Burnt Palace¶
The Burnt Palace is the most sacred place in the Empire of Maelihs, the castle where Maelihs himself resided during his time on Drehmal. It is located in the Hellcrags, in the center of a lava lake in the geographic center of the region.
The Burnt Palace is a very prominent dungeon home to the Malevolentia mythical weapon, a full set of artifact diamond armor, a Stone of Luxury, expansive lore, and more. It is heavily guarded by Maelmari soldiers, including one of the map's named minibosses.
Location
Approximate Coordinates: -3894, 42, 5981
Entering the Burnt Palace for the first time grants the "The Burnt Palace" advancement.
Mobs¶
The Burnt Palace is a sprawling dungeon, guarded by a significant number and variety of enemies. All armor worn by enemies in this dungeon is enchanted with high-level Fire Protection unless otherwise noted, making fire damage-based builds ineffective here.
- Servant: Base-level Maelmari, unarmed but aggressive. Will rush towards and punch the player.
- Burnt Soldier: Default enemies in the Burnt Palace. These Maelmari are clad in iron and diamond armor, and wield diamond axes. Strong melee foes.
- Pyro Troop: Maelmari Brutes holding an iron ingot in one hand and flint in the other. Deal significant melee damage, and set the player on fire with successful melee attacks.
- Burnt Archer: Skeletons wielding Flame bows and Fire Protection iron/diamond armor.
- Burnt Knight: Maelmari Brutes wearing full diamond armor, enchanted with Projectile Protection. These enemies carry celestial/netherite swords enchanted with Knockback I, and deal significant damage.
- War Beast: Hoglins with 70 health and the regeneration effect.
Approach¶
The Burnt Palace is accessed via a long bridge in the center of the Hellcrags, heavily guarded by the vanilla mobs in the region. When players first arrive here, the main door to the palace will be closed, and upon approach, three Maelmari enemies spawn: two Burnt Soldiers and the Gatekeeper.
When all three enemies have been defeated, the main gate to the palace will open.
Layout¶
Inside the Burnt Palace, doors are massive and made out of carnelian (crimson) wood planks. These are not actually functional as doors, and therefore must be broken through to progress.
The main door to the palace opens to reveal a grand, but empty hall, with a massive throne at the back of the room. The floor is made of obsidian, with orange stained glass cracks covering lava.
The layout of the palace is relatively complex from this point, but there are two main doors out of this room, both towards the entrance: one leading to the southern half of the dungeon, and the other leading to the northern half. A third door leads directly to the south from the side of the room.
The "main" content in the Burnt Palace is through the northern door, but the entire area is interconnected.
Map Room¶
The aforementioned third door leads to a map room, occupied by two Servants and two Burnt Soldiers. The room is home to a map of western Drehmal, with a redstone dust border outlining the extent of Mael's Domain. This map shows that the empire currently stretches from the Hellcrags to encompass The Carmine, South Tharxax, the Ebony Veldt, the entirety of Anyr'Nogur, most of Nimahj Swamp, and Mt. Ebonfire.
A kitchen can also be accessed from this room, with a few more Servants.
Southern Door¶
These locations are found through the main southern door in the grand hall, at (-3980, 44, 5989).
Tree Mural¶
Coordinates: (-3975, 44, 6005)
Just past the southern main door, the player may go up one of two staircases. However, before doing so, one may notice a mural on the wall depicting a tree made of basalt, on a field of obsidian and silent obsidian.
Mining through this mural reveals a room with a Stone of Luxury, and a chiseled blackstone brick to the left leads to an abandoned tower, where the Ardent Hope shield artifact can be found.
This is hinted at by a sign on the outer wall of the castle.
Red Dawn Room¶
Coordinates: (-4026, 80, 5975)
Up the right hand set of stairs from the tree mural, players will eventually come across a side room marked with Red Dawn banners (yellow/red sun on a black background). This room is filled with brewing stands and other alchemical supplies, suggesting it may be in active use by current or former Red Dawn alchemists.
