Nephalem

The Nephalem are humanity's forebears and the third race created in the history of Creation. The offspring of Elder Angel and Demon, their existence would forever alter the balance of power in the Eternal Conflict.

History
The world of Sanctuary, now known as Earth or Draconic Deus, was created by the rogue Elder Angel Inarius and his Demon confidante, Lilith. They led a group of renegade Demons and Elder Angels where they created a new world through the Worldstone, one where they would be free from the Great Conflict. In an act without precedent, Inarius and Lilith mated and created offspring. In time, other renegade Demons and Elder Angels did likewise and produced offspring of their own. Thus, the nephalem were born—the children of both angels and Demons, yet a new entity in their own right. The first generation of nephalem were called the Ancients. It is believed that they set out exploring, seeking answers, attempting to understand the world in which they lived. Millennia after their birth, Deckard Cain speculated that thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of these Ancients existed, though by the time of his life, only the names of Bul-Kathos, Vasily, Esu, and Rathma were remembered, and treated more like deities. It is known that these Ancients developed along different lines from each other, including the cultures they fostered. The Temple of the Firstborn, an ancient and long forgotten temple that is the oldest structure on Earth, was where the first nephalem were birthed.

Yet not all was well among the nephalem's parents, for they were far more powerful than either Elder Angel or Demon. Their forebears feared that not only might the nephalem become a threat, but might draw the attention of the High Heavens and the Burning Hells to Sanctuary. They knew that the co-mingling of their kind would be declared blasphemous, and that they would be destroyed if their refuge were discovered. Thus, some of the renegades called for the nephalem to be eradicated, while others believed they should be spared. The dissension troubled Inarius, who called for a period of reflection, so that each of his subjects could consider the matter in solitude.

The Birth of Man
Lilith was driven into a mad frenzy by the threat of her children's extinction. Morphing into a horrific beast, she hunted down and murdered her fellow renegades, lest they do the same to the nephalem. Enraged at her actions, Inarius could not bring himself to kill his beloved and thus banished her to the Void. Subsequently, the Elder Angel attuned the Worldstone in such a manner to cause the powers of the nephalem to diminish over time. Thus, the nephalem became weaker over each subsequent generation, their lifespans declining. Some of the nephalem knew what had happened. Those who protested were crushed by Inarius, and the others scattered. Others were unaware of what Inarius had done, and thought they were succumbing to some kind of plague. As they weakened, the civilizations the nephalem had established began to splinter, and they fell into a dark age. Eventually, the nephalem became mortals, giving rise to the race called humanity, a weaker, mortal species, without knowledge of its birthright. It was still possible for nephalem and humans to produce offspring together.

Yet the potential to reclaim its old glory still rested in humanity. It was this potential power that drew the attention of the Prime Evils to humanity, beginning what would become known as the Sin War. In the last stages of the conflict, the Worldstone was altered by Uldyssian, who began to manifest powers befitting a nephalem, as did his Edyrem followers. However, as the last battle raged, he realized that the power being regained was too much over too short a time, and in an act of self-sacrifice, he brought back his raging energies into himself before releasing them one final time, resetting the Worldstone and stripping his followers of their powers. It was an act that ended the Sin War and convinced the Angiris Council to leave humanity to its own devices, seeing that they could follow the path of light as well as dark.

It was believed by some that by the third century, there were no nephalem left in the world, though this turned out to be false.

Living amongst Mankind
The Worldstone was later destroyed by Tyrael, lest humanity be turned to Chaos through Baal's corruption of the relic. Thus, the mortal realm was left exposed to both Heaven and Hell. However, within a generation, new nephalem walked in the world, their powers rivaling that of their distant ancestors. They kept their existence hidden by dwelling amongst the vast populace of mankind. Believing it their duty to defend Sanctuary from both internal and external threats, the nephalem have stood as both warriors and leaders, attempting to guide mankind down the right path lest they succumb to the corruption of the Burning Hells that still seeks to enslave them. As nephalem were long-lived, many of them are ancient, dating back to the Worldstone's destruction. At some point, Tyrael blessed seven nephalem with eternal life to guard Sanctuary from all threats: Johanna, Alrik, Nazeebo, Li-Ming, Asha, Valla, and Kharazim.

In the midst of the Great War, the nephalem were not concerned with choosing which of the three sides to ally with. Fearing for the safety of mankind as they carried the dormant power of their mighty and forgotten ancestors that the Three Factions would try to take for their own purposes, the nephalem sought to defend their younger, much weaker brethren and fought off the Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils. Their involvement in the war was barely recorded by the Three Factions as they had regarded the ancient race as myth, and believing the story that God created mankind, not Inarius and Lilith. The nephalem did not involve themselves in the capture of Ddraig and Albion. By the end of the Great War, the nephalem continued their duty in the defense of mankind from the Three Factions, yet continued to keep an eye on the Burning Hells and the High Heavens, knowing that they have not kept their gazes off of their world.

Not all nephalem however resorted to war and fighting. Some have decided to take a more leisurely civilian life, adopting to the different cultures and customs mankind has created and evolved over the many, many years of existence.

Biology & Powers/Abilities
The nephalem are born from the coupling of Elder Angels and Demons, thus born a new entity in their own right. Their innate power vastly surpassed their parents, hence why they are seen as abominations by many but also potential creatures by others. They bear the exact same appearance as mankind and some were thought to be blessed by the gods.

Immense Strength: Nephalem were deemed much stronger than humans or every other mythological race, string enough to lift even the most impossible of weights.

Immense Durability: All nephalem are incredibly durable, able to take on even the most strongest of attacks and most powerful of spells, given enough training.

Immense Stamina: Nephalem have an incredible amount of stamina as they can fight for an indefinite amount of time, even against hordes and hordes of Demons.

Immense Magic: Because they were born from the coupling of Elder Angels and Demons, every single nephalem is born with immense and powerful magics greater than their parents. With this innate power, they had the potential to become anything whether it be a powerful Wizard like Li-Ming, a witch doctor like Nazeebo, or even necromancer like Asha.

Known Nephalem

 * Johanna, a Crusader of the Zakarum
 * Alrik, last of the Barbarians
 * Kharazim, monk of Ivgorod
 * Valla, Demon Hunter of the Dreadlands
 * Nazeebo, Witch Doctor of Umbaru
 * Li-Ming, Rebellious Wizard of Xiangsai
 * Asha, Necromancer of Rathma
 * Somnus, the Nephalem of Gremory
 * Sinestra, the Angiris Apostle