The Simon & Schuster, Inc. Diablo the Sin War Archive
- Birthright
- Scales of the Serpent
- The Veiled Prophet
It was a truly epic story revealing the very origins of Sanctuary through the eyes of Uldyssian, the first human to manifest the birthright powers of the Nephalem after milennia during the Sin War — about three thousand years before the first Diablo video game.
Description
Since the beginning of time, the angelic forces of the High Heavens and the demonic hordes of the Burning Hells have been locked in an eternal conflict for the fate of all Creation. That struggle has now spilled over into Sanctuary — the world of men. Determined to win mankind over to their respective causes, the forces of good and evil wage a secret war for mortal souls. This is the tale of the Sin War — the conflict that would forever change the destiny of man.
Three thousand years before the darkening of Tristram, Uldyssian, son of Diomedes, was a simple farmer from the village of Seram. Content with his quiet, idyllic life, Uldyssian is shocked as dark events rapidly unfold around him. Mistakenly blamed for the grisly murders of two traveling missionaries, Uldyssian is forced to flee his homeland and set out on a perilous quest to redeem his good name. To his horror, he has begun to manifest strange new powers — powers no mortal man has ever dreamed of. Now, Uldyssian must grapple with the energies building within him — lest they consume the last vestiges of his humanity.
Bent on destroying the evil cult of the Triune, Uldyssian does not yet suspect that Inarius — secret Prophet of the Cathedral of Light — has been subtly aiding his quest. Obsessed with restoring Sanctuary to its former glory, Inarius has been playing Uldyssian against the two great religions in a reckless attempt to topple them both. But another player has slipped back into the equation. The demon Lilith, once Inarius’s lover, seeks to use Uldyssian as her own pawn in a scheme to turn humans into an army of naphalem — godlike beings, more powerful than any angel or demon, who could overturn all Creation and elevate Lilith to supreme being.
The demon-backed Triune has fallen. All that now stands in Uldyssian’s path to freeing humanity is the Cathedral of Light and its charismatic leader the Prophet. But the Prophet is actually the renegade angel Inarius, who sees the world he created as his uncontested domain. Facing a cunning foe that would just as readily see Sanctuary destroyed than let it slip from his grasp, Uldyssian is blind to the others who would possess his world. Both the Burning Hells and the High Heavens now know of Sanctuary…and their warring hosts of demons and angels will stop at nothing to claim it.
An original tale of swords, sorcery, and timeless struggle based on the bestselling, award-winning M-rated computer game from Blizzard Entertainment. Intended for mature readers.
Speculation
It’s really good for Diablo III players who haven’t yet read The Sin War to read it in this Diablo the Sin War Archive
Medievaldragon: How much of the book is creation of yours, and how involved is Chris Metzen behind the canon storyline of Diablo: The Sin War Trilogy? Do you think the ramifications of this book impact in the storyline of Diablo 3 the game?
Knaak: This is a pure collaboration between myself and Chris Metzen/Blizzard. All that is written is passed by him and the others there. This will be canon and has adjusted earlier info. The ramifications here will be used for any future project … and I ain’t writing for a dead game. I am not writing for a dead world … but a world with dead. ‘nuff said!
This novel was the first time Malthael was ever mentioned, along with the Angiris Council angels. That tells you some of what we will see in Diablo III: Reaper of Souls may have been designed long ago with The Sin War novel as the fountain from where most plots in Diablo III and its expansions spin around.
During our recent GamesCom 2013 interview with Josh Mosqueira and Kevin Martens, they mentioned Diablo III: Reaper of Souls will take us to Westmarch, Bloodmarch and the Pandemonium Fortress.
None of the plot of what players will be doing at Pandemoinum Fortress was revealed, but if you remember, in Diablo II players go into the Pandemonium Fortress where Tyrael provides three quests that lead you into the Burning Hells. The first quest deals with “The Fallen Angel” Izual in the outskirts of the Burning Hell.
There might be other motives for Malthael to wish to bring the Black Soulstone with all Prime Evils and Lesser evils contained within to the Pandemonium Fortress.
Either Malthael is going there to transfer the spirits of the Evils into the Worldstone — considering Diablo had some weird secret plan by tainting the Crystal Arch (part of Anu). The Worldstone is also known as Anu’s eye. Hint-hint. The evils were parts that spawned from Tathamet the dragon. This story is from Diablo III: Book of Cain
Or what if the visit to the Pandemonium Fortress is to enter the Burning Hells? What if Malthael’s goal is to rescue Angel Inarius to reset creation? That could fit well with the next expansion featuring Angel Inarius as the next villain.
Coincidence? Around the time this Diablo: The Sin War Archive ships, is also coming out a brand-new Diablo III novel titled Diablo III: Storm of Light by Nate Kenyon.
