Clan Mors

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Clan Mors is arguably the most successful of all Warlord clans. Its influence is so great that it is not lacking for warbeasts and/or weapon teams and its ranks are bolstered by warriors from other clans- hired, bribed or coerced to fight in the first wave. Clan Mors' rise in power, size and status is due in no small part to the taking of the Dwarf stronghold of Karak Eight Peaks, known to the Skaven as the City of Pillars- a major nexus for the passageways that make up the Under-Empire. Clan Mors' aggressive warriors bear many trophy scars and they have better weaponry and more armor than other Skaven- the spoils looted over many long campaigns. The upper levels of the City of Pillars are constantly assailed by vengeful Dwarf warbands and spiteful Night Goblin tribes. This provides Clan Mors with a brutal proving ground for its Chieftains and a chance to grind the teeth of a growing cadre of elite warriors.

The Skaven of Mors are uncharacteristically united as one and exhibit a loyalty to their clan that is unheard of in Skaven society. Even those Skaven who have been conscripted into Mors from less fortunate clans are soon heard voicing praises to Gnawdwell and his staff. None are certain if this loyalty is a result of sorcery most foul, as of yet undiscovered drugs or the product of something else that has yet to be discovered. All things considered, it might just be their approach to warfare. In most clans, your average ratboy who gets sent into battle is going to have to scrounge up his own weapons and whatever rags can pass for armor. After that, he and 20,000 of his closest frenemies are gonna get sent up against a foe they're horribly outclassed against, with no training, no leadership, and maybe an extra plague or limb slapped on depending on the clan. Compare that to Clan Mors, who put effort into making sure the bulk of their warriors are well fed, well drilled, and well armed (by Skaven standards anyway). They brutally punish internal strife that openly interferes with the battle plan, but at the same time encourage leadership from the front and having a meritocratic soldier elite anyone can try out for. This means that uniquely among skaven society, you have an environment where an ambitious young rat has better odds of promotion if he keeps his head down, trains hard as a soldier, and distinguishes himself in front of his superiors than if he tries to elevate himself at the expense of everyone else. In fact, killing a valuable superior is treason (killing a superior that is a liability on the other hand is laudable). Granted, their race lacks the self sacrifice and courage that defines a professional army like the High Elves or The Empire, but Clan Mors is about as close as the rats are ever gonna get. Well, at least in Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd ED -- Children of the Horned Rat. In the book Headtaker, skaven gonna skaven (well, except Queak, who shows suicidal courage instead of "skaven caution"). Well, Sleek Sharpwit kinda fits the RPG's description.

As mentioned before, Mors could be ranked as the fifth most powerful clan in all of Skavendom, just beneath the Big Four. Clan Moulder rose to prominence by breeding fearsome war-beasts, Clan Pestilens has weaponized plague magics to blight their foes and reduce them to slime, Clan Eshin has mastered the arts of stealth and infiltration allowing them to assassinate their foes and win through soft power and Clan Skryre's warlock engineers combine science and sourcery to construct terrifying machines and stage a nightmarish Industrial Revolution. Clan Mors edge is simply that common Skaven failings are somewhat moderated. If it ever got into their heads to consider the Golden Rule, Sigmar help us all.

Oddly enough, Clan Mors has all but vanished in Age of Sigmar. GeeDubs drops hints of their name and legacy here and there but has never come out and said what happened. During the rerelease of the original Skaven Hero miniatures, Queek’s bio mentioned that Mors was a forefather of the Clans Verminus, and the similarly named and clothed Clan Morskrit imply that the survivors of the Old World repopulated and rebranded themselves. All in all, it’s just more reason for people to to rage at AoS, if that’s your fancy.

Notable Members/Special Units

Fangsnapper's Clawpack- The battle-hardened Clanrats of Fangsnapper's Clawpack led the assault that retook several vaults from the Night Goblins in the City of Pillars and they were instrumental in Clan Mors' victory over Clan Corpulent. Scrak Fangsnapper rose to command the clawpack during the sacking of the Empire town of Buchendorf, when he throttled his predecessor with his own tail. Since then, he has defeated over a dozen potential rivals and their broken fangs hang from his trophy rack as a warning to other would-be usurpers. And Skrak, Ex-lieutenant of the Red Guard.

Queek Head-Taker- Lord of the City of Pillars, Great Warlord of Clan Mors, Right-Claw of Warlord Gnawdwell.

• Red Guard- Taking a page from the book of his master, Queek decided to build his own private army- the Red Guard, his personal army of bodyguards. Training for such a group is exhausting in the extreme- tests of strength, agility and martial prowess must all be taken and Queek himself is the judge! Despite this, the group is 1,000 troops strong (10 "Claws", or groups of 100, to be exact) and has the best of everything. Since then, they have served Queek as both an honor guard and the spiked fist leading his army. They have only been seen during the "End Times" novel set, in volume four, to be precise.

