A story recap for the first game of the Diablo video-game franchise. The first game revolves around the player hero (Prince Aidan the Warrior-class being the canon choice) arriving at the town of Tristram in order to venture into the the depths of the town's corrupted cathedral. Once the player descends far enough, they will come face-to-face with the Lord of Terror, Diablo.
Beware of Spoilers!
Initial Setting
In the fictional mortal world of Sanctuary, a war rages on between the forces of Heaven and Hell. During the war, a faction of Sanctuary's mortal mages known as the "Brotherhood of the Horadrim" managed to banish the three Prime Evils (Diablo, Mephisto and Baal) by defeating them, sealing their souls away within Soulstones, and then locked the three Prime Evils away at three separate locations of Sanctuary. One of such locations for the Lord of Terror, Diablo, turned out to be a location hidden deep beneath a cathedral in Tristram, a town residing in Sanctuary's western kingdom of Khanduras. However, Diablo worked tirelessly to corrupt the Soulstone he was placed in, and eventually managed to extend his influence to reach certain mortals outside his cathedral prison.One of such people corrupted by Diablo turned out to be Archbishop Lazarus, a special advisor to the Khanduras Kingdom's King Leoric. Becoming Diablo's most loyal servant, Lazarus helps Diablo by searching for the perfect mortal vessel that the Lord of Terror will house his spirit within in order for Diablo to truly escape his Soulstone prison. Lazarus' first choice for Diablo turns out to be King Leoric, but Diablo was unable to take control over the King due to Diablo's current weak state, and Leoric's strong will to resist the corruption. However, the result of Diablo's attempt to corrupt Leoric left the King in a crazed state.
Abandoning the thought of taking King Leoric, Lazarus' next choice is Leoric's younger son, Prince Albrecht. This time around, Lazarus kidnaps Albrecht, and takes the Prince deep into the cathedral depths so that Diablo's Soulstone is stabbed into the boy's forehead. With the Soulstone now in a mortal body, Diablo's soul easily transfers into Albrecht's body, and has now officially manifested himself into the mortal world. However, Diablo is still nowhere close to being at full power, which results in Diablo turning the depths of the Tristram cathedral into an outpost for Hell. The Lord of Terror decides to swarm the cathedral labyrinth with hordes of demonic creatures in order to buy himself enough time to continue restoring his strength.
Following the disappearance of Prince Albrecht, the now insane King Leoric accuses the townsfolk of Tristram of kidnapping his son, and executes several of the townsfolk. King Leoric's most loyal knights led by Captain Lachdanan attempt to calm Leoric's rage, but are forced to slay their King when they realize that Leoric's sanity is too far gone at this point. However, before his death, King Leoric curses his knights into unholy servitude for the Lord of Terror. Following the death of King Leoric, Archbishop Lazarus returns to lead a group of Tristram townsfolk to charge into the corrupted cathedral. However, he leads them into a trap to have them killed off by a deadly demon known as the Butcher. After the Butcher slaughters the townsfolk, Lazarus disappears descending to a deeper location of the cathedral's labyrinth.
Some time after, Diablo continues to regain his strength, and the Lord of Terror begins to send his demons into the countryside of Khanduras. With the possibility of Diablo coming close to regaining his strength to the point of heading out to search for his imprisoned brothers, Mephisto and Baal, King Leoric's elder son, Prince Aidan (the canon player character), arrives at the town of Tristram to deal with the threat.
Arriving at Tristram
Prince Aidan arrives at the town of Tristram, which its populace has already been greatly reduced due to the recurring attacks from Diablo's minions. The villagers of note include Ogden (the owner of Tristram's Tavern of the Rising Sun), Griswold (the town blacksmith), Pepin (the town healer), Adria (the town's witch), Wirt (a young peddler), Gillian (a barmaid resident), Farnham (a drunkard), and Cain (a knowledgeable elder). Greeting Ogden, the tavern owner appreciates Aidan's return, and informs the elder Prince of the dark times that have now fallen upon Tristram. Ogden also tells Aidan of the now desecrated town cathedral, and asks for Aidan to save who he can if the Prince manages to find anyone still alive.
