Summary
- Skaven heroes take center stage in Age of Sigmar.
- Forgotten legends like Thratsnik, Plaguelord Nurglitch, and Gnawretch Skrray could enhance the Vermindoom narrative.
- Characters like Morskittar and Skrittar have fascinating backstories but are neglected in the current tabletop game.
The newest edition of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar has arrived, ushering in the Vermindoom and bringing the innumerable hordes of the Skaven armies to the forefront of the ongoing narrative of the realms. While Skaven have always been a fan-favorite race in the Warhammer world, they have taken a backseat in the reboot of the fantasy setting while large-scale battles have been fought between the divine forces of Sigmar himself and the soldiers of death, destruction, and chaos.
Finally, the rat-men have returned; the newest starter box pits Stormcast Eternals against classic Skaven models that have been reimagined in gorgeous new sculpts. New characters have been revealed, and rules for those heroes that will carry over into the new edition have been released on the Warhammer site. However, several heroes remain forgotten in the lore of the Old World despite cries to bring them back.
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While some of the vermin folk have made a splash in the world of Total War: Warhammer 3, more remain lost in obscurity waiting for a comeback, whether it be on screen, in the pages of a Black Library novel, or on the tabletop.
1 Lord Skrolk
The Disease That Walks
While the cunning plague birther is one of the playable legendary lords in Total War: Warhammer 2 and can also be taken onto the Immortal Empires map in the third entry in the series, Skrolk has been left behind in the current interaction of the tabletop game. The most trusted servant of the ruler of his clan, Lord Skrolk wields the Rod of Corruption and has such a noxious odor that few can stand to be in his presence and he has a toxic and sickly effect on anything in his vicinity. He also once held the Liber Bubonicus: a book that holds nightmarish details on every form of disease and decay that has been seen in the mortal realms. With the new rise of the rats across the realms in AoS, it would be fitting for Skrolk to return with his encyclopedia of entropy.
A special character version of the Plague Priest, it seems he will be benched for a while due to the Priest being moved to the Legends category, meaning it is likely he will be left behind in this edition.
2 Ghoritch
Castellan Of Hell Pit
Another character that makes a subtle appearance as an unlockable hero in Total War, Ghoritch is a perfected experiment by Throt the Unclean. Ghoritch has been left behind since his introduction, but the newest Verminlord to be revealed for Age of Sigmar, Vizzik Skour, is in some ways a homage to the Chaos-bound rat ogre. Ghoritch was once a human warrior and a disciple of Khorne. When he defied his commander he was given to Clan Moulder, a cult of rats intent on mutation and experimentation.
His mind was put into the body of a very powerful rat ogre, and he went on to command an army in the hulking form of one of Moulder's elite killers in the Old World. His model on release was incredible, with Khorne's influences all over the traditionally grotesque rat ogre form. However, whether Ghoritch survived the End Times or could reappear in Age of Sigmar remains unclear.
3 Ikit Claw
Chief Warlock Claw
One of the most infamous Skaven warlocks, and maybe the most fun campaign to play in Warhammer 3 - Ikit Claw is a maniacal tyrant obsessed with progress and explosive engineering. A member of Clan Skryre, Ikit has been removed from the game in Age of Sigmar, perhaps due to his old age. The heavily armored gray-silver rat has a flamethrower built into his mechanical frame and wields the halberd Storm Daemon, which can fire bolts of warp lightning. Ikit is the inventor of the doomwheel and has heaps of lore that set him apart from many of his fellow Skaven.
As fans of Total War will know, Ikit has engineered his own destructive weapon known as a Doom Sphere. Many forces gathered to stop Claw from using this weapon in the Old World, but this bomb is essentially a chaos-powered nuke. Ikit is a threat that would fit in well with the Skryre-focused troops that are currently overrunning the realms.
