"The skies shall rain fire, and the seas will become as blood. The righteous shall fall before the wicked, and all of Creation shall tremble before the burning standards of Hell!"
The Burning Hells
The Burning Hells, otherwise referred to as the Underworld, Netherworld,[1] or simply Hell, are the birthplace of demonkind and the opposing realm of the High Heavens. All demons have their point of origin here and if struck down, will reform in time,[2] namely from the Black Abyss.[3]
Contents
Lore
"I see the landscape of my nightmares before my waking eyes. The spikes, the flames, the hot ash in the air...All is as I have beheld it in my terrifying dreams."
A mortal inside Hell
A network of subterranean caverns runs throughout Hell.[4] Molten rivers flow throughout the realm,[5] numerous mesas feature,[6] and Hell features "vast planes" across which Siege Beasts rampage.[7] Hell is cloaked in perpetual twilight, and carries the stench of sulfur. To mortals, walking into Hell is like walking into a blast furnace. Much of Hell has a high temperature, but not so high that humans cannot withstand it (albeit with discomfort). Hell is said to have "corrosive influence," and this can be seen in the ruins that dot the realm. A series of thoroughfares connect Hell, which are overseen by Guardians.[8]
An entrance to Hell
The Hells are divided into seven realms, each corresponding to one of the Great Evils,[9] and can geographically be distinguished between upper and lower regions.[8] Every level of Hell exists in a void, with 200 feet separating each level from each other. No walls mark the edge of Hell, and flying creatures frequently travel between Hell's levels.[8] The seven realms are located in the center of Hell, while the outer reaches of Hell are controlled by the Mallet Lords.[10]
Hell is rife with war, both external and internal.[5] The souls of the most ruthless, hate-filled and aggressive soldiers of mortal wars often come to reside in Hell, residing in fires of eternal punishment.[8]
At times, over the centuries, Hell and Sanctuary touch each other in a manner that allows the summoning of demons into the mortal realm to be easier than it might otherwise be.[11]
History
"Soon, all places shall be as Hell."
Like all of Creation, Hell was created in the final battle between Anu and Tathamet, the corpse of the latter giving rise to the realm and demons erupting from it as maggots would from a corpse. Unlike Heaven, which has clearly defined borders, the realms of Hell were constantly shifting, the realms of influence varying under the seven Great Evils. Like Heaven though, Hell was indeed a physical location within the universe,[9] though on the occasion that demonic incursions were launched against Sanctuary en masse, demons erupting from the ground is a common M.O.[12]
A gateway to Hell from Sanctuary
It was due to Sanctuary's existence that Hell fell into internal conflict. Even after the Sin War, the Prime Evils believed that humans could be converted to their creed, while the Lesser Evils saw their focus on humanity as an unwanted deviation from the Great Conflict. The result was a civil war that resulted in the Dark Exile, though in the aftermath, Azmodan and Belial broke their alliance and fought one another.[13] By the Darkening of Tristram, Azmodan had held the upperhand in the civil war for quite awhile.[14] By the End of Days, both Azmodan and Belial controlled half of Hell each.[15]
It was at this point that the status quo changed. Diablo had managed to gather the essences of the six other Great Evils into himself and after calling all the legions of Hell to his side, assaulted the High Heavens. However, he was struck down[16] and crumbled into dust. Hell's invasion had failed, and it had lost its former lords in a single blow in the process.[17]
In-game
Diablo I
In Diablo, the lower levels of the Tristram Cathedral are essentially Hell 'spilling over,' for all intents and purposes.
Diablo II
In Diablo II, Hell is explored in Act IV.
The Hells seem to be similar to that described in Greek mythology, with the paths being made of black stone surrounded by lava and filled with horrible monsters and forgotten sinful souls trapped in their fate. Living up to its name, it is a nightmare.
There are numerous ruined structures through the Hells, some of which are adorned with stained glass windows, which have been infused with evil.
Diablo Immortal
Hell will be visited in Diablo Immortal.[18]
Diablo III
Arreat Crater
Hell appears in the end of Act III of Diablo III, as the Realm of Sin 'spills over' into the Arreat Crater.
In Act IV, the player(s) must destroy Diablo's demonic portals, which brings them into the Burning Hells. Lastly, when fighting Diablo himself, the Prime Evil turns to his true form and pulls his foe(s) into the Realm of Terror.
Diablo IV
Hell will be explorable in Diablo IV.[19]
Known Locations
Realms
"Seven Evils spawned from seven heads. Seven realms birthed from death. Infested, unending, cycles upon cycles."
The fires of Hell
These are the seven realms of Hell, each corresponding to one of the Great Evils:
- Realm of Anguish (Andariel)
- Realm of Destruction (Baal)
- Realm of Hatred (Mephisto)
- Realm of Lies (Belial)
- Realm of Pain (Duriel)
- Realm of Sin (Azmodan)
- Realm of Terror (Diablo)
Other
- Armories of Hell (weapon/armor storage area)
- Black Abyss (birthplace of demons)
- Chaos Sanctuary (located in the Realm of Terror)
- City of the Damned (unknown realm)
- Gates of Hell (entrance to Hell)
- Heart of Sin (located in the Realm of Sin)
- Hellforge (located in the Realm of Destruction)
- Outer Steppes (unknown realm, located adjacent to the Pandemonium Fortress)
- Plains of Despair (located in the Realm of Anguish)
- River of Flame (located in the Realm of Destruction)
- Tower of the Damned (located in the Realm of Sin)
References
- ↑ Diablerie
- ↑ Wrath,
- ↑ Diablo II, The Harrowing
- ↑ Death Mauler, The Arreat Summit. Accessed on 2014-08-12
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Awakening
- ↑ Deckard Cain's Corner, The Arreat Summit. Accessed on 2018-06-14
- ↑ Siege Beast, The Arreat Summit. Accessed on 2014-08-12
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 To Hell and Back
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Book of Cain
- ↑ Diablo III, Mallet Lord Lore
- ↑ Moon of the Spider
- ↑ The Veiled Prophet
- ↑ Diablo Manual
- ↑ Legacy of Blood
- ↑ Diablo III, Act I, The Return to New Tristram
- ↑ Diablo III, Act IV
- ↑ Diablo III, Act IV Ending Cinematic
- ↑ 2018-11-03, BlizzCon 2018: Diablo Immortal. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2018-11-04
- ↑ 2020-02-26, DIABLO IV QUARTERLY UPDATE—FEBRUARY 2020. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2020-02-28
Sanctuary — Aranoch • Bakuli Jungle • Bilefen • Dreadlands • Dry Steppes • Fractured Peaks • Greyhollow Island • Hawezar • Ivgorod (defunct) • Kehjistan (defunct) • Marshland • Samauren Empire (defunct) • Scosglen • Skovos Isles • Swamplands • Torajan Jungles • Uie • Western Kingdoms (Entsteig • Khanduras • Westmarch) • Wojahn • Xiansai
Related — Towns
