The Children of the Warp, Skaven Civil War.

Tails from the Tri-Cities, Turn 26 – Pawed by Vang Three Claws:


Here are the various fluff bits I've written publically for the Skaven Civil War, Tri-Cities Subplot, during Turn 26. If you read the UnderCities Forum in the Civil War Campaign, this is nothing new. If you don't, here they are...

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Originally Posted: Feb 15 2006, 11:19 PM

Twelve Skaven made their way through the deep tunnels of Fort Avarice. Twelve, a lucky number, lucky since they had left a place in their midst for the Horned Rat himself – the revered and honorary thirteenth member of their scouting force. The pack was also accompanied by three giant rats, pet-pets of the Eshin Sorcerer, Flash. They made no sound as they scurried through the warrens. They made even less of an impression. Each was garbed from muzzle to claw in black. Even their weapons were dulled with carbon so that no metal surface would betray their presence with a reflection.

Adept Rasksqueak gauged his warband with a glance. The Black Skaven enforcers, Hisvin and Knivin, bobbed along slightly ahead and to either side of him. They had been good additions to the pack and would provide the muscle he needed when stealth was no longer an option.

Rasksqueak reflected on the explicit instructions he had received from his Master, Sclaw. Instructions straight down from Warlord Vang Three Claws, himself. Rasksqueak had come far in the ranks of Clan Thunderpaw. Adept commander of a covert scouting force reporting directly to Clan Thunderpaw’s Head of Intelligence and House Assassin was nothing to wave your whiskers at. Rasksqueak was also no fool. He knew this assignment would make or break him. He fully intended to win through with flying colors. He did not intend to end his life having only attained the rank of Adept.

He had been ordered to serve The Grey Seer and serve he would. It was time they had a better look at this ‘Tri-Cities’.

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Originally Posted: Feb 18 2006, 06:37 AM

The tromp, tromp, tromp of booted stormvermin feet marched down the passageway. Yet another Skavenblight patrol on the look out for Nibbler's Cult and their allies. Thanks to the relative inactivty in this sector the patrols had grown lax. They were about to pay for their mistake.

Adept Rasksqueak lept from the shadows into the middle of the patrol column, his fighting claws a blur of motion. Three stormvermin were down before the column even registered that they were under attack. Night runners Sniff and Scurry were merely a second behind the Adept and each accounted for a stormvermin as they ambushed the center of the column with their master. The black Skaven, Hisvin and Knivin, each struck the front and rear of the column respectively along with a pair of verminkin. The patrol's fangleader was down before he had the opportunity to squeak out an order. The Eshin sorcerer Flash stretched out a paw and muttered a few foul words. With a puff of green smoke, a stormvermin was covered in gnawing, biting rats, and went down in a fury of fur and tails. The rest of the scouts pelted the few unengaged stormvermin with their slings.

In a few heartbeats it was over. The Skavenblight patrol lay dead or dying. Rasksqueak's Rats had suffered a few minor scrapes and cuts, but not a single rat had been lost. The scouts quickly rifled through the bodies and looted anything of value, finishing off any who were not quite dead. When they had finished their grisly task, they melted back into the shadows.

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Originally Posted: Feb 19 2006, 11:35 PM

Adept Rasksqueak scanned the cavern. His team was in place. If you hadn't positioned them yourself, you'd never know they were there until it was far too late. Satisfied with their deployment, the Assassin Adept turned his attention to the checkpoint.

The Skavenblight stormvermin were stationed in pairs with their backs to good lighting. Not good. They were well dispersed and each pair of guards could see at least two other pairs of guards. Even worse. Rasksqueak didn't need to look any further to know that this would not be their target tonight. Three Skavenblight patrols had fallen to their blades, but not this one, not tonight. They were too prepared, too ready, even on edge.

Rasksqueak sent the signal, a simple flash of reflected light off of an exposed piece of metal. To any passerby it would be a random reflection of light, to his team the message was clear - abort, fall back. The Adept didn't waste another thought for his team. He knew they would melt back into the shadows and meet at the rallying point.

Even though they would not attack, it was clear to Rasksqueak that something important was getting ready to go down. Something that warrented a bit of snooping around, but something that was far too hot for his warband to handle at these odds.

The Assassin Adept crept forward through the shadows. Time to gather some new intel...

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Originally Posted: Feb 20 2006, 10:04 AM

“Ssso,” chimed the Warlord, “Nibbler needsss more-more from us-us.” Vang Three Claws, Grand Master Warlord of Clan Thunderpaw and High Lord of Brass Squeek, tossed the scrap of parchment on to his desk with a flick of his wrist.

