DiabloFans

Oh, excellent, okay then Thanks for clearing that up, Bambi.

Hey, on this note, is it possible to lock a thread at the same time that the poll verdict is reached (I.E. when timed polls are finished their preset time and stop receiving votes)? This would keep some poll threads that have been dead for a while from getting bumped back up.

Before even another moment had passed, the creature was upon them. Its wicked sword arched through the semi-darkness and slammed into an unanticipating Darrian, his reflexes unable to account for the weight of his heavy weapon of choice.

Even as the demon's sword impaled his chest and sent him hurtling back in to a rotting, ancient pillar, the vile creature grinned insidiously.

Darrian struggled to his feet and fixed his hands upon the handle of his massive weapon, "In the name of Torm I cast this demon back to the Nine Hells!"

As his hammer fell throw the air, a distant enchantment echoed throw the shadows: "Praeses, Alia, Fero!"

Darrian's hammer stopped as if it had crashed into wall and then become stuck in it. His eyes contorted in confusion and surprise, "What new devilry has this creature summoned?"

A man slid out of the shadows to his right, robed in brown, his thumb and middle finger fixed on his temples, his right hand extended toward the motionless hammerhead. His hands then fell, his concentration broken, and he looked hard at Darrian, "The demon has said that your anger feeds him- do not raise your weapon upon him just yet-"

Darrian nudged him away, "Who are you- no, you do not concern me. Go about your business, there is a demon to be slayed and a wizard will not step in my way!"

He slung his hammer once again throw the air and in to the robed demon. He was tossed aside like a rag doll in a hurricane, tattered, blackened robes and bits of shadow collapsing and hurtling to the ground.

"See? There is no beast that can withstand my hammer!" laughed Darrian haughtily.

As he spoke the demon raised itself from the dusty floor, growing taller and larger than before, a thicker darkness and twang of terror upon him this time. His sword seemed somehow more solid and flickered with a wicked black lightning. His eyes grew brighter still, and he laughed.

Quote from "DarthKarnage" »

Is there someway we can get a moderator here tomorrow to stay on all day and delete all posts by "firstposters"?

They aren't all bad. There were a few good ones, and everyone does have a right to discuss the possibilites.

Quote from "Daniel89" »

You misiunderstood, you post was poking fun at people who only come on the forums during a big event, my post was merely mocking why would anyone want to randomely join a site when theres no event near. Unless i misunderstood yours, in which case i apologize.

Oh, okay. I guess it just depends on your point of view, then. For instance, I'm really sick of people with 3 posts coming in and when I say, "There's always a possibility that it won't be Diablo III- like MD said, it could also be WC IV or just more hype for WotLK," saying to me, "Evry1 who thinkz is WC4 F U!!one11!"

The majority of people that have this pattern of joining, posting once or twice, and then never posting again once the event(s) is(are) over 1) have no information to back up their argument, 2) are hopeless fan bois that ignorantly believe things without proper review of the facts, 3) flame for no reason, 4) don't thoroughly read through posts and then flame the person, 5) spam incessently, 6) all post "I've been watching this forum for x years and have been playing Diablo since it came out," 7) regurgitate what has already been said at least once on every single page and then say, "WTF I DONT WANTZ 2 REED TEH HOLE F***IN THRED!!", and 8) are usually very immature about their posts.

Given, there are exceptions, and immaturity on a site for a game is okay (in general, though since this game is technically for adults, this shouldn't be an issue.) I've seen this time and time again, and you have to understand, from where I'm standing it gets very, very annoying.

Quote from "toolboy198302" »

Hey folks, Have we ruled out a new blizzcast? maybe something leading toward d3 in it?
just doing a little brain storming

Yeah, a Blizzcast was ruled out. Supposedly, the next two Blizzcasts will not be Diablo-related. That's also a good thing- it could mean that they're too busy (the Diablo team) to do a Blizzcast.

-.-' You're missing the point. They can't be subject to our laws or they aren't beyond nature- "super-natural". They'd be aliens or something.

Your brain is still subject to the natural laws of our Universe.

