In the world of Diablo - angels and demons fight for control in the Eternal Conflict.
Let’s just say the world isn't full of sunshine and rainbows.
I’m Jason with Curse here to bring you some of the saddest
stories in the Diablo franchise.
Farnham was once a citizen of the city of Tristram.
He was present during King Leoric’s descent into madness, and was one of the citizens
recruited by Lazarus to delve into the Tristram Cathedral after prince Albrecht went missing.
Unfortunately for Farnham, Lazarus had decided to lead the townsfolk into a very large, very
angry Butcher demon.
Farnham managed to survive this encounter, but he was wounded.
His physical wounds were later healed, but the mental scars never went away, his mind
and spirit shattered.
This led to Farnham finding solace only in liquor, drowning himself away.
During some of his drunken stupors, he would find himself headed back into that hellish
cathedral in search of his daughter.
Eventually he did manage to find her, and return her alive, to the surface.
But this was not to last, as he was greeted by Deckard Cain and Prince Aidan.
Seeing that the daughter could not be saved, and might rise again - Cain instructed Aidan
to give her peace.
Aidan did eventually manage to defeat Diablo in the Cathedral, but there was no solace
for Farnham, or the town of Tristram.
After Aidan left Tristram as the Dark Wanderer - demons would descend upon the town, and
Farnham was butchered along with the rest.
From one of humanity’s greatest enemies - to one of its staunchest defenders - Tyrael
- Archangel of Justice.
Tyrael once held that humanity was an abomination that required destruction.
During the first Sin War, when the High Heavens discovered Sanctuary - he stopped at nothing
to ensure that the forces of Hell could not use humanity to further their evil goals.
Tyrael even stooped so low as to use assassins and lies to betray the humans that would trust
him.
This was all in an effort to sow as much chaos as possible, before the Heavenly Host would
arrive and destroy them.
However this all changes after Uldyssian defeated Inarius, and cast out both demons and angels
from Sanctuary.
During the vote held afterwards - where the Angiris Council decided what to do about the
situation - Tyrael realized humanity’s potential, and joined his vote with Auriel and Itherael
to save them.
And over the years, despite both the High Heavens, and Burning Hells having a non-interference
policy with Sanctuary, Tyrael would consistently defy orders, and help out humanity, often
countering the forces of evil.
After Belial and Azmodan made their appearance on Sanctuary, Tyrael promised humanity that
they would not fight the darkness alone.
But Imperius had discovered his transgressions - and despite Tyrael’s plea’s, was unmoved.
Furious at Tyrael for disobeying the Council, the two came to blows, before Tyrael did the
unthinkable.
He tore off his wings, becoming mortal in the process, falling from Heaven, and forever
sacrificing his divinity to save humanity.
If you’ve kept up with the Diablo franchise then you’re probably familiar with the blacksmith
- Haedrig Eamon - an instrumental part of the Nepahlem’s quest - but his own past
is mired in tragedy.
As a young boy Haedrig lived with his father in Caldeum.
They were well-to-do, with his father being a diplomat, and grandfather serving King Leoric
However, during King Leoric’s madness, his grandfather was blamed as the presence behind
it.
Despite attempts to dispel the rumors, one night a crazed band of refugees from Tristram
arrived at the manor in Caldeum and attacked.
Haedrig managed to escape, but just before he was thrown from a window, he looked back
only to find his father with two daggers in his back, and another at his throat.
Some time after he fled Caldeum, Haedrig would meet his wife Mira.
And they were happy for a time, but it was not to last.
They had made a life in New Tristram, right as the Fallen Star fell, reviving the dead,
and spreading sickness.
Unfortunately Mira had been infected, and thrown into a cellar with the rest of the
living dead.
But when the sickness had run its course, she became a Risen, and Haedrig was forced
to slay her and the rest of the turned with the Nephalem’s help.
And then there was the child born only to fulfill Diablo’s plans.
Leah - daughter of Adria and the Wanderer, adopted niece of Deckard Cain.
From an early age Leah would know pain and suffering.
