Luthor Harkon
Luthor Harkon is a very old vampire and is said to be the origin of the undead pirates. According to legend, he lay in an ancient coffin on a ship when it was attacked by Norscan marauders. These marauders loaded the precious cargo onto their longship—unaware that a powerful vampire was hidden within.
The entire crew of the longship drowned when it sank off the coast of the jungle continent of Lustria. Harkon then resurrected them as zombies and settled on the coast. This area then became known as the “Vampire Coast” and is notorious among seafarers. Ships that run aground nearby rise again from the depths and reinforce the fleet of undead pirates.
Shortly after his arrival in Lustria, Harkon discovered a sealed chamber in a temple of the lizardmen. He ordered his zombies to break it open, but every attempt failed. The chamber was protected by magical glyphs that destroyed anyone who tried to open it.
Angry, Harkon attempted to open the chamber with dark magic but paid a high price for it. The glyphs severed his connection to the Winds of Magic (so he can no longer cast spells) and shattered his mind. Since then, a dozen different facets of his personality have been struggling within his head, each wanting full control over him.
Harkon was crowned the ruler of Lustria and gathered an army of zombies made up of fallen sailors. From their ships, he built his new fleet. The jewel of his flagship was Queen Bess—one of the most powerful cannons ever built in the Old World.
In the final days of the world, Luthor Harkon fought alongside the great necromancer Nagash, one of the most powerful wizards in Warhammer Fantasy. Although Harkon participated mainly out of boredom in Nagash’s conquests, he was (at least initially) a significant part of Nagash’s army with his fleet. In his final hours, he was betrayed by Mannfred von Carstein, another vampire, and subsequently killed by his mother Isabella von Carstein.
