Blizzard has released a timeline of the Diablo Universe which provides a chronological background for the history of Sanctuary for those who are geeky about lore.
Media galleries have also been updated with four new pieces of artwork and four new screenshots.
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Thanks for the heads up, AlaskanFireDragon.
964
Led by Azmodan and Belial, many of the Hells’ lesser demons rise up against the Prime Evils in a rebellion that culminates in the Dark Exile. Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal are exiled to Sanctuary from the Burning Hells.
App. 1004
The archangel Tyrael gathers together mortal heroes to create the Horadrim. He bestows the Soulstones upon them and tasks them with tracking down and imprisoning the Prime Evils.
1009
Mephisto is captured near the jungles of Kehjistan and imprisoned under a Zakarum temple in what will eventually become Kurast.
1010
Baal is tracked to the desert near Lut Gholein. Tal Rasha, the leader of the Horadrim, sacrifices himself to capture Baal in a damaged Soulstone.
1019
Diablo is finally captured by a group of Horadrim monks led by Jered Cain. The monks bury Diablo’s Soulstone near the river Talsande in Khanduras, and a Horadric monastery with a network of catacombs is built over the burial spot.
1025
The town of Tristram is established around the Horadric monastery.
App. 1080
The Horadric monastery in Tristram is abandoned.
App. 1100
The Horadrim, with no quests left to undertake, fade into history and legend.
1258
The eastern lord Leoric comes to Tristram, declares himself its king, and converts the old, long-unused Horadric monastery to a Zakarum cathedral. His advisor, Archbishop Lazarus, secretly releases Diablo from imprisonment.
King Leoric descends into madness as he valiantly struggles to resist Diablo’s possession.
1263
Increasingly deranged, King Leoric begins imprisoning all who question his authority and executing them as traitors. He declares war on the kingdom of Westmarch.
Under Diablo’s influence, Archbishop Lazarus kidnaps King Leoric’s only son, Prince Albrecht. The terrified child is possessed by Diablo.
Lachdanan, captain of King Leoric’s army, returns from the disastrous war with Westmarch and is forced to kill Leoric. The fallen monarch curses Lachdanan and his followers with his dying breath. Not long afterward, Lachdanan and the king’s guards are attacked by Leoric, resurrected as the Skeleton King, as they attempt to bury him.
Archbishop Lazarus leads a group of villagers into the cathedral and abandons them to a bloodthirsty butcher demon. People begin fleeing Tristram in droves.
A lone hero arrives in Tristram and defeats the bloated, fetid butcher demon.
The hero kills Archbishop Lazarus and defeats the Skeleton King.
Diablo is defeated by the hero, who then tries to contain Diablo within himself. Despite the hero’s noble intentions, his valiant spirit quickly succumbs to Diablo’s corruption. He becomes the Dark Wanderer, leaving Tristram behind shortly before legions of foul demons attack and destroy the town and its inhabitants.
1264
A group of heroes begins a quest to defeat Diablo and his brothers. The heroes defeat the demoness Andariel and journey east, following the Wanderer.
The demon lord Duriel is defeated within the tomb of Tal Rasha; it is discovered that Baal is already free from his Soulstone.
The Dark Wanderer completes his transformation into Diablo; Mephisto is destroyed beneath the jungles of Kurast by the band of heroes.
Diablo is defeated. His Soulstone is destroyed, along with Mephisto’s, upon the Hellforge.
1265
Baal and his army march on Mount Arreat.
The heroes follow Baal to Mount Arreat for the final conflict between man and the last of the Prime Evils. Although the heroes defeat Baal, his demonic army continues to advance.
The angel Tyrael discovers that Baal has succeeded in corrupting the Worldstone housed within Mount Arreat. Realizing that the Worldstone cannot be restored, Tyrael reluctantly destroys it. The resulting explosion destroys Mount Arreat, ravages much of the countryside, and decimates Baal’s army.
