[thebastardsword]

Librarius Ex-Horadrim Book One

1. The Great Conflict -

Since the beginning, the forces of light and darkness have engaged
in an eternal war: The Great Conflict, whose victor will rise from the
apocalyptic ashes to hold sway over all creation. To ths end, the angels
of the high heavens adhere to strict militaristic disciplines. Seraphim
warrioirs strike at the enemies of light with swords imbued with righteous
wrath and justice. The angels believe that only absolute discipline can
properly restore order to the myriad realms, while the demonic denizens
of the burning hells hold that absolute chaos is the true nature of all
things.
The battles of the Great Conflict rage across both time and space
often infringing upon the very fabric of reality itself. From the Crystal
Arch at the very heart of the high heavens to the arcane Hellforge of
the underworld, the warriors of these eternal realms journey to wherever
their timeless conflict carries them. The legendary deeds of the heroes
of the realms beyond elicit both veneration and insight.
The greatest of these heroes was Izual, lieutenant to the arch-angel
Tyrael and bearer of the angelic runeblade Azurewrath. He once led a fierce
attack upon the Hellforge as the creation of the dark demonblade Shadowfang
was nearing completion. His quest was to destroy both wielder and weapon---
a charge that he was destined never to complete. Izual was overcome by
the legions of chaos and, tragically, was lost to the Darkness. His fate
stands as testament to the fact that Angels and Demons alike shall fearlessly
enter into any domain---so long as their hated enemies dwell within.
Although the Great Conflict burned hotter and longer than any of
the stars in the sky, neither side could gain dominion over the other
for long. Both factions sought some way to turn the tides of the war to
their favor. With the ascension of man and his mortal realm, the Great
Conflict ground to a mysterious halt. Both armies paused in a breathless
stalemate, waiting to see to whose side man would eventually turn.
Mortals had the unique ability to choose between darkness and light,
and it was held that this would be the deciding factor in the outcome
of the Great Conflict. Thus, the agents of the nether-realms descended
to the mortal realm to vie for the favor of man...

2. The Sin War -

The coming of the Great Conflict to the mortal realm is known as
the Sin War. Angels and demons, disguising themselves while traveling
amongst men, attempted to secretly lure mortals to their respective causes.
Over time, the forces of darkness discovered that mortals responded much
more to brute force than to subtle coercion, and so began to terrorize
man into submission. The angels fought to defend humanity against this
demonic oppression, but all too often their austere methods and severe
punishments succeeded only in alienating those whom they sought to protect.
The violent battles of the Sin War occurred often, but they were
seldom witnessed by the prying eyes of man. Only a few "enlightened"
souls were aware of the supernatural beings that walked amongst the huddled
masses of humanity. Powerful mortals arose and accepted the challenge
of the Sin War, allying themselves with both sides in the Great Conflict.
The legendary deeds of these great mortal warriors served to earn both
the respect and hatred of the netherworlds. Although lesser demons kneeled
before those possessing power and strength, they also cursed the very
existence of mortal man. Many of these fiends believed that the deadlock
brought about by the emergence of Man was a perverse offense to their
"higher" role in the great scheme of things.
This jealousy of man led to harsh, atrocious acts of violence by
the demons against the mortal realm. Some men learned of this deep hatred
and used it against the denizens of the underworld. One such mortal,
Horazon the Summoner, delighted in summoning demons and then breaking
them to his will. Horazon, along with his brother Bartuc, were members
of the Eastern mage clan known as the Vizjerei. This mystic clan studied
the ways of demons and had catalogued their lore for generations. Empowered
by this knowledge, Horazon was able to take the work of the Vizjerei and
pervert it for his demented purposes. The denizens of hell sought revenge
against this bold mortal, but Horazon managed to keep himself well protected
within his arcane sanctuary.
Bartuc, the brother of Horazon, was eventually lured to the side
of darkness. He was granted exceptional strength and longevity, and fought
alongside the legions of hell against the cursed Vizjerei, and eventually
his own brother during the Sin War. Although Bartuc was renowned amongst
the warriors of many realms, his dominance in battle came with a terrible
price. An insatiable lust for mortal blood pervaded his every thought
and deed. Bartuc soon became as fond of bathing in the blood of his enemies
as he did of shedding it, and in time he came to be known only as the
Warlord of Blood.

