| “ | Yes-yes. The essence of the warpstone feeds my machine. To create, one must-must destroy! To destroy, one must-must create! This will-will be great-best invention! Make-force all skaven bow-grovel! Destroy-kill all-all enemies! | „ |
| ~ Ikit Claw talking about the Doomsphere |
Ikit Claw is one of the most dangerous scientific minds in all of the Warhammer Fantasy world. As personal emissary to Lord Morskittar- the leader of the Skaven Clan Skryre -Ikit commands both fear and respect in equal parts, thanks especially due to his work in creating a series of experimental (and ungodly lethal) new weapons- among them a Skaven version of the atomic bomb called the Doomsphere -for the Skaven and with his skill as a genuine wizard.
Appearance
Before his accident, Ikit Claw was a tall white-furred Skaven. This was a clear sign that he was a leader- grey or white Skaven always have a gift for magic and are always made leaders; likewise, his height helped to intimidate his rivals.
The premature activation of a certain device, however, has turned Ikit into a pathetic husk of his former self. Small and shriveled, without his mechanical suit, he wouldn't be able to even hurt a slave, much less intimidate them. Thankfully, the suit Ikit wears gives him great strength and resistance to physical harm as well as magical. He does look to be more machine than monster, but sacrifices must be made. The suit in question is a walking arsenal all its own, powered by a warpstone generator- a flamethrower has been built into it, one of the gauntlets is more akin to a set of scythes than a piece of armor and his magic halberd- Storm Daemon -fires dark lightning bolts when needed.
History
Ikit Claw first came to prominence during the second Skaven Civil War. Clan Skryre knew that someday, the Council of Thirteen- the ruling body of the Skaven -would be destroyed from within due to an uprising, and the recent failure of a conquest of the kingdom known as Bretonnia proved to be the kickstarter. Clan Pestilens- plague-obsessed Skaven who had instigated the first Skaven civil war -started the second war as well, trying to overthrow the current members of the Council on charges of heresy against the Horned Rat. In truth, this was to prevent them being evicted from the Council of Thirteen by force, but the damage was done.
With the Council demolished, it was clear that Clan Pestilens and its many thrall clans wouldn't stop until they were on top of everyone else. Clan Skryre, however, refused to let this happen. Wielding considerable weaponry that was a bizarre fusion of both magic and technology, Skryre ground Pestilens forces to dust. During these days, Ikit was made Chief Warlock and tasked by his master to restore order to the Skaven as a whole. However, the result would be an order reforged, with Morskittar as the new head of the Council of Thirteen.
Taking refuge in the Temple of the Horned Rat- a holy temple to the Skaven -Skryre forces dug in to an insane level. Warplock Jezzail teams (Skaven snipers, in other words) took position in the temple's foreboding bell tower and weapon tems covered every last entrypoint to the temple. Morskittar had declared himself ruler of Skavenblight by this point, but nobody cared- anarchy had taken hold. 400 years of endless, unremitting war ravaged the Skaven, with three major factions carved out of the "Greater Clans"- Skryre, Pestilens and Moulder. As time went on, Skryre began to grow in earnest.
Ikit was more than just an inventor and a gifted wizard- he was also a curious being with a serious gift for finding knowledge. He journeyed around the world, taking secrets of mysticism from the lands of Cathay, studying the Lizardmen and their dimension-spanning devices and even working alongside the heartless Chaos Dwarfs and their forgemasters. His return left a worrisome impression- Skryre was nowhere near the technical expertise that had been witnessed! This had to be rectified. Fortunately, being Chief Warlock had its benefits. With such power to command, massive warpforges and armories of unbelievable size were built into Skavenblight. Production rose to an undreamed-of level, with devices and weaponry flying off of conveyor belts.
The devices actually proved more than just profitable- they also proved informative, as Ikit detected a rising tide in Dark Magic, which heralded the coming of the Great Chaos Invasion. Then the Grey Seers came to call (as Morskittar expected), and everything changed. They came with a warning- either show up for the annual feast of Vermintide, or suffer the wrath of the great Horned One. Everyone arrived, with representatives for certain clans stepping up due to fear of assassination attempts. The whole order of Grey Seers- all 169, with Seerlord Kritislik trailing at the back with an unholy tome -had stepped forth and began an unholy ritual. 169 slaves- each dying in greater agony -were slain to bring the Horned Rat forward and, with an unheard of shriek from the Seerlord, the Horned Rat came forth (with the deaths of some poor sods coupled with his entrance). Although amused by his children's squabbling, this madness had to stop. To that end, the Council of Thirteen was to be rebuilt. However, a catch came with it this time- only certain individuals would be accepted. In order to weed out the unworthy, the Horned Rat left a glowing pillar of pure warpstone- an unholy, 13-sided obelisk with thirteen blocks' worth of runes (marking the commandments of ruination and dictates of rulership alike, with the prophecy of the Great Ascendancy- the Skaven's takeover of the world) for each side -in the near center of the capital city of Skavenblight. Only the favored could touch the pillar and, by extension, serve on the Council. Many touched the pillar, but only twelve survived untouched (and marked with a dark aura that made their membership on the Council undeniable); all others either burned alive or- in the case of the cowards who weren't chosen -gave their rights as council members up.
With the greatest threat to Skaven ascendancy dealt with, Ikit resumed his work. However, one of his works- the assembling of an atom bomb -backfired with considerable potency- figuratively and literally! The explosion withered Ikit to a concerning degree, decimating the left side of his body and burning flesh and fur alike off of his skull. His white fur gone and his height all but gone, Ikit began to work on a new project- the creation of a mechanical exoskeleton that would restore his feeble body. The skeleton was complete sometime in the 2150s of the Empire of Man's existence. With his body in better shape, Ikit has continued his field work.