Wow its been a long time since I last posted!!

I've been working on the Alchemist fan class for the last few months (about the make some HUGE changes to the alchemist skills on the wiki page) and also been deepening the lore behind the order. So now I have a whole legend dedicated to the Alchemists (Orue Agea) and their involvement in the Diablo Universe. Its kinda like a historical narractive. Originally I had written the beginning of a story called The Fall of Nightmares on the forums, but I couldnt develop it like I wanted -so I changed the way I'm telling the concept.

I tried to tie everything in quite nicely to the canon timeline to avoid any inconsistencies, but point out any you see. Its all done (but still a rough draft), but I've only proofread part of it so far, so I'm going to post it in parts -I have two ready now. It tells the story from the point of view of a fictional scholar of the Orue Agea named Arlore Geid. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Compendium of the Orue Agea
Part I: The Path to Enlightenment
By the grace of higher powers I, Arlore Geid, High Librarian of Cedurnem, do set forth this chronicle to give insight to those who wish to know the purpose and history of the esteemed Orue Agea, known by most others as Alchemists, and of which I am honored to be part. As with all things, truth is in the mind of the beholder, and thus one must understand that this truth that I present is only truth in regards to what I have learned of before. In that way, the society of the Orue Agea is built upon the pursuit of truth and peace. Here and now, I intend to unravel the mystery of our history and the threads of the past that have woven together in our present.

The name Orue Agea that we bear derives from the Ancient Tongue, meaning “Seekers of the Self” and as such, those of our society seek to better the world around them by finding wisdom and enlightenment within themselves. I ask that you pardon my choice of words, as many of the scrolls of old are written in the Ancient Tongue, thus I shall attempt my best to accurately translate. Those beyond our society that remain unfamiliar with it refer to us as Alchemists, though this is somewhat of a misnomer as many of the Orue Agea study areas apart from alchemy. However, the art of alchemy is one of the necessary studies for any wishing to understand themselves and the world. The principles of our alchemical studies extend to encompass other fields as well, thus I can understand the generalization –which is a natural human tendency. Many refer to the proud warrior race of the north as Barbarians and the priests of Rathma as Necromancers, both with whom we have always had friendly associations, although neither term truly describes these honorable orders. It is due to these natural generalizations and fear of the unknown that I wish to make known the truth of our society, to cleave the shadow of rumors and lies that seem so prevalent in recent times.

No philosophy is more important to our order than perhaps “as above so below.” To understand this concept is to understand the relationship of the Orue Agea with their world. All things are a conflict of order and chaos in their own system, whether in reference to individual conflicts, the workings of the entire world, or the fight for balance found in a single drop of water. What meaning do the larger conflicts of man have for the world within the drop of water? And how they pale in comparison to the great procession of the greater universe around them. Therefore, it is said that just as all things occur above, so do they below –the worlds within the world. By this wisdom we believe our own minds and bodies to be universes within themselves. To balance the larger world beyond us, we must first learn to master the universe within us. Apart from many of clans of scholars and mages, this philosophy humbles us, as we realize we are only part of a larger world, whatever power to which we could hope to aspire is insignificant from such a viewpoint. The single mage who selfishly strives for power against the world is foolish; he is like a single raindrop trying to dominate the storm. Of course, like the honeycomb of the bee, the workings of the Orue Agea twist and split into a thousand directions, this great truth proving difficult for even the wisest ones to grasp. In order to know the true nature of the Orue Agea, one must understand the history that has shaped it. I intend to begin the work of revealing that history in my next writing.

Part II: From Chaos Rises Order
When most in general think of the Mage Clan Wars, they are reminded of the period of conflict between the Vizjerei mage brothers Horazon and Bartuc –better known as Bartuc the Bloody. While this conflict was certainly a most brutal one, the actual Mage Clan Wars had stretched millennia before when the first mage clans formed over the numerous magical nodes of Kehjistan. Consumed with power, the philosophically different clans began to war amongst each other for the right to supreme control over the magical energies. This marked the beginning of the long period of rivalry –sometimes violent, sometimes seething –in which the mage clans dominated one another for control. Their pride and thirst for power blinded the mages to the suffering they were causing, leading many to fear them nearly as much as the demons of the Burning Hells themselves. Among the atrocities committed by the mages was the perversion of the umbara clans of the Teganze into the unnatural Khazra, or goatmen, in order to fight for them. Such disregard for our fellow mortals is unfathomable to my mind, even if their beliefs are vastly different from our own. Blame was placed on demons such as Zagraal –but he only gave the Khazra greater strength, not origin –it was man that made these unfortunate beings. Their kind still roams these lands today, a reminder of the failure of the mage clans to uphold the ideals of wisdom and peace. Much of this was done in the name of defending the lands from the conflicts of the angels and demons, but the truth is far more obvious and terrible.

Parallel to the ongoing Mage Clan Wars was the even more nefarious and destruction Sin War, the conflict of the demons and angels of the mortal souls of our world. War is opportunity, with many mages seeing the otherworldly conflict as a motive to amass power and seize control. Entire cities were torn asunder by the awesome wrath of rival mages, heedless to the safety of those around, obsessed with only conquering a threat to their control. Though peace was made time and again between the clans, it was temporary, sufficing only until another mage hungered for power and found an excuse to ignite conflict once more. It is true that much of the corruption in the clans originated from demonic –and I dare say perhaps at times, angelic –influence; nonetheless, influence can only manipulate the dark desires already born in the hearts of mortal men. The forces beyond this world obviously sought to gain advantage over each other through the influence of man, and so many willingly acquiesced. Now please do not perceive my writings here as a condemnation of the entire mage order, as I am well aware that most of these esteemed scholars were peaceful in their pursuits. Rather I only wish to record the histories of the clans, especially how the greedy few were capable of tainting the greater whole.

For these reasons the general populace still fears practitioners of magic and –given their long history of corruption and greed –I cannot blame them. Alas, it is in our nature to desire…and to fear. Yet I can say with certainty that the wars have always been abated by the courage and determination of honest-hearted ones that stood against corruption. Many mages refused to fight one another and did their best to work towards peace. It has often been said that man finds the best of himself in the darkest times and it was in these dark times that a new society formed with the intent of seeking peace and knowledge for all mortals regardless of their origins. Truth became the call of this order to the world, a unity of a common interest against the corrupting influence of otherworldly forces. I speak of course of the founding of my order, the Orue Agea, which continues its purpose even today. For now, I gather more knowledge concerning the foundation, and shall write again when I have learned more.