Zoltun Kulle

"I have spent many years documenting historical figures. In all that time, very few have filled me with equal parts disgust and reverence. Zoltun Kulle is one of them."

- Deckard Cain

Zoltun Kulle was one of the founders of the Horadrim, but turned towards the side of darkness after the creation of the Black Soulstone. He was the most powerful mage in all of Sanctuary, and the Horadrim realized this. The Horadrim of Sanctuary then banded together, killed and then separated Kulle, putting his blood into jars and severing his head from his body.

The Ennead
Kulle hailed from the Ennead Clan, a Mage Clan known for its mastery of transmutation and similar arts. Like his kin, Kulle devoted himself to the pursuit of these sciences. He wrote a number of tomes that found their way into the Yshari Sanctum and/or libraries of Caldeum.

The Horadrim
"Murderer. Torturer. Monster. These were the titles bestowed upon Zoltun Kulle by the Horadrim. Though it cost them dearly, they killed the wizard for his crimes against nature and sealed his broken corpse within a shadow realm. It seems they were afraid he might return."

- Adria

The Hunt for the Three
"I bear the same scars they all did. They knew the truth of it. But the fools buried their heads in the sand. They thought the evils were sealed away, never to trouble us again. They needed a solution. They needed to end it all."

- Kulle, when asked about the Horadrim

Kulle was one of the founding members of the Horadric order with the assistance of six other powerful mages. He had a great talent in alchemy, and was a member of the Ennead Clan. He was given custodianship over the three soulstones that would be used to bind the Prime Evils that had been banished to Sanctuary, for as a member of the Ennead, Kulle was deemed well suited to handling such magical objects. Of all the Horadrim, only Kulle was aware of the manner of their construction.

Kulle spent many hours with the soulstones during the Horadrim's hunt, and he became intrigued by their power. Jered Cain often found Kulle awake late in the night, experimenting with the soulstones and documenting their properties. His knowledge of them grew, to the point where it mystified even the other members of the Horadrim. However, as the Hunt drew on, the quest took a psychological toll on Kulle. Once mirthful and spirited, he became an unfeeling husk, numb to even the basest of human emotions.

At the beginning of the Hunt for the Three, the Horadrim realized they would need an artifact of immense power. Kulle provided it for them, designing a device called "The Cube". The Horadrim agreed on the necessity of the device, and forged the Cube over a period of weeks. In time, the Cube became the center of Horadric works, and they found themselves relying on it greatly. Aware of the dangers of corruption, and of the Cube's marred design, the Order determined that it was too dangerous for anyone to continue using it. That it had to be hidden from anyone, including them. Of all the Horadrim, only Kulle objected to the abandonment of the device. It was entrusted to a secret order, and Kulle was left unaware of its exact location.

Kulle was among the Horadrim that bound their essence into vessels. As the Horadrim could not conquer death, these vessels would store their memories for future Horadrim.

The Binding of Destruction
"Baal will overwhelm Tal Rasha if we tarry. As appealing a notion as that is, we cannot fail in this endeavour. So, are you ready to fight through a ravanous horde of demons?"

- Kulle to the Horadrim

The Horadrim first bound Mephisto into his soulstone, before confronting Baal in Aranoch. The main account states that during the fight, one of Baal's attacks shattered the soulstone that was supposed to imprison him. Tal Rasha however, subdued the raging demon lord and, gathering the largest of the soulstone's shards, trapped Baal's destructive essence within it. Another states that it was Kulle's inability to properly handle the stone in battle that led to its breaking. The truth appears to veer closer to the first account, for during their battle against Baal, both Tal Rasha and Kulle used the soulstone to incapacitate the Lord of Destruction, before Baal managed to shatter it, sneering "what is the strength of man against Hell itself?" Baal fled through a portal, and Tal Rasha teleported after him, but not before ordering Kulle to lead the Horadrim to the valley below where they would confront Baal. Kulle bitterly remarked that Tal Rasha had no idea what he was doing, but nevertheless, grimly led the Horadrim into the valley, battling their way through demons along the way.

Kulle and the Horadrim arrived, where they found Tal Rasha and Baal locked in mortal combat. In a second clash, Baal was once again subdued, and his essence bound inside the soulstone fragment. Kulle commented that the shard would not hold Baal for long. Tal Rasha suggested that they would procure another soulstone, but Kulle pointed out that only an archangel's weapon could cleave the Worldstone, and even then, there was no way they could journey to Arreat before Baal escaped. Tal Rasha, unperturbed, stated that Tyrael would have answers.

