Blood and Sand

Blood and Sand is the seventh quest of Act II of Diablo III.

Transcript

Core

• Zoltun Kulle: I will give you the Black Soulstone, but in exchange, I must be made whole once again.

• Tyrael: You were treacherous before. How do I know you won’t be an even greater threat once you’ve been fully revived?

• Zoltun Kulle: You don’t. So you must ask yourself… how much would you risk to save this wretched world?

• Tyrael: Everything.

• Zoltun Kulle: Ah, so be it. To begin, you will need to retrieve my blood from the dungeons where it has been hidden away. You will find them in the Desolate Sands beyond the aqueducts.

• Leah: I’m going to go with you. We should bring Kulle’s head with us. Maybe he’ll have something useful to say. I’ll put him in your bag.

• Follower
  • Templar: This is madness! You must know he will betray us!

• Zoltun Kulle: You’re an interesting one, aren’t you? I wonder if your friends know what you truly are...

Class

• • Necromancer: I have no time to entertain our assumptions.

• Zoltun Kulle: Oh, all will be revealed...in time.

• Ssthrass: You will not enter the aqueduct. Lord Belial demands your blood!

• Zoltun Kulle: I can open this gate for you.

• Class
  • Necromancer: You again.

• Emperor Hakan II: No time for pleasantries. I think I may have uncovered Belial’s assumed identity. I’m very close. But here’s what you need to know. To find Kulle’s blood, you’ll need to get through the aqueducts. There are two levers that control the entrance beneath the waterfall.

• Class
  • Necromancer: Something foul came here before us.

• Leah: It’s Belial. So long as he lives, all of Caldeum is under siege.

• Follower
  • Templar: Does he command all of these demons to serve him?

• Leah: Uncle Deckard theorized that the demon lords leave demons in their wake, much like us leaving footprints.

• Class
  • Necromancer: And you agree with him.

• Leah: Yes. The more I study my uncle’s books, the more I realize that even I took his wisdom for granted.

• Follower
  • Templar: I hope Haedrig knows how to remove rust from armored boots.

• Leah: I miss searching for lost artifacts with Uncle Deckard, even though it did have its dangerous side. I can’t tell you how many times I had to drag him away from an army of skeletons because he was fixated on some dusty old tapestry.

• Follower
  • Templar: The Light still guides us even in the darkest of places.

• Leah: The philosopher Kadus said “If you want to know the truth of a city, you need look no further than the state of its infrastructure.”

• Class
  • Necromancer: Then Caldeum is rotting.

• Leah: Yes. And built on secrets.

• Leah: That passage should lead to the Desolate Sands.

• Zoltun Kulle: A secret door hidden behind a waterfall. How imaginative.

• Class
  • Necromancer: What would you have done?

• Zoltun Kulle: You shall see when we get to my archives.

• Covetous Shen: I can’t believe he stuck me in a barrel. Really, it’s quite uncomfortable in here.

• Covetous Shen: Are you still alive out there? Or is it the monsters?

• Covetous Shen: Thank you for releasing me! It was getting a little boring in there! Eh, uh, I-I am seeking a magic crucible that legend says was hidden in these very aqueducts, ahaha. It would be a valuable addition to my jeweler’s tools, ahaha. Help me find it, and I will be greatly indebted to you!

• Covetous Shen: How rude of me. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Covetous Shen!

• Class
  • Necromancer: Only an enemy would name you that.

• Covetous Shen: What? I have no enemies! Everybody loves Shen!

• Covetous Shen: I can’t imagine why my young partner bashed me over the head and sealed me in there. This place is quite dangerous without a knowledgeable guide.

• Class
  • Necromancer: Wait, you were his guide?

• Covetous Shen: Oh, yes, I could show you around the world five times and never stub a toe!

• Covetous Shen: What a fascinating place this is. Look at all this wonderful architecture. You could walk all the way around the world and never find its like. Except for this part. I’ve seen this somewhere else before.

• Covetous Shen: Now I wonder where my young guide go off to. His name was Gavin, I believe. Yes, that was it. Nice young fellow.

• Gavin the Thief The crucible is mine!

• Covetus Shen: Be careful, Gavin. It might be cursed!

• Covetous Shen: The crucible should be safe now. Pick it up. Pick it up!

• Covetous Shen: Poor young man. If I had known the crucible was cursed, I never would have brought him along. If you come see me in Caldeum, I can show you how the crucible can combine jewel fragments, hehe. Well, you know, I have been searching for a certain jewel for a long, long time. I’m in no rush, but maybe if I go with you, I’ll find it just like I found this crucible. May I come with you on your journey and make glorious jewelry for you?

