Skaven

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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.

Physiology

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

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 Worlds 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 Migration1 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:

Government

The Skaven are ruled by the Council of Thirteen, an assemby of their most powerful leaders. The council forever tries to impose its power over the rebellious Skaven clans resortint to fear, terror, assassination and brutal punishment.

Organization

Main article: Skaven Clan

Skaven society is divided into thousands of different Clans, all of which are subject to the authority of the Council. There are four powerful clans, known as the Great Clans, which dominate the countless weaker Warlord Clans.

Each Clan 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 formed by the Chieftains, followed by a warrior class composed of Clanrats and the elite Stormvermin. At the very bottom of Skaven society are the teeming masses of the Skavenslaves.

Society

Skaven society is a lawless world where the strongest and most cunning rise to the top, while the weakest are eaten or enslaved. Every Skaven is constantly fighting for supremacy, whether to advance, or to defend his position from would-be usurpers. Fights are usually not to the death, but any Skaven who is maimed will quickly be dispatched by the victor. Treachery is not seen as dishonorable in any way, indeed it is the traditional way of advancing in Skaven society.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

The god of the Skaven is the Horned Rat, whose high priests form the Council of Thirteen. The direct agents of the Council are an order called the Grey Seers. Most of Skaven society is organized into clans, all of which are ruled by the Council. The four most powerful clans, the Great Clans, dominate the many weaker clans, known as the Warlord Clans.

Religion

The god of the Skaven is the Horned Rat. Its 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

Magic

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 rare for a single clan to go to war. More often a Skaven army will contain many 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 technology 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