Difference between revisions of "Horadrim"

Revision as of 06:50, 25 October 2011

The Horadrim was a brotherhood of mages formed by the Archangel Tyrael to combat the Three Prime Evils: Diablo, Mephisto and Baal on the mortal realm. A century after their apparent victory and success in imprisoning the Prime Evils, the brotherhood faded into history and legend.

Background

Around 1004, the Horadrim was formed from the major mage clans in the East by Tyrael to defeat the Three who were wreaking havoc in the mortal realm. The Horadrim received three Soulstones from Tyrael, which would serve as devices for the imprisonment of the Prime Evils.

Hunting the Three

The sigil of the Horadrim.

Together, the disparate mage clans that formed the Horadrim proved to be a formidable force. The brotherhood easily captured Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred, in Kehjistan and imprisoned him beneath the Temple of Light in Kurast.

Diablo and Baal escaped Kehjistan, and ventured West across the sea to Aranoch. Led by Tal Rasha, the Horadrim pursed Baal to the city of Lut Gholein, where the Lord of Destruction took refuge for three days. Baal eventually emerged from Lut Gholein, and headed north into the Aranoch desert toward Scosglen. The Horadrim quickly descended upon him and a great battle ensued. Baal was overwhelmed by the determined magi, but in a last-ditch effort to destroy Tal Rasha, he succeeded in shattering the soulstone that was meant to serve as his prison.

While the Horadrim managed to subdue the Lord of Destruction, the shattered pieces of the soulstone were not able to contain the demon. They realized that a mortal vessel was needed in conjunction to bind Baal. Tal Rasha selflessly volunteered to serve as that vessel and wrestle with the demon for all eternity.

Despite capturing Baal, Diablo managed to escape. For the next nine years, Jered Cain and the remaining Horadrim followed Diablo's wake of terror. In 1019, the Horadrim caught up to Diablo and a great battle unfolded that claimed the lives of many members of the brotherhood. Nevertheless, they were triumphant and the Lord of Terror was finally captured and imprisoned within the last of the soulstones. The Horadrim carried the cursed soulstone to the land of Khanduras, where they buried it within a secluded cave near the river Talsande. Above the cave, they built a monastery from which they continued to guard the soulstone. Around this monastery was founded the town of Tristram.

Fate of the Horadrim

With the threat seemingly gone, and no great quest to drive them, the Horadrim's numbers dwindled. The order eventually faded into history. The last known descendant of the Horadric brotherhood is Deckard Cain, the great grandson of Jered Cain, a mere scholar with no experience in magic or battle.

Artwork shown during the Diablo III Lore panel at Blizzcon 2011. During the segment that this was shown, Leonard Boyarsky described the Dark Exile and the role the Horadrim played in hunting down the Prime Evils and their minions. The image seems to depict a Horadric mage leading chained demons. The demon to the right appears to have been blasted by magical energy (perhaps for not keeping withdrawn like his companion).

Hierarchy within the Order

The Horadrim.

Initiate was one of the highest ranks a Horadrim mage could have. Known initiates included Tal Rasha and Jered Cain.

Acolyte seems to have been a lower rank than Initiate, though what characteristics or privileges distinguished this rank from Initiate are largely unknown.

Traditions

The Horadrim used to mummify their highest mages, and infuse them with spells that would allow them to protect their tombs, even after death,[1] possibly using magic from the Priests of Rathma.

When Diablo travelled through Lut Gholein, he managed to corrupt one such mage, who terrorized the city. This was only possible since the ancient guardian spells had begun to unravel.

Known Members

Tal Rasha - Initiate and leader of the Horadrim. He sacrificed himself for the imprisonment of Baal.
Jered Cain - Initiate of the Horadrim. He led the group of Horadrim monks who successfully captured Diablo.
Nor Tiraj - Acolyte whose journal describes the capture of Diablo, which occurred around year 1019 in the Diablo timeline.
Zoltun Kulle - One of the founding members of the Horadrim. He later turned to the path of evil.

Deckard Cain, while merely a descendant of Jered Cain, believes himself to be the last of the Horadrim.

Trivia

The Norwegian black metal band Ancient composed a song called "The Ancient Horadrim" that seems to borrow heavily from the lore of the Diablo Universe for its lyrics. The song was released with their fifth album, Proxima Centauri.

Media

Sigil of the Horadrim.
Pursuit of the Prime Evils.
The Horadrim.

