"The most fervent servants of the Horned Rat are known as Grey Seers. Raised from birth to serve their unholy master, the Grey Seers are the spiritual advisers of the Skaven legions. They commune with their horned god, offering advice and seemingly daring their leaders to discount it in favour of their own plots and plans. Who can argue with the will of a god? Who would risk his wrath by ignoring his emissaries?"
- —Steffan Paulus Adelhof, scholar of Wolfenburg[2a]
The Grey Seers, also called the "Prophets of the Great Horned Rat"[1b], and "Grand Intermediaries to the Council of Thirteen,"[1b] are the members of the Skaven Order of the Grey Seers. They are the chosen, grey-furred emissaries of the Horned Rat, the minor Chaos God who is worshipped by the ratmen. They are unholy prophets of ruin and destruction capable of channelling eldritch magical energies in destructive ways, levelling armies with lightning, or summoning ravening swarms of rats, all for the sake of furthering the Skaven cause and bringing about the Great Ascendancy of their foul deity over all his divine rivals.[1a]
The majority of Grey Seers have grey fur, thus providing the name of their order. However, a few are white-furred or even albinoid.[5a] The Seer Lord Skrittar who ruled over the Council of Thirteen at the time of the Black Death in 1111 IC, was even piebald-grey.
There has been some suggestion from Dwarf researchers that the Grey Seers may be a subspecies of the main Skaven line, possessing more potent abilities. The Grey Seers themselves also appear to believe this, and have moved to actively propagate it across the Skaven Under-Empire.[6a][7a]
As chief agents for the Horned Rat and the priesthood dedicated to his worship, Grey Seers wield tremendous influence amongst the Skaven clans, and only a fool would ignore their counsel and incur the wrath of the Horned Rat's chosen.[1a]
The spiritual leaders of the Skaven Under-Empire, these grey, white, or albino ratmen are born with tiny horns that, along with the colour of their fur, mark them as the chosen priests of the Horned Rat. Cloistered away from the rest of the Under-Empire, they are tutored in the magical Lore of Ruin. Much of their time is spent in prayer to their horned god, seeking his favour and guidance against those that would seek to undermine him.[2a][5a]
Though it may seem a less hazardous course than other Skaven livelihoods, the path of the Grey Seer is as treacherous as the road followed by any Skaven in the Under-Empire; perhaps more so. Initiates are commonly killed during their apprenticeship, both by the rigours of their training, as well as by the duplicity of their peers.[2a]
If the competition between Skaven in the warrens is fierce, then it is doubly so in the cloisters of the Grey Seers. The Skaven that survive their apprenticeship are perhaps the most dangerous ratmen of all. Apprentices are required to walk the Labyrinth of the Horned Rat to be fully initiated into the Order of the Grey Seers, and should they succeed in all of this, they prove their fitness to guide, or some would say lead, the clans to greatness.[2a]
Role[]
"Long time we've dwelt in darkness, studying ever the turnings of the surface. We were here before the Empire, watching the Dwarf-things carve their stone halls. We were here amongst the shadows when the God-thing Sigmar stalked the world and scattered the green-things before him. We pitted our wits against the Great Necromancer, he who’s name I shall not utter, and won. We watch, we wait, we plan. The endless subtle games the Decay Lords engage in are merely a way to pass the time. We have no need to conquer the surface world by force. We need only wait long enough for others to do it for us, allowing us to seize the spoils of your Empire's ruin, for we are the Children of the Horned Rat, survivors all and as we're here before you, so shall we be present to see you fall."