3. The Dark Exile -

"Seven is the number of the powers of Hell, and Seven is the
number of the Great Evils."
Duriel, the Lord of Pain
Andariel, the Maiden of Anguish
Belial, the Lord of Lies
Azmodan, the Lord of Sin
These are the true names of the lesser of the great evils. For
ages uncounted each have ruled over their own domains within the burning
hells, seeking absolute dominion over their infernal brethren. As the
lesser four continuously vied for the control of those forces that dwelled
within their realms, the greater three held absolute power over the whole
of Hell. The lesser four used dark and evil measures in their quest for power,
and herein begins the legend of the Exile.
Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred
Baal, the Lord of Destruction
Diablo, the Lord of Terror
These are the prime evils of hell that wielded their power as
a dark, sovereign triumvirate. The three brothers ruled over the lesser
four by brutal force and malicious cunning. Being the eldest and strongest
of the evils, the three brothers were responsible for countless victories
against the armies of the light. Although they never held sway over the
high heavens for long, the three were justly feared by enemies and subjects
alike.
With the ascension of man and the subsequent standstill of the
Great Conflict, the three brothers began to devote their energies to the
perversion of mortal souls. The three realized that man was the key to
victory in the war against Heaven, and thus altered their rigid agendum
that they had propagated since the beginning. This change caused many
of the lesser evils to question the authority of the three, and so brought
about a great rift between the prime evils and their servitors. In their
ignorance, the lesser evils began to believe that the three were afraid
to continue the war with heaven. Frustrated by the cessation of the war,
Azmodan and Belial saw the situation as their chance to overthrow the
prime evils and take control of hell for themselves. The two demon lords
made a pact with their minor brethren, assuring them that the wretched
plague of humanity would not deter the ultimate victory of the Sons of
Hell. Azmodan and Belial devised a plan to end the stalemate, achieve
victory in the Sin War and ultimately ride the bloody crest of the Great
Conflict straight into the very arms of Armageddon. Thus, a great revolution
was set into motion as all of hell went to war against the three brothers...
The brothers fought with all of the savagery of the underworld,
and to their credit, annihilated a third of Hell's treacherous legions.
In the end, however, they were overcome by the Horned Death led by the
traitors Azmodan and Belial. The prime evils, weakened and bodiless were
banished to the mortal realm where Azmodan hoped that they would remain
trapped forever. Azmodan believed that with the three set loose upon
humanity, the angels would be forced to turn their focus upon on the
mortal plane---thus leaving the gates of heaven abandoned and defenseless.
Those few demons who still pledged allegiance to the three brothers fled
the wrath of Azmodan and Belial, escaping to the realm of man to seek out
their lost masters.
As the warfires died out upon the battlefields of hell, Azmodan
and Belial began to argue over which of them held the higher authority
The pact that they had made quickly fell to ashes as the two demon lords
took up arms against each other. The legions of hell that remained were
polarized behind either warlord, launching themselves into a bloody civil
war that has lasted to this day...

4. The Binding of the Three -

In the ancient days, before the rise of the western empires,
the dark and terrible entities known as the three evils were exiled to
the world of man. These eternal entities wandered throughout the waking
world and fed upon the lusts of men, leaving chaos and attrition in their
wake. The evils turned father against son and prompted many great nation
into brutal and petty wars. Their exile from hell left them with an insatiable
hunger to bring suffering and pain to all those who would not kneel before
them, and so the three brothers ravaged the lands of the far east for
countless centuries.
Eventually, a secretive order of mortal magi was gathered together
by the enigmatic arch-angel Tyrael. These sorcerers were to hunt the three
evils and put an end to their vicious rampage. The order, known as the
Horadrim, consisted of wizards from the diverse and numerous mage-clans
of the east. Employing disparate magical practices and disciplines, this
unlikely brotherhood succeeded in capturing two of the brothers within
powerful artifacts called Soulstones. Mephisto and Baal, trapped within
the swirling, spiritual constraints of the Soulstones, were then buried
beneath the dunes of the desolate eastern sands.
The powers of hatred and wanton destruction seemed to diminish
in the east as a nervous peace began to settle over the land. Yet, for
many decades the Horadrim continued their grim search for the third brother,
Diablo. They knew that if the Lord of Terror was left untamed, there could
never be any lasting peace within the realm of humanity.
The Horadrim followed in the wake of terror and anarchy that spread
throughout the western lands. After a great battle which claimed the lives
of many brave souls, the Lord of Terror was captured and imprisoned within
the last of the Soulstones by a group of Horadrim monks led by the initiate
Jered Cain. These monks carried the cursed stone to the land of Khanduras
and buried it within a secluded cave near the river Talsande. Above this
cave the Horadrim constructed a great monastery from which they could
continue to safeguard the Soulstone. As ages passed, the Horadrim constructed
a network of catacombs beneath the monastery to house the earthly remains
of the martyrs of their order.
Generations passed in Khanduras, and the numbers of the Horadrim
slowly dwindled. With no quests left to undertake, and too few sons to
sustain their guardianship, the once powerful order faded into obscurity.
Eventually, the great monastery that they had built fell to ruins as well.
Although villages grew and thrived around the shell of the old monastery,
no one knew of the dark, secret passageways that stretched into the cold
earth beneath it. None could have dreamed of the burning red gem that
pulsed within the labyrinth's heart...