Age of Sigmar Lore: The Skaven, A Blight On The Realms

Let's explore the Skaven, the most sinister and iconic of races in the Mortal Realms!
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[@MrPaul-bn9cl]

Skaven - The mustache twirling villain who ties damsels to train tracks, and plots to blow up the sun to hold the world hostage but is always defeated by the hunky and handsome hero, leaving them to skulk back into the shadows to plot another day. Basically. Die-die man-things.

[@erikrungemadsen2081]

Skaven are awesome, they are so unapologeticaly treacherously evil, and funny as all hell without suspending your sense of emergence.

[@azathoththe3rd]

This is not a meme, give me your warp stone 🥲🔫🐀

[@mediocremouse405]

cant wait until the horned rat fights his way into 40k i imagine clan moulder and skyre making some super super skaven marines better than all the man things

[@insomniacbritgaming1632]

Space Skaven would be awesome!!

[@lapu2407]

They use to have that but now they’re just slime monsters

[@stephenhumphreys9149]

Actually, one other thing I was surprised you didn't mention (and apologies if you'd planned to mention it in another video), is that the battletome confirms that they are the only Chaos faction who we are absolutely sure can access the realm of Azyr, thanks to the gnawholes. It seems they had spies even within Sigmar's palace, and knew about the Stormcast Eternals well before their big reveal. Although in typical Skaven fashion they kept it to themselves to try and get the most advantage out of the secret, which probably isn't going to work out for them in the long run...

[@keithrimer8415]

I LOVE the last supper version of the Council of 13 artwork! AMAZING!!

[@2Tough]

I plan on getting it printed for my wall lol!

[@drewcradduck2790]

I am so happy both for my old Skaven models finally having some time on the table again and also for new lore! :D I have a theory on the Great Horned Rat: Like the other Chaos Gods, the Horned Rat embodies an aspect of reality in the mortal realms. Khorne is martial prowess and war, Tzeentch is change and hope, Nurgle is stagnation and the ever continuing cycle of life, and Slaanesh is hedonism and the quest for perfection. The Great Horned Rat is "Ruin". Now of course there's many ways a land, society, or people can come to ruin - but I think the most prevalent of those in both the Old World & Mortal Realms is the ruin which is left in the wake of the Chaos Gods themselves. I think it's possible that the Great Horned Rat is an unintended consequence of the devastation the Chaos Gods bring, which could explain why some of his Verminlords embody aspects which are similar yet fundamentally different from the Daemons of the main Pantheon. This could also add an extra layer to why the Chaos Gods are so dismissive of the Great Horned Rat, as if true the Great Horned Rat would be nothing more than an amalgamation of the useless trash left over from the notably awesome parties of the Chaos Gods. :P

[@DriveThruReview]

One interesting thing about the Horned Rat compared to the other Chaos Gods... he doesn’t try to “convert” other races to his cause (at least I’ve not seen it).

[@2Tough]

Oh thats a super solid point! Thank you for watching and commenting

[@tobiashagstrom4168]

That'd be an interesting idea though, a cult of non-skaven worshipping the skaven. Now, generally the skaven would just take advantage of them and turn them into slaves, but let's say that the cult is within some important city, where it is much more useful for the skaven as a free asset than as slaves in tunnels. I don't even know (or really care) enough about AoS to say if that would make sense there, but in classic Wh Fantasy, it could be a fun scenario.

[@Sofadog82]

@@tobiashagstrom4168 There was mentions of human cults to the horned rat within the Empire in the old world. However I don't believe it was ever really expanded upon.

[@HoundofOdin]

@@tobiashagstrom4168 There was a cult of Skaven worshiping humans depicted in a Witch Hunter novel. They were tricked by skaven into being their minions. The Horned Rat doesn't care at all about other races, but he will make use of them to benefit the Skaven

[@DainnGreywall]

The Yellow fang cult or yellow teeth cult was a cult of humans that worshipped the great horned rat. I do think that the Great Horned Rat allows everyone to serve him, but the Skaven are his children.

[@cdawg002]

Warhammer needs an animated series. Same people who made Castlevania on Netflix need to make this.

[@DemonicEngineer]

The last thing we need is YET another adaptation. Why does everything need to be adapted all the time?

[@dlastkatipunero2185]

@@DemonicEngineer When done right it's good but season 3 of Castlevania had too many plots jammed into a small season...sometimes we should either wait or help build a proper company for it because crowdfunding or mega corporations are not the most stable of options.