References

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[Image:The_Horadrim.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The Horadrim.]]
+'''The Horadrim''' was a brotherhood of mages formed by the [[Archangel]] [[Tyrael]] to combat the Three [[Prime Evils]]: [[Diablo]], [[Mephisto]] and [[Baal]] on the mortal realm.  A century after their apparent victory and success in imprisoning the Prime Evils, the brotherhood faded into history and legend.
-'''The Horadrim''' was a brotherhood of Mages formed by the [[Archangel]] [[Tyrael]] to combat the Three [[Prime Evils]]: [[Diablo]], [[Mephisto]] and [[Baal]] on the mortal realm.
 ==Background==
-The Horadrim was formed from the three major [[mage clan]]s in the East by [[Tyrael]] to defeat [[the Three]] who were wrecking havoc in the mortal realm. The Horadrim received three [[Soulstone]]s from Tyrael, which would be able to contain the demons once they had been defeated.
+Around 1004, the Horadrim was formed from the major [[mage clan]]s in the East by [[Tyrael]] to defeat [[the Three]] who were wreaking havoc in the mortal realm. The Horadrim received three [[Soulstone]]s from Tyrael, which would serve as devices for the imprisonment of the Prime Evils.
+===Hunting the Three===
+[[Image:Horadrim_Sigil.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The sigil of the Horadrim.]]
+Together, the disparate mage clans that formed the Horadrim proved to be a formidable force.  The brotherhood easily captured [[Mephisto]], the Lord of Hatred, in [[Kehjistan]] and imprisoned him beneath the [[Temple of Light]] in [[Kurast]].
-[[Image:Horadrim_Sigil.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The sigil of the Horadrim.]]
+[[Diablo]] and [[Baal]] escaped Kehjistan, and ventured West across the sea to [[Aranoch]]. Led by [[Tal Rasha]], the Horadrim pursed [[Baal]] to the city of [[Lut Gholein]], where the Lord of Destruction took refuge for three days.  Baal eventually emerged from Lut Gholein, and headed north into the Aranoch desert toward [[Scosglen]].  The Horadrim quickly descended upon him and a great battle ensued.  Baal was overwhelmed by the determined magi, but in a last-ditch effort to destroy Tal Rasha, he succeeded in shattering the soulstone that was meant to serve as his prison.
-The brotherhood defeated and captured [[Mephisto]], the Lord of Hatred, in [[Kehjistan]] and imprisoned him beneath the [[Temple of Light]] in [[Kurast]]. The then peaceful [[Zakarum]] monks would then protect the Soulstone.
+While the Horadrim managed to subdue the Lord of Destruction, the shattered pieces of the soulstone were not able to contain the demon.  They realized that a mortal vessel was needed in conjunction to bind Baal.  [[Tal Rasha]] selflessly volunteered to serve as that vessel and wrestle with the demon for all eternity.
-[[Diablo]] and [[Baal]] escaped Kehjistan, and went West over the sea to [[Aranoch]]. [[Baal]] took refuge inside the city of [[Lut Gholein]] for three days and then travelled North into the Aranoch desert a short distance, but was found by the Horadrim, who attacked him. Baal's greatest achievement here was that he managed to shatter the Soulstone meant to imprison him.
+Despite capturing Baal, Diablo managed to escape.  For the next nine years, [[Jered Cain]] and the remaining Horadrim followed Diablo's wake of terror.  In 1019, the Horadrim caught up to Diablo and a great battle unfolded that claimed the lives of many members of the brotherhood.  Nevertheless, they were triumphant and the Lord of Terror was finally captured and imprisoned within the last of the soulstones.  The Horadrim carried the cursed soulstone to the land of [[Khanduras]], where they buried it within a secluded cave near the river Talsande.  Above the cave, they built a monastery from which they continued to guard the soulstone.  Around this monastery was founded the town of [[Tristram]].
+===Fate of the Horadrim===
+With the threat seemingly gone, and no great quest to drive them, the Horadrim's numbers dwindled.  The order eventually faded into history.  The last known descendant of the Horadric brotherhood is [[Deckard Cain]], the great grandson of Jered Cain, a mere scholar with no experience in magic or battle.
-The Horadrim managed to subdue the Lord of Destruction, but the shattered stone could not contain the demon. The group realized they needed a mortal vessel to bind the demon within. The  leader, and the greatest of the Horadrim, [[Tal Rasha]], volunteered to wrestle with the demon for all eternity.
+[[File:Horadrim-BC2011.jpg |center|thumb|600px|Artwork shown during the Diablo III Lore panel at [[Blizzcon 2011]].  During the segment that this was shown, [[Leonard Boyarsky]] described the [[Dark Exile]] and the role the [[Horadrim]] played in hunting down the [[Prime Evils]] and their minions.  The image seems to depict a Horadric mage leading chained demons. The demon to the right appears to have been blasted by magical energy (perhaps for not keeping withdrawn like his companion).]]
