The Drakenhof Conclave (previously known as Sylvania and Vampire Counts) is a playable faction of the 
Vampire Counts introduced in Total War: Warhammer. It is led by Mannfred von Carstein and can typically be found in either the Shifting Sands (Immortal Empires) or Sylvania (The Realm of Chaos).
The Midnight Aristocracy have long struck terror into the hearts of the mortal races. From their lairs deep in Sylvania, the Vampire Counts strike out against the living with their massed armies of the eager dead.
How They Play[]
Seek out the Books of Nagash by occupying the settlements and defeating the characters that harbour them to gain great powers. Amplify their powers by constructing the Malevolent Museum at Castle Drakenhof.- Assassinate enemy Lords and faction leaders to fell them in battle to collect Blood Kisses for the awakening of powerful Bloodline Lords.
- Raise the dead from your Lords' localities to instantly recruit units without training time and quickly muster large armies.
- Spread Vampiric corruption across the land to disable attrition for Undead armies and blight the living as you increase the chances of Undead uprisings.
Campaign[]
| “ | I am the God of Inexhaustible Blood and I shall have my way!" | „ |
Once fertile, populous and prosperous, the Land of the Dead has been ravaged by centuries of war and neglect. Here, the searing heat of the desert sun is the least of any wandering traveler's worries, for the taint of Nagash's Great Ritual still lingers from the distant past. In this ghost haunted realm, countless unquiet spirits and elementals flit around great mortuary temples and dark tombs, their cries heard screaming in the wind. Yet still there are those who would brave this cursed place for causes both righteous and covetous.
Mannfred has taken residence in Ka-Sabar whence he hunts across the Khemri Desert by night, seeking out the lost wisdom of the Books of Nagash.
Start Position[]
| Campaign | Territory | Map |
|---|---|---|
|
Shifting Sands
|
|
The Realm of Chaos |
Sylvania
|
N/A |
Legendary Lord[]
| Name | Faction Effects | Lord Effects | Starting Army |
|---|---|---|---|
|
 Legions of the Dead
Mannfred is no slave to conventions of honour or glory. Ends concern him far more than means; if the choice falls between slaughtering the meek and vanquishing the mighty, he chooses slaughter.
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 Dark Acolyte
Some Vampires have an affinity for Necromantic magic beyond their peers.
|
Immortal Empires: |
Books of Nagash[]
| Book | Unlock Requirements | Reward | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First Book of Nagash |
Defeat the following  Lord's army to gain the Book of Nagash they possess:
Occupy the following settlement to take possession of the Book of Nagash situated there:
|
Firstborn of King Khetep, Nagash was overlooked for succession and forced to join the Mortuary Cult. He swiftly rose to become a powerful high priest, but envy of his brother, who succeeded their father as king, burned within Nagash like a brazier coal. Seizing his opportunity, he entombed his brother, Thutep, alive and claimed the throne for himself - thus began Nagash's reign of sorcerous terror.
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Second Book of Nagash |
But a throne would not suffice for the insatiable Sorcerer. Seeking greater power, he threw himself into the study of Dark Magic, melding it with Necromancy to unlock the very secrets of eternal life. He poured all he had learned into his blasphemous opus, the nine Books of Nagash. The next stage of his plan, if successful, would magnify his powers immeasurably...
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Third Book of Nagash |
Nagash then constructed a vast black pyramid to harness and channel the Winds of Magic. Upon its completion, Nagash felt his powers grow tenfold, though the cost to the Kingdom was ruinous. Even as his might surged, the outraged Nehekharan Priest Kings gathered in secret, devising a way to topple the sorcerous tyrant.
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Fourth Book of Nagash |
The Priest Kings mustered mighty armies and declared war, but to their horror Nagash raised countless regiments of Skeleton Warriors in reply. Realising flesh alone could not defeat such horrors, the Priest Kings breathed life into the mightiest statues of Nehekhara. Stone Ushabti, Necorlith Colossi and Khemrian Warsphinxes fought alongside the living, and Nagash's legions were crushed, forcing him to flee. However, is Nehekhara finally rid of this evil?
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Fifth Book of Nagash |
Order finally returned to Nehekhara, but it was many years until the kingdom prospered again, under the rule of King Alcadizaar. The Mortuary Cult was held under close scrutiny, its researches severely curtailed lest there be a repetition of Nagash's horrors. Many years passed in peace, until Nagash seemed but a dark and distant memory.
