The Necralchemists of Neghorreth

Before the Arrival of the Defiler the isle of Neghorreth was an autonomous and anarchic free zone where sorcerers from all realms gathered to practice and experiment forms of magic considered immoral or forbidden in their realms of origin.

The two major cities of the isle were home to formal and clandestine sorcerer guilds more then often at odds with each other and only united in temporary alliances when common advantage could be obtained.

The Alchemist, supreme manipulators of substances and energy, hosted their workshops in the summits of the high towers that even today spot the landscape of the abandoned places that once were the towns of Neghorreth.

For centuries, through intricate apparatuses and the aid of magic, Alchemists have learned to produce the very same lighting energy of the storms, trapping its essence in mystical recipients from which it is extracted to propel complex machines, give life to alchemical construct or energize spellcasting.

Ancient chronicles narrate that the Defiler entered the world of Gravetides in Neghorreth through a crack in reality caused by the backfire of a forbidden ritual performed by an occult cabal of sorcerer.

The all-devouring parasite manifested at first through The Blight, an horrific plague that spread through all Neghorreth, later relentlessly tainting every aspect of the isle natural life.

Only a few sorcerers realized since the first days of the Arrival that a permanent change in the flows of magical energies had occurred, dramatically altering spell casting and changing forever the face of the world of Gravetides.

Following the spread of The Blight the population of Neghorreth was pushed out of the isle to the nearest mainland territories where the new settlements grew in a few years into a sprawling city state.

After a brief period of struggles the sorcerers guild of the Alchemists ascended to become the dominant caste taking the newly funded realm, named Neghorreth as their former home, into their own hands.

Expeditions led by reckless mercenaries and rogue sorcerers where sent back by the Alchemists to the plagued isle to retrieve mystical tomes or magical objects left behind in the wake of the exodus.

The ones that that returned brought back stories of perverted landscapes, corrupted animals and unnatural and twisted phenomena far beyond the ones witnessed during the plague.

The Alchemist rulers of the new Neghorreth were thus the first to grasp the true essence of The Blight and its implications, realizing the impending doom poised to overwhelm their realm and the whole world of Gravetides.

While manifestations of the presence of the Defiler grew more threatening the sorcerers of Neghorreth took the ultimate path turning themselves into undead abominations, casting the impossibly powerful spell that transformed their dominion into the first of the Necrorealms.

For the liche caste now dominating Neghorreth the essence of life is separated from conscience and can be replicated manipulating and catalyzing lightning matters of different nature.

The undeath of the Necralchemists is sustained by periodically injecting their lifeless husks with obscure concoctions that interact with the mystical power hoarded into metal or glassy containers strapped to their bodies.

Being capable of reanimating even single parts of a corpse the creations and servants of the Necralchemists, like the aberrant Simulacra, are monstrous merges of limbs and body parts surgically attached to arcane contraptions moved by the same mystical canisters that keep the Necralchemist liches from being elaborately embellished carcasses.

Reflecting the nature of the Necralchemists, the warships of the Neghorrethian fleet are complex mechanical feats propelled by lightning energy and alchemical mixtures, also employed to power the deadly weapons of its vessels.

While the lethal discharge of these offensive means can raze enemy ships and decimate their crews while their flows of deadly energies must be continuously kept under control by the Necralchemist on board of the warships preventing erratic interactions with nearby vessels or their path deviation towards unwanted directions.

Admiral Ship – The Great Operator

The Great Operator Admiral Ship of Neghorrethian fleet is modelled after the arcane machinery employed by the Necralchemist in the creation of their undead servants.

The aft castle of this warship consists of a gigantic alchemical generator whose energy fuels the vessel movement and is transferred to the mechanical tentacles that bloom from its four lateral gondolas.

Arcs of crackling lightning cross the coils and antennas that dominate the Operator main deck animating the vessel monstrous appendages that in turn can cast energy to the other warships of the Neghorrethian war fleet recharging their engines and powering their weapons.

Through magical rods directly implanted into their arms or protruding from their backs the onboard Necralchemist is joined to this lightning circuit making it the ultimate controller of the actions of the vessels tentacles.

The discharges of the Operator limbs can strike nearby enemy vessels softening their defense before a boarding action and in extreme situations may be used against them as gigantic maces.