That really has nothing to do with the angel itself.

And let's say an angel came down to you, showed itself and had a nice little chat with you. Would it not be an angel then? If it wasn't, then angels cannot possibly exist, because there'd be no way to ever notice them. If we ever did, they wouldn't be angels anymore.

That's exactly what I'm saying. They're beyond our rules. It's obviously going to confuse us because it would be like trying to define a banana with HTML- we are something completely different than them.

If were are to assume that there are angels, then we have to assume we, too, have spirituality. That is the level, then, that a "spirit" would communicate on. But, in another sense, if you assume there are angels, then something must have created them, unless you want to buy in to some kind of spiritual evolution or something, like some new agers do. If we are to assume then, for sake of argument, that angels do exist, and that they also have a creator, we would have to assume that the same being created our spirituality, and, thus, everything that would come along with that, primarily meaning everything, at which point the creator would be called "god". And if this god were to create everything, he or she would have no chains to our rules, and thus be able to change them or go beyond them at anytime he/she so wishes. So, this god could command the angel to appear to deliver some kind of divine message, and then take whatever necessary steps he or she so chooses to keep that creature from being defined quantitatively.

Every time I feel my excitement for this game begin to waver, I pull up some vids and get excited all over again. I have decided to start a thread where I will post up a gameplay video of D3 for us all to watch every so often and then we will comment on what in the video we are excited about.

First video: The first half of the original gameplay trailer.


Second Video:

Quote from Doomscream

Yeah, and when you use credit cards you are giving private info too you know?

Being common doesn't make it a good thing. Again, this info is not searchable (hopefully). Stop avoiding the point.

Quote from Doomscream

Imo only anti-social nerds and geeks are afraid of sharing their name. A normal outgoing social person will tell you your name when you ask him for.

Some of us are introverts. The majority of video game players, especially ones like Diablo, are introverts. So we're in favor of a system that ignores the main audience of Diablo because...?
If you (Blizzard) have something against geeks, nerds, and people who are not outgoing and social (what good do those people do anyway), you're in the wrong market.
[And I'm not even going into how wrong and biased and fucked up and negative that attitude is, I think people like you should be <insert something bad here> just for your disregard of fellow human beings different from yourself.]

Quote from Doomscream

Imagine someone actually pretending to be a woman in order to get free stuff from the guild (or something like that), now he would be mad and really afraid because of this.

Imagine someone making a new account and using a fake female name. His name is now displayed and everyone believes he's female, since many people are just like you and think the system is failproof.

The world of Diablo is quite extensive, and the lore around it amounts to a great deal. It's not (yet) on the scale of Tolkien's works, but few game series have had the opportunity to have not one but eight books set in it's fictional universe, and Blizzard's cinematics are not only renowned for their high quality, but also for the memorable moments they create and the powerful visions of their worlds they reveal. All evidence seems to suggest that this tradition has been carried over to Starcraft II in full force, and we can only assume the same will be true for Diablo III.

But in the old days, before the massive cinematics and in-game cut-scenes of Warcraft III, how did Blizzard tell their stories? Well I'm sure you all remember the tomes scattered about the dungeons of Diablo I. A simple yet very effective way of conveying details of the story to the player. We shall have a look at the various tomes of Diablo I, what they told of the story, but most importantly, if their information provided is still accurate. Because Diablo, whether you like it or not, has gone through a lot of changes from the release of the first game to the last chapter of the Sin War novels, The Veiled Prophet. Retconning does happen, and things can change.

• First things first: What tomes?
• Horadric Tomes
• The Great Conflict
• The Wages of Sin are War
• Tale of the Horadrim
• Lazarus' Tomes
• The Realms Beyond
• Tale of the Three
• The Black King
• Demonic Tomes
• The Dark Exile
• The Sin War
• The Binding of the Three
• Final Words

First things first: What tomes?
For those of you who never played Diablo I (and the few who did but have a bad memory), during the game the player would come across several books (similar to the Moldy Tome in Diablo II). These books would, upon reading them, provide snippets of information about the game and the war between Heaven and Hell. Four of them were started a quest and included nothing really interesting, but nine books were there purely to tell a story to the player.

