Warning - Spoilers ahead for the Vessel of Hatred Storyline! Proceed at your own risk!
Story Overview
The Vessel of Hatred Expansion opens where the main storyline of the Campaign of Diablo IV ends. After the climactic events of Act VI, Lorath and the Wanderer return to discover Neyrelle has taken off with the Soulstone that contains Mephisto, leaving a cryptic letter behind. Through the letter, it becomes clear that her goal is to protect everyone by dealing with Mephisto and the Prime Evils herself. No matter what it takes.
At the core of it, Vessel of Hatred is a story about isolation, what it does to you, and how far a person will go to protect what matters to them most. In this case, Neyrelle journeys to the new region of Nahantu to deal with the Soulstone containing Mephisto, with the goal of reaching Akarat's Tomb. Traveling with the Soulstone is making her ill both physically and mentally. At the same time, Mephisto is preying on her vulnerabilities, manipulating her perceptions and emotions and using every chance he has to influence her. As he says, Neyrelle may hold the stone, but does she have any control over it?
The History of Nahantu
Nahantu first appears in Diablo II, as one of the main regions in the story. During the events of Diablo II, Mephisto was imprisoned in a Soulstone inside Travincal, which is in Kurast and is the Holy Seat of the Zakarum religion. In Diablo IV, however, the Zakarum religion is now primarily known as the Church of the Light. Originally, the Zakarum/Church of the Light was given the goal of keeping Mephisto sealed in a Soulstone in the Travincal. However, things did not go as planned.
Instead, Mephisto's essence leaked out of the Soulstone, corrupting the very priests that were sworn to imprison him. This led to an uprising, where the corrupted priests killed the Que-Hegan, or Zakarum spiritual leader, in order to have complete control over the Zakarum. The second Que-Hegan, named Sankekur, was later possessed by Mephisto when the Soulstone broke and a large shard became part of Sankekur. Some shards broke off and became part of the priests later known as the Fell Council. All of this took place near Nahantu in Diablo II.
Introduced in Season 5 of Diablo IV, the "Eyes of the Enemy" quest has you putting Sankekur's long-dead body back together in an attempt to purge the remnants of Mephisto's hatred from it. This parallels Neyrelle's journey to trying to send Mephisto back to the void, and may hint at what the future holds.
The Tomb of Akarat
The character of Akarat has never directly appeared in a Diablo game and has only ever been mentioned by others. However, he might play a pivotal role in Neyrelle's journey in the Vessel of Hatred Expansion. Akarat ties back to Diablo II, when Mephisto was last sealed in a Soulstone. Akarat is mentioned in Diablo II as the founder of the Zakarum religion, which is the group that sought to seal the Soulstone away. While the Zakarum religion did not succeed in preventing Mephisto's escape, Neyrelle may be seeking the Tomb of Akarat with the hope of discovering why they failed so that she can learn from their mistakes.
Summary
At its heart, the Vessel of Hatred storyline is about isolation and the lengths someone will go to to protect the people they love. It is a story about Neyrelle doing what she thinks is right even in the face of adversity, fighting against the corruption of Sanctuary.
Will Neyrelle be strong enough to resist the temptation of the Prime Evils, unlike her mother? Or will she fall to the very evil she's sworn to defeat? We'll find out in Vessel of Hatred, coming October 8th.
Credits
Written by ehtoka
Reviewed by wudijo, Dredscythe