The Archives of Zoltun Kulle

"I must admit I have never seen anything as impressive as Kulle's archives; even the great Yshari Sanctum pales in comparison. The size of them defies all imagination, and the very air feels suffused with Kulle's dark magic."

- Li-Ming

The Archives of Zoltun Kulle is a massive underground complex, hidden beneath the Desolate Sands.

Lore
The Archives are located at the northern tip of the Desolate Sands. They were built by Kulle singlehandedly, and dwarf even the Yshari Sanctum. They were created of creating the Black Soulstone, but also served as a repository for vast amounts of lore. He spent years preparing traps for the Horadrim, in case they came in search of him. As he worked on the stone, Kulle would lure unwilling Mages into his archives and subject them to gruesome experiments. He would draw their blood from their organs, all the while trying to distill their "nephalem essence."

As the Black Soulstone neared completion, the Archives were breached by the Horadrim, triggering the wards that Kulle had set up. They found the Archives strangely empty at first, but Kulle had set traps everywhere, and each step was harder than the last. The Horadrim found Kulle in the midst of a summoning spell, and in the battle that followed, many Horadrim lost their lives. They defeated him, but however, by this stage, Kulle had become immortal. He bled sand, and mocked the Horadrim to the end. As such, they separated his head from his body, and hid the latter within the Shadow Realm. The locks to the archives were sealed with two vials of his blood.

Centuries later, the Archives were re-opened by The Nephalem, guided by Kulle's spirit as part of a deal of resurrecting him in exchange for the Black Soulstone. Kulle's body was retrieved, and, reunited with his head, he was revived. However, Kulle was slain again soon afterwards, as he betrayed The Nephalem.

In-game
In Diablo III, it is a location visitable in. The Archives consist of many subzones, of which only The Archives, Unknown Depths, The Terminus, Storm Halls, Shadow Realm (indirectly, but the only functioning portal is in the archives) and Soulstone Chamber are known.

The Archives are a dark place built from enchanted stones, many of which are seen around, ignoring laws of physics. Everywhere around the Archives are ancient books (drop gold if distrurbed, then crumble to dust). Notable objects include the Force Gates, walls of energy that, while being harmless and allowing passage through, block any ranged attacks, both players' and monsters'.

If Eirena is taken to the Archives, she will note that Kulle's warding spells are similar to those of Vizjerei, and conclude that he must have studied their methods. She will also wonder if Kulle's guardians are as angry as he is.

Monsters

 * Dust Imps (often summoned by Arcane Constructs)
 * Fallen, Fallen Lunatics, Fallen Hounds, Fallen Overseers and Fallen Shamans
 * Sand Dwellers
 * Shadow Vermin (Shadow Realm only)
 * Skeletons
 * Skeletal Archers
 * Skeletal Shieldbearers
 * Skeletal Guardians
 * Obelisks that summon spectral Spiders
 * Wraiths

Sub-Zones

 * Shadow Realm (indirectly)
 * Soulstone Chamber
 * The Archives
 * The Storm Halls
 * The Terminus
 * Unknown Depths