Beneath the world of Warhammer, across oceans and under unsuspecting sprawling cities creeps the Skaven

race. Numberless masses reaching in the billions, the Skaven have managed to keep their existence from most
realms. And what they plan for those above is not altruistic. For they believe they are destined to strive for
inheriting the gift of the Great Horned Rat, nothing short of the whole world, slaving for their every want and
desire. They claw, drag and eat each other to the top of their nefarious society. It is literally a rat-eat-rat society.

To face a Skaven army is to behold swarms like a living ocean of tainted fur, filled with skittering ratmen moving
faster than a mans run. The massed chaos is supported by lurking groups of greenish mechanical weapons
carried by two-man teams, with larger hulking war machines all built by the fickle genius of Clan Skryre.
Chanting, squealing mobs of Clan Pestilens revel in their rotting, yellow-gnawed buboes, gifting the enemy with
all manner of magic-powered disease. Lurking in the shadows Clan Eshin sabotage and assassinate leaders,
dragging prey down to their doom into the tunnels behind enemy lines. Clan Moulder drags and prods
monstrous creations, bizarre mutations of rat ogres and multi-limbed rats and giant rats the size of dogs, up to
the many-storied Hell Pit Abominations. At the beckoning of war leaders, legions of heavy armored
Stormvermin march confidently as the Grey Seer wizards poison friends and foe to taint whole battlefields and
wrack the skies with unbearable storms.

The origins of the ratmen lie deep in mystery, for mere record-keeping and story-telling is almost always
exaggerated or outright churning with lies (as if they arent vile enough!). They seek much Warpstone to fuel
their mastermind of underhanded creations, from disease and mutation to technology and energizing their
magical prowess.

Superficially, the Skaven look like any other Beastmen of the

series, a seeming complete cross between a man-like body
with that of the rat. However unlike the varied Beasts of the
world, which are mutations off the human form with few
consistent variations, the Skaven are in fact a whole separate
species, with consistent differences. Beastmens mutations are
the result of chance or pure chaos mutation, and as likely to
be harmful than helpful.
The typical Skaven is about four to five feet tall and 90120 lbs (40-55 kg), however they appear significantly shorter
due to their tendency of always walking in a hunched over,
twitchy, scurrying manner. This hunched over, cautious form
belies a typical speed that can well outdistance the best
human runners, and reflexes that are usually superior to a
human. They can be known for being rather flexible, agile
with trained individuals of Eshin able to pounce up to
five times their heightgood climbers, naturally stealthy
and possess a wry sort of strength, though the latter is not
noticeably better than a human and in certain forms is weaker
(Children of the Horned Rat mentions weaker in carrying things).
Courtesy of their lifestyles, Skaven have hardy constitutions
and are more resistant to diseases and infection than a man. As one might expect from merging rat and
man, the Skaven do possess tails that allow greater balance and sometimes even serve as a third weapon
appendage, though a Skaven likely has to go through training to do so as with Eshin-rats (ordinary Skaven can
still use their tail to trip or bludgeon with though). Skaven possess four sets of paws and with their filthy lifestyle
being scratched by one risks infection. Skaven are typically brown or reddish in color, though different types
of fur lend to different species. Those born fully black usually are fated to become either Stormvermin or the
adepts of Clan Eshin, while those grey or white furs, rare individuals, can usually look forward to a life as a Grey
Seer.

Skaven eyesight is specialized to the dark,

and they can see in low light conditions far
better than a human or even a dwarf.
Conversely however they are in a disadvantage
in the sun or bright conditions, in fact bright
enough can be painful to them and will avoid
battles in the daylight if they can. Or, if forced
to, the Skaven will prefer to use lots of smoke
to obscure the sun. Skaven are far more reliant
on smell, being able to identify races, even
individuals, by scent alone and Children of the
Horned Rat states they can sniff a human up
to at least a hundred yards (depending on
which way the wind is blowing). Their sense of
hearing too is rather good and has been
compared to a hunting dog.
Skaven possess an extremely quick, frantic metabolism that lends itself to allowing the ratman great bursts of
energy in speed, ferocity and strength. However this metabolism has a drawback, as Skaven will need to feed
every couple hours or weaken greatly. According to Children of the Horned Rat they need to feed at least five
times a day, though other sources suggest even smaller intervals. Skaven that do not eat will, in desperation,
eventually enter into a state of Black Hunger where they temporarily become fearless and focused only on
food, tearing up corpses, enemies and even allies to acquire a meal. This is why battlefields that the Skaven fight
in are usually described as eerily clean afterwards, for the armor/weapons are quickly looted while the corpses
are feasted on en masse! Their stomachs are powerful; capable of digesting bone or even said steel
(possibly, it would give a hell of a tummy ache!). However it is also very small, which is probably why the Skaven
needs to feed so much! The Skaven bite is strong, and given enough time they can even chew through steel
jail cells. On the battlefield leather armor will not last long at all against their vicious teeth. When they bite
down they usually clench and will not let go, attempting to drag their prey down with weight as others pile on
them.
Perhaps because of this metabolism, Skaven usually live short, brutal lives. Assuming they make it out of
childhood and dont fall victim to the myriad deaths available to a Skaven, they can only live up to twenty
years max, and will start to noticeably degrade physically at ten. Grey Seers and certain individuals blessed
by the council may live far longer, though this is mostly due to the existence of magical, life extension elixirs.
Between betrayal, diseases, and the conditions of Skaven society most do not live past the age of five if that.
Though it takes five years for Skaven to reach their prime, as of the End Times the Skaven have utilized magical
means to rapidly speed this up, meaning they can be made adults in days from when they are born (though they
havent sped up the birthrate yet).
Skaven possess, and even communicate with, musk glands that unleash various scents depending on the
mood and emotion the ratman. The most common is that of fear. As the Skaven are typically cowardly creatures
and get scared easily this can cause one to unleash the scent of fear, which might cause others to instinctively
unleash the musk of fear. Ultimately this builds the palpable scent of terror in the ratmans mind, and helps lead
to them routing quicker than other armies. However Skaven mindset also plays a role in addition to instincts,
and Skaven from other ranks will feel only contempt for routing slaves, and thus will resist routing in fear
themselves. However if other, lets say, Stormvermin routorespeciallytheir leaders, than the Skaven will
see/scent it (for leaders do cultivate individual scents as a matter of pride that is mixed when they spray the
musk of fear) then this will cause a much quicker rout. Skaven scent glands are extremely complex and may give

off not just the emotion of something, but the quality and cause behind them (Children of the Horned Rat states
that Skaven fleeing from Dwarves will give off a different scent than those fleeing from other Skaven).

REPRODUCTION
Skaven females are, unlike the males, fat, indolent, semi-intelligent, rare and kept in a drug-like haze. Attended to
by castrated slaves the females in the Skaven society exists for one purpose: to breed. This leads Skaven to call
all females of any race breeders. They can typically give birth to about five litters a year, with each litter
containing about twenty young, and with a ten year typical lifespan may produce up to a thousand Skaven in
their lifetime! Though Skaven backstabbing starts even as pups this birthrate has allowed the Skaven their
extreme numbers, outweighing every other race in the setting. Skaven females are of rare birth, and are thus
only with the leaders are the few beings thought of as something worth protecting. Thus they are usually
kept in the deepest, darkest pits, and enemies that can manage to destroy these females can actually inflict a
severe blow on the Skaven population and clan presence in the area.

It can be said that each and every Skaven believes himself alone to be indispensable. Possessed by selfishness, slyness,
pettiness and innate cowardice in regards to harm for their own persons the Skaven mind cares not how much their race
suffers, struggles or dies, so long as they personally benefit. Better him than I is the common motto as spite and fear
are the two trademark Skaven emotions. In fact they literally cannot comprehend feelings of self-sacrifice and
selflessness; it baffles them completely.
Combine this with an innate extreme hunger, a manifestation not only for the physical desire of food but an insatiable
greed for position, power and authority, and you have a pitiless society governed solely by the laws of strength, ambition
and cunning. Thus causalities are rarely seen as something to avoid, and indeed are often encouraged in the minds of the
leadership, for the more dead the less drain of resources there are, at least temporarily. Treachery too is common, for
the Skaven look for any means to advance themselves over others available. On a less deadly level Skaven will steal every
good idea from their peers that they can.

Given this, Skaven society is one of constant warfare and conflict. They must constantly fight for food and privilege,
both against each other and other races. Skaven differences are far greater than every other race, with high end Skaven
hoarding access to resources entirely for themselves and scheming to yet acquire more, for Skaven greed cant be satisfied.
As mentioned Skaven can be divided into different classes based on privilege, with Black-Fur Stormvermin and the
White-Fur Grey Seer lording over the rest, though the existence of clans serves as a means that a Skaven cunning enough
can, hypothetically, overcome this problem through rising to power in one of the clans.
Warpstone, the dangerous physical manifestation of the warp, commonly associated with mutation and madness in the
other races, is an important cornerstone in Skaven society. It can serve everything from a basis for their weapons and
technology, currency, a component for protective amulets, a boost for magic, weapon enhancement and much, much
more. Skaven will go to any lengths to acquire more Warpstone, even the most miniscule amount. Skaven are
remarkably resistant to its ill effects and mutation from handling it is rare (though ingesting it is still a bit dangerous).
Warpstone is the support structure for Skaven society and is frequently employed in all manner of technological
devices as well as plagues.

Skaven society is ruled by clans; social hierarchies of populations ranging from mere hundreds to tens of millions that
Skaven are born into and usually remain for the rest of their lives. Skaven can sometimes defect however this is rare, in
part because other clans usually use captured members of rival clans as slaves and due to an overlapping personality
imprint of the clans that impacts how the individual thinks. For example Clan Pestilens are more likely to be fanatical and
obsessed with spreading their faith, while Skryre-rats are more secular and concerned with expanding with their
inventions. Though all, at heart, have the same Skaven traits already mentioned. Just as Skaven as individuals scheme
against each other (clanmates or not) entire clans regard others as rivals and too scheme against them for ascendency.
Though they rarely admit it, the Skaven view all clanmates as potential enemies. Skaven who occupy positions of
authority are envied for their power, while those Ratmen who serve in lesser roles are constantly suspected of sedition. A
Skavens empathy is limited to understanding the covetous feelings of his peers. Much of his suspicion is projected upon
the Ratmen around him, whether or not the allegations are founded in any kind of fact. Skaven motivations are never
pure, and even the simplest of actions on the part of one individual can cause ripples of suspicion that ultimately affect
anyone who comes into contact with him.

The Skaven never accept blame for their failures, preferring instead to implicate others, thereby transferring culpability
onto their competitors. The truthfulness of these accusations is irrelevant to the accuser, the accused and the superior,
who must judge them; all that matters to any of the involved parties is the strength of the case. The blame game has
always been a popular pastime amongst the Ratmen, and Skaven who are unable to successfully shift blame from
themselves onto others rarely live for very long. Interestingly, this habit has grownfrom one of mere survival and of
trickery, after centuries of breedinginto one of actual belief. Almost all Skaven seem to be psychologically predisposed
to believe that their own failures must be the result of a subordinates incompetence, sabotage by a jealous rival, or the
poor planning of a superior. The concept of failure based on ones own merit (or lack thereof) is simply impossible for
them to imagine.

Skaven social hierarchy can be described as a giant Pyramid, much like other civilizations, with the Horned Rat at the very
top. Following that is the Council of Thirteen (unofficially, Verminlords are above them), clan leaders of various ranks
and grey seers, stormvermin, clanrats all the way down to skavenslaves at the very bottom. Skaven in authority viciously
lord over those below them while those below cultivate extreme flattery to try and stay on the leaders good graces, even
as they scheme to replace them.
The Council of Thirteenmade up of leaders of the twelve strongest clans + Horned Ratsuperficially rules the race
and are in positions difficultbut not impossibleto assail by ambitious underlings.
1. Seerlord Kritislik, Grey Seer (formerly)
2. Lord Gnawdwell, Clan Mors.
3. Kratch Doomclaw, Clan Rictus.
4. Lord Paskrit, Warlord-General.
5. Vrisk Ironscratch, Clan Scurvy.
6. Griznekt Mancarver, Clan Skab.

7. Unknown, possibly Clan Morbidus.

8. Unknown, possibly Clan Carrion.
9. Nightlord Sneek, Clan Eshin
10. Arch-Plaguelord Nurglitch, Clan Pestilens.
11. Packlord Verminkin, Clan Moulder.
12. Lord Morskittar, Clan Skryre.

The Horned Rat, also known as the Horned One, is the patron deity of
the Skaven, and is worshipped exclusively by them. The Horned Rat
represents the characteristics of the Skaven race itself deceit,
spitefulness, backstabbing, disease and corruption. Despite these
characteristics, the Horned Rat wishes that the Skaven work together to
rule the entire world, which would then allow him to return, though
what this "return" means is not further elaborated. In the End Times he
actually directly manifested in the world during a council meeting, killing
one fractious member before demanding that the rest pool their energies
together to ensure complete takeover of the surface world.
All Skaven revere the Horned Rat. None question his existence. Such
respect is a product of fear, for the Horned Rats eternal hunger does not
discriminate between his vermin children and the dwellers of the surface
world. A devout Skaven utters small prayers to the Horned God
throughout the day, each prayer being a verbal slice of hate, envy or
malice. These prayers are answered often enough to give the Horned Rat
validity in the minds of his adherents, even in cases when divine
intervention is obviously not involved.

The actual armies of the Skaven

are largely made up of Clanrats.
An individual Clanrat is a fairly
worthless opponent. Wearing
little else than rags and maybe
shoulder plates or stitched skins,
they are only the match for a
human thanks to teeth, claws,
and twitchy reflexes and speed.
But they have poor morale,
strength, ingenuity or discipline,
and would rather hide in the
shadows and pounce on a weakened foe than attack with any sort of boldness. Unless driven by their insane black hunger,
they will paw and flick at the enemy.
It is only when their feverish will comes with knowing that their chances of survival increase tenfold with the masses
around them that their true abilities come to fruition. Goaded into battle with the promising chance at victory, snarling
threats and the desire to overrun the enemy (maybe this time well get them!) they will use sheer weight of numbers to
their advantage. When placed front and center before even a clearly mightier foe, banded together Skaven packs will
attack with confidence and ferocity. If a weapon team is afforded to support them, then all the better their chances of
winning (or escape).
But after a single swirling melee, the Skaven will tire themselves but instead of exhaustion, they will get ferociously
hungry. After a battle, they must gorge themselves on anything, small rats, dead, even injured friends and enemies. Or if
its convenient, backstab the Skaven in front of you and immediately start chewing (preferably while your fellow Clanrats
think hes still alive because once they realize hes not, they will want some too. Better to have it all to yourself!).
Once the casualties start mounting, the Skaven of even large formations will begin to easily falter, and once a couple start
turning away from battle, the likelihood increases that the rest will begin to believe the whole battle is in disarray and
contemplate fleeing as well.
LOADOUT: Claws, Teeth, Random Hand Weapon. Stolen enemy weapons
DEFENSE: Scrap Light Armor (if it isnt so worthless to be recognized as armor), sometimes a wooden shield

Standing a stunted four feet tall, the Skavenslaves form the largest bulk
of the Skaven swollen population. They are usually born in this manner,
barely holding out through a cruel, abused childhood and, being of little
value, is shoved into labor. Living past any more than a handful of
years is quite a cursed accomplishment. Skavenslaves are also always
swelling with captured or defeated Clanrats demoted in their loss and
shoved into the lowly ranks. Almost all slaves die as slaves.
Without being in any pecking order to bring down their vile wrath
upon, they do so against the weak of each other. Stealing, scraping,
cannibalism, and a bountifully slain enemy is the only means of eating
and staying alive. And when food is scarce, slaves become a primary
food source in of themselves! Seen as nothing more than worthless
livestock on any day, they are sent into battle with any scrap metal and
splintered, rotting wood as weapons (if anything at all!) and the luckiest
ones might attain a shield. Almost always shuffled to the front lines,
Skavenslaves act as meat shields and a means to keep a buffer between
Skaven and their more formidable enemies.
Skavenslaves form the largest bulk of the Skaven swollen population.
They are usually born in this manner, barely holding out through a
cruel, abused childhood and, being of little value, is shoved into labor.
Living past any more than a handful of years is quite a cursed
accomplishment. Skavenslaves are also always swelling with captured or defeated clanrats demoted in their loss and
shoved into the lowly ranks. Almost all slaves die as slaves.
Without being in any pecking order to bring down their vile wrath upon, they do so against the weak of each other.
Stealing, scraping, cannibalism, and a bountifully slain enemy is the only means of eating and staying alive. And when
food is scarce, slaves become a primary food source in of themselves! Seen as nothing more than worthless livestock on
any day, they are sent into battle with any scrap metal and splintered, rotting wood as weapons (if anything at all!) and the
luckiest ones might attain a shield. Almost always shuffled to the front lines, Skavenslaves act as meat shields and a means
to keep a buffer between Skaven and their more formidable enemies.
Once the hundreds of slaves are choking up the enemys progress, those Skaven so armed can (and will) shoot right into
the melee combat. Because their situation is so direly hopeless to begin with, Skavenslaves have the poorest morale and
will explode in a dangerous, mad scramble when cornered, unknowingly dragging down some of their enemies and fellow
Skaven alike. Crushed underfoot, blindly charged into or simply eaten as the last desperate act of life, those nearby can
suffer horrible casualties, but their fleeing never causes any measure of panic in other Skaven forces. For what are the
worthless slaves running but food to be hunted down after the battle?
Skaven arent the only slaves used for labor and battle. Those of other races (though it is rare any other race is capable of
surviving very long) can be captured and, if not eaten right away, will join the ranks of slaves. Captured enemies capable
of toughening it out may be utilized as slaves in future combat.

= LOADOUT =
Teeth, Claws.
Random Assortment of Weapons: Similar to Clanrats though on a worse-quality scale, Skavenslaves can be found armed with an
assortment of knives, clubs, and swords, as well as spears. Uniquely, several may carry slings and throw stones. All the better to keep
away from the enemy!
DEFENSE: None (sometimes rich clans can afford to give them wooden shields)

The followers of Clan Pestilens and their subordinate clans are a strange Skaven type. Unlike most Skaven which are
more prone to flee, backstab each other and grope for life, the Plague Monks seek more unity, enjoy the prospect of
gifting the enemy with their diseases and are of such a high, feverish pitch they are nearly unshakable. (At least, compared
to most). In the post-battle they are one of the few Skaven forces that will ignore the opportunity to loot, continuing to
look for the enemy. However, this ill-discipline has been noted for causing them to charge prematurely.
A massed group of zealots followed by a swarm of flies and trailing eerie clouds of their smell leaves more than a
vomiting taste in ones mouth just nearing them. As they near the enemy, their squealing chanting vibrates with greater
vigor and they become a mad flash of rotting limbs, hacking phlegm, foaming saliva and puss-popped ooze. The more
diseases that gnarl away at their bodies, the tougher they become, ignoring all manner of grievous wounds as their
tainted blood flies everywhere. The only way to stop such a zealous, mad, diseased enemy is to physically disable or kill
them.

Clad in heavy plate armor, wielding a halberd and often

carrying a shield, a Stormvermin is comparatively
pampered to other Skaven. Born, he is immediately
recognized as bigger, darker furred, and stronger than his
littermates, and given prized care. Separated and
surviving the political backstabbing and having eaten the
rest of their immediate brothers, they become
Stormvermin. In reality, they are the only valuable asset
to a Warlord or Chieftain.
Stormvermin see all other Skaven as beneath them,
which in their society, they are. Slaves, some directly
owned by Stormvermin themselves, seek to please and
aid their masters. When they dont, theyre eaten by them.
With their extra brutality and strength, they can wield
weapons with ease and charge into combat with greater
confidence.
But these reasons are not the only thing that makes them
valuable. They serve as bodyguards to their leader.
Therefore, Stormvermin are given the closest thing
that could be summed as privilege, such as the first
feeding after a battle or choice picks from the scavenge
pile of collected weapons. But such is not an oddity, for a
Skaven leader knows that by granting them these favors
they ensure domination over the clan with their loyalty.
Longer-lived Stormvermin as a strength of position,
height and prowess know exactly what to say and do to please their master further to keep his assurance.
As the most elite of the warlord clans, Stormvermin can be bought or lent for specific services as a political advantage for
a show of might and power. That is, to have so many Stormvermin at your disposal as to be confident to show their
prowess to others and bear your mark across their travels to other duties must mean greatness. Directed by Fangleaders,
packs of Stormvermin enact the will of the Chieftain or Warlord.
If one is to progress through the ranks (often from Stormvermin to Fangleader, and eventually to Chieftain and Warlord),
he must somehow assure the support of the Stormvermin in the clan. Acting as the policing force of will, Stormvermin
are the usual means of ridding any would-be usurpers, even fellow Stormvermin! Any Fangleader who has successfully
protected his leader can receive nearly anything he wants. Once there, he can amass resources for bribery to ensure
support. A Chieftain is only as big as his Stormvermin.

All Skaven who have any knack for creative stealing in a position to build and invest in the arcane sciences will be able to
draw solutions to a problem or twist problems of the enemy. When the Skaven encountered large creatures such as those
trolls fighting alongside Orcs and Goblins and later seeing the inhabitants of the Ogre Kingdoms, they figured they
wanted a piece of that size advantage for themselves! Thusly, the hulking beasts known as Rat Ogres are the merging
overgrowth of a Skaven rat-like creature with that of an Ogre. The result is a stitched-together, near-mindless monster
that is only possible with magical Warpstone and sorcerous surgery.
A Rat Ogre moves with the tail-twitchy reflexes and speed of a Skaven, while possessing the incredible brute strength
of an Ogre. But it also has the magnified appetites of both, and must feed and eat constantly (to the point, they can
ravage their own bodies and eat themselves as well as each other!). A furious merging of teeth, claws, and bulging muscles
nearly ripping apart from strain of containment, whole packs of them are forced together, instinctively following the acts
of the largest and strongest of their kind. Unless specially bred (or trained through extreme torture), Rat Ogres set free
on the battlefield are incapable of anything but violence, and must be caged and separated after a battle since they do not
know the difference of things in a battlefield engagement or simply traveling to a new battle. If there are things living and
things standing that can be destroyed, and they will do it with ruthless efficiency.

Rat Ogres can also be the subject of much experimentation. Extra spines, spears or swords jammed into a spot a hand
was previously cut off, an extra head (or two), and multiple limbs are common sights. No formal pattern exists except
whatever works to keep them alive and holding together. If it can be mixed, fused or hammered into place, and stay just
long enough to be seen used once, it goes.
In a battle, Rat Ogres are used to hammer away at enemy
beasts or smash apart a shield wall the Skaven are having
trouble breaking through. It can also be summoned on as the
choice weapon for a challenge. After the battle, surviving
Rat Ogres that do well will have their broken bodies
upgraded and quickly stitched back together for reuse.
They are also extremely useful in demolition of structures.
Master Moulders cant help themselves to their fleshy
creations, any more than a Warlock Engineer can with his
mechanical devices. Many questions abound as they find new
body parts and problems with their latest breeding successes.
Can it function with an additional arm? Will the pincer from
a Chaos beast graft on or will it attack itself? How can more
growing agents be squeezed out of prisoners to better enrich
new creations?

Forwards! Only one left! Get it, get it! screamed the pale
furred Master Moulder, gesturing wildly towards the blood drenched, heavily armored figure.
The vampire stood in the center of the courtyard, surveying his surroundings coldly. His sword, dripping with blood
and gore, was held relaxed in one heavily mailed hand. The entire keep seethed with life, Skaven scrambling over
each other in a roiling, hateful mass, pushing towards him from all sides. Huge rats the size of wolves erupted
through sewer gates, pushing into the overrun keep. They were twisted creatures, their forms perverted through
unspeakable experiments. The vampire frowned as another disturbing mutation pushed itself forwards. A human head
had been roughly sewn to a giant rat body. The face twitched and gibbered uncontrollably, its tongue hanging loosely
from its gaping mouth.
A Skaven raised a cruelly barbed whip, lashing out at his giant rat charges. The spikes tore into the monstrous
rodents backs, and they leapt forwards in a wild fury. Matching the savage attack with unmatched skill and power,
the undead warrior hacked his weapon through fur, flesh, and bone with ease. He cut a bloody swathe around him,
reveling in the bloodshed. The dead were piled thickly around the Blood Dragons legs, yet his unliving body showed
no signs of fatigue.
The Skaven drew back, not wishing to get within killing range of the deadly warrior. Seeing a pale-furred Skaven
towards the rear who acted like a leader, directing the creatures around it with a cruel whip, the vampire leveled his
sword in its direction, his eyes filled with menace. His voice echoed ominously through the keep. A challenge! Step
forth creature, and meet my blade in combat!

The Master Moulder looked at the armored figure in shock, his eyes wide. The vampire radiated strength and power,
a menacing tall figure drenched in blood. The Skaven fingered his whip nervously, feeling the eyes of his brood on
him waiting for his reaction. Silence settled over the keep and he shrank under the vampires gaze.
A feral glint touched the Skavens eyes and he glared at his enemy. Turning his head, the Skaven shrieked in his
obscene language into the darkness behind him. A trio of hulking forms moved towards the flickering light of the
torches, their massive shoulder muscles ripping and flexing. They stepped into the light, and the Rat Ogres lips drew
back to reveal immense, rotting teeth. Rough stitching covered their bodies. One of the beasts had sheets of rusted
metal haphazardly riveted into its flesh. Another had its forearm amputated and a series of crude blades hammered
into the stump, a blood-soaked bandage wrapped around the wound.
The Master Moulder grabbed the heavy chain around the neck of one of the beasts, pulling it hard. The mutated
creature growled dangerously and the Skaven raised a scarred hand, pointing at the vampire. The Rat Ogres turned
their gaze as one towards the defiant figure, their growls rumbling deep in their massive chests. They took a
menacing step forwards.
Challenge strong Clan Moulder, dead-thing? Accept your challenge, I do.
The three monsters pounced forwards, their speed seeming at odds with their overwhelming bulk. They moved
straight towards the Blood Dragon who stood in a relaxed combat stance, confident of his abilities. The vampire
stepped forwards to meet the Rat Ogres head on, ducking below a lethal swipe with preternatural speed, slashing his
immense, ornate broadsword across the creatures belly. It roared in outrage and pain as dark blood pumped from the
wound, guts spilling to the cobbled ground. It sank to its knees, its lifeblood pooling around it.
A massive fist punched towards the Blood Dragon, who swept his weapon down with tremendous force to meet the
attack. The mighty arm was severed at the elbow, the twisted creature roaring in pain. With a lightning move, the
vampire reversed his blow, and thrust his sword up through the beasts neck, stuck fast. The monstrous creature
grabbed its adversary by the shoulder, claws almost a foot long pushing through his ornate armor, and hurled him
across the courtyard. The vampire smashed heavily into a stone parapet, a blow that would have broken the bones of
any mortal being.
Rising into a crouch, the undead knights face twisted into a vicious snarl, his long black hair hanging wildly before
his eyes. As the Warpstone-eyed Rat Ogre thundered towards him, the Blood Dragon leapt from the ground towards
the huge monster, landing with vice-like hands clutched to its thick neck. Plunging his sharp canines into the side of
creatures neck, the vampire savagely ripped its throat out with a vicious twist. The monstrosity fell to the ground
heavily, and the Blood Dragon turned towards the Skaven leader, streams of dark blood gushing from his mouth.
The Skavens heart began to beat wildly, and it begun to push back frantically through the press of Skaven, seeking to
put as many of his minions between him and the avenging vampire that began to stalk steadily towards him. A
towering shape loomed up behind the vampire. A huge taloned hand closed around the warriors head, lifting the
struggling figure high into the air. With a gurgling roar, ornate sword still embedded in its throat, the Rat Ogre
smashed the vampires head into the ground with brutal force. Time and time again the wounded monster pounded
the Blood Dragon into the cobbled courtyard until his head was little more than a bloody pulp.
The Skaven horde sprung forwards, swarming over the vampire and tearing him limb from limb in a gory frenzy. The
Rat Ogre fell to its knees, pawing weakly at the sword in its throat. The Skaven leader turned to its subordinate,
pointing towards the dying creature.
Take it to the pens, quick-quick! This one shows great promise.

Unlike in other clans where ferocious politics and killing

earn special attention of any sort, among the Plague
Monks, it is dedication. And those with the greatest
dedication are allowed the privilege to wield plague
censers. Running into battle with all the advantaged frenzy
and squealing chants as their battle brothers, the bearers
carry not an iron-tipped staff, but a massive flail. Though
they are dangerous weapons, being wildly thrown about to
smash and cripple enemies, the spiked balls are not solid,
but hollow. Chambered within these holds the true power
of the Plague Censer Bearers.
The fires inside the orb burn rotting, stench-filled filth of
the most diseased, poisonous concoctions, drenched in
raw chunks of Warpstone. The enhanced magical
noxious gas is so potent it can kill an ethereal
creature!

Its literally taking the raw Warpstone and the magical

power of Chaos and change and burning it into a
fuming super bio-weapon. As they approach the battle
lines, small groups of Plague Censer Bearers will smash
into the foe as the opportunity to strike presents itself.
Their mere closeness of presence conducts the main
damage. At ease, contact with the haze of noxious fumes
will cause flesh to erupt into fluid-filled blisters. When
swung about, a great fog encircles the Plague Monks;
exposure to it instantly fills lungs with virulent fluid
and vital organs putrefy. And yes, these same problems,
more-or-less, affect the bearers and any others of the Clan
Pestilens brotherhood. Though the fumes for them seem
to deaden their ability to perceive the greatness of the
threats they charge into. No matter, even a hulking
dinosaur can be reduced to ruin by a handful of
Plague Censer Bearers. Anything still hacking,
wheezing, blind by the fumes and otherwise unluckily alive
will deal with the smashing impact of the spiked flail as
secondary damage.

Take a Plague Censor. Magnify the size a hundred fold. Increase the potency of the burning fumes. Mount it on a giant,
wheeled platform and swing it like church-bell battering ram. This is the Plague Furnace. Pushed into battle by a large
gathering of Plague Monks, it is a diseased riddled altar to the Great Horned Rat, a platform for a Plague Priest to preach
upon, and a means of hammering destruction against the enemy. While the platform is riddled with woodworm and
rotting away, the structure holds.
The glowing-hot censer swings forward and back, the orb blazing with heat while the deadly gas is hurdled about. It uses
the same smoking Warpstone charcoal that powers the weapon of a Censer Bearer, but it has the skins of dead Plague
Priests added to it. Used as a source of fuel, the skinned husks reek with infection, having absorbed a tainted lifetime of
disease. Foul ritual and unholy magic sets alight the lumpen pox-ridden skins, which in turn ignites the Warpstone. The
resulting warp-heat turns into a furnace, producing the billowing cloud of baleful death.