Tristram would fall to the forces of hell, forcing Adria and Leah to escape to Caldeum
- with a barmaid by the name of Gillian.
But as soon as they had arrived there, Adria would depart and leave Gillian to care for
the infant Leah.
But due to Gillian’s exposure to the demons of hell, she was not always able to function
in a normal capacity, let alone raise a child not her own.
And even as society noticed how eccentric Gillian was, that stigma was passed to Leah,
regarding her as an unlucky child.
Furthermore, Leah was bullied during her childhood.
She was nicknamed Sewer Rat due to her rampant exploration of the sewers beneath the city.
And through this time, Gillian never told her of her parents.
But those parents were very important.
She would inherit their powers, and also the demonic energy of Diablo, and when her power
manifested, she was forced to learn to cope with it from an early age.
She often suffered from nightmares, prophetic glimpses of the future, and memories of the
past - memories of angels and demons.
Memories that were not her own.
Eventually Deckard Cain would come to rescue the poor Leah.
He would become a father figure in her life, teaching her many things and bringing her
along on his journeys.
This carried on for a number of years until Tyrael fell from Heaven, into the Tristram
Cathedral.
Cain was inside the cathedral at that time, and became trapped - and furthermore, Belial
was aware of Tyrael’s arrival - sending minions to go and collect whatever they could.
His lieutenant Maghda led the charge, attempting to collect shards of Tyrael’s sword, but
was fought off by Leah and the Nephalem until at last, Maghda took Cain as a hostage to
try and negotiate.
In the ensuing conflict, Cain would succumb to his injuries, bringing great sadness to
everyone who knew him, but Leah most of all.
Eventually Leah would find herself in the presence of her mother once again.
As Adria instructed her on how to use her dark powers, she would grow more powerful.
She began taking the steps to act as the final, perfect vessel, by sealing Belial in the Black
Soulstone.
Her nightmares became more horrific, her prophetic visions becoming more disturbing.
And the Black Soulstone became ever harder to control.
Eventually with the defeat and sealing of Azmodan, her mother Adria showed her true
colors, by turning the soulstone on Leah.
Finally realizing that she had been conceived by Diablo for this purpose so long ago, and
faced with the unrelenting fury of the Seven Evils - her mind shattered.
Her body was then possessed by Diablo himself, as the long awaited Prime Evil.
Tristram is a rather well known town to the players of the Diablo franchise, but is somewhat
more infamous than the characters in it.
In ancient times, the Horadrim had slain the three elder demon brothers - Mephisto, Baal,
and Diablo.
They were sealed away in soulstones, with Diablo’s being held far underground in the
Tristram Cathedral.
A great deal of time passed, until Leoric had come from Kehjistan to Khanduras, declared
himself king, and made Tristram his seat of power.
Unknown to him, Diablo’s soulstone still remained here, and would attempt to possess
Leoric.
Diablo’s influence was so potent, Leoric became more and more insane over time, declaring
war on Westmarch, slaughtering the townsfolk, and beheading his wife via guillotine.
Leoric would be dethroned in a rather violent manner, but it was not long before Tristram
would suffer more horrors.
Demons soon attacked the town, and the once holy cathedral became a place of dark cults
and rituals.
Many adventurers descended into the cathedral in search of loot or adventure, though far
fewer actually returned.
Many of the townsfolk left during this period, though some did decide to stay and weather
the storm.
Leoric’s eldest son Aidan would eventually brave the depths of the cathedral to put a
stop to Diablo’s influence, and was successful for a time.
However, as soon as Aidan left the town as the Dark Wanderer, poor Tristram was again
invaded by demons.
This time, there were only a small handful of survivors.
The once prosperous town of Tristram had been dealt its final blow, and was reduced to smouldering
ruins, and the hellish stories of Tristram travelled far and wide.
If you’re interested in content like this, keep an eye out here for more, and be sure
to let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Check out Diablo fans.com for other Diablo related information!
I’m Jason with Curse saying thanks for watching, and enjoy the game.