Baal (2024)

Tor'Baalos, the Lord of Destruction, more commonly referred to as Baal, is one of the three Prime Evils.

Biography[]

The Great Conflict[]

As with all the Great Evils, Baal spawned from one of the seven heads of the great dragon Tathamet. His domain in the Burning Hells was the Realm of Destruction.^[2] He, Diablo, and Mephisto were the three Prime Evils, and from the outset, warred amongst each other to maintain dominion and rule over the legions of the Burning Hells.^[3]

Baal's early existence was much like that of his fellow brothers—an endless battle with the forces of Heaven. He never got tired of it, partly because he never exhausted all the opportunities for wanton destruction.^[2]

One rare exception where Baal worked with his brothers was the Fifth Battle of the Diamond Gates. So certain of their impending victory, the Prime Evils turned on each other, battling over spoils they had yet to win. Their discord allowed the forces of Heaven to drive them back.^[4]

The Sin War[]

While leading his forces on the battlefields of Pandemonium, Mephisto noticed that the angels were withdrawing. He ordered his forces to withdraw so he could analyze the situation. Baal, losing patience, stormed the Pandemonium Fortress and discovered that the Worldstone was missing. The angels he killed could not enlighten him to its whereabouts. However, Baal did have his suspicions, and pointed out to Mephisto that Lilith was missing. Believing her to be responsible for the Worldstone's disapearance, he demanded that they find her, kill her, and take the Worldstone back.^[5]

Due to the actions of the Vizjerei, the powers of Hell came to learn of the existence of Sanctuary and its inhabitants.^[2] Diablo informed his brothers of this new world's existance.^[5] Sensing the dormant power within humanity and reasoning it could be turned to suit their own ends, the Prime Evils began a campaign to tip humanity over to their side. To this end, they founded the Triune—a seemingly benevolent religion that was actually a front for their true motives. Each of the Primes took on an alter ego for worship and in Baal's case, he was known as Bala, the Spirit of Creation,^[2] represented by a leaf in Triune iconography. "Bala" was depicted as wielding a hammer when he himself was portrayed, along with a bag, which the Triune's priests preached contained the seeds of all life. Both nature and the architectural triumphs of humanity were said to be under the auspecies of his spirit.^[6]

The Triune's efforts to ensnare humanity were hindered by the rogue angel Inarius however, who founded the Cathedral of Light. Thus began the Sin War. In the end, the conflict ended with both Heaven and Hell agreeing to respect Sanctuary's neutrality in the Great Conflict.^[2] After the war, the followers of Inarius were gifted to Baal.^[1]

The Dark Exile[]

Baal and his brothers had kept Sanctuary's existence a secret from the Lesser Evils, and that had driven a wedge between them.^[2] That they continued to be interested in Man's potential after the Sin War did not sit well also and the Lesser Evils rose up in rebellion. Baal and his brothers were banished into Sanctuary in what became known as the Dark Exile.^[1] In truth, this was a plan on the Primes' part to corrupt the Worldstone and corrupt humanity. While Baal and his brothers were free to wreak havoc for a few decades, their presence came to be discovered by the archangel Tyrael, who formed the Horadrim to find and capture the three brothers.^[2]

The banishment of the Prime Evils from Hell to the mortal plane also left them incorporeal. In other to acquire a physical form, they required a body for their spirit to possess. Over time their demonic presence twisted the victims human flesh into grotesque simulacrums of their physical form.^[7]

In time, both Baal and Diablo journeyed west across the Twin Seas to the deserts of Aranoch. Baal took refuge in the city of Lut Gholein while the Horadrim patiently waited. After three days, Baal fled north, the Horadrim in close pursuit. In the end, Baal stood his ground, directing his powers of destruction against the Horadrim,^[2] summoning a force of demons to engage them.^[8] However, they would not be swayed.^[2]

Baal ended up facing Tal Rasha in single combat, before Horadrim led by Zoltun Kulle arrived, aiding Tal Rasha in incapacitating the Lord of Destruction. The two used the soulstone against him, intent on sealing his essence inside it, but Baal was able to shatter it, before escaping through a portal into the valley below.

Tal Rasha teleported after him, while Kulle led the Horadrim through Baal's forces, finally arriving to aid Tal Rasha. In a battle as vicious as the last, the Horadrim battled Baal before incapacitating him, and sealing him inside the soulstone fragment. However, the shard would not be able to hold Baal for long.^[8]

Thanks to Tal Rasha, a surrogate soulstone would be created. Heading underground into the burial chambers of long-dead kings, the Horadrim built a binding stone etched with runes of containment in one of the largest tombs. Tal Rasha ordered his brethren to contain him, upon which, a sorrowful Tyrael jammed the broken soulstone into his chest, sealing his fate and transferring Baal's essence into his body. The Horadrim departed, leaving Tal Rasha to wrestle with Baal's spirit, presumably for all eternity.^[2]

The Corruption of Tal Rasha[]

Tal Rasha's physical form began to wither away as hunger and thirst took their toll. He was left a hairsbreadth shy of death, and his deteriorating body was no longer entirely his. Baal, controlling Tal Rasha's body, struggled to escape, but could not break free of the bonds.

