Across the great ocean lies the New World of Lustria.
It is a land of endless jungles, with canopies so closely entangled that sunlight cannot
reach the undergrowth that lies far below.
Here the air is thick and wreathed in drifting mists, concealing grasping creeper vines,
blood-hungry spore clouds and every manner of fatal peril.
But for all its menace, it remains a place where the lowliest adventurer can achieve
a fortune greater than the richest sultans of distant Araby.
A labyrinth of ruins lies hidden among the jungle and within them, gold beyond measure.
Whispers of such riches alone have spurred the brave or foolish to sail to Lustria,
enduring pirates and monsters, for no danger is too great in the face of such treasure,
save one.
There is a stretch of Lustria that not even the most desperate captains will approach,
a cursed realm whose shoreline is marked by shipwrecks strewn amid colossal jagged rocks.
Whatever it was once called, its name is now a curse on the lips of the superstitious:
The Vampire Coast.
To the untrained eye the Vampire Coast may seem no different than any other corner of Lustria.
It is covered in thick tracks of jungle that stretch deep into the interior, concealing
fetid swamps and marshland.
Ruined temple cities built by enigmatic Lizardmen dot the region, concealed from would-be plunderers
by an omnipresent fog.
The coast itself is known for its treacherous currents and unpredictable winds.
Ships from every nation have been lost in these waters, drawn by a siren-wail it is
said, that lures sailors to their death.
If such stories can be believed, then long ago, a Norscan raider was one such ship.
It had recently boarded an Imperial merchantman and among the cargo seized was a single precious
antique coffin.
When the raider finally washed ashore on the coast of Lustria, all aboard had died and
been raised anew, servants of the Vampire Lord Luthor Harkon.
With his newly indentured servants, Luthor carved a realm for himself on the southeastern
coast of Lustria.
The region soon developed a dark reputation.
Elven ships that passed too close rarely made it back to friendly ports, and those that
did told of ghostly ships sighted in the fog.
His ranks swelled by the corpses of fallen sailors, Harkon had built himself an undead
kingdom, and had at his command an entire pirate fleet, crewed by the dead or the damned.
But Harkon was not content to rule over some petty kingdom, for it was the ruins that lay
further inland that truly captivated him.
His servants conducted excavations at ancient sites of power, convinced that the vaults
of the Lizardmen concealed great secrets.
Whatever Harkon supposedly uncovered in the ruined temple city of Huatl left him a broken
creature.
He retreated back to his coastal realm to recover and bide his time.
If he lives, he now persists on the edge of insanity, a self styled Arch-Grand Commodore
and Pirate King.
Whatever dark power truly resides within the Vampire Coast, be it Luthor Harkon or some
other foul presence, it is a place where few dare tread.
Its waters are marked with the wrecks of a thousand ships, while to trespass on its shores
is to invite death.
The Templin Institute will be braving the Vampire Coast one hour after this video goes
live.
Join us on our Twitch channel as we play Total War: Warhammer 2 and lead Luthor Harkon to
glory.