These nine tomes could then be divided into three separate categories:

• Three were written by the Horadrim, and told of the capture of the Prime Evils.
• Three were written by Arch Bishop Lazarus and praised Diablo.
• Three were of an unknown author with considerable knowledge of Hell.

The Horadric Tomes
The Great Conflict

Take heed and bear witness to the truths that lie herein, for they are the last legacy of the Horadrim. There is a war that rages on even now, beyond the fields that we know - between the Utopian Kingdoms of the High Heavens and the Chaotic Pits of the Burning Hells. This war is known as the Great Conflict, and it has raged and burned longer than any of the stars in the sky. Neither side ever gains sway for long as the forces of Light and Darkness constantly vie for control over all creation.

The Wages of Sin are War

Take heed and bear witness to the truths that lie herein, for they are the last legacy of the Horadrim. When the eternal conflict between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells falls upon mortal soil, it is called the Sin War. Angels and Demons walk amongst humanity in disguise, fighting in secret, away from the prying eyes of mortals. Some daring, powerful mortals have even allied themselves with either side, and helped to dictate the course of the Sin War.

There is a slight change here. The Sin War technically refers to the initial conflict that befell Sanctuary (the entirety of those events is laid out in the Sin War novels). Other than that, the passage is still canon.

Tale of the Horadrim

Take heed and bear witness to the truths that lie herein, for they are the last legacy of the Horadrim. Nearly three hundred years ago, it came to be known that the three Prime Evils of the Burning Hells had mysteriously come to our world. The Three Brothers ravaged the lands of the East for decades, while humanity was left trembling in their wake. Our order - the Horadrim - was founded by a group of secretive Magi to hunt down and capture the three Evils once and for all.

The original Horadrim captured two of the Three within powerful artifacts known as Soulstones and buried them deep beneath the desolate Eastern sands. The third Evil escaped capture and fled to the West with many of the Horadrim in pursuit. The third Evil - known as Diablo, the Lord of Terror - was eventually captured, his essence set in a Soulstone and buried within this Labyrinth.

Be warned that the Soulstone must be kept from discovery by those not of the Faith. If Diablo were to be released, he would seek a body that would be easily controlled as he would be very weak - perhaps that of an old man or a child.

This text is mysterious. While the text in itself remains canonical, it is clearly revealed in the first paragraph that the Horadrim were unaware of why the Three were in fact on Sanctuary to begin with. In another book further down, The Binding of the Three, it is clarified that the Three were overthrown by the Lesser Evils.

However in Diablo II when Deckard Cain gives the quest Sisters to the Slaugher to the player, he reveals that:

"Ancient Horadric texts record that Andariel and the other Lesser Evils once overthrew the three Prime Evils -- Diablo, Mephisto and Baal -- banishing them from Hell to our world."

At first glance, it would seem as if this is crystal clear: the book in Diablo I must have been written by a Horadrim mage, and that is how Deckard Cain knows of it. But what one must remember is that Cain is only just barely a Horadrim; the order fell apart before he was born, and the only reason he carries the title is because his ancestor was a Horadrim, and since the order no longer exists, there's no one to stop him from using the title. Clearly Cain managed to retrieve the book "The Binding of the Three" from Tristram, but it is not clear whether he actually knows who wrote it, or just assumed it was a Horadrim mage becasue he found it in their old fortress.

Lazarus' Tomes
The Realms Beyond

All praises to Diablo - Lord of Terror and survivor of the Dark Exile. When he awakened from his long slumber, my Lord and master spoke to me of secrets that few mortals know. He told me the kingdoms of the High Heavens and the pits of the Burning Hells engage in an eternal war. He revealed the powers that have brought this discord to the realms of man. My master has named the battle for this world and all who exist here the Sin War.

