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Burning Hells

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"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!"

Mephisto(src)

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]

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."

Valla(src)

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 were originally 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."

Mephisto(src)

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] claiming entire realms as their own. Skarn also captured part of Hell as his own domain.[14] By the Darkening of Tristram, Azmodan had held the upperhand in the civil war for quite awhile.[15] By the End of Days, both Azmodan and Belial controlled half of Hell each.[16]

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[17] and crumbled into dust. Hell's invasion had failed, and it had lost its former lords in a single blow in the process.[18]

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 is visited in Diablo Immortal. Predominantly, this is comprised of the Realm of Damnation, which is the final zone of the baseline game. An exception to this is the Domain of Horror, which can be accessed from the Shassar Sea zone, and is apparently separate from the Realm of Damnation.

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."

Adria(src)

The fires of Hell

There are currently eight (known) realms of Hell, each with their correspondent demonic ruler:

With the exception of the Realm of Damnation, each of Hell's realms spawned from one of the seven heads of Tathamet, and each in turn was ruled by one of the seven Great Evils.[9] The Realm of Damnation, ruled by Skarn, formed sometime later, taking shape from "hellish chaos."[14]

Other

References

  1. ↑ Diablerie
  2. ↑ Wrath,
  3. ↑ Diablo II, The Harrowing
  4. ↑ Death Mauler, The Arreat Summit. Accessed on 2014-08-12
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Awakening
  6. ↑ Deckard Cain's Corner, The Arreat Summit. Accessed on 2018-06-14
  7. ↑ Siege Beast, The Arreat Summit. Accessed on 2014-08-12
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 To Hell and Back
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Book of Cain
  10. ↑ Diablo III, Mallet Lord Lore
  11. ↑ Moon of the Spider
  12. ↑ The Veiled Prophet
  13. ↑ Diablo Manual
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 2022-05-09, ZONE PREVIEW: REALM OF DAMNATION. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2022-06-01
  15. ↑ Legacy of Blood
  16. ↑ Diablo III, Act I, The Return to New Tristram
  17. ↑ Diablo III, Act IV
  18. ↑ Diablo III, Act IV Ending Cinematic
  19. ↑ 2020-02-26, DIABLO IV QUARTERLY UPDATE—FEBRUARY 2020. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2020-02-28
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