Armada of the Damned

The Armada of the Damned is a fleet of death ships crewed by the undead. When they emerge from the deeps, they ravage the coasts and shipping lanes of the Sea of Mourning and the Pearl. Their first crews were revenants of the Borillisk Empire (790 - 1131). They were the accursed of Godhead, bound to carrying out his revenge. In 14 Temporal 1130, the first ship of the dead, products of the Godhead Curse, set-out for revenge. They carried out the will of Godhead against the Kal-Oneans - those that betrayed Borillisk during a time of a killer plague, blockading them, instead of helping them escape (c.f. Sahuld Blockade).

Over the ensuing decades, the crews of these deaths ships have changed to whatever they came across, those that fell replaced with new stock. As new crews and ships were added, the grievances, racial mixes, and nationalities changed considerably. The rules of the Godhead Curse, extremely powerful magic, were not designed for these types of changes, leading to a fleet of ships that now attacks pretty much anything they come across.

The Armada of the Damned is often led by skilled commanders that will flee encounters with superior enemies, often disappearing into a fog bank or squall that rises out of nowhere to blanket their escape.

In 1266, the ravages of the Armada of the Damned was brought to an end. This happened when the death fleet's flagship was captured by an archmage named Razzir Tîr and his team of air elementals. After slaying the captain of Godheads Revenge, they commandeered the ship, setting sail for the Tintibulus Chute where the flagship and its fleet were considered lost on a faraway war-torn world.

Like it always does, the defeat of the flagship caused the other ships to immediately sink to the bottom of sea. This is only temporary though, for when Godhead sails again with an undead commander the fleet rises to join her.

- Razzir, from a journal - "The Armada Plan"

In 1457, Godheads Revenge was retrieved from the war-torn world Tintibulus. Those behind this daring mission were the heroes of Black Banner. They stormed Razzir's hold, stealing his prize.

In the Black Tide War (1465 - 1504), Godheads Revenge and its fleet of undead crewed ships were under the command of Admiral Jairall. After this undead war, they were a terror of the seas and coasts for three centuries, the crack navy of the Kingdom of Bloodtusk (1465 - 1807) and its undead admiral-king.

In the Battle of Bloodtusk Bay (1800), Admiral Jairall was put to rest. This immediately caused the Armada of the Damned to sink beneath the waves. It is said the death fleet awaits the call of another great captain.

Including Godheads Revenge, the Armada of the Damned has never had more than 31 ships, . It is believed that only undead can sail these death ships. The ships of the Armada vary considerably with fishing, merchant, and warships. The make-up of the fleet's undead crew is also racially diverse with nationalities of peoples from across the islands and coasts of the Sea of Mourning and the Pearl Sea. One of the most feared elements of the Armada are their Damned Marines. These undead marines can use a walk on water to rapidly make amphibious assaults on coastal settlements.