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THE VAMPIRE COAST
Many ships have sailed to the Vampire Coast over the centuries bringing all manner of explorers and adventurers to its shores. Most famous of all was the trading vessel from the Old World that washed up on the south eastern shore of Lustria. Unbeknownst to the crew, one of their passengers, Luthor Harkon, had been a vampire of the Von Carstein lineage and although all the humans died in the disaster, the vampire and his off-spring lived and founded a new realm of undead known thereafter as the Vampire Coast.
The Vampire Coast lies at the edge of the dank and foreboding jungles of Lustria. The jungle continent of Lustria is the most hostile environment outside the northern wastes of Chaos. The stifling air is so hot and humid that any warm-blooded intruder will quickly weaken and become sick. The ancient, thick canopy and dense mass of vegetation on the jungle floor quickly result in any sense of direction being quickly lost. Lustria is home to a massive array of poisonous and deadly species, from the tiniest bloodmaggot, to monstrous predators similar in size and temperament to the ferocious drakes of the Old World. The quagmires and bogs that pervade Lustria harbour pockets of poisonous gas and further deadly creatures. Worse still are the strains of deadly diseases laced through the mud and decaying plant matter on the ground. At night, the jungle resounds to the hideous roars and earth-shaking footsteps of its monstrous denizens, making sleep all but impossible. Those who have somehow found respite or collapsed with exhaustion often awake to find some of their number missing, dragged away in the night by silent predators. Clustered with great edifices and perpetually lashed by tropical rainstorms and violent cyclones, the megalithic temple-cities of the Lizardmen are sometimes visible from the few areas of jungle where it is possible to see the storm-wracked sky, clearings preceded by abandoned monuments and totems that break the unending ocean of vegetation.
The first human to reach Lustria (and survive) was the Norse seafarer Lost Erik, who recorded landing on an island just off the coast of Lustria and looting gold from Lizardmen. He failed to realize the extent of the land and it was drawn on maps as a small cluster of islands. Lost Erik's son, named Losteriksson, was the first Old Worlder to reach the mainland of Lustria. After trekking inland in search of treasure, Losteriksson and his men left Lustria as rich men, only to return and settle down where they first landed, naming the settlement Skeggi, after Losteriksson's daughter, the first human to be born in the New World. Since Losteriksson returned with gold and riches, the Vampire Coast has been a popular destination for adventurers seeking to make a fortune and this has resulted in several Lizardmen cities being looted. The increase in traffic to the Vampire Coast has also increased the number of ships wrecked on its coast, which has served to swell the number of helpless victims the undead can add to their ranks...
THE ALLIANCE OF ORDER
The Warhammer World is not a place where absolute purity exists in any significant quantity, however there are nations and peoples whose actions are not solely motivated by greed or ambition. From staunch Dwarf treasure hunters who fight and with grim determination to Witch Hunter Missionaries and the might of the Bretonnian navy there are many forces who may ally themselves in dire times far from their homelands. Chief amongst these peacemakers are the aloof High Elves who often broker pacts of mutual defence to further their own aims.
THE FORCES OF DESTRUCTION
The forces of Destruction count amongst their number the ever present Orc and Goblin menace, cruel Chaos Dwarfs, savage Beastmen, dire Daemons and brutal Chaos Marauders while beneath the shore, foul Skaven of Clan Pestilens burrow and chitter in the dark and the dreaded Khainite Kabal try to locate the Monolith of Khaine. Luthor Harkon and his Vampire Pirates know that even these kindred spirits of destruction need to be dealt with at a skeletal arms length…
THE UNALIGNED POWERS
From the jungle dwelling Lizardmen and Wood Elves of Lustria to the armed convoys of Cathay not all warriors concern themselves with notions of Good or Evil, seeing balance of both in all things. Others such as the hungry Zombie-Cannibals of Nagash, the vengeful Tomb Kings of Arkhan the Black or the mercenary Ogre Kingdoms care not for the struggles of men and dwarfs for they have their own ends to achieve. The Unaligned Powers are apart from all others and even co-operation with each other is rare and fleeting.
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