The Horned Rat is the sole god of the Skaven. He is a mighty Chaos Power that gnaws at the fabric of the universe. Using his ratmen servants, he plots the corruption of reality and the destruction of Mankind. Periodically, Skaven erupt from dark and fetid places in a raging wave to spread pestilence, decay, and destruction over the lands of the known world. These plagues match the feverish and mad whims of the Rat god. The symbol of the Horned Rat is often painted upon shields and armour of Skaven Warriors and on the robes of Grey Seers.
The Horned Rat is not generally worshipped by humans; only a few, very deranged humans pay him homage in the desperate belief that by being his good servants they will be spared when he finally claims the world. These human followers can be found throughout the cities of the Empire and Brettonnia, where they serve as spies for the Skaven. They try to live unremarkable lives, but gather in the sewers now and then to pass on information and receive guidance from their Skaven masters. In addition, they provide the Skaven with safe houses, food, routes in and out of cities and its structures, and the occasional shard of Warpstone.
However, most Humans, Dwarfs and Elves see the Horned Rat for what he is: as a dangerous Chaos Power and therefore their sworn enemy. These races make little distinction between the many Chaos powers, seeing only a formless turbulent mass. While all Chaos Powers are rivals, they are not above allying with the Horned Rat to pursue their own goals or to wreck havoc on the lands of man, dwarf or elf. In particular, Tzeentch enjoys the plotting and scheming ways of the Horned Rat, and Nurgle assists in his spread of diseases.
The Rat god is a harsh master over his servants. Failing the Horned Rat, or his representatives, the Council of Thirteen or the Order of Grey Seers, usually results in death. Still, while there are 169 commandments laid down by the Horned Rat to guide the Skaven in their daily lives and their plans for world domination, there are few guides to how they are interpreted or used. Perversely, in spite of these commandments, Skaven society is governed by the sole law of the survival of the fittest and most powerful. Thus, often it is more important that someone, rather than the right Skaven is punished. The Council and its agents will often overlook the crimes of a powerful Skaven. On the other hand a Skaven that has fallen in status will often find himself accused of some manufactured offense and swiftly, but painfully, executed.
As the four great Powers of Chaos have their own Greater Daemons so too has the Horned Rat. These are known as the fearsome Verminlords. Unlike their Daemonic cousins, Bloodthirsters, Keeper of Secrets, and Great Unclean Ones, Verminlords are relatively few in number. Only 169 inhabit the ruinous court of the Horned Rat. Given their scarce numbers, the Verminlords seldom engage in pitched battles with the other Chaos Powers. The Verminlords prefer to work through intermediaries, allowing others to fight their proxy wars, striking only when the odds overwhelmingly favour their own cause. The Verminlords move their Skaven pawns in intricate and often incomprehensive ways against the other gods and each other. While Tzeentch enjoys this battle of wits over combat, Khorne abhors these subtleties of and often tries to force battle on the Horned Rat. Still, the Verminlords have not been wiped out despite their small forces as like any rat, they are most dangerous when they are cornered. The Verminlords plot against each other and seek to gain entrance to the world of mortals to further their own ends and gain favour with the Horned Rat. Even though this infighting sometimes hinders the Horned Rat’s quest for world domination he tolerates it. The squabbles of his Daemons amuse his twisted sense of humour and entertain him as mush as the battles among his ratmen race.
A Verminlord is two or three times the size of a Skaven and their heads are bedecked with twisted spiralling horns and sloughing flesh, in mimicry of their Patron Lord. They are surrounded by an aura of creeping decay and inscrutable knowledge. Their bodies are leprous and warpstone charms hang from or are incorporated into their very flesh. Some Verminlords wear robes similar to those of the Order of Grey Seers with red runes painted over them. A Verminlord is wiser and more wicked than any living Skaven and yet retains its mortal lust for power and love of betrayal. In particular, the Verminlords work ceaseless to gain access to the mortal world and are prepared to offer anything to those foolish or weak enough to listen.
By gaining the favours of a Verminlord, a Grey Seer may gain unimaginable power, often at the cost of his life. Unlike other summoned Daemons a Verminlord cannot be dismissed by the summoner; once invoked, the Daemon is free to walk the earth. This is the reason for the Grey Seers reluctance to summon a being of Daemonic origin that cannot be easily controlled or sent back if things go horrible wrong. Though many a Seer may be desperate enough to summon a Verminlord, few survive the deal.