The upper floor of this room also connects to a tower off to the south, which contains a small puzzle. This puzzle was added in version 2.2.1.
If the correct interaction is found, players will be rewarded with a Celestial Upgrade Smithing Template.
Hint
The particular block or item necessary to complete the pattern here can be found within the castle.
Puzzle Solution
A purple candle must be placed on the empty silent obsidian block, and then lit. Doing so will trigger an animation, and the template will appear at the center in a flash of lightning. The candle can be placed on anything, as long as it is in that exact location and lit.
Tree Memorial Sign¶
Coordinates: (-4011, 89, 5948)
At the very top of this staircase beyond the Red Dawn room, the path opens to a balcony with a small lava stream and a basalt tree. Two signs sit at the base of this memorial, and they read:
IN MEMORY OF THE LAND LONG LOST
May we never forget the lives lost to the Bright Capital. Naurduul thrive, may the Burnt never die!
The meaning of this memorial, as well as its parallel at the Kiln of Virtuo, has been the subject of intense speculation within the lore community. It seems to reference the pre-Felling relationship between the Maelruhn and the Viruhn.
Library Room¶
Coordinates: (-3989, 90, 6015)
Returning to the tree mural and taking the left staircase, players can follow a long series of spiral stairways upward to a library room with a single large chair. Behind this chair is the Tattered Diary of Klyhf Him'lahk, the first-hand account of alchemist Klyhf Him'lahk's time in the service of Maelihs and his attempt to complete the Great Work by betraying his lord.
A piece of the Ardent set is also found here: next to the throne, players can dig through the center of the 3-block wide case of bookshelves to find a secret room, holding the Ardent Will chestplate.
Sunchasers' Tower¶
Coordinates: (-3987, 69, 6020)
Next to the library room, players can break through a door to find a wide spiral staircase. Following this down to the bottom will lead to the tower of the Sunchasers, where the Manifesto of the Sunchasers is located.
The top of this staircase reconnects with the main staircase in the northern half of the castle, which leads up to Mael's bedroom.
Northern Door¶
These locations are found through the main northern door in the grand hall, at (-3980, 44, 5973).
This door opens directly to a hallway with a carpet leading towards a closed door, with a staircase leading up to the left. This staircase has two sets of steps: regular stairs on the outside wall, and full-block stairs on the inside.
Armory¶
Coordinates: (-4048, 33, 5959)
Through the door, a gradual ramp leads down to what appears to be an armory or factory room. A War Beast waits directly behind this door.
Off the side of the room, a Maelihs-themed mech hangs over the lava lake.
Staircase¶
Heading up the main staircase, the next floor up contains several bedrooms for higher ranking Maelmari officers.
At y=89, a door connects to the tree memorial sign area.
At y=107, a door connects to the Sunchasers/library room staircase.
At y=122, a platform holds the Burnt Generals' Orders book, as well as a map of the surrounding area. When the player approaches here, the area's miniboss, Tevus, spawns in alongside a Burnt Archer.
Tevus is the Second Burnt General, and a Maelmari Brute outfitted in full celestial armor enchanted with Projectile Protection. Tevus wields a Celestial Axe and a shield, and deals massive damage. Tevus drops their helmet on death.
Maelihs's Room¶
Coordinates: (-3990, 137, 5952)
At the very top of the main staircase is the personal chambers of Maelihs himself, abandoned. Three lore books in this room, all written by the Burnt Lord himself, paint a picture of his mental state in the final years of Av3 and the beginning of Av4.
Most notably, however, Mael's mythical weapon Malevolentia is stuck into a stone on the room's eastern balcony, ready to be claimed by a player.
Quartz Gateway¶
The closed door to the west of Mael's room contains a walkway out to a standalone tower, with one of the strange quartz gateways found around the world.
