In Diablo, you have been happily slaughtering your way through the world for decades, taking down demons, ratmen, and other vermin that have the misfortune to land at the other end of your blade. But did you know that the world where all this happens owes its existence to a special stone – which was once part of a dragon?
The story of Diablo primarily takes place in Sanctuary, the world of humans that is occasionally “visited” by angels and demons. In Sanctuary, there are many regions and areas, most recently, the jungle around Kurast was added in Diablo 4, a stark contrast to the desert of Kehjistan or the icy mountains of the Shattered Peaks.
Despite the diverse areas, Sanctuary is relatively small compared to the world as a whole or with other universes like the gigantic Azeroth from World of Warcraft or the absurd scaling of Warhammer.
However, Sanctuary is not meant to be huge. Originally, this small world was supposed to be just that, as the name suggests: a refuge. That it even exists is due to only two beings – and a powerful stone that set in motion the greatest war of the world.
We are talking about the Worldstone, an object that veterans have likely known since Diablo 2 and which still plays an important role today.
A piece of a dragon becomes a point of eternal contention
In fact, the Worldstone is not a “stone” in the conventional sense, but a remnant of the dragon Anu. Anu is the very first being in the world of Diablo and died in battle with his brother Tathamet.
The two dragons were absolute opposites: light and dark, good and evil, physical and magical. In a fight, the two dragons killed each other. From Tathamet, the seven evils of hell emerged, while the Worldstone remained from Anu.
The Worldstone, or the “Heart of Creation,” has the power to create and change entire realities or to destroy worlds in an instant. Whoever touches the stone is irrevocably changed – even souls.
An artifact with such power is correspondingly sought after. After it was discovered, the Endless Conflict broke out, the never-ending war between angels and demons. The whole goal of this war is the dominion over the Worldstone. But two people had something against it.
An angel and a demoness steal a stone …
During the war, the angel Inarius and the demoness Lilith met under … questionable circumstances. Tired of the endless war, the two, along with a few defectors, stole the Worldstone and hid it.
Inarius uses the power of the Worldstone to create Sanctuary, a world that was meant to remain hidden from the sight of demons and angels thanks to the stone itself. A safe haven for their children: the Nephalem.
To protect Sanctuary and the Worldstone, Inarius hid the artifact in Berk Arreat and bound the power to himself – which made him significantly stronger. At the same time, he weakened the humans, which Lilith, as the mother of humanity, was not pleased with at all. This led to new conflicts.
Ultimately, it was the humans themselves, through their hubris, who attracted demons, most notably Mephisto, the oldest of all evils. Sanctuary was eventually discovered, and the Eternal Conflict expanded into the world of humans.
The Worldstone today: Thousands of shards with incredible power
Throughout Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction, you can observe the Great Evil Baal as he corrupts the Worldstone. Successfully: the Heart of Creation is corrupted, and the angel Tyrael sees no other option but to destroy the stone.
The explosion destroys Mount Arreat, which is why you only know it as a crater since Diablo 3 and Diablo Immortal. The shards of the Worldstone, however, are still powerful enough to corrupt everything they touch or to change reality.
The entire story of Diablo Immortal revolves around the shards of the Worldstone and what happens to them. Today, hardly anyone among the humans in Sanctuary knows about it, except perhaps the Horadrim, who are nearly wiped out by the time of Diablo 4.
Some of the shards have also given rise to soul stones, originally prisons for the souls of angels and demons, which today, due to their corruption, are sources of power.
One exception is the Black Soulstone, created by Zoltun Kul. This special stone was meant to bind the souls of many angels and demons, thus capturing all seven evils. How that turned out is told in the story of Reaper of Souls: An angel killed 90% of the humans in Diablo 3, thrilling fans for Diablo 4