“Yes, Lord,” replied Sclaw with a brief nod of recognition. “I received this message from him-him only an hour ago.”

“Very well,” continued Vang, “I have just the rat-rat for the job-job.”

“Yes, Lord. I will send him to Nibbler with your regards,” responded Sclaw. Clan Thunderpaw’s House Assassin and Chief of Intelligence knew exactly what needed to be done, but he would not dare approach the Grey Seer directly without Vang’s blessing and authority behind it. So he had followed the protocols to their inevitable end. Sclaw nodded to his Warlord in respect and moved to make his exit. It was time to see Remure.

“And Sssclaw,” hissed Vang, his voice halting the assassin in his tracks, “I am ssseconding Chieftain Sssheng to you-your command for thisss operation. It isss time that we-we enter thisss conflict more directly. He-he isss a sssolid tactician. Ussse him-him well and sssee that his-his clan finds sssuitably bloody work.”

“Yes, Lord. I will see it-it done,” nodded Sclaw. The assassin hadn’t seen that one coming. Vang must know something that he wasn’t sharing to commit both Grey Seer Remure and an entire Clan to support Nibbler. This assignment got more interesting by the day.

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Originally Posted: Feb 21 2006, 09:53 AM

Grey Seer Remure and his bodyguard made their way through the press of Skaven bodies. Nibbler’s Alliance was a rag-tag band of rats, observed Remure. They did, however, have two things going for them – religious fervor and they were the natives, defending their burrows and their way of life. The Skavenblight troops might be more disciplined, but they were foreigners who didn’t know the lay of the land. Unfortunately Skavenblight did have the help of The Claws, so they weren’t completely in the dark.

It was ironic thought Remure, as he approached the platform of the Screaming Bell, that a Grey Seer from Skavenblight would be leading the armies of the north against his own brethren. Such was the way of things in Skaven society. It was the will of The Great Horned Rat that only the strong should survive and flourish. The weak would be culled out and the mighty would inherit. Warlord Vang Three Claws had sent him to make sure that the north would inherit.

Remure stepped up onto the platform as the striker swung his massive mallet at the Bell. The blow rebounded with a massive BONG sounding from the unholy artifact. The resonance of the bell was echoed in the peal of lesser bells suspended and linked across the structure. The cacophony of sound rattled the platform and sent waves of dissonance crashing out against the Skavenblight lines. The ladder shook as Grey Seer Remure ascended to the observatory platform above. It was time to get a better view of the battlefield.

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Originally Posted: Feb 22 2006, 02:00 PM

BONG! jangle-ting-tink-ting, BONG! jangle-jangle-tink-tink-ting, BONG!

Chieftain Sheng stood proudly in the second rank of stormvermin attending Grey Seer Remure’s Screaming Bell. The gong of the unholy artifact and the chorus of lesser bells sent fire through every nerve ending the the Chieftain’s body. It felt as if a horde of tiny rats had invaded his body and were gnawing on every little nerve. His entire body itched for action, yearned to lash out and kill something. Chieftain Sheng nearly bit of the end of his tongue in excitement.

BONG! tinkle-ting-tink-jangle-jangle, BONG! titter-tink-ting-jangle, BONG!

The bell screamed for action. It called the Skaven of Nibbler’s Alliance to defend their homes from the southern ursurpers. They must be driven back. They must be hurt and bled. The must be killed. Chieftain Sheng could taste their fear. As powerful as it was for his troops to have the Screaming Bell and Grey Seer in their midst, he knew it was equally demoralizing for the rats of Skavenblight to have to fight against such a powerful icon of The Great Horned Rat. Until now the great Bell had been the only thing keeping the Allies of Skavenblight at bay. With the arrival of his Clan, it was time to turn the tide.

BONG! titter-tink-jangle-ting, BONG! jangle-tink-titter-titter, BONG!

As the Bell’s last resonating wave swept the field, Sheng signaled his musician. To the beat of the drums, the tide of Skaven surged forward.

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Originally Posted: Feb 28 2006, 09:20 PM

Chieftain Sheng quickly wiped his blade on the rags of the Skavenblight clanrat. The fighting around him had subsided as his stormvermin routed the enemy clanrats. A few clangs, thunks, and squeals echoed at the front edge of his line’s push, but it was no cause for concern. They were merely the last dying sounds of a few isolated pockets of resistance or the mortally wounded being granted final mercy.