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Sixth Book of Nagash |
All was not seemly well in the Nehekharan city of Lahmia, however. Spellbound by the Sorcerer's legacy, Queen Neferata recreated his Elixir of Life, though her method was flawed (she and her court gained eternal life, but were cursed with an insatiable thirst for blood). Their dabblings aroused the fury of King Alcadizaar, and the Lahmians fled in search of refuge.
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Seventh Book of Nagash |
Little did these first Vampires know, Nagash's dark will had guided their actions all along. They found themselves at his fortress of Nagashizzar, where the perfidious Sorcerer welcomed his twisted children with open arms. Together, they launched a fresh offensive against Nehekhara, catching the recovering kingdom unawares.
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Eighth Book of Nagash |
Nehekhara rallied its forces in defence, and the war ground on for many years, seemingly deadlocked. After a titanic effort, however, Alcadizaar finally smashed the Undead forces. The Vampires fled to new refuges in the Old World, while Nagash retreated once more in abject fury. This time, his wrath was absolute - he cast a foul contagion throughout Nehekhara, scouring it of all life. Only Alcadizaar did he spare to witness the horror.
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Ninth Book of Nagash |
The ninth Book of Nagash is known to belong to Arkhan the Black; however, its exact location is unknown and retrieving it will be all but impossible. | Incarcerated and fading, King Alcadizaar was visited in his cell one night by a group of cloaked, twitching, rat-like creatures. They whispered to him and freed him, pressing a Warpstone blade into his trembling hands. Ascending to the dark Sorcerer's altar, the emaciated king caught Nagash mid-ritual: he bellowed a final war-cry and ran the sorcerer through with the crackling blade. It was over at last, though Nehekhara lay in ruins. But can such reckless hatred ever truly be extinguished?
|
Malevolent Museum[]
The Drakenhof Conclave has access to a unique building in Castle Drakenhof:
| Tier | Building | Type | Cost | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Landmark |  6000
|
Dark artefacts and codified writings line these chamber walls, waiting for someone to unlock their arcane secrets.
|
Diplomacy[]
Diplomatic Traits[]
When controlled by the AI, The Drakenhof Conclave will have the following diplomatic traits:
- Corruptor - Shapes the realm by spreading corruption with their Heroes and armies, creating a world more suitable for their kind and much less so for others.
- Subjugator - Aims to dominate and vassalise the enemy rather than eliminating them.
- Protective - In war, prefers to expand slowly, consolidates before moving forward. Fiercely protects own lands, and wipes out harmful corruption.
Starting Treaties[]
The Drakenhof Conclave will start with the following treaties already in effect:
Immortal Empires:
- War:
Victory Conditions[]
Vampire Counts Victory
Short Campaign Victory[]
- Destroy the following faction(s):
 Khemri
|
 Cult of Sigmar
|
|---|
- Control the following 1 settlement(s) either by direct ownership or through vassals and military allies:
| Black Pyramid of Nagash |
|---|
- Occupy, loot, raze or sack 30 different settlement(s).
| Reward | Effect |
|---|---|
 Short Victory Achieved!
|
The major victories of tomorrow begin with the smaller victories of today.
|
Long Campaign Victory[]
- Achieve the Short Victory conditions.
- Occupy, loot, raze or sack 75 different settlement(s).
- Control all provinces of the Empire either by direct ownership or through vassals and military allies:
| Nordland | Osltand | Hochland | Middenland | Talabecland | Ostermark | Reikland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stirland | Averland | Wissenland | The Wasteland | Northern Sylvania | Southern Sylvania |
- Destroy the following faction(s):
 Reikland
|
|---|
| Reward | Effect |
|---|---|
 Long Victory Achieved!
|
The path to domination is revealed via the subjugation and desolation of those whose existence is incompatible with yours.
|
Domination Campaign Victory[]
- Occupy, loot, raze or sack 272 different settlement(s).
Ultimate Campaign Victory[]
- See: Endgame scenario
Older Campaigns[]
Legendary Lord choices[]
The Drakenhof Conclave players can choose from the following lords when starting a campaign. See the individual lord pages for information on their various bonuses in campaign.
