One of the most interesting parts of this project was imagining what kind of content that players would experience in Diablo: Unholy Alliance. What new places would they get to explore? What stories and characters would they encounter along the way, and what enemies would they have to face during their adventures?
I answered these questions through a content brief that described the Cursed City of Viz-Jun - a new location never before seen in the Diablo universe. For those steeped in the game’s lore, this would be a exciting place to explore, as it plays heavily into some of Sanctuary’s most important legends and historical events. This document would serve as the foundation for the area’s design, detailing important lore, unique locations, special events, and narrative elements. It also serves as a good example of how I go through my creative process in when designing content.
Ready for an adventure? Read on!
OVERVIEW
The Cursed City of Viz-Jun will be one of the locations that players will explore during their adventures in Diablo: Unholy Alliance. From a lore perspective, it is a very important place. This ancient city is where the first demon was ever summoned to Sanctuary, igniting an conflict between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells with humanity caught in the middle. From a content perspective, it will provide players with compelling characters, unforgettable enemies, and epic gameplay experiences, and will serve as an important chapter in the game’s narrative arc.
LORE
“The cataclysmic battle between the two-siblings brought the walls of Viz-Jun down around them. The city was leveled, and the death toll numbered in the hundreds of thousands.
But as the fire, smoke and unholy blood mist cleared, Bartuc, Warlord of Blood, lay dead with Horazon standing over his brother’s gore-covered corpse.”
-Jered Cain, books of the Horadrim
Located in the wilds of southern Kehjistan, the ancient city of Viz-Jun was once the seat of power for the empire, ruled by the Vizjeiri Clan. During the Mage Clan Wars, Bartuc, the infamous Warlord of Blood, attempted to conquer the city with a demonic horde that he had summoned from the depths of the Burning Hells – but he was opposed by his brother Horazon, one of the most powerful mages in all of Sanctuary. Ultimately, Horazon killed Bartuc, but their battle was so violent that Viz-Jun was completely destroyed.
Bartuc’s armor, infused with blood and souls of ten-thousand enemies, was so evil that it had developed a dark sentience of its own. Such was its power that Horazon was unable to destroy Bartuc’s body in the aftermath of the battle, and he was forced to decapitate the corpse in order to ensure his brother’s demise.
The head and the body were hidden far away from each other. Horazon feared that if they were ever reunited the Warlord of Blood would rise again.
CURRENT EVENTS
In the wake of the bloody Second Inquisition, the mages of the Vizjeiri Clan have returned to the ruins of Viz-Jun in order to escape the deadly justice of the Zakarum Vindicators. Having rebuilt parts of their lost city and rediscovered some of the dark and forbidden arts of their past, the Vizjeiri have now mixed their blood with that of demons in order to further amplify their power. But where their forebears once joined with hellspawn because they felt subservient to the Lords of Hell, these Vizjieri now consider themselves to be their masters.
The process has physically transformed their bodies. Eyes glowing with an unholy light are set in flattened faces with maws of jagged teeth, with twisted horns sprouting from their heads and shoulders. Their elongated limbs end in clawed hands and feet, with taught leathery skin tattooed in the runes and symbols of the languages of hell.
Led by the half-demon Dark Magelords, the Vizjeiri have also discovered the locations of Bartuc’s head and body and will soon attempt to bring the Warlord of Blood back from the dead. With the infamous Bartuc leading this new corrupted legion of dark mages and their enslaved hellspawn hordes, the Vizjeiri hope to eradicate the Zakarum Church from the face of Sanctuary once and for all.
STORY SYNOPSIS
In order to secure the alliance with Diablo, the player must obtain four unholy relics from locations throughout Sanctuary – and one of those is the Helm of the Warlord of Blood. Having heard rumors of the Vizjeiri’s plans to resurrect him, the Reapers have traveled to Viz-Jun in order to get the helm before they are able to do so.