The strength of the fumes and the warp-heat is so strong it stings the eyes just to behold it. As the fumes sweep over
those Plague Monks pushing the platform, their robes are bathed in the concoction, giving them over to eye-bulging
bloody frenzy, shrieking their chants and doubling their efforts to reach the foe. First, the swinging censer can violently
be swung around to unleash a concentration of the toxic gas upon the enemy. Then, as the momentum of the blazing orb
increases as they near the foe until it crashes right into the enemy lines. The rusted chains are released, and the
massive, swinging censer is tossed over and into the enemy. Those that arent crushed, flattened or impaled are
surrounded in the sickly fog. The, undoubtedly fractured and mad-driven enemy is then found to be in the presence of
dozens or more of Plague Monks that have been enhanced in fury and strength by the weapon as its hoisted back in place
for another swing. The Plague Priest, somewhat protected by his devout followers and the structure of his mount, can
unleash his own deadly magic upon the enemy or bless his fellow brothers with poisonous strength.
In the year 2489, nearly 2500 years after being driven out of Lustria by the might of the Lizardmen and the Slann, the
Plague Monks attempted to regain their realm. For an attack on the temple-city of Quetza, they emerged with such
thickness in numbers and brought so many Plague Furnaces that swathes of jungle were covered in pestilent mist. In fact,
it was so thick, the unnatural cloud could be seen for miles, rising over the canopy of the rainforest. Luckily, a stray
untimely meteor strike (yeah right) prevented the total victory of Clan Pestilens.
However, due to its questionable construction (as it is with all Skaven products), it is bound to occasionally develop
dysfunctional mishaps. The orb being swung into the enemy on attack might break the chains and fall flat into the
enemy, or less desirable, crash apart in the wrong direction! It is also so very potent that a dozen Plague Monks can fall
over the course of a battle just from subjecting to the powerful fumes, sacrificed to push the weapon into battle!

Wherever the Skaven tread a

tide of rats follow. Naturally
loyal to the Skaven, they are a
natural food source and form an
endless supply of uses. With
Warpstone eyes, a crystal ball
can see all they can see, allowing
the Skaven to size up an enemy
force and listen in on their
plans, attacking at the weakest points. They can be injected with all manner of plagues by Clan Pestilens and spread about
to the foe. Clan Moulder enjoys mutating them and sprawling massed numbers of them on the battlefield directly. They
can also simply exist as pests; attacking random scouts or leaders as they sleep, eat up the enemys food supply, tear up
tents and clothes for bedding and nesting and leave their filth to spoil everything else. Nothing is spared: horse feed,
moist dropping and urine on gunpowder, bones and bodies for harvesting, hay, chewed cords, wires and rope, all of it.
It is well that they mysteriously converge in a living carpet of bodies for they can scout ahead of a Skaven army and
overrun an enemy position. Even for disciplined troops, a scuttling tide can make men slip, weigh down armor, and blind
well-armored troops as they seek weak parts to chew on flesh. They can provide quite an obstacle simply to waste energy
and resources on before the Skaven army begins their attack.
For the sorceries of the Skaven who can spell ruin and rot, massed numbers of them can be summoned. Warped or
converged into the battlefield, they form a wide, unstoppable ocean starting up at the spell casters call. They can follow
specially marked evil banners, tripling the strength of a marching regiment or be thrown as projectiles over defense lines!
Setting them ablaze in fire could only fuel the damage, as each body touches the other, quickly turning that once river
flow of rats into a churning river of fire all over your own men, supplies, and explosives.
Taking what was once an ordinary rat and enhancing it to the size of a hound is not a problem for Clan Moulder.
Having long perfected the basics and eager to do more, hordes of giant rats are given all manner of upgrades. Like Rat
Ogres, successful giant rats can be mutated and stitched with different body parts, contraptions and weapons bartered (or
stolen) from Clan Skryre, multiple heads and even the body parts of other animals, even humans.
They can be given harsh injections of poisons or walk about with fuming black gas sprouting from anywhere and
everywhere. Driven to battle by Packmasters or a Master Moulder, Giant Rats form a seething and snarling mass that
seeks to rip, tear and gnaw at any enemy they can reach. Deployed in strength of numbers, they can use their powerful
jaws and saber-like incisors to bring down far larger prey. Because Giant Rats are so common and easy to breed, they are
usually present in a warlord clan as they are cheap. The best of the pack can even become a (somewhat) loyal guard dog
of sorts for the leader himself. Not that any Skaven isnt expendable, Giant Rats are more so, unleashed like hound dogs
upon the enemy or if a Clan Skryre leader thinks of it, strap explosives to them.

No one, not even Clan Moulder, knows exactly when, where or how the Wolf-rat was conceived for its abundance now
rivals the Skaven themselves. Wherever the ratmen can be foundfrom the jungles of Lustria to the mysterious Hidden
enclaves of Nipponthe foaming, vicious wolf-rat can be found by their side or in the wilds of the Underempire. The
Skaven keep them mostly as guard rats, hunting companions and in the lean times as food-though the Wolfrat is
tenacious enough to often get the better of the Skaven sent to kill it! In this manner the ratmen share a foil with the race
of Man and their canine companions however unlike with dogs the Skaven have never managed to truly tame the
Wolfrats and must chain them frequently having to deal with escape attempts killing slaves in their tunnels.
Wolfrats have such a high metabolism that they are usually described as at the point of starvation and destructive to every
environment they live in. Driven mad by their hunger the Wolfrats, when available, are often released in front of even the
slaves for it will charge fearlessly into enemy lines. Like everything else the Skaven often cannot resist tinkering with these
creatures. Some are mutated by Moulder into rats many times larger than their kin, while Clan Skryre has been known to
fit their claws and teeth with Warpstone. As most Wolfrats feast on diseased carrion their saliva is full of deadly bacteria
& toxins.

Lurking amidst the ranks of Clanrats, Slaves, or

Stormvermin are the shadowy Poisoned Wind
Globadiers. Holding precious glass or crystal orbs,
they use their fellow Skaven as body shields until
they can get within a grenade-toss range of the
enemy.
The globes shatter, pretty harmlessly on the target, or
in their midstthe Globadier is too busy running
away to really find outwhen too late the warning is
heard. Black, green-glowing, dusty smoke rises up.
On mere skin contact, the gas causes severe pain and
even a quick death. Breathing it in causes bubbling
pus to grow inside the lungs, causing traumatic and near instant death as vital organs are bubbled away from the inside
out. Armor matters not. Neither does being a ghost, demon or spirit apparition. This doesnt stop the Globadiers
from going into battle dressed in heavy armor under thick robes and wearing complex breathing apparatuses. In the event
of an accidental drop or the throw didnt quite make it, the protection offers a little assistance at least but is far from
full-proof. Though that is to say the Skaven around them are not clad in such protection and they will, in their haste,
throw their weapons straight into a melee combat with friendlies. It is not uncommon for groups of known Globadiers to
be sought after the battle and attacked for the damage caused by errant (or purposeful?) globes mid-battle. About the only
thing that could totally escape harm from the poisoned wind globes would be an automation that had no pilot, engineer
or magical essence to power it.

Poisoned gas is one of the most famous weapons of the Warlock Engineers,
who first deployed it against the Worlds Edge Mountain Dwarves in enclosed
tunnel fighting. The Engineers have attempted many designs of delivery of the
toxic gas with variable degrees of complexity (and risk!). While Poisoned Wind
Globadiers have been some of the most successful, a simple, longer-ranged
method has come about.
Poisoned Wind Mortars increase the toss range of a throwers hand to
nearly arrow-shot range while not decreasing the rapid pace of a
marching Skaven army. They only need a few seconds to fire before scurrying
along again, and using the eager squeals and squeaking directions of Clanrats
or Stormvermin they accompany, can lob the deadly projectiles out of sight.
This can be understandably frustrating as the globes come in from an
imprecise location, with greater strength of force than handheld versions. This
is exactly how the Mortar team would prefer it; hitting the enemy, devastating
heavy troops, while sitting comfortably away from battle with a whole
regiment of Skaven as a buffer to counter-attack.

What is essentially a giant hamster wheel, spools, and a tide of rats

moving to a shock prod (or stolen Dwarf ale) makes up this utterly
Skaven device. To those armies who have never faced one, it looks
rather odd and clumsy, if not vulnerable. To those armies that
know better, such as the Dwarves, every available heavy weapon,
cannon and doomsday device is utilized to stop and destroy it
before it hits the lines. Indeed, Dwarf cannon teams will
unquestioningly sacrifice their lives (and precious cannons!) to get
one last shot at a charging Doomwheel point-blank.
The Warlock Engineer pilot is puffed up and proud of his machine
operating (for the most part) smoothly, knowing that he can
topple giants, other war machines, and overrun enemy
positions. When enough energy is accumulated, he can unleash an
explosion of warp lightning in all directions, stunning if not,
outright frying targets to soot. The strength is dependent on design
and the amount of power gathered. But this is only half of it. The
rest is being driven to the ground or being crushed underfoot.
It is by far the closest thing the Skaven have to heavy cavalry, and it can attain speeds far greater than galloping
horses. For the successful and giddy Engineer, while in the seat there are many things to attend to. Making notes about
the next model, monitoring the power intake, goading the rats to keep running, and on the occasion, steering the actual
vehicle once it starts rolling over things. It is not unusual to see one of the enormous wheels plowing back into its own
lines, but random, cruel and undeserved death is nothing new to Skaven. Besides, what is the occasional squished Clanrat
or Skavenslave for the power to kill monsters and crush whole regiments of enemies? Still, wise commanders will
deploy the haphazard doom weapons as far away from their personal location as possible.
As awesome as the machine is, little things can occasional go wrong. A few things fall apart, the rats becoming unbearably
unreliable, and in the worst case scenario, the whole machine can explode, taking with it a chunk of the surrounding
battlefield!

From the Ratling Gun to the Warpfire

Thrower, there are many common
diabolical devices churned in mass
production by the successful Clan Skryre.
Bought or lent out to other clans, these
weapon teams follow a regiment of
Clanrats or Stormvermin (sorry
Skavenslaves, too worthless to deserve
covering fire!) and lend aid as a fire team.
Operating at medium ranges like the
Poisoned Wind Mortar, they provide key
force multipliers for the relatively weak
and poorly equipped Skaven.
The RATLING GUN is a pump or crank-operated multi-barreled weapon that
spits out Warpstone bullet shards at the enemy. Depending on the audacity of the team, they can unleash a huge storm
cloud of bullets equal to or superior of modern machine guns, though at the risk of overextending the capabilities of the
weapon. Mowing down vast groups of enemies, plunging through sturdy shields and heavy armor, there is little, physical
defense this weapon can hack into. Clanrats refer to the weapon as teeth-breakers since the bodies of the slain they
would eat is riddled with hard chunks of Warpstone. They come in other shapes and sizes, some with tripods, some with
shields, some on wheels, but all are equally deadly and equally prone to malfunction. Of the team weapons to malfunction
(and accidental shooting), this is likely the most desired. Like other Warpstone weapons, it ignores your nature of
existence and will harm you regardless of what you are if you are struck.

The WARPFIRE THROWER trades the rapid attack and range of the Ratling Gun for spitting out gouts of
green glowing flames. Due to the dangerous nature of the weapon, the team must stand in place to aim the
nozzle and shoot. Like sorcerous napalm, it will arc over defenses and bathe the enemy in Warpstone -enhanced
fires, which has the ability to turn a whole formation into a twitching, throbbing pile of smoldering goo. Such is
the nature of warp-fire, liquidation of all it touches. When this weapon malfunctions, it isnt pretty. Hopefully
its just a pump issue or, oh shit, they just burst into flames and are running straight back towards us its going
to explode isnt it?
Commanders that would not like to see a foe retreat or get the high ground can send masses of Clanrats or
Skavenslaves to hole up the enemy, and in the ensuing melee confusion (which at that time would probably be
going poorly) be ordered to pour flames all over anyone and everyone.
When Dwarves were first encountered, it was clear that a sturdy
shield wall needed to be dealt with. Skaven didnt have the
discipline or strength of will to ram the Dwarves head-on shieldto-shield, so an alternative needed to be found.
An early Engineer had the idea to cobble together a huge
amount of well-designed shields scavenged from the battlefield,
attach a large number of spinning blades from every angle, and
housed within the bubble of protection, jam the contraption
right into the battle lines! Suffice to say, this machine did not
survive the encounter, but the idea did.
Various incarnations to the spinning, slashing, stabbing and
raking weapon was devised and is known as the DOOMFLAYER. Using large amounts of scrap metal and reinforced
heavy wooden planks, the crew can drive the chariot-like
vehicle into the ranks of the enemy while staying relatively
well protected behind it in their own heavy armor (probably
derived from the same scrap metal). Eventually, Warpstonepowered versions were invented, using machine-drive power to
spin blades at propeller speeds, chopping and hacking limbs with
the ease of a blender to fruit, and repeatedly smashing and
stabbing through shields while the multi-angled blades ensure
that some fleshy part of a shield wall is going to give way. But so
too does this mean something in the power generator wont give
way and cause a collapse, odd spun direction, or complete and total explosion (hopefully though not before its driven
into the enemy ranks!).

For centuries, Skavenslaves have dug tunnels using scrap shovels,

claws, or the Skaven might use explosives (only to collapse the whole
thing and end the clans existence). A more fiendish way has come
about. Warp-grinders, another Clan Skryre invention, utilizes a
Warpstone core to create electrical lightning fields that can be used to
buzz through a tunnel, faster work and more precise.
A handheld version can be used by a weapon team to create
tunnels large enough for one or two Skaven to pass through at a time.
Using this device, Clan Eshin sabotage squads of Night Runners and
Gutter Runners can work their way underneath the enemy and spring
up right out of the ground in an unexpected quarter. These weapons
are seldom seen, the team preferring to keep to their duty in the dark
tunnels and let Clan Eshin do the work (and taking credit for the
whole operation if the agents die and there is some measure of
success).
But on occasion they too can be seen aboveground, using their Warpgrinder on a foes in a close-range proximity, though not entirely
effective. The main task is to allow the Skaven to attack behind
enemy lines. However, while faster than digging and more precise and
safer than explosives, the journey through the tunnels can be rife with
tunnel-collapsing hazards. Even if there are no encountered hazards,
accidentally burrowing into the ocean or magma chamber can give
you enough ideas, or springing up completely isolated from the army
and being surrounded if they get lost.

Ever since the Skaven got their hands on

the pinnacle Dwarf hand weapon, their
own musket-like handguns, the Skaven
couldnt help but take interest and perfect
it in only the way a Skaven can.
Elongating the barrel, increasing the
magnification (so the dishonorable Skaven
can attack from the greatest possible
distance), and using Warpstone, Clan
Skryre has made the most reliable
Skaven weapon known in existence.
Its almost entirely safe to use!
The Warplock Jezzail is a classic example of the overuse and application of Warpstone. The material appears in the bullet,
firing mechanism, and even in the gunpowder. All of it enhances the considerable strength of the weapon to punch
straight through the shield, breastplate, maille and body of a lightly-equipped knight. Even if the projectile does not hit a
fatal spot, the Warpstone itself having just passed through organs or being imbedded in the body can cause considerable,
irreversible harm and pain, acting as a poisonous weapon.
The long barrel and weight means that a second teammate is required to hold the weapon in place, and if there is a shield
to do it on, all the better. Jezzail teams are not only far away from the main battlefield, they are often out of the range of
most weapons. Even those weapons that can strike home will usually bounce of or imbed harmlessly in the shield.
Notably, Dwarf handgunners in the range of a Jezzail team are accurate enough to shoot back, but are very ineffective.
The snipers dont even duck and run they are confident enough!
Instead of directly supporting Clanrat or Stormvermin regiments, groups of Jezzail teams remain together, lining up
their shields in the same advantageous location (hidden away with much terrain for cover, and way up high if possible).
Sniping high-priority targets (such as those getting uncomfortably close to the shooters) or trying to execute battlefield
leaders, each clan boasts having the best marksmen. Thanks to high field of vision and good view of the battlefield, the
teams can see danger a long ways off and thus abandon the battle while the rest of the army is getting chewed. Being in a
relatively safe distance also means they arent subject to as much slave-driven attack and this means a rare probability of
experienced survivors.
The best sharp shot in legend was Natty Buboe, who was claimed to have made accurate shots up to 7,000 paces.
Shooting the eyeglass of a Dwarf telescopic sight, he would shoot any Dwarf walking up to look through it. Since no
Dwarf believed they could be out-shot, many Dwarves lined up to see this myth, only to die by his hand.

There is something intoxicating to a Skaven about wielding the power to control and motivate all manner of monstrous
beasts such as Giant Rats and, even deadlier, Rat Ogres. It is the power of Clan Moulder to not only create, breed, and
sell the creatures, but throw in their own special Packmasters called Master Moulders to control them. Otherwise, buying
the nasty brutes without someone who knows how to control them ensures the uncontrolled death frenzy will allow Clan
Moulder to quickly take repossessionwin-win situation sometimes.
To those who know how to use the whip and things-catcher, to snap the beasts in the right place, time, and avoid getting
beaten to a pulp for it is an art form and guarded skill. Those who know of it are Packmasters. Those who are not
successful Packmasters end up simply becoming feed for their merciless packs. Because some clans do not fully trust Clan
Moulder, instead of buying their own charges, they will insist on handling the beasts themselves. For this reason, while
not all Packmasters come from Clan Moulder, a vast majority of them do as Clan Moulder is the only clan with enough in
training and supply to sell their services to other clans.
The whip is a favored weapon and beast-driving tool, keeping the Packmaster out of harms reach while snapping his
charges to attention. An adept Packmaster can even use it against the enemy, attacking over the heads of Giant Rats or
skillfully between Rat Ogres. They can disarm the foe, lash out without getting hit, and if laden with Warpstone spikes,
will sicken survivors to poisoned death.
Specifically, the true experts are called Master Moulders, the ones who actively breed and mutate the creatures and are a
rank above the Packmasters. On the battlefield, they lead their own personal packs into battle for inspection of both
the beasts and any other Packmasters in the group. Master Moulders instill greater control and discipline in a pack, largely
on account of their ability to cause even more severe pain. Many Master Moulders bear unique (if not downright horrific)
tools of their trade, such as the things-catcher.

Packmasters and Master Moulders can also be used to herd large numbers of Giant Rats and even the common rats that
converge around the Skaven. Other clan-specific rats such as the diseased, rotting swarms produced by Clan Pestilens,
might require the service of a Packmaster to direct the rats to the enemy.

Skaven are herded into battle led from the rear and threatened if
questioned. It is their right to put as many underlings between
them and the enemy as possible. Backing down out of a challenge
or standing up to the front to take the brunt of a charge is
considered a foolish thing.
Skaven leaders utilize as many resources to dispose of potential
threats around them as they do contributing them to the
destruction of enemies of other races. After all, there is equal risk
in losing the resources for potential gain in war as there is in
another Skaven lusting for position.
For leadership, there is no gradually earned respect, vote for the
title, honorable duel or inheritance. There is only a challenge for
the position that can take form of an open duel (rare, but when the
target is weakened, its a sure sign to earn respect of the formers underlings!), backstabbing, political bribery, double and
triple-crossings assassination, or simply sheer brutal muscle through intimidating terror.
Underhanded tactics such as claiming to be the one behind the killing (even though an assassin sent by someone else or a
failure to survive an encounter with another races champion) and destabilizing lies that upset the balance of power are
also completely acceptable forms of taking position. All of Skaven society subconsciously understands that to be ruler
means it was taken by cunning, force, or both, and such cunning or force should not be reckoned with. Even carrying the
mark of the Thirteen Council holds little importance to several clans distant from the Lords of Decay.
Warlords and their sub-commanding Chieftains make up the greater part of the tens of thousands of rulers that shift in
power daily. They are equipped with the best wargear and fitted with the finest armor that catches their eye (at least, to
their knowledge). This inevitably means they have stolen it from the pick of the scrap pile of captured items, stole it from
the creator, or bought it at the most outrageously unfair pricewith a form of payment almost sure to never reach the
seller.
All commanders must aggressively take credit for positive outcomes and swiftly allocate blame for all that goes poorly.
This ranges from tweaking the truth to outrageous lies. The fact that few believe such lies or blatant self-aggrandizement
is neither here nor therewhat is important is the small strand of possibility (for fear within the subordinates) and the
sheer audacity required to make such claims. It takes a great leader to speak great lies.

Those few chosen leaders can bear various icons, flags or banners for those around him to plainly see. They cause dread
in enemies, summon unnatural allies, drip with weird energies or inspire those Skaven around them. Several are very
specialized and specific, only one exists. Assume that if it affects the whole battlefield (or could) there will only ever be 1
in the entire Skaven force, but smaller more minor-effect banners could exist as a few. But a taste of what the different
standards are capable of is listed below.
Sacred Banner of the Horned Rat: Rendered in blood and Warpstone, this
hide banner is a tapestry of dread and evil. The runes twist and move so that
they can be read, in any languageGaze into the eyes of the Great Horned Rat
and despair. And as the banner is written, it is so, as enemies fall into gibbering
loss of courage.
Storm Banner: This ancient banner has the power to wrack the sky with
storms, tearing the heavens apart with its fury. Once activated for a temporary
time, all creatures and machines of flight are thrashed out of the sky over the
battlefield, instantly grounded. Worse, ranged attacks of most sorts find it
difficult to hit their marks on target from the high-pitched storms, giving cover
to the Skaven army.
Grand Banner of Superiority: These banners take as many forms as there are
Warlord clans. Some are colossal totem-like trophy racks of enemy skulls, others
rune-etched hide, or ragged shrouds magically emblazoned with clan signs. The
result is a bolstered reinvigoration to stand up to enemies in a fair (or almost
fair) combat rather than flee.
Shroud of Dripping Death: This horrid banner is covered in foul stains that
drip and splash as the banner moves. The whole of the vile hide throbs, oozing
a greenish tinted fluid that flails over the enemy during combat, seeping into and
around their physical armor. If the Skaven flee, the dripping shroud leaves a
tainted pathway, causing terrible wounds to those who dare try to pursue.
Banner of the Under-Empire: A brown tide of rats scurries along with the unit bearing this unholy icon of the Great
Horned Rat. They accompany the unit and will hurdle themselves into combat against the enemy, ceaselessly attacking
until the banner and its unit is destroyed.
Dwarf-Hide Banner: Skaven hate the bearded-things to a great degree, though the favor is returned tenfold on the other
side. The presence of Dwarf-specific irritation (such as shaved Dwarf beards and skin washed in Skaven urine), inciting a
fury of combat on both sides.
Banner of Verminous Scurrying: Rituals of skittering urgency allow this banner to deliver a surge of energy to the unit
carrying it. It can only be used briefly once activated upon which it will triple their run speed.
Other common banners exist recognized throughout the Warhammer world that contributes in more general ways.
Some create an aura of toxic fog to give undue festering filth on their claws and weapons, and others can be the baleful
abomination to all flying creatures nearing it, or magically represent extra-fine sharpened weapons. Standard Bearers in
the Skaven armies are most often going to be specially-chosen Fangleaders, lieutenant overlords answering to Chieftains
and Warlords (who can also carry them), as well as a few other heroes. Typically the overall leader of the army of extreme
position will not stoop so low as to carry a banner; they have other business to attend to.

Their monomaniacal zeal and devotion makes

Clan Pestlines the most single-minded of
all the Skaven clans. They are different,
counted strange by all other ratmen. This
absolute belief in their own righteousness has
caused untold friction among Warlord and
Greater Clans alike. Recognized as a major
power, Clan Pestlines has a high seat among
the Lords of Decay, having risen from seventh
to tenth position. It is no secret, however, that
many scheme to have the diseased ones
destroyed. It has been this way since Clan
Pestlines rise to power, when they nearly
overthrew the Council. Ceaseless faith and an
arsenal of diseases has not only helped Clan
Pestlines survive, but has seen their influence
grow.
Plague Priests have to keep to a dozen and more duties in their quest to become walking, living diseases. They strike
fury into the hearts of the Plague Monks, leading them in the rituals and litanies of their zealous works to invoke greater
woe of their diseases. They must religiously tend to the Cauldrons of a Thousand Poxes bubbling iron vats of untold filth,
are never empty but instead brim over with new and terrible diseases to contaminate the world. They must record their
effects on the enemy, Skavenslaves, and even on each other.
Indeed, their own specially made diseases are not feared, but accepted as a Blessing from the Bringer of Pestilence
himself. To be a living altar, a walking vessel of contamination, is the stride goal of every Plague Priest, who themselves
lead by example.
The only thing that could possibly keep them going is the arcane sorcery as they claim to be gifted from the Harbinger of
Disease himself, the Horned Rat. Whether arcane might is granted through the study of the Book of Woe, or divine
presence, there is no denying the noxious powers of the Plague Priest. On the battlefield, they vomit geysers of black
death or curse the enemy from afar so that they erupt with withering boils; Plague Priests wield loathsome but potent
magic. Their long history and devotion to disease has churned them into bizarre, bloated figures that have unnatural
durability to inflicted wounds and attack, taking nearly as much punishment as a Rat Ogre!

Plague Priests as leaders get to receive the choice pickings of the scavenged captured stockpile of weapons and gear,
though any who might dare oppose him would think twice before handling anything he touches anyway. But there are
some diseased items that only Clan Pestilens would dare touch, such as some listed below.

When a Skaven warlord or rabble clan needs an immediate edge

over their rivals in regards to mass destruction they call in those
who they know can provide the most fantastical craft and
superweapons for a price. They call the best and brightest of the
Skaven race. They call in the Warlock Engineers.
The Warlock engineers are the gifted craft makers of the Skaven
race, the ever tinkering eccentric geniuses behind the most gifted
inventions of the Skaven Under-Empire. Unlike other empires,
which view magic and science as separate entities, the Warlock
Engineers see no distinction and frequently merge the two
together in combinations the other, more conservative races of
Warhammer would view as insane. Numerous weapon teams and
arcane hand weapons, the most popular of which being the Jezzail,
have been invented by these tinkering rats. Inventions need not
have military use, and indeed their greatest invention in recent
years other than the Stormfiend is the long distance telephone.
This desire to innovate often applies to their own bodies, which is
often missing limbs and instead possesses robotic equivalents!
When war-time comes and the Warlock absolutely cannot get away from the front-lines or is a glory seeker the Skryreengineers often come to battle with their own inventions. These might be mundane, like warp pistols, muskets or warppowered weaponry. Due to the Grey Seer enforced moratorium on sorcerers of other clans (that Pestilens and Eshin
sneak around) Clan Skryre has come up with a clever technology way to bypass this by using warp generators on their
back to harness and then cast magic. Though it isnt cheap so not all warlocks have it since they themselves arent
technically sorcerers, this allows them to cleverly bypass the dictate. Other exotic weapons include a globe filled with
even more virulent gas than the globadier, an orb capable of opening small orbs in reality and even the Doom Rocket, an
actual rocket launcher! Though the rockets sometimes veer off course, are duds, or even explode in the warlocks face
they are excellent examples of Skaven engineering. Sometimes the device is even more radical than these still.
Hand or Great Weapon, often Warpstone
enhanced. Pistols and muskets are common as well,
while other more exotic weapons like the Doom
Rocket and several types of bomb exist. Warp Blades,
powered by their generators to be extra deadly, serve
as a fine melee tool. Sometimes might be a Level 1 or
2 wizard with a specialty in the Lore of Ruin and warp
lightning spells in particular due to their warp
generators. This allows for more Warlocks to have
magical ability then the Warhammer Fantasy norm
ratio, though almost always only level 1 or 2
(depending on the upgrade) and, of course, with the
possibility of the generator going horribly wrong

Clan leaders sometimes others, might choose to go to battle borne

atop a steed or a copy of something they have seen of other
armies to give themselves height and frightening size advantage.
Plus to be near anything they dare ride is unsettling already.
Rat Ogre Bonebreaker: A special breed of Rat Ogre that has
soaked in growth vats for far too long. They are hunched bent
figures of immense size only so because there are so many muscles
bulging in so many places it cannot possibly stand completely
upright. And have platforms wielded, stitched or hammered in
place on their backs so that one may ride on top of it. It costs a
monstrous load to buy, requiring the death of thousands of
Skavenslaves.

War-Litter: Some esteemed Dwarf leaders use a pair of Shield Bearers when they go to war. They are Dwarves who hold
a massive body-sized shield on their shoulders, trained to shift and balance their warrior-king and allow him to fight on an
upper platform of sorts in a mobile manner. Skaven got the idea and will ride on a large board or plank in a War-Litter,
held aloft by four Stormvermin. A Skaven with such a status as to use valuable Stormvermin just to carry him around
(and act as bodyguards) as if they were slaves is quite a statement, while allowing the shorter-than-most leader to fight on
an upper platform as his Dwarf-king adversaries.
Great Pox Rat: There are various oversized rats that can be grown and gorged to the point they are size of ponies. Great
Pox Rats are abhorrent, bloated vermin, covered in mangy fur (if any is left) and dripping lesions. Their filthy mouths are
encrusted with needle-sharp teeth, saber-like incisors and yet-to-be-discovered diseases. Any great speed advantage that
would be gained is lost in the cumbersome fat weight of the creatures overgrown body.

Warlord Viskis puffed himself up to his verminous fullness and gazed down upon his Chieftains as they entered the hall through
the blasted archway. They were wary, but could not hide their awe at the size of the many-pillared hall and the bodies and
broken armaments in the corners.
Viskis wasnt going to miss this opportunity. Everything was as he had arranged. Black-furred Stormvermin were arrayed in
ranks, formidable in their size and thick, plated armor. He himself, most potent of commanders, was several tiers higher, pacing
on the carven stone dais of the ancient and ornate throne room. The runes of the hated bearded-things had been hastily scratched
out, covered by the markings of the Great Horned Rat and the great claws of Clan Gritus. Warlord Viskis himself was backlit by
the sole light sourcea vast brazier glowing with Warpstone-laced shards. Viskis cast his shadow across all as they had to look
up at him, his fur outlined by the green tint of the balefire.
Now, hear-listen what I have to say. Long-long have we fought for this under-lair and now we stand in the Dwarf-things
throne room. Their king-thing sat here. I, Warlord Viskis, have eaten him. A pause here allowed Viskis to turn, showing off his
newly bulging profile. Squeaking whispers let Viskis know his deed was marked with proper awe. The Dwarf-leader was a

mighty warrior and had slain many Skaven. We must take-take the other levels, kill-kill all that remain. Following is MY
plan
But great leader, said Chieftain Sszark of Clan Gritus exactly on cue, why isnt Priest Grostle here? He referred to the
Plague Priest leader of the large Clan Pestilens faction, which, up until now had been leading the underground assault.
Grostle fell and I am in command. Announced Viskis. The Chieftains and Clawleaders craned their necks and sniffed, anxious
to see the reaction amongst the remaining Plague Monks.

