Skaven

The Vermin hordes of the Skaven.

A Skaven army

The Skaven are a race of humanoid rat-men, who inhabit the caves, tunnels, mines, and sewers of the Warhammer world. They control a vast Under-Empire which reaches from the Southlands to Kislev and from Estalia to the Far East.

Physical Appearance and Characteristics

Skaven are usually around four to five feet tall when they stand up straight, although the largest can reach six feet tall. Fur covers their bodies except for their ears, muzzles, hands and fleshy rat tails.^{1 p6} The colour of their fur depends largely on their rank in Skaven society. Most are brown or piebald, but the more senior and larger Skaven have darker, sometimes black, fur. The leaders, especially magic users, are often grey or white.^{1 p34}

Skaven are twitchy, agitated creatures. Their metabolism allows them to burn energy at an incredible rate, boosting their agility and speed to unnatural levels. This effect also gives them an enormous hunger, which after heavy exertion can be so bad that the Skaven visibly weakens and dies. As a result the Skaven will feast on the dead of either side after a battle.^{1 p6}

Female Skaven are rare and, at most, semi-intelligent but are capable of giving birth to huge litters very frequently. This means that the Skaven are probably the most numerous of all races.^{1 p6}

History

Main article (Skaven history)

Little is known about the origins of the Skaven race. However, it is probable that they were created in the ancient city of Kavzar by a mysterious stranger who completed the unfinished temple of the gods and hung a great horned bell from the top of the tower. As the bell rang for the thirteenth time lightning lit up the sky and dark storm clouds gathered. As the weeks went on the rain never stopped and the vermin of the city grew bigger and bolder until they overwhelmed the inhabitants of the city.^{1 p16-17}

Over the next two hundred and eighty years or so the newly born Skaven race grew rapidly. There was pressure to expand the tunnels under the city, as the surface world was too dangerous for the Skaven. Eventually they began work on a huge device that they thought would open up large rifts beneath the ground for the Skaven to inhabit. Unfortunately for them the great warpstone-powered machine failed catastrophically - releasing huge waves of magical energy across the globe. The World's Edge Mountains - still recovering after the Great Realignment of the Slann - were hit hardest. Tunnels opened up beneath the Dwarf holds through which lava from deep beneath the earth spilled up.^{1 p18}

Back in Skavenblight, as Kavzar had been renamed, only a single building remained undamaged. The doors of the Temple of the Great Horned Rat opened and twelve grey-clad ratmen emerged. They called themselves the Lords of Decay and said that they were to lead the Skaven out of Skavenblight. The Skaven were divided into twelve groups, each of which set out to expand the Under-Empire. This is called the Great Migration^{1 p18}

The rest of Skaven history is larger divided into the various wars it fought with other races or with itself. The most important of these are:

• The Goblin Wars - The time when the Dwarf realm was surrounded on all sides by the Skaven and the greenskins.^{1 p26-27}
• The War of Cripple Peak - The war between the Skaven and Nagash.^{1 p20-21}
• The Rat and The Serpent - The war in Lustria between Clan Pestilens and the Lizardmen.^{1 p22}
• The First Skaven Civil War - Clan Pestilens returns to the Old World and demands a seat on the Council of Thirteen.^{1 p22-23}
• The Black Plague and the Skaven Wars - The Skaven unleash plague on the Empire and then launch a full scale invasion. ^{1 p23-24}
• The Red Pox - The Skaven try the same thing on Bretonnia.^{1 p24}
• The Second Skaven Civil War - Clan Pestilens tries to seize control of the Council, prompting a three way civil war.^{1 p25}
• The Battle of Nuln - Grey Seer Thanquol launches an invasion of Nuln.^{1 p28}
• The Battle at the Gates of Calith - The Skaven launch their first major attack against the High Elves to date.^{1 p29}

Government & organization

The Under-Empire is ruled by the Council of Thirteen at Skavenblight. There are twelve seats on the council, with the thirteenth symbolically left for the Great Horned Rat. ^{1 p20} The rules that govern Skaven politics were laid out by the Horned Rat on the Black Pillar of Commandments at the end of the Second Civil War. They are designed to be as complicated and intricate as possible, and it is likely that the Great One finds the plots and schemes of the Lords of Decay extremely amusing as they struggle to achieve their own goals.^{1 p29}

