The troubled kingdom of Khanduras lies in the lands of the west. It is bordered by the Kingdom- and Gulf- of Westmarch to the west, the Sharval Wilds to its north and the Tamoe Mountains to the east. Long ago, as is the case of many western lands, it was conquered by the Zakarum under Rakkis, who fortified the Tamoe Range’s main pass with the stronghold of Eastgate Keep to defend against then-powerful Ivgorod.
This somewhat rustic land remained largely peaceful for many years until the appearance of Leoric, who at the behest of the Zakarum Church in Kehjistan, traveled to Khanduras and proclaimed himself its king.
Leoric’s most trusted cousellor, Archbishop Lazarus advised the new king to make his way to the village of Tristram, and establish his seat of power there. The king followed the advice of the archbishop, but upon his arrival was surprised to find Tristram a neglected backwater, home to only serfs and an ancient, broken-down monastery. King Leoric set about converting the small town into his regional capital, in the process converting the old monastery into a grand Zakarum cathedral. For a number of years, Leoric ruled wisely and well; an exemplar of the greatest virtues of the Zakarum, and won the hearts and minds of his subjects.
But beneath Tristram, evil slumbered. Unbeknownst to all but a few, the ancient monastery had been built and maintained by the Horadrim, before their dwindling numbers forced its abandonment. The structure was built over a series of catacombs and caves and, chillingly, housed the Soulstone relic that trapped the essence of Diablo, Prime Evil and Lord of Terror.
Betrayed to the evil powers by the Archbishop, Leoric became increasingly erratic, culminating in the declaration of an insane war against Khanduras’ stronger neighbor, Westmarch. Upon returning from the army’s inevitable defeat, the knight Lachdanan was forced to kill the deranged monarch. After a great struggle in with the Lord of Terror himself was unleashed, Lazarus’ vile betrayal was finally exposed and dealt with by the king’s elder son, Aidan. But, after a disastrous war and the evil events in Tristram, Khanduras was spent. For his part, Aidan, haunted by the dark and sinister events, was compelled to journey into the east, never to return.
Khanduras has slowly recovered since the events of those days and the town of New Tristram has been constructed, catering to those fortune hunters lured by tales of treasure to be found beneath Tristram’s cursed monastery.
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