- —Grey Seer Akitvere[3a]
In their role as chief agents for the Lords of Decay, the members of the Under-Empire's ruling Council of Thirteen, Grey Seers wield tremendous influence. The Grey Seers visit the Skaven warlord clans for many self-serving reasons, such as seeking aid, building alliances, or gathering a coalition against a common foe. The ability to call council with top Skaven Warlords allows the horned ratmen sorcerers access to valuable insight and inside information, which they use to their own advantage.[1a]
The fact that Grey Seers ever use such tidings to further their own ends is, of course, denied by Seerlord Kritislik. He was the long-time leader of the Grey Seers, who also happened to occupy the first, and most important, seat on the Council of Thirteen. Kritislik spent so much time vehemently denying any abuse of position or reaffirming the sacrosanct nature of all clan dealings, that he occasionally missed opportunities to exploit such precious information.[1a]
It is their role as intermediaries for the Council of Thirteen that grants the Grey Seers such political power in the Under-Empire and it is a position they jealously guard. Even implied displeasure from a Grey Seer causes much self-castigation from a Skaven of even high rank (however insincere). Not even the Great Clans can easily afford so much as the merest slight to a Grey Seer. When manipulations fail to influence a warlord clan, a Grey Seer can bring many pressures to bear. A key weapon in the Grey Seer political arsenal is their role as personal envoy of the Horned Rat.[1a]
A Grey Seer does not enjoy such power without cost and it is said that their physical constitutions are often poor as a result of their status as the chosen of the Horned Rat. [5a] However, despite these poor constitutions, Grey Seers have a longevity comparable to that of Men. They are known to reach sixty years of age, twice that of the typical Skaven.[9a] In addition to living longer, Grey Seers also appear to take longer to physically develop, as Kratch was eight years of age and still considered young for a Skaven; this would be roughly middle age for a common ratman. Comparatively, it takes the average male Skaven five years to fully mature.[2b]
Clan Pestilens Rivalry[]
By right and custom stretching back to the dawn of Skaven civilisation, all horned Skaven born in any clan were considered the chosen of the Horned Rat and were to be brought to the Order of the Grey Seers for proper training and indoctrination. However, Clan Pestilens, the Order of the Grey Seers' religious rivals and a variant sect of the faith of the Horned One, refused to follow such traditions outright.[8b]
Instead, the Skaven of Clan Pestilens and its allied clans among the Pestilent Brotherhood kept their white-furred, horned ratmen whelps and raised them on the teachings of the Pestilent Brotherhood in open defiance of the Grey Seers. Many Plague Priests and Festering Chantors sported horns, though only some of these were natural growths. Others were simply affectations to display their own "chosen" status in the eyes of their god, as in the case of Vrask Bilebroth.[8b]
Warfare[]
"White-fur? Seers are not to be trusted. Everywhere they scurry, hoarding their secrets, spreading their lies. Who knows what they whisper in distant ears. Is it same as were told to say-squeak? Is it what they squeak in other ears? Queek thinks no."
Prior to the End Times, Grey Seers alone had the ability to summon a Verminlord, a Daemon of the Horned Rat. This is a threat often insinuated, but an act Grey Seers secretly wish to avoid. Luckily, no Skaven Warlord wants to be accused of standing opposed to the will of the Great Horned One, or being anywhere near a Verminlord. Thus, the threat of summoning the Daemon alone suffices to persuade even the most suspicious warlord to see the Grey Seer's point of view.[1a]
Having the backing of a Grey Seer means a clan is in ascendancy, and will gain supremacy in dealings with others of their kind. They may barter with the upper hand and a Skaven with an advantage will press it mercilessly. It is always best to exploit such an advantage while it lasts, for it will only be a matter of time before the Grey Seers call with their own demands. In Skaven society, it is well known that absolutely nothing comes without a steep reciprocal price.[1a]
Notable Grey Seers[]
- Qik - A hideously disfigured Grey Seer who earned his injuries at the hands of an ingenious Human Engineer named Werner Grunhelm. Qik sought vengeance on that man, as well as the Warlord Glut of Clan Famin, as his stinginess with the deployment of high-quality Skaven troops was one reason for Qik's disfigurement.
- Arqueek - Arqueek was a Grey Seer who attacked a Dwarf Hold with a verminous horde on the orders of Nightlord Sneek.
- Gnawdoom - Gnawdoom was the famed Grey Seer who recovered the Black Arc for the Skaven. It now sits within the temple of the Horned Rat in the Shattered Tower in Skavenblight, guarded by the other Grey Seers.
