- Feb 19, 2021
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This is a theory I have about Inarius, and contains some info learned in the beta, so if you've been saving that for live, please stop reading 
I will add the caveat that we may not have seen the entire story in the beta, and that an explanation may be part of the story (or the Book of Lorath), but, I'm working off of what we do know.
So, as we progressed through the First act in the Beta, we learn that Inarius has returned to Sanctuary. Unlike the pomp and pageantry surrounding Lilith's return, Inarius is just there, and, apparently for a while; his church has quite a few devotees, and the gospel is being spread. But some things just didn't feel right to me, and I began to wonder if we were seeing the true Inarius, or a clever impostor. Here are my suspicions and theories:
So, the first thing that got me thinking was the fact that we are told about Inarius with no preamble or introduction, as if it should be obvious that he had returned, but, let us think on that; Inarius was the prisoner of Hell for some 3000 years...should not an event as impressive as escaping that prison make for a least a simple story beat? Instead we are to assume it is common knowledge that he has returned. I found this to be very curious.
The next thing that piqued my curiosity was Inarius' manner. While it is quite in keeping that an Angel (save Tyrael) would be contemptuous or dismissive of mortals, Inarius seems a bit too detached, after all, we are the descendants of, well, him when you get right down to it. And while he would be expected to be somewhat cautious around Nephalem, we are just mortals...maybe more powerful than your rank and file human, but we are nowhere near the level of power the Nephalem of some 40 years earlier possessed (so far), I thought his interactions were curious. (Side note: whether the true Inarius or not, is he the reason why the Nephalem are no longer?)
Inarius' stated or implied goals also give me pause. He wants to be forgiven and restored to Heaven, and, while that may very well be, I find it hard to believe that after 3 millennia of suffering he doesn't hold even a small grudge. Angels are rather prideful, and I don't buy that he just accepted all that punishment as just.
Lastly, his interactions with Rathma. We see in flashback his pursuit of Rathma, while he searches for the key to the cradle of creation, which culminates in the death of Rathma. It is obvious that the key is very important, but, after killing Rathma...he leaves the key to be found by someone else? I can accept that the key was cleverly hidden in the staff, but, why not just take the staff and look somewhere else? Again, a moment of incredible import and it is just handled in a way that leaves more questions than answers.
OK, so if he is not the true Inarius, who then? Obviously a demon bent on control. There are 2 obvious choices that stand out.
Mephisto. Mephisto is the smartest, most cunning of the 3, and he has used subterfuge in the past to influence Sanctuary, so this is not new ground. He may also be the mysterious...friend...we meet in the first act. However, the key is something he would have figured out, most likely. He has a grudge and a practical reason to want to destroy Lilith, so he remains a strong possibility.
Belial. Here is a better choice lore wise, the Lord of Lies who fairly recently impersonated a King, and being a lesser Evil, might a) covet the key, b) lack the knowledge of how to find it, and c) delights in duping mortals. The problem I have with Belial is that his D3 arc was not well received, and I would be surprised to see the creative team return to that well so quickly. But he fits the plot holes better.
Lucion. Lilith's brother, and to this point a rather obscure part of the whole story, but why not bring him in for fun? Perhaps at his fathers behest.
I am really looking forward to finding out if my suspicions have any merit, or, if I just gave the writers too much credit. We shall all see in a few short weeks. Thanks for reading.
I will add the caveat that we may not have seen the entire story in the beta, and that an explanation may be part of the story (or the Book of Lorath), but, I'm working off of what we do know.
So, as we progressed through the First act in the Beta, we learn that Inarius has returned to Sanctuary. Unlike the pomp and pageantry surrounding Lilith's return, Inarius is just there, and, apparently for a while; his church has quite a few devotees, and the gospel is being spread. But some things just didn't feel right to me, and I began to wonder if we were seeing the true Inarius, or a clever impostor. Here are my suspicions and theories:
So, the first thing that got me thinking was the fact that we are told about Inarius with no preamble or introduction, as if it should be obvious that he had returned, but, let us think on that; Inarius was the prisoner of Hell for some 3000 years...should not an event as impressive as escaping that prison make for a least a simple story beat? Instead we are to assume it is common knowledge that he has returned. I found this to be very curious.
The next thing that piqued my curiosity was Inarius' manner. While it is quite in keeping that an Angel (save Tyrael) would be contemptuous or dismissive of mortals, Inarius seems a bit too detached, after all, we are the descendants of, well, him when you get right down to it. And while he would be expected to be somewhat cautious around Nephalem, we are just mortals...maybe more powerful than your rank and file human, but we are nowhere near the level of power the Nephalem of some 40 years earlier possessed (so far), I thought his interactions were curious. (Side note: whether the true Inarius or not, is he the reason why the Nephalem are no longer?)
Inarius' stated or implied goals also give me pause. He wants to be forgiven and restored to Heaven, and, while that may very well be, I find it hard to believe that after 3 millennia of suffering he doesn't hold even a small grudge. Angels are rather prideful, and I don't buy that he just accepted all that punishment as just.
Lastly, his interactions with Rathma. We see in flashback his pursuit of Rathma, while he searches for the key to the cradle of creation, which culminates in the death of Rathma. It is obvious that the key is very important, but, after killing Rathma...he leaves the key to be found by someone else? I can accept that the key was cleverly hidden in the staff, but, why not just take the staff and look somewhere else? Again, a moment of incredible import and it is just handled in a way that leaves more questions than answers.
OK, so if he is not the true Inarius, who then? Obviously a demon bent on control. There are 2 obvious choices that stand out.
Mephisto. Mephisto is the smartest, most cunning of the 3, and he has used subterfuge in the past to influence Sanctuary, so this is not new ground. He may also be the mysterious...friend...we meet in the first act. However, the key is something he would have figured out, most likely. He has a grudge and a practical reason to want to destroy Lilith, so he remains a strong possibility.
Belial. Here is a better choice lore wise, the Lord of Lies who fairly recently impersonated a King, and being a lesser Evil, might a) covet the key, b) lack the knowledge of how to find it, and c) delights in duping mortals. The problem I have with Belial is that his D3 arc was not well received, and I would be surprised to see the creative team return to that well so quickly. But he fits the plot holes better.
Lucion. Lilith's brother, and to this point a rather obscure part of the whole story, but why not bring him in for fun? Perhaps at his fathers behest.
I am really looking forward to finding out if my suspicions have any merit, or, if I just gave the writers too much credit. We shall all see in a few short weeks. Thanks for reading.
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