Cult of the Yellow Fang

The Yellow Fang is Human cult that worships the Horned Rat.

Many Humans hold dim views of the future. They believe that the Empire is failing, that perhaps the time of man himself is coming to an end. It seems that whatever Humans build or create crumbles into ruin and corruption: rulers care nothing for the ruled, a priest’s prayers are little more than empty words mouthed by someone who no longer believes, and family members betray each other for just a few coins or a jug of cheap beer. Certainly the havoc and destruction caused by Archaon’s invasion has lent fuel to the fires of their bleak thoughts.

Most keep their thoughts to themselves, hope they are wrong, and do their best to get through just one more day. Others, however, are certain a new order is coming and have decided to throw in their lot with it. They want to be atop the pile when the Empire comes crashing down. For these people, the Cult of the Yellow Fang and its worship of the Horned Rat offer a means of survival and a place of power in the coming new order.

Symbol
The symbol of the cult is a stylised Skaven triangle, with one of the lower points painted a dirty yellow and longer than the other. Also, there is the curved dagger favoured by the cult for rituals and assassination, its shape suggestive of a fang. Particularly devout members have a small yellow fang tattooed under their upper arm, while others go so far as to have an incisor knocked out, stained yellow, and hung from a string to wear around their necks. With such poor dental care, the lack of an incisor is hardly noticed.

Area of Worship
The Cult of the Yellow Fang has its main strength in western Middenland and the northern Reikland. Its core can be found in the Carroburg area, where cultists have worked themselves into positions of moderate power in the hierarchy. There is a branch also in Altdorf, which is subservient to the Carroburg cabal. Individual agents of the cult do its dirty work as far afield as Marienburg and Bögenhafen, and the cult has influence among the river pirates of the Lower Reik.

Temperament
The Yellow Fang worships the Horned Rat, god of the hideous Skaven. As such, its members are usually secretive and clandestine, preferring to work from behind the scenes. Members of the cult are skilled at manipulating others without revealing their own goals. Thus, when a plot is foiled, few recognise the presence of the true conspirators behind it. Even when the authorities make arrests, the false leads and double blinds left by the cult keep their hidden hand unseen.

Compared to other cults of the Horned Rat, however, the Yellow Fang is more devoted to direct action to break down the existing order. They are also fond of public acts of terror, to spread fear and dismay through the populace. If they cannot find a convenient dupe to carry out an assassination, the cult will send a member to do so, as they did when they tricked a Halfling rat catcher into killing the Baroness Chrobok while she was officiating at a tournament in Delberz. They are, however, careful to remove all cult tattoos from the body of the assassin. Missions such as these are considered suicide missions, and there must be no evidence leading back to the Yellow Fang.

Under current leadership, the cult is less than fully devoted to the Skaven as a race. Its hierarchs believe that they are destined to take over from the Skaven when the Empire inevitably crumbles. After all, did not Man once crush them during the reign of Mandred, proving his superiority? Once they have established the new order, there will be time to seize power from the Ratmen. Until then, they practice utter obeisance and hope to prove to their horned god their worthiness to.

Strictures
While they have no priests per se, that role being reserved for the Skaven, some cultists of the Yellow Fang are wizards, practitioners of Dark magic. Regardless of any ability to practice magic, all cultists must abide by the following requirements, under pain of torture and death:
 * Never reveal the existence of the cult to any outsider, unless it is for a recruitment sanctioned by cult leaders.
 * Always strive to tear down the works of the Empire. Sabotage what you can, and interfere with what you cannot.
 * Plant the seeds of fear, doubt, and despair wherever possible. A discouraging word in the right ear may well be worth a dozen daggers.
 * Once every quarter, on a night when the Chaos Moon is in its first quarter, the members shall gather and sacrifice a Human, Elf, Dwarf, or Halfling to the Horned Rat. If a sacrifice cannot be found, then a cult member shall have the honour.

Source

 * Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd ED -- Sigmar's Heirs pg. 99