Librarius Ex-Horadrim Book Two
1. The Lands of Khanduras -
Years after the last of the Horadrim had died, a great and prosperous
society grew in the lands of the west. As time wore on, many eastern pilgrims
settled in the lands surrounding Khanduras and soon establish small,
self contained kingdoms. A few of these kingdoms bickered with Khanduras
over holdings of property or routes of trade. These squabbles did little
to upset the lasting peace of the west, and the great northern kingdom
of Westmarch proved to be a strong ally of Khanduras as the two lands
steadily engaged in ventures of barter and commerce.
During this time, a bold, new religion of the light known as Zakarum
began to spread throughout the kingdom of Westmarch and into many of its
northern principalities. Zakarum, founded in the far east, implored followers
to enter into the light and forsake the darkness that lurked within their
souls. The people of Westmarch adopted the statues of Zakarum as their
sacred mission in the world. Westmarch began to turn towards its neighbors,
expecting them to embrace this "new beginning" as well. Tensions rose
between the kingdoms of Westmarch and Khanduras as the priests of Zakarum
began to preach their foreign dogma whether they were welcomed or not.
It was then that the great northern lord Leoric came unto the
lands of Khanduras and, in the name of Zakarum, declared himself king.
Leoric was a deeply religious man and had brought many knights and priests
with him that comprised his Order of the Light. Leoric and his trusted
advisor, the Arch Bishop Lazarus, made their way to the city of Tristram.
Leoric appropriated the ancient, decrepit monastery on the outskirts
of the town for his seat of power and renovated it to match its time-lost
glory. Although the free people of Khanduras were not pleased with being
placed under the sudden rule of a foreign king, Leoric served them with
justice and might. Eventually, the people of Khanduras grew to respect
the kind Leoric, sensing that he sought only to guide and protect them
against the oppression of darkness.
2. The Awakening -
Not long after Leoric took possession of Khanduras, a power long
asleep awakened within the dark recesses beneath the Monastery. Sensing
that freedom was within his grasp, Diablo entered the nightmares of the
arch-bishop and lured him into the dark, subterranean labyrinth. In his
terror, Lazarus raced throughout the abandoned hallways until he at last
came to the chamber of the burning soulstone. No longer in command of his
body or spirit, he raised the stone above his head and uttered words long
forgotten in the realms of mortals. His will destroyed, Lazarus shattered
the soulstone upon the ground. Diablo once again came into the world of
man. Although he was released from his imprisonment within the soulstone,
the Lord of Terror was still greatly weakened from his long sleep and
required an anchor to the world. Once he had found a mortal form to wear,
he could begin to reclaim his vastly depleted power. The great demon weighed
the souls residing in the town above, and chose to take the strongest
of them---that of King Leoric.
For many months King Leoric secretly fought the evil presence
that twisted his thoughts and emotions. Sensing that he had been possessed
by some unknown evil, Leoric hid his dark secret from his priests, hoping
that somehow his own devout righteousness would be enough to exorcise
that corruption growing inside him---he was sorely mistaken. Diablo stripped
away the core of Leoric's being, burning away all honor and virtue from
his soul. Lazarus too, had fallen under the sway of the demon, keeping
close to Leoric at all times. Lazarus worked to conceal the plans of his
new master from the Order of Light, hoping that the demon's power would
grow, well concealed amongst the servants of Zakarum.
The priests of Zakarum and the citizenry of Khanduras recognized
the disturbing change within their liege. His once proud and rugged form
became distorted and deformed. King Leoric became increasingly deranged
and ordered immediate executions of any who dared to question his methods
or authority. Leoric began to send his knights to other villages to bully
their townspeople into submission. The people of Khanduras who had once
grown to see great honor in their ruler began to call Leoric the Black
King.