To break Tal Rasha's mind, Baal kept showing him the moment where he and Kulle had bound him to the soulstone fragment, but subtly reworked it, introducing shades of doubt and fear to make Tal Rasha doubt himself. Always, Tal Rasha saw through the illusion, but each time, it took him a little longer to realize that it was falsehood. In Tal Rasha's mind, Baal mocked him, telling Tal Rasha that his mind was crumbling, and that eventually, it would be reduced to ash, and the Lord of Destruction freed.^[9]

Over the centuries, the soulstone became infused with Baal's destructive essence.^[2]

This section is a stub. You can help the Diablo Wiki to become more awesome by expanding it.

The Release of Destruction[]

Centuries after his impirosnment, Baal was released at the hands of Diablo (in the guise of the Dark Wanderer) and Marius. While the archangel Tyrael kept the Wanderer at bay, Baal was able to dupe Marius into freeing him.^[10] Baal joined his brother and Tyrael was captured.^[11] Unfortunately for Baal, Marius had escaped with his soulstone.

With the Lords of Destruction and Terror wearing the guises of the Dark Wanderer and Tal Rasha respectively, the brothers arrived in the Temple of Light in Kurast, where they reunited with Mephisto. In the depths of the temple, they planned their stratagem. Baal would travel north to corrupt the Worldstone. Through it, humanity and its nephalem birthright would fall into enslavement, and through their nephalem birthright, would be enough to re-establish the Primes' place in Hell. However, to fulfill his role, Baal had to re-obtain his soulstone. Deckard Cain would later theorize that as the soulstone had been infused with his destructive essence over the centuries, it would be vital to corrupting the Worldstone.^[2]

Destruction Unleashed[]

Baal tracked down Marius in a sanitarium in Westmarch, disguising himself as Tyrael, where the man told his tale of the journey he had taken with the Dark Wanderer. Marius recounted his experiences, and handed the soulstone over. Baal revealed his true colors and slew the man, setting the sanitarium ablaze as he exited.^[12]

Now possessing the shard, Baal traveled north, butchering entire villages en route to Mount Arreat. Those who were slain were possessed and transformed into demonic soldiers. Every act of destruction committed by Baal and his minions increased the shard's power. Thus, rather than approach Mount Arreat through stealth, Baal's approach meant that the soulstone (now named the Shard of Destruction) pulsed with untold corruptive energies.^[2] Additionally, he summoned a legion of demons to his side that reveled in destruction and chaos.^[13] Baal swore that his brothers would not have died in vain, and that he would rule unchallenged.^[14]

Assault on Mount Arreat[]

By the time Baal reached the lands of the Barbarians, his Army of Destruction numbered in the thousands. By all accounts, the Barbarians fought ferociously, yet it was not enough to stop Baal from storming their lands.^[2] Reaching the gates of Sescheron, the Barbarians attempted a parlay with the demon, but Baal casually killed the emissary and ordered his forces to attack.^[15] The few survivors of the assault later described Baal as being atop his litter, surveying the city with ravenous malice and an insatiable lust for destruction.^[16]

Soon, all that stood between Baal and the Arreat Summit was Harrogath. To stave off Baal's assault, the Council of Elders sacrificed themselves to enact a warding spell to keep Baal's forces at bay. Nonetheless, Baal's forces laid siege to the fortress. The defenders were betrayed by the elder Nihlathak, the only survivor of the spell. Believing his people would be doomed unless he negotiated a pact with Baal, he provided the Lord of Destruction with the Relic of the Ancients, in exchange for sparing Harrogath. With the relic in hand, Baal raced up the slopes of the mountain,^[2] able to bypass the mountain's guardians thanks to the relic.^[17] In the Worldstone Chamber, Baal fused the Shard of Destruction with the Worldstone. All of the strife and horror that had accumulated within the shard began to spread through the gargantuan crystal.

Yet Baal's plans were stymied by a group of heroes; the same group that had defeated his brothers. After a ferocious battle, Baal was defeated, yet the Worldstone was already past saving. To save humanity, Tyrael threw El'druin into the stone, destroying it. In the ensuring explosion, Baal's body was obliterated, and in the belief of Deckard Cain, his spirit banished to the Black Abyss to join his brothers.^[2] The shards of the Worldstone remained corrupted, and five years later, would bring even more misery to the world.^[18]

Destruction's Wake[]

With his soulstone fused to the Worldstone, the Worldstone itself became a soulstone for Baal. With his death, his soul was sealed within the Worldstone. He battled Tyrael (who was also trapped in the Worldstone) in a shattered realm, which reflected the state of the Worldstone, as the angel struggled to keep him sealed. As Baal's soul began to reform, he started to overpower his for.

