Lut Gholein

Lut Gholein, often called the Jewel of the Desert, is the main trading port in Aranoch and the midpoint between the Western Kingdoms and Kehjistan beyond the Twin Seas in the East.

Lore
Set on the western edge of the Twin Seas, the jewel city of Lut Gholein has actually prospered in the merciless environment of Aranoch. Most credit this to the city's coastal location and strong sea trading ties with the kingdoms to the east and west.

Lut Gholein is a very large city, with good defenses, including well-built structures and a well-trained army. It is located on a fertile strip of land, which, along with its bordering of the Twin Seas, has contributed to its prosperity. Its people wear colorful clothing, at least compared to the more dour styles of Kehjistan. Lut Gholein's sailors distill the waters of the Twin Seas and apply the bright blue mixture to their sails in order to blend in and avoid detection by pirates.

It is common for families in Lut Gholein to have crypts beneath their houses, to store their dead.

History
Lut Gholein was built on top of the ruins of a Vizjerei fortress.

Several conquerors had tried to take over the city. All of them met with failure.

The Secret of the Vizjerei
In 1264, troubles started in Lut Gholein. The Sorcerer Jazreth gained entrance to the city's palace, and through it, entrance to the Arcane Sanctuary.

In the time that followed, a sense of dread descended upon the city. When the troubles first started in the desert, with demons emerging upon the sands, Jerhyn, acting on Drognan's advice, closed the port, and put the town under strict watch. When the Harem Guilds sought sanctuary within the palace, Jerhyn obliged. However, one night, screams echoed from the palace's harem. The guards arrived to find the women being slaughtered by demons. The guardsmen tried to push the demons back into the rift from which they'd emerged. However, they were fighting a constant, losing battle, with demons continuing to pour into the palace. This forced Jerhyn to hire mercenaries to defend the city.

Few people conducted business in the streets, and those who did were watched closely by the mercenaries. Furthermore, Radament began raiding the town at night, killing a number of people. He was barricaded in the sewers, but still took victims. Every now and then, a would-be hero headed into the sewers to confront him, but failed to slay the creature. The town's mercenaries planned to send an organized group into the sewers to kill the creature, but with the trouble plaguing the desert, they couldn't afford the chance of losing any men.

Recent History
In 1285, when Hakan II ordered his staff expelled from Caldeum, many of them headed for Lut Gholein.

In-game
Lut Gholein is visited by the player(s) in Act II in Diablo II. It acts as the town hub of the act.

The city is tormented by Radament: a mummified Horadric mage possessed by a demon, who is hiding in the sewers below. The player is also required to find the key pieces (Horadric Cube and the two pieces of the ) to unlock Tal Rasha's tomb where Baal is imprisoned. The Summoner takes control of the Arcane Sanctuary, releasing demons into the Palace and threatening the city.

NPCs
The townsfolk of Lut Gholein offer various services, these being:


 * Atma - the Tavern keeper (Healing)
 * Deckard Cain - Horadrim sage (Identify Items)
 * Drognan - the Vizjerei mage (Trade services for spellcasters)
 * Elzix - Innkeeper of the Desert Rain Inn (Trade and Gambling services)
 * Fara - Blacksmith and Paladin of Zakarum (Healing and Repairing, Trade services)
 * Geglash - Drunkard
 * Greiz - Mercenary captain (Hires/Resurrects Mercenaries)
 * Jerhyn - The Sultan and Lord of Lut Gholein
 * Kaelan - Palace guard
 * Lysander - the deaf Alchemist (Potion vendor)
 * Meshif - Trade captain (Sail East - provides passage to the Kurast Docks in Act III)
 * Warriv - Caravan trader (Go West - returns the player to the Rogue Encampment in Act I)

Quests
There are six quests in Lut Gholein:



Waypoints
The following waypoints can be found and used (after activation) in Act II:
 * Lut Gholein
 * (level 2)
 * Dry Hills
 * Halls of the Dead (level 2)
 * Far Oasis
 * Lost City
 * The Palace Cellar (level 1)
 * Arcane Sanctuary
 * Canyon of the Magi

Points of Interest
The city's main gate leads to the Rocky Waste. It is located either at the end of the street where Greiz stands guard, or at the end of the alley hosting Drognan's shop. In spite of this, caravans (with Warriv and the player's starting location) are parked at the opposite end of the city, suggesting that trade with merchants inside the wall exists. Lut Gholein's waypoint is located in a quiet, leafy neighborhood between the Palace and the main marketplace.

Fara and Lysander offer their services in the main marketplace, in the east of the city near Atma's tavern. Deckard Cain (and the Stash) are located in the marketplace as well. Drognan's shop is down an alley just up the street separating the market from Atma's tavern, with Greiz being found further up the same street. Elzix keeps his inn down the street from Greiz, against the city's western wall, behind the Palace.

There are various buildings throughout the city, yet none of them can be entered except for Atma's tavern, and much later, Jerhyn's Palace. If you explore Atma's tavern, you can find your way into the kitchen, though there is nothing to interact with in there. Jerhyn's Palace is dominated by the entrance to the Harem, but there is also a small balcony to the left of the stairs.

Trivia

 * Lut Gholein has distinctive features of Persian culture. This is in contrast to the rest of Aranoch, which appears to use Ancient Egypt as its real-world inspiration. This mirrors the real-world development of Egypt, where centuries of Greek, Roman, Arab, and Saracen influence changed the culture so completely that Ancient Egyptian aesthetics had largely vanished by the Middle Ages.


 * "Lut" is a Persian word which translates as "emptiness." The real world desert, Dasht-e Lut, uses this word. "Gholein" could possibly mean "two ghouls" in Arabic.


 * One of the first cinematics for Diablo II showed cocktails being served to patrons in a desert bazaar. This bears resemblance to Lut Gholein. However, the cinematic made no appearance in the game's final release.