Years after the last of the [[Horadrim ]] had died, a great and prosperous society grew in the lands of the West. As time wore on, many Eastern pilgrims settled in the lands surrounding [[Khanduras ]] and soon established small, self contained kingdoms. A few of these kingdoms bickered with Khanduras over holdings of property or routes of trade. These quabbles did little to upset the lasting peace of the West, and the great Northern kingdom of [[Westmarch ]] proved to be a strong ally of Khanduras as the two lands steadily engaged in ventures of barter and commerce.

During this time, a bold, new religion of the [[Light ]] known as [[Zakarum ]] began to spread throughout the kingdom of Westmarch and into many of its northern principalities. Zakarum, founded in the Far East, implored followers to enter into the Light and forsake the [[darkness ]] that lurked within their souls. The people of Westmarch adopted the statutes of Zakarum as their sacred mission in the world. Westmarch began to turn towards its neighbors, expecting them to embrace this “New Beginning” “[[New Beginning]]” as well. Tensions rose between the kingdoms of Westmarch and Khanduras as the priests of Zakarum began to preach their foreign dogma whether they were welcomed or not.

It was then that the great northern lord [[Leoric ]] came unto the lands of Khanduras and, in the name of Zakarum, declared himself King. Leoric was a deeply religious man and had brought many Knights and Priests with him that comprised his [[Order of the Light]]. Leoric and his trusted advisor, the [[Archbishop|Arch Bishop ]] [[Lazarus]], made their way to the city of [[Tristram]]. Leoric appropriated the ancient, decrepit [[Tristram Cathedral|Monastery ]] on the outskirts of the town for his seat of power and renovated it to match its time-lost glory. Although the free people of Khanduras were not pleased with being placed under the sudden rule of a foreign King, Leoric served them with justice and might. Eventually, the people of Khanduras grew to respect the kind Leoric, sensing that he sought only to guide and protect them against the oppression of Darkness.

Not long after [[Leoric]] took possession of [[Khanduras]], a power long asleep awakened within the dark recesses beneath [[Tristram Cathedral|the Monastery]]. Sensing that freedom was within his grasp, [[Diablo]] entered the nightmares of the [[Archbishop|Arch Bishop ]] and lured him into the dark, subterranean labyrinth. In his terror, [[Lazarus]] raced throughout the abandoned hallways until he at last came to the chamber of the burning [[Soulstone]]. No longer in command of his body or spirit, he raised the stone above his head and uttered words long forgotten in the realm of mortals. His will destroyed, Lazarus shattered the Soulstone upon the ground. Diablo once again came into the world of [[Man]]. Although he was released from his imprisonment within the Soulstone, the Lord of Terror was still greatly weakened from his long sleep and required an anchor to the world. Once he had found a mortal form to wear, he could begin to reclaim his vastly depleted power. The great demon weighed the souls residing in the town above, and chose to take the strongest of them - that of King Leoric.

The priests of Zakarum and the citizenry of [[Khanduras ]] recognized the disturbing change within their liege. His once proud and rugged form became distorted and deformed. King Leoric became increasingly deranged and ordered immediate executions of any who dared to question his methods or authority. Leoric began to send his Knights to other villagesto bully their townspeople into submission. The people of Khanduras who had once grown to see great honor in their ruler began to call Leoric the Black King.

Leoric's madness was growing more obvious with each passing day. Sensing that the advisors of the court were becoming increasingly suspicious of foul treachery, [[Lazarus ]] desperately sought to contain the eroding situation. The Arch-Bishop masterfully convinced the delusional Leoric that the kingdom of [[Westmarch]] was plotting against him, secretly planning to dethrone him and annex Khanduras into its own lands. Leoric flew into a rage and summoned his advisors to his side. Manipulated by the Arch-Bishop, the paranoid King declared a state of war between the kingdoms of Khanduras and Westmarch.

The absence of prying advisors and inquisitive Priests [[Priest]]s left [[Diablo ]] free to assume total control over the King’s battered soul. As the Lord of Terror attempted to strengthen his hold upon the maddened King, he found that the lingering spirit of [[Leoric ]] fought with him still. Although the control over Leoric that Diablo held was formidable, the Demon knew that in his weakened state he could never take complete possession of his soul as long as a glimmerof his will remained. The demonlord sought a fresh and innocent host upon which to build his Terror.

The demon relinquished his control over Leoric, but the King’s soul was left corrupted and his mind crazed. Diablo began to search throughout [[Khanduras ]] for the perfect vessel to act as his focus, and found such a soul easily within his reach. Enjoined by his dark master, [[Lazarus ]] kidnapped [[Albrecht ]] - the only son of Leoric - and dragged the terrified youth down into the blackness of the labyrinth. Flooding the boy’s defenseless mind with the essence of pure Terror, Diablo easily took possession of the young Albrecht.

