Blizzard ready to make Diablo 3?

[Occhidiangela]

There's a chance that is how it will go.

Worldstone's gone kablooey. Tyrael and the hero from the last game are nowhere to be seen, but last reports have them up one particularly fetid creek without the use of any propulsive oar implement. Sanctuary is overrun by demons and angels in a big, open-handed do-over of the Sin War.

You— get to choose between differing factions, aligned with either the forces of Light, Dark, or a neutral humanist faction. And you make due by rankling the plans of the other factions.

On one end are the Seraphim, the agents of the Heavens and the angels, following their own plans against the forces of Hell. Then there's the aforementioned forces of Hell. Can't figure out what exactly they'd do, but chances are that crochet and discussions of existentialistic dilemmas are not on the agenda.

Then you have folks like the Rathman priests, who don't want either of these two sides here. Add in another human faction who actually wants to exploit or steal the powers of the ethereal forces for their own ascendency, and you have a good four-way power struggle.
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Given the success of Starcraft's three way balance, I wonder if they would try a "triangular tension" model again.

The "five way" for Warcraft III's early concept devolved into a four way, which is really a two way. WoW is a two way. It seems to me that one either needs a three way or 5 way power struggle, and a five way is hard to balance. Seven? Never mind, there is a budget, eh?

Why not advance the story line in Sanctuary a bit?

In Diablo III, war has broken out between the allied Kingdoms of Khanduras and Westmarch against the Barbarians of the Northland: possibly under the fig leaf of a Crusade against the Barbarians who allowed Baal to corrupt the Worldstone. (That's their story anyway, and they are sticking to it, all gems and ores in the veins of Mount Arreat considered.) Amazons revert to their truer calling, mercs, and hire out to the highest bidder.

Sorceresses defend cities, their centers of learning, while both they and Necromancers are hunted down by Assassins -- who often serve the Barbarians for free due to a mutual aversion to magicians. Necromancers, the only real neutrals, attempt to remain alive, viable, and able to explore their investigations into life itself. Their preference to remain aloof from the war leaves no one really trusting them, and them trusting no one.

Druids, no longer neutral and in a fury over the destruction of the Worldstone, brought about by the meddling madness of those Horadrim, Tal Rasha, Marius, etc., embark on their own campaign of overcoming the cities and restoring the woodlands. They take on the role of the world's most irritated Luddites. Their continued attempts to ally with the elementally grounded sorceresses runs afoul of the cities being where the best shopping is. Or libraries, or whatever.

The powers of Light and Dark both try to exploit the tensions to their own ends, and alternatively fight each other and the various factions as ley lines and nodes of power, the old Horadric focus points, become the real battlefields of this war. Sanctuary devolves into an insane many versys many Capture the Flag scenario.

Hadriel is revealed as Diablo in disguise, the real Hadriel having been fooled into disguising himself as Diablo just in time to get whacked by "heroes" some time ago. He has also decided to return to his original status as a free agent, as he has found that he trusts no one from Hell, and no longer wants some other wiser demon, (such as Mephisto??) to call the strategic shots.

Asmodian and Belial fight against Tyrael and Deckard Cain, who is revealed to be a Horadric mage of demi-godlike power.

Cain's feebleminded condition was shattered the day the Worldstone was destroyed, which coincidentally was the day Atma took pity on him and cured him of his virginity. The Man no longer keeps him down, and he has a lifetime of catching up to do. He now exacts vengeance upon a world who treated him as a laughing stock, but keeps getting sidetracked by his addiction to pixips.

Or something like that.

Asheara retires, taking over the choicest real estate of Upper Kurast.

Greiz recruits an army of brave legionaires and bides his time, waiting for the right moment to throw his battalions into the a battle when it seems most profitable.

Larzuk and Fara marry, strangely enough, and run the best forge in Sanctuary. Anya give in to her Elektra complex and elopes with Qal Kehk, destination Philios and life on the beech. Her fortune made running a gambling parlor and bath house leave them set up for life. Or so they think.

Gheed makes a fortune, and blows most of it on pipeweed. Gillian seduces him and rolls him for what's left, and heads for the hills and a Barbarian she's had a crush on for years. The return of Farnham to Lut Gholein results in a bitter power struggle for the Desert Rain, when he shows Jehryn that Elzix' deed is a forgery and that the bar belongs to him.

Hidden from view in all of this tumult, the Sisters of the Sightless Eye slowly but steadily expand their positin in the Kingdom of Ensteig, with the aim of establishing anegalitarian theocracy of the Sightless Eye. The Eye's influence grows to rival that of the forces of Dark and Light, spreading a secret knowledge and wisdom among the Sisterhood. What do those rogues know that no one else seems to know? What questions have they now answered within? Do they finally find out where they "can put this?"

Occhi