Who is Zoltun Kulle? The History of the Fallen Horadric Mage

By Arktane Last Updated: 2024/01/28 Changelog

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More Than a MageEarly concept art of Zoltun Kulle.The Beginnings: The Ennead Mage ClanHe is also well known to never shut up.The Ruby Stone was attuned to Diablo, the Sapphire Stone to Mephisto, and the Amber Stone to Baal.Creating Kanai's Cube

"All agreed that the cube was necessary if the hunt for the three was to be successful. They thought they understood the dangers."

"For weeks the fires burned, the smiths hammered and the mages changes. Those who spent too long in the forge wandered, wide eyed and unblinking, in the daylight. They did not sleep."

"When the physical material of the cube was forged, the real work began. Ten Horadrim took it deep into the cave, to a place that should never have been disturbed."

"...of the cave, ten Horadrim channeled powers arcane and mystic. Ten felt their sanity slipping away. And nine averted their eyes as the cube came alive."

"...was done, and the scars would remain forever. And so it was time for the final step, the one each of them had secretly hoped would not come to pass."

"Still none could deny the transcendent power of the cube. With its might, the impossible seemed to be within their grasp..."

"But one of their number came to realize the growing danger. A simple errand led him away from the others, and he experienced a moment of clarity that would change the fates of all."

"He called the nine together, and declared that the cube must be put away, hidden even from them. Perhaps from them most of all. Seven of the nine concurred, and so the cube was taken under cover of darkness, entrusted...."

The Soulstones: Trapping the Prime EvilsKulle's Descent to MadnessA sketched portrait of Zoltun Kulle.Uldyssian Ul-Diomed, son of Diomedes – their sacrifice made Tyrael reconsider their vote to spare Sanctuary.Some of these beings of sand were capable of conversation and self-direction. Others were significantly more advanced.Creation of the Black SoulstoneAs noted much later by Cain's niece Leah, his first hypothesis had merit. In a report by founding Horadrim member Iben Fahd, they stated that when Zoltun Kulle's Archives were raided and they attempted to kill Kulle, he bled sand. As Soulstones require attunement to be used, Kulle likely used his expertise in Alchemy and Transmutation to create and attune the stone with his blood while forming sand into a surrogate, replacing his own blood.The Deceit of AdriaZoltun Kulle's LegacyA Bitter End For a Broken ManIt is the opinion of this humble scholar that not everything is as it seems. There is a large amount of conflicting accounts and intentionally omitted information by others. Kulle was painted the villain by the very same Horadrim who fought alongside him for years before putting him to the sword. Since his death, the Horadrim painstakingly removed most references to Kulle, credited his work to others, and characterized him as a monster when the reality is much more bleak. Zoltun Kulle had been their friend and trusted ally. They battled together against the insurmountable horrors of Hell for fifteen years and saw countless innocents die gruesomely alongside his friends. After Diablo fell, the just others carried on - yet he could not. He was left broken, his very soul cleaved in twain and naught but tatters remained. Ultimately, he tried to fix himself the only way they knew how - by transmuting his blood into a crystal and binding to it the essence of Angels and Demons in a desperate attempt to regain the feelings of hope, joy, anger, hatred, and pain he once felt before the nightmare began.

In the end, perhaps if someone was just there for Kulle to help him, then maybe he could have had a chance for salvation.

Comments

Comment by Voxxel

"Deckard Cain, however, suggested the plan was Zoltan Kulle's."

Here, you spelled it as Zoltan which is an ancient Hungarian forename, derived from around the 10th century. Still using broadly today. I wonder if there's a developer at Blizzard with Hungarian ascendants who named Zoltun Kulle after our national first name.

Comment by TomatoPhalanges

Great writeup, really enjoyed it! Zoltun Kulle is such a fascinating character, and I hope we see more of him in future seasons/the new expansion, I was very fond of him in D3 and this new season has piqued my interest regarding him once again.

Comment by Ankorage

I hope we really see more of that character in future ! Its really interesting !

Comment by Buffbringer

In D4 we also learn Ayuzhan was his... "partner"

Comment by CelticHound

Thank you for the article!

One question I've been wondering about: In the D4 Season 3 quest, when Ayuzhan first mentions Zoltun Kulle, I had the option of replying either "The Zoltun Kulle?" or (something like) "Zoltun Kulle? Who's that?", I only got one chance at the dialog, and I would very much like to see what Ayuzhan answers are to both of those options.

Also, I think Zoltun Kulle got a bad rap in Diablo 3: When it came to a climax, he's is reasonably saying "Hey, the prime evils are already in my soulstone - something is very wrong here." And then we kill him.

Who is Zoltun Kulle? The History of the Fallen Horadric Mage

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