Tome.04: Inarius - Blind Faith in the Light, the Despair and Demise of an Arrogant Father

Introduction: The Idol of “Light” Sunken in Mud and Blood

In the history of the eternal struggle between angels and demons, and the humans continuously torn apart in their midst, no entity embodies the contradiction between sublime ideals and despicable self-deception as perfectly as Inarius. Once born from the Crystal Arch of the High Heavens, this honored angel, who slaughtered countless demons in the Eternal Conflict under the command of the Archangel Tyrael, reigned as the “Prophet of Light” in the world he created, only to meet the most miserable of ends.

One of the philosophical themes underlying Diablo IV is the relativization of good and evil: the idea that “good (angels) and evil (demons) are equally calamitous to humanity.” From the perspective of humanity, the “order and light” championed by the High Heavens is nothing more than absolute stagnation and forced submission, while the “chaos and darkness” championed by the Burning Hells is merely violent destruction and corruption. In this profound Dark Fantasy world, the path Inarius walked is depicted as an Existentialism tragedy that distills the “violence of righteous light” to its absolute limit.

In this article, drawing upon the truths revealed in the ancient Skovos Isles in the latest expansion Lord of Hatred, as well as the dialogue with the remnants of Inarius within the memory domain of Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred, we will comprehensively and thoroughly unravel the psychological structure, the mechanisms of self-justification, and the inescapable descent into despair of this arrogant “Father of Sanctuary.”

1. Flight from the Eternal Conflict and False Fatherhood

1.1 [Fact] From the Glory of the Crystal Arch to the Creation of Sanctuary

The starting point of Inarius’s tragedy lies in the “sense of emptiness” he harbored in the High Heavens. He was once a capable commander leading the celestial hosts, but his spirit was worn down by the endless Eternal Conflict. “I have slaughtered countless demons and broken sieges, yet gained nothing. There are no victors in this war; there is only an eternal cycle of vengeance, pride, and hatred,” he reminisced. This fundamental despair toward the war became the fertile ground that birthed his secret alliance with the enemy demon, Lilith.

They stole the Worldstone and created Sanctuary, a refuge hidden from both the High Heavens and the Burning Hells. The first Nephalem (the ancestors of humanity), born from the union of angels and demons, possessed immense latent power that surpassed both of their parents. However, it is here that Inarius’s first “fear” was exposed. Fearing that his own creations would become a threat to his absolute superiority, he secretly manipulated the Worldstone to weaken the power of the Nephalem with each passing generation.

1.2 [Analysis] The Abandonment of Choice and “Self-Deception”

From the perspective of Existentialism, Inarius is an entity who completely abandoned the “responsibility for his own choices.” When examined through the lens of “Mauvaise foi” (bad faith) proposed by the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, Inarius’s psychological structure can be said to have been extremely fragile.

Despite betraying the High Heavens of his own free will and colluding with a demon to create a world, when faced with the uncertainty and overwhelming power of the resulting existence known as “humans,” he fled from his responsibilities as a creator. He continued to cling to the a priori “essence” that “he is an angel of the High Heavens,” persistently denying his own “existence” (the accumulation of actions and choices) as the father of Sanctuary. His measure to weaken the Nephalem was not merely a restriction of power, but a cowardly cover-up designed to conceal his own mistakes and protect his pride.

What he loved was not the demon Lilith herself, but merely the result of “escape from conflict” that he could obtain through her. Similarly, what he loved was not the world of Sanctuary, but merely a safe miniature garden where he could reign as a “god.”

2. The Deceptive Structure of the Cathedral of Light

2.1 [Fact] The Fictitious Prophet and the Establishment of the Cathedral of Light

Subsequently, the evil clutches of the Prime Evils (Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal) crept into Sanctuary, leading to the establishment of the religious organization known as the Triune to brainwash humanity. To counter this, in an effort to forget his past and the existence of Lilith, Inarius took on a human form and founded the Cathedral of Light as “The Prophet.”