Blood Kiss[]
Blood Kisses are a new type of currency in Total War: Warhammer II, introduced as part of the Aye-Aye! Patch. It is used for unlocking various Bloodline Lords. You gain a Blood Kiss each time you make another faction into your Vassal, defeat a faction ruler in battle (not just Legendary lords, but also people like Bohemond or Surtha Ek who are NPC faction rulers), or assassinate an enemy Hero. Additionally, Mannfred von Carstein now begins the game with some of the currency.
Bloodlines[]
Bloodlines is a new feature added in Total War: Warhammer II, introduced as part of the Aye-Aye! Patch. You utilize the new Blood Kiss currency to unlock new Bloodline Lords and powerful faction effects.
Starting Position[]
The Old World & Mortal Empires:
Victory Conditions[]
Victory conditions for Sylvania in campaign:
The Old World Short Campaign:
The Old World Long Campaign:
- Maintain control of 12 provinces, either by direct ownership or through vassals and military allies
- Destroy the following factions: Reikland, Couronne, Karaz-a-Karak
- Ensure that any presence belonging to the following factions exists only in the Chaos Wastes region:
- Ensure that Archaon the Everchosen is in a wounded state
- Mortal Empires Short Campaign:
- Maintain control of 12 provinces, either by direct ownership or through vassals and military allies
- Destroy the following faction(s):
- Ensure that any presence belonging to the following factions exists only in the Chaos Wastes region:
- Ensure that Archaon the Everchosen is in a wounded state
- Mortal Empires Long Campaign:
- Maintain control of 20 provinces, either by direct ownership or through vassals and military allies
- Destroy the following faction(s):
- Ensure that any presence belonging to the following factions exists only in the Chaos Wastes region:
- Ensure that Archaon the Everchosen is in a wounded state
Strategy[]
- Counts heroes and buildings can generate Vampiric Corruption within campaign map provinces. Uncorrupted provinces will cause attrition to the travelling army, meaning sending heroes to pave the way for invasion is a wise choice. Corruption can also be generated in adjacent regions by certain buildings, and may trigger Vampiric rebellions.
- Vampire Counts have no ranged units. Hit fast, hit hard, and close distance. Solid infantry, fast cavalry, and plenty of magical and terror units, combined with immunity to panic and excellent flying units means that the Counts excel in aggressive attacks and bold maneuvers. Use Fell Bats and Dire Wolves to tie up enemy ranged units and stop them firing. Fell Bats can even be used to screen, taking hits from enemy projectiles to protect the rest of the army.
- Attrition? Vampire Counts don't care about death and you shouldn't either. Mastery of necromancy allows Necromancers to bring extra zombies into combat in battles, as well as instantly recruiting full units into the army on the campaign map.
- Strong battle magic options, including raising of new units from the dead. Units cause fear, impacting enemy leadership. Crumbling: wavering is for the living. Vampire Counts units experience casualties over time and melee damage penalties when suffering from low leadership levels instead of routing.
- Remember that some battle casualties are automatically raised from the dead post-battle, even in defeat. Don't be afraid to sacrifice some expendable units.
- A weird but completely valid way to play Sylvania is to completely ignore any high tier units, and only focus on Skeletons. This is possible, due to the fact that the Lore of Vampires has great damage spells and excellent support spells. The technology that makes this way of play possible is "Defiler of Ancient Burrows" which reduces upkeep of Skeleton troops by 100%, making them essentially free. This allows you to recruit armies with a lord, necromancer and 18 skeletons and still come out on top, due to the power of the Lore of Vampires. If played this way, a single Sylvanian army can cost as much as 500 gold per turn, thereby making it the most cost-effective way to play them. This army misses a siege attacker, and a lord on a zombie dragon is recommended to speed up your siege attacks.
DLC[]
There is the following paid DLCs which has extra content for Sylvania:
- The Grim and the Grave (adds Helman Ghorst and various other units).
Trivia[]
- The Drakenhof Conclave had 3 legendary lords in the first game, but only 2 in the second since Heinrich Kemmler has been moved to his own faction, The Barrow Legion. In Total War: Warhammer III Helman Ghorst was moved to his own faction Caravan of Blue Roses bringing the legendary lord count down to 1.
- In the Potion of Speed Update for Total War: Warhammer II the faction received a name change. Previously, they had the generic name "Vampire Counts", sharing the name of their race.
Videos[]
- Unit Guide by Zerkovich
- Vampire Campaign Strategy Guide
- Vampire Unit Roster Guide
- Vampire Lords & Heroes Guide
- Vampire Pros & Cons
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