(src)
Bul-Kathos, the Immortal King, was a great and ancient Barbarian king who organized the Barbarian tribes.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
- Bul-Kathos(src)
Bul-Kathos was born as part of the first generation of nephalem, in later times referred to as the Firstborn. These nephalem wandered the world and adopted numerous philosophies as they spread across it.[1]
Bul-Kathos was present during the Purge, when Lilith began slaughtering her fellow renegade demons and angels. Bul-Kathos's parents were among the dead.[2]
Legends of the Barbarian[]
Fatherhood[]
Generations passed after the Purge. He fathered twin children–Naarah and Hiram. His wife later fell in battle. He became a Barbarian king.[2]
Naarah followed her father's path and became a great fighter, but the ways of their tribe never came naturally to Hiram. They lived in a village near Mount Arreat. Come his children's adulthood, Hiram departed to the Southlands.[2]
A Son's Return[]
On what would be the last day the village stood, Bul-Kathos came across Naarah interrupting children playing "Barbarians and Demons." He told them it was alright to play the game, but to make sure they were "on the right side of the battle." Naarah told her father he was too easy on them, but Bul-Kathos responded that Naarah was too hard on them, for as children, they only had a few years available until they had to take up life's burdens. Neither could agree on whether it was best to take a soft or hard hand in the matter, but they were interrupted by a commotion—Hiram had returned after seven years' absence. Bul-Kathos embraced his son, but Hiram was more reserved.[2]
Bul-Kathos and his children had dinner that night, during which Hiram told them of his journeys in the South. He spoke of the cities of Intium and Edario, how in the latter, he had heard the preaching of Hurit, who praised Lilith, claiming that she would free the nephalem from the tyranny of Heaven and Hell. Bul-Kathos was aghast and lashed out at his son, reminding him of Lilith's slaughter during the Purge. Hiram claimed his father was living in the past, that it was time for the Firstborn to take the Worldstone for themselves. Hiram begged his father to join his cause, hinting at approaching danger, but Bul-Kathos refused to be swayed. Hiram left the village.[2]
Later in the evening, Bul-Kathos reminisced by a fire. He told Naarah that he had overreacted, that come the morn, he would find his son and show him the love of a father, not the anger of a leader. Naarah objected, pointing out that Hiram was no longer a child. That he believed in the dark creed he now followed, and that they should ride on Hiram and whatever 'danger' he had referred to before it was too late. Bul-Kathos refused, and in so doing, doomed his village to destruction, as later that night, Hiram's Zealots attacked. Bul-Kathos ordered Brebas to get the children to safety, while he, his daughter, and fellow Warriors fought against the attackers.[2]
The Zealots paid a heavy toll for their attack and retreated, but the village was razed to the ground. Come the morn, Bul-Kathos was appraised of the toll–twenty wounded, no deaths, but their stores had been lost, and they could not rebuild before the frosts came. Suspecting that Hiram sought Mount Arreat, Bul-Kathos ordered his people to march to the mountain.[2]
A Father's Loss[]
Bul-Kathos's suspicions proved correct, and while the Zealots had the larger force, Bul-Kathos and Naarah led an attack. While the Zealots outnumbered Naarah's force, their attack split the Zealots' forces. The Zealots tried to use their archers, but Bul-Kathos and his forces engaged them separately. This worked, to a point, but the tide began to turn as the Zealots used their Sorcerers and Beastmasters on the Barbarians. Bul-Kathos ordered a retreat, giving his people the advantage of altitude, and placing his Barbarians between the Zealots and Worldstone Chamber.[2]
That night, Bul-Kathos and his fellow Barbarians discussed their strategy. They had a defensible position, but it couldn't be held indefinitely. Bul-Kathos ordered runners to be sent to rally the other tribes. Naarah approved, but pointed out that the longer the conflict dragged on, the more it would shift in the Zealots' favor, as that while the Barbarians had the advantage of height and defense, the Zealots had access to more food via the lowlands. She suggested attacking now before more Zealots could arrive.[2]
