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"The pitiful mortals of Haven don’t know it yet, but the seas belong to us. Try as they might, none can stand before the Damned. Sooner or later, they’ll realize their folly. After all, every man’s a sinner at the end of the day."

— Grand Admiral Krakynhal

The Fleet of the Damned, also referred to as the Fleet of Sinners and the Fleet of the Dead, is a large undead navy led by the self-proclaimed Grand Admiral Krakynhal. For centuries, the Fleet of the Damned has plagued the seas of Haven, raiding ships and coastal settlements in a never ending search for plunder and fresh meat. Even the great navies of the Westland Empire and Eastern Union dread to face them in battle, for they know that defeat means not only death, but eternal servitude to Krakynhal as an undead pawn.

Originally little more than a collection of rotting ships and half-decayed hulks, the Fleet of the Damned has grown to become one of the strongest naval powers in the world, consisting of vessels from every corner of the globe. Its leader, the Remnant Spirit known to mortal men as Grand Admiral Krakynhal, seeks nothing less than total dominion over the world’s oceans. He and his fellow admirals, known as the Council of the Deep, plot and scheme from their headquarters on the Isle of the Dead.

Despite being repelled on multiple occasions, Krakynhal’s fleets always return. It is said that the bounty on his head is so large that it makes the fortunes of even the richest merchant princes look like pennies in comparison. Krakynhal revels in this, as every increase to his bounty means more and more people will hear of his exploits, and even more will learn to fear him.

History

From Humble Beginnings

Long ago, Alexander Hawthorne sought to make a name for himself. Born to a poor family in a coastal town in the Westland Empire, he knew that the only way to lift himself out of poverty was to join up with the navy. Once came of age, he signed up as soon as he could, taking what meager belongings he had with him. While initially disliked by many due to his scrawny build and lack of seafaring experience, his drive to improve led the ship’s captain to take pity on the young man, teaching him valuable lessons that would serve him well in the future. But the lesson that would stick the most with the young man was that unless he earned his fame, he’d be forgotten as just another sea dog.

Taking this advice to heart, he worked his way up the ranks until, years later, he became the captain of his own vessel. While his new life as a captain earned him the respect of his peers and his crew, it failed to yield him the fame he so desperately craved. This lack of recognition nurtured a dark seed in Hawthorne’s heart, a seed that would begin to sprout when his ship was attacked by pirates. While the damage done was immense, Hawthorne and his men managed to escape back to port, telling their story to their fellow sailors.

Hawthorne later learned that his attackers were rather infamous amongst his crew, having already attacked several Westland Empire merchant vessels. Seeing that the attacks made the pirates famous, Hawthorne decided to ditch the navy and become a pirate himself, gathering his most loyal crewmates and stealing a ship in the dead of night. Thus began Alexander Hawthorne’s career as a pirate.

Hawthorne, the Pirate

Given that his crew was small, Hawthorne stuck to short yet brutal attacks on his foes, using his military experience to great effect. Lesser captains were swiftly defeated, their crews either thrown overboard or marooned unless they swore fealty to him. In time Hawthorne amassed a sizable band of cutthroats, slowly building up his reputation over time. He eventually became known as a ruthlessly efficient leader, his wanted poster popping up in taverns across the Westland Empire.

But this still wasn’t enough for Hawthorne. No matter how hard he tried, there were always those more infamous than him, more successful than him. Those who would have their stories told in the tales of sailors for millennia long after they passed. That was the kind of infamy Hawthorne craved, yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t claim it. It is said he would have drunk himself to death had he not overheard his crew talking about a certain sea monster one night.

The Kraken’s Call

Orokhra, the largest and most powerful kraken ever recorded to exist in the depths of Haven’s seas, had been sighted attacking lone vessels. This gave Hawthorne an idea; if he could successfully kill the beast, then he’d finally have his place amongst the most infamous pirates of all time. He then set about searching for every scrap of information he could get his hands on, from manuscripts detailing Orokhra’s past appearances to stories about sailors encountering the beast.

When he was finally ready, he set out to bring Orokhra down, fitting his ship with a spiked ram on the front so he could impale the monster. After weeks of searching, he and his men finally found it. Most of them were utterly terrified, wanting to turn back the moment they laid eyes on it. But Hawthorne? He was ecstatic. He immediately ordered his men to attack, moving his ship in for the kill as it unleashed a barrage of cannon fire on the beast.

However, Orokhra’s slimy hide deflected most of the shots, with those that struck true only seeming to make it even angrier. It lashed out with its tentacles, hammering the ship’s hull and dragging crew members into its maw. This only made Hawthorne even more eager to kill it. He grabbed his ship’s wheel, turned the vessel around, and prepared to ram the abomination. With the fervor of a madman, he drove his ship directly into the kraken, the barbed spikes of his ram piercing deep into its flesh. It let out a pained roar, the remaining crew cheering as the battle was seemingly won.

But this was not the case. Despite being speared through, Orokhra had defeated ships far larger than Hawthorne’s, and it would end this fight right here and now. Wrapping its massive tentacles around the vessel, it began to pull it under, with the crew panicking and trying desperately to hack away at the tendrils dragging their ship underwater. Hawthorne was furious, this beast would dare try to rob him of his fame, the glory and recognition he so desperately craved? He wouldn’t be having it.

Taking his sword, Hawthorne climbed to the highest point of his ship, ignoring the cries of his crew as they were pulled to their dooms. Once up in the crow’s nest, he shouted one final curse at the beast before he lept, aiming to drive his cutlass as deep as he could into its hide. But all he got was his doom, one of Orokhra’s tentacles grabbing and crushing the life from Hawthorne as he and the ship were dragged under the waves. For most men, this would be the end, but fate had other plans in store for Hawthorne…

Hawthorne, the Remnant

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Hawthorne’s Revenge

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Terror of the Seas

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Organization

The Fleet of the Damned is ruled by Krakynhal, who serves as its self-styled Grand Admiral. The Fleet itself is divided into seven smaller fleets, with each one ruled by a respective admiral. While these admirals have a good deal of autonomy, they are still subordinate to Krakynhal. These admirals also form the so-called Council of the Deep, with Krakynhal at its head. Whenever Krakynhal is in one of his more deranged states, the Council rules in his stead, carrying out his will until he becomes lucid enough to lead again.

When the fleet attacks, a dark storm is known to precede them, known to sailors as the Storm of Sin. This storm is not a natural phenomenon at all, but is instead a spell cast by the captains of Krakynhal’s ships meant to hide their movements. From afar, it appears as an ordinary storm, only showing its true nature as one gets closer. If an enemy ship gets too close to a Storm of Sin, it will find itself being immobilized by strange forces, its crew witnessing the storm clouds above them morphing into terrifying shapes. This is when the sinners launch their attack, encircling the enemy and blasting them apart with cannon fire.

Each of the seven fleets that comprise the Fleet of the Damned is based on a specific sin, the sins in question being Pride, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Wrath, Sloth, and Envy. These sins are not only a reflection of the fleets’ admirals, but the style of their ships and how they conduct their raids. For example, ships from the Fleet of Greed are more focused on stealing as much treasure as possible, while ships from the Fleet of Wrath simply wish to kill as many as they can.

Fleet of Pride

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Fleet of Lust

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Fleet of Gluttony

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Fleet of Greed

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Fleet of Wrath

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Fleet of Sloth

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Fleet of Envy

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