Maelihs¶
The Titan of Strength (a colossal depiction of Maelihs), one of two statues marking the entrance to the Hellcrags.
Maelihs (1) (pronounced interchangeably as "mail-iss" or "malice") is one of the three deities born from the Primal Tree upon its collapse, and is identified as a god representing chaos and destruction. He has been a major figure in the history of Drehmal since the beginning of the Second Avihm, waging nearly constant wars of conquest against the Drehmari of the realm from his empire in the southwest of the continent.
- Also referred to less formally as "Mael", rhyming with "male" or "mail".
| Titles | God of Chaos, Conflict, and Corruption The Burnt Lord His Radiance |
| Classification | Deity |
| Family | Primal Tree (Parent) Drehmal (sibling) Virtuo (Sister) |
| Gender | Masculine (he/him) |
| Devotion Site | Sepulchral Altar in Rhaveloth |
Description¶
Maelihs takes the form of a 15-foot tall armored Drehmari (humanoid) figure with tall, red and white pointed horns. He has a very heavy build, with distinctive burnt red skin and jet black hair. He is often depicted wearing a helmet that covers his face.
He is known to act wrathful and aggressive, constantly in a struggle to conquer to realm. In recent years, however, he has settled into a more peaceful state out of regret for his actions.
Maelmari¶
The Maelmari are Maelihs's ascended version of Drehmari. Maelmari have pale red skin, yellow eyes, and gray bull-like horns. Many Maelmari are used as soldiers and guards for Maelihs's empire, and the more educated ones live in the city of Rhaveloth at the gateway to the Crimson Gorge.
Maelmari are converted into their forms in rituals at the Sepulchral Altar, some of whom are willing converts and some of whom are captured and forcefully converted.
Malevolentia¶
Malevolentia was Maelihs's signature weapon, a red double-sided trident and sword. Grieving the departure of Virtuo, he discarded it and left it behind at his palace, where it can still be found by the player in-game.
History¶
The details of the First Avihm are unclear, but it is known that Mael was born out of the chaos that ensued from the Felling of the Primal Tree, and that it was, in his own words, not a birth of his own intention. This implies that he unwillingly received divine power from the Primal Tree upon its destruction, and the initial experience was agonizing, as he likely sustained severe burns across his entire body. Mael may have been a mortal living among the Maelruhn people of the original western continent on the disc, or he may have been created entirely during the Felling. The description of Virtuo's top-tier relic seems to imply that Maelihs and Virtuo have some forgotten, shared history, and that his real name (either the name of the mortal who became Maelihs or Mael's true name) is "Naurduul". This line, spoken from the perspective of Virtuo, reads:
"For millennia, I didn't know the many wrongdoings of those who incited my birth. But fragments of memory gave me suspicions, and now, at last, I know the truth. I will do what I can to one day earn Naurduul's forgiveness."
In the early days of the Second Avihm, Maelihs established his own empire in the southwestern corner of Drehmal, centered around the Burnt Palace in the Hellcrags. He ascended his Drehmari worshipers and prisoners to Maelmari, who were used to fuel his war effort against Virtuo in the Deity War. The First Tharhan Empire supported Maelihs with supplies, money and people in order to dissuade an attack. The Deity War ended in Av2 1000 when a deal was struck between Maelihs and Virtuo. Later in the Avihm, Maelihs's conquest of the West was prevented by the Casain Empire, the Tharhan kingdoms, the Second Tharhan Empire and the Empire of Avsohm. Scientists working for Maelihs began to conduct experiments on the powers of the Skullmother, an enormous, flying beast, which was viewed as having potential for military purposes.
After the sudden collapse of Avsohm, Maelihs seized the opportunity to guide the Skullmother with airships up to the stronghold-city of Sal'Anyr to the north, obliterating any resistance along the way. The city was completely razed by the Skullmother, leaving few survivors. This marked the beginning of the Dune Wars, wherein the Empire of Maelihs expanded its reach throughout the entire West. During this time, Maelihs was betrayed by Klyhf Him'lahk, a former Red Dawn alchemist that defected to his service and befriended the deity. Klyhf Him'lahk, in an attempt to complete the Great Work, created a machine and attempted to use it to drain Maelihs's life force to be transferred to himself. Maelihs thwarted the trap, and in an intense fit of rage, he killed Klyhf and destroyed his whole tower in the Burnt Palace. Likely fueled by this bitterness, Maelihs decided to deploy the Skullmother in the South Heartwood to unleash unmitigated ruin upon the region, in hopes of scaring the Drehmari into subordination.
Amidst the chaos of the Tidal War, a conflict fought to determine the political state of Firteid after the Tide Queen's death, Maelihs stormed the Kiln of Virtuo and battled Virtuo. He was unable to kill her, but badly injured her, burning her face and taking her eyeball as a trophy. He brought the eye to Rhaveloth and installed it into the shield Eyebiter.