Accounts again differ as to whether it was Kulle or Tal Rasha who suggested the notion of a living host as a pseudo-soulstone, but whatever the truth of the matter, Tal Rasha volunteered to take Baal's essence into himself, to wrestle with the Lord of Destruction for all eternity.

After the Hunt
Following the capture of Diablo, and the end of the Horadrim's quest, Kulle's demeanor darkened even further. It is said that he became increasingly wary of the High Heavens, and on more than one occasion, ranted against the Angiris Council. It was, as he pointed out, the same body that had nearly eradicated mankind in the Sin War, such an outcome only avoided by one vote. He believed that the Eternal Conflict would eventually scour humanity from existence, in order to prevent humanity from reaching its true potential. At some point, Kulle learnt of the history of the nephalem. Deckard Cain later wrote that Kulle's belief in mankind's "true potential" stemmed from its nephalem forebears. And that maybe, in the tales of the nephalem, he had found a glimmer of hope, a way to mend the tattered remnants of his humanity.

As the years passed, Kulle felt an emptiness within himself. He took leave of the Horadrim and returned to Kehjistan in order to pursue his studies of magic. He established archives all over Sanctuary. Of note was the Library of Zoltun Kulle, where Kulle conducted a number of experiments. He summoned demons and turned them into Aberrations. He also recorded his experiences in the Dark Exile in tomes.

The Black Soulstone
"I spent many hours with them as we hunted the three. I studied them, intrigued by their power. In the long years after our victory, I felt an emptiness within me, a bitterness that consumed my days and nights. With a soulstone of my own, Heaven and Hell could be brought low and humanity could rise. Unchallenged. Unrestricted."

- Zoltun Kulle

At some point, Kulle developed the idea of the Black Soulstone, a device which could imprison the Great Evils and the angels of the High Heavens. In his writings, Kulle stated his belief that he could use the stone to unlock humanity's nephalem birthright, as he believed that it was inevitable that wars would be fought between Man, angel, and demon in the future. The Black Soulstone would be his "gift" to humanity. And, of course, it would increase his own power to that of his nephalem forebears. However, in his own research, Deckard Cain stated that by trapping the souls of angels and demons within the stone, Kulle would be granted the means to repair his own soul and emotions. Tyrael believed likewise.

Kulle built an archives beneath the Desolate Sands, all for the sake of the research and experiments that would be required to create the Black Soulstone. He built them singlehandedly. Li-Ming would later speculate that Kulle had built his archives here due to the Sands' inhospitability. 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." Additionally, while he labored, he spent years setting traps in his archives in case the Horadrim came for him. As he worked on the stone, he developed an entirely new system of runes for trapping and summoning demons. Before long, he had marked a number of sites around Kehjistan for this purpose.

The Horadrim learnt of Kulle's actions, and believed that they would draw the attention of Heaven and Hell to the mortal realm. Horadric Mages were sent into Kulle's library, but were struck down and resurrected as undead slaves.

The Horadrim later found and entered Kulle's archives, and triggered the wards he had set for them. Kulle was caught unaware, and labored to finish the Black Soulstone before they found him. However, find him they did. 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.

These artifacts were then hidden in vaults under the Desolate Sands, while his head was hidden in he Dahlgur Oasis. Iben Fahd carried Kulle's head, and the fallen mage mocked him until the end. The Horadrim subsequently made efforts to expunge all of Kulle's knowledge from the world.

Shadows in the Desert
"You were treacherous before. How do I know you won't be an even greater threat when you're fully revived?" "You don't. So you must ask yourself: How much would you risk to save this wretched world?"

- Tyrael and Kulle, in light of the latter's resurrection

Long after Kulle's death, Belial and Azmodan began to plot to overtake humanity. Adria told The Nephalem of the Black Soulstone, and in order to retrieve it, they revived Kulle after recovering his head, in spirit form. Of the group, Kulle immediately recognised Tyrael's voice, but the angel revealed that he was now mortal. Kulle commented that fate was whimsical. He agreed to give them the Black Soulstone, but on the condition that he be restored to life. It was not an arrangement Tyrael wasn't happy with, but he and his companions nonetheless agreed to Kulle's terms.