The [[Tristram Cathedral|ancient catacombs ]] of the [[Horadrim ]] had become a twisted labyrinth of raw, focused Terror. Empowered by Diablo’s Diablo's possession of young Albrecht, the creatures of the boy’s boy's own imagination had gained corporeal form. So strong was the terror that grew inside of Albrecht, that the borders of the Mortal realm began to warp and tear. The [[Burning Hell ]] began to seep into the world of [[Man ]] and take root within the labyrinth. Beings and occurrences displaced by time and space, and long lost to the history of Man were pulled screaming into the ever-expanding domain.

being harnessed. When the moment was right, Diablo would venture once more into the mortal world and free his captive Brothers [[Mephisto ]] and [[Baal]]. The [[Prime Evils ]] would be reunited, and together they would reclaim their rightful place in Hell.

The war against the zealous armies of [[Westmarch ]] ended with a horrible slaughter. With the army of [[Khanduras ]] ripped to shreds by the superior numbers and defensive positions of Westmarch, [[Lachdanan ]] quickly gathered together those who were not captured or killed and ordered a retreat back to the safety of Khanduras. They returned to find the town of [[Tristram ]] in shambles. 

King [[Leoric]], deep within the throes of madness, went into a rage when he learned that his son was missing. After scouring the village with the few guards that remained with him at the monastery, Leoric had decided that the townsfolk had abducted his son and hidden him somewhere. Although the townsfolk denied any knowledge of Prince Albrecht’s [[Albrecht]]'s whereabouts, Leoric insisted that they had crafted a conspiracy against him, and that they would pay the price for such treachery.

The mysterious disappearance of the [[Archbishop|Arch-Bishop ]] [[Lazarus ]] left no one in Tristram with whom the King would take council. Overcome by grief and dementia, Leoric had many of the townsfolk executed for the crime of high treason.

As [[Lachdanan ]] and his fellow survivors returned to confront their King, Leoric sent his few remaining guards against them. Believing that Lachdanan was somehow part of the townsfolk’s townsfolk's conspiracy, Leoric decreed that he and his party were to die. Lachdanan, finally realizing that Leoric was beyond salvation, ordered his men to defend themselves. The ensuing battle carried them down into the very halls of the darkened Monastery, bringing a final desecration to the once holy sanctum of the [[Horadrim]]. Lachdanan won a bittersweet victory as his men were forced to kill all of Leoric’s Leoric's deceived protectors. They cornered the ravenous King within his own sanctuary and begged him to explain the atrocities he had committed. Leoric only spat at them and cursed them for traitors against both his crown and the Light.

Lachdanan walked slowly towards his King and sorrowfully drew his sword. Full of grief and rage, all honor having been cast to the winds, Lachdanan ran his blade through Leoric’s Leoric's shriveled, blackened heart. The once noble King screamed an unearthly death-cry, and as his madness finally overtook him, he brought down a curse upon those who had so betrayed him. Calling upon the forces of [[Darkness ]] that he had spent his entire life combating, Leoric condemned Lachdanan and the others to eternal damnation. In that last, fleeting moment within the heart of the Monastery, all that was ever virtuous or honorable about the stewards of Khanduras was shattered forever.

The [[Leoric|Black King ]] lay dead, slain at the hands of his own Priests [[Priest]]s and Knights[[Knight]]s. The young Prince [[Albrecht ]] was still missing, and the proud defenders of [[Khanduras ]] were no more. The people of [[Tristram ]] looked about their lifeless town and were greatly dismayed. Awash in feelings of both relief and remorse, they soon realized that their troubles had merely begun. Strange, eerie lights appeared in the darkened windows of the [[Tristram Cathedral|Monastery]]. Misshapen, leathery-skinned creatures were seen venturing forth from the shadows of the church. Horrible, wounded cries seemed to linger on the wind, emanating from deep underground. It became apparent that something quite unnatural had infested the once holy sight… 

The [[Archbishop|Arch-Bishop ]] [[Lazarus]], frayed and disheveled, returned from his absence and assured the townsfolk that he too had been ravaged by the growing evil of the Monastery. With their desperate need for reassurance clouding their good judgment, Lazarus whipped the townspeople into a frenzied mob. Reminding them that Prince Albrecht was still unaccounted for, he persuaded many of the men to follow him into the depths of the Monastery to search for the boy. They gathered torches and soon the night air glowed with the flickering light of hope. They armed themselves with shovels, picks and scythes and so prepared, they boldly followed the treacherous Arch-Bishop straight into the fierymaw of [[Burning Hells|Hell ]] itself...

The few who survived the horrible fate that awaited them returned to Tristram and recounted what they could of the ordeal. Their wounds were terrible, and even the skills of [[Pepin|the healer ]] could not save some of them. As the stories of demons and devils spread, a stifling, primal Terror began to consume the hearts of all of the town’s town's inhabitants. It was a Terror that none of them had ever known...

Deep beneath the foundations of the ruined Monastery, [[Diablo ]] gorged himself upon the fears of the mortals above him. He slowly sank back into the welcoming shadows and began to harness his depleted power.