Sheng raised the visor of his helm with a bloody paw and surveyed the field. The battle was going well. They had managed to push the Skavenblight alliance back while improving their own defensive position. It seemed that the uneasy alliance between the rats of The Rebellion, the mercenaries of The Brotherhood, the rats of Brass Squeek, and Nibbler’s Cult were finally starting to work together as a unified force. After all, they had much to fight for and even more to lose should Skavenblight win the day. Grey Seer Remure and Nibbler would be pleased with his progress.

As the Chieftain considered his next move, a night runner in the colors of Brass Squeek approached. Sheng waved him forward and snatched the message tube from the runner’s outstreached paw. The night runner messenger bent to one knee and bowed his head awaiting further orders while Sheng cracked the wax seal on the tube, withdrew the scrap of parchment, unfurled it, and scanned its contents.

To Chieftain Sheng, Commander of the Brass Squeek Contingent. [stop]
Rebellion and other allies will consolidate position. [stop]
Brass Squeek to press the assault. [stop]
Remure demands your presence immediately. [stop]
Nibbler belived dead. [stop]

Sheng could scarcely belive the last line of the message. Nibble dead!? It couldn’t be. Just when things were going so well…

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Originally Posted: Mar 1 2006, 09:14 PM

Chieftain Sheng marched up the winding steps on the edge of Fort Avarice, close on the heels of the Grey Seer’s robed acolyte. The acolyte was small for a skaven, with the stature more suited to a slave. The Chieftain noticed how nimbly it raced up the stairs. Perhaps the creature’s dexterity is what kept it alive in the service of Remure, mused Sheng.

As they reached the top of the stairwell, the acolyte made a series of warding signs and sigils with its paws, body, and tail. Sheng only caught the very end of the performance and had almost felt mesmorized by the subtle shifting patterns. The forms complete, the Seer’s servant opened the brass door into the chamber beyond.

Within, on a pile of pillows, lay the figure of a skaven in light grey robes. The body lay on its back at an odd angle. The left leg pointed straight out, toes wiggling. The righ leg curled up close to the figure’s chest. Its left arm, the sleeve of its robe, and its left paw covered its head. The right arm and paw was stretched out at a right angle to the body, the paw clawing at the open air. The skaven was twitching and shifting as if it lay on a nail. Sheng could even hear a faint mewling from the creature.

The acolyte motioned for Sheng to wait in the doorway as he inched forward closer to the prone figure on the pillows.

“My Lor-lord,” whispered Figit, “visss-visitors, my lor-lord.” The acolyte bent down over the supine Seer. As Figit’s shadow fell over the Grey Seer’s face, Remure’s left paw struck out with blinding speed and struck the acolyte full in the muzzle. The force of the blow sent Figit tumbling over backwards. Perhaps it wasn’t his dexterity that kept him alive, mused Sheng from his vantage point at the doorway.

In the instant that Figit hit the floor, Grey Seer Remure shot upwards to his feet. The Grey Seer blinked his eyes and smacked his chops as if merely waking from an afternoon nap. Remure drew his right paw across his face and wiped the drool from his chin. It was then that he noticed Chieftain Sheng standing in the doorway.

“Ahhh, Chieftain Sssh-sheng,” boomed Remure, “welcome. Figit has brought you-you. Good-good.” The Seer momentarily turned his attention to the acolyte at his feet in a heap. “You-you, may go-go Figit,” announced Remure with a wave of his paw.

The acolyte scrambled nimbly to his feet and scampered out the door, closing it quickly behind him.

“Come-come Sssh-sheng,” continued Remure warmly, “I have been communing with The Great Horned Rat-Rat. My-my time with His-His most unholy Bell-Bell has parted the veils between us-us. He-he tells me-me much-much of things to come-come. Come-come and hear His-His plans for us-us…”

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Originally Posted: Mar 3 2006, 04:30 PM

Grey Seer Remure gazed down from his perch atop the great Screaming Bell. The Seer’s head was cocked to the right almost as if he were listening to someone whisper in his ear. Remure’s tongue hung from his mouth, his eyes rolled back into his skull and glazed over.

chitter-tzhethek-chitter-thethewck-chitter-sswhtetch-chitter…

“Yes-yes, Lord,” whispered Remure, “I-I understand, Lord. You-your ass-assign-will be done, Lord. Yes-yes. Well of course I-I put Sssh-sheng in the van-vang-front, Lord. Yes-yes, Lord. The Rebellion and Clan-clan Thunderpaw have the fla-flan-side. I-I understand. Yes-yes. It is time-time.” The whispers that only Grey Seer Remure could hear began to subside and The Bell began to toll.