Lean, agile, cunning and surprisingly well-trained for a Skaven

underling, Night Runners serve as the lowest rank of Clan Eshin.
Working their way to become the best warriors in use of
poisons, theft and acts of sabotage that would their Assassin
overseers. They are secretive, as all are devoted to Clan Eshin.
They usually employ the use of two small swords or daggers,
learning to hone their combative skills. Utilizing the Skavens
quick reflexes to full potential, Night Runners are lethal close
combatants to regular infantry. For point-defense and silent
attack, Night Runners employ the use of poisoned throwing
stars, capable of killing a man within a minute of the delivery,
aiming for the neck, eyes and vulnerable areas in armor. They
can also carry slings on their person to begin learning the use of
ranged accuracy. Sending a mass of large rocks into weak points
on war machine structures and slaying poorly armored elites.
Small units of Night Runners sneak from the shadows to seize key terrain features, while larger blocks are sent ahead of
the main Skaven force to harass and slow down the foe. Typically they will slink off to the armys flanks, hoping to lure a
pursing foe into a hastily prepared ambush.
Casualties are high in Night Runner groups, and understandably so. The Clan Eshin masters are purposefully weeding out
the weak and the ill-prepared so that only the best of their kind can advance to Nightleaders (those who lead groups of
Night Runners) and then to Gutter Runners. Working in conjunction with more expert Clan Eshin agents, they will
expose themselves and lure foes into the real attack set by the experienced. Occasionally they are equipped with a Warpgrinder tunnel maker to give them the advantage of burrowing beneath the foe to pop out into an unexpected area,
emerging on the enemys flank or rear.
While it is moderately rare, they can be seen grouped in large numbers as Clan Eshin, often to make a point or sow the
most horrible of confusion, send an entire army of Clan Eshin agents. These armies always attack in the darkness of
night, and when the sun rises, there is little evidence of their passing, as weapons and bodies are carefully removed with
an assassins touch.

Once a Gutter Runner has proven he is skilled, crafty, and cunning enough
to survive as a Nightleader he will than ascend as a Gutter Runner. By this
point the Gutter Runners reflexes have improved to the point that in terms
of sheer dodging capability they are as capable as the mysterious Nipponese
shadow organizations that first influenced his clan long ago. To the Gutter
Runner his agility has become his own form of armor, for what is the best
defense than never getting hit by a blow? Deathrunnersaspiring assassins
and leaders of the gutter runner claws (Skaven term for squads) possess
even greater dodging ability. This agility too manifests in their incredible
stealth, said to allow them to ambush even the most wary of foes. The focus
of the Gutter Runner has been improved as well, allowing them to tune out
all noise to pick out a single voice in a crowd.
Gutter Runners are the standard operators of Clan Enshin, the groups
tasked with most of their secretive work. While hordes of Night Runners are
used for low key jobs and distraction at best it is the job of the Gutter Runners to carry out the most important work.
They are the main assassins, saboteurs and espionage of Clan Enshin. It was they who have destroyed almost all written
records of the Skaven in the Empire to ensure its people believe they are a myth (though the highest leadership and
organizations such as Wizard Order and the Witch Hunters are not fooled), sought ways into numerous Dwarf holds and
looked for knowledge on the locations of the entire Von Carstein vampire dynasty. On the battlefield they are usually
tasked directly with the destruction of enemy war machines, assassination of up to moderate level leadership,
assaulting flanks or rear and sometimes annihilating exposed units. On occasion they might work in conjunction with a
warp grinder team to emerge directly in the midst of an enemy battle line.
The Gutter Runner is more skilled than the Night Runner and this is reflected as such in their equipment. They may still
wield slings or throwing stars though with greater skill- however their armament might also include punching daggers,
steel claws, swords, knives, a strange crossbow-pistol device, garrotes and more. Some use snare-nets to slow down battlehardened foes or capture enemies, while Deathrunner might have smoke gas grenades or even a weeping blade-a sword
equipped with corrosive venom to melt through armor. Poison is readily available.

Clan Eshin members can be equipped with special decomposition magic that destroys their body within moments of
them dying. Also some example of training one member might go through:

When a Deathrunner comes to be recognized for his great skill at

arms and success, his shadowy Eshin masters may promote him
into full-fledged assassin, the pinnacle of Enshin hierarchy. To do
so the Deathrunner must survive a grueling gauntlet of missions
and actions that further weeds down the weak. These missions are
not just murders, but range in every form of covert action one can
think of such as sabotage, espionage, arson etc. Finally, the
handfuls that pass are chosen by Sneek and his ruling council to
become full-fledged assassins. An assassin can hypothetically rise
higher still to become a Master Assassin, who is not only highly
skilled but also an army commander, however these are almost
entirely unknown, limited to 13 among the entire Skaven empire
(one being Deathmaster Snitchk).
It is well that they are so rare, for an assassin is perhaps the
greatest killer the Warhammer Universe possesses, rivaled
only by the Cult of Khaine assassins of the Dark Elves. Skaven
assassins are capable of feats of superhuman strength, are able to
jump many times their own height, run faster than a galloping
horse, climb smooth surfaces and with stealth capabilities that
allegedly allow them to blend supernaturally into the shadow. Like
the Assassins of the Assassins Creed series they can easily blend
into Skaven and sometimes even human crowds though the latter is more difficult. On the battlefield this allows the
Skaven to slip into a weak unit like Clanrats or even slaves, letting them soak up the fire, before pouncing on the enemy in
melee and surprising them with a powerful foe. Skaven Assassin agility has improved to the point where they can pluck
arrows out of the air and even at times dodge bullets.
Assassins can use nearly every weapon imaginable in their stealth killings, for they are trained in all. Garrotes, Swords,
axes, halberds, punch daggers, throwing stars, blowguns, rat claws (think Ninja Claws), repeating crossbows, guns, nets
etc. Even disarmed they are a powerful foe for they are trained in the martial art styles of the Eastern lands. A few of Clan
Eshin train to become sorcerers, and though their magical capabilities are a far cry from the Grey Seer or even those of
the other major clans, they do all know the spell Skittleaap. When a group of elite Assassins combines the spell with their
own potent ability they can teleport off around the battlefield getting in ultra-close range to assassinate commanders.
Assassins are sent after the most important and difficult targets Eshin has to assign. These can include high ranking
generals and kings, weapon depots, ships, factories etc. Indeed Clan Eshins behind the scenes activities may be the single
greatest reason for Skaven success everywhere In the End Times. In the Night of a Thousand Terrors a cadre of 13
assassins using long ranged skitterleaping killed hundreds of generals, governors, nobles and other authority figures across
Tilea, leaving the various republics weak before the Skaven invasion that occurred the next night. In Lustria they sought
out powerful Slann with some success, while in Araby they lead Skaven to infiltrate cisterns in mass armies and poison
water wells, leading to the fall of those caliphates. In the East (as revealed by author comment) their involvement was
even more significant for in Ind and Cathay they assassinated large numbers of officials weakening the overall kingdoms
against Chaos and helping to lead to their fall. The destruction of Nipponese leadership was so pronounced that soon
only isolated mountain warlords and a rare few powerful individuals remained, and lacking leadership the country was
unable to put up any unified defense whatsoever when the Orcs invaded. Though Clan Eshin enclaves were eventually
destroyed by Grimgor and the Cathayan Dragon Emperor, each of the two armies suffered terrible causalities in doing so.
On the battlefield the Assassin will be sent after enemy leaders, place timed bombs, help take out key units or artillery,
and generally just make the battle as disruptive as possible. While usually the assassin will work alone, sometimes triads

form to take out vulnerable units or focus on difficult commanders. Offensive: Poisoned Throwing Stars, Hand
Weapons and more. Essentially any medieval weapon that an historical or historical-fictional assassin could carry, whether
European or Eastern (Ninja in particular) a Skaven assassin can also carry. Furthermore they are trained in Eastern
Martial arts for hand to hand fighting. Some can carry magically enchanted weapons such as throwing stars made of
armor-violating and poisoning Warpstone or small fire bombs.

However as the Fire Bombs are Clan Skryre technologies

they sometimes result in duds. Explosive gel also exists.
Nearly everything they have is poisoned. A few Clan Eshin
sorcerers do exist, utilizing mysterious Cathayan shadow
sorcery, as well as the spell Skitterleap.
DEFENSE: Exceptional Dodging ability, enough to dodge
gunfire in some cases. Some very light leather. Its possible
they might have a magical trinket.

Proud, scheming and eternally greedy, the Grey Seers are the
chief priesthood of the Skaven race, the emissaries of the Skaven
council and prophets of the Horned One. They are the most
powerful sorcerers of the Skaven race, individuals who command
the respect and fear of that species. They are known for their
extreme rarity, for they are a special breed of Skaven born with
both horns and white fur. They can and often do live longer,
capable of living up to sixty by natural means and far more
through the elixirs their order creates. That is if they make it out
of their initiation phase, for the path of the Grey Seer is perhaps
the most treacherous path for any Skaven to take, with peers and
superiors doing everything possible to pick off potential future
rivals.
A Grey Seer is a schemer above almost all others of his race, for
unlike the rest he has the full backing of both the council (most of the time) and his own magical prowess. A Grey Seer
can wield the councils influence like a bludgeon; threatening warlord clans with excommunication should they fail to
heed his directives. This would serve as a death sentence to that clan, as all opportunistic clans around fall upon the
heretical clan to tear them to pieces. If this threat doesnt work, or the clan in question is too powerful to easily do so
with, a Grey Seer can deploy any number of political influences given to them by the council. After all, having the backing
of a Grey Seer means the clan is in ascendancy, though there will be a steep price for this backing later on. Should even
that fail they can threaten to call upon a Verminlord to decide the dispute, though Grey Seers have more cause to fear the
Verminlord than anyone else. (And usually, just the threat of a Verminlord summon is enough to put any Skaven, even
entire clans in line!)
On the battlefield the Grey Seer usually leads from the rear as is the proper place for a leader. There they will periodically
switch between hissing encouragement and chastisement to their troops. If a Grey Seer feels like being useful they may
deploy their great arcane knowledge to aid the troops at the front, and they alone may even employ the Dreaded
Thirteenth Spell. Grey Seers can use warptokens to boost their magical power however rarely eating too much might
cause them to mutate into a Chaos Spawn or blow up. Sometimes Grey Seers ride into battle on a Screaming Bell.

When the Skaven get desperate they can do any

number of actions. Retreat (most likely response),
sacrifice large numbers of their troops to hit the
enemy with a technological response (again likely)
or use some other incredibly devious, risky
means. But what if all those fail? What if the
Skaven leaders, their mage brotherhood known as
the Seerlords, are truly left without any options,
for a defeat now would be total. What if the Grey
Seer in question is desperate either for advice or
combat? In that case the Grey Seers, with reluctance those leaders today might consider when committing what might be
political suicide, can choose to call upon their own nuclear option. They will call upon a Verminlord.
Verminlords are everything Skaven aspires to be, taken to extremes. Towering, powerful, with strength equal to challenge
a giant and the magical aptitude to duel an Elven Loremaster, yet simultaneously subtle and clever creatures skilled in the
art of every sort of manipulation imaginable. It cannot be tricked or beguiled, for they see through the most cunning
Skaven plans, and are able to smell lies and discern true intentions with supernatural sight. It is natural to see why the
Grey Seers are reluctant to summon a Verminlord, for to date only one Skaven has been able to hide his intentions from
the sight of a Verminlord. The moment a Verminlord steps onto the mortal plane it can already see the intentions of its
summoners and is already working to weave them into their unknowable plans. Thus though the Grey Seers threaten to
call open the Verminlords often, they are loath to actually do so.
In them all the strengths and weaknesses of the Skaven are heightened to a supernatural degree. A Verminlord is wiser
than any skaven, but retains a jealous lust for power and a love of schemes and betrayal. Their plots are seemingly
convoluted and unfathomable, and alliances shift, supplicants are switched and designs are altered seemingly at whim to
mortal creatures. Today it may bring aid, tomorrow it might put a doom glaive in the back. Yet to the Verminlord they are
mostly acting as they always have, and though the scale is grander in essence their betrayals are reminiscent of standard
Skaven temperament. Indeed though some Verminlords are fragments of the Horned Rat itself, others are raised from
particularly notable Skaven who particularly impress the Rat God.
In general Skaven Verminlords can be assigned camps by their type Verminlord Corruptors favor Clan Pestilens while
Deceivers like Eshin. However this is not always the case. Sometimes Corruptors might actively work against Pestilens for
their own cause for instance. It might be a vindication for past transgression, a continuation of some war from the
Shadow Realms or even out of unknowable schemes. This does not particularly please the Horned Rat, who has forced
them to establish a council like that of the mortals.
In times past it used to be that Verminlords would get summoned, appear for a few days at best and then be sent back as
the world failed to sustain it. However now, as the rift in reality grows wider, times have changed. Verminlords can stay
all but indefinitely in the Material Realm, until they are physically banished in battle. Worse more and more of them are
pouring into reality, intent on continuing their games in the Shadow Realm here in that of the mortal.
On the battlefield all Verminlords present obstacles of such immense fortitude. All of them are master wizards to a
degree, capable of casting spells on par with the Grey Seers. This magic can empower their words and fel speech. With
the power of its voice alone, a Verminlord can manipulate the weak-willed into doing almost anything. Foes upon the
battlefield have laid down their weapons before a Verminlord, convinced by whispered words that this was the wisest
course of action. They stare at the Verminlord trustingly as they do so even as the doom glaive falls. The rat daemons

can even call down storms of warp lightning, or disappear in a cloud of nebulous shadow only to reappear at another
location in the blink of an eye.
As Verminlords are daemonic if beaten in combat they are not killed but banished, with the exception of a few ultrapowerful weapons capable of carrying such things out.

Each Verminlord is a reflection of one aspect of the personality and will of the Skavens patron deity, the Great Horned
Rat. The Warpseer represents the desire to manipulate and control the paths of the future, ensuring his bewhiskered
children inherit the world. They are the most inscrutable of all the Verminlords with hundreds of plots behind each of
their backs. They are masters of magic, and in their casting is such that what would have been a single forked lightning is
turned into a multi-pronged variant automatically. Unlike other Skaven spells that summon regular swarms of rats theirs
are far better. So powerful is their call, that rodent kind from the shadow realms join the pack, and nothing can stop
their chisel teeth, for they are able gnaw the soul from a body in seconds.
Verminlord Warpseers alone can summon forth a scry-orb of enormous proportions. This sphere can be used to gaze
into all possible futures, allowing the Verminlord to know the unknowable and see that which is beyond sight a
powerful boon as they plot the fall of their enemies and the fate of their allies. At times of great need, the Verminlord
Warpseer can hurl this swirling orb as a weapon, its destruction releasing a miasma of multiple futures and fumes of
purest warpstone. Those caught within the blast are driven mad, reduced to utter feeble-mindedness by the nightmare
visions they are gifted.

Known as the Tyrants of Battle and the Great Stabber-Slicers,

Verminlord Warbringers embody the most warlike aspects of the Horned
Rat. They are found fighting alongside the Warlord Clans, their presence
driving nearby Skaven to acts of frenzied violence. When a
Warbringer takes to the field it will often arrive in as a dramatic fashion as
possible, so as to see the adoration by their Skaven minions and the fear
in the enemy. They may even strike up heroic poses, for even among
their haughty breed the Warbringer is self-absorbed.
All of this preening is not merely pretentiousness on the part of these
Verminlords, however. Skavenparticularly clanrats and stormvermin
rally to the awe-inspiring sight of these godly creatures. Thus can the
presence of such a Verminlord steady even the most craven force.
However in typical fashion, the Warbringer prefers not to lead from the
front, for they draw strength from merely being among the verminous
multitudes. However when they do find themselves on the front they are
formidable fighters, wielding a doomglaive to strike down enemies and a
punch-blade to disembowel large foes.
OFFENSIVE: Doomglaive and punch-blade, paired together.
Warbringer are level four wizards, capable of using the Lores of Ruin or
Plague, but with a specialization in the spell Death Frenzy. Any attempt to cast Death Frenzy by the Warbringer is far
more powerful and likely to be successfully cast than with others casting that spell.
DEFENSIVE: Moderate Magical Protection (enough to turn aside a bullet here and there) and powerful durability.

Rarely summoned to the mortal realm, Verminlord Deceivers are yet more
rarely seen, for they are Skaven treachery and stealth made real. Assassins all,
they appear without warning, dispatching their foe with brutal efficiency before
vanishing in a swirl of smoke. Perhaps the least seen of all Verminlords are the
Deceivers. This is as they prefer it. It is not their way to barge about upon a
battlefield like some clumsy warlord. Instead, their power lies in stealth. They
move in clouds of shadow, obfuscating even those around them. Only when
their intrigues are ripe will a Verminlord Deceiver step out of the darkness to
strike.
In battle these Verminlords are capable of disappearing and reappearing
throughout the battlefield, courtesy of their mastery of skitterleap. With their
Doomstars in hand they can unleash sweeping arcs of death against multiple
targets. Such is their agility, and their ability to rapidly displace themselves, that
the creatures can even throw their weapon and catch it from some completely
different part of the battlefield. In close combat, the Verminlord Deceivers
favor the Warpstiletto. A stabbing weapon the length of a man, its steeply
acuminated shape allows the blade to penetrate deeply into a foe, where its
toxic nature can do the most damage with great efficiency.

The Verminlord Corruptors are pestilence and decay incarnate, their faces rotted away by the virulent diseases
that permeate the air around them. In battle they are savage and frenzied, armed with paired Plaguereapers and
mastery of the Skavens most vile magic. There are none more malignant nor more uncompromising than these
infested terrors. Of all the Verminlords, the Corruptors often have severely decayed and, conseque ntly, the least
elaborate hornsthough simply mentioning this to one of these repulsive rat daemons is certain to begin a
vendetta that will last an eternity.
Although not above a degree of skulking, Corruptors are more likely than any other Verminlords to be at the
forefront of battle. They are zealots who incite extreme hate in others, proving especially effective in goading
plague monks into an extreme frenzy. More sorcerous than most of their kin, the Corruptors can call down
plaguestorms, shrivel skin, or vomit forth impossible geysers of noxious poisons. Should any foe live long
enough to close with a Verminlord Corruptor, their battle has only just begun. Living upon the greasy pelt of a
Corruptor can be any number of tiny parasites, stingfleas or three-eyed mites. They bite all who approach, and
infect their prey with bubonixthe flesh-bubbling disease that rots foes in minutes. As the foe reels, the
Verminlord Corruptor will then summon forth a pair of Plaguereapers, sickle-like blades which it will use to
eviscerate its enemies with a savage fury.

ADDITIONAL FACTORS: A Verminlord, despite its ascended status, is still a rat at heart. They enjoy strength in
numbers, will scurry away if the battle gets too tough and prefer to lead from the rear. A Verminlord cannot be an army
general and must rely on proxy to get its command out. They are large, daemonic creatures and thus count as having
magical attacks. Though more Verminlords are present then every, they are still exceptionally rare.

A massive tunneling Blindwyrm of the Warhammer

world could only have been caught by the wiles of
Throt the Unclean who delivered one to the main base
of operations of Clan MoulderHell Pit. Destruction
caused by failed attempts to make the largest grafted
creature ever, with whole laboratories and endless
chains of caverns (not to mention a noticeable amount
of slaves) with nothing to show. The massive creature
chained to several carts was to change the project for
making the biggest mutated monster ever.
The Blindwyrm was difficult to feed Warpstone and
died several times, rejuvenated by huge shocks of warp
lightning. Rat Ogre attachments were the only known
body products capable of holding the strain of the
body. The project took away so much work that the
attempt at molding anything else went down to nearly
nonproduction.
When it did awake as one, it slew hundreds of
Skavena huge success.
Throt was promised a great deal of wealth on top of
what he already received if he could bring back more
Blindwyrms for mass production of these creatures.
The Hell Pit Abomination is a shambling mountain of bodies, heavily stitched flesh stapled together, and several heads
and arms. It is so large it must be pinned to a large cart to remain stable, and is a roaring, rampaging, uncontrollable
monster impervious to huge amounts of damage. It has so much flesh and is treated with so much Warpstone that even
killing it the first time is no guarantee it will stay down. Only a gust of flame, charring the whole of the body can ensure it
remains dead. If it does die, sometimes a huge plague of rats will emerge, eating their way out to freedom and will then
henceforth plague the enemies that managed to fell the beast. But sometimes it regenerates itself.
But for all of its magnificent, gruesome power, it is almost impossible to control. The multiple heads vie for control and
the many arms are confused as to which mouth to shove what into, and rarely the beast is even known to kill itself as the
various Ogres battle each other. For the most part, it just wants to angrily slam and smash things while picking up
everything that walks and eating it to try and please an impossible hunger. Its many fists can be unleashed in a tornado,
with enough crushing force to level a mountainside, pulping and caking comrades and armor pieces into its flesh. Or it
might simply flail its body in a belly flop and crush those underneath before punching everything in range of its arms.
It is undeniable that where a Hell Pit Abomination goes, death and destruction of hundreds will follow. But to direct the
creature and stay clear of its path while doing so is no easy task!

No words in any language could describe the horror wrought on by

a rarely built Screaming Bell. Carefully constructed with a grueling,
ritualistic process, the Screaming Bell sees many clans join together
for its final product. Clan Skryre Engineers chant with Grey Seers to
see the flames of warp energies breathe life into the bell as it is
melted and cooled down and Clan Moulder sees to it that the pick of
their Rat Ogre litters are given as the great bell ringers.
Completed on a rough tower chassis, it is pushed into battle in
similar fashion to a Plague Furnace, but it is designed to make its
presence known. The ominous tolling of the bell resounds above all
the clamor of fighting and explosions. The peal thunders with blackhearted energy, filling all of rat-kind to feverish energy and battle
lust. The enemy meanwhile will feel the toll of dread, the ringing
bursting in their minds with magical energy as their hearts pop to the
shaking thrums. With a Screaming Bell nearby, Skaven that would
otherwise flee or cause in-fighting join in a unified band and throw
themselves at the adversaries without fear or hesitation.
Using the Screaming Bell as an altar of unholy war, a Grey Seer can
safely and securely cast his magic, empowered by the warp energies
contained within the ringing. Indeed, so much of it resonates from
the bell that it in of itself has the willpower to deny magic, coursing
with its own resistance. The Grey Seer, on his perch is also granted powers of near invulnerability as the favor of the
Horned Rat sees to his wellbeing towards success with magical barriers.
Shooting at the bell or the Grey Seer with overtly strong weapons can cause a power shockwave as the bell reverberates
with an out-of-sequence ring. The ringing increases in strength as the battle drags on and it remains in power. At the start,
stirring of unnatural energies cause the Clanrats or Stormvermin pushing the bell into a fevered pitch of strength. Midbattle, it can release flames of magical energy at the foe, buildings and structures are shaken to the core; and at the height
of its ring, the loudest of all, demons answer the calls of the Screaming Bell, attacking enemies of the Skaven all around.
Skaven around the bell begin to claw and crawl on top of each other in a tidal wave of bodies to crash down on their
adversaries, their feverish lust for battle overwhelming them to complete madness. At the peak, whole buildings can
collapse under the deafening claps of thunder at each ring, and all of rat kind (even the wounded rat nibbling at
someones heels) is filled with unholy fervor and energy, redoubling their efforts and several will die in the process they
are trying to fight so bloody hard! Eventually, the bell will not be able to toll forever, and is prone to collapsing, causing a
stinging, reverberating ring in the ears of those present in the battle for years to come, psychologically scarring them
forever.

< Seerlord Skrittar, he was so powerful and rich he had a large number of
slaves whose only job is to follow him and create a constant sight of bowing
Skaven everywhere he looks, just to satisfy his extreme egoism.

Stone throwers. Torsion Catapults. Cannon.

Artillery. Ballistae. All have one thing in
common: they launch powerful or semipowerful projectiles to crush, hammer or
split apart the foe. Sometimes explosive
rounds, shattering impact or fire can be
added to effect. The Plagueclaw Catapults
deadly arsenal is superior to these.
The bubbling vats of the Plague Priests filled
with variable poisonous disease could melt
flesh on contact, boil gas that causes instant
decay and rotten smells that would devolve a
persons brain. But alas, they are all failures;
the true aim for Clan Pestilens is to create the
one great disease that would bring ruin to all
the world of surface dwellers so that the
Skaven may rule the world, and all would
know who made it possible. In the
Southlands, the Plague Monks have a use for
their failed but still deadly concoctions.
Recycled into large globs of sloppy waste,
seeping through their containers they are
flung great distances right into enemy
formations.
After reconciliation from the second civil
war, Clan Pestilens received technical help
from the Warlock Engineers of Clan Skryre.
Soon the crude war engines built by Clan
Pestilens were replaced with the modern
Plagueclaw Catapult designs. Great wheeled
scaffolding towers; they are pushed into
position by acolytes to Clan Pestilens. The claw-like arm is pulled back where a bowl of toxic muck is heaped into it, and
as it soars across the sky, it leaves a sickly green glowing trail of warp energy.
The toxic miasma slung great distances will destroy all living things where it touches, wasting away plants, animals and
combatants (friends and foe alike). A supremely indiscriminate weapon, the waste covers a vast distance, capable of
coating a whole formation of troops, and killing nearly just as many in one swoop, tainting the area it lands. The acidic
toxins ignore armor and dont care where you came from; without active potent magical energy shields or charms you will
eventually see yourself rotting away and unless you can hold your breath forever, you will find your doom if you are
nearby.

Once used and applied for burrowing deep tunnels into mountainsides, the device has been resized on a smaller scale by
Clan Skryre and turned into a supremely devastating weapon of war. The Warp Lightning Cannon is a contraption built
by the fiendishly clever Engineers and powered by an enormous hunk of raw Warpstone. This wonder weapon generates
unearthly energy, which is directed along a rune-etched barrel forged and enchanted to channel such destructive fury.

Ignoring all manner of forests, small structures, and anything not behind a fortress wall or mountainous terrain is burnt in
an instant. The crew can draw a line to the target, using special warp-enhanced telescopic sightings, and they will know
anything in the path will be destroyed or at least severely wounded unto near death. Simply put, the Warp Lightning
Cannon fires bolts or beams of raw warp lightning, sizzling away any and all matter. Targets struck have a neat, clean hole
in the exact shape of the attack that passed through them. Once it reaches an apex point, the lightning explodes outward,
consuming as many as a hundred unfortunates caught in the blast when marching in tight formation. This weapon could
likely destroy a row of modern tanks if they were lined up directly in front of the barrel, or in one case destroyed an entire
concentrated enemy Skaven army. But the mightier the blast, the greater the possible catastrophe. It could meltdown
completely, killing all those in its immediate presence, or spin around wildly on its own before shooting in a random
direction at full power.
The Warp Lightning Cannon is one of the greatest battlefield achievements of Clan Skryre, and indeed of all Skavendom.
The huge amounts of warp energies bleeding off the weapon fuels unnatural strength to a mere two slaves who can move
and pull the mighty cannon. The two slaves are probably going to die within the day from raw Warp exposure, but its
long enough to keep the cannon very mobile for a weapon system of its size.
It is one of the most impressive equipment pieces available to the Skaven, so impressive that lesser clans can field one if
they are lucky. The most ever seen in a battle was in the Battle of Karak-A-Karak where Skryre, pulling a huge number of
resources for a final battle against the Dwarves, brought in a whopping 200 of them!

While the Hell Pit Abomination is undoubtedly the most ferocious and feared of the Clan Moulders creations, and the
Skryre-Moulder Stormfiend spectacularly potent, the flesh-crafters have indulged their creativity in crafting countless
other monster breeds of over the years. Some are beyond description, others are one-off; however some archetypes
appear with a degree of regularity when Clan Moulder marches.
The Brood Horror is one such breed. Its a
monster, originally a Giant Pox Rat, so named for its
tendency to eat all its siblings and indeed even
mother at birth. This unnatural gluttony causes it to
grow to gigantic proportions, about two times the
size of an ogre on hind legs. Other clans pay
thousands of warp-tokens for just one Brood Horror,
for as a mount it serves as an incredible status
symbol and fearsome combat monsters. Others are
bought so that they can be goaded into the enemy,
crushing those before it with immense bulk and
poison filled claws. Any wounds inflicted on the
creature result in acid spilling everywhere. Of course
as Skaven love to tinker, so some of these might be
fixed with rusted plate armor, warpstone infused
claws & incisors, deadly rotting pestilent breath or
the sharpening of the tail to sword-like sharpness.

The Burrowing Behemoth is a creature designed specifically to further the spread of the Skaven Underempire. Its an
immense creature capable of drilling massive tunnels through the Earth. The Skaven can prop these up with support
structures (though these structures are hardly worthy of the name!) and use them as routes to send forth massive armies,
and with direction the Burrowing Behemoth can be a boon to any Moulder commander. If the commander wishes these
creatures could be directed to burrow right into an enemy force. In combat the Behemoth uses its immense girth and
vicious digging claws to drill through enemy linemen.
Rarest of all is the Chimeraerat. Taking inspiration from the multi-headed hydras of the Dark Elves, the Chimeraerat is a
combination of a beasts body with razor-sharp claws, immense bulk, and three serpent-like necks that are connected to
rat heads. This incredible, stitched together monstrosity shows just how far the insane Moulder Masters can go in creating
the newest flesh creature. It can also breathe warpstone fire in close ranges to immolate enemies as its hauls its incredible
bulk across the battlefield. These are the Skaven creations. Skaven Army book 5e notes that sometimes they might
capture something elsewhere and field it, including giant scorpions, spiders, manticores, chimera and more.

