I am writing this blog as part of the Blogging From A to Z Challenge. I have decided to make all of my “A to Z” blogs about Diablo III. I’ve been wanting to try my hand at writing about the game and the “universe” it exists in. Now seems like the perfect time to start.
A is for Angel. What, exactly, are the angels the Diablo “universe”? The first thing one must do in order to learn the answer to that question is to set aside whatever religious concepts you currently have about angels. The Diablo “universe” (and Sanctuary) are not a replica of the universe in real life. The religions that exist in the real world do not have a direct connection to the “universe” of Diablo.
In other words, it would be incorrect to assume that the angels in the game (or the books written about it) represent good. Angels in the Diablo “universe” are neither good nor evil. They represent order. The demons, on the other hand, represent chaos. These two opponents have been battling against each other for a very long time and neither intends to stop. That’s probably why this epic, everlasting, battle is called The Eternal Conflict.
Angels are born from the Crystal Arch that exists in the Silver City in the High Heavens. The Book of Cain describes the Crystal Arch this way:
If the ancient accounts are true, the Arch hums with a remnant of Anu’s essence in a sublime chorus that permeates every corner of the High Heavens. Luminous bands flare off the Arch in perfect synchronization with its music, occasionally manifesting as new angels.
What’s Anu? The short answer is that Anu is part of the creation of the “universe”. I’m going to leave further description of Anu for another blog (and avoid getting too far off the topic of angels). The main point here is that the angels come from the Crystal Arch. Angels cannot breed and produce new angels. Part of the reason why is because they don’t actually have bodies.
Instead, they are a manifestation a particular sound wave that comes from the Crystal Arch. They have no need for a body, or a face (or a gender, either). The armor, weapons, and wings of the angels are all “one piece”, so to speak. I suspect that the angels appear to have a gender to make it easier for players to tell them apart as they play through Diablo III. It makes sense that they would have unique voices, though. Each individual sound wave would … well, sound different.
The angels are also made up of light. Again, it is a particular wave of light that comes from the Crystal Arch (and/or Anu). Luminous waves of light flare off the Crystal Arch in perfect synchronization with the music that it produces. This is why their wings look like beams of light instead of feathers.
This doesn’t mean that the angels lack a physical form – they clearly have one that they use when they are fighting against the demons in The Eternal Conflict. It wouldn’t be much of a battle if the angels weren’t able to cause any physical damage, now, would it? They don’t pick up a weapon and put on armor before heading into battle. They are both the armor you see and the weapon they hold – it’s all a part of one particular angel.
The other important concept to understand about angels is that they are all interconnected. Each one is the manifestation of a sound wave – but all the sound waves come from the Crystal Arch. The Book of Cain suggests that the only time the Crystal Arch will birth angels is during moments of perfect harmony. Order is a huge part of being an angel. Balance is important too. When you think about sound, one cannot have harmony without at least two parts that are balanced together to form one sound. (Go listen to some of the early Beatles songs, and you will hear what I mean).
Angels are immortal. They do not age, and they do not die. They don’t have a soul. What about the impaled angels that players find in Act III of Diablo III? Those angels are trapped. They can’t free themselves. I suspect they feel a certain amount of pain from being impaled, but it isn’t the same as what a mortal being would experience.
When players release the impaled angels (for the Return to Light achievement) those angels return to the Crystal Arch. It is unclear whether the angel is then reborn at some point, or if the sound and light waves that made up that particular angel get “recycled” and used to make a brand new angel.
A is for Angel is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites.
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