A map displaying the location of Fester Spire in the eastern Vaults.[4a]
Fester Spike, also known as Fester Spire[4a], is one of the three major Skaven lairs located within the mountain range of The Vaults, alongside Putrid Stump and Foul Peak. Fester Spike occupies that mountain range's highest peak with tunnels stretching out for hundreds of miles underneath. The stronghold's economy relies on its mines, run by a number of clans holding different sections. It is common for the clans controlling the mines to fight each other in small skirmishes and, intermittently, engage in open warfare.[2a]
Fester Spike is notorious for its violent slave revolts and the ruthless measures used to put down such uprisings. In the past, Fester Spike had been at odds with the Skaven settlement of Putrid Stump, wasting precious warp-tokens that could have been used elsewhere with this rivalry. Eventually, the Council of Thirteen was forced to step in to stop the inter-clan warfare and also deal with the local Night Goblin tribe that had taken up residence in the war-torn region.[2a]
History[]
Location of Fester Spike in the eastern range of The Vaults.
The excavation of the tunnel between the Skaven settlement of Fester Spike and the rest of the Under-Empire dates to ca. -1400 IC.[3a][5a]
In 2515 IC, the Skaven burrow of Fester Spike was attacked by a Dwarf expedition seeking to reclaim one of the lost hammers of Valaya. Grey Seer Thanquol attempted to summon a Verminlord Daemon of the Horned Rat. Instead, he mistakenly conjured the Khornate Daemonic legion of the Bloodthirster Skarbrand, which then rampaged through both the Dwarf and Skaven armies. Blood ran in swift rivers as Thanquol made a timely escape.[1a]
Canon Conflict[]
In the novel Thanquol's Doom by C. L. Werner, Grey Seer Thanquol also led an expedition towards the settlement of Bonestash beneath the stronghold of Karak Angkul, where during the fighting he tried to summon the Daemonic Verminlord Vecteek from the Horned Rat's Realm of Ruin. However, the artefact he used for the summoning ritual was cursed with the Mark of Khorne and the Grey Seer mistakenly summoned the Bloodthirster Skarbrand instead, after which the Khornate Greater Daemon proceeded to rampage through both the Dwarf and Skaven armies before Thanquol made his escape. This contradicts the Daemons of Chaos 7th Edition armybook, which states on page 74 the location of the battle to be Fester Spike.