[@SocietyKilledTheUnicorn]

@@dlastkatipunero2185 season 4 was hands down some of the best animation I have seen, ever.

[@swearingpriest98]

There are animated Warhammer shows on Warhammer plus or whatever

[@pdc4930]

I kinda want to see a rebel clan that goes against the values (or lack of) of Skaven. This is due to recent discoveres that actual rats help each other out and also have ticklish spots.

[@stephenhumphreys9149]

Another interesting thing about the Horned Rat is that he seems to be the 'anti-Nagash' in some ways. Despite there being an 'Order' faction, Nagash is really the god that most embodies pure order - he'd love it if the whole of the Realms were occupied just by the undead, completely calm and ordered, where nothing happens except what he wills. The Skaven are the most chaotic of the Chaos forces - they're just a vast tide of insanity, and as their god doesn't have the same strict ties to war/decay/pleasure/change, anything goes. Not only that, The Horned rat has twice stopped Nagash from completing his master plan of killing everything (in AoS and the Old World), and even partially succeded where Nagash failed - Nagash wanted to raise himself to supreme godhood in the Old World, to the point where he could destroy the Chaos Gods completely. Old Horny has managed to elevate himself to the point where he's on par with them - not bad for the god of race known to be so self destructive that half of their plans fail due to their own backstabbing.

[@2Tough]

Thas a super solid point about him being the Anit-Nagash!!!

[@matthewfarmer8246]

Yes-Yes the man-thing speak-squeaks about the greatness of the children of the horned rat! Send this man-thing much-many warpstone tokens for this!{turns to stormvermin}then send-go gutterrunners to take back the warpstone, its all MINE-MINE!

[@jacobduke3029]

gutterrunners ?? storm vermin? fake news yes yes

[@DustinBarlow8P]

Your monologue had me accidently releasing my fear musk! I am so ashamed!

[@victordavila9812]

I love skaven there is something so endearing about and small rat thing thinking he is the best of all and the main character of the world, also I just love their lines in total war "Human thing bad yes yes "

[@multiapokalipsa]

So, basically, personalitywise, a race of Starscreams? Cool ÷D

[@sneel444]

I never thought about the permanence a gnawholes. Although their design and destination is not exact, once one accidentally ends up in Nagash’s man-cave, they can say. “Reinforce the tunnel! This’ll come in handy some day...”

[@tabhamma4451]

Dude that opening music is perfect for skaven, goofy yet sinister

[@2Tough]

So glad you like it!!!!

[@paulh3892]

It’s so charming that all of the minions of the fodder race faction think that they are “the chosen one!” Your lore video imparted a fondness for these baddies that wasn’t there before so thank you.

[@leonardomoretti1812]

Excellent work as always, as a Skaven player i can't wait to see the next videos- especially those for clans Moulder and Skryre ;) if you want to see a dialogue of the Great Horned Rat try to watch the cinematics of the Skaven campaign of Total War Warhammer 2! :)

[@mrmendeleev5040]

Back when I still play Warhammer, Skaven was my jam ! I really think this is the best lore work that GW ever produced. And I think a simple but so clever idea made this faction so unique : Taking a human flaw (cowardice) and make it as a quality... and then, shaping a all society around this idea... this is so clever every lore creator wish he had this idea^^

[@insomniacbritgaming1632]

I'm reading The Rise of Nagash and the Skaven do sound really cool!!

[@patjacksonpodium]

I literally lol'd when you mentioned that each Skaven believes themselves to be "The One." That's hilarious, dude. Skaven are almost as funny as 40k Orks. Fantastic. I really love these lore videos, man. I'm learning so much, and it just makes me more interested in this setting. I'll always be a 40k guy at the end of the day, but in great part because of your videos, I've learned to appreciate this setting, too.

[@iamnotglenn]

So Skaven have basically their version of an imperial hive city, inside their version of the drukhari webway, where they worship their version of a chaos god. They come from outside the standard realm and have been able to infiltrate even the most secure areas a la tyranids and genestealer cults. And the primary reason they haven’t won is because they’re too busy fighting each other like the orkz.

[@SwashBuccaneer]

Can I have a Skaven warlord with 4 turtle bodyguards? :P

[@2Tough]

#DeepkinAllies

[@AlexSjo20]

@@2ToughTeenage mutant ninja Deepkin

[@theomnissiah-9120]

Only if there clan eshin

[@morgothfromangband6082]

As Warhammer figure? 😉

[@hansvermeulen2044]

Great video! I never been a huge fan of the skaven, but these videos and "rework" makes me very interested in them. Luckily a buddy of mine got the carrion empire box, so hoping to get some skaven experience soon!

