NationStates Jolt Archive

The Holy Imperium of Skavendom

Population: 90+ million
Homeworld: Old Skavonia
Capital: New Skavenblight
Location: The Horned One's Holiest System
Government Type: Imperium (Religious Dictatorship)
Current Ruler/Leader: Holy Emperor Rannosvik XIV
Current Size of nation: The Holy System (3 habitable planets)
Chief Technologies: Various Warp and Warpstone technologies
Races: 60% Skaven, 30% Osirisian, 10% Driggan
Race Descriptions:
Skaven: A skaven is essentially a crossbreed of a rat and a man. The main difference is the intelligence of a Skaven (e.g., its ability to use weapons, make tools, and converse in a developed language). Most skaven stand four to five feet tall and have brown fur (which darkens as their strength grows), although this can vary. White and grey-furred rats are prized among Skaven litters, as grey and white-furred skaven often become grey seers and black-furs often become the elite troops of an army (Stormvermin). Most skaven have luminous eyes and long tails. Skaven with black fur are usually stronger and taller than other skaven and make up a substantial part of Skaven armies. Albino skaven are rare but not unheard of. An average skaven has a lifespan of about 20 years but higher members of the Skaven society can live much longer (possibley owing to their acces to life prolonging drugs/magic or the effects of warpstone.) [Source: Wikipedia.org]((To save time))
Osirisians: ((Coming eventually))
Driggans: ((Coming eventually))
Skaven Citizen Types: Gray Seers, Stormvermin, Clanrats, Slaves, Breeders
Skaven Citizen Descriptions:
*Gray Seers: Leaders-both politically and spiritually-of the Skaven Imperium. The Gray Seers are typically male (though females have recently joined the ranks,) have grey to white hair and sometimes have spirialing antelope-like horns or curved thorn-like ones upon them. They are praised for the innate magic-like psychic abilities which are greatly amplified through warpstone. The Holy Emperor is from this formidable class.
*Stormvermin: Black furred and massive creatures, these rats usually make up the elite classes of the miltary from rugged marines to cunning admirals. Some among them have some inborn stealth and join the ranks of Clan Eshin becoming night and gutter runners. The Emperor's royal guard is chosen from the Stormvermin ranks.
*Clanrats: The average citizenry is made from the clanrat ranks. They are neither born into great esteem but neither are they born ito the disgrace of the slave and breeder ranks. Historically these ranks were entirely male but recent events have freed many females from the decadence of the breeder ranks. Few clanrats can advance beyond this simple life but it is entirely possible to join the lesser ranks. The Clanrats make up the bulk of Skaven armies.
*Slaves/Breeders: Slaves and Breeders are the two lowest ranks within the Skaven class system. Slaves, until recently, were usually male clanrats that were conquered by a more powerful skaven rival. The Slave ranks now are merely descendents of those conquered by the Holy Emperor's ancestors. Slaves have no rights whatsoever and can only hope to die quickly and painlessly. Breeders were once included all female skaven, but now only include those that have been enslaved through the twisting Skaven politics. Their only function is to bear the children of their loveless unions with the upper classes. They are looked down upon as "Sub-Skaven" and animalistic by all other Skaven even though it usually is not true.

History:
Black Genesis
The not-so-creatively named homeworld of the Skaven Imperium was once a flourishing world filled with many different sentient beings. The Skaven's ancestors, giant rats, were considered pests in this ancient world and were sometimes enslaved or killed. Then a day came the destroyed the foundations of that ancient world. A great meteor comprimsed of the radioactive, volitile substance known as Warpstone. The warpstone, on impact, spread throughout the planet killing and weakening those sentient beings that survived impact. The giant rats, however, survived and quickly mutated. It was said that within a mere 13 months the giant rats had changed into the modern Skaven rat. The chaotic new species was drawn to a grand city opposite from the meteor's crater (known hence forth as The Crater of Genesis.) Drawn also to this city were the bedraggled survivors of the ratmen's creation. A fierce and century long battle took place for the city, but the dwindling defenders could not hold off the unnumeral Skaven hordes. Eventually the city fell and the Skaven, still thinking primitivily, renamed the city Skavenblight.
The Ages of Ignorance
After several generations a de facto goverment took stablized Skavenblight and began plans to eradicate the remaining 'unworthy' races from their world. Within a couple years after stabilizing Skavenblight, the council which made up the goverment finish their complex and devious plot. The success or failure of that first goverment's plan will never be known for the first of the great Warlock-Engineers, named Skivittz the Traitorious, decided that only he was worthy of ruling all of Skavendom from their glourious city. So, the Warlock detonated a overly large and complex bomb merely to terrorize the populace of Skavenblight to joining him. The bomb, however, was far more powerful than any of them could have known, nearly destroying all of Skaven society. After rebuilding their neigh leveled Skavenblight, the council promptly executed Skivittz and issued a number of laws. The first law of Skavendom was that the ruler of all of Skavendom would be the Council of 13, which would consist of twelve Skaven rulers and an avatar of the Horned Rat god. The second law was that none outside the Cult of the Horned Rat, the Council of 13 or the specially selected Clan Skyre would be able to practice magic or engineer using warpstone. Lastly, the council ordered that certain clans would use the Underkingdom (an underground network of tunnels,) to explore and settle to far corners of the underworld (as in beneath not as in hell.) Thus began the Ages of Ignorance where a great many clans lost contact with Skavenblight and the Skaven race learned to adapt, specialize and learn from their adversaries and their enviroment.
Inheritance
After many long centuries of bloody warfare with the denizens of the overworld and their own traitorous kin, the Skaven finally recieved the long awaited word from their god, the Great Horned Rat. His avatar came before the Council of Thirteen and spoke the only words its tongue was meant to speak: "The time of Inheritance is now! Go forth and conquer the surface world!" Overjoyed, the Skaven council gathered all they could to spread the word. Within a matter of mere hours all Skaven throughout the world gathered in their clans and under their warlords marched upon the surface world in thousands of armies. The surface denizens fought fiercely like their ancestors in Skavenblight, but once more the Skaven proved too numerous. After a century of endless warfare the Skaven Inherited the world and became the master race of their world. The price was not light, though, a devastating Overworlder counter-campaign utterly devastated Skavenblight in hopes of ebbing the Skaven tide to no avail. Like in the ancient times, the Skaven were without home or ruler until Rannosvik I of Clan Wark united the feuding victors building New Skavenblight within the Crater of Genesis. Henceforth, Clan Wark has been the ruling clan with a string of Rannosviks as Emperor though they kept the Council of Thirteen to avoid protests from tradionalist rats. Thus began the current Age of Clan Wark or the Age of Exploration.
The Age of Exploration
The Age of Exploration began with the unifying of all Skavendom into one Imperium. The era saw the first and second Civil Wars of the Imperium of Skavendom. It was the era in which Emperor Fristrik the Farsighted envision and created the Skaven Space Navy which colonized their system's two other habitable planets. More recently, the Revolution of Drigg occured when the Driggan natives of planet Drigg rised in revolution against their Skaven overlords. The Driggan Revolution was nearly succesful and even went upon a naval offensive to liberate Osiris. This offensive proved their downfall however, for the Osirisians worship the Skaven as godsand detested these foriegn Driggans. The revolution was quickly stomped by a Skaven-Osirisian coalition earning the devout egpytian-esque humans of Osiris autonomy.