"You betray this clan."
- —Sneek, enraged at Vulscreek's treachery
Sneek Scratchett was a long-suffering Skaven slave appointed to serve Grey Seer Vulscreek shortly after the Twin Tailed Comet appeared in the sky during the events of Total War: Warhammer II. He ultimately betrayed the Grey Seer's plans to summon the Horned Rat into the mortal world through the sacrifice of his clan, and received great favour from the Horned Rat as a result.[1a]
History[]
Working With Vulscreek[]
"Grey Seers give their souls. Now we are Horned Rat's favoured, yes-yes!"
- —Scratchett, after murdering Vulscreek
During the prophecy of Doom and Curses, Scratchett carried out the Grey Seer's orders and ensured the construction of the machine required to summon the Horned Rat into the mortal world. However, through this process, he discovered Vulscreek and the Council of Thirteen were scheming.[1a]
After studying the device, Sneek found that it was not for controlling the Great Vortex as the Grey Seer had claimed, but was actually intended to summon the Horned Rat from the Realm of Ruin. This required a ritual sacrifice and Vulscreek demanded that Scratchett's own clan serve as that sacrifice. This treachery drove Scratchett to murder his liege and take the Warpstone bell-clapper the Greyseer had possess for himself. In vengeance, Scratchett instead sealed the doom of the Grey Seer's own clan by spilling Vulscreek's blood upon it rather than his own. This resulted in a mad scramble by the Grey Seers to wrest the bell away from Scratchett and his clan before it tolled thirteen times.[1a]
Favoured of the Horned Rat[]
"He was under tremendous pressure, having risen from the status of lowly scribe to Herald of a Living God."
- — Scratchett, now the Horned Rat's Herald
In the wake of these events, Scratchett became a favorite of the Horned Rat and now bears the title of "Herald of the Great Horned Rat." However lofty it sounds, the position also caused Scratchett tremendous stress, as he was now the subject of much envy and many assassination attempts.
Bearing the highest rank a mortal Skaven can attain also means Scratchett is deeply hated by all below him. Scratchett now lived in a grand burrow, richly adorned, where he noticed a polished, Warpstone mirror had been placed. At first he thought it was a bribe from one of the others clans seeking his favour or a trap set by Clan Eshin, but then he saw the face of the Daemon known as the Screaming One within. The Verminlord demanded repayment for putting the scribe on the path to ascension. Scratchett meekly and fearfully accepted the Daemon's proposed price for his aid.[1b]
Sources[]
- 1: Total War: Warhammer II (PC Game)