Sal'Mevir (Ancillary Research Facility)¶
You feel an arcane presence...
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This article/section may contain spoilers related to the 25% Completion Story event.
If you have not completed the full sequence at the Ancillary Research Facility in Sal'Mevir, up to acquiring the legendary item, we advise that you do not continue to read this article.
Sal'Mevir, also referred to as the Ancillary Research Facility, is the location of the 25% completion event in Drehmal: Apotheosis. Situated along the mountains in the southeast of the Purity Peaks region, it can be located by following the compass given to the player by avSYS upon reaching 25% linkage. It can be found before the 25% mark, but its holotext database will not be legible until this benchmark is reached.
The site itself was once a location for Avsohmic research into temporal stasis, housing multiple pertinent historical figures, but like the rest of Avsohm, the structure has largely fallen to ruin.
The location is home to several pieces of writing that serve to further the player's understanding of the story, a puzzle mechanic unique to the location, a legendary item, and a fragment of the Mythbreaker.
Coordinates
| X | Y | Z |
|---|---|---|
| 2250 | 82 | 997 |
These coordinates correspond to the very first small tower in Sal'Mevir, at ground level.
Story¶
Upon reaching 25% network linkage (8 towers), the player will be prompted by avSYS to enter the Terminus's compass dispensary, where they will be given a lodestone compass that points towards Sal'Mevir.
At the facility, the player must navigate through the broken ruins of the facility, with the option to read holotexts to further their understanding of the world's history, as well as solve the main puzzle of the facility (see below section).
Sal'Mevir contains some of the earliest mentions of the Primary Energy Collection Facility, hinting at a highly pertinent location later in the story, as well as offering a deeper look into some of Avsohm's most useful inventions, such as the survey drones they used to discover the source of primal energy inside Mt. Yavhlix.
The facility is also home to a large, hourglass-like structure known as the "Temporal Engine", which appears to have some degree of control over time itself.
After solving the location's main puzzle and gaining access to the large, domed building at the top of the site, the player recovers the left half of the Mythbreaker, as well as the Avsohm'Kohl legendary wings.
Gameplay¶
Sal'Mevir relies, perhaps more than any other Avsohmic facility, on levitation/slow-falling elevators, with the facility essentially being a large series of towers interconnected by bridges. Several of these bridges are broken and fragmented, but in the theme of the facility, they are frozen in time, allowing the player to traverse Sal'Mevir by freely jumping across them.
Multiple custom types of enemies can be found at Sal'Mevir. Nameless humanoid guards called wearing iron armor are commonplace in the facility, and they can drop iron armor or their heads on death. Re-skinned baby zombies named "Entropic Sycophants" come from a few scattered spawners, and can drop primal pearls on death.
The facility's main puzzle revolves around the large domed building at the top of the facility, which appears to contain something important but is inaccessible to the player. Part of the dome appears eroded, but is blocked off by condensed veilstone (bedrock). One holotext in particular provides a significant hint towards the solution to this puzzle.
Puzzle Hint
This holotext references primal pearls (ender pearls), and wonders what might happen if someone threw one into the Temporal Engine. If the player throws a pearl into the center of the engine, they will be set to Adventure Mode and transported into a version of Sal'Mevir in the distant future (different in-game dimension), where the structure seems to have broken down even further. A ticking timer can be heard in the background, indicating to the player that they only have a certain amount of time to solve the puzzle, and at the end of the timer, the player will be transported to their exact position back in the original version of Sal'Mevir.
Sal'Mevir in the daytime, including the temporal engine (center-right).
Puzzle Solution
While in the alternate Sal'Mevir, the exposed bedrock on the large domed building is no longer present, leaving a large, gaping hole in the building's wall. The player must navigate up to this building within the allotted time, and be inside the building when the timer expires, transporting them into the building in the regular version of Sal'Mevir.
After gaining entry to the large building, the player will gain the "Timelord" advancement. A lever near the door will open the bedrock seal, and the Mythbreaker fragment can be acquired from the nearby platform in the center of the building. Up two sets of stairs, the player can read about and obtain (behind a glass pane) the Avsohm'Kohl legendary item.
Original Writing¶
Sal'Mevir is home to 7 holotexts.
Four lore books can also be found in this location:
- Ecological Disaster Report is a report on the Frostfang Catastrophe, written by Zevve Kai.
- Sahndi's Diary contains the writings of a janitor at the facility who overheard a conversation about sensitive Avsohmic research projects, including mention of Mt. Yavhlix.
- Researcher Arlea's Discovery Log details the creation of the Temporal Engine, as well as the discoveries that led to the full construction of a DoS facility at Sal'Mevir.
- Researcher Noam's Rant is found in the large building, along with the Mythbreaker fragment.
Lore¶
Sal'Mevir was seemingly an active Avsohmic research site before it was fully commissioned by the DoS, and appears to have been initially designed by the architect Ekari.
At some point in the late second Avihm, a researcher named Arlea made a discovery that spurred Avsohm to fully convert the site into a government-run Ancillary Research Facility, placing specific emphasis on the research of runes with power over time. Combining the discoveries of Arlea with Vehmil and Thresa's stasis technology, this facility saw the creation of the first temporal stasis pod prototypes. Eventually, these were improved upon to the point that they saw use throughout the empire, predominantly at the Stasis Facility and in the punishment of criminals.
Sal'Mevir was, at one point or another, home to several prominent Avsohmic figures, including Baen Vehmil, Thresa Vera, and Zevve Kai. The facility appears to have been considered one of Avsohm's most secure R&D locations, hence why it was trusted with a fragment of the Mythbreaker.