The Maddened Path (Heart of the Void)¶
You feel an arcane presence...
This page or section may contain significant spoilers for Drehmal: Apotheosis. Read the additional messages below for specific spoiler information.
WARNING!!! This article contains EXTREMELY SIGNIFICANT spoilers for a prominent end-game area (after Mt. Yavhlix).
If you have not FINISHED THE MAIN STORY OF THE MAP IN ITS ENTIRETY, we strongly recommend that you DO NOT read the contents of this article.
Note: The true end of the storyline will take you to a dedicated credits room, NOT the vanilla Minecraft end credits.
The Maddened Path is an extremely important location in the Drehmal universe, pertaining to the nature of some of the deepest lore cuts in the world.
The Maddened Path, located near the Heart of the Void, is the penultimate story location in Drehmal: Apotheosis. Located even deeper within the Nothing, at the true center of all creation, it teaches the player some of the deepest secrets concerning the true nature of the universe (multiverse) of Drehmal.
This location is accessed immediately following the Court of Nothing in the end-game.
Coordinates
| X | Y | Z |
|---|---|---|
| 10005 | 58 | 10240 |
In the True End dimension, these coordinates will take the player to the very first room of the Maddened Path, which is normally accessible ONLY THROUGH THE PROPER STORY SEQUENCE. Do NOT attempt to teleport to these coordinates before reaching them naturally, or you will risk sequence-breaking the map.
Story¶
After defeating Ultva and Hovadchear at the Court, the player is given another portal by the Mythoclast leading to the Maddened Path.
The Maddened Path.
The Maddened Path is a winding path of debris, gradually leading to a large structure. Some of this debris appears to be from Drehmal, including megaflora reminiscent of those from Akhlo'Rohma and warp rings from Khive's Domain. The player must navigate through this path as the Mythoclast speaks to them, unveiling many of the final pieces of the story.
The Mythoclast fully admits to the destruction of Avsohm, stating that the empire was meddling with forces it could not possibly hope to comprehend, and that nobody could ever be allowed to take his proverbial 'crown.' He states that the empire could not be allowed to attain the kind of power it wished for, and that although he does not often intervene in mortal affairs, it was made necessary by Avsohm's ambition.
He then pivots to telling the player about another special guest, who has specifically requested to see you, the final remnant of Avsohm. He states that his guest has waited an extremely long time for this moment. The player reaches the structure at the end of the path, stepping forward to the final boss battle of Drehmal: Apotheosis.
In the arena at the end of the path, the final boss manifests: the Emissary of the Void. The Emissary is a humanoid figure clad in a purple hood, wielding a version of the Oblivion scythe.
When the player depletes the Emissary's health bar, he pulls back his hood to reveal his true face, and the name at the top of the screen changes to "Drehn Mal'Sohm, the First Emperor," revealing the true identity of the Emissary.
When the player defeats Drehn, the Mythoclast offers additional insight into what just occurred. Late in his life, Drehn had realized that his empire would grow to unsustainable lengths, and was likely to discover and interfere with something they should not based on their findings at Mt. Yavhlix. When his soul arrived at the Court of Nothing after his death, he pleaded with the Mythoclast to destroy the empire, or to at least allow him to see the end. The Mythoclast obliged, allowing Drehn to remain alive as his servant. Eventually, when the time came, the Emissary was sent to sabotage Avsohm on the ground level, with multiple accounts of him being sighted during the events that ended the empire, most notably at the Stasis Facility. His defeat at the hands of the player marks the end of his subjugation under the Mythoclast, and his soul is set free.
The Mythoclast informs the player that "nothing remains," and opens one final portal at the center of the arena, leading to one final area.
Gameplay¶
In the Maddened Path, the player remains in Adventure Mode.
The majority of the area must be traversed by jumping between floating chunks of land and structures. Typically, if not clear, the path forward is denoted by carpets placed on these platforms. The player is not punished for falling into the void by death like they are at the Nothing, but rather, are teleported back to a prior checkpoint and lose a small amount of health. If a player falls on very low health, they will die (and receive a unique death message).
There are custom enemies found along the path, but they do not all exhibit hostility toward the player. They each have custom models, and if hovered over, their names appear as garbled text. These include versions of humanoid enemies (skeletons and zombies), as well as guardians.
At the large building, just before the Emissary fight, there is another portal. This portal will return the player to the Stasis Facility to further gear up or take care of other tasks before the final fight, without loss of progress (the player can teleport back via a similar portal on the other side).
The Emissary fight itself is far and away the most complex in Drehmal, with several different custom animations and attacks. The Emissary can be damaged just like any other entity, and deals a significant amount of damage. For a more thorough description of his attacks and this fight in general, see Emissary of the Void.
After the Emissary fight has concluded, the player can step into the final portal at the center of the arena to be teleported to the area of the story's final sequence.
Lore¶
The Maddened Path appears to be made up of remnants of Drehmal that are approaching the Heart of the Void, where realms are created and ultimately pulled back at the end of their lifespans. The skybox in this area shows numerous bright spots resembling stars in all directions, although the knowledge unveiled in the Resonant Eye's third dive would suggest that these are all other realms, systems of celestial bodies contained in their own Veils. To the south, the player can see the disc of Drehmal, which appears barren and covered in sand. To the north, the Heart of the Void, a massive swirling cluster of purple and orange somewhat reminiscent of an eye, looms over the backdrop of the Maddened Path.
This location is referenced elsewhere in the map, but primarily as a mythical or figurative place. In the Dusty Tome, it is written about by Akim, an alchemist who claims to have completed the Great Work, but believes there is still one more step to true apotheosis. He describes visions of the Heart of the Void and eidolic whispers pushing him there.
Extras¶
Trivia¶
The enemies along the path with unreadable names do in fact have names, although they initially appear to be gibberish. The skeletons found throughout the area have the name "Baernd," the zombies are named "Ealdhlaford," and the guardians have the name "Sceotend."
The majority of the Maddened Path is made up of re-used structures, including High Arch (the land arch over Tharxax City), graves and flowers from Voynahla's Domain, the main domed building of Av'Sal, Akhlo'Rohman flowers, and warp rings from Khive's Domain. Other examples include:
- The bottom of the arena in the center of the path is actually the Tower of Drehmal from Ytaj, flipped upside down.
- The bridge between the final island and the arena is the statue of Malevolentia, from the Titan of Strength at the entrance to the Hellcrags.
- Spiky rocks in the sky from Palaesida's Domain.
The Heart of the Void, the massive nebula cloud in the backdrop, can be very faintly seen in the skybox on Drehmal and more prominently on Lo'Dahr.
Dialogue¶
A full transcript of the dialogue at this area can be found here. This article pertains only to the 9th section on that page, the Maddened Path.
Soundtrack¶
The theme song for the Maddened Path is "Before the Storm", by Drehmal composer Chris Nesja.