4 Plaguelord Nurglitch
Lord Of Decay And Supreme Leader Of Pestilens
Never having appeared outside of the tabletop and the many novels set in the Old World, Plaguelord Nurglitch is a member of the Council of Thirteen - the shadowy elite that manages the moving of the verminous hordes in their undercities. He's so hideously infected that Lord Skrolk tore his own eyes out looking at his leader. The Plaguelord is a master of manipulation and cunning backstabbing.
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Beloved by some of the Great Horned Rat's Verminlord children, the title of Nurglitch has passed to every Plaguelord of the Pestilens clan and so it can be hard to allocate the rat's deeds to the correct leader. Some of those who have claimed the title have fought with rods that emanate sickness, and others have simply read horrible prayers to inflict illness on any who oppose them.
5 Lord Morskittar
Tinker-In-Chief
The Plaguelord of the Skryre Clan, Morskittar is a mysterious genius who dwells far from the prying eyes of other Skaven and has lived for longer than any of his comrades due to his strange mechanics and technological assistance. In some ways he is more of a robot than a rat, using warpstone and forbidden magics to stay alive. Once calling himself the ruler of all Skavenkind, Lord Morskittar has since stepped down to take an ordinary position in the Council of Thirteen.
Ikit Claw serves him loyally, but Morskittar is one of the few rats that can outsmart even Ikit with his genius schemes and creations. His armies use war machines and magic-infused attacks to overpower their enemies. Morskittar was always shrouded in mystery and now would be the perfect time to shed some light on the shadowy ruler of one of the clans.
6 Thratsnik
Grey Seer Of Festerhole
A powerful Gray Seer who rebelled against the powerful in Skavenblight, Thratsnik was canonically killed by Dwarfs that destroyed the Festerhole hideout of the Skaven who followed Thratsnik. However, his story is so interesting and influential that to see him, or the relic he left behind, reappear in Age of Sigmar would be a perfect return for some of the classic Warhammer lore. Thratsnik stole the hand of a revered rat that could be used to summon a Verminlord.
However, when he died, the Gray Seer decided to cut off his own paw and replace the relic to eventually act as a comeuppance for the Skaven who wronged him. Many years later, Thanquol used the paw to try to summon help from the Great Horned Rat, only to find that the paw summoned the Demon of Khorne, Skarbrand, who went on to slaughter Dwarfs, Skaven, and anyone else in his path.
7 Skrittar
Herald Of The Council Of Thirteen
Skrittar is cruel even for the Skaven. Traveling the Undercities to deliver the word of the Council of Thirteen, he is carried by Stormvermin who also serve as his bodyguards. Any Skaven that dares look at him, or disrespect his pet two-headed rat, is torn apart by dark sorcery. He forbids any that are not Gray Seers or Warlock Engineers from performing magic and even goes out of his way to hunt down any who break this rule. A perfect example of the overwhelming evil of the Skaven, and the careless nature that Gray Seers often have for their underlings, many Skavenslaves have met their end at his command.
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Having an important role in the End-Times by opposing the destruction of the moon that the other Skaven sought, Skrittar was a unique character in Skaven lore who was unceremoniously dumped in the move to Age of Sigmar. Seeing the herald return to assist the new Prophet would make the coming Vermindoom even more terrifying.
8 Gnawretch Skrray
The Castellan-Warlord Of Under Middenheim
A lesser-known character that has been all but completely forgotten since his debut in the Warhammer Fantasy Role Play Middenheim sourcebook, Gnawretch Skrray is a strange mutated version of the usual ratfolk. After eating his own tail and paw when suffering from a frenzy of anger and hunger, he was scooped up by a Skaven general who fed him enough warpstone to allow him to recover. Skrray grew a new tail, tipped with a venomous sting, not unlike a scorpion. He replaced his lost paw with a hook and now roams the warrens underneath Middenheim where he commands the vermin there to increase the population.
His favorite punishment for any who oppose his rule is to take one of their eyes, and a second offense ensures they will lose their sight entirely and be left to starve in the sewers alone. This strange and slippery Skaven is a fresh take on the brutal warriors who hide in the tunnels below. Perhaps Gnawretch could make a comeback in the newest edition of Age of Sigmar.
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