Driven to the brink of madness by the Lord of Terror, King Leoric
slowly alienated his closest friends and advisors. Lachdanan, captain of
the Knights of the Order of Light and honored champion of Zakarum, tried
to discern the nature of his King's deteriorating spirit. Yet at every
turn the arch-bishop Lazarus would waylay Lachdanan and admonish him from
questioning the actions of the King. As tensions grew between the two,
Lazarus charged Lachdanan with treason against the kingdom. To the priests
and knights of Leoric's court, the prospect of Lachdanan committing treason
was ridiculous. Lachdanan's motives were honorable and just, and soon
many began question the reason of their once beloved King.
Leoric's madness was growing more obvious with each passing day.
Sensing that the advisors of the court were becoming increasingly suspicious
of foul treachery, Lazarus desperately sought to contain the eroding
situation. The arch-bishop masterfully convinced the delusional Leoric
that the kingdom of Westmarch was plotting against him, secretly planning
to dethrone him and annex Khanduras into its own lands. Leoric flew into
a rage and summoned his advisors to his side. Manipulated by the arch-bishop,
the paranoid king declared a state of war between the kingdoms of Khanduras
and Westmarch.
Leoric ignored the warnings and admonishments of his advisors
and the royal army of Khanduras was ordered to the north to engage in
a war that they did not believe in. Lachdanan was appointed by Lazarus
to lead the armies of Khanduras into Westmarch. Although Lachdanan argued
against the necessity of the coming conflict, he was honor-bound to uphold
the will of his king. Many of the high priests and officials were forced
to travel to the north as emissaries on errands of diplomatic urgency,
as well. The desperate ploy of Lazarus had succeeded in sending many of
the King's more "troublesome" advisors to their certain deaths...
3. The Darkening of Tristram -
The absence of prying advisors and inquisitive priests left Diablo
free to assume total control over the king's battered soul. As the Lord
of Terror attempted to strengthen his hold upon the maddened king, he
found that the lingering spirit of Leoric fought with him still. Although
the control over Leoric that Diablo held was formidable, the demon knew
that in his weakened state he could never take complete possession of
his soul as long as a glimmer of his will remained. The demonlord sought
a fresh and innocent host upon which to build his terror.
The demon relinquished his control over Leoric, but the king's
soul was left corrupted and his mind crazed. Diablo began to search
throughout Khanduras for the perfect vessel to act as his focus, and found
such a soul easily within his reach. Enjoined by his dark master, Lazarus
kidnapped Albrecht---the only son of Leoric---and dragged the terrified
youth down into the blackness of the labyrinth. Flooding the boy's defenseless
mind with the essence of pure terror, Diablo easily took possession of
the young Albrecht.
Pain and fire raced through the child's soul. Hideous laughter
filled his head and clouded his thoughts. Paralyzed with fear, Albrecht
felt the presence of Diablo within his mind as it seemed to push him down,
deeper and deeper into darkness and oblivion. Diablo gazed upon his surroundings
through the eyes of the young prince. A lustful hunger still tortured
the demon after his frustrating bout for control over Leoric, but the
nightmares of the boy provided ample substance to sate him. Reaching deep
into Albrecht's subconscious, Diablo ripped the greatest fears of the
child from their hiding places and gave them breath.
Albrecht watched, as if out of a dream, twisted and disfigured
forms appeared all around him. Unholy, writhing visages of terror danced
about him chanting choruses of obscenities. All of the "monsters" that
he had ever imagined or believed that he had seen in his life became flesh
and were given life before him. Large bodies comprised of living rock
erupted from the walls and bowed to their dark master. The ancient, skeletal
corpses of the Horadrim arose from archaic crypts and lumbered off into
the red washed corridors beyond. As the cacophony of madness and nightmares
hammered its final blow against Albrecht's spirit, the blood-lusted ghouls
and demons of his mind scattered and scrambled maniacally into the lengthening
passageways of his waking nightmare.
The ancient catacombs of the Horadrim had become a twisted labyrinth
of raw, focused terror. Empowered by Diablo's possession of young Albrecht,
the creatures of the boy's own imagination had gained corporeal form.