As they search the ruins of Viz-Jun, the player begins to understand the truth of the Vizjeiri’s corruption, and the unlimited depths of their depravity as they seek vengeance against the Zakarum Church. Led through the ancient city by the cursed skull of Jere Harash – the very first Vizjeiri to summon a demon from the Burning Hells thousands of years ago – the player eventually reaches the Sanctum of Blood, where the Dark Magelords have brought the helm and armor of Bartuc together in order to raise him from the dead.
Unfortunately, the player arrives too late. The ritual is completed, and the Warlord of Blood is resurrected. In order to obtain his helm, players must face off against Bartuc and defeat him in battle. As the Warlord falls and the player escapes with the helm, cataclysmic powers are once again unleashed upon the city of Viz-Jun. It falls into a fiery chasm, never to be seen again.
LOCATIONS
During their adventures in Viz-Jun, players will explore a number of different locations throughout the city. Each of these locations will be visually unique, and will present the player with different enemies, interesting encounters, and awesome loot. They will also provide the player with compelling narrative experiences and collectibles, teaching them about the world and the characters they encounter.
The Demon Vaults: The Demon Vaults are a series of chambers where the corrupted Vizjeiri are imprisoning and tormenting demons they have summoned from the Burning Hells. The walls and floors are engraved with glowing runes. Chains and spiked manacles etched in demonic script hang from the ceiling, and strange magewrought devices built to imprison and torture their victims are located beneath them. The unearthly screams of hellspawn echo throughout the shadowy chambers, as does the evil laughter of the Vizjeiri Subjugators who torment them.
The Crimson Pools: The Crimson Pools are a series of rooms where the Vizjeiri are draining and collecting the blood of demons. Knives, saws, and other bladed implements lie in wait on bloodstained wooden tables. The eviscerated carcasses of hellspawn hang from barbed hooks on the walls, their blood draining into trenches set into the floor. Piles of drained demon corpses are stacked like cordwood, soon to be burned. The trenches lead to massive pools in the center of the rooms where the still-steaming blood is collected and prepared for the infusion process. Gore-spattered Vizjeiri Butchers roam from room to room, reveling in their grisly work with an unearthly joy.
The Infusion Chambers: Once collected, the demon blood is brought to the Infusion Chambers. Strange devices of ancient Vizjeiri science and alchemy are located throughout the chambers, the blood bubbling through brass pipes and glass jars as it is prepared for use. Vizjeiri mages are strapped to thick wooden tables as the processed demon blood is injected into their bodies from squat metal vats, screaming in agony as their bodies undergo the painful demonic transformations. Vizjeiri Alchemists oversee the process with a cold indifference, callously discarding the bodies of those mages who don’t survive.
The Sanctum of Blood: The Sanctum of Blood is the room where the Dark Magelords are attempting to resurrect the Warlord of Blood. Located deep underground, the circular, vaulted room is supported with massive pillars, its thick stone walls carved in relief with important figures and events from thousands of years of Vizjeiri history. Thick, magewrought cages are bolted to the room’s pillars, with hulking demons imprisoned within and awaiting their fate. At the center of the room is an ancient stone table surrounded by hooded Magelord Reanimators, and upon this table lies the armor and the helm of Bartuc. Unholy drums and chants reverberate from somewhere beneath the sanctum, foreshadowing the coming ritual.
SPECIAL EVENTS
While exploring Viz-Jun, players will discover a number of unique special events featuring challenging bosses and encounters. Each will tell a different facet of the story of the location in which they take place, and will reward the player depending on their level of success.
