#so hey!

[minmape]

hey anyone want to hear me out on redtech. anyone?

[fluff-and-such]

Since you might be interested (and likely read the Sin War trilogy) based on map and region information, Diablo IV lately hinted at the first novel taking place in Teganze (AKA: Diablo equivalent of African savanna). Thoughts on that?

Here's the thing about The Books.

The Sin War trilogy came out in 2006. Massive chunks of them have already been retconned (The Worldstone is a big one, Rathma being Not Dead is pretty significant. Apparently there was an active volcano somewhere in Estuar), and characters as they are in the books behave drastically different from how they do in the games. The geography was never that well laid out to begin with. At this point, they're more of a vague guide than gospel when it comes to the current series, so take anything you read in them with a grain of salt.

That being said.

If you get creative, and look at things a bit lopsided, and accept that some things just aren't going to perfectly slot together, you can kinda piece together roughly where/how things took place.

I've been thinking that Birthright actually starts up in the Fractured Peaks, and makes its way into and through Hawezar, ending at the very edge of Toraja. They do cross through some scrubland, which could be Teganze, but it's mentioned in one sentence and nothing of note happens there. Scales of the Serpent crosses south west down through Toraja, and eventually curves northwest up into Kehjan as they head for the City, before flipping up to head straight north to the Cathedral of Light. Exactly where Kehjan the city, and the Cathedral of Light are, is a bit of a mystery.

Seram is surrounded by a temperate forest, and Uldyssian and his companions who hale from the area are considered northerners/uplanders. Seram is possibly closer to the Cathedral of Light than any other location in the books, at least laterally. There are two zones in D4 that have temperate forest; the Peaks, and Scosglen. It should be noted that D4 takes place in the winter time, and the Sin War seems to be during the summer, or possibly spring (for being a farmer, Uldyssian makes no mention of when his next harvest might be. They have good weather through the entire series despite being in the 'north' though.)

Seram could be in either one; we don't know conclusively which side of the mountains its on. Being in the southern end of Scosglen would would put Kehjan/jistan immediately south of the town, when it's stated to be more westerly. Kehjan is also noted to be a few days ride-by-caravan to the nearest major seafaring ports, with travelers able to get lost and end up in Seram by accident.

The sea-port could be something on the Twin Seas, or it could be one on the Sea of Light. We don't know, either one could fit. Personally though, I like to think Backwater in Hawezar is our port-town, doing trade with the Western countries over the Sea of Light.

As the group plan to flee Partha in Birthright, Mendeln tells us that Toraja (present-day Nahantu) is still to the Southwest of Kehjan. They're two separate regions. The group plans to hide in the Torajan jungles to escape what Lilith started. Scales of the Serpent takes place entirely within the region of Toraja though. They rampage their way through the Torajian jungles on their mission to root out the Triune.

Kind of fitting that Mephisto's tomb and shenanigans are apparently in the same place as the original Temple of the Triune.

Now, the differences between Toraja and Kehjan are a little...muddy. There are multiple books and games that put them as being two different entitys, one entity, or sometimes even three.

The lands that make up Kehjan become Kehjistan after the conclusion of the Sin War. This was at the beginning of the Age of when the Vizjerei were in control, and they moved the capital from Kehjan the City to Viz-Jun, down in Toraja somewhere. During the Sin War, Kehjan contained parts of Kurast/Toraja/Nahantu, but lost them over time. Nowadays, Kehjistan mainly consists of the dried out borderlands. Big difference from the apparent verdant jungle that it was made up of in the books eh?

It could be that the various magical battles over the ages ruined the lands. That's actually the explanation given for the Desolate Sands; that the area used to be lush, but was blasted flat and ruined by a particularly nasty Mage Clan battle. It's not clear whether or not all the damage Uldyssian and Inarius do to the landscape surrounding the Cathedral is undone or not. One might imagine that such a clash would leave behind some kind of impact, but then, Uldyssian may have gone ahead and fixed everything when he ascended.

Kurast is it's own can of worms. In D2 its treated as a separate entity from Toraja, even though it actually makes up most of Toraja itself. Kehjistan 'owns' it at the time, along with their more northernly territories. After Mephisto thoroughly ruins the capital city of Travincal, the capital is transferred to Caldeum, which prospers.

Until it doesn't.

The most likely explanation here is that a powerful Kehjistan conquered or annexed the Torajian territories through an allyship with the Mage Clans, shortly after the Sin War. After the Mage Clan Wars, Kehjistan began a slow decline in power, and coincidentally a slow receding of land. By present-day Diablo IV, it is nothing more than the burnt out shell of a once-great empire.