Mobility Varies
Training/Experience 2
Max Range 300 meters
Preferred Range Melee
What happens when you combined the powerful and
durable form of the Rat Ogre with the maniacal magical
weaponry of Clan Skryre? What happens when you
combine the style of a Rat Ogre with a Space Marine
Terminator? Meet the Stormfiend, the mad invention of
Skaven Frankenstein (Throt the Unclean) and Dr.
Strangelove (Ikit Claw) working together. A rare creation
of a rare true-alliance of Skaven major clans working
together, the Stormfiend is a powerful creature in the
Skaven arsenal.
The pair spent at least a year working and planning
together, running into various difficulties involving
intelligence and how to use the weapons well. There
were many failures as weapons went out of control or
those Packmasters forcibly bonded to a Rat Ogre took
revenge on their master. As there were no willing
volunteers, Throt had little choice but to grow them
himself. Through gruesome and repugnant techniques, Throt grew the required subjects and merged other parts with
captives or slaves. The result was a batch of scrawny and submissive skaven with unusually large brains. Once
permanently integrated into a warpstone-powered harness and rigged with coils and tubes, the Skavens body would
become more and more atrophied. Eventually, if it lived long enough, the skaven would become little more than a
shriveled husk with an auxiliary brain that could help steer the savage beast with which it was melded. Early results were
astoundingly successful the rat ogres remained ferocious, yet they could be briefly controlled by the far more sensible
brain-creature hardwired into their back.
At first there was great reluctance by Ikit Claw to even participate. However, as each technical problem was overcome,
Ikit Claw began to see great advantages. The hulking rat ogres could bear heavy weapon loads; a fact that allowed them to
carry multiple guns along with the necessary ammunition feeds or warp-generator power sources.
Despite Ikits misgivings, Throt proved especially adept. Without question, the Master Moulder sawed off bits of arm
bone to facilitate the attachment of warp-forged gauntlets, or increased the rate of brain-juice transference to better allow
the brain-creature to guide his brawny teammate. It was Throt who suggested an automatic cut-off mechanism on the
Ratling cannons, for it had proven impossible to get the rat ogre or its brainier counterpart to stop firing, resulting in
them using up their ammunition in one sustained spray of bullets.
To trial the new weapon-beasts, a handful of them were released into a sealed slave pen. The results were spectacular. The
weapons were improved and more deadly than ever. Better still, they were not carried by skaven, but by hulking brutes
that could more easily shrug off enemy arrows. In the few cases where enemies got close enough to attack the newly
dubbed Stormfiends, they found themselves mauled, crushed or battered by club-like weapon barrels.
When the skaven overran Tilea, the Stormfiends were unveiled before the Warlord Clans. The sight of a rat ogre armed
with doom-flayer gauntlets and wearing armour full of spinning blades wading through a street battle was enough for
many to place orders immediately. Skaven warlords simply stood agog as they witnessed three Ratling cannons borne
upon a single rat ogre, whirring away to single-handedly halt enemy countercharges. Soon, Clan Skryre and Clan Moulder
could not produce the up-gunned weapon-beasts quickly enough, no matter how many warptokens they overcharged.

Typically fielded in groups of three, the Stormfiend is the single most destructive unit in the Skaven arsenal.
Armed with ranged weapons and its powerful armor it can bring down Dwarven fortified positions that here he too could
not be taken without Dwarves sniping weapon teams. In combat these Rat Ogres can carve paths through entire hordes,
even beat large creatures with either special warpstone weapons or even just wielding their spent gun. Though all Skaven
technology has hiccups, the Stormfiend is the perhaps the most powerful unit the Skaven received in the End Times.
OFFENSIVE:
In addition to their own great strength, Stormfiends can utilize one of the following for each Stormfiend. All are magical
weapons and thus count as magical attacks.
-Ratling Cannons: Strapping 3 oversized Ratling Guns gives a single Stormfiend almost as much firepower as half a
squad of Space Marines. Spitting large bullets made from Warpstone, they inflict serious damage at the range of a
machine gun with greater rate of fire.
-Doom Flayer Gauntlets: By attaching huge motorized iron balls and whirring blades onto the ends of a Stormfiends
arms, a truly fearsome tunnel-fighter was created. To further protect these close-combat maulers, they bear heavy armour
adorned with spinning cleaver-blades.
-Grinder Fist: Some of Throts Stormfiends were adapted to carry warp-grinders, allowing them to create their own
tunnels by vaporizing soil, rock and roots alike and thus serving the same function as a Warp Grinder team. . Once in
combat, such a Stormfiend will grind at the foe, disintegrating flesh with ease.
-Shock Gauntlets: For the ultimate in shock assaults, Stormfiends armed with electrified gauntlets were produced by
Clan Skryre. Powered by warp generators, it is the heavy armour the beast wears that is the true weapon, for it conducts
arcs of warp lightning that wreath the rat ogres body in crackling energies. Simply being near one of these creatures is
enough to sizzle many foes to a burnt crisp.
-Wind Launchers: Some Stormfiends bear paired wind launcher mortar-fists. Mundane armour offers no protection
against the vapors released by the poisoned wind globes lobbed into the fray by these weapons. With each shot, a new
glass orb filled with gaseous death clicks into position, ready to be fired. Can range from a mere 5 meters to a whopping
300 m. This weapon ignores physical toughness though sometimes misfires into Skaven ranks.
DEFENSE: Light armor usually plus rat ogre durability. If equipped with Doom flayer or shock gauntlets they can bring
Warpstone armor in.

Once, Ghoritch was a tribal chieftain of Khorne, a soldier in Archaeons army. Like all minions of Khorne he fell in love
with battle and fought notably throughout the campaign in Kislev. Such was his bloodlust that one day he led his entire
tribe into a fortified Imperial position, which resulted in their total defeat and the death of everyone in the tribe save
Ghoritch. Alone the chieftain returned to Archaeon. Archaeon, furious, gave Ghoritch the worst fate he could think of at
the moment; he handed them over to the flesh crafters at Clan Moulder.
The head flesh crafter, Throt the Unclean, saw great potential in this warrior and singled him out for a series of
experiments that led to his brain getting transplanted into a Rat Ogre. Amazingly this process didnt drive Ghoritch totally
mad! To test his abilities he was then put in an arena where Moulder threw wave after wave of creatures at him, all of
which Ghoritch managed to beat. As a result of this impressive skill and his comparative lack of scheming when
compared to other Skaven, the leader of Clan Moulder put him in charge in helping to handle the beasts of Moulder and
eventually promoted him to a leader of Moulders armies. This has not pleased Throt who now schemes against his
former charge.
In battle Ghoritch is a leader who can, through primal
savagery and his own force of will, usually prove
extremely successful in controlling the beasts under his
command. However he himself has not lost his more
primal leanings and the influence of Khorne looms large
still over him. In battle he will give into the chaotic,
berserker-style combat of Khorne and tear into enemies
with the same savagery of the animals around him.
However he is noticeably more powerful, courtesy of his
great skill and warpstone enhanced, piston-driven claws
which ignore armor.

Mobility 6
Training/Experience 4-5
Max Range Couple dozen meters maybe
Preferred Range Ill be right back!
Role: Tactical Commander
Tretch Craventails rise is a supreme example of how quickthinking, luck and mastery of Skaven Virtues can lead even a
lowly Clanrat to rise to a position of powerful Chieftain. Tretchs
unique brand of cunning was quickly made manifest when, as a
Clanrat, he was assigned a number of Goblin slaves to guard by
the Clawleader. Stealthily Tretch gave the goblins a type of
moonshine that turned the creatures into fanatical, whirling, death
dealers. They then conveniently were unleashed in tightly backed
tunnel right as all the Clawleaders and chieftains of his clan were
convening to argue about where they should go next. Needless to
say, the result was bloody. Tretch assumed the title of clawleader
soon after.
Thus began Craventails incredible rise through the ranks,
perpetuated at every step by a superior who fell in a convenient
accident. At its latest injunction Tretch seized the Rictus title of
Grand Chieftain of the Deep Places after the previous holder died when stalactite disguised rat fell from the ceiling and
cut him in half. Now in one of the highest positions of his clan and set to rise further, Tretchs seething and fearful
commanders increasingly sent him on suicide missions. Yet, like Thanquol, Tretch placed an uncanny ability of ensuring
that he was away from danger just at the right, opportune moment leaving the rest of his accompanying clawpack to be
slaughtered. Even in examples where the Skaven losses were total there would always be at least one survivor Tretch
.Just the same Tretchs opportunism ensured multiple examples of success against the enemy.
In the Battle of Black Crag it was Tretch that discovered a secret tunnel-path allowing the Skaven to flank a Dwarf
gunline, that sank an Imperial Galleon on the river Aver, that stole every single goblin out from under the Black Orc
warlord Dagbad. It has been said among the Skaven that Tretch has a muzzle for knowing both when to exploit victory
and when to flee failure. He is an expert at attacking disadvantaged and unaware foes in the Skaven, gifted with the
prescience to quickly leave positions soon to be destroyed and emerge elsewhere in the army. Tretch is known among the
Skaven as a raider without peer for that reason.

Skweel Gnawtooth was born a runt, a weakling in a litter

and a species where the slightest show of weakness is
enough to get murdered, devoured and eaten. However,
like Tretch and Thanquol, Skweel is an example of how a
Skaven with a special talent can survive not only to
adulthood, but prosper. Skweels talent was his pre-natural
talent at taming, leading and commanding the beasts of the
Underempire. As a lowly clanrat his affinity with smaller
rats resulted in his rivals disappearing into the dark tunnels,
carried off screaming by hordes of vermin. Eventually this
rise caught clan Moulders attention, who then hurled him
into a beast pit without training as part of a first step for
training as a Beast master.
Once again Skweels unnatural affinity prevailed, and
unlike almost all applicants he was not mauled once.
Impressed, the Moulder hierarchy made him an exemplary
beast master, an individual the Moulder Lord of Decay
Lord Verminkin does not loam out except for the highest
price. In his missions Skweel has hunted down rogue
assassins, led forays into the Dark Lands and tunneled into
a Dwarf stronghold. All manner of beasts bend their will
towards him, with only the mighty Hell-Pit Abomination proving immune to his ability.
In battle Skweel often commands the most difficult to control but formidable and mutated specimens. Often these
creatures have regeneration, grafted limbs, venom glands, innate viciousness or some other foul attribute to their name.
These creatures and incredibly loyal to the Packmaster and will fanatically attack any enemies nearby that threaten his life,
even unbidden (a fact Skweel most certainly appreciates!)

Lord Skrolk is one of those characters who should not be,

but is. His very presence is known to poison plant life
around him, cause insects to drop from the sky, and make
the air poisonous. He is the first of the mighty Plaguelords
of Nurglitch, and is ancient by all Skaven reckoning. Yet
despite his age Skrolk remains as spry as a far younger
Skaven and far more durable to harm, courtesy of
uncounted number of diseases taking hold under his skin.
Pustules and lesions line every aspect of his flesh and
periodically a new disease will form just on this noxious
skin. His reflexes however are amazing and he is said to be
able to snatch a fly from the air.
Skrolk is as dedicated to the cause of Clan Pestilens as one
can be, even more so. In fact when he first saw Nurglitch
he clawed his eyes out on the spot, as he wanted his last
sight to be that of his bosses pestilent body which was, to
him, the vision of corruption and thus perfection.
However thanks to the magic of his station and possibly
the Horned Rat himself, Skrolk isnt blind. The first and
mightiest plaguelord has a certain magical sight that allows
him to physically see corruption in various shades, being
able to tell is presence just by looking at you.
In battle Skrolks very aura is so noxious that only the
most extreme devotees of Pestilens can survive any extended period of time in his presence. He wields the Rod of
Corruption, a magical staff so terrible that just a single hit can cause all but the toughest creatures to rapidly decay and die.
In his other hand Skrolk carries the Liber Bubonicus to use on a single enemy unit at ranges of 300 meters, inflicting a
particularly potent magical plague on them that causes rapid decay (usually; sometimes the spell has no effect). To top it
all off Skrolk is a wizard who uses the Lore of the Plague.
Historically, in the End Times Skrolk was charged with the total destruction of the Lizardmen faction. This he tried to
instill the traditional way, by inflicting the continent with loads and loads of plague. This he was mostly successful in,
however the Lizardmen resistance was such that, despite the vast majority of Pestilens getting involved, he still was unable
to inflict total victory. However several cities fell and many Slann were killed and, though the Pestilens force nearly
completed routed they were rallied by Skrolk working together with a Verminlord named Vermalanx. Together the two
escalated the poisoning of the land itself, destroying yet more temples, monuments and geometric reserves. Finally Skrolk
launched an attack on Itza just as the chief Slann Mazdamundi and his cohorts, desperate to stop the impacts of the
moon from destroying the world, fled to the great temple of Itza, central to the geometric node. It was a bitter battle with
the Skaven force getting the upper hand but ultimately, even though the battle was lost, Krog-yar, champion general of
the Lizardmen, impaled Skrolk through the heart with his magical spear. In a rage Vermalanx drove Krog-yar back and
teleported away, thus missing the destruction of Lustria from the moon along with the vast majority of Clan Pestilens.
According to Skreech, Skrolk is still out there somewhere, protected by Vermalanx, along with the mysterious seventh
plaguelord...

Adaptive Creativity: 56/100 Pestilens strategies are usually fairly straight forward and tried and true. Spread
diseases, attack en masse, create more diseases, attack. Occasionally some variations thrown in for good
measure.
Tactics: 53/100 Above average commander, though still loses quite a bit
Strategy: 63/100 Skrolks strategy, though with many hiccups and some unexpected (unanticipated ) support
from the Grey Seers that put the Slann into a coma was pretty successful, and Pestilens may well have finally
beat the Lizardmen conventionally before the meteor hit.
Intuition: 58/100
Audacity: 79/100 Skrolk has little fear, and is one of those who (like Queek) will take to the field if he has to,
though unlike the Headtaker he will flee more readily.
Experience: 84/100 Several hundred years old
Discipline: 65/100 Skrolk has a very disciplinarian stretch, and Pestilens themselves have a brotherhood rare
among the Skaven, even if it still has Skaven traits.
Inspiration: 65/100 Skrolk is held to near religious euphoria by many in the diseased brotherhood, and these
fanatics may indeed die for him. Though many still scheme against him
Corruption: 90/100

Deathmaster Snikch is a much feared legend among the

Skaven, a killer of such skill that his name is spoken in
whispered tones throughout the Underempire. The very
thought that Nightlord Sneek, leader of Clan Eshin, is going
to deploy this assassin is enough to make Warlords squirt
the musk of fear, with even powerful leaders such as Queek
and Thanquol deeply fearful of the possibility. This suits the
Nightlord just fine, for its easier to threaten Snitch then to
actually send him, for the list of Eshin targets grows faster
than Snitch could conceivably eliminate them.
His history is legend. Warlord Sskut of Murkpit had his
head neatly stacked on top of a pyramid of the heads of one
hundred of his Stormvermin bodyguard. When Clan
Festerlingus began selling a mixture of giant rat and alligator
that defied Moulders monopoly of such beasts, Snitchs
mark was found over the mutators bodies. Nor is he
limited to just Skaven targets. He flayed the skin of Celestial
Wizard Heirnrich Frisen in his own locked tower (despite
multiple magical wards and defenses) and took the head of
Dwarf lord Dromgar in his heavily fortified stronghold.
Most notably and importantly, in the End Times, he spent
years climbing the massive mountain of Karak-a-Karak to
find the perfect vantage point to slay the Dwarf High King Thorgrim, before cutting off his head and deploying arcane
symbols to allow Lurklox, Verminlord patron of Eshin, inside. This Verminlord then deployed magic to bypass Dwarf
anti-summoning runes, brought in a bunch of Gutter Runners and then opened the gates of the mighty Dwarf hold from
the inside, leading to its final fall.
Snitch doesnt just limit himself to assassinations, being a master saboteur as well. The Great Fire of Lothern, the
bombing of the Imperial Navy in Reiksport and the destruction of Engineer Thorsons Iron Cog Dragon on the eve of a
key battle were all thought to be him. With a whirl of triple weeping blades in hand and tail, as well as a cloak that renders
the user silent and unseen, Snitch is probably the greatest assassin of the setting, barring possibly Lurklox.
OFFENSIVE: He uses three Weeping Blades with extreme skill, and is presumably a master of Eshin hand to hand
movements. Also possesses poisoned throwing stars.
DEFENSIVE: Extreme ability to dodge and move around unseen, courtesy of the Cloak of Shadows. It should
be noted that his Initiative fast reaction is equal only to the top 3% or less of Elf warriors in all of Warhammer.
Skrolk, who can snatch a fly out of the air, has half of his skill in this area.

Of all the nine lords of Hell(pit), the master mutators of

Clan Moulder, Throt the Unclean is probably the most
formidable and ugliest. After working for a lifetime with the
dangerous substance known as warpstone, Throt has
managed to grow bony protrusions from his back and a
third arm from his stomach. Once, an accident took his left
eye so Throt shoved a giant chunk of maddening warpstone
in there, with direct access to his brain now. All these
mutations and upgrades have worsened his Black Hunger
to the point where he is now ravenous even by Skaven
standards to the point where he must eat both more often
than normal Skaven (consider that normal Skaven measure a standard day by 18 feeding times) and more in quantity,
needing to consume up to four times his own body weight daily. He can literally eat a Rat Ogre in one sitting! If he
doesnt eat he quickly starts dying.
If he has shown a willingness to experiment with himself, its double for others. Throt has imported all manner of
creatures into Hellpit, experimenting constantly to discover new attributes. It was Throt who created, in conjunction with
Ikit Claw of Clan Skryre, the new and powerful Stormfiend. He also discovered how to make these creatures and indeed
all Rat Ogres bigger and more powerful. Throts genius in crafting new types of beast led him to insert poison bombs in
his Hellpit Abominations in the Battle of Karak Kiadrin, which allowed the Skaven to destroy the Dwarf hold without
invading it.
In battle Throt is often accompanied by legions of his beasts, many of them likely mutated beyond the normal strain.This
serves dual purposes, serving him both in battle and sometimes(re: often) as a mid-battle snack! In terms of control he is

even better than Packmaster Skweel in ensuring the beasts maintain loyalty to him. He comes directly equipped with a
magical whip, Things-Catcher, and blade courtesy of his three arms.

For several centuries (possibly six or seven) Ikit Claw has been the
premier weaponsmith of the Skaven Underempire. Under his name
have been such key inventions as the Warp Cannon along with the
recent Stormfiend and various (luckily failed) doomsday devices.
Countless thousands of slaves have been blasted to bits in testing
these devices as Ikit traveled the world to steal secrets from Eastern
Cathay, the dimensional tech of the Lizardmen, even working briefly
under the slave masters of the Dawi Zharr to learn what they know.
However one day Ikit was too close to a failed experiment (or
underestimated its blast radius) and the Skaven Warlock suffered
massive injuries. Rather than fret and bemoan his fate Ikit built an
entire exoskeleton, along with a mask that obscures his face. At the
same time he constructed his powerful Warp generator, which is
strong enough to hold far more energy than any lower minion,
making him a level 3 wizard. Not content with just that he
constructed the magical halberd, a small warpfire thrower, a warpstone locator and other weird devices into his suit in a
Skaven parody of Iron or Batman.
In the End Times, Ikit warred with Queek for the title of the most effective Dwarf crusher. It was his genius and alliance
with Moulder that saw the creation of the Stormfiend, allowing many hardened points to fall before the onslaught. It was
his cunning that helped in the unseen destruction of Karak Azul. In Karak Kiadrin, the fierce Slayer Hold, he built
massive poison gas bombs and then fitted them inside incredibly durable Hell Pit Abominations along with attaching
warpstone braziers. These were then sent directly into the Dwarf gate, tanking lots of cannon fire, blowing up the gates
with the braziers, and then detonated the gas bombs. The entire hold was poisoned and killed as the gas seeped
underground. Ikit also took part in the final battle of Karak-a-Karak, though he was nearly killed.

He very narrowly escaped death in this hold, only to appear months later in Sylvania. There he was ordered by the
Council of Thirteen to sabotage the Black Pyramid from within, the source of much of Nagashs power. Though almost a
suicide mission Ikit was obliged to accept, as the new purges in the Skaven society had rendered even his exalted position
threatened. Cautiously, Ikit drilled into the Black Pyramid with warp grinder teams from beneath. It was by fortune alone
that he emerged after Nagash had left the building, drawn out by a Nurglite distraction force. After digging in he was
immediately set upon by palace guards while his warlock engineers fumbled with the Warp Bombs. Unfortunately, one of
them messed up and set the bomb before it could be timed right. Without hesitation Ikit teleported away as the chain
reaction of the bombs blew up the Black Pyramid, ruining Nagashs plans. According to author Josh Reynolds he then
spent the rest of the End Times fleeing from Nagashs assassin King Phobias.

Ikit Claw is a Level 3 Wizard who uses spells from the Lore of Ruin. Thanks to his suit he is physically strong enough to
even rip horses in half. He comes equipped with the Halberd 'Storm Daemon, a magical halberd that can unleash a
powerful burst of Dark Lightning at up to 300 meters. Also his suit has a small Warpfire projector built into it.
Defense: Is protected by an armored suit stronger than a knight's armor and with some latent magical protection as well.
Adaptive Creativity: 80/100 Though limited only to the arcane science of his breed, Ikits ingenuity has created new
inventions and saw Dwarf holds purged of life in innovative ways, such as the Hellpit Abomination gassing of Kiadrin.
He is the one who comes up with most Skryre superweapons, including the design for the Warpmoon project (though
given to someone else, this eventually blew up the moon).
Tactics: 61/100 Ikit, though dedicated mostly to his inventions, is no slouch tactician. He can react quickly on the field,
and has led many successful attacks, from Black Pyramid to Karak Kiadrin when the slayers poured forth. Though large
numbers of his forces usually die Ikit cares not so long as the job is done or his own skin is saved.
Strategy: 34/100 One of the main problems with Skryre in general and Ikit in particular is that they dont think things
through properly to the end. They get tunnel vision and focus only on a certain element. For example in the Warpmoon
project the Skaven only wanted to bring the Warpstone on the moon down so they blew it up- not bothering to consider
what would happen if the Warpmoon came crashing down to earth. In Thanquols Doom Ikit tried to deploy the
Doomsphere merely so he could prove to the world he had the bet destructive device by shattering the fault lines, not
considering or caring that in doing so he would kill the Underempire as assuredly as the Dwarves.
Intuition: 50/100
Audacity: 85/100 Like all Skaven Ikit is extremely willing and able to sacrifice the lives of his troops. And like other
commanders the moment things get hot, he bolts.
Psychological Warfare: 52/100 Though Ikit understand the value of good terror, he doesnt use it all that much and is
more practical minded.

Experience: 80/100 Several hundred years and has traveled literally all around the world, studying and sometimes
fighting other cultures (as well as stealing their tech!).
Discipline: 43/100 Ikit is renowned for his extreme temper and heated passions causing him issue with others. Though
calm when dealing with causalities of his own this temper can affect his battlefield judgement.
Inspiration: 49/100 - Skaven usually dont hold a lot of inspiration for their leaders. Ikit is no exception and his
followers have tried to kill him multiple times. However in battle he has demonstrated the ability to keep the underlings
going (through violence on the enemys part when he needs to step in).
Corruption: 95/100 Wants to kill everything, horrifying even Thanquol upon whom he turned the Doomsphere on
(the latter who just wanted to threaten with it, not actually use it).

Nurglitch, he who is tenth on the council, is the leader of

Clan Pestilens and its thrall clans, as well as one of the most
important figures in the Skaven world. He has dedicated his
life to what he considers the true path of worship for the
Horned Rat, the spread of disease and decay to all corners of
the Underempire and beyond. He is considered the very
mortal embodiment of decay among the Skaven and thus
worshipped in a near god-like manner by his clan and those
clans thrall to Pestilens.
Nurglitch is a title rather than a name. There have been many
Nurglitchs on the council in the almost 2,000 years since
Pestilens gained a seat on the council, but this current
Nurglitch is one of the most ambitious of the lot, at least
since the Black Plague era. In the End Times, Nurglitch
sought the total destruction of the Lizardmen and the
ascension of Pestilens to a dominant position over all
Skavendom. He only failed because Clan Skryre blew up a
moon over his holdings (which the Lizardmen declined to
protect when they used moon fragments to blast the majority
of it away from other areas of the world). Doubtless a
greatly weakened Nurglitch is scheming to recover from this
decimation, though whether he can and the other clans will
let him is a different story altogether.
In battle an unnatural aura of vileness permeates the air
around the Lord of Decay, enough to make lesser foes flee.
This is just as well, as to step close (25meters) to Nurglitch is
invite death as the unholy disease known as the Grim Ague
makes enemies weaker and may even inflict death if the
enemies constitution is found lacking. His patron has gifted
him with magical protection capable of enduring even bullets
at times. As the embodiment of Skaven corruption he can
hurl nasty plagues at foes from afar, or unleash them through
his scepter said to contain the essence of every plague in
Lustria.
OFFENSIVE: Bubonic Scepter. It is a close combat
weapon and can fire off magical plagues against the enemy in
battle, capable of devastating whole regiments depending on
which plague comes out. He is a Level 4 Wizard specializing
in the Lore of the Plague.
DEFENSIVE: Nurglitch has a terrible aura making it hard to get near him and is blessed with magical protection and
enhanced durability.

Long ago, there was once a Council of Thirteen that lusted

after the warpstone found underneath a certain mountain,
that known as Cripple Peak. Unfortunately for the Skaven
there was a mean old deathmancer named Nagash there,
who did not want to give up the mountain. The two forces
fought for decades to the point where Cripple Peak became
associated with unavoidable death in the Skaven Empire,
and to where even the Skaven began to see their resources
exhausted. Fortunately for them, Nagash was also
exhausted and thus turned to them to make a deal: he
would give them Warpstone in return for peace. Though
suspicious, the Council of Thirteen accepted.
These suspicions turned out to be correct when, after a
massive ritual, Nagash suddenly controlled an army of
millions of undead. The Council panicked, for that force
was more than enough to wipe out their empire in its
entirety, and quickly convened an emergency session. There,
the Skaven did something unthinkable, something
unprecedented in Skaven history and that has only been
done three times sincethey all agreed unanimously that Nagash was a threat and that they should do something about
it. One of them suggested creating a sword made of pure warpstone that would then be blessed by all their powers and
handed over to a pawn to kill Nagash with. This they did so, using the last living Nekeharan to destroy Nagash while
protecting their pawn with magic. Unfortunately, despite Nagash being exhausted from casting an extremely powerful
magic spell, despite the surprise attack and the potency of these Skaven sorcerers, The feedback from the duel still killed
two of the council. However the day was won and Nagash dead for 1,000 years. The Horned Rat had never been prouder
of his children. However the rest of the council promptly ruined the moment by proceeding to bicker more than ever
before.

Verminking was a Verminlord like no other. He incorporated within his being the stealth of Clan Eshin, the arcane talents
of the grey seers, the technological insight of Clan Skryre, the flesh-crafting skills of Clan Moulder, and the warrior
ambition of the Warlord Clans. Although Clan Pestilens had not yet been formed at the time of Nagashs fall, the
forebears of their founders were upon that Council of Thirteen, and they too now resided within Skreechs twisted body.
In this manner, Verminking bore great knowledge of disease, along with a burning zeal to spread that corruption in the
name of the Horned Rat. It was this rat put in charge of the Verminlord Shadow council.
In the End Times, Verminking was the primary mover of the Verminlords and the main sponsor of Thanquol. He did
this to the complete bewilderment of his colleagues, being the only one of two that wanted to do anything other than
execute the Grey Seer (the other, Soothgnawer, the Verminlord main supporter of the Grey Seer, gave only reluctant
support because supporting a grey seer was better than supporting none at all). Together they took over Nuln, with the
Verminlord providing powerful magic for the battle. They traveled back and forth between Lustria, Skavenblight and
Middenheim, where the three made an alliance with the Everchosen. Finally, at the end of the Thanquol book, Skrech
helped Thanquol become Seerlord. However, if he could see the Seerlords true thoughts, maybe he would be less ecstatic
about the situation.
OFFENSIVE: He can use a Doomglaive or Plaguereaper (see Verminlord). He is a level 4 wizard with a specialty in The
Dreaded Thirteenth Spell that allows him far greater chance of success.

DEFENSE: The same basic protection of the Verminlords, plus his great durability.

Queek Headtaker is the greatest warlord of Clan

Mors in service of council leader Gnawdwell,
who in fact raised Queek personally after he
noticed the warlord, as a pup, attack and devours
all his siblings. He has fought in thousands of
battles in his short 12-14 years of life against
virtually every foe the Old World has to offerthough he specialized in two. Dwarves and
Greenskins.
Queek Headtaker is one of the few Skaven in
history that is genuinely not a coward. In fact he
is a bloodthirsty headhunter of a warlord that will
frequently lead from the front, warn the enemy
before he attacks that he is going to attack, fight
off assassins regularly and even does the
unthinkable for a Skaven. He willgo into
combat while severely outnumbered, has an ego massive even by Skaven standards and constantly refers to himself in
third person. Needless to say Queek is stark-raving mad who talks to and hears voices from his trophy collection.
In the events of the novel Headtaker Queek was sent to deal with the Dwarves of Karak Azul, reluctantly leaving his
favorite battleground of Karak Eight Peaks. Immediately, he revealed his madness by doing everything he could to speed
up the fighting even when it ran contrary to the Councils wishes. When the Dwarves, in desperation, were on the verge
of storming out the mountain to fight against the Orcs nearby keeping their kinsfolk captive the other Skaven
commanders were initially happy, for this way they could fulfill the councils edicts of taking Karak Azul and thus denying
the Dwarf race their greatest armories. Not if Queek had anything to say about it!
To that end he warned the Dwarves, right before they would have left, personally in a grotesque manner that the Skaven
would attack soon. He did this all because he wanted King Kazadors head for his trophy pike and the fall of Azul was
worthless to him without it. As a result the Dwarves were prepared, the Skaven were not and Queek even charged into
battle before the Skaven force could fully mobilize, thus doing a taboo among the Skaven and fighting while
outnumbered! Though the battle was impressive and close fought, the Skaven force lost with many of Queeks rivals
muttering fiercely in their hatred of him. Queek genuinely had almost no interest in Skaven politics however and thus
when the Dwarves sent a expeditionary force out to still kill that Orc warlord he followed.
In a three-way battle between the Orcs, Dwarves and the Skaven Queek showed that, though the other Skaven warlords
think him mad, he is no fool. He arranged for the death of most of his arrivals in one battle, including arranging for the
malfunction of a Skryre Weapon device on a massive scale. In the end one enemy survived but with broken legs while the
rest were dead, and Queek gained a new trophy head. Moreover, though Azul was not taken and King Kazador still lived
he did manage to ensure that there would be no reinforcements from Kazador to Belegar in Karak Eight Peaks, though
this might have just been accidental.

