The Stranger
The Stranger is, technically, a new character to Diablo III. The stranger's identity is revealed near the last third of Act I, but the stranger is, in a way, a different character altogether.
He descended from the sky as the Fallen Star, crashing into Tristram Cathedral, leaving a large, gaping crater in his wake. It brimmed with blue tendrils of mysterious energy and power, and the Wizard comments on the oddity of the magic it contains.
The Stranger also had a sword that was with him when he fell, but it was shattered into three pieces, which the player spends quite a bit of time retrieving. Maghda, the leader of the Coven, seeks to stop the player from gathering the pieces of the sword to prevent the memory of the stranger from returning. Deckard Cain believes that the sword holds the key to unlocking the mysterious identity of the man, and thus the hero begins their quest.
The Stranger is not a well man. He suffered a very large shock upon his descent, and approaches the player in a highly weakened and confused state. He is restored to his former self at the end of Act I.
Media
The fallen star.
The Stranger.
Broken shards of the sword of the stranger.
He has it rather rough.
