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Skarsnik with his pet squig Gobbla.
Skarsnik, also called the King of the Eight Peaks or King Under the Mountain, is a powerful, cunning, ambitious, manipulative and sadistic goblin and a supporting antagonist from the tabletop wargame Warhammer Fantasy Battles and the videogame Total War Warhammer.
He is the leader of the Crooked Moon Tribe, the most promiment tribe of Night Goblins, and also one of the commanders of the Greenskins faction. He is always accompanied by his pet squig Gobbla.
In Total War: Warhammer, he is voiced by Christopher Adams.
Story[]
The life and story of Skarsnik can all be traced by the recorded accounts of a once famous playwright by the name of Jeremaih von Bickenstadt, a son of a minor family that had dreams of making himself famous and wealthy through the writing of plays. However, his father originally wanted him to be a famous professor at the University of Altdorf, but Bickenstadt refused to follow the path his father laid out for him. This choice had since changed Bickenstadt's life forever, for after refusing his wishes and breaking his father's once-kind heart, Bickenstad went about his life as a freelance playwright, where he would eventually journey to the hostile lands of the Border Princes.
During his travels, Bickenstadt is ambushed by a band of Night Goblins and made a prisoner. Bickenstadt was brought in the Night Goblin's fortress of Karak Eight Peaks, in front of Skarsnik himself.
Skarsnik offered to Bickenstadt his freedom in exchange of writing a book about the story of Skarsnik's life, or he will be eaten by Gobbla. Without any real choice, Bickenstadt was forced to obey Skarsnik and write his story.
On the accounts given by Bickenstadt, Skarsnik was born like any other Goblin and Orc born into existence. The goblin that would later be known as Skarsnik started out life by clawing his way out of the dirt, and into the darkness of a glowing mushroom-lit cave, along with the birthing of his brethrens. In time, these small Goblins began to venture into the domains of the Crooked Moon tribe. Even as a newbborn child, Skarsnik showed an aptitude of intelligence by being able to spurt out his first words shortly after birth and being able to command his brethrens through the dangers of the caves.
As these baby Goblins ventured into the central camp of the Crooked Moon, the small Goblins were forcibly integrated into the Tribe. Forced into slavery, these Goblins were given the task of harvesting the many mushrooms that infest the lairs of the Backstairs Boyz. Skarsnik during this time was known simply as Runt, for unlike his other brethrens, Skarsnik was significantly more smaller then the rest of the other Goblins. Even as years have passed, Skarsnik was still a lowly runt in the tribe's slave pens, while his former brethrens have since grown up and left him. His small stature, however, did not stop him from rising through the ranks of his tribe. After a few years of personally leading the newer spawnings by himself, Skarsnik was finally elevated to the position as a true member of the tribe.
Sometimes later, Skarsnik made himself a powerful ally with the Skaven called Skeekrit Yellowtooth by helping him become the leader of Clan Mors. In return Skeekrit started a secretive trade between him and Skarsnik that made the goblin the wealthiest in his tribe. However, Skarsnik's rival, Runtboy, snitched on his secret dealings with the SKaven, which angered Big Boss Tarkit into ordering Skarnsik's execution. However, thanks to a sudden attack on the tribe by a warband of Dwarves, Skarsnik escaped into a undeground river that led him to Karak Eight Peaks, where he was recruited by a tribe of Goblin Wolf Riders.
Around this time, Skarsnik became the master of a Cave Squig named Gobbla. Gobbla is an enormous, very smelly, and mindlessly vicious creature that Skarsnik had saved from death when it was a mere Squigling. Ever since then, Gobbla had become an eternally loyal companion to Skarsnik, for although most other Goblin Chieftains and Warlords loyalty can be put into question, Gobbla had since saved Skarsnik's life many times. As a sign of their close companionship, Skarsnik feeds Gobbla regularly with the tasty flesh of Dwarf, Skaven and any Goblins careless enough to stray too close to its murderous maw.
After months of trailing, Skarsnik led the Wolf Goblin tribe into the foothills of the Worlds Edge Mountains, where he set his sights upon the ancient Dwarf kingdom of Karak Eight Peaks. With his now sizable army, Skarsnik subjugated all the Greenskin tribes that stood in his way, as well the Orc tribes that occupied the lands around the East Gates. Since the kingdom's downfall, the titanic gates of Karak Eight Peaks had always been open to all, but when Skarsnik came upon the gates himself, he found it closed. Skarsnik was both confused and scared to find the door closed, for its closing simply means that Karak Eight Peaks had recently changed hands since his departure some time ago. After questioning his new Orc subordinates, he quickly realized that the Skavens have recently conquered the upper reaches of Karak Eight Peaks in a lightning-fast invasion.
Skarsnik ordered the army to encamp themselves during the night while Skarsnik would sneak in and talk to the Big Boss of the Crooked Moon Tribe. Entering a ventilation shaft that Skarsnik had discovered when he was a mere runt, Skarsnik snuck back into the domains of his former tribe, the Crooked Moon. It was from there that he discovered that his old rival, Snotruk had become the new Big Boss of the entire tribe. Still having lingering resentment for Skarsnik, Big Boss Snotruk threw his rival into a massive fighting pit where Skarsnik had to fight off packs of ravenous Cave Squigs all by himself. It was just then that the largest Cave Squig, Skarsnik had ever seen came after him, but the creature stopped just short from him and curiously sniffed him. Out of the purest luck, Skarsnik had met the same Cave Squig he'd saved from the cruelty of Snotruk many years ago. After gaining the loyalty of his new companion, and the timely arrival of Kruggler and his Wolf Goblins, Skarsnik allowed the Squig, now named Gobbla, to devour his former rival and became the new chieftain of the Crooked Moon.
