Lesser Evils

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"The Prime Evils are gone. But even the Lesser Evils of the Burning Hells can destroy worlds, should they choose. Some say they are even more dangerous."

- Deckard Cain^(src)

The Lesser Evils are a collective of powerful and influential Demon Lords in the Burning Hells. They are "lesser" when compared to the three Prime Evils, who are their only superiors, but exceptionally powerful in their own right, having proven this by virtue of their roles in the Dark Exile.

Duriel, the Lord of Pain, is the "twin" brother of Andariel. Though Duriel had his part in the Dark Exile, he once again aligned with the Three. Sent to guard Tal Rasha's Chamber. Specializes in heavy melee attacks and uses ice as an aura and has the appearance of a giant bug. His other title is the Maggot King.

Andariel, the Maiden of Anguish, is the "twin" sister of Duriel. Sent to guard the Rogue Monastery by Diablo himself. Specializes in mid range poison attacks but ironically enough is weak against the element of fire. She is the only female member of the Seven and is the first to fall in the series. Her other title is the Demon Queen.

Belial, the Lord of Lies, is one of the leaders of the rebellion against the Three. Uses fire for both phases of his fight with heroes: on the 2nd phase, he'll dig his massive claws into the ground, breathe huge gusts of fel flame and make fiery eruptions. Throughout the game, he possesses Emperor Hakan II during the Scouring of Caldeum as he attempted to claim the Black Soulstone. His other title is the Master of Deception.

Azmodan, the Lord of Sin, is one of the leaders of the rebellion against the Three. Throws fire boulders, summons demon gates to call upon minions, rains dead bodies upon enemies, and calls forth dark magic in a large AoE. Azmodan is said to be a brilliant tactician of the Demonic Army, having almost defeated Archangel Tyrael and the Heavenly Host on many occasions, and considers Belial to be his chief rival. He was also the last Great Evil to be sealed in the Black Soulstone. His other title is the Cardinal of Vices.

History

These are the true names of the lesser of the Great Evils who was born from seven heads of the great dragon Tathamet. For ages uncounted each have ruled over their own domains within the Burning Hells, seeking absolute dominion over their infernal brethren. As the Lesser Four continuously vied for the control of those forces that dwelled within their realms, the Greater Three held absolute power over the whole of Hell. This does not mean that the Lesser Evils are docile servants of the Three. The Lesser Four used dark and evil measures in their quest for power, and at one time managed to overthrow the Greater Three and send them out into the Dark Exile, believing them to have hesitated in the Great Conflict. However, the Lesser Evils were unable to reach a cooperative arrangement as the Greater Three had, and thus, for much of the Dark Exile, the forces of Hell became locked in a civil war, polarized behind either Belial or Azmodan. It is unclear whether Andariel and Duriel took sides in the conflict between Lies and Sin.

In Diablo II, Deckard Cain theorizes that Andariel's presence in the Rogue Monastery is a sign that the Lesser Evils (at least half of them anyway) are once again united behind the Prime Evils, a theory that seems confirmed with the presence of Duriel in Tal Rasha's Chamber. Their new unity did not last, as the Prime Evils, and most of the Lesser Evils, were slain before Hell could be reorganized.

In Diablo III, Azmodan and Belial are the last of the Lesser Evils to be defeated, with the former intending to lead an army to conquer Sanctuary now that he had banished the latter from Hell (thus leaving the Lord of Sin as Hell's de facto ruler, with the Lord of Lies as an opposition leader of sorts). However, both demon lords were eventually sucked into the Black Soulstone as per Diablo's plan all along.

In Diablo III: Reaper of Souls opening cinematic, the Lesser Evils are still trapped in the Black Soulstone along with the Three. When Malthael comes in to take the stone after defeating several Horadrim as well as Tyrael, he shatters the golden bindings keeping the stone in place and proceeds to steal it away. The nephalem heroes proceed to track him down and defeat him, but not before Malthael accidentally releases the Lesser Evils and their Prime brethren back into the world.

Trivia

This section contains facts and trivia relevant to this article.

Unused Lesser Evil model

• A Lesser Evil model was developed by Xin Wang for Diablo III, though it bears no resemblance to any of the Lesser Evils in appearance.

References

Great Evils

Prime Evil — Tathamet
Prime Evils — Baal • Diablo • Mephisto
Lesser Evils — Andariel • Azmodan • Belial • Duriel