Tale of the Three

Glory and approbation to Diablo, Lord of Terror and leader of the Three. My lord spoke to me of his two brothers, Mephisto and Baal, who were banished to this world long ago. My lord wishes to bide his time and harness his awesome power so that he may free his captive brothers from their tombs beneath the sands of the east. Once my lord releases his brothers, The Sin War will once again know the fury of the three.

This quote is questionable. It is the only quote that actually names one of the Three as leader. Various quotes in the Sin War novels allude to the fact that Diablo is the strongest and foremost of them, but no single quote can prove it. For example, Astrogha, a servant of Diablo, refers to his master as the greatest. Lazarus, being a corrupted servant of Diablo, would obviously give his master the same reverance as Astrogha. More so probably, given Diablo's dominance over his mind. So while the quote shouldn't be taken literally, it is another small proof supporting the fact that Diablo does in fact seem to be the leader of the Three (for more thoughts on this, refer to The Cosmology of Diablo: Angels and Demons).

The Black King

Hail and sacrifice to Diablo, Lord of Terror and Destroyer of Souls. When I awoke my master from his sleep, he attempted to posses a mortal's form. Diablo attempted to claim the body of King Leoric, but my master was too weak from his imprisonment. My lord required a simple and innocent anchor to this world, and so found the boy Albrecht perfect for the task. While the good King Leoric was left maddened by Diablo's unsuccessful possession, I kidnapped his son Albrecht and brought him before my master. I now await Diablo's call and pray that I will be rewarded when he at last emerges as the lord of this world.

This is the only passage during which the title "Destroyer of Souls" is used for Diablo. Since it is capitalized it is clearly a title, but it has never been mentioned after this. Perhaps it is just the ravings of Lazarus, or perhaps there is some unknown connection that Diablo has to souls in general that we are unaware of.

Demonic Tomes
I have chosen to label these tomes as demonic tomes, mostly because of the information they contain about the inner workings of Hell. It is unlikely anyone but a demon or perhaps a very powerful sorcerer could possess this information.

The Dark Exile

So it came to be that there was a great revolution within the Burning Hells known as The Dark Exile. The Lesser Evils overthrew the Three Prime Evils and banished their spirit forms to the mortal realm. The demons Belial (the Lord of Lies) and Azmodan (the Lord of Sin) fought to claim rulership of Hell during the absence of the Three Brothers. All of Hell polarized between the factions of Belial and Azmodan while the forces of the High Heavens continually battered upon the very Gates of Hell.

This is definitely canonical, though whether it is true or not is another matter. Izual holds a speech in Diablo II that casts some doubt as to whether it was truly a revolution or simply a very elaborate plan by the Prime Evils:

"You see, it was I who told Diablo and his Brothers about the Soulstones and how to corrupt them. It was I who helped the Prime Evils mastermind their own exile to your world."

Still, the mere fact that a revolution did take place, whether real or faked, is not something just any mortal is capable of knowing. And it wouldn't have been a very good scheme if anyone knew the rebellion was a sham.

The Sin War

Many Demons travelled to the mortal realm in search of the Three Brothers. These Demons were followed to the mortal plane by Angels who hunted them throughout the vast cities of the East. The Angels allied themselves with a secretive order of mortal Magi named the Horadrim, who quickly became adept at hunting Demons. They also made many dark enemies in the underworlds.

True, though the amount of angels is probably limited to mainly Tyrael and perhaps some lesser angels under his command. At least, no angel but Tyrael has ever been named to have helped the Horadrim.

The Binding of the Three

So it came to be that the Three Prime Evils were banished in spirit form to the mortal realm and after sewing chaos across the East for decades, they were hunted down by the cursed Order of the mortal Horadrim. The Horadrim used artifacts called Soulstones to contain the essence of Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred and his brother Baal, the Lord of Destruction. The youngest brother - Diablo, the Lord of Terror - escaped to the west. Eventually the Horadrim captured Diablo within a Soulstone as well, and buried him under an ancient, forgotten Cathedral. There, the Lord of Terror sleeps and awaits the time of his rebirth. Know ye that he will seek a body of youth and power to possess - one that is innocent and easily controlled. He will then arise to free his Brothers and once more fan the flames of the Sin War...

