Stormvermin

"Black of fur, the Skaven elite are reared from birth to be the ultimate warriors. Trained to fight and die if need be, Stormvermin are equipped with the best weapons and armour that the Lords of Decay have to offer. On the battlefield they have no equal, as they are rats bred for battle and weaned on the blood of their enemies"

- Steffan Paulus Adelhof, Scholar of Wolfenburg

The Stormvermin are the black-furred elite of Skaven military might. They are, to an individual, larger than the average Skaven, well-muscled, and proficient in the use of various weapons and armour. They are aggressive by nature and are given to overt displays of prowess in order to intimidate those around them. Like the Grey Seers, their future is determined at the time of their birth, for only a Skaven with black fur are relegated to the ranks of the Stormvermin. As such, there is a certain air of ego shared together by all Stormvermin that is lacking in other Skaven groups.

Within the military hierarchy of the Skaven Under-Empire, Stormvermins often see all other Skaven as beneath them, which in their society, they obviously are. Stormvermins occupy the militaristic Warrior Caste of their Clan. Black fur is considered the mark of a killer and are thus given a position within society that focuses heavily on training these individuals into hardened warriors. On certain cases, a Skaven who does not possess black-fur can stil join should he prove just as effective a warrior as any other black-furred Skaven. Such situations, nevertheless, ensures that the Skaven would atleast dye their fur black so as to keep to their image as elite warriors.

When not campaigning, the Stormvermins act as the enforcers of their Skaven Warlords rule. Opposition to a leader is regularly met with butchery and an armored column of Stormvermin is ideal to do such work. In exchange for their brutal services, the Stormvermin have the most priviliged life within Skaven society outside the higher epsilon of their Clan. They are offered the best foods, their own dens, rights to reproduce with females and their own legion of Slave Rats to see to their comfort and needs. Usually, however, this is often used as a bargaining chip to keep these Stormvermins from overthrowing a Warlord's tyrannical rule themselves.

When these warriors are sent to the warfront, Stormvermin regiments are always outfitted with the best wargears in their clan's armory and their duties may include forming a retinue of bodyguards for anyone from a minor Chieftain to the mighty ruling Clan Warlord himself. This puts the Stormvermin at the vanguard of the army where they can ensure continued preferential treatment by fighting with an uncommon ferocity and zeal on behalf of their leaders.

Source

 * Warhammer Armies: Skaven (7th Edition) -- pg. 35
 * Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: Children of the Horned Rat (2nd Edition) -- pg. 72

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