That previous line, in another form, should bring many memories to whoever played the original Diablo, and I found it fitting to what I’m about to write. The reasoning shouldn’t be hard to guess. Now, the things I’m going to be looking at in this post will probably not result in a real “guesstimate” of Diablo III’s storyline, but more as my interpretation of what has happened before, and … ok, maybe a small bit of guessing.

To keep this a bit organized, I’ll focus on some different categories, and go into depths with those, one at a time, while trying to keep them as seperated as possible. Obviously, as you may see, there’s some subjects that could easily be discussed as well, but these are atleast the main points of my thinking, so far. It’s not like I’ll leave this subject behind for good. Also, I’m aware that much of this might seem deep for most, but that’s mainly because I’m leaving out some of the “less imporant” stuff.

– Adria the Witch:
Shortly put, she was a mysterious witch, that appeared in the first Diablo game. She was somehow a riddle to most of the townsfolk, as she seemingly first settled down when the troubles of the Cathedral started. Her fate is unknown, but believed by many to be dead, as most of the townsfolk of Tristram were.

This is going to be a bit different from the other entries, as she doesn’t really connect with the other points I’m going to be making. However, I instantly came to think of her when watching the released cinematic. The reason is the young girl, but naturally it can’t be her, mainly because of her age. Adria, if still alive, should be atleast 40 years old. She does, however, seem to know about the art of a witch. Could this young girl perhaps be the daughter of Adria? If Adria had given birth not long after the events of Diablo I, then her age matches pretty well. Someone named Leah is also mentioned in the gameplay trailer, when Cain is leaving by Town Portal. Curious, if you ask me.

– The Worldstone:
Very little is in fact known about this mysterical stone, except that it was created by Inarius to keep Sanctuary hidden from both Heaven and Hell, after he had created Sanctuary. Other properties are unknown, but Baal obviously sensed it, as it was made his goal to corrupt it. What happened after Tyrael destroyed it, is not yet known.

The destruction of the Worldstone would naturally, if it’s purpose was correct, reveal Sanctuary. What riddles me, is that the Worldstone probably wasn’t working as intended (sorry, I had to do that line), as the Prime Evils were found roaming around before being captured. Would the destruction ease the passage of “visitors” for either above and/or below? Would it cause a hidden overlapse, or simply seal of the three parts completely? The 20 years that passed between Diablo II and III seemingly didn’t have any significant visual impact, but something must have happened. I could delve deeper into the background of Sanctuary, but I’ll keep that till some other time.

– Tyrael:
Tyrael is an archangel of the Heavens, which lately resolved to go with his own cause, instead of obeying the Heavens, by interfering against Hell. The most notable action, was the creation of the Soulstones (described in the next part), and his set task on keeping the Prime Evils imprisoned within them. Yet, he failed, and chose to destroy the Worldstone, as Baal escaped him. What happened to him afterwards, is not known.

This is probably one of the subjects that was first to submerge after people had completed the Diablo II Expansion. What did happen to Tyrael? Was he corrupted by the Worldstone, or destroyed like the rest of Mount Arreat? He probably survived, in some form, as he’s visible at the offical website, looking like he always did. That doesn’t make him uncorrupted though. But, if the Worldstone didn’t corrupt him, what did? Baal, perhaps…?

– Soulstones and the Prime Evils:
We know that these were the prisons created to contain the Prime Evils (Diablo, Mephisto and Baal), so that they could not create havoc to Sanctuary, and that they were given to the Heavens by Tyrael. The soulstones were later corrupted, with the help of the fallen angel Izual, who was destroyed in Act IV of Diablo II. Diablo and Mephisto’s soulstones were destroyed at the Hellforge by the heroes of Diablo II, sending Diablo and Mephisto back into the abyss. What happened to the soulstone of Baal is unknown, and we’re especially uncertain if it was destroyed.

My theories lead me to believe that, since the evils could obviously exist on Sanctuary without the stones previously, the destruction of them would – ultimately – mean nothing. They managed to get there in the first place, before they got imprisoned, after all. The question is however, was that because they entered from Hell, or were they spawned from the Abyss? It’s seemingly possible to escape from the abyss, but how it is done is unknown.

– Summing Up:
The really interesting part comes when we think of Baal. Eventhough he was killed, his soulstone is unaccounted for, and Tyrael remains a myth. On top of that, Tyrael was the one who started the thing with the soulstones. If he was to be corrupted by Baal, there could probably be a way to bring Mephisto and Diablo back. Would the shattering of the Worldstone affect how even angels (fallen or not), can be affected by these soulstones?

The state of Belial and Azmodan are still unknown. Supposedly they are still fighting a civil war in Hell, but if the breaches have weakened with the Worldstone, what could happen? Since the Prime Evils are out of the way (except, perhaps, Baal), they’re likely to attempt something.

Deckard Cain is a point I wouldn’t want to look at just yet. He’s still alive and kicking, but the website (and it’s lore destription in form of his journal), hints to the fact that something is wrong. He seemingly got affected in Tristram, and was the only one not slain on the spot when the town was overrun. The fact that Diablo III seemingly starts with Tristram can only be said to be very interesting, and will likely reveal alot. I do however doubt that Cain will be turned, that would be sad – but, that wouldn’t necesarily mean that it couldn’t be turned into a good plot twist.

With that, I’m going to end this post, and think further, perhaps read what other people have in thought. Some might have the same theories as me, but I’ve holded myself back from reading them, in order not to be given any ideas, or lead away from my original line of thought. In case I did make an error, do point it out, so I can dimiss some of my ramblings, or modify it to fit.