King Leoric
From Diablo Wiki
- This article is about the Diablo series character, better known as the Skeleton King, before his apparent corruption by Diablo. For information about the Skeleton King and his stats, see Skeleton King (Diablo I) or Skeleton King (Diablo III)
King Leoric, is a character in the world of Sanctuary, where the Diablo series is set. He was the King who ruled over the lands of Khanduras, apparently after annexing it from the previously feuding kingdoms. He was widely known as a noble and just king who, like many before him, ultimately fell prey to the influential corruption of the Lord of Terror, Diablo, albeit partially.
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Lore
The early years
Leoric, in his prime was a just Knight of the newly founded religion in the Eastern Kingdoms, the Zakarum. He led great crusades and conquests in his early years to spread the word of the Zakarum around the world. In one of his campaigns, he fell upon the lush forestlands of Khanduras. Far from Kurast, the home of his religion, he decided to create a sister kingdom, a supplement to the already huge Zakarumite Empire that reigned over Kurast. He chose Tristram as his seat of power and built a magnificient courtroom within an old, derelict monastery, which stood out over the quaint Tristram township. He had the walls and flooring remade into a style more befitting of a place of worship, for the Zakarum. Although the new Tristram Cathedral was well recieved by the majority, what Leoric and his entourage did not know was the very dark and ancient secret that dwelled within the murky catacombs of the cathedral.
The king of the people
Leoric was a foreign king but the people had respect for his heart of gold and his many good deeds. He used to organize festivals and hosted grand gatherings with great pomp, befitting of the mighty Hand of Zakarum. It was during his rule that merchants were allowed free-trade and the lands of Khanduras prospered for the first time in many years. His advent also brought forth the highest and most noble of the Zakarum ranks, the Paladins into Khanduras, who impressed the local populace with their actions and bravery. Soon, the High Council of Zakarum accepted Khanduras as part of their empire and sent an emissary, the Archbishop Lazarus to finalize the proceedings with Leoric. The holy Archbishop was hailed almost like the direct representative of the Que-Hegan, Sankekur himself, but little did the people know that his arrival would spell doom for the quaint town.
The evil awakens
The Archbishop's arrival was accompanied by strange things, sightings and events. Eerie voices started emanating from the depths of the Cathedral. Shop signs started to be stolen and the town's water became poisoned. Locals started speaking about dark hooded riders preying on hapless caravans in the outskirts of Tristram. Leoric tried his best to find the source of these anomalies, but soon enough, the problem found him.
Diablo, the Dark Lord of Terror had arisen from his slumber within the Cathedral and had started using the lower depths of the building as a temporary outpost of Hell itself. In order to truly manifest himself into the mortal plane, Diablo needed a vessel. And being the Dark Lord of Terror, he needed the most powerful mortal he could get a hold of. Leoric fit the bill perfectly and the Dark Lord started invading his mind.
The visions
Leoric started having dreams, of Hell and its armies, of the destruction of all that he loved and ultimately the loss of his most prized possession, his son. These dreams were soon realized in the real world as in a few days, the crown prince, Albrecht went missing. Slowly, Leoric crossed over the line of sanity, developing a very pessimistic view of life and in a mad search for his son.
Indeed, Diablo had planned this much in advance. He, being in a very weak state due to his prolonged presence in the mortal plane without a body, needed to weaken Leoric's tremendous concentration and mental stability to get a hold of him as a vessel. So he used his pawn, the Archbishop Lazarus, to kidnap all the children in Tristram, including the king's only son, so that the mentally vulnerable king could be taken over. But Leoric provided a much greater challenge to the Dark Lord than he expected. Years of harsh training among the Zakarumite ranks had hardened his mind to be almost immune to external invasions. Though the king defended valiantly, the Lord of Terror did manage to corrupt his mind to a smaller extent using the loss of his son as an excuse. Leoric had become mad, neither of use to the Dark Lord, nor his people.
The search for Albrecht
In his frenzied state of mind, King Leoric ordered a kingdom-wide search for his missing son. All clues pointed out to the derelict Cathedral in the middle of Tristram. All of the town's men were forced to volunteer in the search and those who did not comply were charged of treason and promptly executed. Many lost their lives in the misbegotten mission. Soon the populace came to know the once noble and just King Leoric as the Black King.
The final fall
The Archbishop suggested that the neighboring Kingdom of Westmarch, also a Zakarum stronghold, was responsible for his son's disappearance. Soon, the Kingdoms of Khanduras and Westmarch found themselves at war. Soon, Leoric's most trusted followers deemed that the king had indeed fallen victim to his son's loss and vowed to end his suffering by taking his life. The defectors fought hard, but Leoric seemed to gain strength with every blow he recieved. Eventually, the Knights overpowered the Black King, with noble Lachdanan's sword being the one that took Leoric's life. Although the battle was won, in his dying breath, Leoric cursed his assassins to the servitude of the Lord of Terror, taking with him all of the Knights that plotted to kill him to Hell.
In the games
In the game Diablo I (1997) he laterly become the Skeleton king a boss in an optional quest, which when slain drops a unique helmet/crown "The undead crown". The fight takes place in "King Leorics Tomb" where you fight against his remains and his army of undead-skeletons.
The skeleton king is said to return in the final game of Diablo 3, and was the end boss in the Blizzcon demo.