The books on the forbidden ritual of raising a Verminlord from the infernal reaches are locked away and hidden. Apprentices are utterly forbidden to read them. Those Skaven that do will hear whispers in their mind of plots, schemes, tales of treachery, promises of power and fragments of ancient evil spells. They will be enjoined that they have the key to unlock untold power that will be for them and them alone. This is the Verminlord whispering in preparation for his arrival on earth. The Skaven will be half tricked and half forced into summoning the Verminlord and at some point in the future will the first syllables of the wicked ritual be spoken.
The summoning of a Verminlord calls for a sacrifice. An individual of power must be killed, preferable by an object that means something important to him. The object will then be used as the focus in the ritual. As the summoner performs the ritual, dark energies whirl around his body, intensifying as the ritual near its ending. Suddenly blood spews from the eyes, nose, and ears of the summoner and as the Skaven lies on the ground with his life force draining away, with horrified eyes he will see a great claw slice through the curtain of reality. The Skaven will not die, only when he has reached death’s doorstep will the Verminlord step into the material world. Initially, the great beast will be quite willing to aid the summoner, though it becomes more and more recalcitrant as time goes on. Unless the Seer is careful to protect himself, he is as likely to become the victim of his assistant, as its beneficiary.
The Grey Seers are the Horned Rat's representatives and servants among Skaven society. They are free of all Clan loyalties, and answer only to the Council of Thirteen and the Horned Rat himself. As with anything in Skaven society, however, under the surface facade, considerable political intrigue and turmoil exists between the Grey Seers, the Clans, and the Council of Thirteen. While the Order nominally exists under the direction of the Council, the two bodies often surreptitiously compete against each other and the more powerful Clans frequently seek to manipulate this division. In particular, as a Clan specialising in magic and warpstone engineering, there is often tension between the Order and Clan Skryre. Still, Grey Seers are highly respected and feared in Skaven society, few but the most powerful dare to interfere in Grey Seer activities and fewer still would think to attack the Grey Seer. Any intervention in Grey Seer affairs is immediately punishable by slow death.
Young Skaven flock outside the gates of the Great Temple hoping to gain entry to the Horned One’s service. At arbitrary intervals the gates are opened and any present Skaven are allowed in. This is the first test of the candidate's precognition skill. Hopeful Skaven may wait for days, weeks, and even months, outside the gates. For fear of missing their chance to enter by sneaking off to eat, many succumb to thirst and starvation long before the gates are opened. Only far sighted and simply lucky Skaven survive this initial test and are present when the gates finally open.
Inside the temple they are confronted with the Test of Death and one by one they each must divine the only door, among thirteen, that leads to the Sanctum of the Horned Rat. All others lead into the Chambers of Certain Doom. Successful candidates step into the Sanctum and are welcomed by the Senior Grey Seers. As the lucky candidate is told that he has passed the final test to become an apprentice, the tortured screams of those who have chosen incorrectly can be heard in the adjoining chambers.
As the Apprentices live their next decade inside the Great Temple, they perform minor duties and assist in rituals and ceremonies. They study the doctrines of the Cult of the Horned Rat, as well as penetrating the secrets of the realm of magic. They taste the warpstone snuff that sends delightful visions of carnage and death dancing through their brains. They learn the secret rituals that hone their precognitive powers, allowing them to tear through the veil of the future. They master the secret arts of divination that reveal the plotting of their foes and learn arcane spells that are capable of slaying whole armies.
The total number of Grey Seers is always fixed at 169 and an Apprentice may not become one until a seat is vacant through the death of its holder. This causes much plotting from the Apprentices and many divination runes are cast in trying to single out the weakest Grey Seer so that a seat may be made vacant. If the Grey Seer is missing an Apprentice is not immediately promoted until 6 months have passed and the Grey Seer can be presumed dead. Sometimes a "deceased" Grey Seer returns and finds his seat taken; the unfortunate Apprentice is lucky if he is killed instantly.
Once a seat is vacated, the oldest Apprentice has the right to demand to be initiated. However, he may only do so once a full day has passed following the posting of a vacancy. Predictably, the rate of "accidents" and assassinations increases overnight. The Apprentices must rely on their visionary skills to survive these assassination attempts as well as their homicidal instincts in striking at their foes before they can strike at them.