- Skretth - Skretth was a drug-addled Grey Seer who led a band of Clan Skryre warriors to Under-Middenheim where they performed bloody rituals of sacrifice to the Horned Rat and obtained Warpstone. Skretth also dabbled in necromancy and partook of a not-inconsiderable amount of Mandrake Root.
- Asorak Steeleye - Asorak Steeleye was a one-eyed Grey Seer, with a staff fitted with Warp Blades. He worked with Nelrich the Suppurater in the creation of diseases.
- Qweeqwol - Ancient, addled, and canker-ridden, Qweekwol was the seer lord of the Order of the Grey Seers for forty years, before retiring from his position and handing it over to his successor Greemon. He was a white-furred Skaven, wrinkled, with both eyes replaced by Warpstone. Qweeqwol was thought to be quite mad, something that voluntarily stepping down from the powerful position of seer lord only confirmed for many ratmen.
- Greemon - Greemon was the sitting seer lord of the Order of the Grey Seers during the Skaven's struggle against the Great Necromancer Nagash. Notably, he is the only Grey Seer to ever step into that role before his predecessor's death. The previous seer lord, Qweeqwol, abdicated the position voluntarily.
- Thratsnik - Thratsnik was the spiritual leader of the Skaven community at Festerhole. A skirmish with Dwarfs left him and his fellow ratmen trapped in their burrow, their ultimate fates to starve. Angry, he set a trap for any who sought to steal the Hand of Vecteek off his corpse. Thratsnik is responsible for the summoning of the Bloodthirster Skarbrand at Karak Angkul.
- Skrittar - Skrittar is the Herald of the Council of Thirteen, and was vain and vicious, even for a Grey Seer. He had a two-headed mutant pet rat called simply "the Rat" near his person at all times.
- Skreelin Thurntik - Skreelin Thurntik was commanded by the Council of Thirteen to record the deeds and character of the Skaven race.
- Razzel - A Grey Seer sent to cooperate with Queek Headtaker along Sleek Sharpwit. His attempts to use his station to intimidate the Warlord, and later kill him, all end in failure.
- Lurkwoal - A Grey Seer active after the Second Skaven Civil War. He and a combined force of 7 Warlord Clans and half the Under-Empire's naval fleet attack the Gates of Calith. They almost succeed, but the elven naval force trounces their own.
- Thaumkrittle - Thaumkrittle is the successor of Kritislik and the current leader of Clan Scruten.
- Rasknitt - Rasknitt is the mastermind behind the construction of the Skittergate. He owned a Stormfiend called Deathrattler and was assigned to Clan Fester.
- Vulscreek - Vulscreek was the Grey Seer who worked with Sneek Scratchett in order to dominate the Great Vortex.
- Sleekit - Sleekit was the mentor of the infamous Grey Seer Thanquol. Sleekit is implied to have died by the hand of an Apprentice Grey Seer, which caused Thanquol to refrain from taking any on himself. He was the previous owner of the Amulet of the Horned One, an ancient artefact bestowed on him by Kritislik, an equally ancient Skaven.
- Thanquol - Thanquol is perhaps the most infamous Grey Seer in history, considered by his fellow Grey Seers and even the Horned Rat's Daemons the Verminlords to be the worst and most ineffective Grey Seer to ever exist. That said, he has a noted ability to turn the enemies of the Skaven against each other, sow destruction of friend and foe wherever he goes, and avoid the jaws of death. Thanquol is the current owner of the Amulet of the Horned One. He had one apprentice, the treacherous Kratch, who he ends up killing.
- Kritislik - Kritislik is the seerlord of the Order of the Grey Seers. A Stormvermin-sized Grey Seer with equally huge, black horns, Kritislik was leader of all Grey Seers in the Under-Empire. Kritislik had a favored protege in Grey Seer Tisquik, before arranging for him to be assassinated. He sat on the council for centuries, before the Horned Rat himself emerged from the 13th seat in a haze of smoke and consumed his seerlord.
