Morskittar

Lord Morskittar, Emperor of Warlocks and Tinker-in-Chief, is the current ruler of Clan Skryre and a member of the Council of Thirteen.^[1a] Even though he is considered the greatest Warlock-Engineer to have ever lived, very little is known about the Emperor of Warlocks, save perhaps that he extremely ancient, having been kept alive for long years by vats of life-giving fluids. In fact, Morskittar once claimed Skavenblight in its entirety, naming himself Emperor of all Skavendom during the start of the Second Skaven Civil War. Due to his long existence, much of the Clanlord's body has since been replaced with metal frame and tubing, making him appear more machine than rat.^[2a]

History

It is unclear how long Lord Morskittar was Clanlord of Clan Skryre, for Skaven lives are short and they keep no recorded history. What is certain was that Morskittar was ruler of Clan Skryre when the Second Civil War erupted and rocked the foundations of Skavendom to its very core.^[2a]

Lord of Skavenblight

Outraged by these two monumentous defeats, the Council members once more blamed Clan Pestilens for the disastrous loss of both money and prestige, and demanded that the Plaguelords be cast out of the Council of Thirteen for their incompetence. After months of tense political manoeuvring, blackmail, threats, bribery, and assassinations, a vote on this matter was ordered by the other Council members. Rather then be cast out like the vermin they were, the Plaguelords preferred to fight to maintain their prestigious position and plotted to instigate a revolt against the entire Council. On the day of the vote, the Plaguelords rose up from their seats and accused the other Council members as heretics, unbelievers of the true intentions of the Horned Rat. With that one horrific outburst Clan Pestilens renewed the titanic conflict between Clan Pestilens and the Council of Thirteen creating the Second Skaven Civil War. Several Warlord clans rose up with them, and fighting eventually ensued between the Albino Stormvermin guards of the Temple of the Horned Rat, and the Plague Monks of Clan Pestilens. Anarchy ruled the streets of Skavenblight as different factions vied for control of the city.^[2a]

Clan Skryre, having long foreseen such an uprising from the heretical monks, began their own offensive against Clan Pestilens. Using their powerful war-machines and advanced weaponry the Warlock-Engineers began raising fortifications and defences all around the grand Temple. Ikit Claw, one of the Under-Empire's most promising Warlock-Engineers, took command of the forces stationed within the ruins of Skavenblight, and was promoted by his superiors to the rank of Chief Warlock, ostensibly to restore order within the city. Within weeks, Clan Skryre took precautions to stop any Clan Pestilens troops from making their way into the temple. Clan Skryre stationed their highly trained Jezzail sniper teams up on the sacred Bell Tower to provide covering fire, while Warlock-Engineers stationed diabolical war-machines of all kinds at every entrance leading into the temple. Unable to overcome such defences, the Clan Pestilens armies were repulsed from every one of their assaults, giving Lord Morskittar, Lord Warlock Engineer, the status and prestige he needed to officially declare himself ruler of all Skavenblight. With his new supposed rulership Lord Morskittar planed to re-establish the Council beneath his tyrannical rule. However, even his ingenious mind could not stop the infighting from spreading all over the Under-Empire as dozens of factions began to rise to prominence to take advantage of this anarchy.^[2a]

And so it went for 400 years once more. Dozens of factions rose and fell during the course of this age, with the war being marked by a constant shifting of allegiance and loyalty, a war that only further amused their selfish and vile god. The most powerful factions during the Civil War were the three Great Skaven Clans, along with several allied clans that supported their cause. Clan Moulder, Clan Skryre and Clan Pestilens all headed their own great factions within the Under-Empire, while Clan Eshin remained neutral during the conflict in order for them to profit from the constant infighting by hiring out their deadly expertise to the highest bidder.^[2a]

It was during the War that Clan Skryre reestablished their main stronghold within the confines of Skavenblight. In time, Clan Skryre assembled a mighty force of infernal devices and engines of destruction on a scale never before seen. It was with this gathering of newly developed apparatus that Chief Warlock Ikit Claw detected a strange rising of dark magical energies emanating from the far north. Dark omens abounded throughout the world, as Morrslieb -- the Chaos Moon -- hung low towards the earth, and showers of warpstone meteorites rained from the skies. Dark energies swept once more from the north, as the largest Chaos army ever assembled at that age and time gathered for the great slaughter that would engulf the lands of the Empire. Know to only a few within the Under-Empire, a great event was coming, and only Lord Morskittar was well prepared for the great ritual that the Grey Seers were plotting to unleash. Since then, Morskittar has been humbled and resigned his status as Emperor of Skavenblight before taking his seat within the Council of Thirteen.^[2a]

Source

• 1: Rise of the Horned Rat (Novel) by Guy Haley
  • 1a: Chapter 0: "Prologue"
• 2: Warhammer Armies: Skavne (7th Edition)
  • 2a: pg. 25