The Nephalem and Kulle went to retrieve his blood from the vials it had been stored in, both buried under the Desolate Sands. Kulle's head was carried in a bag. Along the way, Kulle conversed with The Nephalem (whom he knew to be a nephalem almost instantly), telling them of his time with the Horadrim, and claimed that they were the same, but that Adria and Tyrael would betray them. The verbal sparring continued, but the vials of blood were nonetheless retrieved, and they entered Kulle's old archives. Kulle instructed The Nephalem to use his blood to activate relics that were powered by the substance, and after entering the Shadow Realm, Kulle's body was retrieved. With the aid of Leah, Kulle was revived in physical form. Walking the lands of the living (or, rather, floating above it).

True to his word, Kulle accepted that the bargain they had made still stood, and ushered The Nephalem to the soulstone chamber, where the Black Soulstone awaited. To his surprise, he found that the soulstone already contained the souls of the lords of Hell sans Azmodan and Belial. He demanded that The Nephalem give up their quest, that their allies sought to betray them. Together, they could rule over all Creation. The Nephalem refused, and Kulle came to blows with his former ally/allies. The Nephalem killed Kulle, and took the soulstone into their own possession.

Kulle's Return
"Yes, I live once more. I'm very hard to kill and really, you did a sloppy job. But enough small talk. I need your help."

- Zoltun Kulle Several months after Malthael's defeat, Zoltun Kulle managed to return to the Nephalem in his spirit form (but nonetheless not as powerless as he used to be when first awakened). He told the shocked hero(es) that not even they could have killed the undying Horadrim, and that he now required their help. The artifact designed by Kulle himself was hidden beneath the Ruins of Sescheron and could only be retrieved by someone who its guardians would deem worthy, while Kulle, obviously, would never pass their trial. The Nephalem agreed, and together with the deranged mage's spirit, managed to recover the artifact. As a token of his gratitude, Kulle unlocked its power, remaining at the Nephalem's side in their journey afterwards.

Diablo Immortal
Kulle appears in the "Destruction's End" dungeon in Diablo Immortal. The event has players reliving the sealing of Baal during the Dark Exile, standing-in as a Horadrim. Kulle is an NPC, and both helps the player, and must be protected during segments of the dungeon.

The Memory of Zoltun Kulle appears as an NPC in the Legacy of the Horadrim system. Zoltun Kulle's Ingenuity is the system's corresponding vessel.

Diablo III
Kulle makes his first appearance in Diablo III.

As Boss
Quick Route: Begin Act II, Chapter 8, Part 3 - 'Soulstone Chamber'. Take the waypoint to Archives of Zoltun Kulle.

The moment player enters the Soulstone Chamber, the battle does not begin yet, but the zone is already under lockdown (no Town Portal, no changing skills). To start the battle, players need to approach Kulle from either side.

The battle takes place on a circular arena, with the central circle being impassable. Kulle is assisted by two Eternal Guardian golems, which are quite slow, but very resilient and hit very hard in close combat. Upon death, they drop a guaranteed Health Globe. Zoltun Kulle himself cannot attack normally, but can use the following abilities:
 * Teleport: Can teleport anywhere on the arena. Used both to approach the player and to evade combat. Usually Teleport is immediately followed by a damaging spell cast.
 * Slow Time: Absolutely identical to the Wizard spell, aside from slightly different graphics. Slows movement of players within a sphere by 80% and attack speed by 30%.
 * Fireball: A medium-speed projectile that deals average area of effect Fire damage. Often used immediately after Slow Time.
 * Energy Twister: Creates an erratically-moving tornado of Arcane energy, dealing heavy damage as Arcane on contact. Contrary to popular belief, the twisters do not home on players.
 * Cave-In: After 1.5 seconds, causes a rockfall across the wide area, causing heavy Physical damage.

Zoltun Kulle has a hard enrage timer of 3 minutes. Once enraged, he no longer has a cooldown on Cave-In, and deals triple damage with that ability.

Kulle is one of the six handpicked Boss monsters to feature an Uber appearance. His Uber appearance, named The Undying One, Depraved Zealot, has little changes in strategy, but there are a couple things to be aware of. Firstly, he has the aid of the Savage Behemoth instead of Eternal Guardians, which can cause trouble even for the best equipped of heroes. Secondly, his Slow Time bubbles are much worse compared to his canon encounter in Act II; they mercilessly destroy a hero's attack speed and movement, leaving him/her relatively helpless, and should therefore be escaped from as soon as possible.

The Sand Shaper is the Rift Guardian variant of Zoltun Kulle.

As Artisan
Zoltun Kulle is found only in Adventure Mode, operating the Kanai's Cube on the Nephalem's behalf. While the crafting itself is done through the cube's own interface, Zoltun's spirit is floating nearby, giving advice regarding the horadric recipes and taunting the player.