When the Cult of Terror tried to purge a shard of the Worldstone from Baal's taint at the Ancients' Cradle, they inadvertently opened a way for both Baal and Tyrael, whose souls lingered in the fragments of the Worldstone. The angel tried to keep him bound, but was swiftly overpowered. Baal was defeated by the Shard-seeker shortly after he escaped from the shard.^[19]

At some point after the event, demons loyal to Baal gathered in a vile attempt to resurrect their master.^[20][21]

Splintered Souls[]

This section is a stub. You can help the Diablo Wiki to become more awesome by expanding it.

Prime Evil[]

Baal's essence ended up in the Black Soulstone, as per the machinations of Adria.^[22] He was the third of the Great Evils to be marked, coming after Andariel and Duriel. When Adria came across the remains of his spirit, she discovered that like Duriel, he yearned to bring about the End of Days. He quickly learnt the truth of Diablo's plan, to use his essence to become a singular Prime Evil, and that Adria was imprisoning him until that day came to pass. However, to Adria's surprise, Baal didn't lash out, but rather, felt something close to amusem*nt from him.^[23]

Twenty years after his defeat at Arreat, the day came to pass, and Baal briefly merged Diablo as a single Prime Evil.^[24] However, Diablo was defeated by a new hero and the Great Evils were drawn back into the Black Soulstone, their souls screaming for release.^[25] Because of Malthael, the stone was destroyed,^[26] and Diablo was freed, still retaining the essences of the other Evils.^[27] Eventually however, Baal's spirit was able to break free from Diablo, just as all the other Evils.^[28]

In-game[]

Diablo II[]

Baal is the final boss of Act V of Diablo II.

Diablo Immortal[]

Baal appears as a boss in Diablo Immortal.

Other[]

Baal and the other Prime Evils' manuscripts can be found in the Battlefields of Eternity, in Act V of Diablo III. The Fragment of Destruction is named in reference to him.

Baal appears in Diablo Chess. He represents Hell's bishop piece.

Personality and Traits[]

The most reckless and brash of the Prime Evils,^[29] Baal revels in utter annihilation, not only of the world around him, but those who dwell in it.^[2] This is regardless as to whether he incites or inspires such destruction.^[30]

On the surface, Baal appears to be the most base and easiest to comprehend of the Prime Evils, and many have claimed as such. Deckard Cain wrote in opposition to this, maintaining that Baal is just as cunning and nefarious as his siblings; quite capable of using strategy and deception to further his goals.^[2] Adria once speculated what might happen if Baal succeeded in reducing Heaven and Sanctuary to ash. Would he destroy Hell likewise? Would he destroy himself? Or was he clever enough to ensure that such a thing never came to pass, embracing defeat, death, and rebirth, lest his cycle of annihilation be jeopardized?^[23]

Baal has shown a sad*stic side in the murder of his foes.^[12][15] He frequently indulged in feasts of human flesh and blood with his brothers. Creatures would feed off the remnants of such feasts.^[1]

Those who follow Baal prefer to surround their enemies and attack from all sides simultaneously, and are bred for strength and agility. They seek the undoing of Creation, striving for disorder and destruction. To Baal's minions, Order is anathema, and his lieutenants are bred for strength, endurance, and cunning, constantly training themselves in the art of war.^[1] Many of Baal's demons are intangible on the mortal plane.^[31]

Like his brothers, Baal, by his nature, is confrontational.^[32] It is his desire that the Eternal Conflict be fought forever,^[23] and his vision for Sanctuary was to be a wasteland stained with blood.^[16]

Trivia[]

• The 15th of Kathon is referred to as the "Eye of Baal" (otherwise called the crimson moon). Destructive spells are most potent during this month.^[23]
• In The Sanctuary Tarot Deck and Guidebook Baal represents The Tower card.

Etymology[]

• Baal's name is likely derived from the ancient title "Ba'al" which was used for deities widely worshiped during the 1st and 2nd millennia BC. The term was most consistently used for Hadad, a storm god, but could be used for any male divinity, or even for the cult image used to represent one, as the word itself means "lord" or "master".

• A specific Ba'al was Baʿal Zəbûb, literally "the Lord of the Flies", worshiped in the Philistine city of Ekron. In Christianity, he is referred to as "Beelzebub" and is often referred to as an ally of Satan. In terms of appearance, he is portrayed with many one-joint spider-like legs, resembling Baal's four legs and manner of walk.

• Despite the Lord of Flies title typically being associated with Baal, it's Belial who gets botflies as his signature manifestation in Diablo universe (and an achievement named Lord of Flies as well).

• "Excidium" is a Latin word which translates as "demolition" or "destruction."

• Baal (also Bael) is a Demon and the King of Hell in Goetia.

Video[]

References[]