Difference between revisions of "Azmodan"

Revision as of 10:08, 3 November 2011

Azmodan, or the Lord of Sin is one of the four Lesser Evils. Azmodan is a major enemy in Diablo III, appearing in at least one of the cinematics (the Black Soulstone cinematic), as well as in the game. No in-game view of Azmodan has been seen yet, but he's known to be the ultimate boss of Act Three, where he serves as the leader of the armies invading Sanctuary through the Arreat Crater.

History

Azmodan's Diablo III profile image.

Belial, the Lord of Lies, is one of the seven Prime Evils. He's classified as one of the four Lesser Evils, along with Belial, Andariel, and Duriel. (The Greater Evils are Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal.) Azmodan is best known for events during the Sin Wars, when his alliance with Belial gave their combined demonic armies enough strength to defeat and banish the three Prime Evils into the mortal realm. (There is some speculation that the Prime Evils engineered their own exile and subsequent capture by the Soul Stones as an elaborate plot to ultimately gain more power.)

Azmodan and Belial's triumph was brief, for they fell back into war with each other as soon as they no longer had to cooperate against the Prime Evils.

From the early information we have about the plot of Diablo III, it seems that Azmodan has become ascendant in the Burning Hells, and is acting as the leader of the realm in leading a massive demonic army to invade Sanctuary; one of the key plot events of Diablo III.

The Lord of Sin

Azmodan in the D3 cinematic.

Azmodan as a physical being is an incarnate of all seven of the deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, price, lust, envy, and gluttony. He also controls powerful demons who personify each of those sins, two of whom will be seen in the initial version of Diablo III.

One of these has long been known, Gluttony Incarnate, the Thousand Pounder. A second was revealed during a BlizzCon 2011 panel as Cydaea, the Maiden of Lust. (Formerly known as the Mistress of Pain.

There's no word on the other five incarnate sins, but it's presumed they will appear in the Diablo III expansions. (Which might hint at future developments; would Azmodan's lieutenants still be formidable enemies if Azmodan himself has been utterly destroyed?)

Belial and Azmodan in the Diablo I Manual

Azmodan is featured alongside Belial in the Diablo I Manual when the civil war between the lesser and prime evils is explained:

In their ignorance, the Lesser Evils began to believe that the Three were afraid to continue the war with Heaven. Frustrated by the cessation of the war, Azmodan and Belial saw the situation as their chance to overthrow the Prime Evils and take control of Hell for themselves. The two demon lords made a pact with their minor brethren, assuring them that the wretched plague of humanity would not deter the ultimate victory of the sons of Hell. Azmodan and Belial devised a plan to end the stalemate, achieve victory in the Sin War and ultimately ride the bloody crest of the Great Conflict straight into the very arms of Armageddon. Thus, a great revolution was set into motion as all of Hell went to war against the Three Brothers...

Concept art for Azmodan.

The Brothers fought with all of the savagery of the Underworld, and to their credit, annihilated a third of Hell’s treacherous legions. In the end, however, they were overcome by the Horned Death led by the traitors Azmodan and Belial. The Prime Evils, weakened and bodiless, were banished to the mortal realm where Azmodan hoped that they would remain trapped forever. Azmodan believed that with the Three set loose upon humanity, the Angels would be forced to turn their focus upon on the mortal plane - thus leaving the Gates of Heaven abandoned and defenseless. Those few demons who still pledged allegiance to the Three Brothers fled the wrath of Azmodan and Belial, escaping to the realm of Man to seek out their lost Masters.

As the warfires died out upon the battlefields of Hell, Azmodan and Belial began to argue over which of them held the higher authority. The pact that they had made quickly fell to ashes as the two demon lords took up arms against each other. The legions of Hell that remained were polarized behind either warlord, launching themselves into a bloody civil war that has lasted to this day...

