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The '''story line''' of [[Diablo III]] is mostly unknown to us at this point. We know it takes place twenty years after a few powerful heroes saved [[Sanctuary]] from the demonic onslaught in [[Diablo II]].
==Diablo III's Story-Telling Tools and Approach==
The developers have often spoken of the goals and tactics they'll use to incorporate story into Diablo III. They're aware that while some players read every NPC dialogue and really get into the lore and plot, a lot of players simply click through every dialogue in their rush to kill more monsters. The developers therefore try to incorporate an interesting story, and allow the key points to be absorbed very quickly, while providing more depth and detail for players who want that.
==Diablo III's Story and Setting==
Though the developers have shared few details about the game's plot, the basics are known.
The demonic invasion 20 years ago (events depicted in Diablo II and its expansion) affected very few people, most of whom are now dead or insane. As such hardly anyone living knows what actually happened with [[Mephisto]], [[Diablo]], [[Baal]] and the destruction of the [[Worldstone]].
The few people who do know the details, such as [[Deckard Cain]], are disbelieved and marginalized. While most humans are aware of magic and demons in a general sense, the bulk of humanity on [[Sanctuary]] has no idea of how perilous their existence is, with the forces of Hell (apparently) poised to invade the mortal realm.
Twenty years ago, [[Tyrael]] did destroy the Worldstone, but he has not been seen since. Scholars who knew of the crucial events expected demons to begin pouring into the mortal world after that, since the Worldstone which kept them largely at bay was destroyed.
This has not happened, and no one in Sanctuary knows why not. Jay Wilson hinted[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/jay-wilson-interview-eurogamers/] that this is part of a ruse by the Burning Hells, to let humanity *think* they've defeated evil and no longer need keep their guard up.
It is known that [[Belial]] will appear in the game, as will [[Diablo]]. Where and how those two demons will be faced is not known.
<blue>If the player thinks they outsmarted the forces of Hell and evil and they basically won, well, they are in for a big shock. Because what they are going to discover in Diablo3 is that things have gone pretty exactly the way Hell wanted them to go all along.</blue>
===The Black Soulstone===
[[File:Black-soulstone-painting.jpg|thumb|250px|The Black Soulstone painting.]]
Another element was added to the story with the sighting of a painting of a "[[Black Soulstone]]" in April 2011. The painting hangs in the Diablo III section of the Blizzard Irvine art gallery, and is a recent work (2010 by [[Bernie Kang]]. How it fits into the game's plot is unknown. Blizzard has offered no comment on the object/painting. Not even one of Bashiok's usual cutely-cryptic remarks.
Fan speculation has run rampant and there is no consensus, but many fans feel the Black Soulstone is a shard of the Worldstone, which Tyrael shattered after Baal's death. Why it's black, where it's located, and what it's been doing for the past twenty years is entirely unknown.
One theory holds that [[Tyrael]] was imprisoned in a shard of the Worldstone, perhaps this black one, and that's why he has not been seen since. There's no known lore to support Angels being trapped in soulstones (as Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal were), but it a soulstone can contain the essence of a demon while its trespassing on the mortal realm, why not an Archangel?
<br>
==Story by Acts==
A quick summary of what'''s known, with some educated speculation added to flesh things out. ===Act One:''' ===Events in Diablo III kick off with the fiery comet, shown in the [[Cinematic:_WWI_2008|Cinematic Introduction]], that comes crashing down through the roof of the Tristram Cathedral. This event is witnessed by [[Leah]] and possibly Deckard Cain as well, and soon after this event the demons and undead within the catacombs below the Cathedral are awakened. The first Act of Diablo III will consist primarily of characters battling monsters below the Cathedral, including the [[Skeleton King]].
===Act Three===Act Three takes place largely in the Barbarian lands of the far north, including the Arreat Crater. The demon invasion truly begins at this point, with players tasked with aiding the human defenders in repelling a demonic siege of [[Bastion'''s Keep]]. ===Act Four '''remains === The setting and events of the final act remain a complete mystery. However, The only clues so far released came from the developers have said stating that the overall game structure of Diablo III will largely follow that of Diablo II, with the final act more of a finale than another full-sized act. Thus a return to Hell, taking the battle directly to the home of the invaders, is not out of the question. In any event, it seems like the story and plot of Act Three will point directly towards a fairly brief and linear experience in the final act. (Until the expansion. And the second expansion.)
The events of Diablo 3 pick up twenty years later, shortly after a fiery meteor falls from the sky and crashes into the Tristram Cathedral, blasting a deep hole down into the catacombs below. It's not known if the meteor is the source of the demonic evil, or if perhaps the meteor brings a hero to fight the demons, which rise to challenge him/it. (Common rumor speculates that [[Tyrael]] falls to Sanctuary in the form of the fiery meteor.)
==The End of Diablo Story?==
<blue><font color="#FFFFFF">In the game, are there any choices for players to make that will affect the later part of the game? Like a split story lines in Starcraft 2, but with a fixed ending.</font><br>
Jay Wilson: No, because of the dynamic nature of the game and the fact that the game is cooperative. Those things really fight against a multiple story line. Because if you got other people who are in the same game, what if they made a different choice than you, and can not see their options? So we’ve tried to keep everyone on the same track, mostly to support cooperative, since that’s one of our primary focuses, so we wanted to make sure not to include any feature in the game that can't play cooperatively in some way.</blue>
==Important Lore Terms==
* [[Burning Hells]] - Home of all [[Demon]]s.
* [[High Heavens]] - Home of all [[Angel]]s
* [[Nephalem]] - The first humans, the children of the demon [[Lilith]] and the angel [[Illidian]]. The joint-heritage of the Nephalem gave them the potential to become stronger than either angels or demons, but the Worldstone blocked and retarded that potential. Now that 20 years have passed since the Worldstone was shattered, it is possible that some humans are regaining their former might.
