Inarius
Talk0this wiki
| Inarius | |
|---|---|
| |
| Title | The Prophet |
| Gender | Male |
| Affiliation | High Heavens (formerly) Cathedral of Light (formerly) |
| Relatives | Lilith (partner) Rathma (son) |
| Status | Incarcerated |
| Appearances | Birthright Scales of the Serpent The Veiled Prophet Sword of Justice Book of Cain |
Inarius is a rogue angel. Formerly an archangel of the High Heavens, his actions would lead to the creation of Sanctuary and the nephalem.
Contents |
Biography
Edit
The Great ConflictEdit
During the Great Conflict, Inarius served as an advisor to the Angiris Council, serving under the command of Tyrael. After eons of battle and witnessing countless acts of brutality however, Inarius came to the conclusion that the conflict was unjust and that his part in it had to come to an end.[1] He tried to make Tyrael see his point of view, but the archangel would not be swayed.[2] However, Inarius was able to recruit other angels to his cause, as well as demons.[1]
Of all the demons that flocked to Inarius's banner, foremost among them was Lilith. At some point, Inarius was wounded or marooned on some outpost of the Pandemonium Fortress, and it was here that he met her. Lilith had sufferred from her father's hatred and had long awaited an opportunity to rebel. The two joined forces, and even came to fall in love. Each pledged themself to the other and vowed to escape the Eternal Conflict.[1]
The Creation of SanctuaryEdit
Added by TeredeEither through strength of arms of misdirection, Inarius and his renegades gained access to the Worldstone, located deep within the Pandemonium Fortress. Altering its frequency or dimensional allignment, they used its power to conceal it from the angels and demons still fighting in the Eternal Conflict. Subsequently, the Worldstone was shifted into a pocket dimension. There, Inarius and his followers shaped a world around it. A world of refuge they would call Sanctuary. The forces of Heaven and Hell became aware of the Worldstone's disapearence, but had no idea where it was or who had took it. Either way, far removed from the squabbles of his former allies and enemies, Inarius shaped Mount Arreat as a kind of protective shell around the Worldstone. From there, the rest of the world would be formed.[1]
As the angels and demons worked the Worldstone to form Sanctuary, Inarius secretly fooled all the other renegades and tied the Worldstone's power to himself. This enhanced his powers unimaginably and made him the strongest being on Sanctuary and the de facto ruler.[3]
Rise of the NephalemEdit
Inarius and Lilith had done the impossible, by banding angels and demons together and creating a world in which they could co-exist. Eventually, they mated and created offspring. They were the first, but not the last, and soon, an entire race had taken form - the nephalem. Dissension rippled through the angels and demons of Sanctuary, for not only did this new species have power that surpassed that of angel or demon, but the union of angels and demons would be deemed the ultimate blasphemy by the Great Evils and Angiris Council. The defectors were convinced that they would be destroyed if Sanctuary came to be discovered. Some argued for the destruction of the nephalem, others believed they could be spared. Troubled by the dissension, Inarius called for a period of reflection, to consider the matter in solitude.[1]
Inarius came to the conclusion that the nephalem were abominations and declared that they be exterminated.[citation needed] Lilith, driven into a mad frenzy by the threat of her children's extinction, began slaughtering her fellow renegades, angel and demon alike, leaving Inarius to discover the carnage she had wrought. Bringing his former lover to heel, Inarius found himself unable to kill her[1]—he had promised that he would never strike her down or let another do it, and the promise still held true.[3] and instead banished her into the Void. Left alone with no-one but himself and a race of "abominations," Inarius attuned the Worldstone to cause the powers of the Worldstone to diminish over time. He then disappeared, though writings of the past suggested that he still walked among Men in a form resembling that of his children. He watched as successive nephalem generations diminished and became humans, watching as human civilization spread over Sanctuary. It is heavily suggested by some accounts that he came to favor mortals, for unlike the nephalem, he did not see humans as a threat.[1]
The Sin WarEdit
Due to the summoning of demons from the Burning Hells into the world, humanity had made the Prime Evils aware of Sanctuary's existance. As part of a scheme to bring humanity to their side in the Great Conflict, the Three founded the Triune—a new religion that would convert humans to their cause. When Inarius became aware of the Triune, he recognized the Prime Evils' deception immediately. He became fearful, not only for his own safety, but also that of his adopted children should Heaven become aware of their existance as well. To counter the Triune, he took on the mantle of "the Prophet" and formed his own gospel, disseminating it from his Cathedral of Light. With this act, the secret war for mankind's soul had begun, a struggle that would come to be known as the Sin War.[1]