In the beginning of the End Times Mors chief Warlord Gnawdwell made an agreement with the aging Queek who
desired that empty seat on the council. If Queek were to take himself more seriously and conquer first Eight Peaks and
then Karak-a-Karak for Mors, then he would give Queek the anti-aging elixir that the rest of the council has. Now
motivated, Queek set about trying to bring Karak Eight Peaks fully under his control after the Skaven had already seized a
slim majority of it.
The campaign began with a bang. Queek worked with Clan Skryre to smuggle a series of massive bombs into the summits
of four mountains, and then on one day he blew them all up. Two were duds, as is usual with Clan Skryre technology.
The third was half-successful, blowing up only a portion of the mountain while the fourth blew up the entire mountain
peak. Tens of thousands of Greenskins died in that moment, and the momentum quickly shifted to favor Mors. Putting
the Grey Seer Kranskritt (reluctantly) to fight Night Goblin Skarsnik for a time, Queek focused on assaulting the fortified
positions of the Dwarves.
Despite losing incredible numbers, a conservative minimum of 30-40 dead Skaven for every Dwarf, Queek threw his
troops in endlessly in assaulting these positions constantly at all angles, knowing like Grant vs. Lee in the Civil War that
his forces could take the attrition and the Dwarves could not. One by one battered Dwarf positions fell. Once, the
Dwarves attempted a sally with the help of bribed Ogres, only for the battle to erupt in confused three ways fighting as
Skarsnik came in and revealed that he had given the Ogres a larger offer, turning them to his side. In this melee Queek
and Belegar dealt each other great wounds, a second Skaven force led by Kranskritt (who originally intended to betray
Queek) unexpectedly showed up to help. All three main leaders retreated however after a cave-in collapsed the
battleground.
With the Dwarf force more or less confined to their citadel at this point Queek focused on a final showdown with
Skarsnik. Though the Night Goblin had taken significant losses with the unexpected destruction of some of his
mountains, Skarsnik was the most cunning goblin that ever lived and had an aura that was recognized far and wide
throughout the Greenskin lands. With the End Times causing the orcs and goblins to unite more than ever Skarsniks
original WAAAAGH now included spider riders from the forest and Black Orcs from the Badlands. And, in typical
Skarsnik fashion, things were never as simple as they appeared.

At first it looked well for the Skaven. Though they had lost great numbers to Night Goblin fanatic attacks and
Doomdriver missiles, Queek broke the Black Orc center when he quickly slew the Black Orc Cheiftan in single combat.
Then the ambushes started. From tunnels hidden even to the Skaven the Night Goblins marched out in droves, deploying
monsters of all sorts to break the Skaven part even as a portion of the Skaven broke off to chase the retreating center.
Suspecting that Skarsnik would entrap his army fully if he brought those troops back Queek kept up the pursuit as he
turned to deal with an Orc Chieftan on a Wyvern. Simultaneously he sent the Grey Seer to destroy the largest and most
powerful monster in Night Goblin arsenal.
Still and despite reserves constantly arriving much of Queeks force was isolated. The Night Goblin has split many groups
into portions a few hundred strong and ambushes along the siege line destroyed all his Warpcannon batteries. However
elsewhere the ambushes began to get overwhelmed by increasing Skaven reserves, with the giant spiders being taken out
by Queeks mysterious ally, the greatest of all Verminlord Deceivers, Lurklox. Meanwhile Queek broke the center again
with the death of the orc war chieftain by Queek. Finally the death of Gobbla, Skarsniks bodyguard broke the Goblins
will to fight, though in truth he probably would have lost anyway. Skarsnik retreated back to his remaining mountain
home, though still far from completely beaten. Unbeknownst to Queek Lurklox made a deal in which Skarsnik would
leave the Peaks in exchange for the head of Belegar.
So Queek mustered his force for a final invasion of Eight Peaks, breaking through the defenses with the new
Stormfiends. The battle was bitter and large numbers of Skaven were lost but ultimately, in a bitter duel, Queek prevailed
over Belegar though the latter was admittedly exhausted from the fight and still wounded from the past encounter. The
head was claimed and Skarsnik left Eight Peaks, giving victory to Queek and the Skaven.
Over the next couple of years Queek quickly earned reputation as a anti-dwarf specialist. When Skaven had trouble
busting a dwarf hold, Queek was called in. After destroying several he was finally called in to destroy Karak-a-Karak once
and for all . Once again Queek tried to attack from every possible entrance but this time the Dwarves surprised him by
doing something they never did before- they sallied forth, with the entire Dwarf force equipped with magical weapons.
The battle was fierce, for the Skaven still outnumbered the Dwarves 500/1 and Skyres presence was so great that they
fielded hundreds of weapon systems, including over 200 Warp
Cannons. However in battle Queek met Thogrim Grudgebearer, high king of the Dwarves, and, desiring his head,
charged after him. Unfortunately for Queek Thogrim proved to more than a match for the Mors warlord. In a bitter duel
Queeks prized weapons were broken and the Warlord himself strangled to death.
This profile obviously takes place just before that battle.

OFFENSIVE: Queek wields the magical maul Dwarf Gouger and a curved sword of Cathayan origin. He is the greatest
mortal duelist the Skaven have, the only one perfectly willing to go into duels, and has bested many powerful Dwarves
and Orc Chieftains before, some with ease. He is also surrounded by a thousand elite Stormvermin known as the Red
Guard.
Queek kept his distance from the circling wyvern. He spat on the ground. Let the orc talk himself into an early grave. The
ones with the big mouths always spoke too much, leaving themselves open to Queeks mightiness.
This fight had gone on too long. If he didnt finish it soon, the green imp might win! How to end it? How to end it?
Queek burned inside.
My name, said the orc, is Krolg Krushelm! You hear that, now. I wants you to be thinking it when I guts ya! Im a real
greenskin, not like this sneaky little git here. No wonder you aint been beat yet. As soon as Im done with you, Im taking
that cave runt down. Its about time the Eight Peaks had a real boss. Krolg spurred his mount.
The wyvern roared, spraying Queek with foul-smelling spittle. The tail swiped down, jaws coming at him from another
angle, Krolgs spear from a third.
Queek had the measure of his opponents. A good fight, a fine challenge. A pity to finish it.
He ducked the sting, batted the spear tip aside with his sword, rolled under the wyverns head, sprang to his feet and, with
a powerful swing, buried Dwarf Gouger in the wyverns eye. The spike on the pick punched through the soft eyeball and
the thin bone at the back of the socket with ease.
The wyvern bellowed in agony and spread its wings. It wrenched its head back from the source of its pain. Queek kept
tight hold of Dwarf Gougers haft, letting go only when the time was right. As he arced through the air, Krolgs mouth
formed an o of surprise below his twisting body.
Krolg was still wearing the expression when his head toppled from his shoulders and rolled into the dirt.
Queek landed on his feet in a crouch, a gleeful smile on his lips.
He waited until the wyverns death throes had ceased before retrieving his favourite weapon.

Rise of the Horned Rat

DEFENSE: Warpshard Armor: Powerful Warp armor more durable than steel, when the enemy does manage to break
through the fragments that fly off try to dig into enemy flesh.
ADDITIONAL FACTORS: Queek has a trophy rack fitted to his back, which has the heads of the Skaven Sharpwit,
Ikit Slash, & Krug Ironhand. These trophies talk to him, giving him advice (that he doesnt always follow) warning him of
traps and hidden assassins. Queek might also have the strange ability to talk to the dead at least somewhat.
This madness makes it hard for Queek to manage his army entirely, however fortunately he has a very large and extremely
and unusually loyal intelligent Stormvermin bodyguard known as Ska Bloodtail to help him, who is an excellent organizer
of logistics. This is to the point Queek thinks that simply wherever he goes, whole Skaven armies just suddenly show up
behind him.
Due to past conflicts (including the one with Thanquol) Queek despises Grey Seers and has extreme difficulty working
with them.

Adaptive Creativity 63/100

Tactics: 52/100 When he commands seriously, he has actually won more than he lost. Together with his otherwise
brilliant second in command Ska (who is also extremely loyal for a Skaven) Queek uses rather basic Warlord clan
strategies but with the occasional mad twist that can win (or lose) a battle.
Strategy: 49/100 Though he ultimately won his conflicts he took severe losses and sometimes his madness can cause
him to take far greater defeats and pass up chances of great victories. Warning enemies before he attacks is not good for
strategy, even if Queek plays more serious now. He is well renowned as a anti-Dwarf specialist, an expert to crack
fortified locations.
Intuition: 59/100 Thanks to his ability to talk to the dead and the aid his talking trophies, Queek seems to have a
almost supernatural premonition.
Audacity: 82/100 The only Skaven who can score this high. However even he can show fear and reluctance, like in the
presence of Skarbrand or Lurklox. However even then he recovered from his fear of the Verminlord, though was always
wary of them.
Psychological Warfare: 61/100 Utilizing taunts, bloody examples of his trophies and his own well-deserved reputation
for madness, Queek invokes an intimidating force on and off the battlefield.
Experience: 64/100 Though only fourteen years old, he has fought thousands of battles in that lifetime against varied
enemies from other Skaven to humans to particularly Dwarves and Greenskins.
Discipline: 45/100 Sometimes he will listen to Ska or one of his talking trophy heads to abstain. Not very often
though. Sometimes too when denied enemies for an significant amount of time he falls into a rage and slaughters a
number of his own clanrats or slaves. That said he can react confidently when large portions of his army are getting
destroyed and his force is getting pummeled by monstrous Greenskins, though he finally broke and retreated in
Skarbrands presence.
Inspiration: 60/100 Queek is feared and even respected somewhat among his Skaven followers. In Karak-a-Karak it
was mentioned that, when the several million Skaven force started routing from Dwarves Queek was the only one who
could have rallied it- had he not been dead.
Corruption: 87/100

Through magic, manipulation and shrewd

intuition, Thanquol had served the UnderEmpire on many missions. In every deed and
every action, Thanquol had but one goal: how
he could exploit the situation to best serve his
own needs. And in the quest to serve his own
needs every Skaven is expendable- for who
could be more important than the chosen one
of the Skaven race?
Thanquols early account is fragmentary at
best. It is known that he was the weakest and
smallest of the litter however he was blessed
by great precognitive dreams, narrowly
avoiding the cave-in that claimed his family,
then the chemical attack by Skryre that
claimed his next hold. Guided by his dreams
he entered the order of the Grey Seers, where
many of his initiates perished attempting to do
things Thanquol himself was planning to do,
thus serving as warning. He mastered magic to
a prodigious degree and betrayed and killed
his master, devouring the spirit. Thanquol
traveled the world, from Cathay to Bretonnia,
and orchestrated battles and schemes against
Skaven and non-Skaven alike. It is telling that most of his anti-Skaven schemes were nearly wholly successful, while those
that focused on the other races only partially and usually resulting in a large number of Skaven dying.
In going with a chronological account, Thanquols detailed biography begins at the first battle of Nuln, where the Skaven
tried various ingenious solutions to try and cause a Civil War among the Empire from within. To do this Thanquol had
cultivated a human agent, a spymaster, who he had fed information that various individuals of high standing in society
were mutants and/or lovers for the Countess Emmanuelle (who the spymaster was jealously in love with). Eventually,
this would have included the brother of the Emperor, which would have led to Karl Franz marching on the city in a civil
war. Unfortunately, in what would become a recurring theme for Thanquol, his schemes were foiled by the adventuring
duo Gotrek and Felix. They killed the spymaster and Thanquols first iteration of Rat-Ogre bodyguard, Bone-ripper (note:
all his rat ogre bodyguards are named Boneripper).
Incensed, Thanquol sent a team of assassins to kill the pair. This failed. Before Thanquol could try again he discussed one
of his minions, of Clan Skryre, was trying to steal a steam tank so they could use the schematics. Though good for the
Skaven race, this would have taken credit from Thanquol- something the Grey Seer could not allow! Not wanting to get
caught out in the open he ingeniously sent an anonymous warning to Gotrek and Felix, who quickly foiled the attempt
and ended up destroying the tank. Unfortunately Clan Pestilens and Clan Moulder representatives wanted to steal credit
too, by unleashing a massive plague and a horde of mutated rats that ate, bred and defecated at an immensely fast rate
respectively. Once again, Thanquol foiled these plans by tipping off Gotrek and Felix. At the same time he planned to
capture the Countess Emmanuelle at a ball she was hosting and use her as a hostage over the city. Originally this task was

allotted to another warlord but Thanquol disagreed and the warlord thus suffered an accident involving a loaded
crossbow and a sheep.

However, by now two things had occurred that ended up foiling Thanquols plan. The first was that, though Pestilens and
Moulders plans were foiled, they were done so halfway the plague and mutated rats still got out. This ended up
devastating both the humans and the Skaven, felling a large portion of the Skaven force and then killing more when all
their food disappeared by the mutated rats. The second was that the other leaders, realizing quickly who had foiled them
individually, all aligned together to try and foil Thanquol!
To do so they themselves sent a letter to Gotrek and Felix, tipping them off to the Grey Seers plan. As a result of an
insignificant Skaven force, Gotrek and Felix leading a resistance force, and Thanquols teleportation of soldiers into the
palace being foiled when his underling accidently placed a summoning stone in the wrong zone (so Thanquol spent many
minutes wandering around the palace with his troops fruitlessly) Thanquols plan was foiled. At the last moment
Thanquol teleported himself out however, other than a single rival leader leaving early in the battle, the Skaven force was
entirely annihilated to a rat which became a recurring theme in Thanquols military career.

In disgrace, Thanquol next figured out a plan to steel a massive airship from the Dwarfs in a plan to give the Skaven a
new air fleet. He planned a large ambush to capture the vessel intact however once again, his plans were foiled by a
combination of underlings and outsiders. His underlings began to indiscriminately burn the base despite his orders not to,
and to make matters worse the accursed pair Gotrek and Felix showed up. With the exception of a single rat that
managed to climb aboard the vessel Thanquols force was once again annihilated to a rat (with the exception of himself)
and Felix threw a bomb down the Second Bonerippers throat.

Not giving up Thanquol tried again, this time figuring out where the duo would land and arrived there first. He captured
hostages and managed to set up a successful ambush, with the plan being for the ambush to kill that duo while Thanquol
uses his magical abilities to forcibly land the craft without destroying it. However, from the start, disaster strikes when one
of the hostages manages to get free and kick Thanquol in the balls. The nearby Skaven forces made the mistake of taking
Thanquols high pitched squeals of pain as an attack, which they do so prematurely. However, after recovering, Thanquol
ingests a massive amount of warpstone (enough to blow up anyone else) and manages to prove true on his boast- he
forcibly catches the airship with his magic. He nearly brings it down, but is distracted first by gyrocopters (which he swats
down) and then by Gotrek and Felix themselves. Gotreks magical blade dispels Thanquols magic on contact and once
again Thanquol has to retreat. Oh and sometime during this the third Boneripper gets killed.
Thanquol is then paired with his subordinate, Lurk Snitchkstongue, the runt of a rat who hitched a ride on the airship of
the dwarfs. Unfortunately the airship went in the wastes where Lurk was exposed to warpstone of massive quantities,
which altered him making him larger than a rat ogre and far hungrier. Thanquol only survives because he is able to bluff
his magical strength when he is basically spent from the super spell. They end up meeting a Tzeentch horde who
suspiciously escort them right to Clan Moulders stronghold of Hellpit. There the two are held hostage for Thanquol had
made many enemies in Moulder in the past. However Lurk, after being corrupted by Tzeentch sorcerers and made a
ticking time bomb that led to him leading a major revolt against Moulder. Moulder was only able to put the revolt downwhich very nearly succeeded- by virtue of a communication device Thanquol had installed in his minion several books
earlier, allowing the Grey Seer to hear all of his minions plans. Afterwards Thanquol helped Moulder beat back remnants
of the Chaos invasion itself, those that survived the battle of Praag.
However Thanquols failure saw him punished on his return. He was thrown into a giant maze by the Council of
Thirteen, the Maze of Merciless Penance. Few survive and only those of great cunning are capable of doing so. Using his
excellent intuition, planning and yes his cunning Thanquol expertly managed to foresee, dodge or even kill the living
predator in the maze- even though his hands were bound. He simply led it into another trap that he guessed at. After this
display the council ceremonially forgave him and sent him on a mission to Under-Altdorf to recover the Pestilens
superweapon known as the Wormstone. He was sent there with an apprentice known as Kratch, the last to see the
Wormstone (and who had sabotaged/killed his previous master).
Taking advantage of the Under-cities fractured politics, Thanquol played
upon his influence in the city, acquiring small armies and a new,
fearsome, Boneripper. He searched incessantly for the Warpstone,
dodging assassination attempts and sabotage from his apprentice as he
did so. His plots grew greater with every move against him, eventually
scheming to poison both Under-Altdorf (which was known as being
particularly rebellious to his bosses at Skavenblight) and the human side
of Altdorf. Ultimately, in a three way battle between the forces of a
human Shadow Mage, Lord Skrolk (who had come to seize control of
the weapon) and Thanquol his plan was sabotaged, though the
apprentice and most of all forces were killed in doing so. Boneripper IV
was torn apart by the magic of Skrolk. Like he always does Thanquol
escaped at the last moment.
However, though he did not manage to destroy either Under or SurfaceAltdorf, he put both lands in chaos. The first saw one tenth of its
population drowned, ending its ambitions to rival Skavenblight. The
second had its main source of water taken out and for a while the city
was ruled by anarchy. For this reason Nightlord Sneek of Clan Enshin
forcibly recruited him to kill the Prophet of Sotrek in Lustria. Thanquol
was reluctant at first but after Deathmaster Snitch killed Boneripper V
and nearly himself, he agreed. The expedition was a chaotic mess thanks
to the harsh geography, creatures of the land, and constant assassination
attempts on Thanquol thanks to rogue Enshin agents (which, in typical
fashion, ended up killing everyone around Thanquol) this Whittled
down his force. Too the Lizardmen utilized runes that would destroy

Skaven as soon as they passed it. To that end Thanquol, after seizing control of the expedition. He captured a human
adventurer party and used them to bypass the anti-Skaven runes, as well as sent a diversionary force that got many Skaven
killed (but allowed him and the humans to infiltrate undetected).
In the end, in typical Thanquol fashion, his entire force was killed howevermostly by accidenthe managed to
assassinate the Prophet of Sotrek. Worse as the Lizardmen of this sect of Sotrek occupied a plagued city whose very
stones were seeped in the stuff, and as it was only the prophets magic keeping it at bay, he ended up dooming an entire
Lizardmen city. However, as Thanquol left the continent on a rough dingy (with a crippled Boneripper VI as food) a lone
Slann Mage and its entourage watched his departure. It was on the tongue of this powerful being to order Thanquols
destruction. However as he looked into Thanquols future he hurriedly stopped and used his magic to speed Thanquols
journey. That is because to this beings awesome vision he saw Thanquols continued existence would hurt the Skaven
more than help.
However though that quote is well-known to those who know Thanquol it is not the end of the story. Early in the next
novel the same Slann mage contact the human mage who had foiled Thanquol in Altdorf to bring up the possibility that it
made a mistake. Though it was unsure fully if it did or not this brings up the possibility of Thanquols legendary luck even
foiling a Slanns vision.
Back in Skavenblight, Thanquol was once again blackmailed to go along with a Clan Skryre trip to Karak Azghul, a
Dwarven hold with a second, more hostile Grey Seer. Along the way his Skryre patron was killed and an Ikit Claw took
over. Thanquol was nearly killed on a suicide mission sent by Ikit and the other Grey Seer, though in typical Thanquol
fashion he emerged alive and then killed the other Grey Seer in a duel over a magical artifact known as the Hand of
Veerct. Angry that Ikit had used him as a decoy, Thanquol forced Ikit Claw to finish his work on the Doomsphere- a
device said to be capable of causing a massive earthquake that would level many Dwarf kingdoms- however Ikit betrayed
Thanquol a faction of the time before Thanquol would have betrayed him. Thanquol dreamed of using this to threaten
Skavenblight into submission. While they were fighting a Dwarf force came to attack them both. In a confusing conflict
that saw Ikit and Thanquol periodically allying with and attacking each other in the same battle the Dwarfs defeated the
Skaven force, destroyed the Doomsphere with heavy losses, and killed virtually every Skaven except Thanquol and Ikit
along with a few of his functionaries.
Fleeing in the tunnels Thanquols luck took a turn for the worse when he met Queek Headtaker. As it had been Mors
warren that Ikit/Thanquol had fought over and ultimately destroyed, and given that Queek has a massive hatred for all
Grey Seers, and as Thanquol had exhausted his magical capacities in the previous battle, it nearly ended badly for
Thanquol until he was able to play upon Queeks greater hatred- that of dwarfs. With Thanquol as a prisoner Queek
raided Karak Azghul and in his rage nearly killed Thanquol. Thanquol, desperate, used the Hand of Veect to attempt to
summon a daemon lord but the hand was booby-trapped, and he instead summoned Skarbrand, the cursed Bloodthirster.
This Bloodthirster tore through both armies (though Queek escaped) and after slaying much of the hold was only killed
by a heroic engineer, who was then killed by Thanquol (who had spent much of the battle cowering, as the Bloodthirster
kept trying to kill him). Swiftly, Thanquol teleported out.
However, though he had succeeded in getting the majority of the Skaven of several clans in the area massacred, Thanquol
treated the incident as a success. After all he had greatly weakened the hold of Karak Azghul to the point of it being
almost depopulated. He had killed one of the few engineers willing to advance technology rather than sit on what they
have, and denied the world his automated turrets and steampunk armor.
Thanquol was nevertheless demoted, and sent to garrison an out of the way Skaven town where, luck would have it, he
heard news of his old adversaries, Gotrek and Felix. Using his cunning he managed to once again assemble a force and,
after torturing Felixs father to death for information, actually managed to capture the duo. However fortune would then
play him as a fool, for in interrogating the duo they revealed to Thanquol that, despite his long held belief that they solely
existed to thwart him, they didnt remember him at all, and didnt even know his name. After breaking down for a
moment Thanquol was on the verge of torturing them to death slowly when the third individual Thanquol captured, an
elf, accidently hinted at a great superweapon.
After torturing the elf for a while it was eventually revealed this was a magical Elven artifact capable of creating giant
Tsunamies to wreck the coast! The catch was that it was on a Druichi fleet! Knowing their capacity for destruction,

Thanquol reluctantly let the trio go in the hopes they would destroy the Druichi and he could swoop in and claim the
relic. They did the first part well, but when the Skaven swooped in from their submarine they were fought off by the duo
and remaining druichi in a confused three way battle. This time Thanquols luck could not fully overcome Gotreks doom,
and his hand was cut off, the relic destroyed, his army destroyed and another Boneripper killed.
In the beginning of the e End Times Thanquol experienced initial profit, courtesy of the great Skaven loot and
destruction of Estalia and Tilea. However his fortunes took a turn for the worse when the Horned Rat called out all Grey
Seers for excessive scheming and backstabbing, killing their representative of the council. Thanquol was at a meeting of
Grey Seers where he proposed actually summoning a Verminlord, instead of just threatening to do so, to ask it for advice
on how to escape the Horned Rats wrath. The Grey Seers, remembering previous incidents with Thanquol (including the
killing of more than a few Grey Seers by his manipulations), violently kicked him out and nearly killed Boneripper, before
taking his advice anyway. In response Thanquol used his newfound wealth acquired from Estalia/Tilea to bribe a Clan
Eshin assassin team to blow up the tower they were staying in, killing many.
Thanquol was next sent to Nuln, to assist Clan Skryre in the takeover of the city and perhaps redeem himself for past
failures. Instead, given Thanquols reputation and how low the institution of the Grey Seers had sunk, he found himself
blamed for absolutely everything- even those things clearly not his fault, occurring without his knowledge when he was
miles away. Thanquol was forced by the Skryre leader of the expedition to explain each and every failure to the Council of
Thirteen, who were now much less leery about ordering the execution of Grey Seers. After being told his next failure
would be his last Thanquol got desperate enough to summon a
Verminlord. It was here that Thanquols amazing luck once again manifested, for he didnt just summon any Verminlord
but Skreech Verminking, the greatest of all Verminlords.
With Skreechs help (and the gift of a massive new Boneripper) Thanquol quickly gained control of the assault force.
Skreech boosted Thanquol with additional power, making it so he could instinctively detect when other Skaven were
lying, withholding information or what needling word to say to convince a Skaven to follow his will. Those who had
difficulty doing so Thanquol used a clever mix of false flattery and positioning to arrange so they died early in the next
battle. When the Skaven invaded they first used stealth to plant a series of drilling bombs directly underneath Nuln
factories, which sunk the district and allowed the Skaven to safely retrieve lots of Gunpowder for their Warpmoon
project. Simultaneously the invasion of the city began, and though Thanquols direct input was limited until the end, he
was there for the final break of the Empire armies to a Screaming Bell and the final capture of the city.
Afterwards Thanquol followed his sponsor, his master everywhere, skitterleaping from Skavenblight to Lustria to
Middenheim. It was in Middenheim that he orchestrated the alliance between Chaos and the Skaven, though the
experience (and the inane questions by Kalros Fateweaver) assuredly caused him trauma. Finally, in the end of Karak-aKarak, he was given the head of Dwarf High King Thorgrim to give to the council. If Felixs dream sequence in Kinslayer
is correct he may have participated, even led, the final invasion of Karak-a-Karak itself to achieve final victory for the
Skaven over the Dwarf race. With this victory Thanquol finally got his long sought desire- the position of Seerlord.
However Thanquol is just getting started and he ever hungers for more.

OFFENSIVE: Level 4 Wizard and one of the best in the underempire. Warpstone can make Thanquol reckless however
it also gives him vastly more magical power and even speed up his reaction time to duel with Skaven assassins on even
terms.
Boneripper Mk. XIII is a giant Rat Ogre with massive strength and fists. He can come equipped with a pair of massive
Warpfire Throwers for ranged combat or have that switched out for a pair of Warpfire Braziers, which are two warpstone
wrecking balls capable of pulverizing through Dwarven gatehouses. These simultaneously emit deadly Warp fumes that
are deadly to nearby enemies and allies (but strangely not Thanquol himself).

Thanquol is an addict of Warpstone tokens, frequently using

them to boost his power. Unlike most other Skaven this
causes him little problems and he somehow avoids mutating
into a Chaos Spawn, no matter how much he takes. However
it does have some drawbacks in that it can make him focus on small things excessively, boost his temper, his confidence
and make him hallucinate. On high levels of Warpstone he is one of the most powerful Skaven in existence, as the
following demonstrates

DEFENSIVE: Thanquol has an amulet that allows him to weather diseased meetings with Pestilens and overtime allows
him to regenerate from minor wounds. Thanquol has supernatural luck that has allowed him to survive more attempts on
his life than perhaps any other character in so short a time barring the sole possible exceptions of his nemesis duo,
Gotrek and Felix. Innumerable times his precognitive senses have warned him of danger at the last minute, change plans
randomly to avoid hideous death or similar feats. Sometimes its clearly not precognition at all, but improbable events
continuously and consistently occurring in his presence that ends up saving his life. Like an expect assassin will suddenly
start missing all his blow darts, a body will fall in the path of well-timed blow, guns jam and even stranger situations
occur.

---

Adaptive Creativity: 80/100 - Thanquol is extremely adaptive everywhere, his quick and agile mind quickly taking into
account, making new directions to existing plans to ensure his own maximum benefit. This quick mind has probably
prevented his execution and helped him greatly in rising to the top.

Tactics: 32/100 - Unfortunately for Thanquol, though he can come up with some innovative strategies and has won
battles before (typically off screen) he usually loses even when outnumbering his enemy a great deal . Worse he has an
infamous history of getting his entire force killed down to a rat, with only himself escaping harm . Though Thanquol likes
to claim incompetence from underlings it has happened too many times for that excuse to work.
Strategy: 55/100 - Thanks to the upgrades of Skreech Verminking, Thanquol has been able to get more successful in this
and has historically been very clever as well. It is worth noting that even when Thanquol fails and gets his force destroyed
to a rat, he usually does great damage to the enemy as well. And Skaven are usually more replaceable than the enemy.
Intuition: 83/100 - His ability to escape danger is infamous among the Skaven. Randomly Thanquol might tilt his head
back a little to miss a unseen (and unheard) blowpipe dart, drop to the floor to avoid a burst of magic, or just stand
absolutely still in place as a boulder rumbles towards him, only for all the blood and gore on the boulder to slow and stop
the boulder exactly an inch in front of Thanquol. With the Verminlords help he now has the seeming ability to read
Skaven like a Verminlord as well as the (unknown to Skreech) ability to blow his thoughts from a Verminlord.
Audacity: 33/100 - Usually very low! Thanquol is like most Skaven cowardly, only with a supernatural prescience for
saving his hide! That said if he ingests a ton of Warpstone he will get more confident to the point that he believes he can
take on the Horned Rat and win, and even engages in melee then. This rating is 93/100 for his troops, as Thanquol is
perfectly willing (and has multiple times) to sacrifice them all for himself.

Psychological Warfare: 60/100 Thanquol isnt bad at this and knows how to twist his tongue to ensure maximum
advantage to him, incite conflict or even once manipulating an enemy to kill one of his foes.
Experience: 67/100 He is at least 40 something years old and been on countless missions against most foes in the
Warhammer world.
Discipline: 39/100 Thanquol is easily flustered, and must frequently resist the insane urges his Warpstone gives him.
He will cower and hide at the slightest hint of danger to himself which is partially why he is still alive.
Inspiration: 52/100 Prior to the Skreech power up this was far lower, however Thanquol can now read Skaven as
easily as a Verminlord and instill his will upon the troops. This was shown in the last Battle for Nuln, where his troops
followed his plan better than they had in the past and even didnt try to betray him!
Corruption: 94/100 Thanquol personifies the greed of the Skaven. To him nothing is sacred to sacrifice if it means
personal advancement.
ADDITIONAL FACTORS: Whether he is the doom of the Skaven or just an exceptionally greedy member is
unknown, but what is known is that his star is rising. He is getting more and more powerful, and now has quasiVerminlord powers of manipulation. He is the only known Skaven to successfully block off his mind from a Verminlord.
Though he has many enemies, Thanquol dreams of becoming the ultimate ruler over Skavendom. At rare times, when on
the buzz of Warpstone, he dreams of replacing the Horned Rat himself.