As a human, he appeared as an unearthly, perfectly handsome man with silver-blue eyes, ivory skin, and shoulder-length golden hair. Ostensibly, it was a sublime religion meant to guide the destiny of humanity, but its true purpose was to maintain his dominion against the forces of the Prime Evils, and above all, to soothe his “homesickness” for the High Heavens. His personal chambers were adorned with statues of angels and the like, but his followers did not even understand what they meant, having been led to believe they were mere works of art.

Below is a demonstration of the equivalence between the “religion of the Heavens” and the “religion of the Hells” from a human perspective.

2.2 [Analysis] The Violence of Good and the Fate of Fanaticism

While many religious leaders in the real world aim for the spiritual growth and salvation of their followers, Inarius’s motives were extremely egocentric, rooted in manipulation and control. His doctrine was not meant to save humans, but was a colossal fiction designed to consume them as tools to satisfy his need for validation, or as “soldiers of light” to facilitate his return to the High Heavens.

This “violence of good (light)” is proven in the most cruel manner after his death by the madness of Reverend Mother Prava, who had worshipped him. Within the story of the expansion Lord of Hatred, although Prava survived the reckless march into the Burning Hells, her mind was completely shattered. The vestiges of the once strict yet humane leader were lost; she had become a fanatic who shifted the blame for Inarius’s death onto the Horadrim and condemned The Wanderer and others as heretics.

The most symbolic scene is when she executes a heretic in the public square. She powerfully preaches before the crowd that “heretics must face judgment or repent,” but when her subordinate knights actually burn the heretic at the stake in accordance with her words, she displays intense agitation and terror (or the delirium of madness) at the gruesome sight. This contradiction-filled depiction illustrates that the Cathedral of Light has completely lost the pretext of the “doctrine of light” and is running rampant as a mere “automaton of violence and terror.” Prava, having lost the central sun (idol) that was Inarius, can no longer even understand why she is burning people to death. Blindly believing in the light is no different from falling into the darkness. The legacy Inarius left behind merely rained endless blood upon Sanctuary.

3. The Deconstruction of Myth: The Truth Revealed in the Skovos Isles

3.1 [Fact] A Miserable Ambush in the Ancient Lands

For a long time, it has been passed down in the history of Sanctuary that “the First Father Inarius, using immense god-like power amplified by the Worldstone, banished the hateful Lilith to The Void.” To the followers of the Cathedral of Light, this event was the pinnacle of their mythology, the absolute proof that light had vanquished evil.

However, through the exploration of the ancient Skovos Isles, where players set foot in the expansion Lord of Hatred, this magnificent myth is ruthlessly overturned. The Skovos Isles are the “land of creation” where the first Nephalem were born and where Inarius and Lilith first made their home. As players progress through the quests, they witness fragments of memories revealing the truth of what happened in this land.

The revealed historical facts are as follows. Inarius by no means overwhelmed Lilith in a head-on contest of strength. He secretly stole Lilith’s own dagger, was fatally wounded in a one-on-one duel with her, and fled in defeat. He escaped into the caves of Skovos, holding his breath and hiding himself. Then, seizing a moment when she let her guard down, he ambushed her from behind, pierced her with the stolen dagger, and banished her to The Void.

3.2 [Analysis] A “Pathetic Coward” in Angel’s Clothing

This “truth” completely deconstructs the core of Inarius’s character and the mythological structure of the Diablo universe. While cloaked in the divine majesty of a creator, his true nature was that of a “coward who, driven by fear, stabbed his former lover in the back.” Even in community discussions, he is ruthlessly evaluated as a “pathetic coward.”

His image as an “angel of light” was completely stripped away by this miserable ambush in the muddy, dim caves of Skovos. In Gothic Horror and Dark Fantasy, the revelation that a divine being is actually driven by the most mundane and petty motives is a crucial element that deepens the despair of the world setting.

While preaching the glory of the High Heavens, Inarius spared his own life, resorted to machinations, and thrust a blade from behind. This action proves that no matter how much he brandished the logic of the High Heavens, his soul was already more sullied with mud than the demons of the Burning Hells. The “light” he loved was nothing more than a smokescreen to hide his own ugly true nature.

