The Glittering Tower

The Royal Navy

• Background

  The Royal Navy of Ulthuan is the single most powerful naval force in the entire world. Its strength, whilst classified, is acknowledged to exceed 600 warships, including the mighty Dragonships, the swift Hawkships and the powerful Eagleships. The Royal Navy has its primary base at the Glittering Tower Lighthouse, which forms part of the formidable defenses of Lothern itself. Garrisoned at the Tower are divisions of Sea Guard, the armies of the Lord Admiral, which number 10,000 elves in Lothern, and perhaps as many again based with the fleets around the globe. The Lord Admiral Kithre Seablaze also resides in the Glittering Tower, along with a large portion of the general staff of the Navy. Along with the main base of Lothern, there are bases throughout Ulthuan, mainly concentrated on the coasts of Cothique and Tiranoc.

  Also under the control of the Lord Admiral, through Governor Generals, are the two fortress cities of the South, the Fortress of the Dawn and the Citadel of Dusk. Positioned in strategic locations, they were built to combat the threat of Dark Elf and Chaos Dwarf slaving fleets, and many battles have been fought in the waters surrouding them.

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  Background / Ships / Fleet Organisation / Fleet History / The Other Sea Faring Races

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• Ships

  There are many units in the High Elf fleet, of all shapes and descriptions, which will later be discussed in Fleet Tactics and Weapons, but the majority of units fall under the description "ship-of-the-line". These include Hawkships, Griffonships and Waveriders.
  Ships-of-the-line tend to operate in squadrons of 3 or more ships, each acting as an independent unit in a battle. The greatest assets of the Elven Fleet are without doubt its "Men O'War", the massive Dragonships and Eagleships, which are capable of destroying many lesser vessels. In addition, the Royal Navy operates all manner of transport ships, to support our armies during operations. In a typical Battlefleet, there are normally 2 squadrons of ships-of-the-line and 3 Men O'War. This formation is commanded by an Admiral, and is the standard tactical unit.
  The next size up is the warfleet. This consists of three Battlefleets, and is commanded by a senior Admiral.
  Finally, there are the Fleet sectors, each under the command of a Lord Admiral, and numbering from 1 to 4 Warfleets, depending on circumstances.

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  Background / Ships / Fleet Organisation / Fleet History / The Other Sea Faring Races

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• Fleet Organisation

  As can be seen, the Royal Ulthuan Navy has a geographical organisation. Each task force commander is responsible for his actions and interpretations of Ulthuan's foreign policy, but all are answerable to the High Lord Admiral, himself reporting to the Grand Marshal Tyrion and the Phoenix King.

  The Astellan Council, led by Mage Prince Irion of Saphery is the arm of the Tower of Hoeth that trains the battle mages of the Elven fleets. These mages are experts at manipulating the Grey and Celestial winds of magic, as the even Elven fleet needs favourable winds to deploy the armies of Ulthuan quickly.

  The Sea Guard is a seperate entity in the navy, providing ship borne troops and assault forces to the fleets. The main base is at the Glittering Tower, the headquarters of the Elven fleet, and the main defense of Lothern from naval attack.

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  Background / Ships / Fleet Organisation / Fleet History / The Other Sea Faring Races

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• Fleet History

  The Elven race has always been a people with a close affinity with the sea. In times of old, they were taught sea lore by mighty beings that made their homes deep in the oceans around Ulthuan, Elementals and others with awesome power, but a kindly demeanour.
  When Aenarion bacame the first Phoenix King by walking through the Flame of Asuryan, Ulthuan was a nation of disparate principalities and kingdoms, with no unified army or navy. When the Chaos Incursions were beaten back, he began the institution of a formidable force of ships, which was to become the Elven Navy. When he tragically disappeared, Bel Shannar took the work of building a powerful navy, mainly for exploring the world and protecting the overseas territories of the High Elves.

  

  These fleets roamed far and wide, making contact with the Dwarves and founding colonies in places such as where Marienburg and L'Anguille stand today. They carried trade from the Dwarves, ancient runic weapons and cunning toys exchanged for fine silks and Elven gemstones. But in this relationship was sown the seeds of ruin. The dour Dwarves were impressed by the seemingly infinite might of Ulthuan, and the Elves on their part thought much of the impregnable mountain kingdoms of the Dwarves, but the two races were as different in temperament as night and day. When Malekith, who was once Ambassador to the Dwarves, made war on his own kin, he used this as an oppurtunity to alienate the potentially powerful allies of Ulthuan. His followers attacked Dwarven trading caravans and caused much damage to the relations between Elf and Dawrf, even though he was eventually defeated by the forces of Caledor I on Ulthuan.