Assaulting a Skaven lair is an intimidating prospect, and of the races only the Dwarves, Undead (and to a small extent, the
Beastmen) have successfully and repeatedly done it. Though Skaven employ well-used paths serving as a road into their
central lairs, these can and will be collapsed, even on other Ratmen fleeing in the same tunnels so long as it kills the
enemy. For lesser known and little used tunnels the Skaven can construct and deploy traps if they totally dont want
anyone using the route. These can include pitfalls, collapses, warpfire traps, spikes and nasty mechanical blades. More
confusing they have tunnels branch out from their main ones that loop back around or lead to dead ends, confusing
would be invaders on which way to go.
When getting to the lair itself they may have some fortifications, though generally it will be limited in scope as the Skaven
are a far more offensive race then defensive. Still as the enemy slowly advances down the tunnels they will encounter
hastily prepared fortification zones with Skryre weaponry, ambushes as Skaven forces emerge from newly created tunnels
or even hidden ones, outmaneuvering, more deliberate cave ins and essentially increasing attrition. The enemy becomes
overextended as the rats shorten their supply line and tunnel through to attack the enemies. The fight only gets tougher at
the central lair, which usually does have a degree of fortification to protect mostly against other clans. Either this or the
breeding chambers (preferably both), which are usually even deeper, must be completely destroyed to fully eradicate the
Skaven base.

Morale: 32/100 - By their nature, the Skaven are a cowardly race that draws strength from sheer press of nature. Though
some monsters are fearless and Skaven of higher ranks are contemptuous of those of the lowers fear, this only limits
their fear slightly. More effective is the tendency of the leaders to counter enemy fear by instilling their own, ordering
grisly examples made of those that first retreat. If leadership is destroyed or forced to retreat, if enough causalities are
sustained or the enemy seems immensely terrifying the Skaven will usually rout.
Army Intimidation: 67/100 - The numbers, monsters, technology and appearance of the Skaven are extremely
menacing. Human armies of the setting are usually extremely intimidated in fighting them and once the potency of their
technology and monsters are discovered morale can drop yet further.
Discipline: 37/100 - This varies heavily upon the Skaven unit, with Stormvermin and Plague Monks noted for having
higher than average discipline and focus. However for the most part these units are ruled by their own desires and Skaven
units frequently do flee, give into looting or Black Hunger against their leaders wishes. Skaven sub-commanders
frequently have their own schemes they would like to fulfill and sometimes misinterpret the wishes of those higher
commanders.
Cohesion: 32/100 - Backstabbing, betrayal and scheming are an integral part of Skaven society, and they do occur
frequently. Every Skaven believes himself alone is special, is powerful and destined for greatness. Combined with a
pitiless attitude and lack of real loyalty commanders and comrades frequently die to subordinates and fellow mates for
whatever advantage can be found. This tendency to betrayal permeates every layer of Skaven society, from the common
slave stabbing the other in the back for food (or, very occasionally, a revolt against higher authorities) to council
members scheming against each other willing for their clan to reign supreme. Even Verminlords wage a silent, subtle
conflict among each other fought with proxies and schemes far more intricate than what mortal Skaven can devise.
However this score is slightly raised by Skaven self-preservation (they generally will not prey upon the strong) and the
fact that the Horned Rat himself bullied the heads of the Council of Thirteen into a degree of unity. Though all clans
have contingencies against each other they at least havent erupted into outright fighting.yet.
Espionage: 73/100 - Clan Eshin specializes in sabotage and assassination. From killing enemy leaders, poisoning food
and water, attacking vulnerable flanks, planting bombs, planting false information, trying to subvert enemy agents,
sapping enemy walls etc. there are few means this clan will not use. Historically they have used a series of well-placed
assassinations to throw whole nations into chaos and in the End Times destabilized Nippon, Cathay, Tilea and Araby
well before the full Skaven invasion.
Logistics: 76/100 - The Skaven will consume everything available to them, from corpses to the environment, moving
like a plague of locusts. Even if they run out of this or nature cannot support them they will simply consume their lower
classes, the slaves or even whole Thrall clans. Skaven reinforcements serve a dual role as logistics! Skaven scavenge
everything they can get their hands on for weapons. Some reinforcements can travel on sight, though others must travel
through hazardous paths to arrive with the main army.

Blockade: 62/100 - Through Clan Eshin and Clan Moulder working together to destroy enemy food and water stuffs,
fouling ammunition and stealing when able, the Skaven can put a huge damper on enemy logistics. Clan Skurvy
Reinforcement Rate: Swarm
The Skaven as a race outnumbers any other race in the setting, even the extremely numerous Greenskins. In fact one
book guesstimated that there are 31 Skaven for every human in the world- and Humans are the most populous of the
order races. Worse though Skaven Broodmother incubation time remains the same Skaven Warlocks can now inject
these pups with fast growing stimulants that drastically speeds up their growth, resulting in them reaching maturity in
days. Each Broodmother can give birth 5 times per year for an average of 100 pups in that time.
However there is a silver lining for the other races. Skaven society is extremely deadly and many will be lost through mere
accidents such as disease, tunnel collapses, equipment/beast accidents etc. in addition to those lost through treachery.
Hunger or persistent infighting. Of the maximum amount allotted that arrives per month through elsewhere, easily
thousands are going to die before ever meeting the enemy and that is assuming a plague doesnt get loose or there is a
major food shortage or something like that.

REASON FOR BATTLE: The Skaven are a eternally greedy race that lusts after the triumphs, achievements and
civilizations of other races, even though they themselves are incapable of matching those achievements (bar military) in
any degree of splendor. They are a faction of ruin, rats who would like to languish in the ruins of other civilizations for
no other reason than just to possess it. Food is another major Skaven concern, usually that their population gets too large
and needs culling. Greed and ambition for personal power, as well as fear inspiring them to carry out the Horned Rats
edicts, serve as further motivation.

ADDITIONAL FACTORS
PLAGUES
Clan Pestilens is the Skaven version of Nurgle followers, who live to spread
disease and decay with a fanatical obsession. They are renowned for their
plague dispersion and the crafting of deadly diseases, however they have widely
different effects depending on where they are used. After comparing their
mechanisms I will split these into two different sections.
STRATEGIC Strategic plague use is the utilization of diseases in a manner
that would be applicable in the real world. Essentially imagine if someone
deliberately infected him or herself with a particularly virulent virus like
smallpox or Ebola and let it loose. The disease would have a somewhat high
incubation rate (to ensure that it spread to the maximum amount of people
before the subject died), high virulence rate and likely an abnormally high
lethality rate (courtesy of Pestilens disease makers manipulating it so). However
while very potent, it is still effected by the basic rules of science, health and
medicine. Healthy, clean, vibrant individuals are going to have a greater
resistance (though likely not immunity) to it than those who live in dirty
squalor, courtesy of their lifestyles. Anything that helps decrease disease risk in the real world (medicine, sleep, diet,
exercise etc.) will help here, even if it is only marginally. Magical means of healing have more opportunity to be effective
and those that are traditionally immune to disease (undead) are still immune against this type of disease.
TACTICAL In the tactical phrase the masters of disease seek to deploy these diseases quickly and rapidly on the
battlefield, to ensure near instantaneous effect and death. To that end they mix all diseases heavily with warpstone, the
magical stuff of chaos that greatly increases the potency of the disease. Thus diseases can now kill within moments rather
hours or day and can even affect creatures not normally capable of being infected, like the undead. While potent on the
battlefield, these plagues usually have a specific range around the caster they cannot cross, lack in incubation period (so
less long term virulence) and can still be effected by the constitutions of their enemy, however magical means of healing
must be instantly applied to have an effect (if they have an effect).
Essentially, the ultimate disease that Clan Pestilens is looking to create is a highly virulent tactical plague that can be incubated and used to
spread strategically. But so far that goal has eluded them.

Skaven diseases include Boil Lurgy, which causes fluid-filled sacs to grow all over the body and causes death in 13 days.
The Rot Worms are the larval form of a rat spread parasite that lays its eggs in human flesh. The Red Pox, which causes
the manifestation of giant red welts on the face and throat, sent victims in multi-day agony before it killed them. The
larvae hatch and literally eat their way to the surface. Estalian Fever causes the blood to slow and the patient to lose all
mobility until he lacks the strength even to eat, the Vermillion Curse covers the skin in purple lines before the victim
chokes on his own blood and Saint Ehrlichs Fire makes the patient burn with fever while hallucinating of hellish
torments. Only the last is typically not fatal, but many sufferers kill themselves, convinced that they are already damned
by their own sins. All of these diseases can be enhanced with warpstone to make them more effective on the battlefield.
Often allying with Moulder, Pestilens in the past has used infected rats and ticks as a mechanism to spread the strategic
form of the disease. As with everything with Skaven, there are cases where things might go horribly wrong. In both the
first invasion of Nuln and the Black Plague years, the disease ultimately mutated out of control and took out large
portions of the Skaven population. Even on the battlefield these magically enhanced diseases may turn on their allies.
Remember however that as of this point in the End Times, Pestilens, along with most of their thrall clans, are a
shadow of its former self and will have adjusted prevalence
WARPSTONE: Though also a weakness if not enough of it, Warpstone is an item with extremely diverse uses. It can be
used to power technology, mutations, make plagues stronger etc. etc.. It can even be used offensively, by poisoning
enemy water supplies and causing them to die horribly.
ADAPTABILITY: As to be discussed in General Strategy, the Skaven are an extremely adaptable force in everything
from technology to flesh-crafting to basic tactics. They are constantly scurrying in different directions looking for new
ideas, new methods to kill a foe. From area denial to plagues, superweapons and more there is little the Skaven will not
use, for they have no real rules limiting means of victory.
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS: The Skaven are numerous and derive many strengths from such numbers. On the
tactical sense it gives their warriors a degree of bravery, driving them into a frenzy and giving them comfort that, if any
Skaven are dying today, surely its the other guy! Causalities can erode this however in retreating they reveal another
advantage- these numbers that survive a battle can, if not completely decimated, be used to quickly form a new army
once rallied. This makes them incredibly difficult to completely destroy These numbers can also serve as a food source, a
means to wear down fortified positions, attack from multiple points and spread the enemy out.
DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR: Many quality armies are raised up with a type of honor. They are loyal and strong in
heart, wanting to prove themselves by facing the enemy. This is not the Skaven. It must be realized that this comes as a
strength. While these quality armies might hesitate to shoot at an orphanage or take care to tiptoe around civilians and
bystanders, these are weak and vulnerable targets the Skaven are more likely to go after for their own ends and purposes.
They are underhanded backstabbers in every way.
VARIETY: The Skaven have a solution to nearly every problem they could come across. They have powerful
technology, they can invert and convert any tech (if there is enough of it and time to test the first failures) they come
across, they can enhance it (or force it to work) with Warpstone. Skaven can throw quality forces from the best of the
greater clans like Rat Ogres or weapon teams. They have highly trained and skilled warriors in the form of Eshin. They
have mix-and-matched these advantages in Verminlords and Stormfiends. A large amount of their abundant special
weapons and attacks and anyone who is of slightest importance have magical attacks that give the Skaven an ability to
combat a ghost army. And if that werent enough, they are the most extreme in the case of swarms as a faction.

FEAR
Fortunately for the enemy the Skaven suffer
from numerous weaknesses that range from
the biological to the societal. On the base level
the Skaven, though skilled in the dark and with
numerous positive attributes, is hard wired for
fear. Numbers can boost this temporarily but
terrifying foes and causalities, especially of the
higher ups, can completely blunt this
advantage. For example, despite outnumbering
the Dwarfs 500-1 in Karak-A-Karak, and
despite the Dwarfs overextending themselves
far from fortifications, when Queek Headtaker
was killed, the entire force routed completely.
By contempt this fear can somewhat be
suppressed, but even then it is not entirely
destroyed.
The Skaven mindset itself can be a weakness as much as its a strength. The Skaven mind is deeply superstitious, afraid of
symbols and omens and objects that all boost fear and can lead to quicker routing. These include cats, dogs, snakes,
Elves, bad numbers, leadership of enemy or friend, open spaces, clouds, rain, the sun, etc. etc. that can all serve to raise
the fear level even before its joined!
DISHONORABLE TO A FAULT: Skaven selfishness sees every
member of the race looking out for their own interests best and thus can
interfere with battle plans and strategies, with several notable conflicts
being lost (including the Black Plague era) when Skaven sub-commanders,
commanders, lieutenants and so on all kept pursuing their own objectives
at the cost of the overall Skaven objective and coordination.
Betrayals happen with shocking regularity even on the battlefield, and
done both between clans and inter-clans. Though this occasionally might
result in an unskilled commander replaced by a skilled one in theory, in
practice it is more likely for the opposite to happen. Indeed, its more
likely for superiors to kill off a competent underling quickly to prevent a
major threat to their future. Underlings might misinterpret the direct
orders of a Superior in order to achieve more greatness for themselves and
screw up the course of the battle. No comradery exists among the Skaven.
The closest are the incredibly rare moments in which a great leader (like
Queeks Ska and Thanquols Lurk and the latter only for a time) have an
extreme exception to the rule of blinded loyalty. There is a reason the
Skaven are commonly troped as a race of Starscreams. It should be
noted that even Thanquol, one of the greatest of all mortal Skaven, seeks to undermine and deceive his own god!

(Note without this, Mandred might well have lost the final battle in his campaign to free the Empire, for he conceded the Skaven had every
tactical advantage and he was forced into the fight.)

Skaven betrayal is well known, but worse is the infighting between

clans that can sometimes result in the enemy winning without a
single shot being fired! This happens even in the End Times, after
the Horned Rats warning, in the early part of the invasion of Nuln,
though undoubtedly the Horned One reduced the pure volume of
instances. These inter-clan rivalries result in many assassination
attempts, poisoning and sabotage of the other clans arsenal before
battle (even against a common foe!) and other nefarious deeds.
Verminlords, though more focused with the long term than normal
Skaven, too plot and scheme against each other using mortal pawns.

SHORTSIGHTED: But perhaps most of all the Skaven really

struggle to learn from history, even in personal history. How can
they? The Skaven pathological lying mindset is to place all
conceivable blame on someone else and genuinely believe it. Thus
they have trouble learning from even personal mistakes as it is always
someone elses fault. Though a few Skaven can manage the
intellectual honesty to realize they made a mistake and learn from it, the vast majority do not. It gets worse for society, as
outside the Grey Seers Skaven history is extremely lacking and thus overall society, to paraphrase a direct author quote by
David Guymer (author of Headtaker), runs in loops and circles, constantly repeating the same themes over and over
again. As the adage goes involving those who fail to learn from history.
This is compounded by the Skaven difficulty in seeking long term gain, always looking at the short term without thought
of consequences later on, as well as trying to twist the truth to make themselves look good rather than often honestly
addressing the problem, as well as perpetual underestimation of the enemies ability to cause them problems- despite
repeated evidence to the contrary.
UNDERESTIMATION: This shortsightedness and lack of respect for the ability of the enemy is perhaps illustrated
greatest in the example of Black Plague where a Seerlord of the Council, hating the recent rise of Pestilens to prominence
given the successful unleashing of the Black Plague, schemed to discredit Pestilens completely. Knowing that no Pestilens
disease crafter could be trusted to carry out his plan he instead captured the leading doctor of the Empire to get him to
manipulate the plague to minor lethality among Skaven, so as to piss off the general Skaven populace against the clan.
Initially it appeared the plan was incredibly successful as the doctor gave the Grey Seer the disease along with a successful
formula, which was followed by the Seer vaporizing him and their isolated compound to prevent discovery.
However it never seemed to occur to the Seerlord that the human might have the skill, wit and motivation to manipulate
the Black Plague to a point where it became as lethal to the Skaven as it was for the humans (9/10 lethal). The Seerlord
could never dream that for months the doctor had delayed announcing the creation of his work to ensure that successful
generations of skavenslaves, armed with minor tools, were secretly beckoned to tunnel a secret hole to the outside, with
the last generation successfully unleashed into the wider world before the symptoms manifested.
Never did this occur to the Seerlord, even after the disease had successfully stunted any new Skaven numbers for the
ongoing campaign against the Empire, that the most leading human medical expert in the Empire (perhaps in the Old
World) was smart enough to do this. Entire clans were wiped out to a rat. And spread far beyond its original intent.
However, on the bright side for the Seerlord, this did cause rampant and unified loathing of Clan Pestilens among the
clans that remained and caused a mini all-out war against Pestilens. Though the plaguerats managed to survive, they never
managed to gain the power they had in the Black Plague years.

Of course too is the often mentioned weakness of unreliability. All Skaven tech has a chance to randomly explore or
misfire, beasts to break free of their masters and plagues to spin out of control and wipe out the Skaven in large portions.
Compound this with short term Skaven decision making and difficulty in seeing long term risks. Skryres ability to adapt
is mostly limited to perverting enemy technology than completely inventing new, and often they struggle and sometimes
die when they blow up on their new tech. Their tunnels have little long term value and in a new zone without premade
Dwarf underground highways to expropriate they are going to suffer more losses from cave ins than ever.

Also as a final miscellaneous weakness though most Skaven are expendable the female Broodmothers, though often
hidden in the darkest recesses of the Skaven lairs, are not. Killing them has broken Skaven sieges in the past.

VICTORY GAINS
Enemy personnel factor directly into the Skaven slave and food
supply (more likely the latter). This is important as those enemy
bodies unclaimed will quickly help Skaven logistics and any
scavenged weapons, armor or items will quickly be used by Skaven
fighters. Skaven technology mostly comes from two areas- its
either stolen from someone else (Jezzail, pistol, warpfire etc.) or
comes about as a specific need like the Doom-flayer and wheel.
With that said Skryre will be active in any battle trying to steal
technology from other races and add their own improvements to
it, or possibly even building Doomsday weapons! Though they will
likely need multiple samples and the intricacies of the most exotic
technology has eluded them thus far (Steam Tank) they are
nevertheless remarkably adept at adapting from enemy technology.
Clan Moulder will seek to capture the strange and powerful and
utilize them as new pets (or mutations/grafts for existing ones). By
use of flesh-crafting and magic they will take the powerful
creatures of the enemy and make them into their own, twisted in a
Skaven-like manner. Pestilens is always looking for new plagues
and ways to spread them!
OPENING SETUP: Like with everything else, the Skaven have a fear of the unknown To put them out of their
comfort zone and force them to fight an unfamiliar foe is going to be extremely off-putting at first, however the ratmen
are quick to adapt. Their Grey Seers and Verminlords have all sorts of scrying mechanisms to spy on the enemy from
afar, even gaining sight over entire armies. Some of these scrying mechanisms can be used to see potential futures, and
thus they may be able to quickly divine intent. Rats, with Grey Seers looking through them with sorcerous sight, can be
used to scout enemy positions. The Grey Seer is able to see, hear and presumably smell what they do.
Telescopes and optics able to see through stone and illusion exist in the possession of Clan Skryre to help spy from afar.
Pestilens will seek to capture prisoners, torture them for information, infect them with several diseases with a high
incubation time and then let them return to the enemy. Moulder may work with other clans to breed rats infested with
plague, or else designed to be extremely hungry, rapidly breeding rat to eat enemy food stocks. In Skavenslayer they did
the latter so artfully that the rats could breed and mature a litter in two days. Terrible torture can be used to elicit a
confession.

Skaven will actively seek out those among the enemy willing to trade
and deal with them, those ambitious, unscrupulous and admittedly in need
of some excellent spies or trade or just leverage in their day to day lives.
Or perhaps the individual had bad dealings, and a fair bit of blackmail is
in order? If the threat is not fully known perhaps the would-be informant
honestly believes that what he is doing is for the benefit of the Greater
Good, that these rat-like creatures pose no real harm and the information
they get out of them can benefit the greater public.
It was with attitudes like this that the Skaven have secured the allegiance
of those ranging from common drug dealers to the high and mighty of
the land (though, in Warhammer, almost always human defectors. Elves
and Dwarfs of the setting are not fooled). The Skaven will invariably
seek every little advantage they can get from this arrangement and twist
and manipulate what they give to ensure threats are silenced by the
authorities, scholarly work on them is suppressed and even hand over
certain individuals to them. As the Skaven are naturally prone to betrayal
these traitors invariably get what is coming to them but great damage can
be committed before then.

Yet by far the most important clan for this phase is Eshin. This clan has a
tradition of three thousand years of spying, and will quietly seek to enter enemy
encampments in the black of night. Serving as scouts they will steal what they can,
from troop plans to overheard information, and ferret it back to their dark
masters. As Eshin gets more confident they will infiltrate with canisters of
plague, Skryre bombs or gas, or seek to sabotage key equipment and buildings
like cannons and factories. Food and water supplies or, in one crazy examples,
coins that they can access will be poisoned with Warpstone or else specifically
bred voracious rats might be let loose to eat vast quantities of the food. As the
Skaven continue to spy, they will continually make new tunnels, warrens and
routes to utilize for their incoming attacks. Stealthily they will attempt to burrow
underneath static enemy positions and encampments. Most infamously, and
usually before a massive Skaven attack, the Gutter Runners and Assassins of
Eshin will try to go on a mass assassination spree of leaders, heroes, generals and
other important figures to try and instill fear & chaos just as the first clans emerge
from the tunnels.This manner proved a major role in the fall of those human realms of Nippon, Araby and Tilea, while
other realms were weakened to various extents (though the Elves proved remarkably skilled at detecting Enshin
assassins).
FOREIGN RELATIONS: In regards to Foreign Relations Skaven view everything else other than their race as
deeply inferior, fit only to be exterminated or to serve as future slave races. They may try and form alliances with
individuals, even subvert factions from within or try and turn them against the other big faction (in fact Eshin will likely
explore the possibility) but in the end all things to Skaven exist to serve as slaves or to be eaten. Good, evil or neutral it
doesnt matter, though a powerful and evil faction it remains a possibility that the Skaven will try to ally with that faction
with a bit, playing as allies but trying to sabotage this enemy from within. Of course, that possibility is irrelevant if they
are allied with Archaeon. Undoubtedly they will attempt to sabotage relations between the neutral factions and the
enemy, or even try and do so for sub-factions of the enemy.
The book describes how the ancient kingdom was destroyed. The skaven didnt assault the walls with armies. Instead
they burrowed beneath those walls, ferreted out men whose ambition they could exploit. Meek and fawning, they
offered their services to those who would betray humanity for power. Through their proxies, they set brother against
brother, fragmented society until it festered with enmity and hate. Then, when the kingdom was sufficiently weakened
from within, they rose up from their hidden burrows.

INITIAL STRATEGY: The Skaven are a quickthinking, devious race, and for that reason are very
quick to delve into the methods seen in adaption.
On the base however the Skaven force would
share some standard techniques. They are a horde
faction that throws in units of progressive worth at
the enemy. First up they will throw legions of
panicked Skavenslaves at the enemy. This serves
the purpose of soaking up enemy fire, stalling
enemy cavalry charges, test enemy defenses, halt
the charge of cavalry and start to exhaust the
enemy. Next come waves of clanrats, followed
by Stormvermin and other elites. In this way the
Skaven force is like a wave, a wave used to wear
down the enemy rock after repeated strikes.
Meanwhile, members of the other clans are at
work. Skryre rats will freely fire their weapons into
the mass of troops, content to kill 5 clanrats or 10
slaves if it means the death of one enemy.
Pestilens will charge forward with plague-like
devices, eager to spread glorious Pestilens
everywhere they can and choke up the enemy. At
weak and strategic points the flesh-crafted
monstrosities of Moulder will be unleashed in an
attempt to punch through, while Clan Eshin
targets leaders, isolated units and flanks to spread
chaos. Finally, from the rear, Skaven sorcerers
lend their magic to the fray.
On the strategic scale Skaven will try to attack in cramped, dark conditions that favor their race. They attack in large
numbers, preferably at multiple points, best way in their minds to overwhelm the enemy. Enemy fortifications can be dug
under, sapped or even just blown up with artillery. They will aim to commit atrocities, massacres and desecration, all
meant to invoke fear in the enemy (though often invoking only hatred). Ambushes too, are a favorite tactic of this rat
race. Everything the Skaven have started in the recon phrase, the assassinations, spreading of plagues and sabotage, they
continue to do so here.
ADAPTIONS: The Skaven are an extremely adaptable race, able to constantly come up with new innovations to address
new problems. It is perhaps easier to discuss what each Greater Clan would do if really pressed than address the entire
race immediately.
Clan Eshin is perhaps one of the least adaptable clans, for its methods are the tried and true ploy of assassinations and
sabotage is generally used from the beginning. If pressed however they could work together with other clans to ensure
maximum effectiveness in their own plans, like acquiring lots of warpstone and placing it in local rivers and water sources
(poisoning the land).Environmental hazards can be unleashed to hurt the foe. Pestilens will try to create, overtime,
specialized and more potent diseases, including those tailor-made to be extra effective against the enemy species in
question. Clan Moulder will seek to capture the strange and powerful and utilize them as new pets (or mutations/grafts
for existing ones). So the advantage is different. By use of flesh-crafting and magic they will take the powerful creatures
of the enemy and make them into their own, twisted in a Skaven-like manner.
But by far the most adaptive clan is Clan Skryre. These techno-rats are constantly seeking new technology, particularly
those ultra-destructive. Though they have limitations (most frustratingly for the clan, despite hundreds of years of
existence and multiple attempts they have never successfully copied the Empire Steam Tank) they will actively seek to

steal and convert enemy technology into their own, warpstone-powered versions or even make their own. All sorts of
bombs might be made and used, from gas bombs able to depopulate a tower, the warp bombs used against the Black
Pyramid, to massive versions like those used to depopulate the entirety of Karak Kiadrin. They will work together with
other clans if necessary, and the Stormfiend was created in this manner. A Skaven might even attempt a ultimate
doomsday device, though historically all but one have failed and that one required years of research, a specific location
and material to fill several small nations. Though it must be said that the larger the Skryre device, the more likely of
failure, if pulled off (and not accidently in their own ranks!) these weapons can do immense damage.

The Warlord clans too have more adaption methods, though

theirs mostly relies on numbers. They can seek to overwhelm
the enemy through opening up more fronts over an area to attack
from all different angles, building more tunnels to outmaneuver
their foe. Maybe they could even create a sinkhole under the
enemy encampment! Over a strategic campaign they can use their
speedy travel in the tunnels and numbers to attack multiple
points over a front, either outmaneuvering an enemy to attack
unguarded rear or civilian populations or split up and weaken the
enemy force. This tactic was done to notable such as Mandred
Ratslayer (the Emperor that foiled the Black Plague) and Nagash
of all people. Though the Skaven lost both conflicts, they were
only foiled thanks to magical ability such as Foresight.

WITHDRAW: Though the Skaven are called a cowardly race, it can be equally said that the Skaven leaders are in fact
bravebrave with all lives under their command but one. In other words massive causalities do not deter them and
they usually only withdraw voluntarily if their lives are personally threatened, they sense an advantage later or they cant
stop the army from withdrawing so they go with it. For the rank and file each progressive main tier (Skavenslave,
Clanrat, Stormvermin) has contempt for the lower, and thus are less effected by their loss, though routs and losses of
their own or higher tiers do have greater effect. For example, routing slaves do not affect Clanrats or Stormvermin, but
routing Stormvermin might see the entire army fleeing with them except maybe barring special units of another clan.
However as Skaven communicate via smell having a group spray the musk of fear lowers morale of everyone else and
may even cause a chain reaction that sees the entire army rout! In one spectacular case in the battle of Karak-A-Karak
after Queek was killed the Skaven routed totally, despite outnumbering the Dwarfs a literal 500-1! Skaven morale is fickle
and the enemy Army Intimidation score (Scary Daemons!), size, strength, location (Sunny, wide open fields are the worst,
for almost their entire race is agoraphobic!), causality rate, leadership (of both themselves and enemy), and.just about
everything you can think of.
However Skaven defeated armies will eventually regroup if not pursued and killed to fight again another day.

In observing the Past Opponents of the Skaven, it should be known that most Skaven warriors would only have
experience with one enemy at most, or that a Clan would specialize against a certain enemy (Lizardmen for Pestilens,
Mors for Dwarfs etc.). Most Skaven individually do not live long enough to fight multiple campaigns and barring those
commanders with long lives (like Thanquol) most have not academically studied or made observations of their enemies in
depth.

Man, as the most numerous of the Order races, are the most common enemy of the Skaven other than their own race.
No matter what continent they go to the Skaven must contend with men of one civilization or another.

The Empire
Threat Level: Moderate (to the Entire Under Empire):
Status: Mostly Overrun
Composition: The Empire is a primarily
renaissance based army with breastplate
armored Halberdiers, pike men, archers and
gunners along with Knights of all sorts.
They have eight different colleges of magic,
each capable of making mage specialists
along with arcane artifacts like the Celestial
Hurricanium, along with magic wielding
warrior priests .Artillery wise they have
everything from simple cannons , primitive
rockets and even Steam Tanks, though there
are only seven in the entire Empire. To
round it off is a well-educated core of
generals, witch hunters and other special
agents. The Empire is the single most
powerful human realm in Warhammer
Fantasy and the human faction that has given the Skaven the most grief.

History: The Skaven have always hated the Empire with a passion, for it has continually foiled their activities. From the
near mythical defeat of the Skaven by Sigmar in the earliest years to the first Battle of Nuln, until very recently the Skaven
have had a litany of failure against this realm.
However that is not to say they didnt get close. The Black Plague conflict in 1100s wiped out a whopping total of of
the Empire in its wars. Total Skaven victory was only prevented by the combination of Skaven infighting, the outbreak of
the Black Plague in their own ranks (caused in part as a result of infighting) and the heroic actions of Emperor Mandred
Ratslayer, who unified the empire against the Skaven menace. However, just as before with Sigmar the Skaven used
successful generations of human agents and Clan Eshin to write themselves out of the history books, meaning that in
centuries most of the Empire (barring the secret groups) had forgotten the Skaven ever assaulted their realm and believed
them to be a myth. These secret groups concurred with the Skaven that the general public should be kept ignorant
(though for different reasons) and saw to it that every Skaven attack would be labelled as a Beastman incursion.
In the End Times, unlike with most lands, the Skaven initially ran into misfortune and disaster as their early attacks met
with disaster and failure. In an earlier age such repeated assaults might have resulted in a unified front against them,
however by this time Chaos had so devastated the Empire that it had problems bringing its forces together. Eventually,
the Skaven began to achieve victory, starting with the Battle of Nuln, however the real threat came when they allied with
Chaos to form a single front against the Empire. Skaven troops would play a great role in the Fall of Middenheim and
Averie. By the time of the death of the world only small fortified pockets of the Empire (no major cities) remained free.
Implications: The Skaven have experience fighting a Renaissance era foe with knights, pikemen, gunners and early era
artillery. They also have some experience fighting mages with diverse magic, though mages are rare in this franchise
universally. They have experience fighting organized armies of men with states built on a decentralized system and ruled
by a unitary ruler. More specifically Clan Eshin has experience corrupting individual members and perverting the system
to serve Eshin (and the Skavens) interests.