Ardent Set¶
The Ardent set is a full set of Artifact tier diamond armor (and a shield) found in hidden side rooms throughout the Burnt Palace. Previously owned by a Maelmari vigilante who fought to protect her people from Maelihs' tyranny, each of its pieces add a strong +4 Max Health when worn.
| Name | Item | Coordinates | How to Obtain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ardent Resolve | Diamond Helmet | (-4019, 53, 5970) | Underneath a banner, on a balcony to the north of the throne in the grand entrance hall. |
| Ardent Will | Diamond Chestplate | (-3987, 85, 6015) | Behind a bookshelf in the library room, in a hidden room. |
| Ardent Force | Diamond Leggings | (-4030, 81, 5977) | From the Smithing Template puzzle, drop down through the southern window to a red carpet. Follow the bridge to a crack in the wall near the main castle, and claim the chest. Exits out into the armory room. |
| Ardent Dream | Diamond Boots | (-4005, 75, 5967) | Dig through a chiseled blackstone brick to find a hidden passageway, either on the staircase below the Red Dawn room or in the main staircase up to Mael's room. |
| Ardent Hope | Shield | (-3943, 52, 6012) | Dig through the chiseled blackstone brick in the hidden Luxury Stone room behind the tree mural. |
Original Writing¶
The Burnt Palace holds a whopping 11 lore books. These books are mentioned if found in otherwise prominent locations above, but the following is a complete list of the writing at this location.
- Av3 902 - Time Immemorial in Mael's bedchambers at the top of the palace.
- Av3 903 - Sister, also in Mael's bedroom.
- Av4 12 - A Monument to All My Sins in Mael's room.
- Burnt Generals' Orders near the top of the staircase, guarded by Tevus.
- Dahroc's Notes in the northwest, near a massive crane/lever.
- Manifesto of the Sunchasers in the observatory tower to the south.
- Meat Shipments in a bunk room above the kitchen and map room.
- Notes from the Head Architect in the northwest, beneath a large wheel.
- Observations of an Underling in a bedroom towards the bottom of the northern wing.
- Regarding the Aphelion in a bunk room to the southeast.
- Tattered Diary of Klyhf Him'lahk behind a large chair in the library room of the palace.
Lore¶
The lore of the Burnt Palace is expansive, and it is arguably one of the most important places in the entire realm.
Origins¶
The signs at the tree memorial are the only real hint as to the origins of the Burnt Palace, suggesting that it was founded in some way by ancient Maelruhn or Viruhn survivors of the Felling. This aligns with the fact that Maelihs was born in the Felling, presumably created by one or both of Av1's dominant warring factions, and was adopted as one of them. The "Bright Capital" referenced here is generally believed to be the name of the Viruhn capital city on the original eastern continent, although this is speculative.
Therefore, it is likely that the Burnt Palace has existed since at least early Av2, and may have even been an ancient structure repurposed for Mael's new empire.
Capital of the Empire of Maelihs¶
Throughout Av2 and Av3, the Burnt Palace served as Mael's base of operations and personal home, never seeing an enemy invasion reach its walls. It is said by the dungeon's advancement that no Drehmari has ever seen these halls and lived to tell the tale.
It appears that the bulk of Mael's research and military development occurred here, including the construction of advanced weaponry and airships among other scientific feats. However, Mael seems to be generally unhappy with his staff in most accounts.
Klyhf Him'lahk, the Defiler¶
Klyhf Him'lahk was a Red Dawn alchemist in early Av3. After falling from an airship, he was found by the Empire of Mael, and in a desperate attempt to save his own life, defected to the Burnt Lord's forces in Av3 9. Over the next 12 years, Klyhf would come to take charge on all alchemical happenings within the Burnt Palace, and eventually came to realize that he was the only person in the castle who saw Mael not as a perfect supreme being, but as a peer.