-[[Jered Cain]] and the remaining Horadrim followed Diablo's wake of terror to the Western kingdom of [[Khanduras]], where he was finally imprisoned within the remaining Soulstone after an epic battle. The Horadrim used the catacombs in their [[Tristram]] monastery to forever store the demon.
+==Hierarchy within the Order==
+[[Image:The_Horadrim.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The Horadrim.]]
+*'''[[Initiate]]''' was one of the highest ranks a Horadrim mage could have. Known initiates included [[Tal Rasha]] and [[Jered Cain]].
-The threat was gone and as time passed the Horadrim's numbers dwindled, and the brotherhood forever gone. The only known descendant of the Brotherhood is a great grandson of Jered Cain, named [[Deckard Cain]], a mere scholar with no experience in magic or battle.
-==Known Hierarchy==
-'''[[Initiate]]''' is one of the highest ranks a Horadrim mage can have. Known initiates include [[Tal Rasha]] as well as [[Jered Cain]]. [http://www.diablowiki.net/The_Nature_of_the_Soulstones]
-'''[[Acolyte]]''' is a rank of some description we know not much of. Likely it's a much lower rank than Initiate.
-'''Chief Librarian of the Horadrim''' is a pretty self-explanatory title, that might be parallel to "Accolyte" or "Initiate".
+*'''[[Acolyte]]''' seems to have been a lower rank than Initiate, though what characteristics or privileges distinguished this rank from Initiate are largely unknown.
-==Known Tradition==
+==Traditions==
 The Horadrim used to mummify their highest mages, and infuse them with spells that would allow them to protect their tombs, even after death,[http://www.diablowiki.net/Deckard_Cain_dialogue] possibly using magic from the [[Priests of Rathma]].
@@ Line 38: / Line 35: @@
 ==Known Members==
-* [[Jered Cain]] - [[Initiate]] of the Horadrim, lead the attack on [[Diablo]]
+* [[Tal Rasha]] - [[Initiate]] and leader of the Horadrim.  He sacrificed himself for the imprisonment of [[Baal]].
-** [[Deckard Cain]] - Descendant of the Brotherhood, not an actual member
+* [[Jered Cain]] - [[Initiate]] of the Horadrim. He led the group of Horadrim monks who successfully captured [[Diablo]].
-* [[Nor Tiraj]] - [[Acolyte]] who's journal describes the capture of Diablo, 200 years ago.
+* [[Nor Tiraj]] - [[Acolyte]] whose journal describes the capture of Diablo, which occurred around year 1019 in the [http://us.blizzard.com/diablo3/world/timeline.xml Diablo timeline].
-* [[Tal Rasha]] - [[Initiate]] and leader of the Horadrim, and sacrificed himself to capture [[Baal]] in [[Tal Rasha's Tomb]]
+* [[Zoltun Kulle]] - One of the founding members of the Horadrim.  He later turned to the path of evil.
-* [[Vischar Orous]] - Chief Librarian of the Horadrim, member of the [[Vizjerei]] and the [[Zharesh Covenant]]
-===Other Prominent Figures===
+:[[Deckard Cain]], while merely a descendant of Jered Cain, believes himself to be the last of the Horadrim.
-* [[Tyrael]] - Allied [[Archangel]]
 ==Trivia==
-There's a song called The Horadrim, which is vaguely related to the [[Diablo Universe]].
+The Norwegian black metal band '''Ancient''' composed a song called "The Ancient Horadrim" that seems to borrow heavily from the lore of the [[Diablo Universe]] for its lyrics.  The song was released with their fifth album, ''Proxima Centauri''.
-[Music : Aphazel / GroM - Lyrics : GroM]
-:I roamed the paths the obscure paths
-:that lead to the realms of chaos
-:I lowered myself into the abyss of hate
-:and ascended the peaks of destruction
-:and still I walk these putrid paths
-:seeking the spawn of eternal damnation
-:my soul`s been split like water on sand
-:and dry is the life I lead
-:for the powers I have are just a curse
-:that nibble away at my soul
-:for merely greed have I opened the gate
-:for the three to enter foretold
-:baal mephisto and sheitan are those who offered me valour
-:the unholy trinity the brothers of hell
-:who spread only sickening glamour
-:onwards I march to challenge all hell
-:and now i'm before the last seal
-:the red misty portal now opens before me
-:my mission reverse what i`ve done
-:and face the three the fearsome three
-:until victory is all that I have
-:my last battle cry is all to be heard
-:while I fight under a flaming sky
-:a dark curse now broads over the lands
-:that aimlessly await what is deemed
-:deemed to cast only suffering and death
-:to all who live and all who dream
-:for I am izual the fallen guardian
-:banned from the ancient horadrim
-:aeryel and tyrael my brothers now slayed
-:for that which my mind had possessed
-:dying and doomed I limp into the black
-:and the portal it seals behind me
-:for I was victorius but banished will be
-:due to that which I wished had not been
-:the evil unleashed on the world`s destiny
+==Media==
-:was reversed and the infernal crushed
+<gallery>
-:three brothers of terror three angels of death
+File:Horadrim_Sigil.jpg |Sigil of the Horadrim.
-:sworn to be risen again
+File:Horadrim-BC2011.jpg |Pursuit of the Prime Evils.
+File:The_Horadrim.jpg |The Horadrim.
+</gallery>
@@ Line 109: / Line 62: @@
 * [[The Nature of the Soulstones]] by [[Jered Cain]]
+{{Character navbox|Imp}}
 [[Category:Factions]]
 [[Category:Horadrim]]