The Under-Empire of the Skaven

The Symbol of The Horned Rat

> *The Lord sends me visions of hell! I see gigantic treadmills eternally turning in the dark. I see uncountable masses of swarming vermin standing on their hindlegs in a foul parody of Man. I see diabolic machines made by deranged mutants. I see bloated queens with atrophied limbs breeding their rotten offspring. All this I see and in my head the dreadful tolling of the cursed bells still screams. It won't stop! The multitude of red eyes stare at us from the darkness of sewers and graves. They loathe us, and they will rise to devour us all for our sins! Make it stop, please, make it stop!"*
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> - Hieronymus Bouscus, Excommunicated Scholar-Priest.
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The Under-Empire, sometimes known as Skavendom is the name given to the massive, sprawling underground Empire of the Skaven race located in (or rather, under) the boreal forests of Tír na nÓg. Much of it is undocumented and unknown even to the Skaven themselves, for they are not a united peoples, and a great many tunnels and warrens have been constructed in accordance to some secret agenda long forgotten or laid to waste.Who knows where some of the tunnels may lead...

There are however, many above-ground landmarks that the Skaven have left upon their blighted land.

### Skavenblight

**Skavenblight**is the foul heart of the Skaven Under-Empire and the birthplace of the Skaven race. Deep in the rotting heart of the Blighted Forest festers the vile capital of the Skaven, the decay-ridden nexus of all Skavendom. This shell of a once-glorious city of mankind lies more than half sunken in the morass, a testimony of the hubris of man and technology. This is Skavenblight, a sprawling metropolis of endless caverns; a multi-layered under-city of twisting corridors, and nightmarish squalor on an unimaginable scale. This evil capital of a nefarious race is the veiled lair from which rule the mighty Lords of Decay, the ruthless leaders of the Skaven race. It is here, amidst labyrinthine darkness, that the Skaven scheme for supremacy, gnawing over plots for the final apocalypse of the Human race.

As the Skaven capital city, Skavenblight is benefited with being the largest trade hub in the Under-Empire, where hundreds upon hundreds of merchants, pedlars, and trade barges go inside the city annually to sell their wares and goods, hailing from the multitude of Clans that populate the vast Under-Empire. But such wealth and prosperity only attracts the worst of the Skaven race, giving way to having the greatest population of cut-throats, thieves, outlaws, bandits, renegades, corrupt officials, and assassins than all the other Skaven strongholds combined. Such lawlessness and civil unrest has resulted in the City being at a constant power-struggle between untold number of factions vying for control over much of the cities mineral and political wealth.

Though all the Clans have at least a certain amount of foothold or influence in the city, there is no denying that out of all the Clans that make up the Under-Empire, those who dominate a grander part of the city are each held by one of the Four Great Clans. Clan Skryre and Clan Moulder have the most dominant influence in the city, with their personal Clan district usually have a hive of activity as they sell their various goods and services to eager Warlords who have the Warp-Token to buy their services. The third largest influence within the city belongs to the Warplock Engineers of Clan Mechanicus. Though their district is small and isolated, the area from which they inhabit is considered more of a religious quarter then one of commerce like their brothers of Clan Moulder or Clan Skryre. Clan Eshin on the other hand has the smallest district out of the Four, but theirs is a highly secretive and disclosed location, with extremely few knowing of its exact whereabouts.

Skavenblight is also where the great Council of Thirteen is located, where members of the cabinet gather to discuss matters of importance and vote on the issue at hand. The Council is located within the great Shattered Tower, a massive and imposing tower that is connected to the great Temple of the Horned Rat, the most magnificent of Temples dedicated to their vile leader. Since the city houses the great Temple itself, this is also the headquarters of the legendary Order of the Grey Seers, where they will learn, study, and operate on the behalf of their Order and the Council for matters of business or importance.

### The 13th Tower

In the times before the Skaven, their creator-civilisation had many great works across their lands. Towers that pierced the heavens used to dot the landscape, their use unknown now to anyone but the Skaven. The centuries of decay and rot that the Skaven have allowed as a display of their contempt for those who enslaved them have reduced all these towers to rubble. However, there is one mad Warlord, driven by visions of an abyss of blackness above the sky, who is determined to use one of these towers to achieve his goals. The thirteenth tower, for 13 is an almost holy number to the Skaven, has not only been rebuilt, but it has been expanded upon, reaching heights beyond measure. The 13th Tower is a piece of madness made manifest, in places marble-white and perfect, whilst in others decrepit and crudely patched together. Masonry from many realms and eras of architecture are stacked atop each other, but for all that it stretches upwards to impossible heights. Still, the work continues, the tower reaches new heights every year, and now the flesh-workers can no longer work at the top levels without oxygen supplied to them, such is the hieght of the tower.

### The City of Pillars

In the mountain range the borders Ostermark, lies the legendary dwarven city of Karak Eight Peaks. At least, that is what it was once called. Now it is known as the City of Pillars, a vast mountain hold that the Skaven took up residence in after driving off the Dwarven inhabitants.For many generations, the city endured throughout the ages, and no army in the surface world has ever been able to penetrate the mighty peaks that are the domains of this city. The kingdom in question lies at the middle of a bowl-like ring of mountains, each of which has 8 peaks, hence the name Eight Peaks. Each has its own name, starting from *Carag Zilfin*, *Carag Yar*, *Carag Nar* and the *Silverhorn* peaks that guard the eastern mountains, whilst *Carag Lhune*, *Carag Rhyn*, *Carag Nar* and the *White Lady* guards the western approach. The upper citadel of the city lies at the surface, situated at the bottom of a small valley that encompasses the interior of the Eight Peaks. From here, a mighty citadel lies at the center of the valley; but just like the tip of the iceberg, the majority of the cities grandeur lies beneath the earth itself. From below, the vast majority of the entire city is carved from the very rock itself. Beyond the great plazas and halls of kingship lay a network of mines and tunnels that stretch out for miles upon miles around. Karak Eight Peaks has been credited for having the largest network of mines in the entire Karaz Ankor, which have been known to hold an enormous abundance of valuable metal and jewels beyond counting.Such wealth and prosperity was found beneath the earth, and no Dwarf have ever felt happier during this time. But, it was within the very depths of the world that the city's doom truly lies. Whilst armies will plague the surface world for all eternity, no Dwarf have ever felt so secure then the comfort of the earth. Out of the darkness, a new enemy has arisen, claiming this once beautiful city for themselves. The grand halls of Karak Eight Peaks were laid low by coming onslaught of the Skaven race.