4. The Murder of Rathma and the Self-Deception of the “Spear of Light”

4.1 [Fact] Torture in the Burning Hells and the “Return of Madness”

After The Sin War, the Angiris Council of the High Heavens, having decided on the preservation of Sanctuary, handed Inarius over to Mephisto as the price for a non-aggression pact. Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred, tore off Inarius’s beautiful wings, bound him in chains, and subjected him to ceaseless torture for millennia.

Afterward, by some twist of fate, he escaped the Burning Hells (or was intentionally released) and returned once more to Sanctuary. In the era of the main storyline of Diablo IV, his mind had already crossed the boundary between sanity and madness. He blindly believed that the condition for his redemption was “the complete obliteration of Lilith,” and plotted a march into the Burning Hells.

In the process, he visited his biological son, Rathma, the first Necromancer. Rathma possessed the key to open the gates of Hell, but refused to cooperate with his father. Without a shred of hesitation, Inarius murdered Rathma with his Spear of Light and seized the key.

4.2 [Analysis] Escape into Prophecy and the Trap of “Determinism”

What governed Inarius’s actions was an abnormal obsession with Rathma’s Prophecy. The prophecy states: “Then came a spear of light, piercing Hatred’s heart, And he who was bound in chains was set free.”

Inarius fanatically believed that this “spear of light” referred to himself. To him, this prophecy was not merely a prediction of the future, but an “absolute guarantee that he would be absolved of all sins and return to the High Heavens.” In Existentialism philosophy, clinging to fatalism or Determinism signifies an “escape from freedom.” By convincing himself that “he was destined to kill Lilith,” he completely offloaded the ethical guilt of filicide and the responsibility for his actions onto the word “destiny.”

However, in the decisive battle fought in the abyss of the Burning Hells, the spear he threw failed to deal a fatal blow to Lilith; conversely, his remaining wings of light were torn off by her, and he met a gruesome death. A compelling analysis of this conclusion aligns perfectly with the circumstantial evidence within the game. It is the interpretation that “Hatred’s heart” did not refer to Lilith’s heart, but rather to “Inarius’s own heart filled with hatred.”

Inarius’s heart was completely stained black with hatred for Lilith, hatred for the High Heavens that abandoned him, and hatred for humanity, his creations. He himself was the entity harboring “Hatred’s heart,” and the power of the spear he threw came full circle, piercing the abyss of the Burning Hells in the form of his own death (the death of the angel of light). And ironically, through his death (or Mephisto’s sealing into the Soulstone), the shackles on Mephisto’s resurrection were removed, and a new chaos was “set free.” Inarius, while believing himself to be the agent of salvation, was in reality merely consumed as a “simple trigger” to advance the scenario of the Lord of Hatred.

5. The “Remnants of Memory” in Mephisto’s Abyss and The Pit of Mirrors

5.1 [Fact] Reunion in the Expansion Lord of Hatred

In the latest expansion for Diablo IV, Lord of Hatred, the existence of Inarius transcends physical death to stand before the player once again. To prevent the complete resurrection of Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred, the protagonist (The Wanderer) steps into Mephisto’s mental domain and the abyss of his memories, guided by Lilith (or through resonance with her remnants left in the player’s blood). In the quest “The Soil, The Seed, The Fruit,” the stage shifts to an alternate dimension known as The Pit of Mirrors or The Mind’s Eye.

There, the player discovers the “Memory of Inarius” bound in crimson chains. This is simultaneously a record of when he was tortured by Mephisto in the Burning Hells, and a manifestation of the fundamental fear and obsession his soul harbored.

Unleashed from his chains, the Memory of Inarius attacks the player and Lilith in a state of frenzy. In this boss fight, there is a fierce mechanic where Inarius fires deadly beams of light from the “Mirrors of Penitence” and constantly teleports while brandishing his “Divine Wings.”

During the battle, or within the phantom dialogues, Inarius lets out a pitiful scream into the void. “Weakness is nature, and it always reveals itself… Auriel, Raphael, Tyrael, please. Help me. Silence him!”

Furthermore, he is mocked by an unseen voice regarding the city he once sank to the bottom of the sea and the curse he brought upon his own children, and is confronted with the words, “It is time to know the truth.”

5.2 [Analysis] Narcissism and the Collapse of Self-Love Shown Through Environmental Storytelling

This battle against the “Memory of Inarius” functions as highly literary environmental storytelling, transcending mere game mechanics.