So strong was the terror that grew inside of Albrecht, that the borders
of the mortal realm began to warp and tear. The burning hell began to
seep into the world of man and take root within the labyrinth. Beings
and occurrences displaced by time and space, and long lost to the history
of man were pulled screaming into the ever-expanding domain.
The body of Albrecht, fully possessed by Diablo, began to distort
and change. The small boy grew and his eyes blazed as tendril-like spines
ripped through his flesh. Great, arched horns erupted from Albrecht's
skull as Diablo altered the form of the child to match that of his demonic
body. Deep within the recesses of the labyrinth, a growing power was being
harnessed. When the moment was right, Diablo would venture once more into
the mortal world and free his captive brothers Mephisto and Baal. The
prime evils would be reunited, and together they would reclaim their rightful
place in hell.
4. The Fall of the Black King -
The war against the zealous armies of Westmarch ended with a horrible
slaughter. With the army of Khanduras ripped to shreds by the superior
numbers and defensive positions of Westmarch, Lachdanan quickly gathered
together those who were not captured or killed and ordered a retreat back
to the safety of Khanduras. They returned to find the town of Tristram
in shambles.
King Leoric, deep within the thrones of madness, went into a rage
when he learned that his son was missing. After scouring the village with
the few guards that remained within at the monastery, Leoric had decided
that the townsfolk had abducted his son and hidden him somewhere. Although
the townsfolk denied any knowledge of Prince Albrecht's whereabouts,
Leoric insisted that they had crafted a conspiracy against him, and that
they would pay the price for such treachery.
The mysterious disappearance of the arch-bishop Lazarus left no
one in Tristram with whom the king would take council. Overcome by grief
and dementia, Leoric had many of the townsfolk executed for the crime
of high treason.
As Lachdanan and his fellow survivors returned to confront their
king, Leoric sent his few remaining guards against them. Believing that
Lachdanan was somehow part of the townsfolk's conspiracy, Leoric decreed
that he and his party were to die. Lachdanan, finally realizing that Leoric
was beyond salvation, ordered his men to defend themselves. The ensuing
battle carried them down into the very halls of the darkened monastery,
bringing a final desecration to the once holy sanctum of the Horadrim.
Lachdanan won a bittersweet victory as his men were forced to kill all
of Leoric's deceived protectors. They cornered the ravenous king within
his own sanctuary and begged him to explain the atrocities he had committed.
Leoric only spat at them and cursed them for traitors against both his
crown and the light.
Lachdanan walked slowly towards his king and sorrowfully drew
his sword. Full of grief and rage, all honor having been cast to the winds,
Lachdanan ran his blade through Leoric's shriveled, blackened heart. The
once noble king screamed an unearthly death-cry, and as his madness finally
overtook him, he brought down a curse upon those who had so betrayed him.
Calling upon the forces of darkness that he had spent his entire life
combating, Leoric condemned Lachdanan and the others to eternal damnation.
In that last, fleeting moment within the heart of the monastery, all that
was ever virtuous or honorable about the stewards of Khanduras was shattered
forever.
5. The Reign of Diablo -
The Black King lay dead, slain at the hands of his own priests
and knights. The young Prince Albrecht was still missing, and the proud
defenders of Khanduras were no more. The people of Tristram looked about
their lifeless town and were greatly dismayed. Awash in feelings of both
relief and remorse, they soon realized that their troubles had merely
begun. Strange, eerie lights appeared in the darkened windows of the monastery.
Misshapen, leathery-skinned creatures were seen venturing forth from the
shadows of the church. Horrible, wounded cries seemed to linger in the
wind, emanating from deep underground. It became apparent that something
quite unnatural had infested the once holy sight...
