Baal
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Baal, Tor'Baalos, The Lord of Destruction, is one of the three Prime Evils, brother to Mephisto and Diablo. He first appears in the Diablo II cinematics and later in gameplay in Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, where he is the final boss the players have to face. The deity Bala, the spirit of Creation in the church of the Triune, is in reality Baal.
Baal is traditionally though of as the middle sibling of the three brothers. Being the Lord of Destruction he revels in the utter annihilation of everything and everyone.[1] He rules of the Realm of Destruction in the Burning Hells.
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[edit] History
[edit] Origin
Baal is one of Three; a Prime Evil, alongside his brothers Diablo and Mephisto. Baal was originally created from one of the seven heads of Tathamet along with the other Great Evils. Together with his two brothers he ruled over the Burning Hells for untold ages and led the armies of Hell against the Heavenly Host of the High Heavens.
[edit] The Sin War
It is unknown what Baal was doing during the Sin War, as he does not appear in any of the three novels set during that time. Presumably he was fighting in the war against Heaven since there had yet to be a truce until after the end of the Sin War.
The Sin War ended with a truce between Heaven and Hell, where both parties agreed to cease fighting between themselves and to leave Sanctuary alone. The Three immediately planned to ignore this truce, which the Lesser Evils, particularly Azmodan and Belial, didn't agree with. They started a civil war against the Three, and the Prime Evils were only defeated once all of Hell, including their own minions, turned on them and banished them to Sanctuary.
[edit] The Dark Exile
As the Three appeared on Sanctuary they were very weak and roamed the world for forty years, spreading terror, destruction and hatred wherever they went. Eventually however the Horadrim, a united order of mages, was created by Tyrael to hunt down and imprison the Prime Evils. To aid in this task they were given the soulstones.
After Mephisto was captured in Kehjistan, Baal fled but was quickly tracked down in Aranoch, where he hid in Lut Gholein. The Horadrim hunting him waited until he left the city at which point they cornered him out in the desert. Baal was defeated, but when he was to be imprisoned in his soulstone his destructive nature shattered the stone. Unable to contain the Prime Evil, Tal Rasha, the leader of the Horadrim tasked with capturing Baal, volunteered to complete the prison with his own body. He theorized that an individual of strong will would be able to contain the Prime Evil.
To prevent anyone from finding Baal, the Horadrim chained Tal Rasha in one of seven identical tombs hidden in the desert. There he would remain until the events of Diablo II.
[edit] Diablo II
Following the events of Diablo I, Diablo managed to free himself of his prison and began to journey east towards Baal. By this time the former human has been consumed by Baal, for in his arrogance Tal Rasha had gravely underestimated the power of a Prime Evil. As Diablo enters the tomb he is followed by Marius, who ends up playing an important role in the freeing of Baal. When the two enter the final chamber, Tyrael is waiting for them. While Tyrael battles Diablo, Baal tricks Marius by fooling him into believing he is just a human, Tal Rasha, who has been wrongly imprisoned. Marius walks up to Baal and pulls his soulstone free from the chest of the once Horadrim mage. This sets Baal free, and together with Diablo they manage to overpower Tyrael. Marius however managed to flee with Baal's soulstone, with instructions from Tyrael to take it to Kurast and eventually Hell.
After being freed, Baal and Diablo both make their way towards Kurast where their eldest brother, Mephisto, has already escaped imprisonment. Once there the three unite their powers in order to open a gate to Hell through which Diablo steps in order to regain control of their demonic armies from Azmodan who now controls them. Baal immediately afterwards leaves and starts to prepare for an invasion of Mount Arreat and the surrounding Barbarian lands in order to reach the Worldstone. He also tracks down Marius, who has by now ended up in an asylum from his experiences during Diablo II. Baal once again tricks Marius, this time by making him believe he is Tyrael, until Marius gives him his soulstone. Baal then proceeds to destroy the asylum before heading north towards Mount Arreat.
[edit] Diablo II: Lord of Destruction
His assault goes well, and all barbarian cities fall save for Harrogath, where the elders sacrifice themselves in order to erect a protective barrier around the city. This proves problematic for Baal, as Harrogath holds the Relic of the Ancients, an item which grants the bearer free passage past The Ancients, the three guardians of Mount Arreat and the Worldstone. To get it, Baal struck a deal with Nihlathak, the last surviving elder, to hand him the Relic in exchange for sparing Harrogath. Nihlathak mistsakenly agrees, and Baal manages to enter the Worldstone Chamber.
As Baal begins to corrupt the Worldstone, he is caught up by the heroes who have previously slain both Mephisto and Diablo, and in the ensuing battle Baal is also defeated.
[edit] Current Whereabouts
- Caution: The following section contains content that has not been confirmed. At this point, it is pure speculation.
Baal's soulstone was destroyed at the end of Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, and he has been banished to the Abyss.[2] He does not make an appearance in Diablo 3, but he is one of the Great Evils who are sealed inside the Black Soulstone, used to subsequently reform Diablo as the Prime Evil.
[edit] Physical Appearance
The Lord of Destruction is almost spider-like in his appearance. When confronted in Diablo II, Baal moves on four insectoid legs.
Compared to his brother Diablo, Baal still retains some humanoid features, most likely from his inhabiting of Tal Rasha's body. Granted, it is only his upper torso, which is pale, emaciated, and skeletal.
Most likely one of the most recognizable traits of Baal is his Festering Appendages, tentacles that manifest in various places on his body. In battle, Baal summons these from the ground to impede the player's path. Similarly, in the opening movie sequence to Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, Baal conjures these appendages from his hands to gruesomely slay a Barbarian.
[edit] Powers and Abilities
Baal has unlike his brothers not yet appeared in any media outside of Diablo II and Diablo II: Lord of Destruction. As such, it makes it very hard to gauge what he is actually capable of. What we do know however is that by possessing Tal Rasha, Baal gained considerable knowledge.
It has also been hinted at in the Sin War Novels that Baal is the least intelligent of the Three, and that his demons tend to be stupid compared to the servants of his brothers.[3].
[edit] Servants
- Gulag, a stupid but tough demon from Birhtright and Scales of the Serpent. He was Baal's chosen representative in the Triune on Sanctuary, and he revelled in mindless destruction.
[edit] Gallery
[edit] References
- ↑ Cain, Deckard., Book of Cain, page 25.
- ↑ Cain, Deckard., Book of Cain, page 124.
- ↑ Knaak, Richard A., Birthright, page 158-159.
| Demons | ||
|---|---|---|
| Prime Evils | Baal • Diablo • Mephisto | |
| Lesser Evils | Andariel • Azmodan • Belial • Duriel | |
| Notable Demons | Assur • Astrogha • Gulag • Thonos • Kabraxis • Lilith • Lucion • Xazax | |
