"The knowledge that the entire land, from the wilds of Kislev in the north, to the Border Princes in the south, is riddled and undermined by the burrows of an innumerable foe bent on our utter destruction, would cause widespread despair. So, though we know of their [the Skaven's] existence, for the good of the people, those of us in possession of this dangerous knowledge must remain silent and fight them in secret."
- —Hieronymous Ostwald, personal secretary of Elector Countess Emmanuelle von Liebwitz of Wissenland
The conspiracy of silence is the name given to the attempt by the governments of the Empire and its various Electoral Provinces to prevent their people from learning that the Skaven Under-Empire exists and represents a constant menace to them from beneath their very feet. The existence of the Skaven and the threat they pose to Humanity isn't exactly common knowledge in the Empire; it's rather a secret known and carefully protected by only a select few. At first glance it might appear that all information is suppressed and destroyed by the Skaven themselves, but the truth is a bit more nuanced.
History[]
By and large, the Skaven Under-Empire's ruling Council of Thirteen has always tried to conceal the existence of the Skaven race from Humanity, and from the Men of the Empire in particular. The reason is obvious: in ignorance, Humanity will not concern itself with the Skaven, and will not prepare or protect itself against their conspiracies and assaults.
Once per year, at Vermintide, the assembled Order of the Grey Seers casts a spell designed to conceal the existence of the Skaven from Humanity. The spell's efficiency is unclear; it may only work upon the weak-minded or it may not even not work at all.
Skaven in Tilea[]
The citizens of the Tilean city-states know that the Skaven exist, though it is unclear if they truly realise the full extent of the Skaven menace that burrows beneath almost the entirety of the Known World.
Skaven in the Empire[]
The official stance of the government of the Empire is that "there are no such things as Skaven."
This is strengthened by the overwhelming majority of Imperial academics, who discard any reports about Skaven as exaggerated misidentifications of Beastmen or possibly mutants. This is accepted as fact by the majority of the population (who are largely unable to distinguish between the two anyway).
Those who know better but who are wise keep their silence. Uncompromising scholars who publicly defend the belief that Skaven exist are officially decried as fools. Their reputations are ruined and they are largely ostracised by their former peers. Authors who write about Skaven face a similar peril; their writings are usually discarded as exaggerated descriptions of Beastmen. Insofar as the Empire is willing to acknowledge that the Skaven are more than a myth, most historians insist that they only existed long ago, and have become extinct since the Skaven Wars ended long ago.
This is despite the fact that Nartik Blackblade, a Clan Eshin Master Assassin, murdered Emperor Mandred Skavenslayer in 1152 IC. Leaving behind false leads, he was able to blame it upon mutants, cunningly concealing his role in the assassination. Additionally, the Council of Thirteen routinely sends Clan Eshin adepts to recover or destroy every Skaven artefact that has been recovered by Imperial scholars or officials.
It also often deploys Clan Eshin assassins to silence inconvenient witnesses. Their usual targets are high-ranking government officials, respected scholars and important nobles; those whose testimony, on account of their social status and reputation, is credible enough to be believed by others.
By contrast, the members of the Empire's Sewer Watch are sometimes left in peace. Possessing a dubious background and reputation, their reports of "ratmen in the sewers" are largely discarded as sightings of Beastmen or mutants and often ridiculed by their fellows.
Cunning as they are, the Skaven are ironically unaware of a deeper truth: they are themselves being deceived and counter-manipulated by an unknown number of Human conspirators placed in the highest reaches of the Empire who believe they are protecting their nation's people by maintaining the deception that the Skaven do not exist. These conspirators consider that an open war against the Skaven would be disastrous. The Imperial armies have to deal with numerous threats already and an open war against the united Under-Empire could weaken the Imperial military fatally. They also believe that the revelation of the Skaven menace could cause widespread panic and despair among the frightened Imperial population, which could easily degenerate into riots and revolts.
Therefore the Imperial conspirators continue to actively suppress most reports about the Skaven, in order to deceive their own people. The Skaven, believing that the Imperial authorities are truly unaware of their existence, see no pressing reason to attack the Empire any time soon. This simply further divides the Skaven clans, who love nothing better than to conspire against each other.
The conspirators also protect the Empire by allowing minor skirmishes between Imperial military forces, mercenaries or adventurers and the Skaven when the ratmen's threat periodically grows too dire to be ignored. It is unknown which Imperial and local authorities are part of this effort, and if there is a single large organisation or several minor ones dedicated to this effort.
Sources[]
- Manslayer (Novel) by Nathan Long
- The Loathsome Ratmen And All Their Vile Kin (Background Book), pg. 5
- Skavenslayer (Novel) by William King, "Plague Monks of Pestilens"
- City of the Damned (Novel) by David Guymer
- Tales from the Ten-Tailed Cat Volume Two edited by Christian Dunn and Marc Gascoigne, "The Ratcatcher's Tale" (Short Story)
- Grey Seer (Novel) by C.L. Werner