Bretonnia
Threat Level: Low
Status: Overrun
Composition: Bretonnias armies are, on their base, built
upon mobs of peasant men at arms (in chainmail) and
longbowmen, along with some Yeoman horse archers.
Though the Longbowmen are proficient, the Men at Arms
are infamous in the setting for their poor training and skill
at arms (mostly. Even Beastmen can get positive K/Ds
against them!) . They do have primitive artillery in the
form of Trebuchets, as they are stunted in technological
advancement, along with a female cast of elven taught
witches known as the Damsels. However their main threat
and power is their inordinately large numbers of knights,
skilled plate riding warriors sometimes blessed with magic
that gives them resistance to ranged weaponry. The higher
ranking the knight, the more buffs, until the best are true
champions of the world.

History:
Though closer to Skavenblight, the Skaven history of Bretonnia is more limited, and indeed Bretonnians seem just as
ignorant (maybe even more so) of the Skavens existence than the Empire. However there have been invasions. Most
notably the Red Pox, unleashed by Pestilens in claimed redemption for the failed attempt to destroy the Empire.
The pox ends up killing 1/3 of the population (vicious quarantine measures by the nobles on the peasants limited the
spread) with the Skaven invasion following claiming large tracks of the southern portion of the Kingdom. However the
Skaven had forgotten the Knights had allies in the form of the mysterious fey residents of Athel Loren. These Wood
Elves combined forces with the Bretonnians to drive them back and slaughter their forces, in an incident that is a large
part responsible for the hatred the Skaven have to the Elven Race
In the End Times the Skaven, fresh off their victory elsewhere, attacked the Bretonian kingdom which by now was only a
shell of its former self, riddled by disease, beastman incursions, an undead sponsored civil war and other conflicts.
Together with a Chaos force emerging in the north the Skaven overwhelmed much of the realm, with only a solid core
guarded by heroic King Giles the Breton (King Arthur of the setting) along with the mightiest vampire to ever live,
Abhorash and allied with the newfound ghoul kingdom of Ushoran to hold a core in the central of the country. They
were barely holding when the fall of the world occurred.
Implications: Those Skaven in Bretonia have experience fighting against a basically medieval foe, with supped up
knights and some magic in the form of Damsels.
History
Other Human Nations
As there are many Human nations, and scant information on their forces, I shall describe the fate of each and the role the
Skaven had against them in brief.
-Amazons & Pygmies:
Essentially a very minor faction in Lustria composed of warrior women and
pygmy men. These warrior women were fierce fighters, using a lore of the
serphent and fighting with Cat pets. However their numbers were not enough to
sustain a full Skaven assault and though a spirited defense was raised they were
mostly killed. Those not dead by the time the moon was blown up was killed in
the immolation of Lustria.

ARABY
From what fragments on Araby exists, they were essentially Fantasy Middle
Eastern civilizations. For armies they had large numbers of slave soldiers (not
unlike the Skaven), fast riding desert nomad cavalry, elite Kontoi cavalry,
Dervishes, War Elephants, Flying carpets, Djins, female enchantresses as
magicians and more. The Arabayans were a people, like most of the human
world, mostly ignorant of the Skaven however they also tended to be rather
educated and knowledgeable of the world, so probably not to the extent of the
Empire. Historically, one thousand years ago the Sultan Jaffar used Skaven as his
spymasters, who cleverly instigated a conflict between him and Estalia that saw a
massive Old World crusade result. Likely there were more battles in their history.
In the End Times Araby was conquered by the Skaven, though it was a far
slower affair than the death of Tilea and Estalia. The Arabyans had giant caliphate kingdoms, however these were mostly
isolated from each other and heavily reliant on water supply. Eshin agents either poisoned these or led giant armies of
Skaven to emerge out of every privy and well. It was a slow, messy affair, and at the end the desert tribes were still
fighting.
-Cathay

CATHAY
The massive empire of Cathay is probably the
second strongest human empire in the world
(The Empire is repeatedly referred to as the
first) . Its a vast bureaucracy capable of
commanding massive armies filled with
crossbowmen, trained pike soldiers and more.
Imagine Fantasy China that is roughly
somewhere between the Tang Ming period.
They have extremely powerful sorcerers, giant
animated jade statues, warrior monks from the
martial art movies, great, if antiquated
gunpowder, monkey tribesmen, cavalry and
chariots.
The Skaven relations with Cathay in full are
unknown, only that Eshin emerged and has its
major holdings here, and that there have been
many skirmishes between the two. In the End Times Cathay was, like the nation of the Empire and those of Ind, a major
target of Chaos. While Chaos and Cathay fought the Skaven did everything they could to sabotage Cathay by killing
generals, ambassadors, public officials etc.. Though the Celestial Emperor ended up personally leading a massive assault
force that destroyed the major warren under Fragrant Harbor, the damage had already been done.

ESTALIA
Fantasy Spain. Imagine war dogs, conquistadors, myrmidons (hoplite style), trained city-state infantry, tough mountain
tribesmen and gunpowder. Also the nation was famous for the quality of its duelists and the much honored Knights of
the Blazing Sun had their headquarters there. Estalia, like Tilea, was no unified nation but split into dozens of city states
with Bilbali and Magritta being the largest.
In the End Times Estalia fell roughly the same time as Tilea to the Skaven. Like with Tilea vast hordes of Skaven erupted
from the ground after terror campaigns killed many leaders. As Estalia was disunited to begin with and ridden with citystate conflict most fell quickly, with only the strongest city-states surviving. However it wasnt long until those two fell
beneath the onslaught, with the final battle taking place in Magritta as the majority of the Blazing Sun Order, together
with the Guild of Duelists, an allied vampire and even briefly the spirit of Myrmidia (the patron goddess of Estalia)
herself held the line against progressive waves of Skaven. The last survivors sailed off to Araby as the city was overrun, or
else took shelter among the fierce mountain tribes who managed to retain their independence until the world ended.

IND
Fantasy India. War Elephants, Tiger Beastmen (who sometimes aided the Indians, sometimes tried to kill them) ,large
legions of troops, Skilled swordsmen, chariots, martial art masters and champions of the ten thousand gods said to reside
in India could all be found in their armies. Chaos was the main enemy of Ind, however Skaven played a notable role as
Skryre weapons were test launched against their cities, Eshin assassinated many heroes and some clans even launched full
invasions of the country. It was a brutal war, especially given the jungles that dominated Ind and the numbers of its
people. In the end Ind wasnt fully conquered, though it lost all of its coastal cities and was pushed solely to its holdings
in the mainland.

NIPPON:

Nippon, Fantasy Japan, is the easternmost country of the Far East and the location of Clan Eshin strongholds. They have
peasant ashigaru troops, trained samurai of every type (including cavalry), Silent Ninjas, Shinobi and Geisha, Wouku
Pirates, Warrior monks, Giant Sumo Wrestlers and perhaps mythological beasts like the Oni. The nation would have been
very militaristic like the real world equivalent and with certain codes governing their lives.
Unfortunately for Nippon, it was the homeland of Clan Eshin and thus a major subject of the clans attacks. More so
than any other country Nippon saw virtually its entire leadership class wiped out in the first years, their armies left
leaderless and disorganized. When Grimgor Ironhide invaded on the trail of the Celestial Emperor he smashed aside
cities and armies that could not hope to effectively organize a defense. Unfortunately for Eshin, Grimgor found out
about their bases and, spoiling for a fight, went for them. It is unknown the full accounts of what followed only that the
Eshin strongholds were indeed raised and only 3/10 Orcs emerged alive from their campaign. The Human remnants
then went on a desperate campaign to rid their lands of the Skaven meance once and for all, a conflict that they were
destined to lose.

TILEA
Unlike almost all other nations, the
Tileans were fully aware of the
Skaven menace though perhaps
not the full extent of it. Alone
among the human nations they
maintained dedicated anti-skaven
units. They were a Renaissance
faction with lots of gunpowder, odd
inventions (think Leonardo and the
concepts of Renaissance Italy),
infantry akin to the Empire,
crossbowmen etc. However what
they were most noted for was as a
mercenary hub, with numerous
mercenary outfits from around the world present in their country. Some of these outfits were famously skilled. There is
also a pirate island Sartosa to the South, ruled by a Pirate princess.
Unfortunately, Tilea was the first city-state to fall. In the Night of a Thousand Terrors assassins wiped out hundreds of
public officials and the next morning followed a massive invasion that rapidly pushed down the peninsula. At several
points the Tileans tried to muster a coordinated defense however by virtue of geography they were experiencing a major
influx of Skaven from nearby Skavenblight, as well as the deployment of new weapons including the much-feared
Stormfiends. Ultimately the Tileans made a last stand at the island of Sartosa, holding the Skaven back until the Pirate
Princess sailed out on her treasure fleet with the rest of the Tilean refugees, making for ports unknown.

Threat Level: Moderate

Status: Entire Race Holed up in Athel Loren
Composition: There are normally three branches of Elves. The First, the High Elves, are more a noble order faction that
utilizes armies of extremely trained militia, masters of weaponry, some of the greatest sorcerers in the world bar the
Slann, dragons, phoenixes and all sorts of air. The Second, the Wood Elves, are more a guerilla force from the forest, but
have dyriad, treemen and various native allies, as well as the ability to call up the power of nature and fast travel with their
mystical World Root. The Final force, the Malevolent Druichi, are treacherous force like the Skaven themselves, who
favor repeating crossbows tipped with poison, velociraptor cavalry, crazed blood mad cultists, assassins nearly as good as
the Skavens own and all sorts of monsters, as well as terrible Dark Magic.
As of the End Times this was united into one, lopsided force.

History: Alone among the mortal races, the Skaven have never scored a major victory against this race. Their assassins
never managed to infiltrate the High Elf island of Ulthuan, the Druichi have withstood every assault and every incursion
of Athel Loren (homeland of the Wood Elves) have been repelled. Indeed, the Elves have not only done that but come
to the aid of the humans many times, such as when they helped save Bretonnia. For this reason the Skaven have and fear
the Elves more than other race, while the haughty Elves look down upon the Skaven as the most mongrel race in the
world.
Implication: The Skaven have limited experience against forces of dragons, treeman and other such beasties, along with
high-quality troops and excellent magical potency. However few of the Skaven have lived to fight them and those that
have dont have much positive experience vs. the Elves, and in fact the Skaven almost always lose against them. Makes
one wonder how the Skaven would have fared if they had emerged back when the Elven Empire ruled the world.

THE DWARVES
Threat Level: Moderate
Status: Annihilated, only
remnants remain
Composition: The Dwarfs are
a slow moving, durable force
composed of greatly armored
troops, riflemen and
crossbowmen, various forms
of artillery (that Skaven stole
the designs from) , legendary
Slayers warriors (a certain oneeyed slayer has caused the
Skaven race numerous grief), ,

rune magic, and even limited gyrocopter aircraft. Their whole race has a heavy defense emphasis, from their fortresses
that were the strongest in the Warhammer World to the magic resistance. They are master tunelers and craftsmen, and
perhaps the greatest nemesis the Skaven have in the setting.

Also there is an offshoot of the Dwarfs known as the Chaos Dwarfs that wield daemonic machinery and legions of
slaves. Skaven relations of them have been limited to tearing up the countryside in vast artillery duels that occasionally
open wholes in reality that lets daemons come through.
History: The Skaven have warred with the Dwarfs for almost four thousand years, since they first came out of the ruins
of Kazar so long ago. At first they allied with Night Goblins, serving to provide strategic aid to ensure this numerous race
could get inside Dwarf holds. Then wars increasingly became solely Skaven to Dwarf affairs, as the techno weapons and
tactics of the Skaven frequently proved to be more than a match for the task of breaking into a Dwarf hold. However the
Dwarfs too scored victories, being one of the few races that could hope to assault a fortified Skaven warren and win, that
said these were always temporarily victories, with the Skaven quickly repopulating and rebuilding while the slow-breeding
Dwarfs were always declining
Finally, in the End Times, things came to a head. In a series of conflicts (many of them described in the hero profiles) all
major remaining Dwarf Locations fell. Some died through infiltration like Karak-a-Karak, others through technological
devices like Karak Kiadrin, others the Dwarves collapsed themselves on top of foes like Zufubar. The Skaven took
tremendous causalities, enough to shake even their race, and lost numerous battles however, in the end, the Skaven were
victorious.
Implications: The Skaven have much experience with a high-quality, durable foe with a defensive expertise. The conflict
with the Dwarves show the Skaven are well-suited for a long conflict of attrition and can take losing vast numbers. The
Dwarfs are like them in many way and indeed, as a tunneling force they are probably better than the Skaven, which is why
the Skaven make use of a lot of their tunnels. However a key issue with the Dwarfs that hurts them with the Skaven is
that they are traditional, slow-moving and conservative, continuously using the same tactics, if well-designed ones, over
and over again.

UNDEAD
Threat Level: High
Composition: See the Undead Legion profile.
Status: Roaming the Earth
History: Most famously the Skaven had a very long and bitter conflict with
Nagash known as the War of Cripple Peak. For nearly a century the two
forces warred with each other over the domain, their armies near a
complete match for each other. While Nagash had superior direct magic,
the ability to reanimate corpses and all sorts of invented monsters, the
Skaven at this point had assassins, primitive Skryre Weaponry and the
ability to outmaneuver Nagash with their mastery of tunnels. In the end
Nagash forced a stalemate after a sudden surprise attack (very risky one)
killed most of their leaders, though his forces were so exhausted he could
not have pursued the conflict much longer.
Since then the Undead and Skaven have waged periodic conflicts. Nagash
was assassinated by a Skaven weapon in the hands of a proxy (even if he
came back later). Vampires and Skaven fought multiple times over Sylvania,
and a big reason for the Skaven lose in the Black Plague years was due to a
force of undead led by the Necromancer Vanhal blunting their advance,
again to a stalemate that exhausted both forces. The Skaven sometimes tried to loot ancient Nekehara of its treasure,
including a disastrous attempt by Thanquol to do so.
Implications: The Skaven have experience fighting a force whose growth rate can, miraculously, rival the Skaven
themselves. They have experience against a force that raises their dead and have proven to at least stalemate them.
Further experience includes with more monsters, immortal warriors in the form of vampires, powerful dark magic and
legions of special tomb constructs.

LIZARDMEN
Threat Level: High
Status: Defeated
Composition: The Lizardmen are a rather primitive faction in
some ways compared to the other races of the world. They do not
wield guns, tanks or steam powered ships. However their warrior
caste is extremely tough and numerous, armed with gruesome
weaponry and though lacking anything heavier, their blowgun
armed skirmishers are chameleonic. Plenty of larger beasts exist in
the Lizardmen arsenal that are reminiscent to dinosaurs of our
world. But by far the greatest and most potent of the Lizardmens
arsenal are the rare Slann. With time these super-powerful
magicians can move entire continents and level battlefields.
History: Of all the races in the World only the Dwarfs can claim
to hate the Skaven more than the Lizardmen and even then its
likely a tie. Skaven experience with the Lizardmen mostly boils
down to one clan: Pestilens. This clan has continuously sought to
poison and defile Lizardmen cities since they first emerged almost
three thousand years ago. This has led to a series of incredibly
bitter, dirty wars of extermination, with neither force every fully driving back the other. A whole Lizardman cult
dedicated to the Snake God Sotrek rose to take dominate Lizardman culture in response to the Skaven threat, and their
known hatred/fear of snakes. However, though individual conflicts usually ended in the Lizardmans favor, the overall

damage done was far slower to repair for the conservative lizards than the fast living Skaven, and thus it was clear they
were slowly being worn down by attrition.
In the End Times Pestilens put its entire effort into fully wiping out the Lizardmen once and for all. Combined with a
rather convenient (temporary) knockout of all Slann this force devastated and destroyed entire cities, defiled birthing
pools and even poisoned the land itself. Though ultimately the war began to slow down to a grind when the Slann awoke
(after several of their number were killed by the Skaven) towards the end of the conflict it became clear that, between the
Skaven and an earlier Daemon conflict, the Lizardmen armies could no longer beat back the Skaven without the Slann
involved.
Then Skryre blew up the moon, the Slann all died containing it to Lustria and both Pestilens and Lizardmen were virtually
wiped out.
Implications: The Skaven (mostly Pestilens) have experience with powerful mages and giant dinosaur monsters, but
much greater experience with tribes of tough, ferocious, Lizardmen. They have experience with guerrilla jungle fighting
and the hazards of fighting a foe on terrain they are superior too. Too they have experience against the best mages of the
world, Slann capable of wielding apocalyptic magics. Combine with this is the Skaven experience with exceedingly harsh
terrain, with Lustria having a variety of terrible predators, quicksand, diseases, giant insects, unstable geological activity
etc.

ORCS & GOBLINS / OGRES

Threat Level: Moderate
Status: Ever Present
Composition: The Orcs and Goblins are
two vast, fractious race that composes of
mostly tough, powerful melee fighters and
small, brutal malicious backstabbers. Or
in Orkish terms the first is brutal but
kunnin, while the second is kunnin but
brutal. Also include various sub-races like
the Primitive Savage Orcs, insane Night
Goblins and extremely militaristic Black
Orks. They appear in extreme numbers
everywhere to fight, and bring along a
assortment of critters such as giant boars,
wolves, spiders (some the size of houses),
trolls and giants. For artillery they use
primitive catapults, spear chukkas and
stuff that chucks goblins at people. Also
has a caste of shamans that directly call upon the power of their terrible gods.

Ogres stand 2 times higher than a man and

many times more muscular, even more than a
Chaos enhanced human, and whose gut is more
formidable still. Thus any battle they appear in
they count as monstrous infantry, aided by
hordes of tiny gnoblars (small goblin variant) as
servants and sometimes expendable infantry.
However though excelling in melee, the Ogres
too utilize large harpoon guns, miniature
cannons carried by singular ogres, primitive
gnoblar catapults and larger cannons carried on
the backs of massive rhinoxs. Finally mighty
war beasts such as giant boars, said rhinoxs and
saber-tooth cats are included in battle.

History: Like with everything else in the setting, Skaven and the Greenskins have fought since they first came into
existence. Sometimes the two are in an alliance however both are treacherous races so these usually end. Battles and wars
usually occur between the two races in contests over the ruins of Dwarf Holds. Nowhere was this more prevalent than in
Karak Eight Peaks, where for the last fifty years Skarsnik and Queek have fought. Recently, as shown in the Queek
profile, the Skaven have won. At the same time scouts to Skarsnik mentioned a massive Skaven campaign to exterminate
the Greenskins in the Badlands and the Darklands, with Orcs and Goblins both fleeing to him (or Grimgor) for safety.
For the most part the Skaven are said to hold the Greenskins in too much contempt to see them as a serious threat to
their operations. This si because their belief is that they are a easily manipulated, fractious race with little technical
inclination. Meanwhile they also hold the Ogres in contempt as well, much for the same reason. At the same time the
Ogres hold the Skaven in contempt as well thanks to their trachery in paying for mercenaries, and will rarely hire
themselves out to Skaven.
Implications The Skaven has frequent experience with two massive races of fighters and schemers that are nearly
impossible to root out and are renowned for their persistence. These fighters are either powerful in physicality or in great,
devious hordes of cowardly fighters. However Skaven thinkers often utilize the Greenskins as proxy fodder against an
enemy,. Furthermore the Rats has experience fighting large Ogres who rely mostly on brute strength, ferocity, and a
degree of extreme ranged firepower. Too the Ogre force makes heavy use of giant creatures capable of running right over
Skaven forces with ease, as well as hordes of mini-goblins.

CHAOS

Threat Level: Massive

Status: Ascendant
Composition: See Chaos Profile
History: Historically, the Skaven have little to do with most of Chaos. Oh they fight and sometimes ally with Beastmen
all the time, but the Manbeasts lack the organization to ever pose a threat to their designs.

A common theme for Skaven technology is that everything, even something g seemingly as innocent as a telescope, has a
potential to go horribly wrong, courtesy of using warpstone to power the devices.
-Bombs: Includes regular explosive, gas bombs and warpbombs. The former spew out Toxic Gas, the latter can disrupt
reality to send a target to the Warp. These bombs can be made to effect large buildings or even entire cities, though the
chance of it malfunctioning grows the larger it gets.
-Far-Squeaker: This Clan Skryre device is sort of like a long ranged radio enabling long-range communication at least for
a continental range. For example Thanquol was capable of speaking with the Council of Thirteen based in Skavenblight
from Nuln. Rarely this device might blow up and kill its user.
-Ikit Claws Automatons: An exclusive invention of Ikit Claw, these are essentially clockwork Skaven. Used as his
bodyguards

-Telescope: Basically, a Telescope. A collapsible, bring on the move one at that. Thanks to a Warpstone inserted lens it
can really enhance the vision quality, though rarely something might go wrong that shoots the lens in the eye of the
beholder.
-Advanced Optics: A new Skryre invention of some Warlocks that allows the user to, at various settings, see through
illusions or even solid objects! For example a Skryre Warlock in End Times Thanquol was able to see through the
mountain walls to catch sight of hidden Dwarf positions within or see through illusions in the mists of a Lizardman city.
-Rockets: Ikit Claw, even the genius inventor, does have a few actual rockets at his disposal. Though unreliable, prone to
blowing up, crashing etc. these can be tipped with gas or warp bombs.

-Warprails: Essentially a Train system, these are of yet very rare in Skaven society and very untested. Mostly because
there are many problems such as the tendency of these locomotives to explode, derail, and the shoddy engineering
behind many tunnels insufficient to support them.
-Clan Skryre Gas Mask: Self-explanatory. It is considered very reliable, assuming there are no design flaws (accidental or
otherwise) present.
-Warpbrew: A type of drink that drives Skaven into a psychotic frenzy. Sometimes given to clanrats before the charge.
Warp Drilling Machine: A rarer, much larger variant of the Warp Grinder Team.

-Warp Generators: Capable of storing warp energy, this clan Skryre device can allow the user to cast basic warp spells,
essentially making them a level one wizard. Upgraded version exist capable of making them a level 2 wizard, with the only
version above that owned exclusively by Ikit Claw.
-Warptooth: Essentially a Bluetooth, allowing two way communication. A smaller, more compact version of the Warp
Lightning canon able to be fielded like a Weapon Team, at the moment the exclusive invention of Ikit Claw

Included below are numerous examples of various major and minor Skaven Clans that appear in the Underempire, and
may even appear here. They are mentioned to illustrate the full diversity of the Skaven force, though in unit composition
they are mostly similar to the standard Warlord Clan (Stormvermin, Clanrats and slaves) with some mimicking elements
of the Big Four clans.
Skaven society is divided into various competing social structures loosely termed clans that serve as a support structure
through which the Skaven may indulge in their desire for strength in numbers while satisfying their other urge to lord
their power over others. These groups are fractious to the extreme, wrought with treachery and backstabbing and the
fickle will of those who hold authority however they do provide a measure of protection. Clanmates are at somewhat
more likely to defend each other from the attacks of other clans, and having the backing of a powerful clan is considered
safer than being alone in a rat eat rat world.

Of the thousands of Skaven clans, four stand supreme over all. These four clans control the most influence in
Skavenblight, have multiple Thrall clans and all specialize in a theme, such as plague for Pestilens. All are willing to
contract themselves out to the highest bidder or for their own designs.
CLAN PESTILENS
The plague-ridden monks of Clan Pestilens emerged
from the Lustrian rain forests centuries ago. Their initial
contacts with the Under-Empire were less than peaceful,
but after a time an accord was reached and Clan Pestilens
became a productive segment of the Under-Empire.
Riddled with disease and contagion, the Skaven of Clan
Pestilens are devout worshippers of the Horned Rat.
Though they recognize the Horned Rats other attributes,
they focus on his ability to create, control, and spread
plagues. After the clans workers and captive labor are
taken into account, the majority of Clan Pestilens
military strength lies in its Plague Monks. The Plague
Monks are religious zealots dedicated to the worship of
the Horned Rat. Their bodies are riddled with plague,
and so used are they to pain that they barely feel it any
longer. Combined with their religious fervor, this resistance to pain makes the Plague Monks incredibly capable
combatants, especially en masse.
The Plague Monks believe that the rest of their Skaven brothers have been misled by the Grey Seers. They feel that the
average Ratman has been blinded to what they profess to be the true face of the Horned Rat; namely, pestilence itself.
The clans overriding goal is to bring the rest of the Under-Empire into the fold, while avoiding declarations of heresy
from the Grey Seers. Appeasing the Grey Seers for the time being is the only way to succeed. In time, once their victories
have been secured and the rest of the Skaven clans have been won over, the Grey Seers, too, will follow their example, or
die. Thus, by personality the mind of those of Pestilens are usually deeply fanatical, superstitious and with an extreme
confidence to their beliefs. They are also thought of as insane by other Skaven, for their tendency to roll around and
infect themselves with as much diseases as possible.
Historically Clan Pestilens, and not the followers of Nurgle, were responsible for the worse plagues that mankind ever
experienced. Such as the Red Pox, while annihilated 1/3 of Bretonnia or the Black Plague, which killed a whopping of
the Empire. Though these plagues are often hard to control and with the risk of blowback and kill many Skaven they
have historically been very useful to the Skaven cause. On the battlefield the plague masters can instill their plagues with
warpstone, so that it can harm even magical creatures (like ghosts!) that would normally be immune.
However in the End Times this clan, as well as its Thrall Clans, has been extremely devastated when Lustria and the
Southlands were destroyed by fragments of the Warpmoon falling on them. Though both still exist Pestilens is a shadow
of its former self, less potent and its units are much rarer than before.

 CLAN SKRYRE
Without a doubt, Skryre is the wealthiest
and most powerful of all the Great
Clans. The Clans strength rests on
artifice and sorcery in equal measures.
Much of their technology is geared
towards war, mixing equal amounts of
magic and Warpstone to create weapons
unparalleled anywhere in the Old World.
Fortunately for Clan Skryres foes, their
weapons are often as dangerous to the
Skaven as they are to their targets.
Because weapons are Skryres stock in
trade, the clans other mechanical feats
are easily overlooked. Skryre succeeded
in creating many exciting devices, from
the Warprail, connecting one end of the
Under-Empire to the other, to the
Farsqueaker, similar to a telephone, a device allowing instant communication between Skaven over great distances.
Indeed, much of the Under-Empires mining is accomplished by way of Skryre-manufactured earthmovers and rock
drills. The Clans Warlock Engineers are constantly researching new technologies. Skryres experiments are just as likely
to succeed as they are to fail, however, often with catastrophic results. In general, it must be remembered that the more
powerful Skryre device, the more likely it is to fail. The Warlock Engineers feel that such failures are to be expected,
especially those riding on the cutting edge of technology. The number of laborers, mechanics and engineers that die as a
result of this research is irrelevant when compared to the value of a successful experiment. The Goal of Skryre is to allow
their clan ingenuity to continue to advance without retardation from the Grey Seers or Pestilens, and turn the rest of
Skavendom into a servile, docile working class.
Clan Skryre expands its own power by augmenting its access to items of high technology. By delving into new areas of
research and making great discoveries, the clan increases its prestige amongst its rivals. In addition, Skryre-manufactured
equipment proven on the battlefield is often sold or leased to other Clans, creating a widespread reliance on Clan Skryre
equipment, ensuring their place on the Council. The Warlock Engineers of Clan Skryre are in no way ashamed of
adapting and improving the technologies of the other races. The Warplock jezzail is an example of a piece of mundane
equipment stolen by Skryre and perfected with liberal amounts of Warpstone-laced iron and steel. Their heavier weapons,
such as the Ratling gun and Warpfire thrower, resemble designs that were originally produced by Dwarf engineers in
years long past. Though Skryre ingenuity is capable of great invention and original design, it is also capable of
modification as well.
Historically, Clan Skryre has been responsible for the greatest superweapons ever built in Warhammer. Fortunately for
them most of them were unsuccessful, or else required very specific locations and resources along with a ton of
investment. However every once in a while these horror devices success, such as the poisoning of Karak Kiadrin or, most
infamously, the destruction of the moon. Clan Skryre personalities are usually shown to be very curious, willing to tinker
and secular (like real life scientists, they want to limit the amount of superstition in the lab). This makes them a main
enemy of the Grey Seers and more prominently Clan Pestilens .though the clans still do business occasionally.
However a downside of this personality is that Skryre warlocks dont truly think problems through and dont give a damn
about the consequences of deploying an incredibly destructive device, so long as it is successfully deployed.

 CLAN MOULDER
Second only to Skryre in wealth, the mutators of Clan Moulder
specialize in flesh crafting. Located in their northern Fortress aptly
named Hell Pit, The Master Moulders meld flesh and bone like clay,
breeding or building beasts that can be used to bolster their armies.
Their purpose is to breed the ultimate biological killing machine.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Given their exposure to the same mutating Warpstone they use in
their experiments, the Master Moulders are something more (or less)
than typical Skaven. Stories are told of Skaven Mutants that fly the
banners of Clan Moulder, their bodies warped, twisted, and armored,
surgically-altered or hideously transformed. The Master Moulders
tinker with the anatomies of creatures in much the same way that
Clan Skryres Warlock Engineers fiddle with mechanical war
machines, and the end results of these biological experiments are
often just as terrifying. Giant rats and Rat Ogres are just two awful
examples of Clan Moulders ingenuity. Not only can the denizens of
Clan Moulder create monsters well suited to warfare, they have also
learned to control them. The Clans Packmasters, wielding whips
with exceptional skill, can drive Rat Swarms, Giant Rats and Rat
Ogres into the teeth of oncoming enemy formations where they can
inflict the most damage. Off the battlefield, the Packmasters train
their beasts to fight by pitting them against one another. The skilled
and strong survive, the weak and wounded die.
Clan Moulder personalities are frequently seen as unhinged by other Skaven, for they are obsessed with the tinkering of
bodies and minds. This can lead to insanity, extra limbs or even something very rarely seen in the Skaven- obesity.
Though viewing their work as a science, they are also more attune to their bestial nature than other Skaven, as well as
with the essence of Chaos up north.

