by Whitney "Neinball" Fairchild - 11 years ago     show comments

The Knights of Westmarch. Protectors of the Word. Hand of the Zakarum. Zealots. Paladins have been called many things over the ages and now the title of Crusader will be added to that list. By now everyone knows about the newest class coming in Reaper of Souls is, but who are they exactly? Where did they come from? What drives them? While the exact details of why the Crusaders split from the Paladins and what they been doing since they left are still unknown we can look into the history of the order that spawned them.

The information we have on the Paladins has changed slightly over time as the Diablo timeline has been revised and retconned over the years. The narrative hasn’t changed much but some of the dates and events can be somewhat contradictory with one another. I’ve tried to reconcile the conflicting back stories into a single chain of events that makes sense.

Founding of an Order

A few centuries before the events of the original Diablo the Church of the Zakarum was the dominant religion in the lands of the East. Headquartered in Kurast, the Church sought to spread the Word to the only remaining place not under their sway, the lands of the West across the Twin Seas.

The first missionaries sent out to spread the faith were wholly unprepared for the dangers and challenges they would face. The lands were hazardous, the weather harsh and the inhabitants unfriendly. Few of the priests and monks survived the journey and returned with stories of the dangers and horrors they faced during their mission. It was this event that caused the Church to realize they needed warriors to protect their priests and the foundation of the Paladins began.

Protectors of the Innocent

The original Paladins were called the Protectors of the Word in honor of the purpose they were formed for. The Paladins were not just well trained and armed, they were instructed in the use of holy magic. Their faith was literally their armor and their weapon. They could wield the power of righteous devotion to smite all who would harm those they were charged with protecting. It was under their vigil that the word of the Zakarum spread.

While the missionaries did their job preaching the wonders of the Zakarum to the people of the West, it was the Paladins that showed them the glory of the Light. More people were drawn to the Paladins as examples of what Zakarum stood for then the soft spoken messages of the priests. As the Word spread across the lands of the West the needs for the Paladin order waned and eventually they faded from public view.

A few decades later the Church decided to change the focus of their missionaries and called the Paladins back to service. Instead of peacefully spreading the Word, an aggressive stance was taken where people were forced to adhere to the tenants of the Zakarum faith and woe to those who chose not to convert.

Call of the Crusade

The Protectors of the Word had now become the Hand of the Zakarum and they were instructed to convert all to the faith and to dispense ‘justice’ to those who would deny the Word. People unwilling to convert were viewed as being demonically possessed and death was their release. It was also around this ‘Time of Troubles’ that the warlord Rakkis called many Paladins to his crusade into the West to forcefully bring the Word to the few last untouched kingdoms there. It appears at some point during Rakkis’ crusade that the Paladins began to question the leadership of Kurast and the unmerciful ‘justice’ they demanded.

End of the March

As Rakkis continued to march west the Paladins condemned the inquisition that the hierarchy of the Zakarum was waging. This new Paladin order stood to protect the weak and the innocent instead of condemning them. They swore to uphold the tenants of their faith instead of the will of their leaders halfway across the globe in Kurast. Under Rakkis, the Paladins continued to push West until finally they founded the city and nation of Westmarch. It was here that the order would establish its new headquarters and the influence of Kurast would continue to wane in the practice of Zakarum in the West.

Now from what we’ve been told it is somewhere around this time that part of the Paladin order broke away from the armies of Rakkis and went back East. Did they want answers for the change in direction of the leaders in Kurast? Or did they prefer the more violent methods? And more importantly, why are they called Crusaders when they are the ones who abandoned the crusade?

I’m sure these questions will get address as we get closer to Reaper of Souls. We may get some hints in upcoming Book of Tyrael or a new collection of short stories like they released prior to the launch of Diablo III. It’s difficult to say what their motivations were at this point in time since there is no prior documentation of them in lore outside of the brief mention that some of the Paladins remained true to the leaders in Kurast and their inquisition.

The rest of the history here applies only to the original Paladins of Diablo II as by this time the group that would later become the Crusaders of Diablo III had already left.

The Knights of Westmarch

With Rakkis’ push west over the Paladins found themselves changing from crusaders back to protectors. Instead of claiming new territory they were now defending the people and homes of the lands they had settled. They made up the bulk of the standing army of the new nation of Westmarch, a bastion for the Light in the West. Their job wasn’t easy as the Paladins now found themselves beset by bandits and monsters in the wilds of their own lands, barbarian tribes to the north and the equally zealous Monks of Ivgorod to the east.

It would be a centuries later that the kingdom of Khanduras, under the reign of the Mad King Leroic, would wage war on Westmarch and it was the Paladins who met them on the field of battle. Leroic’s armies were no match for the righteous might of the Knights of Westmarch and they were sent home broken and defeated. Sensing something was not right in the lands to the East many Paladins found themselves drawn away from Westmarch to find the source of the corruption that began to take hold in Khanduras. This is now the opening to Diablo II and I’m sure most of you are familiar with the story from this point on.

Past of the Paladins, Clues to the Crusaders?

The Paladin order has a short but varied history in the world of Sanctuary. From protector to inquisitor and back to defender; they’ve stood the test of faith between following the commands of their leaders or the teachings of the Light and came out as exemplars of virtue and justice. Will the Crusaders be the same? Where were they when the Paladins had their faith tested? What did they do after Kurast fell?

While it’s obvious why they would come back to the forefront of world events during the End of Days, how did they learn of the prophecies? Have they been preparing of for this event the whole time? How will they be welcomed by there brothers and sisters in Westmarch? Will they been seen as returning heroes by the other Paladins or zealous renegades returning only to claim glory?

I would like to see the Crusaders in Reaper of Souls viewed as reckless zealots by the Paladins of Westmarch. It would make for a better setting to have their return received as an unease welcome instead of being greeted as returning heroes. It would play into the darker themes in RoS, where the champions of the Light are willingly to accept any help they can get during the siege of Death.

I see the Crusaders as hardline fanatics who view the world as black and white. You are either righteous or nefarious. Holy or evil. Innocent or guilty. The Diablo series could use some heroes who take their purpose a little to far, while not exactly anti-heroes Crusaders could easily walk a fine line between savior and condemner. Does he save the villagers of New Tristram from the Skeleton King or are they merely lucky he showed up to put down evil?

Personally, I’m really looking forward to the Crusader class. They look to have an amazing set of skills, group utility and lots of survivability (which is a boon as a HC player.) Lets see what lore Blizzard has in store for us as we creep ever closer to the Reaper of Souls.

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