Who Is Inarius In Diablo 4: Rogue Archangel Lore Explained

Inarius, an archangel and one of the creators of Sanctuary and the Nephalem, is an important character through the Diablo franchise mainly due to his interactions with Lilith, Mother of Sanctuary. Having been involved in the Eternal Conflict, he aided Lilith in achieving their purpose of creating a world for those impacted by the war by forming a new world safe from angels and demons alike.

While much of Inarius' history with Sanctuary and Lilith has been greatly detailed, his role in the upcoming sequel remains a mystery ahead of the game's eventual release. We've explored the history books to learn the backstory and the tumultuous history between Inarius and Lilith for Diablo 4.

Diablo 4: Inarius' Origin Story Explained

Inarius was an archangel from the High Heavens who got entangled with the Eternal Conflict, which led to his encounter with Lilith, Daughter of Hatred. However, before this fateful meeting, he served the Angiris Council in an advisory position but was highly praised among his fellow angels for what he had accomplished on the battlefield.

Nevertheless, over the eternities of countless battles, hardships, and acts of cruelty towards countless people, he grew dissatisfied and confronted Tyrael; however, he dismissed Inarius' fears and concerns. He realized there had to be people looking to escape the conflict, and he started a crusade to find people who agreed with his perspective.

However, Inarius gets injured and stranded during a battle which causes him to bail out momentarily; and when he awakes, he is chained, which leads to him expressing his frustration and dissatisfaction with the conflict. He didn't realize that someone had heard his frustrations, and before he knew it, he had come face-to-face with Lilith, Daughter of Hatred, who revealed herself to him.

Inarius became attracted to her and, like Inarius, also grew tired of this unwinding conflict between angels and demons. Seeking an opportunity to escape the conflict, the pair joined forces and pledged their allegiance to be free from the Eternal Conflict, which led to the formation of the Sanctuary.

While Lilith had told Inarius that they could only finally be together once they'd acquired the Worldstone, Inarius and his followers set out to locate the artifact found somewhere inside the Pandemonium Fortress. Bringing the Worldstone to Lilith, they used its power to create a new world is hidden away from the glaring eyes of angels and demons and where like-minded individuals could find peace and refuge.

However, unbeknownst to them, many had noticed the sudden disappearance of the Worldstone but had no traces of who could've stolen it. Whether this was to protect the location of the Worldstone from angels and demons or other external forces wishing to steal the artifact, Inarius created a protective barrier, Mount Arreat, to prevent anyone from attempting such an act.

No one knows that Inarius bound himself to the Worldstone and its power, which significantly altered his power and capabilities, making him the strongest being in Sanctuary, more powerful than Lilith. Nevertheless, in this utopia, Lilith and Inarius would continue to rule Sanctuary with fellow angels and demons who, too, grew annoyed with the Eternal Conflict, for which their meeting was held at a location known as the Temple of the Firstborn.

Inarius gazes upon your pitiful form. pic.twitter.com/Aw71GwaZQF

— Diablo (@Diablo) December 20, 2022

Here, Lilith decided to bare Inariu's offspring, an unheard-of act between angels and demons, which created a new group of beings called the Nephalem. But Inarius started to grow in fear before this as he felt deep regret for his actions and that his kind would retaliate against him.

As such, he kept a watchful eye over the Nephalem, but it wouldn't take long before conflict amongst the rankings grew. This was mainly due to how powerful the Nephalem became compared to angels and demons, who saw this as a threat to their existence.

These rebels also assumed they would be among the first to perish if Santcuary was eventually found, with some calling for the end of the Nephalem. This sentiment was at one stage considered by Inarius, but as he grew more concerned about the possible defection by some council members, he took a period of self-reflection to find a solution.

However, the timing came at the worst period when Lilith discovered she might have traitors within her ranks and the idea of destroying Nephalem; she brutally killed the apostates for which Inarius had discovered. Inarius then confronted Lilith regarding her action and could not sacrifice her, a promise he continued to hold on to; he banished Lilith to the Void and has never been seen since.

As the Nephalem were considered a threat to many, he still didn't wish to end their very existence; instead used the Worldstone to punish the first generation of Nephalem. Those who challenged his decisions fled the Sanctuary, consequently weakening their power.

Following this sequence of events, Inarius was never seen, but some have claimed that he kept an eye on the subsequent generations of Nephalem as humankind expanded throughout the Sanctuary. Some have stated that Inarius could walk amongst his people, disguised as one of their own, as the Nephalem eventually became mortal, for which he grew more liking.

Sometime later, Inarius returned from a self-imposed exile after the formation of the Triune, which sought to convert humans to side with the cause of the Prime Evils. As Inarius had discovered that this religion would deceive humans, he assumed a new moniker, the Prophet, and a new teaching which triggered the Sin War.

Unfortunately, this coincided with Lilith's return which also saw the formation of the Edyrem, led by a Nephalem named Uldyssian ul-Diomed. The Edyrem destroyed the Triune, which uncovered Lilith's location. Once again, Inarius confronted Lilith, for which she prophesized that he would fall to Uldyssian and banished her again to the Void.

Inarius would eventually confront Uldyssian at the Cathedral of Light, which was under threat by the Edyrem; he attempted to convince the Edyrem to his cause, however, Uldyssian would eventually overwhelm Inarius. Approaching defeat, the Heavenly Host entered Sanctuary, which distracted Uldyssian, and Inarius took advantage of this opportunity, but it would end up befalling Inarius as Uldyssian altered the power of the Worldstone.

This act weakened Inarius, who was imprisoned as Inarius' ally in Sanctuary, and the Angiris Council convened on what to do with Inarius and the Nephalem. They agreed to a ceasefire between them as they decided to allow the Nephalem to develop and learn to decide who they wished to align themselves with.

As part of this agreement, Inarius was handed over to Mephisto, Lilith's father, where he remained in his custody and possibly tortured for the remainder of his days. Mephisto tortured Inarius by ripping his wings and tearing into his once angelic skin, which became tainted as his body continued to be mutilated.

What happens to Inarius after that will hopefully be explored in Diablo 4 as he reemerges based on the game's Cinematic Trailer. One thing is guaranteed is that he likely had escaped the clutches of Mephisto and looks to finally face Lilith for, what hopefully may be, the final time as he descends to Hell for her.

For more Diablo 4, be sure to check out our dedicated section or some of our Guides & Tutorials just below:

Our section keeps growing, so check for new guides daily! Don't forget to pick up one of the Diablo 4 Editions and join the fight to save Sanctuary soon.