This clearly highlights that a Horadrim mage did not write this book. A Horadrim would not call his order cursed, and he would not refer to the Horadrim as "mortal". It suggests that a demon, or some other immortal being, has written this.

What is also interesting about this book is that it is the only quote that mentions Diablo as the youngest brother. There are plenty of passages that mention Mephisto as the eldest, but only this one named Diablo as the youngest. It has consequently never been disproved either, so it seems entirely reasonable to assume that this holds true.

Final Words
And this was supposed to be a short post... Regardless of that, most of this article, as well as some details about the quest tomes and where all tomes appear, can now be found in the wiki at Tomes (Diablo I).

And for those still waiting for the next cosmology installment, it is coming.

Quote from Airandius

- Simple summary of all basic mechanics like xp, skills, attributes, ilvl, clvl, sockets, gems and jewels, interface etc.

That's actually a pretty good idea. Mind doing a first version for me?

NO NO LOAD COMPARES TO THE ONE I JUST SENT FLYING THRU MY TV WHEN I SAW THE PORTAL 2 TRAILER. At the end i got chills thats how psyched i am about Portal 2, NOT TO MENTION KILLZONE 3 in 3D and CRYSIS 2 in 3d... pu tit this way i just bought a ps3 in my mind. Other notable mentions would be HOMEFRONT, damn that seemed really good to me for a brand new FPS... MEDAL OF HONOR JESUS i want it now good thing the betas live june 21st, Witched 2 didnt seem bad and neither did Hunted. I am also extremely psyched about Deadspace 2 which looks really fun to play i can't wait. other than that and Ghost recon Future soldie which is also 3d, i didn't see much NINTENDO BOMBED.. the first and only game i was looking foward to is the zelda one and i didnt seem to like it much. FABLE 3 is also worth a good look too.

Did you look at your username instead of login name

I have heard of people eating these cute things.




This is what they look like being prepared as a meal.



If I ever walk into an establishment that serves these, I will walk out immediately and have a very hard time of not torching the place later. If I see somebody preparing, cooking, and/or eating them, I will kill him/her on the spot, I don't care if the person next to them had a high caliber military issue assault rifle, I will still kill them.

Rabbits and other such animals on the other hand, I don't have a problem with. The one squirrel picture kind of threw me off though. I can't find the picture though. It was a woman holding the grilled squirrel by the tail (The thing was straight as a board.) and she had half of the squirrel and was sucking on that half like she would a popsicle. It was so fucking wrong.

So my dad brought home some steaks today, and I decided to go crazy..the end result was ... well... crazy (in a good way).

I don't know if this has been tried before, but I'll share regardless. Here is what you need.

- 2 large steaks
- Chili peppers (green) (1 is more than enough)
- 1 onion
- 2 table spoons of chopped mushrooms (they're canned here)
- A pinch of cinnamon
- A pinch of ground sumac
- 2 ground cloves of garlic (less or more, depends on how you like it)
- Chopped up thyme (I usually chop up like, 4 or 5 small leaves, a tiny amount that gives just the right taste)
- 2 tea spoons of mustard
- A pinch of salt
- Butter
- 1 lemon

I always found cooking meat/chicken in butter way more taste-friendly than oil is.

You put the steaks aside, and the butter aside. You chop up about half a chili pepper into small circles (upon frying, I didn't find this making the steak spicy, just gave it a nice taste), chop the onions into circles, squeeze in the lemon, and add in everything else as is, and just mix them up with a spoon.

Start frying the steak in the butter. Wait about 1 minute on each side of the steak (frying) then add the mixture on top. Leave it for about 3-4 minutes, then flip the steaks over. You should wait until the steaks become somewhat scorched/crispy, which coincides with the mixture turning to a darker color. Serve the steaks, and collect the mixture from the frying pan, and put it besides the steak. I eat the steak, and with it I eat a bit of the mixture, which has plenty of taste, and what damn good taste it is. Someone should try this and give me an honest opinion.