• Class
  • Necromancer: As long as you don’t cause any trouble.

• Covetous Shen: The way out is just a little farther. I am starving! Do you think we’ll find any good food down here?

• Class
  • Necromancer: Highly unlikely.

• Leah: You go on ahead. I’m going back to town. I need to learn the spell needed to restore Kulle’s body. I’ll meet you when you get to the archives.

• Zoltun Kulle: You and I are the same. But those others — the fallen angel, the witch — they’re using you for their own ends. You choose to be their puppet, yet the power of your birthright could make you a god!

• Class
  • Necromancer: I am a priest of Rathma. I serve a greater calling.

• Zoltun Kulle: There’s no need to be snide. Soon enough I’ll walk this world again. Then I’ll show you what a nephalem can achieve!

• Zoltun Kulle: My archives lie beneath this desert, perhaps even beneath the sands we now tread upon. Some of my blood is within that cave. I can feel it...

• Follower
  • Templar: We are well on our way. At this rate, the soulstone will be ours soon.

• Follower
  • Templar: What further trials await us now?

• Zoltun Kulle: In here...I can feel my blood nearby. They hid some of it beyond this portal.

• Follower
  • Templar: It’s hard to believe the Horadrim came to a place like this...

Townsfolk Dialogue (Ancient Waterway)

• Class
  • Necromancer: Have you located Belial?

• Emperor Hakan II: Not yet, but I have some ideas. It is difficult. I have many advisors and other attendants close to me day and night. I will find him.

• Class
  • Necromancer: So you have learned some magic now.

• Emperor Hakan II: They keep a close watch on me. I can’t leave the palace. I stole an amulet from the Vizjerei ambassador; I saw him use it before. But I don’t have much time. You need to find the stone. Leave Belial to me.

• Follower
  • Templar: You saw all the guards he had up there. Just how did he manage to sneak away?

Townsfolk Dialogue (Hidden Camp)

• Covetous Shen: You are looking at me in a very strange manner.

• Class
  • Necromancer: I tire of your games. Tell me who you truly are.

• Covetous Shen: Why would I?

• Class
  • Necromancer: We face a threat that the world has never seen before. If you possess hidden power, it could be of use to all of us in the fights ahead.

• Covetous Shen: It always warms my heart to see absolute certainty in one so young. You must be very brave.

• Class
  • Necromancer: (sigh)

Townsfolk Dialogue (Caldeum Bazaar)

• Villager: I’m starting to think we might survive this after all.

• Villager #2: No thanks to the emperor.

• Villager: I heard there’s someone even more powerful than the emperor on our side — a hero from the west!

• Villager #2: Now you’re dreaming.

• Refugee: Nothing survives in the Desolate Sands.

• Villager: It’s been better around here since we started getting food and water from the Dahlgur Oasis.

• Villager: May the gods bestow their blessings upon you for freeing the Borderlands from the demons.

• Villager: We won’t be out here much longer. Something will happen; mark my words.

• Villager: This has been good for me. For all of us. It has helped us learn to cherish what we do have...

• Villager: Living like this wears on you. I don’t know how much I can take.

• Noblewoman: You should leave this place. The Imperial Guard does not like people they cannot intimidate. You’re a threat to them.

• Sadeir the Innkeeper: It used to be only the drunks talked about demons. I don’t know what’s happening around here anymore.

• Refugee: They won’t break me. I will not give in.

Quest Log

• Part 1
  • Barbarian: Now that we have brought back Zoltun Kulle, I am less certain we have done the right thing. His true intentions are clouded, and I do not trust him. The sooner I can be rid of him, the sooner I will rest easy.
  • Crusader: Zoltun Kulle is completely untrustworthy, and more than a little insane, but I like him. He's a fellow of rare ambition. I'm sure he'll betray me at some point, and I'll be forced to kill him. Until then, it will be interesting to have him around.
  • Demon Hunter: I have had some odd companions on this journey, but none odder than Zoltun Kulle. He is powerful—of that there is no doubt—but he’s also completely untrustworthy. He works solely in his own interest. We will have his aid while it is useful to him and no longer.
  • Monk: Zoltun Kulle travels with me to find his body and his blood. Kulle knows much of this world and of the world that once was. I hope that his knowledge will be helpful.
  • Necromancer: The rest of Zoltun Kulle’s body has been dismembered and scattered within the area. I will give them one thing — the Horadrim were thorough. This will give me some time to see exactly how treacherous Kulle truly is.
  • Wizard: Zoltun Kulle's head is silent no longer. I must admit I find it surreal to speak to a mage of legend, especially one whose knowledge of magic may surpass my own. I have given up on trying to learn anything of value from him, though, Kulle is as irritable and unpleasant as the masters of the Yshari Sanctum.