Sleek Sharpwit- Queek wasn't the first prized pupil of Warlord Gnawdwell; long before, Sleek Sharpwit (alias "Old-thing" [courtesy of his rivals]) was the one to fear. The whole World's Edge Mountains range lived in fear of him, his name was a synonym for dread from Hell Pit in the frigid north to Cripple Peak in the arid south. He was called to serve the dread council as an agent in his prime, but was sent back to find his old stomping ground in a state of standard skaven decay at the hands of his replacement, Queeks, madness. This has, understandably, made him quite bitter with his replacement. Three (skaven) generations of disappointments haven't helped, either... neither have the ravages of time, come to think of it- Sleek is now bald, half-blind and stuck on crutches! Despite his problems, Sleek is still a formidable foe. Sadly, his time wasn't long enough to save him from a fight with Queek; even warpstone only helped him fight to a standstill with Gnawdwell's new favorite. Ironically, despite his death, Sleek has proven a valuable asset to Queek as a trophy head, which Queek in his madness imagines is still the same clever old rat, giving advice and admonishment. It's interesting to note that sleek was over 20 years old at the time of his death and unique among skaven (possibly in part due to such extreme age and experience),had a profound racial self awareness. he even understood that the ratman race's constant squabbling and lack of cooperation where what stopped them from conquering the world, and bemoaned how they were forever pursuing paths of instant satisfaction rather than looking at a bigger picture.

Ska Bloodtail. - Queek's right hand man, er, rat. One would have a hard time coercing Ska Bloodtail to betray Queek, as Ska will probably be more afraid of Queek than anything you threaten him with. Which might be surprising because Ska is as tall as a man - larger than Queek. Ska is protected by scavenged Gromril. Queek is fond of Ska, as evidence by him becoming despondent and renaming some random Skaven "New Ska" when Ska (temporarily) went missing in Headtaker.

Warlord Gnawdwell- The mastermind behind Clan Mors' unbridled success and the unquestioned master of the City of Pillars, as well as a member of the Council of Thirteen. His ruthless methods have resulted in the deaths of many of his rivals, as well as the outright destruction of at least six lesser Clans. With these triumphs, Gnawdwell has increased the wealth and power of Clan Mors to unprecedented levels. The Skaven of defeated Clans have increased Mors' military strength, not to mention its labor force, and conquered strongholds across the Under-Empire proudly fly their banner. Rumors have spread that the Great Clans live in fear of Gnawdwell's sinister reputation. Many great Skaven have been struck down as a result of the warlord's schemes and there's no telling what he'll do if he's forced to defend his clan's newfound prestige. Even if Gnawdwell were to perish, any of his subordinates would be likely to take his place. Given their extremely effective battle tactics, it'd be foolish to think Mors would fall with Gnawdwell's death.

Great Warlord Vrrmik- A former member of the Council of Thirteen, Vrrmik was the leader of the last-ditch attempt by the Skaven to reclaim the Empire of Man for themselves. At the Battle of the Howling Hills, Vrrmik charged valiantly at the then Elector Count Mandred of Middenheim... and was beheaded for his efforts. His death saw the Skaven retreat back underground for 25 years before their strike at Bretonnia and, to make matters worse, Vrrmik's skull was later fastened to Mandred's helmet as a trophy. Vrrmik's death also granted Mandred the title of "Skaven-Slayer" and saw him crowned Emperor of the Empire of Man.

Natty Buboe- Many clans claim to be the best shot with a Warplock Jezzail, but there are a multitude of Skaven legends that speak of Natty Buboe, a Clan Mors sharpshooter with the skill to put a bullet through the skull of a Dwarf Engineer using a telescope at a distance measuring over 7,000 paces. The Dwarves reportedly refused to admit that a Skaven was able to outreach them in terms of firepower, so a veritable conga line's worth of Dwarves stood at the same telescope, letting the sniper earn a plethora of kills.

Warlord Krricht Dwarf-slicer- a former Warlord of Clan Mors, Krricht earned his position of power in the Imperial year of 1125.

The Scribe- An as-of-yet unnamed Skavenslave scribe, this character (while minor) does appear in "Total War Warhammer 2". He seems to understand the Council's plans involving the Great Vortex and the "Screaming One" [a Verminlord of considerable power, trapped somewhere in Lustria], as well as the fact that such plans require considerable warpstone (not to mention the control of the Great Vortex!), but he should tread carefully... Skaven who know too much all meet the same fate- first they get cocky, then they end up dead (and eaten)! His actual name may be Sneek, as a video on YouTube called "Total War: WARHAMMER 2 - Skaven Scribe Reacts" has a thumbnail with "Sneek Reacts" in the upper-right corner. During the events of Total War Warhammer 2, the Scribe discovers several unexpected truths- that the Council's plans are to create a great bell-ringing device with warpstone-cursed wood, the bones of Skaven sacrificed to Sotek, powerful Rat Ogres (for pulling the device) and the original Screaming Bell, powered up by multiple rituals; that the twin-tailed comet everyone has seen was, in fact, an artificial rocket created by the Skaven to weaken the Great Vortex; and- perhaps most concerning of all -to summon the Great Horned Rat, an entire clan is to be sacrificed! ...and it's going to be his! Rather horrified by this, the Scribe tears Grey Seer Vulscreek's throat out and drops his blood on the bell ringing rod that is required to power the infernal bell device, thus marking the Grey Seers (and Clan Scruten) for sacrifice. Discovering this, the Seers [and all other factions] attempt to stop Clan Mors. If they fail, however, and the player wins the Skaven campaign, then the whole of Clan Mors- even the Scribe -become the Horned Rat's chosen!