Bul-Kathos approved, and told Naarah he was proud to see she'd become a leader. They reminisced over family history, and Naarah assured her father that Hiram was responsible for his own actions. He conceded the point, but stated that Hiram was still his son. Their discussion was interrupted by Brebas, who told them that Hiram had driven a wedge through their lines. That he was making for the Worldstone Chamber. Bul-Kathos wanted to face Hiram, still believing he could be reasoned with, but Naarah lost patience, exclaiming that he was blinded by his love for his son. She stormed off to face her brother, and Brebas stated that Naarah was correct. Bul-Kathos stated that he feared it to be so, but that he still hadn't lost hope for his son. He ordered Brebas to leave him thirty men to confront the attacking Zealots, while Brebas and the rest of them would follow Naarah.[2]
Bul-Kathos held off the attacking Zealots, until he broke ranks and headed to aid his daughter. Inside the Worldstone Chamber, he found Naarah, apparently enthralled by Hiram. During the battle, Naarah's axe passed through him, and Bul-Kathos realized he was fighting an illusion. Naarah was already dead, killed by her brother. Hiram used the opportunity to strike Bul-Kathos with his magic, hitting him with such force that Bul-Kathos was sent flying out of the chamber. However, this pushed Bul-Kathos over the edge. Hiram had betrayed his family, killed his sister, and was a practitioner of magic. Hiram struck Bul-Kathos with a meteor, but the Firstborn still stood. Enraged, he struck the ground with his fists. Struck with such force that the entire mountain shook. Falling into a berserker rage, Bul-Kathos slaughtered the attacking Zealots. Discarding his sword, he struck the ground again, sending Hiram flying.[2]
Bul-Kathos advanced on his son. Terrified, Hiram begged for mercy, claiming that he saw the truth. Bul-Kathos spat that this morning, he'd had two children. As he broke Hiram's neck, he then had none. Later, Brebas and his men found Bul-Kathos, cradling the bodies of both his children.[2]
Brebas later found Bul-Kathos. He summized the fears that he and Brebas shared. The Zealots would not give up, and there would be more like her. Lilith's words lingered in Sanctuary, and there would always be those willing to fight and die for her. Furthermore, the Worldstone was too powerful a prize for many to resist. He ordered Brebas to again send out riders, this time to every tribe. It would be the duty of their people to protect Arreat and the Worldstone that lay within. They would make their home on the slopes of the mountain, and to their last breath, defend the artifact.[2]
The Vigil[]
- Bul-Kathos(src)
Sharing a strong bond with Fiacla-Géar (a brother or close confidant, depending on the source), the pair shared the secrets of the Ancients of the mysteries below the peaks of Mt. Arreat, of the venerated task put to their people to protect those mysteries, and of the prophecies regarding the dark times ahead. They both agreed that, in order to fulfill their sacred trust, their people must devote themselves to nothing save that charge. However, they disagreed on exactly how the people could best do this. Bul-Kathos believed that only by bringing the tribes together and training them in strict martial discipline could the tribes faithfully concentrate on their goal for generations to come. Fiacla-Géar, on the other hand, believed that only through obtaining a spiritual oneness with the land they had sworn to protect could the people truly appreciate the importance of their role. Both agreed the other's philosophy had merit, and so around the time Bul-Kathos united the tribes, Fiacla-Géar gathered together a small group consisting of the tribes' greatest warrior-poets and shamans and mysteriously retreated into the forests surrounding the area known as Scosglen.[3] Bul-Kathos made a sacred vow to protect both Mt. Arreat and the Worldstone.[4]
Bul-Kathos's name "was forged in battle,"[2] and he was given reverence by his people. He was given the honor of sitting upon the Immortal Throne, an honor only ever bestowed to one other individual.[5]