  

  Caledor's son, who ascended the throne and became Caledor II, was a mighty warrior but an inept statesman. When the Dwarves, who did not understand such things as kinslaying and civil war, made demands of recompense, Caledor insulted them, and eventually the two races became embroiled in a ruinous war. The fleets of Ulthuan, which were now composed mainly of Eagleship class cruisers, transported Caledor's armies to the Old World, where they fought in a sapping war against the Dwarves. This lasted many years, culminating in the death of Caledor II at the hands of Gotrek Starbreaker, High King of the Dwarves.

  

  With the Elves about to launch a suicidal attack on Karaz A Karak, they received word of an invasion of Dark Elves on Ulthuan. The Elven Navy, sucked into an unwinnable conflict, made full sail back to Ulthuan. The war between Dark and High Elf resulted in the destruction of Nagarythe and large parts of Tiranoc (The Sundering), and the creation of the most sinister of naval vessels, the Black Arks of Naggaroth, greatest enemies of the fleets of Ulthuan.

  

  The age after the Sundering saw the rise of High Elf naval power to levels that it still maintains to this day. The major factor was the introduction of the massive Dragonships. These sleek and devestating battleships owe their effectiveness to the magical Starblade rams fitted to their twin prows, which allowed the Dragonship Indraugnir to sink a Black Ark in open battle for the first time.

  

  With the Dark Elves commencing their slaving raids, the Elves of Ulthuan built the two Southern Fortresses.
  These vast citadels provide a base of operations for long ranged High Elf patrols, allowing the Royal Navy to increase its effectiveness, and protect valuable trade routes to Cathay and Lustria.

  

  With the most recent Chaos Incursion, the Elven Fleet first felt the real power of the Chaos Plague Fleets, who accompanied their Dark Elf allies in the invasion of Ulthuan. The Royal Navy was swept off the seas, and was penned in around strongpoints such as the Dragon's Mouth harbour of Caledor, and Lothern harbour.
  The recent era has also seen many battles against the Chaos Dwarf fleets at the Citadel of Dusk, bloody affairs which provided a baptism of fire for the High Lord Admiral,Kithre Seablaze.

  

  A series of recent faliures of the Admiralty have caused the Navy a great deal of problems. The coast of Ulthuan is no longer the impregnable fortress it once was, due in part to the tenacity of Norse and Estalian fleets. This led to the creation of the Hawkship, a light and highly flexible warship, along with the Shifting Isles, off the coast of Yvresse. Another, more serious, problem was the defection of Lord Admiral Cordain, one of Ulthuan's brightest naval commanders, to the forces of Naggaroth.
  Finubar ordered the retructuring of the navy, and appointed Kithre Seablaze as High Lord Admiral, along with Ulthuan's greatest warrior, Grand Marshall Prince Tyrion, who is also a skilled naval tactician.
  

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  Background / Ships / Fleet Organisation / Fleet History / The Other Sea Faring Races

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• The Other Seafaring Races

  	The Dark Elves	The Navy of Ulthuan's greatest foe, and most evil race on the face of the planet.
  	The Plaguefleets	The Warlords of Chaos and their corrupting fleets are a constant threat to all the races.
  	The Chaos Dwarves	One of most tenacious enemies of Ulthuan, the stunted spawn of Zharr Naggrund.
  	The Royal Bretonnian Fleet	The noble and proud galleons of the King of Bretonnia and his Dukes are a splendid sight, and they are Ulthuan's closest allies.
  	The Imperial Fleet	Hard bitten and efficient, the Imperial Navy is a valuable ally and deadly foe.
  	The Dwarves	Dour and stalwart, the Dwarves have crossed swords with us many times.
  	The Skaven	Scourge of the seas around Tilea, the Skaven fleet operates from a secret base that as yet we have not been able to find.
  	The Estalians	Much like the Bretonnians in their naval tactics, the Estalians bear enmity to all non-humans of the world, including us.
  	The Norse	The Norse are greatest of human seafarers, and cause much alarm when their Kingships appear on the horizon. Berserk warriors though they are, our fleets easily out-fight them.