As seen in the Black Soulstone cinematic.
BlizzCon 2011 poster artwork.
Concept art.
Concept art.
Concept art.
Concept art.
Concept art.
Concept art.
Jack 'o lantern version, from 2011 contest.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[Image:Portrait_azmodan.png|right|thumb|150px|Azmodan, Lord of Sin.]]
+'''Azmodan''', or the '''Lord of Sin''' is one of the four [[Lesser Evils]]. Azmodan is a major enemy in Diablo III, appearing in at least one of the cinematics (the [[Black Soulstone cinematic]]), as well as in the game. No in-game view of Azmodan has been seen yet, but he's known to be the ultimate boss of [[Act Three]], where he serves as the leader of the armies invading Sanctuary through the [[Arreat Crater]].
-'''Azmodan''', or the '''Lord of Sin''' is one of the [[Lesser Evils]] who took over the [[Burning Hells]] along with [[Belial]], after the imprisonment of the [[Prime Evils]]. Not much is known about him.
-A civil war has been raging between Belial and Azmodan for quite sometime, but it appears that Azmodan is the more powerful of the two, commanding large armies that will pour out of the [[Arreat Crater]] in Diablo III.
+==History==
+[[Image:Portrait_azmodan.png|left|thumb|Azmodan's Diablo III profile image.]]
+[[Belial]], the Lord of Lies, is one of the seven Prime Evils. He's classified as one of the four Lesser Evils, along with [[Belial]], [[Andariel]], and [[Duriel]]. (The Greater Evils are [[Diablo]], [[Mephisto]], and [[Baal]].)  Azmodan is best known for events during the Sin Wars, when his alliance with Belial gave their combined demonic armies enough strength to defeat and banish the three Prime Evils into the mortal realm. (There is some speculation that the Prime Evils engineered their own exile and subsequent capture by the Soul Stones as an elaborate plot to ultimately gain more power.)
+Azmodan and Belial's triumph was brief, for they fell back into war with each other as soon as they no longer had to cooperate against the Prime Evils.
+From the early information we have about the [[plot]] of Diablo III, it seems that Azmodan has become ascendant in the Burning Hells, and is acting as the leader of the realm in leading a massive demonic army to invade [[Sanctuary]]; one of the key plot events of Diablo III.
-==History==
+===The Lord of Sin===
+[[File:Azmodan-cinematic1.jpg|thumb|300px|Azmodan in the D3 cinematic.]]
+Azmodan as a physical being is an incarnate of all seven of the deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, price, lust, envy, and gluttony. He also controls powerful demons who personify each of those sins, two of whom will be seen in the initial version of Diablo III.
-[[Belial]], the Lord of Lies, is known to play an operational role in Diablo III, namely in [[Act II]]. Azmodan is also featured in Diablo III but his role is known to a much lesser degree than that of Belial. Belial is known to play a role of deception in Act II which ties in nicely in a thematic sense to the fact that he is the Lord of Lies. However, Azmodan is the Lord of Sin which is much more ambiguous in conception and function. It is likely that any area of the game dealing with his plot will be tailored to the theme of sin, perhaps even nodding to the [[Thousand Pounder]] who is "Gluttony Incarnate" which, gluttony in Christian mythology, is one of the seven cardinal sins (along with wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, and envy).
+One of these has long been known, Gluttony Incarnate, the [[Thousand Pounder]]. A second was revealed during a [[BlizzCon 2011]] panel as [[Cydaea]], the Maiden of Lust. (Formerly known as the [[Mistress of Pain]].
-Belial and Azmodan seem to have a special relationship, as any mention of one usually invokes the mention of the other. They are both lesser evils, but when speaking of the civil war in the Burning Hells, [[Duriel]] (the Lord of Pain) and [[Andariel]] (the Maiden of Anguish) are never mentioned.
+There's no word on the other five incarnate sins, but it's presumed they will appear in the Diablo III expansions. (Which might hint at future developments; would Azmodan's lieutenants still be formidable enemies if Azmodan himself has been utterly destroyed?)
@@ Line 31: / Line 31: @@
 ::In their ignorance, the Lesser Evils began to believe that the Three were afraid to continue the war with Heaven. Frustrated by the cessation of the war, Azmodan and Belial saw the situation as their chance to overthrow the Prime Evils and take control of Hell for themselves. The two demon lords made a pact with their minor brethren, assuring them that the wretched plague of humanity would not deter the ultimate victory of the sons of Hell. Azmodan and Belial devised a plan to end the stalemate, achieve victory in the Sin War and ultimately ride the bloody crest of the Great Conflict straight into the very arms of Armageddon. Thus, a great revolution was set into motion as all of Hell went to war against the Three Brothers...
+[[File:Azmodan-BC2011.jpg|thumb|300px|Concept art for Azmodan.]]
 ::The Brothers fought with all of the savagery of the Underworld, and to their credit, annihilated a third of Hell’s treacherous legions. In the end, however, they were overcome by the Horned Death led by the traitors Azmodan and Belial. The Prime Evils, weakened and bodiless, were banished to the mortal realm where Azmodan hoped that they would remain trapped forever. Azmodan believed that with the Three set loose upon humanity, the Angels would be forced to turn their focus upon on the mortal plane - thus leaving the Gates of Heaven abandoned and defenseless. Those few demons who still pledged allegiance to the Three Brothers fled the wrath of Azmodan and Belial, escaping to the realm of Man to seek out their lost Masters.
+::As the warfires died out upon the battlefields of Hell, Azmodan and Belial began to argue over which of them held the higher authority. The pact that they had made quickly fell to ashes as the two demon lords took up arms against each other. The legions of Hell that remained were polarized behind either warlord, launching themselves into a bloody civil war that has lasted to this day...
-::As the warfires died out upon the battlefields of Hell, Azmodan and Belial began to argue over which of them held the higher authority. The pact that they had made quickly fell to ashes as the two demon lords took up arms against each other. The legions of Hell that remained were polarized behind either warlord, launching themselves into a bloody civil war that has lasted to this day...
-[[File:Azmodan-BC2011.jpg|center|thumb|600px|Concept art for Azmodan as seen during Blizzcon 2011.]]
 <gallery>
+File:Azmodan-cinematic1.jpg|As seen in the Black Soulstone cinematic.
+File:Azmodan by norsechowder-blizzcon2011.jpg|BlizzCon 2011 poster artwork.
 Image:Azmodan-BC2011.jpg|Concept art.
 Image:Azmodan2.jpg|Concept art.
@@ Line 47: / Line 48: @@
 Image:Azmodan5.jpg|Concept art.
 Image:Azmodan6.jpg|Concept art.
+File:Azmodan-pumpkin.jpg|Jack 'o lantern version, from 2011 contest.
 </gallery>

