PARIS--Unsurprisingly, there's lots to do here at the 2008 Blizzard Invitational. When attendees aren't checking out playable builds of Starcraft II or World of WarCraft: Wrath of the Lich King, they're busy dressing up, participating in dance contests, checking out the tournaments, or spending money in the Blizzard Shop. If, after all that, you're still craving more Blizzard saturation, you can always attend a session or two dedicated to specific Blizzard games. All weekend, we've seen seminars on Starcraft II, Lich King, and, of course, the just-announced Diablo III. Yesterday, Blizzard held a gameplay panel, details of which can be found in our latest first-look preview of the game.

　　This morning, I attended a panel dedicated to the story and art style of Diablo III. The session, hosted by Blizzard's Leonard Boyarsky and Brian Morrisoe, was an interesting look at the world building that has gone into the Diablo III version of the world of Sanctuary. While Boyarsky and Morrisoe were still tight-lipped about much of the game's story, there was still plenty to take away from the session.

　　Boyarsky started off the session with a discussion of the backstory in Diablo III, specifically with reference to some of the worlds that make up Sanctuary. Some of them, like the trade city of Caldeum, you'll see and explore in the game. Others, like Skovos (home to the Rogues from the first Diablo and the Amazons from the sequel) will only appear in the game as a method of enriching the game world. As Boyarsky put it, real civilizations don't just spring up overnight but are, rather, built over many centuries; the goal with Diablo III is to build that kind of deep sense of history into all of the cultures you encounter in the world, no matter how brief the contact.

　　In terms of story, Boyarsky said that Diablo III will pick up 20 years after the end of the events in the Diablo II expansion, Lord of Destruction. Deckard Cain, the storyteller and quest giver in the previous games, returns in Diablo III and, at the beginning of the game, is convinced that the forces of Hell are intent on invading Sanctuary. Cain is desperate to find a way to stop this invasion and, it seems, will work with your character to that end as the game begins. Worse yet, the general population of the various cities of Sanctuary--traumatized by the events of the previous games--has begun to put those evil events behind it; many believe that the demons that previously appeared in its cities were just myth.

　　Beyond that, we don't know much about the story in Diablo III. Morrisoe threw out a few more nuggets of info, just to tease attendees with where the game might be heading. For example, he mentioned Tyrael, the archangel you meet in Diablo II. Tyrael helps mankind (again the will of Heaven) during the events of the previous game, eventually destroying the Worldstone to allegedly prevent an invasion from Hell's minions. So, for Diablo III, the question becomes: What has happened to Tyrael? Has he been punished for his actions? What is his role in the events of this game?

　　Speaking about the game's art style, Morrisoe said that, despite Diablo III's new 3D engine, the decision to keep the game's camera in a fixed isometric position was a deliberate one; one that he feels will help make Diablo III a better more authentic experience. He also went into lots of detail about the bold silhouettes that make up the architecture and character design in the series and help give the game its epic feel. The goal, it seems, is to create heroic characters with making them appear cartoony, behaving in a world that acts realistically (thanks to the addition of destructible environments to the gameplay) while maintaining a fantasy feel.

　　Perhaps one of the most obvious questions to ask about the story in Diablo III is one that was asked by an audience member just as the Q&A portion of the panel began: How does Blizzard justify another Diablo game when, by the end of the previous game, the player had killed Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal? Boyarsky referred to it as a "very complex chain of events" but wouldn't divulge much more than that--except that it will be "very entertaining". Later, when asked about specific new enemies that the character would encounter, Boyarsky dropped the tantalizing hint that there are seven lords of Hell in the Diablo universe... Assuming the player has killed three already in the previous game, could we meet the final four in Diablo III? Time will tell...