Skaven

Skaven are a malevolent race of humanoid rats that reside in the fictional world of Warhammer Fantasy. They are an enemy of the human race and seek to destroy them via manipulation, plague and conquest- almost all Skaven are worshippers of the sinister chaos-god known as the Horned Rat and even their own kind are not safe from their evil intentions, as Skaven society is ruthless and cut-throat, with only the sneakiest and most despicable of individuals making it to adulthood- although similiar to the Beast-Men, the Skaven have always been classified as an unique threat in their own right and their exact origins have been debated for centuries by many scholars: although a popular theory holds that the Skaven are a result of a monstrous mutation in common rats caused by Warpstones, a strange and powerful source of power which many Skaven still seek almost obsessively.

Skaven are an army that lack much in the way of war-machines and rely mainly on their sheer numbers, although their twisted minds have concieved some notable weapons of war, such as the Screaming Bells and the Doomwheel- being a clan-based society, Skaven rarely march to war under a single leader and tend to be loyal only to those who are strong or vicious enough to keep them from rebelling.

The paranoia, hate and greed most Skaven possess is perhaps the only true weakness these rodents have and it is believed by many that if they could put aside their own differences and truly unite then the Skaven could effectively take over the world - thankfully for humanity there seems to be little chance of that occuring as the Skaven are stubborn in their ways and continue their in-fighting when not plotting the demise of the other races in the world.

Allies

Skaven hold no allies, even amongst themselves, and no sane army would be caught dead with Skaven in their midst- even the Hordes Of Chaos will not ally with Skaven and, for this reason, they are one of the few races that are almost never seen in alliance with anyone else on the battlefield: although universally hated, the Skaven are especially despised by the Dwarves- who wage continual wars with them -and Lizardmen, who often feed Skaven as offerings to their gods.

Troops

A Skaven army consists of many different types of Skaven soldier and war-machine, but they tend to focus more on sheer numbers than excessive firepower.

Grey Seers

Grey Seers are the great wizards of the Skaven, and are seen through the race as prophets of the Horned Rat. They commonly preach to the Skaven populace of a coming time called the Great Ascendancy, when all of the Skaven will rise up as one and overwhelm both the Old World and the New World. Any who oppose the Grey Seers are considered to be heretics, and will be hunted down and killed in the name of the Horned Rat. On top of all of the power of the Grey Seers, there is also one of their number in the Council of Thirteen, known as the Seerlord, and is the informant to the rest of the Grey Seers of the council's actions. Some Skaven believe that there should not be a Grey Seer in the Council, and say that it is not the intended role of the Grey Seers. However, in the massive Skaven populace, their voices remain unheard for the time being.

Warlords

Leaders of Skaven clans (usually), Warlords are the highest point that non-grey (or white) furred Skaven can reach. Though the Warlord position is the top spot, replacements can occur in but a blink of an eye. Truth be told, it is when a Skaven becomes a Warlord that the real battle begins; everyone is literally out to get one another in Skaven society, so a Warlord needs to show brute strength and cunning, so that he keeps power... even if Skaven don't respect one another in the slightest.

Warlock Engineers

A combination of inventor and mage alike (though the latter isn't always true), Warlock Engineers are the brilliant creators of Skaven society. They invent weapons mainly, though they have also created various mechanisms to help create the Under-Empire.

Vermin Lords

The Greater Daemon of the Horned Rat, they are large demons that resemble the Horned Rat himself and wield a large halberd known as the Doom Glaive: they are said to be the corrupted form of an ancient Lord of Decay.

Clanrat Slaves

Otherwise known as Skavenslaves, these are the lowest of the low in Skaven society. Often created when a larger Skaven clan conquers a smaller one, Skavenslaves are in overabundance in Skaven society. The lowly working class, these are almost always the first ones to be sent onto the battlefield (as well as the first to be torn to pieces in battle), as well as the most likely to be cannibalized by the larger Skaven so that they might stave off the Black Hunger- a natural hyper-metabolism found only in Skaven society.

Giant Rats

Rats that have been mutated with Warpstone until they have grown to the size of wolves. Also, in order to maintain order among these rats, a Packmaster is usually present with a whip to urge them forward. Without this Packmaster, the Skaven army will have a very hard time controlling the mutant creatures.

Stormvermin

Stormvermin are larger than normal Skaven, and tend to have black or near black fur. They are hand-picked by Skaven Warlords for the Stormvermin units, and are then given better armor and weaponry. Stormvermin units are also commonly used as bodyguards for high-ranking Skaven such as Grey Seers and Warlords.

Rat Ogres

Rat Ogres are the byproduct of years of surgical experimentation, selective breeding, and Warpstone enhancement to Clan Rat stock by the so-called Master Mutators of Clan Moulder. The massively-muscled beasts are led into battle by cruel packmasters like beasts of burden, seemingly incapable of rational or independent thought. They live only to serve.

Screaming Bell

The most devastating weapon in the Skaven arsenal, the Screaming Bell is the equivalent of a sonic weapon. One toll alone can cause peoples' heads to explode, whereas Skaven are driven into a frenzy by the tolling of the bell. Made in the likeness of the original bell at the Great Temple of the Horned Rat, the production of these brass-built horrors is tedious, lasting at least 13 days.

Notable Skaven

These Skaven are notable enough to be considered villains in their own right.

• Grey Seer Thanquol & Boneripper
• Throt the Unclean
• Warlord Queek Head-Taker
• Deathmaster Snikch
• Ikit Claw
• Tretch Craventail
• Skweel Gnawtooth
• Lord Skrolk