out his hand, helping Leah back to her feet] ...because Humanity is the only hope for this world.

[Leah walks over to Cain's body, putting her hand on his forehead and down his face]

Leah: I never believed... all your crazy tales... [picks up Cain's book] The work you never finished. [Tyrael approaches with the torch, lighting the pyre] I will finish it, Uncle. I will carry on for you.

[cinematic leading into Act III - the Great Library of Caldeum, where Leah is perusing a book of demon lore and copying it into Cain's tome... until the pen nub breaks]

Leah: None of this makes any sense to me. What am I missing, Uncle? What am I supposed to see?

[on the table nearby, the Black Soulstone whispers malevolently, as Leah's eyes roll back into her head, and she goes unconscious - then comes to inside a great hall, surrounded by demonic effigies and skeletal figures on thrones. As a great wind passes through the room, a grotesque demon with four burning red eyes appears before her - Azmodan, the Lord of Sin, the last remaining Lord of Hell]

Azmodan: You thought you were so clever... that you'd outwitted us all. One by one, our brethren fell into your trap. But not me. I defy you! [smashes his fist through the floor of the chamber, which begins to crumble and collapse] I know the Black Soulstone is the key... and it shall be mine! [the walls of the room collapse, revealing a great burning mountain and a demon army] Soon, my army shall pour forth from the shattered mountain, ravaging this world and all hope of resistance. My minions will find the stone, wherever you choose to hide it. Then, at long last, Azmodan shall reign as the Prime Evil!

[Leah collapses, crying, as the great demon army marches past her... then from behind, a burst of light, and two armored hands grasp her shoulders, returning her to the waking world, as Tyrael holds her]

Tyrael: Leah, are you alright? Speak to me, child!

Leah: Arreat... the demons' invasion will come from Arreat. [passes out]

[cinematic leading into Act IV - a bloodied, possessed Leah stands at the Diamond Gates of the High Heavens, shrouded in foul smoke]

Leah: Even in the heart of Heaven... angels can still feel fear.

[Standing on the gate above, Imperius stares down at his foe, and calls down Solarion to his grasp before apparating down to in front of Leah, raising his spear-point at her]

Imperius: My old enemy. You cannot hide from me, no matter what form you choose to wear. Let your true self be revealed... Diablo!

[Imperius casts a burst of holy fire at Leah, who holds it back; the Archangel of Wrath redoubles his attack, as Leah collapses into the flames with an inhuman shriek... and Diablo, in a slender demonic form, rises from the flames]

Diablo: Our long war ends today, Imperius!

[Imperius charges at Diablo, scoring a glancing hit across the Prime Evil's face with the tip of his spear; Diablo knocks him across the courtyard with a swipe of his tail, then charges and meets Imperius' attempt to block with his spear, breaking Solarion in two. Then Diablo impales Imperius through the breastplate with a great spine on his wrist, lifting the angel off the ground]

Diablo: Take one last look at your shining Heaven, Imperius. For soon, nothing of it shall remain... but my laughter!

[Imperius teleports back up against the Diamond Gates, burning white fluid leaking from the wound in his breastplate; Diablo lets out a great roar, pinning Imperius to the gate, which begins to crack and finally shatter, collapsing into ruin around him... as the Prime Evil walks unopposed into Heaven]

[ending cinematic, after the defeat of Diablo]

Tyrael: [voiceover] In the end, it was a mortal heart that saved two worlds from ruin, and cast down the Prime Evil forever.

[Diablo falls from the Silver Spire in the heart of Heaven, his form dissolving, leaving only the Black Soulstone falling to earth; as Diablo dissolves, the stormclouds around Heaven begin to clear, and the sun begins to peek through]

Tyrael: [voiceover] A new day breaks for both Angels and Men. For Mankind's greatest champion, the Nephalem, rose to confront the darkness that we, in our pride, would not face.

[the sunlight begins to clear out the demonic corruption across Heaven; in the chamber of the Angiris Council, the mortal Tyrael stands before his former brethren, preparing to rejoin them]

Tyrael: [voiceover] My brethren, I will take my place among you once again... but this time, as a mortal. Since Justice has been met this day, I will now stand as Wisdom, on behalf of those who risked all to save us. Forevermore, we shall stand together, Angels and Men, in the light of this glorious new dawn.

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls (2014)

[opening cinematic]

Tyrael: [voiceover] Diablo was defeated. For a time, it seemed, we would know peace. But it was not to be. For Diablo's essence lingers in the Black Soulstone. I cannot destroy the stone, nor allow its evil to remain within the Heavens. And so, it must be hidden... even from the angels. I pray that it will be enough.

[inside the tomb of Rakkis, deep beneath the Blood Marsh outside Westmarch, four hooded men use their spears to hold the plate carrying the Black Soulstone to the great pincer clamp that will hold it; the stone whispers with the essence of the Great Evils within it as the pincers close in and hold it in place]

Tyrael: You have done well, Horadrim. Your service here is finished, and you should all...