- Tisqueek - Tisqueek was another seerlord, second to Kritislik in power; a rival of Kritislik, but also sometimes an ally, as was the way in the byzantine politics of the Under-Empire.
- Jilkin The Twisted - Jilkin boasted red horns, painted and carved with spell-wards.
- Kranskritt - Kranskritt was viewed with relative favour among the Skaven clans before Kritisklik's death. He wore purple robles and small bells tied around his wrists, horns, and ankles. Kranskritt worked with the Verminlord Soothgnawer after Clan Scruten fell from grace, and both planned to restore its prestige.
- Fellwitch - Fellwitch is a tall, rangy Grey Seer who was missing an horn. One of the older members of the Grey Seer Order, he carries a blackwood staff.
- Kreekwik - Kreekwik is a Grey Seer marked by his long red robes.
- Scritchmaw - One of the Skaven of the Grey Seer coven. He served under Kritislik and then later, under Thaumkrittle. A part of Clan Scruten.
- Thratquee - Thratquee is an older Grey Seer dispatched to Under-Altdorf to serve on it's small council. His lair was particularly resplendent, and protected, and he owned two personal Rat Mothers, which doubled as fearsome guards.
- Skraekual - Skraekaul is an old, decayed Grey Seer with grey robes and ivory horns. He has become so decayed that he even lacks a nose.
- Tisquik - Tisquik is a Grey Seer who was once the favored of Kritislik and of similar age to Thanquol. He was murdered by an assassin's blade after allegedly meeting in secret with Tisqueek, Kritislik's hated rival.
- Bokha - Bokha is a peer of Thanquol, deemed to easy to manipulate and weak-willed. He died from an overdose of Warpstone, which mutated him into a tentacled beast.
- Squiktat - Squiktat was another peer of Thanquol and the only one he considered a serious rival to his "genius."
- Gribikk the Horned - Gribbik was a Grey Seer, a partner of Thanquol, who accompanied the far more infamous Grey Seer during the Skaven attack on Nuln. Both were under the authority of Skribolt, the Great Warlock, whereas they would usually themselves be the leaders of the venture as Grey Seers. Clan Scruten had fallen from grace, its place usurped by Clan Skryre, leaving Grbikk and Thanquol little more than advisors to the assault's commander. Gribikk rode into battle on a Screaming Bell.
- Pakritt - A Skaven active during the Era of the Black Plague, and one who frustrated the efforts of Sythar Doom, master of Clan Skryre.
Trivia[]
Not all horned Skaven are Grey Seers or even grey, white, or albinoid in colour. In the novel Dead Winter by C.L. Werner, one of the Grey Lord Vecteek's slaves was a piebald ratman with small nubs for horns. Since the slaves were each representatives of the clans sitting on the Council of Thirteen, it is possible that this Skaven was an Apprentice Grey Seer.[8a]
Puskab Foulfur, a Clan Pestilens member of the Council of Thirteen during the time of the Black Death in 1111 IC, was another white-furred ratman with horns. However, his allegiance lay firmly with the Pestilent Brotherhood rather than the Order of the Grey Seers. It is unclear if Foulfur was born into Clan Pestilens or if he betrayed the Order of the Grey Seers to join its rival religious sect.
Miniatures[]
Sources[]
- 1: Warhammer Armies: Skaven (7th Edition)
- 2: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Children of the Horned Rat (RPG)
- 3: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Old World Bestiary (RPG)
- 3a: pg. 69
- 4: Headtaker (Novel) by David Guymer
- 5: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: The Enemy Within Campaign - The Horned Rat Companion (RPG)
- 5a: pg. 12
- 6: Warhammer Armies: Skaven (7th Edition)
- 6a: pg. 9
- 7 The Loathsome Ratmen and all their Vile Kin (Background Book)
- 7a: pg. 16
- 8: Dead Winter (Novel) by C.L Werner
- 9: The End Times: The Rise of the Horned Rat (Novel) by Guy Hayley
- 9a: Ch. 25