Prehistory of Diablo and Diablo + Hellfire (Diablo)

What happened just before the start of the game?

Prehistory of the game Diablo and Diablo + Hellfire

As you already know, the three main demons Mefisto, Baal and Diablo were imprisoned by the Horadrim order of magicians in special magic crystals - soulstones and placed in different parts of the world. The soul stone from Diablo was kept in the ancient cathedral of the Horadrim order, located near the city of Tristram. But time passed, and only ruins remained from the gathering of the great magicians. The missionaries of the church who came to those places built a church on the site of the ruins, rightly judging that the holy place should not be empty.
Life on Earth went on as usual, and Diablo's spirit accumulated strength for liberation. Either the stone was left and cracked, or the magicians did not take into account all the power of this demon, but over time he learned to influence the minds of people nearby. And the demon chose Archbishop Lazarus as his victim. The choice was not accidental. Lazarus was the closest adviser to King Leoric. Leoric himself was born in the northern kingdom of Westmarch and became famous there as a faithful son of the church and a holy warrior who professed the Zakarum religion, the cult of Light. Arriving in the kingdom of Handaras, Leoric declared himself king. And such was his good reputation that the people agreed with his claims. As befits a holy warrior, Leoric built his castle next to the local religious center, the very cathedral under which the restless Diablo lurked. Gradually, Leoric's character changed. He assured himself that all around were enemies, thinking only of how to seize the throne, but the only true friend of the king, Archbishop Lazarus. Of course, this was not without Diablo's participation.
However, no one found out about this. Leoric gradually came to believe that the kingdom of Westmarch (his homeland, by the way!) Was eager to attack Handaras. On reflection, the king decided to outwit his enemies and take the initiative away from them. To do this, he sent his army north to attack Westmarch first.
Meanwhile, Lazarus was determined to release Diablo from prison. To do this, it was necessary to instill the spirit of the demon in the body of a suitable victim. The archbishop chose the king's son, Prince Albrecht, as the sacrifice. When the news of the disappearance of his only son reached the unfortunate father, he fell into a rage and, deciding that the inhabitants of the city of Tristram were to blame, he unleashed all his anger on them, demanding the return of his son. Many of the inhabitants of Tristram were executed by Leoric, but he never found Albrecht. And then the chief of his guard, Lachdanan, returned and told about the complete defeat of the king's armies in the north. Leoric has completely lost his mind. Seeing his condition, Lakhdanan began to plead with the king to abdicate. Naturally, Leoric flatly refused, and ordered to kill the traitor Lakhdanan. A battle ensued between the servants and friends of Lakhdanan, loyal to the king. Lakhdanan defeated and killed the mad king. While dying, Leoric cursed his servants, promising that they would serve him forever after their death. And these were not empty words ...
Then Archbishop Lazar offered to find the king's missing son and put him on the throne, after which everything was to return to normal. The inhabitants of the city followed the archbishop into the dungeons under the cathedral and there fell into the hands of the demon Butcher. The scoundrel Lazarus himself disappeared.
Only a few residents remained in Tristram, who for one reason or another did not want to leave the doomed city.
It was at this time that a traveler came to Tristram. That was a man who was once born in the city, but then went in search of adventure in other lands, and now he returned home. Play the role of this person and you are invited.