[the four Horadrim who carried the stone, plus two more by the door, raise their spears as they sense danger approaching]

Tyrael: ...run.

[a figure appears in the gloom - an angel in dark vestments, holding two great sickle-like swords crossed over his chest]

Tyrael: Malthael...

[Malthael's hood tilts slightly to the side, as he beheads the two Horadrim closest two him with his blades, then rises into the air with a flap of his wings; the skin of the Horadrim closest to him begins to rot, as a cloud of sickly smoke envelops three of the other Horadrim, while Tyrael and the remaining Horadrim, Lorath Nahr, approach. Tyrael invokes the power of his sword, El'druin, to shield himself and Nahr from the cloud, which now rises up in a great wind]

Tyrael: Go! Go! Find the Nephalem!

[Nahr runs off, as Tyrael looks up in horror to see one of the other Horadrim rotting, his soul pulled screaming from his body and into Malthael. He raises his sword, but the blade passes through Malthael as if through water; Malthael disarms Tyrael and raises him off the floor with one sickle-blade, using the other to extract his soul essence]

Tyrael: [pained] Brother... why? [Malthael examines the soul-strand, then sharply looks over at Tyrael, before throwing him, coughing, to the ground and approaching the Black Soulstone] The Nephalem will stop you.

Malthael: [ominously] No one can stop Death. [slashes through the clamp holding the Black Soulstone, and takes it into his armored gauntlet]

Diablo IV (2023)

[opening cinematic: A pair of treasure hunters - the rogue Fionn and the Barbarian Gelwa - and the Zakarum curate Symon enter a hidden hall beneath a ruined chapel in Esret in the Hawezar swamps.]

Symon: Blessed Akarat, thy eternal Light protects me. Thy eternal wisdom guides me. Though my path is wrought with darkness, guide my soul to thy sacred Light... [begins repeating the prayer]

Fionn: Shhh! Quiet! [Symon keeps at it] Shut up!

[Inside the vault, the band are running from a horde of monsters; one of them, a one-eyed swordsman, hefts the wounded Symon.]

Fionn: Leave him!

Swordsman: [to Symon] Just keep running.

Fionn: Are you out of your mind?! He's not going to make it!

Swordsman: He has to. [Symon begins praying again] Hey! Look at me! [gestures to the door] All the gold we want... is right there.

Symon: No, I... I just came here for... knowledge.

Swordsman: I know.

Fionn: They're coming! Get over here!

Swordsman: Now, breach the seal! Get us through that door! [runs to join the others]

Symon: [staggers against the door] Oh, Light help me... [begins translating the inscriptions] B-by three they come... by three thy way opens... blood shows... this doesn't make any sense. [sees his blood dropping onto the floor, and coalescing near a hand carved into the floor] Blood. Blood is the key. [to the others] Blood is the key!

Fionn: What?!

Symon: I need two of you! Now!

Swordsman: Go! I'll hold them off! Go! [the others rush to join Symon]

Symon: It says "the blood of the willing will..." [Gelwa snarls and pushes her hand down on the carving on the floor]

Fionn: You've got to be kidding me! [he and Symon follow suit, and their combined blood activates the lock on the door] Ha! It worked!

[As the three go through the door, the swordsman is overwhelmed by the monsters outside]

Symon: We have to help him!

Fionn: He's dead already!

[Gelwa severs the chain, sealing the door, despite Symon's protests. Fionn puts an arm around Symon's shoulders]

Fionn: [solemnly] Shame he didn't make it. [cheerfully] Oh well, cheer up! Gold splits better three ways instead of four. Must be hidden here somewhere... [hurls Symon at the base of a pillar] Read this!

Symon: [reading the runes on the pillar] "By three they come, by three thy way opens, by the blood of the... willing... hail... hail the... Creator!" [gasps in horror] "Hail the Daughter of..." Oh no. No no no...

Fionn: [impatient] What about the coin? What does it say?

Symon: This is forbidden. This is a summoning! I cannot speak this!

Fionn: [punches Symon in the gut] Don't lie to me!

Gelwa: [armlocks across Symon's neck] We came here for treasure! What is this place?

Symon: I don't know! [Gelwa tightens her armlock] Maybe it's a temple... or-or a tomb... or...

Swordsman: [echoing] It's a gate.

[Fionn is pulled out of view. Gelwa looks around fearfully... as blood drips onto her head. Looking up, she sees Fionn, wounds growing across his face, and his bones being shattered by an unseen hand.]

Swordsman: And blood is the key.

[The swordsman suddenly appears behind Gelwa, who smashes him in the face with her hammer. The swordsman appears unfazed as his jaw resets and he rises to his feet. Gelwa is suddenly hurled into another pillar, as her blood and that of Fionn begin to crawl across the air, seeking to combine. At the same time, mechanisms in the floor activate.]

Symon: [panicking] Blessed Akarat, thy eternal Light protects me, thy eternal wisdom guides me, though my path is wrought with darkness, guide my soul to thy sacred Light...

Swordsman: From the Abyss we seek thy salvation. By three they come. By three thy way opens. By the blood of the willing... [transforms into a tall, pale, statuesque figure - Elias, a cultist of the Triune] We call thee home.