To get a place on the Council a Skaven must first touch the Black Pillar of Commandments. Most burn to ashes, but those who survive must then fight one of the existing Lords of Decay. Since the Pillar of Commandments was given to the Skaven nearly two centuries ago, none have defeated the Lords of Decay and gained a seat on the council.^{1 p25}

Beneath the council, Skaven society is divided into thousands of different clans. The majority of these are Warlord Clans. Each is ruled by a Warlord (hence the name). In some of the larger clans there will then be a second rank of lesser Warlords. The next level is the Chieftains, followed by Stormvermin, Clanrats and finally Skavenslaves. Every Skaven is always plotting to advance their own position. A few well placed betrayals are all that stands between a warrior and leader.^{1 p7}

The Great Clans are the most powerful clans in the Under-Empire. Each has its own specialisations and ways of waging war. The four Greater Clans are Moulder, Skryre, Eshin and Pestilens.^{1 p8-9}

Society & culture

Skaven society is ruthless and unforgiving. There is no equality, and a Skaven will be constantly looking for an advantage. In the lower tiers of Skaven society disagreements are usually settled with fights. Most Skaven carry injuries from these fights, and any Skaven crippled is quickly torn apart and devoured.^{1 p7}

The most important material used by the Skaven is warpstone. It is used as an ingredient in magic, technology, mutation, metallurgy, poisons and even their currency.^{1 p11}

Religion and Magic

The god of the Skaven is the Great Horned Rat. It's sacred number is thirteen, and so thirteen is an important number is Skaven society. For example, there are 169 Grey Seers (13 X 13). Vermin Lords are Daemons of the Horned Rat, and can be summoned by a Grey Seer. This is often used as a threat to unruly Warlords, although no Grey Seer would dare to summon a Vermin Lord unless they absolutely had to.^{1 p40-41}

By order of the Council of Thirteen, the study of magic is restricted only to the Grey Seers and the Warlock Engineers of Clan Skryre.^{1 p20} The Plague Priests of Clan Pestilens also have terrible powers of plague that are akin to magic but are gained through different methods.^{1 p45} Both Grey Seers and Warlock Engineers can can unleash Spells of Ruin, and both Grey Seers and Plague Priests can unleash Spells of Plague, but only Grey Seers can summon the Dreaded Thirteenth Spell.^{1 p78-79}

Military

It is extremely uncommon for a single clan to go to war. More often a Skaven army will contain a huge number of different clans temporarily allied together to achieve some unknown goal. The core of the army will be a sea of Clanrats and Skavenslaves. Which specialist troops the army has depends on what deals the Warlord has done with the Great Clans. For example, if the Warlord got a good deal with Clan Moulder there will be a large number of Giant Rats and Rat Ogres. On the other hand, if the Warlord has made an alliance with Clan Skryre he will have many Weapon Teams to support his Clanrats and Stormvermin.^{1 p8-9}

Technology

Skaven techonology is heavily warpstone based. Virtually everything they create has at least a tiny piece of warpstone in to increase its potency and deadliness.

The majority of Skaven weapons are developed by Clan Skryre. The Warlock Engineers of Clan Skryre create infernal engines of destruction, and then bind magically energy to the machine to increase its potency and destructiveness. Some of the most feared and deadly weapons created by Clan Skryre are the Warp Lightning Cannon and the Warplock Jezzails.^{1 p8}

The Skaven of Clan Moulder are expert at breeding and mutating other living beings to create the perfect killing creature. Their Master Moulders create unnatural creatures to sell to other Clans. Some of the more infamous creations of Clan Moulder are the Hell Pit Abomination and the hulking Rat Ogres.^{1 p8}

Sources

• ¹ Warhammer Armies: Skaven (7th Edition) p6 p7 p8 p11 p16 p17 p20 p21 p22 p23 p24 p25 p26 p27 p28 p29 p34 p40 p41 p45 p78 p79