Now, the Cathedral. We know it takes about a day and a half for the Edyrem to march from Kehjan to the Cathedral, although they have the benefit of mowing down the forest in their path. So lets say its about two days for a good ol' Pilgrim. Trouble is, we don't know exactly where Kehjan the City was. Maybe it became Caldeum itself, perhaps it is lost in the sands somewhere. Maybe Blizzard has changed all of this, and it is actually down in Nahantu somewhere.

Tbh I feel like Blizzard has shot themselves (and the rest of us) in the foot by not already showing where Kehjan + the Temple of the Triune + The Cathedral were. They're running out of space.

This is more of a side-note, but both Uldyssian and Mendeln make note that the landscape changes biome very abruptly while they travel. Almost like a patchwork quilt. Almost as though someone (or, quite possibly, multiple someones) built and stitched the place together. Or perhaps even like a bunch of video-game levels interconnected with one another.

Anyway. Have a boney-Lilith x Inarius that I never posted and prolly won't finish, since this is my art blog.

[the-skooma-den]

also neither here nor there, purely for self indulgent reasons ive decided to make syke a guy lmao

[brokenclockgears]

while the cameras are turned away

[averagecatdoodlesenjoyer]

whatever. go my noelle

[hazelcallahan]

#subtle foreshadowing?

[stimmingandstruggling]

more good news from tiktok: they’ve started blocking celebrities.

they’re calling it block party 2024. just blocking and ignoring countless celebrities who havent said shit about palestine. influencers, actors, anyone who went to the met gala, whatever, they’re getting blocked. and people keep talking about how cathartic it is, how good it feels, how they never realized they could DO that. there was some kind of subconscious law against blocking famous people, but it’s broken, and people are LOVING it. and it’s WORKING. a social media/digital advertising coordinator was talking about how ad companies are PANICKING, because they can’t accurately target anymore. so many big influencers, including fucking LIZZO started talking about palestine the MOMENT their follower counts started going down. and the best part? no one is forgiving them. lizzo posted a tiktok asking people to donate to palestinian families, and all the comments just said you’re a multimillionaire. put your money where your mouth is. blocked.

i feel like i’m witnessing the downfall of celebrity culture, right here right now. people are waking up.

[sundayinthcpark]

housewives were not banging out spirk fanfiction in the 60s for you to be AI generating your fic

[egophiliac]

missed the mark by (looks at calendar) uhhh. hm. but I really wanted to do something for the 5th anniversary! happy five years to these idiots 🎉

[mumbito]

me clicking on a video from the silliest man in the world: teehee what wacky hijinks await me

world renown block clown mumbo Fucking jumbo: you ever think about how old technology seems to live forever in the suspended state of whatever the newest advancements were at the time. how most technology immediately and fundamentally tells you when it was important and when it was left in the dust. it’s suspended in its era forever, and in that it is perfect.

stagnation is a form of death but nostalgia is cruel immortality. still i find myself locked in pursuit of it until i finally stumble across the undeath of the mechanical. as my hard earned improvement truly begins to pay dividends, surrounded by my opus of change, i will freeze myself in eternal utopia. the only way to never die is to preemptively kill whoever you might become. i will not have a grave, i will not be ashes and dust. i will be a perfect, extant machine.

me: Ok. i dont think this will plague me at all actually. like video.

[demonicsuffrage]

Tim, abruptly standing up in shock: Wait, I just realised that Damian will graduate highschool in 2032

Damian, rasing a brow: Yes, ofcourse? As I am currently in fourth grad-

Jason, spitting out water: What the fuck? 2032?

Steph, pointing accusingly: That's not a real graduation year you made that up!

Dick: I think I just threw up in my mouth a little

Duke, with his head in his hands: Does anyone else feel both their feet in the grave? I graduated this year!

Dick: Feet? More like my entire body, I finished high school years ago!

Cass: Guys I think Bruce is crying

[humming-fly]

I love how Gerald was trying to keep Shadow from spoiling anything about the future meanwhile literally everything Shadow says and does around Maria is the biggest death flag ever

[hinamie]

growth // decay

[ispyspookymansion]

first thing you have to do is feel guilty for no reason second thing you have to do is become surgically inseparable from your shame third thing you have to do is find out what specific daydream lets you get through 9 hour shifts and wring it for all its worth Thats basically all i know

[akanemnon]

Heartfelt reunion? FIRST - PREVIOUS - NEXT

MASTERPOST (for the full series / FAQ / reference sheets)