The status quo was maintained for an extended period of time. However, events began to spiral out of control with the return of Lilith, the demoness seeking an army of followers. The end result was the edyrem, led by Uldyssian. They systematically began a campaign to scour both the Triune and Cathedral of Light off the face of Sanctuary. In a sense, this worked to Inarius's advantage, as the Triune was the first to feel the edyrem's wrath and was destroyed. Lilith had revealed her true colors by this point however, and was left in the temple. She was not killed, but Inarius found her regardless. Once again, he spared her life. He banished her into the Void for a second time. This time though, he took steps to ensure she would never return.[4]
Uldyssian had destroyed the Triune, but the Cathedral of Light was next. After Uldyssian's edyrem clashed with and destroyed Inarius's inquisitors, Inarius finally descended from his tower and confronted Uldyssian and his army. Inarius first used his overwhelming presence as an angel in an attempt to convert the edyrem to his side. Uldyssian quickly used his bond to the edyrem to flush them with confidence and outsmarted Inarius. Both Uldyssian and Inarius used magic leading up to and during the battle but when facing each other one on one, they simply relied on infusing their bodies with magic and brawling. Even though Inarius was bonded to the Worldstone and therefore exponentially more powerful than a normal angel, Uldyssian could hold his own. This caused Inarius to lose confidence and slowly he gave way to Uldyssian's attacks. As they fought, there was a tear in the sky as the Heavenly Host finally entered Sanctuary. In his madness, Inarius was only concerned with destroying Uldyssian no matter what cost and therefore ignored the armies of angels. Uldyssian was distracted by the armies and Inarius seized the opportunity. Inarius grabbed the human ready to strike the final blow but just as he was about to, Uldyssian's entire body infused with energy. Inarius sensed Uldyssian was doing something drastic and he was right. Uldyssian changed the very essence of the Worldstone, destroying the bond it shared with Inarius. Without his bond to the Worldstone, Inarius was drastically weaker and Uldyssian easily defeated him, capturing him in a prison. Afterwards, Uldyssian sent both angels and demons from Sanctuary and the Angiris Council convened to decide the fate of the nephalem as well as Inarius. The council agreed to an armistice between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells to allow time for the nephalem to mature and decide for themselves which side they would aid. In this deal, Inarius was also taken into Mephisto's custody, presumably to be tortured for all eternity.[3]
InfinitudeEdit
Mephisto took Inarius to the Burning Hells. He bound Inarius with tremendous chains and slowly tore the wings from the back of the angel. Great barbed hooks were then used to stretch out the once glowing skin and his features were distorted by vile powers. To this day, Inarius is said to be trapped in Hell within a chamber of mirrors, his eyelids torn from his face as he is forced to gaze upon his misshapen form for all eternity.[5]
Despite his ignominous end, Inarius's saga was recorded in the Books of Kalan and the Book of Cain.[1]
Personality and TraitsEdit
In mortal disguise, Inarius appeared as a golden-haired man. There are some aspects of the existence of a face, like the fact that it has mouth and eyes, but these can not be seen well enough to say what color they are, if they have color at all. He has a presence so impressive that the humans wish to drop down on his knees in worship.[3] He was proud of his beauty and boasted loudly of his purity and worth.[5]
Inarius possessed great power, but this was mixed with arrogance. His sanity slowly degraded to the point that by the end of the Sin War, he was a broken angel.[3]
NotesEdit
In the original Diablo I manual, Inarius was only introduced as a means of explaining the origins of the overlord demon. In this account, it is said that Inarius's thoughts became so clouded that he believed himself to be above both angel and demon, and left the High High Heavens to form his own dominion. He constructed a great cathedral of mirrored glass and crystal, and followers flocked to him, drawn by his numinous charm and wealth. Once Inarius had gathered a sizable army, he decided to prove his power. Inarius first laid siege to an infernal temple devoted to the worship of Mephisto, but made the foolish mistake of overestimating his prowess. The armies of Inarius laid waste to the temple and killed the dark monks that dwelled within. The Three Evils had considered the vain warrior a mere nuisance and amusement until this time, but this was an insult that they could not bear.
Mephisto himself is said to have appeared at the cathedral of Inarius. He laid waste to the church and the surrounding countryside. The Lord of Hatred took the proud archangel and his followers captive. Inarius was tortured while his followers became the overlords.[5]
While this account bears resemblance to the events of the Sin War, there are still irreconciable differences. This may be a retcon, or in-universe errant history, as per few mortals remembering the exact details of the Sin War.[1]