At some point, Bul-Kathos did something to himself that allowed him to linger in spirit form.[6] He observed as due to Inarius's meddling with the Worldstone how subsequent nephalem generations became weaker and weaker, eventually becoming the race of humanity.[6]
The Sin War[]
- Bul-Kathos after being awoken.(src)
In the last days of the Sin War, Uldyssian ul-Diomed awoke Bul-Kathos outside Mount Arreat. Bul-Kathos asked Uldyssian whether he knew the names of Fiacla-Géar and Esu. He became slightly more subdued upon witnessing Uldyssian's ignorance, realizing that a thousand years or more had passed since he'd slumbered. He told Uldyssian that Mount Arreat was not his destination, which made the nephalem all the more determined to go there. The two came to blows, though their fight was broken up by Rathma, who informed him that he intended to take Uldyssian into the mountain. Bul-Kathos protested, but Rathma informed him that Lilith had returned to Sanctuary. In an instant, the Barbarian's demeanour changed, and he granted them passage.[6]
Bul-Kathos later took part in the Battle of the Golden Path, fighting alongside other Ancients as they aided the Edyrem in the battle against Heaven and Hell.[7]
The Hydra[]
Centuries ago, Bul-Kathos defeated the first Hydra. The great serpent was said to spawn two heads for everyone that was severed. In order to defeat it, Bul-Kathos supposedly pitched the beast into a roaring bonfire, wresting the fang lose in the process. The fang was later fashioned into a wand.[8]
Legacy[]
(src)
Armor forged in Bul-Kathos's honor
Bul-Kathos is treated as a deity by the Barbarians. They believed his spirit resided within Mount Arreat as part of a last line of defence for any of those who would threaten the Worldstone.[1] It is said that Bul-Kathos will aid those who have earned it.[9]
The term "Immortal King" was also given to the Barbarian Worusk, for his unification of the tribes mirrored Bul-Kathos's historical deed.[10]
Bronze-plated armor was created by an unidentified tribe to honor Bul-Kathos and his battle with the Hydra.[11]
In-game[]
Various in-game items are named after Bul-Kathos. These include Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band, and the Bul-Kathos' Children set.
In Diablo III, more items are named after him: Bul-Kathos's Oath set, Bul-Kathos's Wedding Band ring, and Boon of Bul-Kathos passive skill.
In Diablo IV, players can obtain Brazen Bull armor which references Bul-Kathos.
Personality and Traits[]
"And speaks about it even more!"
- Bul-Kathos and Uldyssian while in combat(src)
Bul-Kathos
Bul-Kathos valued martial discipline.[3] He demonstrated a dry sense of humor and had a particular dislike for the nephalem Esu and those like her.[6] He was (and is) renowned for his immense strength, size, bravery, and fortitude.[1] Despite this, there is evidence that Bul-Kathos was burdened by the weight of his crown, and of his fatherhood of his twin children.[2]
Bul-Kathos was physically imposing, though when Uldyssian observed him his physical appearance and size shifted. One moment his skin was brown like the soil, and his hair the colour of green grass. The next he wore a kilt and sandals with a golden band around his head. In truth, Bul-Kathos's original body had withered away. Only his spirit endured, and dirt and grass had clumped around it, giving him the semblance of a body.[6]
Bul-Kathos despised Lilith, holding her responsible for the slaughter of his parents.[6]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Book of Cain
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 Legends of the Barbarian: Bul-Kathos
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Druid History, The Arreat Summit. Accessed on 2014-03-13
- ↑ Diablo III, Bul-Kathos's Solemn Vow
- ↑ 2015-07-21, PATCH 2.3.0 PREVIEW: RUINS OF SESCHERON. Blizzard Entertainment, Accessed on 2015-07-25
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Scales of the Serpent
- ↑ The Veiled Prophet
- ↑ Diablo III, Serpent's Sparker
- ↑ Diablo III, Boon of Bul-Kathos
- ↑ 2013-12-08, BlizzCon 2013 – Diablo III Lore and Story Q&A Panel Transcript. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2014-03-11
- ↑ Diablo IV, Brazen Bull
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