BONG! titter-tink-jangle-tink

The Seer’s eyes rolled round right. The grey-furred rat began to shake his horned head fitfully, rub his eyes, and scratch his ears as if waking from a fitful sleep. As the battlefield once again took focus in Remure’s eye, the seer extended his staff.

The skaven tides of Nibbler’s Alliance, bolstered by clanrats and stormvermin of Clan Thunderpaw and The Rebellion, surged forward with his command. If they held true to the Horned Rat, Skavenblight would fall before them in what could be the final assault.

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Originally Posted: Mar 4 2006, 08:27 PM

Adept Rasksqueak floated slowly upwards. When his head broke the surface, he scanned the room for targets. It was difficult to get a proper view through Skarvile’s mask, so the adept slid it from his muzzle and allowed it to dangle by the brass tube connected to the tank on his back. The adept was still amazed at how well Skarvile’s contraption worked. He could only imagine how many lab rats had died perfecting the device. Rasksqueak was sure that the prototype test had not gone quite so smoothly.

Rasksqueak paddled over to the edge of the pool and gently sank the metal climbing claws along his left vambrace into the side of the stone well. Across the room and away from the cistern, two Skavenblight clanrats sat in a pile of straw tossing bones.

As Rasksqueak identified the targets, Hisvin’s masked head broke the surface of the water next to him. Rasksqueak nodded his head towards Hisvin and gave him the details with a pair of rapid hand signals. Hisvin slid the mask from his face, threw his right paw up over the edge of the well for purchase, and turned to face Rasksqueak.

Rasksqueak nodded once, twice, and thrice. On the third nod, both rats hoisted themselves up and over the lip of the cistern, their throwing arms scribing a perfect arc in the air. The Skavenblight rats never had a chance. One slumped forward face first onto the table, the point of an eshin throwing star glinting in the red ruin that had once been an eye. The other guard fell backwards, its head lolling at a sickening angle, a throwing dagger lodged in its throat.

With the room secure Rasksqueak and Hisvin quickly removed the brass air canisters from each other’s backs. Behind them, more wet furred heads broke the surface of the water. Their infiltration had been a success. Time for the mayhem to well and truly begin.

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Originally Posted: Mar 5 2006, 08:54 PM

Rasksqueak’s Rats were ready. The cistern was secure and the entire raiding party was accounted for. Only the pet-pet giant rats of the Eshin Sorcerer, Flash, had not made the journey through the underground waterways. Twelve of Skarvile’s super-capacity-underwater-breathing-aparatus rigs, Skarvile’s scuba for short, lay against the stone lip of the cistern, a testament to their successful infiltration.

Their mission was clear. While the troops of Nibbler’s Alliance hammered the Skavenblight position from without, Rasksqueak’s dirty dozen would cause problems from within. Their ultimate goal was to make a point of entry for the besigers. Ideally they would simply slay the guards and open the gates, but Sclaw had given them considerable latitude within the scope of their orders. They were given free reign and could bring down a wall if necessary. Anything that would give a quick and easy breach that could be exploited by the Alliance.

Eleven of the dozen were lined up along the wall near the single brass bound door that lead up and out of the cistern room. Each had a weapon in hand and a free hand on the shoulder of the rat before them in line. Hisvin stood at the door, one mangy paw on the handle of the door. At a curt nod from Rasksqueak, Hisvin cracked the door and Adept Rasksqueak slipped through. Time for them to earn their hazard pay.

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Originally Posted: Mar 6 2006, 04:01 PM

The few isolated guards they had encountered were no match for the eshin strike team. Rasksqueak’s Rats crept through the bowels of the Skavenblight fortress while the battle between Nibbler’s Alliance and the Skavenblight Alliance raged on. They had managed to climb two levels in the fortress with minimal resistance. Any resistance they had encountered had been eliminated with extreme prejudice and surgical precision.

Only now had they begun to encounter rats of the Skavenblight Alliance in any numbers. The infiltrators managed to dispatch twenty clanrats manning a small barracks-warren with no casualties in return. Apparently the Skavenblight rats never expected a strike from deep within their own lair. After killing the few bored and lazy sentries, Rasksqueak and his pack had managed to kill the rest in their sleep.

As the pack rummaged through the barracks for anything useful in their mission, Scurry scampered back into the room and ran to Rasksqueak to report on his reconissance.

“What-what news, Scurry,” inquired The Adept.

“Another bar-barracks, Adept. Big-bigger. Guards not sleep-sleep,” replied Scurry.

“Then we-we make-make surprise we-we need,” hissed Rasksqueak, grinning as he kicked the uniformed corpse of a Skavenblight clanrat.