Historically, Moulder is a race that role relatively recently to prominence, the youngest of the four Greater Clans. They
were certainly only on their rise during the Black Plague era, to seize greater control later on. While the more bombastic
clans of Skryre and Pestilens both make overt power plays to seize control of the Skaven completely, Moulder, along with
Eshin, is content to sit on the sidelines, selling their services to the highest bidder. However as End Times text reveals
they too have designs upon Skaven society at large, and have many contingencies set in place in case Skryre or Pestilens
would attempt to seize complete control. The other clans thinks them simple, but to quote Skreech Verminking more
goes on the in minds of Moulder then you know.

 CLAN ESHIN
Early in the history of the Skaven, Clan Eshin stole away to the Far East.
Eshin was thought to have been lost for hundreds of years, but the Clan
mysteriously returned to Skavenblight to offer its allegiance to the Lords
of Decay. The time spent exploring the lands of Nippon, Ind, and Cathay
had served Eshin well, for the clan had gained significant training in the
arts of stealth and assassination.
The Assassins of Clan Eshin are rightly feared in Skaven society, for their
Deathmasters are the greatest killers in the Warhammer world. Many a
Dwarf, Skaven or Human notable have perished to their blade. In the
End Times the leadership castes of Nippon and Tilea were virtually
annihilated before the formal Skaven began, while other nations, such as
Cathay and Ind, were greatly destabilized in their war against Chaos when
many of their generals were killed. Yet Eshin isnt all about assassinations.
Because of their stealth, their fighters are also prized as spies and scouts.
Eshin sells its services to the Warlords, offering skirmishers and light
troops that can infiltrate the rear of an enemys line to scout enemy
formations or to dispatch leaders, wizards, and other valuable assets.
Eshin also maintains a powerful cadre of informants from which they
draw a great deal of useful information and can spread misdirection
among the enemy. When working in conjunction with another clan, they can insert bombs, poison and plagues into
enemy lands.
One notable achievement of Clan Eshin is, over the passing centuries, effectively writing out their existence in Imperial
histories. They did this twice first in the period following Sigmar (who fought them) and the following the Black Plague,
destroying or altering any relevant stories that featured Skaven. Those they couldnt do away with completely they
arranged for the public (through bribes of public officials over the centuries) to consider these tales as legends, myth, or
one-off events. There is evidence too that the Skaven used the same policy in regards to Bretonnia and Araby as well, and
maybe even the Far Eastern countries. However, unknown to the Skaven, there were small groups of elite individuals and
powerful organizations that were fully aware of the Skaven menace, either through their own encounters, research,
hidden records available only to that organization or contacts with the Elves/Dwarves. Yet they refrained from
informing the public directly, fearful that the Skaven would find out and throw caution to the wind and launch a massive
attack everywhere. These individuals maintained knowledge and even plans against the Skaven in case the need arose
while working to keep the Skaven unaware of their knowledge.
Clan personality can filter down to the individual, and this proves true for Eshin warriors. They are more likely to be
quiet and contemplative, while at the same time lethal in manner and disciplined in mind. Secrets are not spilled idly from
these assassins. Curiously, a significantly shamed Eshin rat may commit a version of seppeku (ripping open the belly with
a sword) in response to repeated grave failure on their part.

Below the Great Clans are the Warlord Clans. Most Skaven claim membership to one of the lesser Warlord Clans.
Theres no telling how many there are, but most believe they number in the many thousands. These clans compose the
overwhelming majority of the Skaven race.. Rivalry among these lesser Clans is fierce and treachery is rampant as rivals
constantly plot against each other and the strong consume the weak. A new clan can rise and fall in a matter of days.
Among these small factions, there are a few that stand out from the rest, though even they pale before the might of the
Great Clans. Though weaker, they do have representation on the Council of Thirteen.
Individual Warlord clans rarely attack by themselves. Usually, when a conflict occurs other clans flock from all around to
join in the hopes of sharing victory spoils, as well as specialists bought from the main four. Coercion and threats are a
viable means for these large clans to bring smaller ones into their ranks as well. While most clans are willing and eager to
buy and sell services from the larger, some clans throw themselves entirely at a greater Clans feeet, becoming Thrall
Clans or those whose interests are bound beneath the iron heal of the larger Warlord clan or one of the Four. Pestilens is
known for having a large number of Thrall clans.
CLAN MORS
The Skaven of Clan Mors are considered to be upstarts by the Great
Clans. Due to recent victories and prodigious expansion, Clan Mors is
very near to matching Clans Eshin, Pestilens, Moulder and even Skryre
in sheer power and influence. Together, the four Great Clans might
easily crush Mors, much as they have destroyed other upstart clans in the
past. Yet Mors continues to flaunt its power, and none are certain why
the Great Clans have failed to act as they are expected to. Warlord
Gnawdwell, the mastermind behind Clan Mors unbridled success and
the unquestioned master of the City of Pillars, now sits upon the Council
of Thirteen.
His ruthless methods have resulted in the deaths of many of his rivals, as
well as the outright destruction of at least six lesser Clans. With these
triumphs, Gnawdwell has increased the wealth and power of Clan Mors
to unprecedented levels. The Skaven of defeated Clans have increased
Mors military strength, not to mention its labor force, and conquered
strongholds across the Under Empire proudly fly the their banner.
Skaven of Clan Mors are said to have a loyalty to Clan Mors that, while seemingly petty to the races of the world
above, are suspiciously strong for the Skaven. Skaven who betray are more likely to think for the good of the clan then
just themselves, and some might actually believe it too. Also odd is that some members seem to show less fear than other
clans, with at least one in particular being essentially fearless by Skaven standards. Mors is adaptable, willing to readily use
the methods of other clans as well as their own. They are nevertheless a ruthless, aggressive bloodthirsty clan well fear by
other lesser warlord clans. Thanks to the long conflict with the Dwarfs and continual looting of that race, they have
better quality weapons and armor that most clans among their Stormvermin particularly. These Stormvermin have
been fed warpweed in the past to enhance their muscles.

 RABBLE CLANS
This was a derogatory collective name that covered all
the other myriad clans that rose and fell without ever
really making a name for themselves. They numbered
in the hundreds or possibly even thousands, and were
simply impossible to count or track, as they fractured
and reformed long before any note of their existence
could be made. These were the nameless clans who
aspired to rise up and take their rightful place amongst
the better-known skaven clans.
-Clan Carrion: Clan Carrion are the best scavengers
in the Underempire, utilizing everything they can find.
What isnt directly useful to them as food, weapons or
other trinkets is sold for a high profit. This clan has
no set fortress, simply wandering battlefield to
battlefield scavenging and looting. As a result they
have lots of good stuff (weapons and armor) and many spare weapons on them.
-Clan Crooktail: As this clan resides even further north in the Chaos Wastelands than Moulder, mutations are common
and seen as a mark of pride by this clan.
-Clan Ektrik: A Thrall clan of Skryre, this clan is known for their extreme obsession with lightning leading them to
spend all their cash on Warpfire cannons, Doomwheel and warlock engineers. They wear electric armor, their warlords
carry shock pods to battle capable of stunning a rat ogre, and hell even basic troops where bronze armor, which is
apparently more conductive. As one can expect the life expectancy of this clan is unusually low, courtesy of all the
accidents involving lightning. However, on the upside, there is a lot of tinkering among the Warlock Engineers here.
-Clan Feesik: A thrall clan of Pestilens, this clan is currently faking their devotion. They first fooled Pestilens long ago by
their seeming willingness to live in constant disease and squalor (when really, they were just dirt-poor) and Feesik is keen
to keep up this deception, for they would be extinct without the help of Pestilens monks. They have cultivated some of
the greatest excuses in all of Skavendom to keep Pestilens from questioning why Feesiks own plague monks keep
running away so fast.
-Clan Feerik: A relatively small clan led by a maniacal warlord who always wears a facemask, Veerik is a major supplier
of iron and steel in the Underempire. Thanks to enslaved skilled Dwarf labor their legions often come clad in steel, and
not the rusted type either. In addition those clanrats and Stormvermin of Feerik often wear metal helms to battle to
mimic their leader.
-Clan Fester: A thrall clan of Pestilens covered in so many plagues they are literally rotting away.
-Clan Gangrous: Skaven clan whose members have stumps for arms and have since attached blades to them, making
them the deadliest tunnel fighters in Skavendom.
-Clan Gnaw: Barbaric Skaven clan tht hunts the creatures and orc clans of the badlands, wielding their bones as weapons
and selling those captured to Hell Pit.
-Clan Gristleback: Clan whose clanrats fight in large chain-gangs, all linked together. Presumably this makes retreat most
interesting.
-Clan Gritus: After a key Mor Warlord was killed in the Black Plague years by emperor Mandred, there was a power
vacuum as the clan fought amongst themselves. Eventually order was regained, though several clans broke off. Gritus is
one of them and of all clan relationships only Pestilens-Skryre seems to be full of more hate then these two. They are a
great clan now, one that actively preys on weaker clans in order to gain more might. As a result they have ltos of captured

weapons, slaves and war beasts. Unlike most clans who care absolutely nothing about the Skavenslave, Gritus is more
generous in that those who fight extremely well can be raised to clanrats over time. Pit fights are often arranged to judge.
Thus many bear signs of recent slavery, like broken shackles, that they carry with them. Gritus is slowly preparing for a
final vengeance on their archrivals Clan Mors.
-Clan Grutnik: A clan that sits on a vast warpstone depot, this clan has become rich through selling to clans Skryre,
Moulder and multiple Warlord clans, in return for weapon teams and monsters as well as quality weapons and armor. Not
content just to have all that, they also are known to weld warpstone into their weapons and armor, add warpstone false
teeth, trinkets or even extremely mundane stuff.
-Clan Kreepus: A long time ago this clan was conquered by Clan Grikk. Months of attempted uprisings just kept ending
in failure and it seemed that the clan was destined for slavery. Until Eshin promised them weapons in return for future
loyalty. Kreepus agreed, becoming their thralls, and received hidden weapons in return. Unable to utilize them with
manacled claws they instead quickly mastered how to do so with their tails. The next uprising was successful and ever
since Kreepus has emulated Eshins ways and followed their lead. They also utilize tail weaponry more often than other
Skaven.
-Clan Krizzor: Once an unremarkable clan, one day some particularly inventive warlord discovered that Skavenslave
mixed with pigs blood made excellent bait! Since then they have frequently played around with their own Packmasters,
allowing them to spend extra money on Moulders latest and best. Indeed, outside of Moulder, they are said to have more
mutated beasts than anyone else. Doubtless they are planning to take on Clan Rictus, who places terrible tolls on them
for living in the area. Of course they probably dont expect that their seeming allies, Clan Moulder, is working with Clan
Rictus to triple their tolls so as to prevent the rise of the clan
-Clan Mange: A mercenary clan renowned for their loyalty to the highest bidder.
-Clan Morbidus: A Thrall Clan of Pestilens, Clan Morbidus is known for their mercenary attitude, as well as their ability
to fashion new diseases on their own. Diseases such as the Foaming Lungrot and the Blackbelly Fever that decimated
most of the nearby Imperials and Dwarfs. However, as mentioned, this clan likes to sell their services to the highest
bidder in defiance to Pestilens edicts (who typically involve themselves for a specific purpose). Though this allows them
to buy many Rat Ogres, Giant Rats and rat swarms from Moulder, this has not gone unnoticed by their masters.
-Clan Mordkin: Clan Mordkin is a specialist in fighting undead, with the long history of the clan including conflicts with
Nagash, the Necromancer Vanhal and recently Mannfred von Carstein, though none of those conflicts went well. As
such they are obsessed with death. They are known for being extremely morbid even by Skaven standards, taken to
wearing the dead bones and skin of their enemies, painting themselves white to resemble skeletons and eating putrid flesh
(in fact they desire it more than fresh flesh!).

-Clan Rictus: The second most powerful Warlord Clan behind Mors, Clan Rictus is forever scheming to usurp their
rivals power. This clan is extremely rich, courtesy of the massive tolls required to enter (and leave) the Dark Lands, as
well as all the slaves taken from nearby Night Goblin tribes. They are well known for their inordinate number of vicious
black-furred Stormvermin, including the much infamous Deathvermin. This regiment is so famed for its bloodthirstiness
that it actually poses a major threat to the power base of the Clan Rictus leader, so he continually throws it into suicide
missions. And the Deathvermin continually survive them.
-Clan Scuten: Clan Scuten is the secret army of the Grey Seers, a hidden clan that breeds an abnormally high number of
grey seers. Though the Grey Seers vehemently deny any special favors, when this clan marches to war they have a great
number of Grey Seers, high quality weapons and armor.
-Clan Septik: A Thrall Clan in Pestilens employ that might actually be more fanatical than their masters, this clan sees
themselves as the right claw of Pestilens. The shrewd Pestilens indulges this belief and throws them in in great masses
into battle though somehow this clan always manages to emerge intact. Dedicated to spreading the plague however they
can, Septik is known for choosing the rustiest of weapons, blessing Stormvermin with the best and the entire clan
willingly injects themselves with the Weeping Sore. Notably, the elite regiment known as Blightskabs Plaguepack
recently decimated the Imperial city of Nuln through unleashing the bleeding eye disease.
-Clan Skrittlespike: Skaven clan that lives in the darkest, deepest portions of the Underempire, shunning the light. They
are held as outcasts and poor warriors, for loud noises hurt and frighten them. In fact their own shrieks cause them great
agony.

-Clan Spittle: A clan noted for their hatred of Lizardmen and wearing their skin as armor into battle. Likely wiped out in
the fall of Lustria.
-Clan Skrapp: Poor even by the standards of the Underempire, Clan Skrapp has bribed Eshin agents to put out this
crazy rumor that Skrapp has hundreds and thousands of Grey Seers at his disposal- despite the official tally of the entire
order being 169! Few clans believe this claim but none are currently willing to challenge it.

-Clan Skully: Rivals of Eshin that try to emulate them, their armor clanks enough to make them far less successfully than
Eshin. According to lore they also hold strangulation as sacred and thus often come equipped with cords.
-Clan Skurvy: Clan Skurvy are the pirate Skaven of the Underempire, and one of the two clans that provide most of their
fleet. Similar to pirates they are extremely eccentric and cutthroat even by Skaven standards and leaders have a extremely
low life expectancy. They make their money by scavenging and by chain-pressing others into service, just like real pirate
navies!
-Clan Skuttle: Holds the second largest clan fleets and is a rival of Clan Skurvy.
-Clan Treecherikk: They are a clan treacherous even by the extreme standards of the Skaven! So common is it that
clanrats and strap shields to their back, not their front! Their armor is the color of Skaven blood so enemies cannot see
them bleed! However those of Treecherikk argue that it culls the weak and the dull from the clan, thus allowing only the
skilled and ruthless survive. It is true, at least, that a survivor from Treecherikk have little to fear from the seemingly
shallow schemes of the rest of their race. The most famous unit from Treecherikk is the Skurry-Stabbers, a unit not said
to have killed anything but clanrats of their own units for several years, and whose longest serving captain stands at a
record of four days.
-Clan Verms: A strange clan among the Skaven that specializes in breeding insects. These include fleas, ticks, worms,
glowing bugs, and even much larger, monster insects like scorpions. Their stormvermin have armor made of insect
carapace and have giant tarantulas that can eat through stone.

-Clan Volkn: Clan Volkn dwells in a fortress carved into the heart of a volcanic mountain. All fur in this clan is died red
at birth and branded with the symbol of the clan. Thanks to their location they bring many shiny black obsidian weapons,
with the warlords having runes branded into it that give it eternal heat. Members of this clan are often covered in soot,
scorched fur and scars, courtesy of the many pyromaniacs in this clan who ensure that the leaders buy an inordinate
amount of Warpfire Throwers.
-Clan Vrrtkin: A thrall clan of Skryre well known for their love of gas and chemical weapons. They have hundreds of
Poisoned wind Globadiers and mortars at their disposal, and have gassed many rival lairs. Unsurprisingly, they spend
much of their money on gas masks, with the higher ups getting the best pieces, clanrats getting faulty old versions and
slaves just having to tie urine soaked rags over their person. Thanks to all the fumes they inhale the Doomwheels driven
by this clan are notoriously unreliable and famous for driving over friends rather than foes. Their most famous unit is the
Turn-Tails, a clan rat regiment that has survived over thirty battles. They survived by running away, though the warlord
of this clan believes they fought their way out. As a result he has saw fit to give them even more weapon teams, which are
then used to cover retreat.

In Warhammer all magic comes from one source; the Winds of Chaos, which themselves come from the great Realm of
Chaos. Just as it is with 40k and the Warp all spells and lores below should be considered subcategories of one single
magical source.
Below are the many different lores available to the Undead Legion. Some are general, such as the Lore of Death; others
very specific, such as that of Vampires. It should be noted that, unlike 40k magic spells, these do not always
automatically bypass armor unless otherwise noted, and effectiveness will always be modified by that. However all
magical attacks and conjurations are considered of magical prowess, capable of affecting immaterial ghosts and demons,
and of a particularly higher plain of effect than the physically mundane.
All spells are listed in order from weakest and most basic to the strongest, which usually requires master wizards to
successfully cast. Or in the case of a weaker more ambitiously impatient wizard, more magical power to be available. Just
like Warhammer 40k, this list should not be taken as an all-inclusive nor exhaustive; there are literally tens of thousands
of spells in Warhammers existence.
Most Lores of Magic practiced by any race will have weak, but easily learned and well known spells known as signature
spells. They are so common that practically every wizard learning the lore knows them. Other spells are more unique in
taste and use, and it is unlikely and rare to find two wizards in the same army group to know the same spell. As few are
detailed a lot of new the magic of individual lores can be considered by archtype as they share standard rules and
archtypes. For example the Lore of Ruin is mostly about hurting the enemy directly with the warp or burrowing
calamity, , while Lore of Plague is about, well, plague.
Magic in Warhammer is low-inclusion but powerful. This means that most low-end spells in Warhammer can affect a half
or a dozen at once, with medium power ones going in affecting dozens and the rare (but not ultra-rare) high end affecting
even hundreds at once(or more)! This number listing, of course, applies to necromancy, where necromancer forces often
raise and mantain armies of thousands over their career. The specific numbers given below are their official stats in
game, but the amount affected can be higher (or weaker) in lore. However this comes at a cost, as magic in Warhammer
is both harder to control then other fictions and there are comparably fewer mages. Even for battles where one side has
many tens of thousands, it is rare to see more than a dozen mages in a force.
The increased strength and power of each spell makes it harder to cast, requiring a greater collection from the Winds of
Magic pertaining to that particular lore for its use, though the more skilled a wizard is, the easier they can absorb and
safely cast the spells. Skill levels vary from the relatively weak warp generators of the Warlock to powerful Grey Seers
and Verminlords. Personal stamina does factor into the amount these wizards can cast too, and they will find themselves
increasingly drained the more they cast . Potent spells will exhaust them very quickly and mages can usually only
maintain one spell at a time. Dangers with using spells are common and many a mage, even skilled ones, are wounded or
killed by magical misfires that may come from mispronouncing a word, giving the wrong gesture ect.
Skaven Lores seem to be channeled, at least somewhat, through the deity of the Horned Rat, as given by his influence in
the Thirteenth Spell. However much of it also appears stolen from other cultures. The trademark Skitterleap seems to
have originated in the shadowy lands of the Far East while Warp Lightning is seen among the Tzeentchi sorcerors of the
North. The Lore of Plague is, of course, may have originally been based on Nurgle or an aspect of Nurgle the Horned
Rat now has.
Then Skabritts eyes were changing, glossing over with a greenish luminance as he drew upon the arcane power of the Horned Rat and the
warpstone talisman he clutched in his fist. Kratch could feel tendrils of energy oozing into his brain, trying to smother his thoughts. It took all of
his own willpower and sorcerous knowledge to drive them back, to free his mind of their numbing touch. The adept slumped to t he floor,
physically drained by the effort of resisting Skabritts spell.
The slaves were not so fortunate. From the ground, Kratch could see them grow still. Fear withered from their eyes, dispelled by a green glow
that was an eerie echo of Skabritts own charged gaze. When the grey seer gestured, the mob stirred, pulling once again at their chains and the
iron staples anchoring them to the walls. This time, however, they did not attack the task as a disordered rabble but rather as a unified body
guided by a single will: that of Skabritt. One after another, the combined strength of the slaves tore the staples from the walls.
The last staple came free just in time for Skabritt. The sounds of carnage and slaughter had faded from the burrow. In the exposed mouth of
the chamber, its mangy pelt smeared in the black blood and yellow fat of the stormvermin, the rat-beast snarled and spat. Skabritt spun about,
glaring at the loathsome creature and pointed a clawed finger at the monster.

At his command, the ensorcelled slaves surged forward, a chittering mass of claws and fangs. Like a furry tide, they crashed upon the rat-beast,
crushing it beneath their sheer weight of numbers, bowling it over and slamming it into the crumbling wall of the tunnel. Earth and rock
showered down from the ceiling, throwing dust into the musty air.-Grey Seer, A grey seer control spell
===LORE OF RUIN===
Skitterleap
With a "Bamf!" the Skaven Sorcerer disappears in a puff of smoke to reappear elsewhere on the battlefield. Essentially
the Skaven can teleport anywhere within 50 meters (and sometimes far greater) . Can be spammed and even used to
quickly get out of melee combat. Most favored by those of Eshin.
Warp Lightning
The Skaven points a fleshy paw and bolts of greenish-black lightning arc outwards. Most favored by those of Skyre, this
has a whopping range of at least 300 meters and has been known to vaporize foes. It can chain through multiples at once.
Howling Warpgale
The caster gestures twitchingly to the skies and fierce hurricane gales begin to build until it swirls around the entire
battlefield.This spell is factored against enemy flyers, it stops them from flying and moving effectively (though they dont
usually crash). Enemy ranged fire is reduced in effectiveness while Skaven ranged fire is not.
Death Frenzy
Gesticulating wildly the caster gifts a unit with a rabid and frothing urge to close and strike the foe. Cast on any unit
within 100 meters, this turns that unit into a force a rapid, frothing rats that attack with supernatural speed. Such is the
ferocity of this spell that the Skaven will gradually collapse over time in fighting, their hearts having given out .
Thanquols eyes gleamed with an insane light. Bloody froth spilled from his mouth. When he spoke, his words were black with his own
stagnant blood. Power to summon-call the Black Hunger!
With the grey seers maddened shriek, grisly ribbons of power burst from the head of his staff, stabbing into all who stood before it. The eyes of
each creature the green vapours struck glazed over, blackening as they filled with blood, as all intelligence shrivelled. Skaven, rat ogre or giant
rat, one and all were struck down, their senses and minds drowned beneath one overwhelming urge, one all-consuming need. The verminous
throng burned with a terrible hunger, a hunger that could only be sated with warm, dripping flesh!
Skarpaws army disintegrated into a snarling mob of frenzied beasts, biting and clawing at their own, casting aside weapons and intelligence in
the grip of their primal, cannibalistic hunger. Clan Moulder packmasters leapt onto the back of their rat ogres, ripping and tearing at their
leathery flesh with fang and claw. Clanrats worried at the throats of gutter runners while Clan Skryre skirmishers cast aside their complex,
fantastic weapons to gnaw the entrails of their own fallen.
Kratch could only dimly see the gory display, his senses fading as Thanquols spell consumed more and more of his essence. It became an effort of
concentration to make his heart beat, to bring air down into his lungs. The adepts limbs trembled, his bones feeling impossibly heavy beneath
his flesh. He imagined he could feel his eyes slithering back into the pits of his skull. In his ears, he thought he could hear the sardonic laughter
of the Horned Rat.
-Variation of a Black Hunger spell
Scorch
The Skaven Sorcerer thrusts his paws into the ground while chittering fiery incantations. With a range of around 300
meters, this causes supernatural flames to erupt from a chasm at the enemy feet, terrifying them as well as immolating.

The great hall shook, trembling to its very foundations as Thanquols magic coursed through its stones. A
great conflagration erupted from beneath the battle line, a massive fire that immolated dwarf and skaven alike
in a holocaust of annihilation. The sorcerous blaze expanded, consuming troops from both sides, throwing the
dwarfs into confusion and spurring the skaven into retreat.
Angrily, Thanquol broke the spell, allowing the flame to dissipate. Where his spell had burned the granite had
turned black, peppered with scores of charred corpses. He chittered with amusement as he heard the dwarf
leaders trying to restore order to their panicked warriors. Then the grey seers eyes narrowed with fury as he
saw the horde of ratmen scampering towards his own position.- Thanquols Doom

Cracks Call
With the arcane incantation invoked, the Skaven ends by stamping his horrible pinkish rat-like foot, causing the very
ground to split asunder.At the Sorcerors feet a crack appears at the ground and runs for up to 300 meters outward.
Anything that doesnt get out of the way quick falls into the crack .This is something used to destroy buildings.

Those who dared look upon the grey seer saw something else. Behind the him stood a shadow another
horned sorcerer that was larger and mightier still. A Verminlord had come to the Hall of Clan Skalfdon
contamination and blight made manifest. From it spread further ripples of ruin. Rents opened to swallow entire
mobs of greenskins, and the slow-footed dwarfs fared even worse End Times: Thanquol

Pestilent Breath Uttering horrible phrases the Skaven Sorcerer belches forth an impossibly foul cloud that corrodes
and poisons. Limited to only immediate area around the mouth but powerful.

Bless with Filth A foul mist wraps around the weapons of a nearby unit and the weapons begin to drip with toxic
filth. This toxic filth clings to their weapons and temporarily makes their blades poisonous and thus far more deadly.
Blades already coated in poison are made more poisonous!

Wither Chanting passages from the Liber Bubonicus, the Wizard casts a spell of wasting, shrinking sickness. Cast on a
single unit at up to 50 meters this withers away their life essence, making them weaker. Some may even drop dead
altogether.
Vermintide The caster invokes and many rats answer the call. charging forth in supernatural numbers to devour the
enemy. This spell, if not stopped, can actually spread up to 300 meters and though their bites are weak en masse they are
absolutely deadly.
Cloud of Corruption The caster releases a stinking blast of diseased fury. This spell is in-discriminatory cast on
everything in 50 meters friend or foe. The diseases rapidly tear through vitality killing with terrible rapidity. Though Clan
Pestilens units have a resistance to their move even they are not immune.
Plague The caster unleashes a disease from the Book of Woe. This magically enhanced Warpstone plague called down
on an enemy unit within 50 meters rapidly kills those without constitutions to resist. Hopefully it ends now however like
a real plague itll most likely spread to further enemy units (though must be within immediate range). True to form,
plagues may backfire and spread on to Skaven units too.

With a sickening lurch the fabric of reality is torn by the twisting power of the Great Horned One. Cast on a single
infantry unit within 300 meters, this powerful spell can turn an entire unit into Clanrats. Even less powerful spells can still
mutate many in the unit or cause their friends to kill them in a panic. This spell is exclusive to Grey Seers and some
Verminlords, representing the most powerful spell in the Skaven arsenalat least barring End Times Magic. Only
Verminlords and the best Grey Seers know how to and can cast this spell.

The End Times have come and with it Chaos in a much more
powerful incarnation. The Magic of the End Times have been
ripped from the Great Vortex that once stabilized it, resulting in
the world being saturated with greater amounts of magical energy.
Though this magic is far too heavy for the majority of magic users
to utilize, those who have mastered the lores can deploy wholly
unique spells of ultimate battlefield potency. Though if these spells
backfire they are more destructive, it takes more time to gather up
the spell to cast and comes with other problems however they are
all very potent.
It should be noted that End Times Magic is not synonymous with
Storms of Magic; as discussed later. Storms of Magic represent
breaks in reality that saturate areas of the world with far more
Chaos energy than exists on the planet now.
Summon Arcane Fulcrum: A magical fulcrum is an arcane
conduit that inherently draws magic towards it, making it very
powerful for the one who controls it. Though it can only be
occupied by one at a time the sheer amount of magic surrounding
the building gives the one who controls it magical protection in the
form of a force-field that keeps most everything but artillery,
magic, and exceptionally powerful foes out. As the fulcrum usually
rises way above ground its difficult to assail by ground forces, too.
That said the effect of any miscast on the fulcrum is magnified to terrible proportions.
As of the End Times, level 3-4 wizards (masters essentially, most wizards are half this power level at 1-2) can summon a
fulcrum into existence and thus use the spells that come with it. So, barring the absolute highest characters over Clan
Pestilens and Skryre, basically only Grey Seers and Verminlords. In order, from least to most powerful the spells (both
in difficulty and strength) capable while a wizard is mounted on an Arcane Fulcrum are listed below.

Air of Pestilence: The caster hacks out a cloud that magically spreads and defiles an entire area. All those who breathe in
its pestilent air seem to shiver and weaken, their bodies sagging. They are now easier to kill. Cast on all enemies within
300 meters.

Weeping World Sores: At the sorcerers wretched word the world itself begins to bubble and boil with toxic pus.
Essentially this causes a twenty five meter swamp to open up underneath a unit within 300 meters. Those caught inside
must prove hardy enough to tough it out until they leave or die horribly.
The Great Red Pox: The caster vomits forth a crimson mist that rapidly spreads across the battlefield, causing an
instantaneous eruption of fist-sized boils and then a most painful death. This is a plague spell cast on all units within 300
meters, friend or foe, and those whose constitutions fail quickly die.

Warpstorm: Clouds roil angrily overhead as the sorcerer summons a Warpstorm that rains down Warp Lightning for a
brief period of time. Those units caught in it count as being struck by Warp Lightningfriend or foe (though the caster
has a degree of control, so less likely to be friend but it happens). Cast over 300 meters.
Pit of the Underworld: The caster strains his mind to open a great rent in the earth. The target site begins to shake until
the ground gives way to a vast pit that drops into the darkness below. This pit, which doesnt always work on the first
incarnation, is roughly 25 meters in diameter but can be big enough to take out entire buildings!
Verminous Ruin: The Caster summons a living tide of voracious rats that scurry forth and gnaw at the battlefield.
Essentially the caster summons a small tide of rats about 25 meters in diameter and then shoots off in one direction, up
to 300 meters. Those caught up in it must fight off their gnawing bites or die. Occasionally something will go wrong and
this tide veers off into horrified Skaven Ranks (though, given that Skaven sorcerers like to be in the rear, it probably kills
some anyway). Very rarely the Skaven sorcerer will cast it so perfectly that, at the end of the spell, a Verminlord is
summoned!