Shadow of the Torturer: Ammon the Torturer is one of the Vizjeiri Subjugators in the Demon Vaults. Cruel and merciless, he delights in the pain and suffering that he visits upon his demonic victims. The player will encounter Ammon in the midst of torturing a group of demons, who scream to be released of their torment. When the encounter begins, he will subjugate and and then unleash these demons to attack the player - but if he is weakened sufficiently, his hold on the demons will be broken and they will turn on him, helping the player to finish him off
Defiled Acolytes: While adventuring in the Infusion Chambers, the player will encounter a room full of Vizjeiri Acolytes being infused with demon blood by Hazim the Malignant, a Vizjeiri Alchemist. Upon seeing the player, Hazim calls out in alarm, then begins accelerating the transformation process on his patients. The Defiled Acolytes begin to transform, bursting off the table and attacking the player. If the player is able to kill the Defiled Acolytes before their transformation is complete, they can earn better rewards along with improving their chances at success. The encounter finishes when Hazim and all of the Defiled Acolytes have been defeated.
Stony Torment: While exploring the ruins of Viz-Jun, a tormented spirit will call out to the player from within an evil-looking statue. The spirit, whose name is Erin Underhill, says that she was part of a relic hunting crew who had come to Viz-Jun to search for lost treasures - but they were discovered by the Dark Magelords, who killed her and trapped her spirit into the statue. Erin begs the player to destroy the statue and release her from her torment. The encounter begins when the player begins attacking the statue, but the sound brings forth waves of Corrupted Vizjeiri and their Subjugated Demonspawn. The player must survive subsequent waves of enemies until the destruction of the statue is complete. Faster completion results in better rewards.
NARRATIVE COLLECTIBLES
Diablo: Unholy Alliance will feature narrative collectibles - such as notes, scrolls and tomes - that will allow the player to learn important story and lore elements as they adventure through the world. Some of these collectibles will be feature voice over. In general, this collectible content will have relevance to the area in which it was discovered, providing content designers with additional ways to draw the player deeper into the world that surrounds them.
UNIMAGINABLE POWER
My brothers and sisters,
For more than three millennia the Vizjeiri have lived in the shadows. Cowering from our inferiors. Hiding the truth of who we are. But the infusion of demonic essence into our blood has changed our destiny. Granted us almost unimaginable power. Soon all of Sanctuary, even the Burning Hells themselves, will understand the truth. Our time has come. The Vizjeiri shall hide no more.
- Archon Jaq’Taash
PREPARATIONS COMPLETE
Archon,
The preparations for the ritual are now complete. Bartuc’s armor…it calls to me. Reaches out with a limitless hunger for blood and souls, .It was all I could do to stop myself from slaughtering the Acolytes who aided me in my work. If such potency emanates from his armor alone, I can only imagine the terrifying power of the Warlord of Blood when he leads us in cleansing this world of the Zakarum stain.
- Magelord al’Faruq
THE BIG SCORE
15th day of Kathon, 1392 Anno Kehjistani
This damned jungle has been a rough road for my crew. We lost Denton to blood fever, and then Keisan to the bellies of cannibals, but the map led us right to the ruins of Viz-Jun as old Bunkle said it would. Pity I had to leave him in the gutter, but the promise of a score like this can drive a man to extremes. Blackheart’s Reapers be damned! Me and the Fallen Angels are finally going to get our due!
- Cross-Eye Lunks
VISUAL DEVELOPMENT
The architecture of Viz-Jun will share visual elements with ancient Cambodian and Medeival Indian architecture (see images below) - with detailed stone facades accentuated by tiered spires ornamented with symbology and statuary. It should be visually distinct from the more gothic architectural elements in Westmarch, or the Ottoman-inspired elements of Lut Gholein and Caldeum. Some parts of the city will feature crumbling stone facades from the time of Horazon and Bartuc, others with more complete and rebuilt buildings from the present day. The surrounding jungles and marshlands should be encroaching on the borders of the city, with trees and vegetation overgrowing walls and other structures.
Given the city’s dark past and the more horrific elements of its current narrative, the mood here should be dark and sinister. Light is provided by torches, or by strange and evil-looking runes that are engraved into roads, floors, and walls. Ritual drums and mysterious chanting will be heard at various points throughout the city. The occasional blood-curdling scream or hair-raising screech will often shatter the more ominous quiet that pervades the ancient city.
