"The skies shall rain fire, and the seas will become as blood. The righteous shall fall before the wicked, and all of Creation shall tremble before the burning standards of Hell!"
—Mephisto^[1]

The Burning Hells (or simply "Hell") is the birthplace of demons and the opposing realm of the High Heavens. All demons have their point of origin here and if struck down, will reform in time^[2] namely from the Black Abyss.^[3] It is believed that lesser demons can reincarnate with little effort, though the more powerful demon Lords usually require a host for their spirits to embody.^{[citation needed]}

Contents 1 History 2 In-game 2.1 Diablo I 2.2 Diablo II 2.3 Diablo III 3 Known Locations 3.1 Realms 3.2 Other 4 References

HistoryEdit

Like all of Creation, Hell had its creation in the final battle between Anu and Tathamet, the corpse of the latter giving rise to the realm and demons errupting from it as maggots would from a corpse. Unlike Heaven, which has clearly defined borders, the realms of Hell were constantly shifting, the realms of influence varying under the seven Great Evils. Like Heaven though, Hell is indeed a physical location within the universe,^[4] though on the occassion that demonic incursions have been launched against Sanctuary en masse, demons erupting from the ground is a common M.O.^[5][6]

It was due to Sanctuary's existance that Hell fell into internal conflict. Even after the Sin War, the Prime Evils believed that humans could be converted to their creed, while the Lesser Evils saw their focus on humanity as an unwanted deviation from the Great Conflict. The result was a civil war that resulted in the Dark Exile, though in the aftermath, Azmodan and Belial broke their alliance and fought one another.^[7]

Hell suffered another blow centuries after the Dark Exile. Diablo had managed to gather the essences of the six other Great Evils into himself and after calling the legions of Hell to his side, assaulted the High Heavens. However, he was struck down^[8] and crumbled into dust. Hell's invasion had failed, and it had lost its former lords in a single blow in the process.^[9]

In-gameEdit

Diablo IEdit

In Diablo, the lower levels of the Tristram Cathedral are essentially Hell 'spilling over,' for all intents and purposes.

Diablo IIEdit

In Diablo II, the character(s) travel(s) into Hell to slay Diablo. The Hells seem to be similar to that described in Greek mythology, with the paths being made of black stone surrounded by lava and filled with horrible monsters and forgotten sinful souls trapped in their fate. Living up to its name, it is a nightmare. There are numerous ruined structures through the Hells, some of which are adorned with stained glass windows, which have been infused with evil.

Diablo IIIEdit

In Diablo III, Azmodan's base of operations seems to be deep into Mount Arreat, so close lava caverns so it looks as if the player is in the Burning Hells (but they aren't). Also, in the High Heavens, the player(s) must destroy Diablo's demonic portals in the Burning Hells. Lastly, when fighting Diablo himself, the Prime Evil turns to his true form and pulls his foe(s) into a dark, purple, misty area of Hell.

Known LocationsEdit

RealmsEdit

There are seven realms of Hell, each corresponding to one of the Great Evils:

• Realm of Anguish (Andariel)
• Realm of Destruction (Baal)
• Realm of Hatred (Mephisto)
• Realm of Lies (Belial)
• Realm of Pain (Duriel)
• Realm of Sin (Azmodan)
• Realm of Terror (Diablo)

OtherEdit

• Chaos Sanctuary (located in the Realm of Terror)
• City of the Damned (located in the Realm of Hatred)
• Hellforge (located in the Realm of Destruction)
• Outer Steppes (unknown realm, located adjacent to the Pandemonium Fortress)
• Plains of Despair (located in the Realm of Anguish)
• River of Flame (located in the Realm of Destruction)

ReferencesEdit

1. ↑ Diablo II, The Infernal Gate
2. ↑ Wrath,
3. ↑ Diablo II, The Harrowing
4. ↑ Book of Cain
5. ↑ The Veiled Prophet
6. ↑ Diablo III, Act III Intro Cinematic
7. ↑ Diablo Manual
8. ↑ Diablo III, Act IV
9. ↑ Diablo III, Act IV Ending Cinematic

Locations in the Diablo universe
Burning Hells • High Heavens • Pandemonium • Void Sanctuary — Aranoch • Entsteig • Kehjistan • Khanduras • Mount Arreat • Scosglen • Ureh • Westmarch • Xiansai Related — Towns