One of the recipes of the Cube, Law of Kulle, is named after him.

Personality and Traits
"In all things, he glimpsed the elements of life, ripe for growth. He was, in his better days, driven by dreams of elevating his fellow man to wondrous new heights. Kulle, perhaps above all other Horadrim, had the power and the wisdom to bring his grand vision of a better world - one devoid of its inherent flaws - to fruition."

- Jered Cain

Ancient texts have portrayed Kulle in a number of different ways. Some call him a virtuous man who lost himself to the darkness of obsession. Others call him murderer, torturer, yet heroic member of the Horadrim. Monster, visionary, misguided genius, such tomes have labelled him all these things. What is known, however, is that Kulle possessed curiosity towards anything associated with magic. Such fascination led to many magical experiments.

As a member of the Ennead, Kulle was devoted to the pursuit of science and material manipulation. While a member of the Horadrim, Jered Cain described Kulle as being an intelligent and pious mage. In his early days, Kulle possessed a mirthful and spirited personality, but as the Hunt for the Three took its toll on him, his emotions deadened. By the time of Baal's defeat, Kulle had come to resent Tal Rasha, but nevertheless remained dedicated to the task Tyrael had entrusted the Horadrim with.

At his heart, Kulle was a humanist. In his early days, he dreamt of elevating humanity's condition. After the sealing of the Prime Evils, he developed a high opinion of humanity's place in Creation, believing angels and demons couldn't be trusted. He argued that it was humans, not angels, who were the true inheritors of Anu, for it was only when Anu rejected his darker half that true evil and suffering was born. In his mind, unlike Anu, humanity had to embrace its inner demons, and be all the stronger for it. However, while he believed in the worth of humanity, he believed himself amongst the greatest of his kind, which led to a dichotomy between his goals and his actions. By the time of his second death, Valla noted that Kulle now cared only for himself, not for humanity as a whole.

An egomaniac, Kulle's personality was laced with cynicism, sarcasm, and great ego. He regularly taunted his allies, though still afforded some respect to Tyrael. He has displayed moments of megalomania, but also some honor. Leah commented that Kulle struck her as being spiteful, obsessed only with himself and his own vision. Adria commented that for every bit of Kulle's genius, he was surely mad; obsessed with immortality and power. Tyrael regarded Kulle as being a great man, driven mad by his experiences in the Dark Exile, while Kharazim considered Kulle powerful, but a fool for seeking immortality, per his faith stating that death was merely part of the cycle of life and rebirth.

Kulle eventually came to pity others who would not share his grand vision of power. He concluded that perhaps his mind was too great for anyone else to truly comprehend his plans.

Kulle preferred to keep his creations on a tight leash.

Abilities
"I knew Zoltun Kulle was special from the moment I met him. He had a keen mind for the arcane."

- Tyrael

As a former member of the Ennead Clan, Kulle was a master of alchemy, alteration, and transmutation. Transmuation was his specialty; he used living sand to create Golems and other creatures, or in the case of the Eternal Guardian, forge it from coalesced souls. He was even able to create his own teleportation device, and write tomes where the reader would re-live his memories.

Kulle also had the ability to summon demons.

Such was Kulle's magical strength that he could shape the earth itself. Kulle was able to achieve immortality, and Cain speculated that he had managed to awaken his nephalem birthright. In battle with The Nephalem, Kulle demonstrated abilities associated with arcane magic.

Kulle effectively achieved immortality by preparing artificial bodies with preserved memories for himself, just in case of tasting death again. Anticipating more "deaths" ahead, he referred to it as "the sheer wonder of being Zoltun Kulle." In a rare moment of humility, Li-Ming admitted that Kulle's magic might surpass her own.

In his spirit form, Kulle could sense his own blood.

Trivia

 * Kulle was voted as players' favorite Diablo III villain in a poll conducted by Blizzard Entertainment.


 * When questioned on the subject, Chris Metzen answered that if Kulle walked into an Outback Steakhouse he would order chicken McNuggets because "he's a dick."


 * Concepts for Kulle existed by 2010. It was intended that Kulle be a morally ambiguous character. Brian Kindregan has commented that this distinguished Kulle from other antagonists in the game, who were purely evil.


 * Kulle's voice actor is Steven Jay Blum.


 * The method that Horadrim used on Kulle to 'kill' him (separate head and body, then bury them in different caves) duplicates the method that was used to prevent Bartuc (better known as the Warlord of Blood) from resurrection.


 * His name is referenced in the Bottomless Potion of Kulle-Aid.