Skaven

Skaven are a fictional rat-like humanoid species in the Warhammer Fantasy setting, created by Games Workshop. They inhabit vast subterranean networks beneath the surface world, collectively known as the Under-Empire. The Skaven are numerous, secretive, and driven by overpopulation, fear of extinction, and a readiness to adopt extreme means to gain power. Their society is highly stratified and prone to intrigue and backstabbing.

Organization and religion: Skaven society is effectively ruled by the Council of Thirteen, a shadowy assembly of influential warlords, captains, and Grey Seers who direct the most powerful clans and policies. They worship the Horned Rat, a patron deity associated with mutation, disease, and subterranean power. Grey Seers employ prophecy and warp magic to guide strategic decisions.

Clans: The principal Great Clans include Clan Pestilens (plague worshipers), Clan Skryre (warpstone-driven engineering and sorcery), Clan Eshin (assassins), and Clan Moulder (fleshcraft and beast creation). A larger ecosystem of lesser clans and warlords operates within the Under-Empire, often competing or allying in shifting patterns of power.

Technology and magic: Warpstone powers much of Skaven technology and sorcery, enabling weapons, devices, and mutations. Skaven engineering fuses sorcery with machinery to produce war machines, battlefield monsters, and plague-delivery systems.

Culture and outlook: The Skaven pursue expansion and conquest through numerical superiority and engineered monstrosities, with a constant undercurrent of factional rivalry. Centralized control is fragile, and conflicts within the ruling elite frequently disrupt campaigns against surface civilizations.

In popular culture, Skaven appear in Warhammer Fantasy Battle and related novels, tabletop games, and video games.