Dungeon Levels (1-4)
Prince Aidan enters the cathedral, and fights his way through the dungeon floors that make up levels 1 through 4 of the labyrinth. The primary enemies Aidan faces off against here include Fallen Ones, Scavengers, Skeletons, Zombies, Stalkers, and Winged Fiends.
Poisoned Water Supply (Level 2)
The town healer, Pepin, informs Aidan of a problem the town is dealing with that Tristram's well water has become stagnant and tainted to the point of becoming undrinkable. As a result he begs for the Prince to find a way to cleanse the well before Tristram's limited fresh water reserves finally run out. Finding the hidden passage to the underground well's location on the labyrinth's second level, Aidan kills the demons that have been tainting the water, some of which included powerful Goat Men. Once the well water has been restored, Pepin rewards Aidan with the Ring of Truth.
The Butcher (Level 2)
Before entering the cathedral, Aidan comes across a dying townsman, Kael Rills, that managed to make it out of the cathedral. In his last dying words, Kael informs Aidan of the war-party that Archbishop Lazarus led into the labyrinth to find the lost Prince Albrecht, but resulted in him leading everyone into a trap to be killed off to a demon called the Butcher. Before passing away, Kael begs Aidan to avenge them by slaying the Butcher so that the souls of the dead can finally rest. Within the labyrinth, Aidan comes across the Butcher's lair on the second level, and manages to kill the beast. In return, Aidan obtains the Butcher's Cleaver weapon.
The Curse of King Leoric (Level 3)
Ogden explains to Aidan the tragic story that befell King Leoric, and how a problem has occurred after the King's body was buried away three floors beneath the cathedral. He informs Aidan that King Leoric has arisen as the Skeleton King, and now commands an army of undead warriors to possibly attack the mortals living in Sanctuary. As a result, Ogden asks for Aidan to destroy King Leoric's cursed skeleton form so that his soul may finally rest. Making his way to the labyrinth's third floor, Aidan enters into King Leoric's tomb, and faces off against the Skeleton King. After defeating Leoric, and obtaining the Undead Crown, Aidan prays for the King to rest in peace since he will be sure to find Albrecht.
Gharbad the Weak (Level 4)
On the labyrinth's fourth floor, Aidan comes across a civil Goat Man known as Gharbad, who promises to make the Prince something good if he chooses to let the Goat Man live. After Aidan returns however, Gharbad claims that the item it made is too good to give up, and decides to attack the Prince. Aidan kills Gharbad in return, and is left unimpressed by what Gharbad was working on.
Ogden's Sign (Level 4)
Ogden informs Aidan of a strange event that happened one night where he witnessed several demonic creatures outside his tavern making off with his frontal sign. On the labyrinth's fourth floor, Aidan discovers that it was a Fallen One known as Snotspill that was behind stealing away the sign, but ended up losing it to a group of Overlord demons. As a result, Snotspill threatens to attack Aidan with an army of Fallen Ones if the Prince doesn't return the sign to the demon. If Aidan returns the sign to Snotspill, the Prince gets attacked by the Fallen One army anyway. Aidan can also return the sign to Ogden, who will reward the Prince with a Harlequin Crest, and when Aidan returns to Snotspill, the Fallen One army will instantly attack.
Catacomb Levels (5-8)
After level 4, Prince Aidan enters the catacombs, and fights his way through the catacomb floors that make up floor's 5 through 8 of the labyrinth. The primary enemies Aidan faces off against here include Goat Men, Gargoyles, Stalkers, Skeletons, Overlords, Winged Fields, and Acid Beasts.
The Magic Rock (Level 5)
Griswold informs Aidan of how a caravan of the eastern kingdoms was carrying some sort of magic rock that had fallen from the Heavens, but lost it after being ambushed by Diablo's minions. He asks for Aidan to find the missing rock, and claims that he will be able to make something useful from it for Aidan to use. Aidan manages to find the Magic Rock on the labyrinth's fifth floor, and has it turned into an Empyrean Band after bringing it to Griswold.