• Part 2
  • Barbarian: Emperor Hakan found me again. He knows nothing more than before, but he swears he is working as best he can. I am frustrated that our progress is so slow. Nothing has been straightforward since we arrived in Caldeum. This is Belial's work, I am sure.
  • Crusader: Emperor Hakan came to me once more, but he has not accomplished anything. With every action I've taken since arriving in Caldeum, I have felt an unseen hand pushing back against me. Belial. He is a slippery opponent.
  • Demon Hunter: The emperor found a way to appear before me in the aqueducts, but he has not made much progress in his search for Belial. He is still a child, and he is surrounded by the Imperial Guard most of the time. I must focus on what I can accomplish alone.
  • Monk: I received word from the emperor again. He tells me he draws closer to determining the identity of Belial, but perhaps it is just a child's optimism. I will likely have to learn the truth myself.
  • Necromancer: Hakan is trying so very hard to be helpful, which does nothing to allay my suspicions. A darkness lingers around him, and it’s not the amulet he uses. He is up to something, but what is it, exactly?
  • Wizard: I spoke with the emperor again. He assures me he is working hard to uncover Belial's identity, but he's made scant progress. I am not surprised. He is a child, after all. I will most likely need to discover the truth myself.

• Part 3
  • Barbarian: Is there someone in this barrel?
  • Crusader: Is there someone in this barrel?
  • Demon Hunter: Why is there someone in that barrel?
  • Monk: The barrel is talking.
  • Necromancer: A man in a barrel? This is ridiculous.
  • Wizard: There's someone in that barrel.

• Part 4
  • Barbarian: I met an old man named Covetous Shen, who is searching the aqueducts for a relic called a crucible. He is odd, but perhaps following him will lead me out of this place.
  • Crusader: And of course I have encountered another madman. It seems to be my lot in life. This one is called Covetous Shen and he is searching the aqueducts for some relic called a crucible.
  • Demon Hunter: I have made the acquaintance of a man who calls himself Covetous Shen. He has charged me with the unenviable task of locating his lost crucible. I suppose it could be worse. But if this old man is as absentminded as he seems, I find it a wonder he has lived such a long life.
  • Monk: I met a strange man named Covetous Shen. I feel it is my duty to help find this crucible he seeks and then get him out of here, but I wonder if even I can keep him alive. Danger seems drawn to him, and he seems oblivious to it.
  • Necromancer: Covetous Shen is a frivolous man, but there is only one way out of the aqueducts. I must endure his company for the time being.
  • Wizard: I do not know what to make of this Covetous Shen. How did an absentminded old man come to be here? I will help him get this crucible of his and then find the way out of this place, but I do not think it likely he will survive to return to Caldeum. It is unfortunate; he rather amuse me.

• Part 5
  • Barbarian: I am tired of Kulle's voice. I want to be rid of him. somewhere beneath this desert, the Horadrim sealed away his blood, which he claims we will need when we reach his archives. Everyting about this land is puzzles and intrigue. Give me Belial, and I will destroy him. If only it were so simple.
  • Crusader: Somewhere beneath this desert, Kulle's blood was sealed away long ago by the Horadrim. We will need it when we reach his archives, so its recovery is just another step on the path to Belial.
  • Demon Hunter: The company I keep becomes stranger and stranger. First I was subjected to the ramblings of Covetous Shen—if that is truly his name—and now it seems Zoltun Kulle is trying to win me to his side. It won’t work. I’m every bit as stubborn as he is. He ought to save his breath and be done with it.
  • Monk: I wish Kulle would be silent.
  • Necromancer: Between Hakan, Shen, and Kulle, I have no shortage of annoyances. It is not enough to deter me from the task at hand, however. I will recover Kulle’s blood, even if I regret his company every step of the way.
  • Wizard: I had forgotten the heart in the Desolate Sands. I have heard that mad mages and criminals are sometimes sent here to die. It does not surprise me that Zoltun Kulle made his archives out in this desert, far from the city, where few could possibly survive. He claims that this is where the Horadrim sealed his blood away and that we will need it to access his archives. So many diversions! It seems that nothing can be straightforward. And every moment that passes is one more moment for Belial to prepare, for he must know that I am coming.