The Order of Insohm engaged in war with the Empire of Maelihs, seeking to free the lands in the West from his rule and completely eliminate the empire. Initially, they faced setbacks, but after a series of important events, they gained momentum and started pushing back Maelihs's armies. During this time, Maelihs began exploring the remains of Western Xivrhynt, the land from which he originally came. From his travels, he made discoveries and gained a new perspective on his past and Virtuo, realizing that she was not actually at fault for the misdeeds he had blamed her for. He started to regret his jealousy for her, and the great harm it drove him to do. Although the Skullmother could have been used against Insohm to permanently scar their lands, Maelihs had ordered for his Burnt Generals to hesitate before deploying her. They resolved not to use her, not wanting to anger him. Wishing to no longer inflict destruction, Maelihs eventually set the Skullmother free, to the dismay of the Generals. He remained indifferent as territory was rapidly lost to the Insohmic Coalition.
After the departure of Virtuo, Maelihs's remorse deepened greatly. As his empire continued to operate under the direction of the Burnt Generals and reconquered most of the West in the wake of the Order of Insohm's dissolution, Maelihs lost interest in the realm, and eventually left the Burnt Palace.
Sphere of Influence¶
A map in the Burnt Palace of Mael's current territory.
Mael's traditional territory is the Hellcrags and The Carmine, but over time, he has frequently captured and lost most of Western Drehmal. At the time of the player's journey, Mael's empire additionally holds the regions of South Tharxax, Nimahj Swamp, parts of Lorahn'Kahl, Nimahj Swamp, Anyr'Nogur, Mt. Ebonfire, and the Ebony Veldt.
Devotion Guide¶
Mael's devotion site is the Sepulchral Altar in the Maelmari city of Rhaveloth.
Several lower-level devotion offerings to Maelihs are found in invisible item frames throughout the Sepulchral Altar structure, but higher-level offerings must be discovered at other statues of Mael throughout his domain in the west.
Maelihs' domain stretches out across the majority of western Drehmal, and statues of the Chaos God can be found with offerings at their bases in several locations throughout the Empire. These locations include Ebonrun, Tharxax City, Rhaveloth, and the Hellcrags, with the offering at the base of the Titan of Strength in the Hellcrags being the only hint containing an adored item.
Accepted Offerings
| Value | Items |
|---|---|
| Liked | Redstone Block Golden Carrot Chain |
| Loved | Bell TNT |
| Adored | Respawn Anchor Music Disc (Chirp) |
Maelihs will grant the following rewards as players increase their devotion to him:
Devotion Rewards
| Level | Reward |
|---|---|
| Lvl 1 | Sprout of Anguish +0 Celestial Upgrade Smithing Template |
| Lvl 2 | 32x Beetroot Seeds |
| Lvl 3 | Splash Potion of Great Harming |
| Lvl 4 | Sprout of Anguish +1 |
| Lvl 5 | Runic Book (Flame & Fire Aspect II) |
| Lvl 6 | 9x Lava Bucket |
| Lvl 7 | Sprout of Anguish +2 |
| Lvl 8 | Potion of Strength II |
| Lvl 9 | Runic Book (Sharpness IV & Power IV) |
| Lvl 10 | Sprout of Anguish +3 Celestial Upgrade Smithing Template |
Maelihs' relic is the Sprout of Anguish, a flaming sapling that increases attack damage when held in a player's off-hand.
Sprout of Anguish Details
| Relic Name | Stat Modifiers | Lore Text |
|---|---|---|
| Sprout of Anguish +0 | +2 Max Health (+1 Heart) | You have lit a flame that symbolizes your devotion to the God of Chaos. It is only kindling but the embers have begun to spread. |
| Sprout of Anguish +1 | +4 Max Health (+2 Hearts) | You have lit a flame that symbolizes your devotion to the God of Chaos. The fire has already ignited and shall spread further. |
| Sprout of Anguish +2 | +6 Max Health (+3 Hearts) | You have lit a flame that symbolizes your devotion to the God of Chaos. The fire shall soon burn all it touches. |
| Sprout of Anguish +3 | +10 Max Health (+5 Hearts) | "Ah, Ael Irien... do you know what suffering you have inflicted upon this realm? Your greatest sin, felt by all souls, millennia later. You hide behind a curtain, concealing your true wickedness. You are cowardice incarnate." |
Late-Game Info¶
You feel an arcane presence...
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This article/section contains significant spoilers for the 75% completion event and its associated late-game areas.
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Maelihs in-game on his throne in Ytaj
It is discovered via his diaries at the top of the Burnt Palace that Maelihs moved to Ytaj in Av4 12 to isolate himself from his fanatics and gain proximity to his Aspect relatives. There, the player can find and speak with him, learning that the deity, stricken by guilt, wishes only to be able to right his wrongs by destroying his palace and purging the realm of his evil armies.
Maelihs can be spoken to in his chamber via an in-game dialogue tree, which can be found in full here.
Maelihs is mentioned by ??? in the final sequence of the game.