The Vandals
Aert and his cousin Victor are the famous Vantuyl pirates. Their exploits are legendary, if somewhat hard to understand. The leaders of the Vandals sail aboard the flagship "The Mangled Hand" on a journey of not only piracy but service to the crown, private cargo and passenger transport and often even heroism.
The Vandals are a capricious lot indeed. Never outright evil, the vandals have been known to commit greatly questionable acts in the quest for money or glory.
The Vandals trek on exploration missions far more than other fleets. Seeking out the unknown is part of the Vandal goal. While this often means danger and adventure, it also means treasure and secrets that others, even the most valiant Chroniclers, don't have such experience with. It is without a doubt that the Vandals have the most contact with the Dark World of any fleets in the Armada, likely of any seafaring group in the entire Kingdom of Praelia. Aert VanTuyl even had a few Shade Realm pets, a winged spider monkey and Burbossa the Troll. The former is a spy and messenger, the latter an enforcer.
Once, the Vandals even worked with the Castellan Lowleaves to find a missing Duke. Searching up the river toward Sanctus, The Vandals saved the duke's retinue and provided safe passage back for all from the dangerous sirens. Of course the sirens did follow the Vandals back to Nicholshire.
Another story involves Aert VanTuyl working with the Barber Surgeon Fritz Schwergwerfer to bring the dead back to life. Utilizing items brought from the Shade Realm, Aert helped create an entire army of vicious undead creations.
The Vandals are spurious, prone to outbursts and changing their minds like the winds. Captain Aert may recall the entire fleet right before a war or engage in a battle between strangers for fun. Some believe that the relative familiarity with the shade realm has altered the decision making of his fleet. More than a few have questioned the loyalty of the Vandals to the Armada. Coronado will hear nothing of these fears, he will only say "Captain Aert is part of the Triad."
The emblem of the VanTuyl Vandals is a red ‘V’ nailed to a mangled rotting hand.
