Dreadfleet

The Dreadfleet is the Undead Zombie Pirate navy of the Vampire Lord Count Noctilus, archenemy of the piratical Grand Alliance of Sartosa.

The Dreadfleet, the fishwives called it. Scourge of the high seas and harbinger of the Sea-Curse. Its impossible warships were fireside scare-stories brought to life, legends that had breached the veil between this world and the next. The Undead fleet's approach was as stealthy as a shark, they said, its victories as inevitable as the tide.^[3a]

For countless years the Dreadfleet lurked in the memories of the old and the infirm, shrouded in hearsay. But last Geheim-nisnacht, that most unhallowed of eves, its mythical warships returned to wreak havoc upon the lands of Men.^[3a]

The Dreadfleet Against the Grand Alliance — The *Black Kraken* rams the *Flaming Scimitar* in the Galleon's Graveyard.^[4]

Even the most battle-scarred pirate lord secretly feared the Dreadfleet's Vampiric commander, Count Noctilus. Rumour had it that he and his unliving captains had armies of drowned sailor Zombies and Ghosts at their command, and that the Vampire Count's flagship -- the Bloody Reaver -- was unsinkable. Over the last six months, the doomsayers and gutter-prophets have been proven correct time and time again. The Bloody Reaver and its thrall warships systematically demolished the ports of neighbouring Tilea before melting back into the darkness.^[3a]

The Dreadfleet Against the Grand Alliance 2 — The *Heldenhammer* fights against the sea beasts that inhabit the waters of the Galleon's Graveyard.^[4a]

None dared meet the Dreadfleet in open battle, for the legends told that to die at sea was to fall under Noctilus' power forever. Since the Sea-Curse began, sunken ships have a mysterious habit of disappearing completely overnight. The pirates of Sartosa believed it was the fabled realm known as the Galleon's Graveyard that stole away the drowned vessels and the corpses of their crewmen. None truly understood it, though all agreed that it was the work of the Vampire, Count Noctilus, and his black-hearted captains.^[3a]

History[]

The Dreadfleet Against the Grand Alliance 3 — The *Swordfysh* is assailed by swarming creatures in the Galleon's Graveyard.^[4]

As the clock strikes midnight, the Dreadfleet sails forth, its Undead captains eager to slake their unholy thirsts. The warships of the damned emerge from banks of sulphurous fog, illuminated only by the flicker of pallid ghostlights. They draw closer with the sickening slowness of a nightmare.^[1a]

Suddenly, the uneasy murmur of the open seas is split by the thunderous roar of cannon batteries. A low moaning can be heard in the distance, issuing from a thousand ragged throats, a haunting sound that is punctuated by the barked orders of unliving commanders as monstrous warships are brought to bear.^[1a]

Since his rebirth from his previous life as Nyklaus von Carstein, Count Noctilus has founded his own darkling empire, binding the Shadewraith to his bidding, reanimating the rotting carcass of the Skabrus and striking foul deals with the captains of the Black Kraken and the Curse of Zandri.^[1b]

For two bleak decades the Undead reavers of Count Noctilus have plagued the oceans of the world of Mallus. After each raid, the Dreadfleet disappears into its lair in the Galleon's Graveyard as quickly and silently as it appeared, far from the reach of Men.^[1a]

Notable Dreadfleet Members[]

Count Noctilus - Vampire Lord and captain of the Bloody Reaver.^[1a]

King Amanhotep the Intolerant - Tomb King and Captain of the Curse of Zandri.^[1a]

Vangheist - Captain of the Shadewraith.^[1a]

Tordrek Hackhart - Captain of the Black Kraken.^[1a]

Skretch - Captain of the Skabrus.^[1a]

Game History[]

Dreadfleet is also the title of the limited edition board game by Games Workshop, sharing its name with the novel Dreadfleet by Phil Kelly. This collaborative game accommodates a minimum of two players and a maximum of 10. It was launched on 1 October 2011, and unfolds within the Warhammer setting. One player assumes control of the Grand Alliance of the pirate captains of Sartosa, while the other oversees the Dreadfleet, comprising Undead captains of the Zombie Pirate fleet mirroring the events of the novel.

The narrative of the novel unfolds in 2522 IC, technically during the End Times, though the tumultuous Chaos invasion remains unaddressed within the narrative of the story.

The Total War: Warhammer II "Curse of the Vampire Coast" DLC referenced some of the characters of the novel, but Creative Assembly has taken some liberties on how to portray them in its game. Games Workshop has also forbidden Creative Assembly from using more than two of the main characters of the story. Count Noctilus and Aranessa Saltspite were used, though the reason behind this choice was never explained.