Travelers on the roads surrounding Tristram were accosted by cloaked
riders that seemed to now constantly roam the deserted countryside. Many
villagers fled Tristram, making their way to other towns or kingdoms,
fearing some unnamed evil that seemed to wait in the shadows all around
them. Those few chose to remain seldom ventured out at night, and never
tread foot upon the grounds of the cursed monastery. Whispered rumors
of poor, innocent people being abducted in the night by wicked, nightmarish
creatures filled the halls of the local inn. With no king, no law, and
no army left to defend them, many of the townsfolk began to fear an attack
from the things that now dwelt beneath their town.
The arch-bishop Lazarus, frayed and disheveled, returned from
his absence and assured the townsfolk that he too had been ravaged by
the growing evil of the monastery. With their desperate need for reassurance
clouding their good judgement, Lazarus whipped the townspeople into a
frenzied mob. Reminding them that Prince Albrecht was still unaccounted
for, he persuaded many of the men to follow him into the depths of the
monastery to search for the boy. They gathered torches and soon the night
air glowed with the flickering light of hope. They armed themselves with
shovels, picks and scythes and so prepared, they boldly followed the treacherous
arch-bishop straight into the fiery maw of hell itself...
The few who survived the horrible fate that awaited them returned
to Tristram and recounted what they could of the ordeal. Their wounds
were terrible, and even the skills of the healer could not save some of
them. As the stories of demons and devils spread, a stifling, primal terror
began to consume the hearts of all the town's inhabitants. It was a terror
that none of them had ever known...
Deep beneath the foundations of the ruined monastery, Diablo gorged
himself upon the fears of the mortals above him. He slowly sank back into
the welcoming shadows and began to harness his depleted power.
He smiled to himself in the sheltering darkness, for he knew that
the time of his final victory was fast approaching...
The Nature of the Soulstones
It was long ago that the enigmatic arch-angel Tyrael bestowed
upon us the secrets of the mysterious soulstones. Tyrael bequested upon
our order three of these stones so we could contain the vile essences
of the three prime evils who had been let loose upon our world. Altough
the artifacts were constructed in realms far removed from our own, we
found that they are simple to understand.
These soulstones effect only beings that are non-coporeal and
thus have no power over living, breathing creatures. When invoked, the
soulstones bring into being a spiritual vacuum. Any non-physical entities
caught within this vacuum are drawn into the burning recesses of the
soulstone and are forever trapped within. These spirits are released only
when the soulstone is deactivated or destroyed.
The power of the soulstones proved to be much more difficult to
employ when used against the great prime evils. Voraciously disposed to
possessing hapless mortals, the three brothers found that they were immune
to the effects the stones while occupying human souls. Sadly, we were
forced tp hunt down and kill the innocent victims of the prime evils so
that their demonic essences could be subject to the effects of the soulstones.
Mephisto and Diablo, once found, were easily lured into the soulstones.
The capture of their brother Baal, however, became complicated when the
soulstone that was to be his eternal prison was shattered and fragmented.
We found that while the shards still held the power to lure the demon
to them, they could not properly contain it. Tal Rasha, a fellow initiate
who has since been immortalized in Horadrim lore, theorized that a mortal
of strong will might be able to Baal within his own mortal soul. This
sacrifice meant that the essence of any mortal so chosen would be forever
tortured while locked in eternal conflict with the enthralled demon. To
this end, Tal Rasha volunteered to contain the raging Lord of Destruction.
Piercing his breast with a shard of the soulstone, Tal Rasha took
within himself the essence of Baal, the Lord of Destruction. The initiate's
body was shackled, chained, and buried deep within a tomb under the desert.
The sacrifice of Tal Rasha kept Baal imprisoned for many years now. And
Altough the demon was imprisoned without the use of a whole soulstone,
we believe that our victory mat be a hollow one. Should Tal Rasha ever
escape, he would have the formidable powers of Baal added to his own.
By ridding the world of this present evil, we may have created a nightmare
worse than that which we first sought to contain.
Does that help?(oh it was copied off
this faq)