[Symon continues to frantically pray under his breath]

Elias: [raises a hand] Come. [brings Symon, eyes closed and still frantically praying, over to him] Open your eyes.

Symon: [does so, and begins babbling] Eternal Light protects me, eternal Light protects me, eternal Light protects me...

Elias: [gently] There is no Light here. You came to the darkness for knowledge.

Symon: [sighs] Yes...

Elias: And all the knowledge you seek is here. Surrender. Speak the words. Call her home.

Symon: [as he speaks, he is lifted onto the third pillar] By three they come... by three thy way opens... by the blood of the willing, we call thee... home.

[Symon lets go of his stomach wound, and blood explodes from him, strands connecting to the blood of the others, creating a web. In his mind, he can see flashes: A demon's glaring eyes, a chained angel, and battlefields in Pandemonium.]

Symon: Hail, Daughter of Hatred... Creator of Sanctuary! Hail... Lilith.

[As Symon dies, the last thing he witnesses is Lilith tearing through the web, taking Elias' hand, as blood rains like rose petals around her.]

Elias: Blessed Mother... save us.

[Reverend Mother Prava of the Cathedral of Light walks at the head of an army of Knights Penitent, her bare feet scorched by the burning soil of Hell, chanting a prayer. The army is illuminated by a light from above - the angel Inarius, Father of Sanctuary. Inarius reaches out his hand, illuminating the army of demons ahead of them. The demons rear back for a moment, then charge.]

Reverend Mother Prava: May we fight true in His holy name. Blessed be the Light.

[Prava kneels in prayer, her head bowing to the ground as the Knights Penitent behind her form a phalanx, using their spears to impale the charging demons. Inarius spots Lilith and charges ahead, the ground cracking beneath his feet as he lands. He hurls his spear towards Lilith, but another demon takes it instead. Cutting his way through the demon horde, he follows Lilith into a demonic spire, its pillars writhing with the souls of the dead.]

Lilith: Do you remember them, Inarius? The whispers of the damned?

Inarius: Words will not save you. Show yourself!

Lilith: So, the soldier returns. And with such purpose. No longer the conflicted soul I left behind.

Inarius: You deceived me!

[Inarius swings his spear, smashing through a pillar of souls. Outside, Prava and the Knights Penitent continue to face the onslaught of demons.]

Lilith: Why, Inarius? What are you truly after?

Inarius: My rightful place is in the Heavens.

Lilith: Is that why you seek to destroy all that we created?

Inarius: Sanctuary is an abomination!

[Inarius whirls to stab Lilith, who breaks his spear in two with one of her wings.]

Lilith: [sadly] And our son?

Inarius: I made it right to satisfy the Heavens.

Lilith: [sighs] Tell me... did they rejoice? [Inarius is silent] No? They do not want you.

[Inarius roars with rage as he stabs Lilith with the broken haft of his spear. Outside, the fighting continues. Prava looks up at an Oppressor demon as it is brought to its knees by the Knights Penitent.]

Prava: In His glory... [steps onto the fallen demon's corpse] See now the work of your faith!

[Inside the spire, Lilith is impaled to a pillar by Inarius' spear.]

Inarius: It is done. It all ends... with you.

[Lilith grasps Inarius' wrist, and blood runs from her mouth as she speaks.]

Lilith: No. We made a choice, and that... they can never forgive, no matter what you tell yourself, or who you sacrifice. Silence... is their judgement.

[As Lilith's head drops, apparently dead, Inarius steps away from her.]

Inarius: But... but I set things right. [looks Heaven-ward] What more would you have me do? Tell me! Please! Tell me!

[Lilith removes the spear shaft and comes up behind him.]

Lilith: The Heavens do not speak to you anymore!

[Lilith runs the broken spear through Inarius' back and pins him to the floor.]

Inarius: No! Heavens, protect me!

Lilith: No. You belong in Hell!

[Lilith tears off Inarius' wings, and the angel screams in agony, echoing across the battlefield. Sensing the tide has turned, the Knights Penitent look to Prava, who looks as confused as they are. The demons pour in with renewed vigor.]

Prava: No... no! No! Have faith! Have faith! [is quickly overrun by the demons] Fight! FIGHT!

[As Inarius' corpse is consumed by the floor, Lilith walks away, bloodied but unbowed.]

[Inside Mephisto's Cathedral of Hatred, Lilith is defeated by the Wanderer (the player character), her blood raining in petals around the room.]

Lilith: Sanctuary was meant as an escape from the Eternal Conflict. And yet, here we are... again. I gave you free will... and you've squandered it, wasting it on a crusade you don't understand. You chose tyranny when offered freedom. A poor legacy for my gift.

[As she speaks, images of the Prime Evils - Mephisto, Baal, and Diablo - can be seen.]

Lilith: Without me, you would have no victory. And its cost will be more... than you can pay.

[Lilith turns to stone, as does the pile of blood petals around her, before collapsing into dust.]

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