Valor (Level 5)
On the labyrinth's fifth floor, Aidan comes across the location of a secret vault where the legendary Sin War hero, Arkaine, had his precious armor, Valor, stored away after the hero's death. In order to bypass the Gateway of Blood, Aidan faced off against massive Horned Demons, and brings the three Blood Stones to the Pedestal of Blood, which opens the gate to enter the Hall of Fire. At the end of the hallway, Aidan discovers Arkaine's Valor armor.
The Chamber of Bone (Level 6)
On the labyrinth's sixth floor, Aidan comes across the entrance to the Chamber of Bone treasure room. However, the room is filled with many Skeletons, Stalkers, and Horned Demons, that the Prince must fight through. The main treasure that Aidan comes across is a spellbook that teaches the Prince how to cast the Guardian spell.
Halls of the Blind (Level 7)
On the labyrinth's seventh floor, Aidan comes across a room known as the Halls of the Blind that is filled with many Stalker demons. Fighting his way through the Stalkers, Aidan makes it to a small room where he obtains the hall's precious treasure, the Optic Amulet.
Zhar the Mad (Level 8)
On the labyrinth's eighth floor, Aidan comes across a study room where a crazed mage known as Zhar the Mad goes about his work. He's annoyed by Aidan's interruption, and provides Aidan a spellbook to let Zhar continue to study in pease. If Aidan chooses to check the other spellbook on the bookshelf, Zhar gets angry toward's the Prince's continued curiosity, and decides to attack. After defeating Zhar, Aidan apologizes asking smugly if he broke Zhar's concentration.
Cave Levels (9-12)
After level 8, Prince Aidan enters the caves, and fights his way through the cave floors that make up floor's 9 through 12 of the labyrinth. The primary enemies Aidan faces off against here include Gargoyles, Stalkers, Overlords, Acid Beasts, Horned Demons, Lightning Demons, Vipers, Magma Demons, and Balrogs.
Slain Hero (Level 9)
On the labyrinth's ninth floor, Aidan comes across the corpse of a dead hero that previously tried to make his way down the labyrinth. After looting the body of any special items, Aidan prays for the dead hero to finally rest in peace.
Black Mushroom (Level 9)
On the labyrinth's ninth floor, Aidan finds a Fungal Tome that he brings back to Adria to learn about its contents. The witch reveals that it's a Book of Reagents, and asks for Aidan to search for a Black Mushroom in order to create an elixir based on a recipe from the book. Finding a Black Mushroom at another location of the ninth floor, Aidan returns it to Adria, who informs the Prince that Pepin is in need of a demon's brain for a new elixir he's creating, which she also wants to know about. After acquiring a brain organ from one of the labyrinth demons, Aidan hands it over to Pepin, who finishes the elixir, and rewards the Prince with the Spectral Elixir. However, Adria claims to have already finished her side of the elixir without Aidan's help, and asks for the Prince to just keep it. As a reward, Aidan drinks the Spectral Elixir, and has all his stats boosted up four points.
Anvil of Fury (Level 10)
Griswold informs Aidan of how he heard a tale from an adventurer that returned from the cathedral labyrinth that he came across a mystic anvil during his escape, but failed to take it with him. The blacksmith believes that this anvil the adventurer spoke of is indeed the Anvil of Fury that originated from the Burning Hellforge which supposedly creates powerful weapons of magic. Griswold asks for Aidan to find the anvil, and bring it back to the blacksmith so that he can develop a weapon of great power. On the labyrinth's tenth floor, Aidan locates the Anvil of Fury protected by Goat Men and Horned Demons. He then brings it back to Griswold, who uses the anvil to develop for Aidan the powerful Griswold's Edge sword.
Hell Levels (13-16)
After level 12, Prince Aidan enters hell, and fights his way through the hell floors that make up floor's 13 through 16 of the labyrinth. The primary enemies Aidan faces off against here include Balrogs, Vipers, Acid Beasts, Lightning Demons, Succubus, Hell Mages, and Hell Knights.