First, the “mirrors” placed as environmental objects are symbols of Inarius’s “narcissism” and his “escapist nature of being unable to face others directly.” He never looked at the pain of others (humanity or Lilith), but always sought to gaze only upon his own “perfect form as an angel” reflected in the mirror. However, the light emitted from those mirrors has now run rampant, becoming violent lasers that burn even himself. Second, his frequent “teleportation” is a rejection of direct confrontation, expressing his cowardly essence of “flight and ambush”—as seen in the caves of Skovos—as a combat style.

Moreover, the fact that the names he cries out when cornered are “Auriel, Raphael, Tyrael” is extremely significant. He seeks salvation from his former brethren, but Tyrael in particular, despite being his former superior, is an entity who later loved humanity and discarded his position as an angel for their sake. The structure in which Inarius, who despised humanity and clung to his privileges as an angel, clings to Tyrael, who fights for humanity, exudes a cruelty that goes beyond irony into the realm of the absurd.

5.3 A Husband Reduced to a Weapon: Dialogue with Lilith

Deep within Mephisto’s memory domain, the memory of a dialogue between Lilith and Inarius at a certain point in the past is also ruminated upon. Inarius mutters, “It is a strange thing to have given my children so much and see so little returned.” These words vividly prove that his “love” was always nothing more than a “transaction seeking a return.”

In contrast, Lilith coldly tells him: “You did well today. You are the only weapon I have left, and as long as we are bound, I will protect you.” The relationship between the two, who were supposed to have sworn “eternal love” and betrayed the High Heavens and the Burning Hells, was already broken. To Lilith, Inarius was no longer a “beloved husband” or a “co-creator,” but had been reduced to a “useful pawn (weapon)” to counter Mephisto. Inarius himself, while faintly realizing that he was being manipulated by Lilith, had fallen into the self-contradiction of having no choice but to depend on her. The fact that this dialogue continues to play eternally within Mephisto’s memories speaks to the magnitude of the humiliation Inarius harbored—that “he was nothing more than a tool.”

Conclusion: The Idol of “Light” Vanished Beyond Good and Evil

When surveying the entire narrative of Diablo IV, the existence of Inarius functions perfectly as a symbol of “inescapable despair and corruption,” the very pinnacle of Dark Fantasy.

Despite being a creator, he hated his own creations. Despite being a father, he murdered his own son. Despite being an angel of light, he stabbed his lover to death from behind in a dark cave. Inarius’s life was a continuous series of contradictions, constantly betraying ethics and denying his own existence (being the father of the world) in order to protect his identity (being an angel of the High Heavens).

Humans, amidst the hellish reality of Sanctuary smeared with blood and mud, struggle to choose their destiny through their own “free will,” however imperfectly. The Wanderer, Neyrelle, and Lorath move forward while taking upon themselves the tragic prices brought about by their choices.

However, Inarius, who proclaimed himself the absolute light, continuously fled from this “choice and responsibility.” His spirit, which sought to attain salvation without dirtying his hands by tracing the script of a pre-prepared prophecy, was far more inferior and cowardly than that of the humans living smeared in mud.

In some quarters, it was speculated that after Inarius’s death, his soul might be reborn as an “Angel of Hatred” or the next “Lord of Hatred.” However, the figure he displayed in The Pit of Mirrors in the expansion Lord of Hatred was not something as lofty as a great malice threatening the world; it was merely the wreckage of a “pitiful lost child” who could not face his own mistakes, clung to past glories, and continued to scream the names of his former colleagues into the void.

Inarius’s end is the inevitable ruin brought about by fanaticism and arrogance. Because he continued to look up at the absolute light of the “High Heavens,” he lost sight of the muddy reality of “Sanctuary” right beneath his feet. Before humanity (The Wanderer), growing into vessels capable of slaughtering gods and demons, the once great father was no longer an object of faith or fear, but simply vanished into the darkness of history as a “pathetic coward” of a bygone era. All he left behind were the hollow eyes of Reverend Mother Prava, sunken in madness, and the earth of Sanctuary, continuing to drink blood.