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→Diablo III: comment on his actual appearance in A3
'''Abd al-Hazir''' is a lore enthusiast and adventurer, scribing about a lot of his experiences in the world of [[Sanctuary]]. He is used as a tool for [[Blizzard]] to describe Diablo lore on the [http://www.diablo3.com/ D3 official Diablo III webpage].
==Background==Not many specifics are known about Abd al-Hazir is a renowned gentleman, historianbut he seems to originate from [[Caldeum]], and scholara city he very much likes. He Nothing is known of his family, but he has recently taken up the unprecedented task a variety of investigating, researchingtraveling friends, and compiling information about contacts within the unique locales and denizens [[mage clan]]s of our world[[Kehjistan]], so he's likely from a well to do background.
This is an introductory line from the famous [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir]]:
::"Abd al-Hazir is a renowned gentleman, historian, and scholar. He has recently taken up the unprecedented task of investigating, researching, and compiling information about the unique locales and denizens of our world."
On his travels, he have has among other things travelled the [[Tardein wastes]] (desert close to [[Caldeum]]) and met [[Franklin Burroughs]], the [[Dune Thresher]]-hunter, he has travelled deep into the [[Kehjistan]] jungles meeting the ancient [[Witch Doctor]]s, he has travelled West to [[Khanduras]], seeing [[New Tristram]] and all kinds of horror, he has travelled north to the [[Barbarian]] homelands, finding [[Arreat Crater]] where the proud [[Mount Arreat]] once stood.
His last report to the editorial team in [[Caldeum]] was done a few months ago, after discovering [[Dark Cultist]]s in Khanduras.
==Works==
Among his works he counts the [[Xiansai Chronicles]] and the '''[[Writings of Abd al-Hazir]]'''.
==Diablo III==
It was originally speculated that his disappearance was connected to the [[cultist]]s, and would be encountered by the Nephalem in saving him, or perhaps finding his remains in some sacrificial shrine. However, he did not appear in-game apart from his written logs.
He would later appear as an [[NPC]] in an event within [[Adventure Mode]] within [[Sescheron]], during Act III.
==Meta-Info and Speculation==
In August 2010 [[Bashiok]] revealed that most of Abd al-Hazir's updates have been written by Lead World Designer [[Leonard Boyarsky]].
::I believe Leonard has written the majority of the updates, but I know our creative development team has chipped in. [[Mike Chu]] wrote the [[Archivist]] entry. Potentially others.
=== The Name ===
In Arabic, the most common translation of "Abd" translates literally as "Worshiper of God" or "Worshiper," and "al-Hazir" means "The Warner." His name thus roughly translates to <u>'''Worshiper of The Warner'''</u>. It is unknown whether the Eastern countries of [[Sanctuary]] use Arabic or a similar language, but we may find a greater use of Arabic names and connotations in the game.
"Abd" can also be translated differently depending on circumstance and where in the Arabic (real) world it's used. It can also be used to describe a "slave" or a "servant". This would imply he is the "Servant of The Warner".
'''The Warner''' could be a prophet or a deity of some sort in Diablo 3. There is evidence that Adb's parents were religious, though he is not. It could also refer to Abd's role in foreshadowing the dark times ahead, a prevalent theme in many of his writings.
===Literary Inspiration===
Blizzard has often included homages to H. P. Lovecraft in their game worlds and fiction, and Abd al-Hazir seems fairly obviously inspired by/based on the "mad Arab" [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Alhazred Abdul Alhazred] Lovecraft credited with writing the fictional ''Necronomicon'' around which much of the world lore in his writing orbited.
There is also [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_ibn_Fadlan Ahmad ibn Fadlan], who is a real person who travelled and described events of the world. Fair to say that there are plenty of inspiration for our dear Abd.
==References==
Almost everything known about Abd comes from his own writing:
* [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir]]
* [http://www.diablo3.com/ Official D3 site]
* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/bashiok-on-act-3-and/ Bashiok on Act 3 and Timeline Inconsistencies]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Alhazred Abdul Alhazred on Wikipedia]
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Abdalhazir.jpg|Abd in-game.
</gallery>
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[[Category:Abd al-Hazir]]
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:LoreNPCs]]