Ironskins- Led by Ikk Hackflay, this regiment of Stormvermin was once known under a less impressive name- the Rusthelms. Having been the first to loot the armories of the Dwarves, they slowly began to create their own patchwork suits of impressive protection. Their ferocity and aggressiveness has caught the eye of Queek, which could easily be a blessing... or a curse.

Ssizik's Deadeyes- Amongst the finest of Clan Mors' deadshots, these gunners had a gift for quick shots and alarming accuracy. Their leader, Ssizik Warpeye, was a gifted engineer with a nasty habit of plying the lash to each of his teams. Their target practice consisted of shooting either captive Dwarves or nabbed Night Goblins (though lousy or lazy shooters were thrown in, too). Though Dwarves never shy away from fighting, the second the shields of these snipers went up, Dwarves ran for cover... lest they become little more than another kill-scratch in the shield or along the barrel.

Blacktail Berserkers- Clan Mors Clanrats hailing from the caves beneath the Dwarf hold of Karagril, the Blacktails were the sole owners of a rare mineral- Blackrock. Though its actual name is unknown, it does bear some similarities to obsidian. The Clanrats in question were known for two things- black tails and a psychotic response (and noteworthy tolerance) when consuming warpbrew (the Skaven version of beer). Interestingly, they proved immune to pain whilst drunk and suffered no usual pangs of the Black Hunger after any fight... though demands for more warpbrew were noted.

Warpshields- Particularly wealthy (even amongst Clan Mors), the Warpshields were a claw of Clanrats that were born in the "Glow-warrens", one of the deepest lairs of the Skaven. Having been an original part of the Dwarves' underground well network at Karak Eight Peaks, the Glow-warrens were poisoned by warpstone... and still glow to this day. Because of this, any Skaven from the Warpshields had glowing green eyes and considerable warpstone tokens to spend. Most of this money went into buying four Ratling Gun Teams... which meant plenty of suppression fire!

Gribtak Stabit- If Gribtak was an emotion, it would most likely be anger. Aggressive to the extreme, Gribtak was a valuable soldier. Unfortunately, his temper was not helpful in getting promotions, so it is little surprise that Rotrik Maulclaw- a long-time rival -got the position instead. On the other hand, his temper did help in disposing of problems- namely Rotrik himself. Now Gribtak carries the totem, but it might not be for any longer than his friend!

Rotrik Maulclaw- To be a carrier of a battle totem for a Skaven Clan was a great honor. Rotrik earned it by killing an entire contingent of Dwarven miners. The prestige was good, but Rotrik knew that several other Skaven had died before him using this thing... and he was soon to join them! His rival, Gribtak, killed him and added his head to the totem, likewise taking the position his foe once held.

Hakfang- A new face amongst Clan Mors (hailing from the Age of Sigmar), Hakfang started out life as a simple Clanrat... this wouldn't last. Wielding a combination of cunning, violent tendencies and no small degree of personal luck, he threw his own comrades-in-arms to the mercy of the Stormcast Eternals, disposed of the ones that wouldn't go, sabotaged several weapons from Clan Skryre, killed off any superiors with weapons he stole (all the better to avoid suspicion) and threw any weapon engine masters into their own furnaces. As the crowning achievement, he stabbed the late Warlord Skuttklaw in the back- literally -and offered his body up to Verminlord Gnawsoul. With his new rank of Warlord, he intends to end the war that the Warlock Engineers started.

• Clan Fawsquikk- An off-shoot of Clan Mors forged during the "Blood in the Badlands" campaign, this clan came to be when its founder (and namesake), one Warlord Fawsquikk, mustered a sizable force (among which were a pair of Grey Seers, who happened to be brothers, and a disgraced Plague Priest) and rebelled against the harsh rule of Queek Headtaker. His rebellion found an unexpected fortress in the Badlands and, when news of Fozzrik's Flying Fastness came to his ears, it was clear his rise to fame was coming! All he needed to do was survive for a whole year, beat all the other factions in the area, keep Clan Mange from claiming his prize and (somehow) banish the Vermin Lord commanding Clan Mange back to the realm of Chaos... no problem!