Of all of the Great Evils,it is much to our misfortune that we know the most
about the Lord of Terror,Al'Diabolos,known more widely as Diablo.
He is the root of all fears buried deep within mortal minds.He is the
nightmare that awakens us,sweating in the dark.He is an entity of pure
malevolence and depthless evil.He has plagued Sanctuary on several occasions
and tormented mortals time and again,more often than any of his foul brethren.
Despite the fact that age as we know it does not seem to apply to the Lords
of Hell,Diablo is generally considered to be the youngest of the Three.It
may also seem odd to addign positive traits to a demon;nonetheless,it is
said that Diablo is the most creative and farsighted of his brothers,perhaps
of all of the Evils.Many claim that Mephisto is the most intelligent,but
intelligence has as many facets as does evil.
Diablo is calm,cunning,and patient,and best understood when we view all his
actions as attempts to instill terror in those around him.Consider the
components of terror:a mix of fear,shock,and utter hopelessness.Perhaps
Diablo's most insidious power is the ability to cast his influence deep in
the minds of his victims and latch upon their greatest,most crippling fears,
then to apply that knowledge and,in so doing,use a person's own worst fears
against them.
As perverse as it may sound,Diablo sees himself as an artist of terror.I
can attest that when I was subjected to Diablo's evil,it seemed to me as if
he derived from it the pleasure that an artist takes in his work.Perhaps he
sees each of us as a canvas.
Diablo knows that conquest comes when enemies panic and turn their backs
to their fears,rather than face them.However-and this is an important
concept to grasp-Diablo does not acquire his satisfaction from conquest
itself,as perhaps Mephisto might.Diablo feeds on the terror that precedes
the conquest.To him,the fear a victim has is a greater reward than the pain
they suffer when they are actually tortured.
With this perspective on Diablo's nature,it remains now for us to describe
his Realm of Terror within the Burning Hells.
Vischar Orous states,from the extracted testimony of demons who claim to be
familiar with this realm of living nightmare,that it is the least populated
of all the territories of Hell,for few demons can withstand its unrelenting
torment.
The Realm of Terror is lonely and desolate,filled with horrific scenes of
darkness and shadow,fear and surprise.The resultant tension constantly
cycles to a crecendo of madness and horror.To catch even a glimpse of this
festering netherworld be to spiral into the depths of unceasing despair.
Orous' abhorrent description of this realm seems to fit my own knowledge of
Diablo.He attacks most effectively by twisting the fears that already reside
within every human being.Is it possible to conquer our fears? I hope so,
though I also believe that Terror can never truly die.
For as long as man fears the dark.Diablo will remain the most insidious and,
I would argue,the most powerful of all the Evils.