The Drowned


 * The Drowned requires Curse of the Vampire Coast to play.

The Drowned is a playable Vampire Coast faction introduced in Total War: Warhammer II with the Curse of the Vampire Coast DLC. It is led by Cylostra Direfin.

The Vampire Coast are undead who ply the coastlines of the world in search of plunder. Their armies consist of zombified pirates armed with cutlasses, muskets and cannons, backed up by giant crabs and other undead horrors. The Drowned also use undead Bretonnian cavalry units who make port on the coast between Lustria and Naggaroth, and together raid the seas of the New World.

Playstyle

 * Units: Large focus on large masses of lightly armed and armored undead troops, supported by midling artillery units, flying units, and strong monster units. Advanced armies will consist of regiments much fewer in number but many times greater in strength and utility.
 * Upgradeable Ships: Legendary Lords may build up their flagship to give great boons both in battle and on the campaign map.
 * Pirate Coves: Successfully besiege a settlement or use a Hero to establish a Cove that will generate Income and Infamy.
 * Infamy: Starting at the bottom of the list, win battles, draw out rivals, and kill those Rivals to recover the Lost Sea Shanty
 * Verses of the Ancient Sea Shanty: An ancient song that has not been sung as a whole in countless years. Combine all three Verses to Summon a practical Ocean God.
 * Loyalty: Manage the Loyalty of your Lords by giving them Plunder and letting them do what pirates do, lest they see you as the more profitable target.
 * Treasure Maps: Search for Gold, Treasure, and Infamy by solving Riddles found in abandoned Settlements and buried in the sands.
 * Pieces of Eight: Defeat Pirate crews who have been possessed by cursed gold, take their piece from them to summon Regiments of Renown to plunder the seas with little resistance.

Background
Legend has it that the sea witch Cylostra Direfin was once the favourite court singer of the Bretonnian king. Sent on a voyage across the ocean to sing for the Phoenix King, they were hit by a fierce storm. The madame’s notes turned to screams of fury as the ship sank, and all onboard drowned. Decades later, a Bretonnian galleon of rotten wood and tattered sails can be seen navigating the seas even in the most savage of storms. It is The Lamprey, the ship of the vengeful spirit Madame Cylostra and her crew, the Drowned.

In battle
The Drowned uses the Vampire Coast unit roster.

Legendary lord choices

 * Cylostra Direfin

Faction effects
As Mistress of the Deep, Cylostra Direfin’s very presence increases the loyalty of new recruits while also reducing the upkeep and recruitment costs for Mournguls and Syreens faction-wide.


 * +2 Loyalty for new recruits
 * -20% upkeep for Syreen and Mourngul units
 * -20% recruitment cost for Syreen and Mourngul units

The Lamprey
Cylostra Direfin's personal ship is called The Lamprey.

Starting territory

 * Eye of the Vortex
 * Grey Guardians (Grey Rock Point)


 * Mortal Empires
 * Southern Jungles of Pahualaxa (Monument of the Moon)

Victory Conditions

 * Short Campaign
 * Long Campaign

Strategy
Cylostra starts off in the most precarious position compared to almost any other faction. She only has a minor settlement and is surrounded by enemy factions. To the West Dark Elves, to the North more Dark Elves, to the East Ulthuan, to the South Norsca (and Empire and Lizardmen). Clearly she faces threats on all sides. One method is to take the land battle and push West against the Dark Elves. From there, one can go North and take over the Cult of Pleasure's territory giving you a safer location. This is possibly the safest method, but commits you to many land battles against many hard enemies.

Another method is to push South against Skeggi and the New World Colonies. This is difficult because of the heavy garrison at one of their settlements, but if it is pulled off also provides a safer location to build up. This is probably the more dangerous method, but has a high reward should you succeed.

A final option is typical of Vampire Coast, pack up and sail the seas until you find somewhere to settle. Maybe you can take the fight straight to Ulthuan, or conquer the Galleon's Graveyard, or find a hidey hole in the Southlands (the islands in the South/Southeast could be lovely this time of year).

In terms of army composition, rely on her damned Paladin to tank damage as he is immortal from the start and becomes very powerful. Cylostra is quite powerful herself and her spells can bring a lot of utility to the battle with lots of reserves to back her up. Generally rely on monsters and ethereal units in the front line as she gives bonuses to these units.

Trivia

 * Cylostra Direfin's starting Damned Paladin is named Robert Barthelemy and has a helmet with antlers. This is most likely a reference to Robert Baratheon, a king and former knight in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire.
 * Cylostra Direfin and the Drowned have been invented by Creative Assembly instead of being something from the old Warhammer lore. Currently she is the only Legendary Lord that is a CA original.