The story and lore are secondary to many Diablo players, but it’s been around since the very first game released over 20 years ago, and it’s rich. However, you have to think outside the box, often outside the games themselves to find out. Indeed, we must turn to the many written works, such as the Book of Cain, the Book of Adria, and in this case the trilogy of The war of sin in particular, in which Inarius plays an important role. Diablo 4 is the chance to get back to it.
Lilith, Inarius and Sanctuary
As we learn in her diaries towards the end of Reaper of Souls, during the Eternal War, Lilith met the archangel Inarius and cast a spell on him. Tired of the eternal conflict, the two, along with other rogue angels and demons, plot to steal the World Stone and create the world of Sanctuary. All this is done under the cover of their original factions and to live in peace. Unlikely as it may seem, several pairs have formed between angels and demons, and the result is children of great power, combining the powers of the two races, the Nephalems, including the famous Bul-Kathos, and also the founder of the druids. as Barbarians, is a famous example. Inarius and Lilith, meanwhile, have Rathma as a child, who is known to have founded the order of Necromancers. That is why Lilith is called the mother of the Nephalems.
It was the Nephalems who, by their very existence, caused the discord between Inarius and Lilith. Lilith wanted to control the power of the Nephalems and use them to face the Burning Hells and the High Heavens, while Inarius just wanted to eliminate the Nephalems. The events and adventures are described in the books of the war of sin. But the end result is:
- Lilith is banished to the abyss by Inarius, in a way he felt was final and irreparable.
- Inarius is handed over to Mephisto by the Angiris council to be tortured for eternity, in exchange for Sanctuary’s safety.
- The World-Stone limits the power of the Nephalems, the latter eventually disappearing, giving way to present-day humanity. Said World-Stone is destroyed by Tyrael at the end of Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction.
The return of Lilith and Inarius
The circumstances of Lilith’s return are currently unclear, the grave robbers in the cutscene activate a demonic ritual that eventually allows her to escape the Abyss and return to Sanctuary. The events appear to be orchestrated by a mysterious figure whose identity appears to be Rathma herself.
As for Inarius, the circumstances that made his return possible are also rather vague at the moment. Presumably, Mephisto’s prolonged imprisonment and subsequent destruction in Diablo 2 gave him a chance to escape. Since the figurine of Inarius sold by Blizzard shows him in chains, we can assume that the story will eventually bring us some answers.
He took the opportunity to return to Sanctuary, to form a light-based religion in the Broken Peaks, of which he acts as a prophet and central figure. The majority of the main missions in Act 1 revolve around his minions and then Inarius himself. He is even found in his shrine, and he seems quite vengeful.
As you progress through the Act 1 quests, you can discover that Inarius is pursuing Lilith and that he doesn’t hesitate to kill their son, Rathma, in an attempt to gain information.
As we can see in one of the game’s cutscenes, there is a great battle going on between the forces of Inarius and those of Lilith. But don’t expect the angel to remain an ally of the player throughout the game. In fact, there’s a good chance he’ll act as the story’s final boss, as was the case with Malthael in Reaper of Souls.
Apart from the fact that angels are not above corruption. Looking at the world level unlock conditions, to increase the difficulty, we can see that you have to complete the dungeon Cathedral of Light in Kyovashad, that is remembered, the capital of the cult of Inarius. The fact that the angel is also present on the visual and promotional elements of the game clearly suggests that it will be a central figure in Diablo 4. And the only way to play this role is to be the antagonist, and therefore a boss . But that’s just speculation, maybe the script has some surprises in store for us.