When the time comes, the successful Apprentice must face the Thirteen Circles of Initiation: lethal tests of faith and magical potential. The Apprentice must answer question about the doctrine, recite liturgies, and successfully divine safe route through the theological traps set for him by his seniors. Finally, he must walk blindfolded through the Maze of Inevitable Death. If he fails but one test he is fed to the rats and his skeleton hung outside the study chambers as a graphic reminder of the consequences of failure to the Apprentices. If the Apprentice fails, the next oldest Apprentice is given the right to demand to be iniated, many Apprentices secretly perform rituals that will ruin their brother Apprentices chances of success.
The final part of the initiation takes place inside the Shattered Tower as the candidate steps out of the Maze. As his blindfold is removed, he gazes up into the welcoming eyes of a Grey Seer Lord. The Apprentice is lead into the most sacred site in all of Skavendom, the room where stands the Pillar of Commandments. Inscribed, by the Horned Rat himself, upon its thirteen sides are the 169 commandments that define the laws of Skaven society. The new Grey Seer abases himself before the Pillar of Commandments as his superiors give him his equipment and formal title of Grey Seer Champion. The equipment of a Grey Seer are the Sacred Robes, light grey to match the wearers fur and inscribed with protective runes; the Grey Seer Staff with the rune-sign of the Horned Rat and a Seal of Cult Authority.
The new Grey Seer is set at running a temple of the Horned Rat or to assist a higher ranked Grey Seers. In case of political power he has the last say in Cult matters and must only listen to higher ranking Grey Seers or Council Authorities, in reality they only rule ceremonies and rituals. Though their title is Grey Seer Champion, non-Grey Seers address them as Grey Seers and higher ranking Grey Seers address them as Apprentice Champions. To progress the Grey Seer Champion must have successfully performed a number of missions for the Council of Thirteen. Grey Seer Champions compete with and intrigue against their brother Grey Seer Champions for missions that will give them a higher chance of succeeding and earning the approval of the feared Council of Thirteen. When the Skaven have claimed the title of Grey Seer Master he is given access to the inner chambers of the major temples. His political power increases as he is given limited authority as a representative of the Council of Thirteen. He may be overruled by local rulers, but his rule in Cult Matters may only be challenged by a higher ranking Grey Seer or a member of the Council of Thirteen. A Seal of lesser Council Authority is incorporated in the Grey Seers Cult Authority. The highest title is that of Grey Seer Lord and nominations are only accepted by the Council of Thirteen themselves. A Grey Seer Lord wield the undisputible political power as a Council Authority and is given a Seal of Council Authority, the mere sight of it causes lower Skaven to tend to his every need and obey every command. Not even the Council of Thirteen may overrule them in Cult matters, and they often make personal matters Cult matters. The supreme ruler is the Seerlord and he is elected by the Grey Seer Lords from their own ranks. He need to have a strong political base as well as the ability to predict the future in order to further the wishes of the Horned Rat as well as the goals of the Order.
Grey Seers attend great meeting to discuss religious or mundane matters and a final decision in an important issue is not taken until after voting on the issue. Each Grey Seer vote with their seals, Grey Seer Champions have a Seal of Cult Authority, a Grey Seer master have a combined seal of Cult and Lesser Council Authority. While a Grey Seer lord have both a seal of Cult Authority (combined with a seal of Lesser Council Authority) and a Seal of Council Authority. The Seer Lord, the supreme leader of the Order of Grey Seers, also holds the Seal of Grand Lord so he has three votes. However all is not equal in the halls of the Grey Seers and Champions are often expected to vote as the higher ranked Grey Seer that they are assistants to or suffer disciplinary punishment or experience strange accidents. Usually the votes of the Lords are known weeks before the actual vote and most Grey Seers vote with the majority. Often enough the Seer Lord himself lets his vote be known well in advance. But all is not as simple as a mere calculation of how the majority will vote and a vote is always preceded with weeks of bribery, blackmail, mutual agreements, pacts and outright threats. Much like the Council of Thirteen the Order is hindered from making an impact with the decision because of their number and many different minds. Even if the majority more often than not votes in favour of a proposal the implementation of the decision often falls on the Grey Seers unwillingness to carry it out. In the Skaven mind it is more favourable to work against something that will indeed benefit you if it will hurt a fellow Skaven more. Many decisions are outright sabotaged to inflict minor damages to an opponent's power base, regardless of the price.
| Title | Number |
Votes |
| Seer Lord | 1 |
3 |
| Lords | 39 |
2 |
| Masters | 39 |
1 |
| Champions | 90 |
1 |
| Total | 169 |
210 |
The Grey Seers are the Horned Rat's representatives and servants among Skaven society. They are free of all Clan loyalties, and answer only to the Council of Thirteen and the Horned Rat himself. Grey Seers are highly respected and feared in Skaven society, few dare to interfere in Grey Seer activities and even fewer would think to attack the Grey Seer as any intervention in Grey Seer affairs is immediately punishable by death.