If the on board sorcerer is destroyed the Operator arms becomes useless and may even pose a threat to the Necralchemist war fleet when lightning energy is suddenly discharged from the writhing tentacles without any form of control and restrain.

Also considering this dependency on magical power the main offensive power of the Operator is represented by the Thunderbore, a weapon that can be fired regardless of the status of the Necralchemists that master the flow of the generator energy.

This mighty artillery piece, powered by a volatile explosive mixture, fires spiked metal spheres known as Thundersphere containing an accumulator that violently releases its energy when the projectile hits the target emitting a characteristics booming sound and flooding the area of impact with uncontrolled lighting energy burning through the air destroying everything in its surroundings.

Due to its complexity Thunderbore ammunition requires a complex fabrication process making this devastating weapon capable of firing only a few times during a single battle.

As the Great Operator is one of the most powerful Admiral ships of the GRAVETIDES world enemy commanders must be able to employ their best tactics in order to leverage its few weakness in thwarting Neghorrethian battle plans.

Independent Ship – The Bolt Barge

The backbone of the Necralchemists fleet, the Bolt Barge is a floating energy accumulator capable of discharging devastating leashes of lightning energy.

Nearly the whole body of this long flat-bottomed vessel is occupied by a gigantic metal rod directly connected by an intricacy of thick cables to the alchemical battery carried in its hold.

Under the control of a Necralchemist the energy released by the Barge can manifest itself as single bolts of searing power, forked lightning bolts or burning balls of white plasma, depending on the power released by the accumulator and on the arcane abilities of the Sorcerer.

A Great Operator navigating in proximity of a Barge can recharge its battery reaching with a lightning arc from its mechanical appendages the antenna rising from its dome, extending or boosting the vessel offensive capabilities.

When the commanding sorcerer is lost in battle leaving the crew unable to man the lighting weapon, the energy trapped into the accumulator is left without any controlling power eventually discharging onto nearby ships or directly on the barge itself.

Independent Ship – Bringer of Miasma

The Bringers hosts under their bridges alchemical mills for the creation of the Miasma Orbs, glassy spheres in which Neghorrethian sorcerers entrap lethal fumes produced burning in infernal distillers strange mixtures of mystical components which may incorporate tiny shards of rare and powerful Ambergis.

The front mortar cannon of the Bringer can lob the Orbs at great distance suffocating enemy vessels with the lethal fumes released on impact by the spheres.

Working their arts directly under the deck of the vessel, the Necralchemists can mix the concoctions used to distill the vapors enshrined in the Orbs in the most diverse ways, creating projectile with distinctive effects and tactical capabilities keeping with the impending necessities of the battle.

The intrinsic unpredictability of the magic used to create the miasmas may lead to the creation of ineffective Orbs, and a fatal mistake during their production may lead to destructive consequences on the Bringer itself.

Fired Orbs missing their targets may remain unbroken floating on the surface of the sea as a lethal hazard for any ship unfortunate enough to collide with them.

A large iris hatch opening from the bow of the Barge can release lethal Orbs on the wake of the warship plaguing the seascape with a chain of deadly obstacles to stave off enemies vessels.

The cargo bays of the Barge can store scarce quantities of the alchemical components needed to distill Orb fumes due to the bulkiness of the trappings needed for their production limiting the number of Miasma Orbs available in battle.

Squadron Ship – Chain Bolter

From the center of the metal dome dominating the deck of these small warships rises a diminutive version of the gigantic lightning rod around which Bolt Barges are constructed.

Navigating as a squadron the Chain Bolters can stretch among them lighting arcs powerful enough to damage or put on fire enemy ship traversing their path.

The Chain Bolters rods can discharge their energy at a long distance sustaining its flow for a time long enough to give a temporary tactical advantage to the war fleet of the Necralchemists.

Due to the limited charge stored by their accumulators Chain Bolters are usually deployed in proximity of a Great Operator to be recharged and continue to navigate and fire their weapons.

Besides the necessity of Chain Bolters to act together, akin to other Neghorrethian vessels their main weakness is the possible loss of the Necralchemist controlling their releases of the energy turning these vessels into useless hindrances for the rest of the fleet.