"He cannot truly be killed, not in the mortal realm at least. All those who die at sea are pulled into the Uluthain to rise again as the living dead. Should the creature that was once Nyklaus von Carstein die, he would swiftly be drawn back here and given unlife once more by the magic of this place. We must end the curse that blights these waters and spills out into the oceans we love. That alone will prevent his rebirth. He must be drawn out of his castle, for a tyrant will risk his crown only when someone moves to take it from him. If he were to be slain within this realm and the curse lifted, then Nyklaus would meet his final death."
A map of the Galleon's Graveyard, drawn by the Mapwright of Tilea, Indigio Roth.
Pirates have long been suspicious folk, believing in tales that more rational folk would find incredulous. Amongst their superstitions is the tale of the Galleon's Graveyard, or the Uluthain as the Elves call it in Eltharin, a mystical realm infested with the Undead and the source of a curse upon the seas of the world of Mallus. Whenever a ship sank within the region, its wreck would vanish completely overnight. Some dismissed such occurrences as being the work of sea monsters or savage currents, but the rumours persisted that it was the work of more malevolent forces.[1a][2b]
The Black Kraken rams the Flaming Scimitar in the Galleon's Graveyard.[3]
And so it was, for it was in this foul realm that Count Noctilus made his lair, and from its cursed denizens that he raised the Dreadfleet. Noctilus cannot truly be killed, not in the mortal realm at least. All those who die at sea are pulled into the Uluthain to rise again as the living dead. Should the creature that was once Nyklaus von Carstein die, he would swiftly be drawn back to the Galleon's Graveyard and given Unlife once more by the magic of that place.[1a][2b]
The Galleon's Graveyard is said to draw the dead just as its counterpart, the Great Maw, located west of Grand Cathay, draws in life.[2b]
The Maelstrom[]
The Swordfysh of Captain Aranessa Saltspite is assailed by swarming creatures in the Galleon's Graveyard.[3]
At the heart of the Galleon's Graveyard lies the Maelstrom, an intelligent whirlpool that pulls shipwrecks, the plunder and the dead of the sea beyond the veil. It is here that Count Noctilus bides his time, making his lair amidst the corpses of long-dead sea monsters and islands scoured by unnatural winds. To breach the ethereal boundary of the Galleon's Graveyard is all but impossible -- Jaego Roth only managed to do so by using the arcane moondial left to him by his father.[1a]
On Geheimnisnacht, 2522 IC, the forces of the piratical Great Alliance of Sartosa managed to destabilise the vortex thanks to the Djinn contained in the urns of the Golden Magus, making the place suitable for a drastic change under the influence of that sorcerer devoted to Tzeentch.[1a]
Corpse Reef[]
The Heldenhammer fights against the sea beasts that inhabit the waters of the Galleon's Graveyard.[3]
After riding out the warpstorm that had scattered the fleet of the Great Alliance that he commanded, Captain Jaego Roth wasted no time in renewing the hunt for Count Noctilus. He set a vigil for the rest of his scattered warfleet, ordered his sharpest marksmen to take up position in the crow's nests, and pushed on into the warren of shipwrecks known as Corpse Reef.[3b]
It was not long before Captain Roth's worst suspicions were confirmed. Ahead lay a twisted landscape from his childhood nightmares; the Mapwright's crazy stories made real. Roth had found Corpse Reef -- the labyrinthine outer boundary of the Galleon's Graveyard, its close-packed and jagged outcrops a weapon unto themselves. One error of judgement and his ship, the Heldenhammer, would founder upon unforgiving rock, and be left at the mercy of the Dreadfleet.[3b]
The location of the Galleon's Graveyard as depicted on the map of the world of Mallus in Total War: Warhammer III.
As the Heldenhammer negotiated the outer reaches in order to find an easy path through the great barrier, it became clear that this was not a normal reef, but instead one fashioned of petrified bone. Each spur and claw-like protrusion was covered in the remains of a thousand dead sailors, their skeletal cadavers twisted together and reaching out in anguish in a vile mockery of coral beds. "This is the work of Noctilus," murmured Roth. "He cannot be far."[3b]
Sure enough, before the hour was out, the ragged silhouette of the gigantic composite vessel known as the Bloody Reaver was sighted in the distance -- one moment close at hand, the next in the furthest mists, mocking Roth with its presence. Its very form was illogical and painful to the eye -- a half-dozen once-proud galleons captured and melded together around a stony core, crested with a castle much like those of old Sylvania.[3b]
The Galleon's Graveyard as depicted in Total War: Warhammer III.
As the distant boom of ranging fire echoed across the reef, Captain Roth gathered his master gunners. "A hundred crowns to the first man to hit that thing square amidships!" bellowed Roth. In his heart, the captain knew the enemy vessel was too large and powerful to be sunk at this range, and that he would have to press further into dangerous waters in order to bring his quarry to bay. He gave the order to push on into Corpse Reef, and damn the consequences. As much for morale at anything else, first blood had to be drawn...[3b]
Forbidden Citadel[]
"Ha! No man, mortal or not, can hold me prisoner for long corpse-thing. Let me show you what happens to those who try..."
- —Captain Aranessa Saltspite[3a]
Located on an island, atop a castle defended by cannons, the Forbidden Citadel represents the domain of myriad Undead horrors. [2c][3a]
A crude stairway had been hewn into the cliff of the island, wending its way up for several meters to what looked like a castle gate above. The citadel beyond the walls jutted high, its jagged spires piercing the sky.[3a]
An oil painting daubed across the walls and ceilings of the ship Enlightenment represented a similar sight before becoming ashes with the ship itself during the Battle of Sartosa.[3a]
Miniatures[]
![Castle Island miniature used as the Galleon's Graveyard (Dreadfleet)[3a]](/wiki/File:Galleon_s_Graveyard_miniature.png "Galleon s Graveyard miniature.png (714 KB)")