Grey Seer Lord at 340 pts.
Grey Seer Master at 225 pts
Grey Seer Champion at 145 pts
Apprentice at 56 pts
| PROFILE | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | LD |
| Grey Seer Lord | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 7 |
| Grey Seer Master | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 7 |
| Grey Seer Champion | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| Apprentice | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 5 |
EQUIPMENT
Grey Seer Staff and a hand weapon.
WEAPONS/ARMOUR
A Grey Seer or Apprentice may be armed with any combination of weapons from the equipment
list, they do not wear armour as it hinders their spell casting.
MAGIC
A Grey Seer Lord have a Magic Level of 4, a Grey Seer Master have a Magic level
of 3, a Grey Seer Champion have a Magic Level of 2 and an Apprentice have a Magic Level of
1. The Grey Seers take their spells from the Skaven deck and may use Grey Seer-only
spells, Apprentices take their spell from the Skaven deck but may not use Grey Seer-only
spells.
MAGIC ITEMS
A Grey Seer Lord is entitled to up to 4 Magic Items, a Grey Seer Master is entitled to up
to 3 Magic Items, a Grey Seer Champion is entitled to up to2 Magic items and an Apprentice
is entitled to up to a single Magic Item.
SPECIAL RULES
PROTECTIVE ROBES
The robes of a Grey Seer are inscribed with runes of protection that give the
wearer a basic save of 5+, this save is modified by the strength of the hit as usual and
it is treated as a normal non-magical armour save.
GENERAL
A Grey Seer Master or Grey Seer Lord may be the Army General.
MAY RIDE
Any Grey Seer may ride a monster. A Grey Seer Master or Grey Seer Lord may ride a
Screaming Bell. An Apprentice may not ride anything.
An Apprentice is not yet a Grey Seer so any special rules for Grey Seers do not apply to them, they are included to allow higher Grey Seers to have an assistant (some would say servant) with them and to make the list complete. They may not use Grey Seer-only spells and do not wear Grey Seer robes.
The Great Temple of the Horned Rat lies in Skavenblight, the birth site of the Skaven race as recorded in the Tilean tale. The blackened once-white marble of the Shattered Tower pierces the perpetual smog and clouds above, and from its top tolls a great bell over the city to remind the inhabitants who their master is. Around the Shattered Tower lies the Great Temple that is both the meeting place for the Council of Thirteen and the home of the Order of Grey Seers. The Order guards the tower and the Pillar of Commandments, placed there by the Horned Rat himself during his last physical manifestation.
In addition to the Great Temple, most Skaven strongholds maintain a temple of varying size and there are innumerable shrines in their lairs spread throughout the known world. Inside are gathered various relics, unholy instruments of worship, and foul laboratories in which the Seers conduct their inscrutable investigations of the mysteries of the Warp. Usually, a warpstone meteor of varying size will also be found somewhere within the temple confines.
The only sacred day of the Horned Rat is Vermintide, which marks the day of the Horned Rat’s incarnation. Hundreds of slaves are sacrificed in terrible and foul rituals to the Rat god. However a few rituals are also performed by the Grey Seers when Morrslieb is full and its power is greatest on the land below. The Horned Rat's sacred number is thirteen and the Seers often invoke its power in their foul rituals.
The size of a temple depends on the power and rank of the Grey Seer in charge of it. The higher the rank the bigger the temple and the more assistants and guards will there be. Only a powerful, and thus high ranked Grey Seer, will be able to control the temple, and, more crucially, the tortuous and internecine politics that inevitably dominates it. Seer Champions will often be given control of small shrines and catacombs. They will fall under the control of the Seer Masters who will control the religious affairs of a parish as well as their own temples. Finally, Grey Seer Lords will administer the affairs of entire regions as well as major religious centres such as the Hell Pit, the City of Pillars, and Crookback Mountain. Distance and the scheming of individual Grey Seers mean that this nominal organizational structure is never stronger than the individuals who hold these positions.
However, a Seer’s rank itself may not always be the key factor. An apprentice Grey Seer is often sent to run shrines in remote and dangerously independent lairs, often to regain the loyalty of the Warlord clan residing there. This is usually a test of the apprentice's ability to control a situation; dead apprentices risks little on the part of either the Order or the Council. If the apprentice is killed the council will solve the matter with the more costly and risky solution of sending a loyal clan to recapture the lair and bring it under the Council’s command once again. Sometimes an apprentice is given command of a small force and is given control over the lair if he succeed in capturing it.