Surprisingly, Maelihs reciprocated this feeling, seeming to confide in Klyhf, take pleasure in speaking with him about his work, and he even came to share the alchemist's enthusiasm for his craft. The two became friends, but ultimately, as an alchemist, Klyhf's priority was the same as it had always been: completion of the Great Work. Understanding that alchemical power had to come from somewhere, Klyhf came to the uncomfortable resolution in Av3 18 that the only way he could see his dream become reality was by sacrificing Maelihs.
Klyhf spent the next three years perfecting his machine, and in Av3 21, he attempted to use the machine and trick Mael into sacrificing himself. He failed.
Maelihs flew into a rage, murdering the alchemist and tearing down his tower so violently that the rubble smoldered for days afterwards. He then ordered that the Sunchasers' tower be constructed over the ruins. This appears to have been the incident that pushed Mael over the edge in early Av3, fueling his violence but likely also factoring into his eventual depression.
Mael's Unraveling¶
In mid-late Av3, Mael's empire waged wars throughout the continent against Insohm and Virtuo. Most notably, Mael's forces launched a massive attack on the Kiln of Virtuo in the early-mid 600s, resulting in a battle where Mael ripped out his sister's eye, but refused to kill her. This eye would eventually be fashioned into the Eyebiter shield in Rhaveloth.
Records in the Burnt Palace show that in the late 600s, Mael began to visibly unravel, becoming less warlike and visibly depressed, frequently lashing out at his underlings. He grew complacent in the final years of the Battle for Drehmal, particularly after losing Caer Adacia to Insohm, and even renounced his ways by releasing the Skullmother into the ocean. He would come to the negotiating table with Insohm and Virtuo in Av3 700, ending the war by ceding much of his territory outside the Hellcrags and Carmine.
Grief would continue to eat away at Mael's mind for centuries, culminating in the deity taking a trip to his place of birth: Western Xivrhynt.
Departure¶
Maelihs visited Xivrhynt towards the end of Av3, and discovered something about his origins at the hands of the Maelruhn and/or Viruhn. The fallout of this event is detailed in the three books that the deity writes, found in his bedchamber.
After what Mael learned, Khive decided to summon both Mael and Virtuo to the Aspects' palace of Ytaj in order to explain the deities' true origins. We are not told exactly what this is, only that it makes Mael "disgusted" by the Maelruhn and Viruhn, and that Virtuo "feels regret for something she never did".
The next year, Av3 903, Mael writes that Virtuo has left for Eastern Xivrhynt, mourning the fact that he never got to truly apologize to her for all of his past wrongdoings. He falls into a deep depression, as the Third Avihm ends with the Departure of Virtuo.
12 years later, a greatly disillusioned and guilt-stricken Maelihs decides he has had enough of this palace. He resolves to leave the palace for good, heading to Ytaj indefinitely to live with the Aspects, and vows to one day return to his castle to destroy it.
Modern Day¶
To this day, Mael has not been seen again at the Burnt Palace, leaving the Burnt Generals to command in his absence, unaware that he one day wishes to raze the palace. This is the state of affairs when the player reaches the dungeon.
Extras¶
Soundtrack¶
The theme song for the Burnt Palace is "The Burnt Palace", by Drehmal composer Chris Nesja.
Trivia¶
Cobwebs in the Burnt Palace are retextured to be black.
In the main staircase, the two sets of stairs are designed such that regular-sized Maelmari can use the normal steps, while the titanic Maelihs uses the tall stairs. For this reason, only the tall stairs lead up from Tevus to Mael's bedchambers, as nobody but the deity would be allowed access to this room.
A version of the throne room can be found deep underneath the real Burnt Palace, a remnant of prior versions where Malevolentia was earned by defeating a Burnt General in the throne room beneath the castle.
Update History¶
The Burnt Palace was significantly expanded in version 2.2, and was one of the first new builds made by the 2.2 dev team. The 2.2 Burnt Palace was released as a standalone level for Patrons prior to release of the 2.2 beta.
The Burnt Palace as it appeared in 2.1.