Warlord of Blood (Level 13)
On the labyrinth's thirteenth floor, Aidan comes across a special room where the Warlord of Blood, a Knight of legend dating back to the Sin War, now resides after being corrupted by Diablo due to the Knight's insatiable hunger for blood. The Warlord of Blood faces off against Aidan claiming that his blade will not be denied from obtaining the Prince's blood. Upon being defeated, Aidan announces that the Warlord of Blood's reign of pain has come to an end. Before continuing on, Aidan loots the special items from the Warlord of Blood's room.
Lachdanan (Level 14)
On the labyrinth's fourteenth floor, Aidan comes across Lachdanan, who's been transformed into a Hell Knight. However, Lachdanan, who still has a bit of his sanity, begs Aidan not to kill him. Lachdanan explains how he and his soldiers were cursed upon killing King Leroic, and that he failed to find a cure after searching Leroic's burial chamber. However, he one day heard about a special Golden Elixir somewhere that could lift the curse, and finally allow his soul to rest in peace. Lachdanan begs for Aidan to find the Golden Elixir, and that he will surely award the Prince for saving his soul before the last of his strength and humanity becomes corrupted. Fighting his way through hell, Aidan discovers the Golden Elixir on the fifteenth floor, and returns it to Lachdanan. The captain thanks Aidan for his efforts, and drinks the elixir to lift Leoric's curse, passing on to the afterlife with his soul still intact. Left behind at Lachdanan corpse is his Veil of Steel helmet as a reward for Aidan.
Archbishop Lazarus (Level 15)
On the labyrinth's fifteenth floor, Aidan discovers the Staff of Lazarus, which he brings back to Cain the Elder in order to find out what's going on. Cain reveals himself to be Deckard Cain, the last descendant of the "Brotherhood of the Horadrim" that banished the Prime Evils within the Soulstones many years ago. He brings up how Archbishop Lazarus led a war-party to find the lost Prince Albrecht, but failed to realize in time that Lazarus had betrayed the people of Sanctuary. Cain deduces that it must have been Lazarus who caused the disappearance of Albrecht, and must have hidden the Prince away within the cathedral labyrinth for some other purpose. Putting things together, Cain realizes that Lazarus is planning to use Albrecht's body to bring Diablo into the mortal realm. He begs for Aidan to save Albrecht before Lazarus sacrifices the boy to become the vessel for Diablo.
Upon returning to the fifteenth floor, Aidan sees that a red portal has appeared that will take the Prince to the Unholy Altar where Archbishop Lazarus resides. Fighting his way through Lazarus' minions, Aidan reaches the location of the Archbishop. However, Lazarus reveals that Aidan has arrived too late, and that Albrecht has already been sacrificed to bring Diablo into the mortal world. Aidan faces off against Lazarus, as well as the Archbishop's two Succubus bodyguards, Red Vex and Blackjade, and manages to defeat all three of them. After killing Lazarus, Aidan claims that the betrayer's madness has now ended.
Diablo (Level 16)
After defeating Lazarus, Aidan sees that the entrance to Diablo's lair is now open, and descends into the last level of the labyrinth. Here, the level is filled with nothing but Hell Knights and Hell Mages led by the corrupted Knight, Sir Gorash, as Aidan fights his way around the lair to eventually open up the prison room that Diablo's been residing within. Here, Aidan faces off against Diablo, who now has a mortal body using Albrecht's body as the vessel for the Prime Evil. However, Aidan still manages to defeat the Lord of Terror.
Ending
After Diablo falls in defeat, Aidan pulls out the Lord of Terror's Soulstone that had been stabbed into Albrecht's forehead. With the Soulstone out, Albrecht's body returns to his human form, but the boy has already passed on to the afterlife. Afterwards, Aidan chooses to stab the Soulstone into his own forehead, screaming in pain as he attempts to contain Diablo. Following Diablo's defeat, Aidan has succeeded in containing Diablo for the time being, but can feel the presence of Diablo slowly clawing his way out. Outside the labyrinth, Aidan turns his attention to the lands of the far east of Sanctuary.