The Order of Grey Seers does not have a standing army of Clanrats nor are the allowed to have one. They do control numerous Warlord Clans and they reserve the right to recruit one Skaven per year and clan from the Warlord Clans Stormvermins. They are the best warriors drawn from the Stormvermins and have sworn to defend the Grey Seer or die trying. No one can imagine the horrors that will happen to a Champion that betrays the Horned Rats chosen Prophets, and no one is willing to find out.
The Seer Guard function as a small police force that support the Grey Seers in their work. They precede a Grey Seer on his investigations and seizes locations and people for questioning. They also guard the temples of the Horned Rat and as the Grey Seers make their havens in the temples they ensure that the Grey Seers are protected at all time against attackers or assassinations. They will accompany a Grey Seer on the battle field ensuring that any enemy must fight their way past their black halberds before they reach the Grey Seer. It is unheard of that a unit of Seer Guards would have abandoned their Grey Seer Master in the heart of the battle. They wear black metal armour of the highest quality and their uniforms are white to mimic the robes of their Grey Seer Masters, they often have the rune symbol of the Horned Rat painted in red onto their uniforms and shields.
A Grey Seer may have a single Personal Champion paid for from the character section. They are the best warriors drawn from the Seer Guard and have sworn to defend the Grey Seer or die trying. The Personal Champion is the Grey Seers personal bodyguard and they take their assignment very seriously. The Grey Seer can often command more Seer Guards to guard his temple but the bodyguard is always present.
Hero at 59 pts
Champion at 27 pts
| PROFILE | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | LD |
| Champion | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 5 |
| Hero | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 6 |
EQUIPMENT
Hand Weapon.
WEAPONS/ARMOUR
The Personal Champion may be armed with weapons and armour from the equipment list.
MAGIC ITEMS
A Champion is entitled to up to one magic item and a Hero is entitled to up to two items.
SPECIAL RULES
BODYGUARD
The Champion is the Grey Seers bodyguard and must stay in base-contact with the
Grey Seer at all times If separated he must move at fastest speed towards the Grey Seer,
if the Grey Seer is involved in hand-to-hand then the Champion must charge into the fray.
IMMUNITY TO PSYCHOLOGY AND BREAK TESTS
The Champion is immune to Psychology and do not need to take break tests. If the Grey Seer
flees he must move with him until he rallies. If the Grey Seer is broken in hand-to-hand
then the Champion may remain in place to cover the retreat of the Grey Seer, no pursue
takes place as the combat continues.
0-1 SEER GUARD REGIMENT at 9.5 pts per model
If your Army General is a Grey Seer then you may include a single unit of Seer Guards instead of the normal single Stormvermin unit. The unit is paid for from the Regiment allowance. The Seer Guard is the bodyguard and police force of the Order of Grey Seers, they have sworn to defend their masters or die trying. On the battlefield they form a highly motivated and trained force and it is unheard of that a unit should have abandoned a Grey Seer in the heat of battle.
| PROFILE | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | LD |
| Seer Guard | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 5 |
EQUIPMENT
The Seer guards wear Light armour and carry a hand weapon.
OPTIONS
The Seer Guard unit may be armed with either spear (+1), halberds (+2) or double handed
weapons (+2). The unit may carry shields (+1) and may upgrade their light armour to heavy
armour (+1). The unit may carry a magic standard if they wish. The Unit may not have a
unit Champion as these positions are filled by the Personal Champions.
SPECIAL RULES
BODYGUARD
If the Army is lead by a Grey Seer and that Seer accompanies the unit of Seerguards then
the unit is immune to Break Tests. Only Grey Seers and Personal Champions benefit from the
immunity, not other characters.
STANDARD OF THE HORNED RAT
The unit always carry a standard inscribed with the mark of the Horned Rat himself to remind them of their duty to protect the Horned Rats chosen prophets. The unit may re-roll psychology tests and break tests, though you may not re-roll a re-roll (EG for Army Standard within 12"). The standard may still be a magic standard as the effect of the standard is not due to magical powers.
Plaugelord Lepri of Clan Pestilen
aka Tommy Punk
tommypunk@telia.com - UIN: 9946419
Archive Skaven
Archive Pestilen
Kalmar, Sweden
This page hosted by Geocities.