Boss and Champion Special Boss Modifiers
Uniques Modifiers	Strong CC (Limit 1): Knockback -- Nightmarish -- Vortex -- Jailer Defensive (Limit 1): Avenger(C) -- Health Link(C) -- Horde(B) -- Illusionist -- Missile Dampening(B) -- Shielding Aggressive (No Limit): Arcane Enchanted -- Desecrator -- Electrified -- Fast -- Fire Chains(C) -- Frozen Pulse* -- Frozen -- Molten -- Mortar -- Plagued -- Poison Enchanted* -- Reflects Damage -- Teleporter -- Waller (B) = Boss Only modifier. -- (C) = Champion Only modifier -- * = Reaper of Souls only
Removed Modifiers	Ballista -- Cold Aura -- Die Together -- Doppelganger -- Extra Health -- Invulnerable Minions(B) -- Life Link -- Magical -- Mirrored -- Multishot -- Mythical -- Powerful -- Stoneskin -- Vampiric
Key Quest Uniques and their Special Modifiers
Act One Uniques	Araneae - Web Spit	Leoric - Summon Skeleton, Teleport Strike, Triple Cleave		The Butcher - Smash, Grappling Hook, Spear, Frenzy Charge
Act Two Uniques	Maghda - Forcefield, Summoning Ritual, Punish, Moth Dust, Teleport.	Zoltan Kulle - Fiery Boulder, Time Bubble, Ceiling Collapse, Energy Twister,Vanish, Creepy Laugh		Belial - Phase One: Triple Fireball, Summon Vipers. Phase Two: Poison Meteors, Ground Pound, Lightning Strike, Lightning Breath.
Act Three Uniques	Ghom - Acid Slime, Sneeze, Gas Cloud, Chomp.	Siegebreaker - Triple Hit, Charge, Leg Stomp, Grab and Throw.	Cydaea - Pain Bolts, Web Trap, Spider Pits.	Azmodan - Bellyflop, Laser Attack, Falling Corpses, Demon Gate, Pool of Destruction, Globe of Annihilation.
Act Four Uniques	Rakanoth - Cleave, Teleport Strike, Blade Strike, Volley, Summon Minion.	Izual - Frost Nova, Frozen, Summon Minions.	Diablo - Phase One: Claw Rip, Charge, Hell Spikes, Shadow Vanish Grab, Curse of Destruction, Ring of Fire, Ground Stomp, Curse of Anguish, Curse of Hatred. Phase Two: Shadow Clone. Phase Three: Overdrive, Lightning Breath.