[@wolfsbanealphas617]

Great as Always ! Have a great week man

[@dank_smirk2ndchannel200]

Skaven are Floridamen but replace gators with rats and replace cocaine and Natty Lite with Warpstone

[@ap315]

Been playing Skaven since second edition warhammer with gnawdoom greyseer and throt the unclean. Love these guys and the new book is class.

[@jyabha]

Great video Doug! That last picture was good (skaven at the dinner table)

[@thedragonlady6661]

I love the intro music you use for the skaven it’s very fitting

[@kenziemckeever1605]

I don't think I've ever heard you so excited about a faction in all the videos I've seen of yours. It's a great change of pace and definitely inspiring to see you finally getting to dive into some properly expanded lore for AoS with the Skaven release. While I'm definitely sure I've learned a lot of the things covered in this video through discussion of Clan Pestilens a few months ago as well as general cultural osmosis from being in the hobby for a hot minute, seeing it presented in such an enthusiastic and comprehensive way is an extensive boon. That's not to say that I didn't learn anything; the bits on Blight City and the Council of Thirteen were surely aspects I wasn't originally aware of and you surely provided an adequate overview of both those elements. I lend a lot to the quality of audio here. It's surely the best I've ever heard on the channel. But I also enjoyed the way it was very neatly organized. Not to seem harshly critical, but there have been some instances where significant verbal stumbles and matters of organization made certain videos a little lackluster. Perhaps the best example was in the Kharadron Overlords week, but I'm aware those videos were all made at a relatively turbulent time. However, it seems you've really settled into your niche, and with a new army, lore, and resolve you're surely about to make some of the best content I've seen on the channel. Yes-yes.

[@2Tough]

Hey i really appreciate that :) THings are always improving, and Im getting to the point where I can just sit in front of a mic and project my excitement more easily, rather then constantly reviewing my notes and stuff. :)

[@MrTallenx61]

Love your channel honestly you have piqued my interest in age of sigmar and the skaven are my favorite race as well.

[@BBlueu2]

You left out Nagash though when it comes to matching them in the attrition and how many troops they can produce. Death armies could just raise dead skaven to swell the ranks of their armies. Which Is a powerful advantage Death has in the lore, but not in the TT rules unfortunately.

[@2Tough]

Solid point that i'll bring up in the Verminus video :) Thank you for commenitng and watching!!!

[@dank_smirk2ndchannel200]

Skaven master race

[@Punishment90]

Absolutely awesome! For the glory of the Horned Rat!

[@theorc16]

Super fun lore I could krump em all day

[@ianwhelan-miller90]

I desperately want to see a "pinky and the brain"/"invader zim" style show but for adults about a small group of skaven trying to take over the world.

[@Failerist]

Great vid !

[@bobskywalker2707]

Finally we got some skaven lore

[@JennFaeAge]

As someone who, had he ever started a Fantasy army, would've only ever been a Skaven player (blame it on the weird as fuck special characters they had in the 90s lol) this series makes me so happy

[@lordhogwash8393]

Me- Well it’s about time I tried a non Destruction army. Maybe I’ll finally do those Beasts of Chaos. Nothing will stop me *Sees video* Me-...Damnit *Starts digging out hordes of unpainted Skaven*

[@2Tough]

hahahaha

[@insomniacbritgaming1632]

When you realise that you have 2000 points of Fantasy Skaven... which translates to 4000 AoS points 🤣🤣🤣

[@reflexdogtraining1337]

Great vid, man.

[@tomaszlucjusz113]

Tyranids lack tons of personality the skaven have.

[@angelicdespot2735]

Yay! Great video. Long, long time fan of the Skaven, so keen to see what they've done with them in AoS. A bit concerned that Blight City is now built on Warpstone, as the quest for meteors of it was always one of their main motivations for going around and fighting. That will now have disappeared. Are you aware of the fiction that GW based the Skaven on? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Swords_of_Lankhmar I've not actually read the books myself, but it does seem that, cool as they are, the Skaven are not a fully home-grown, unique IP for GW.

[@sneel444]

Not sure if this is still applicable, but in Warhammer Fantasy, they really drummed up the fact that every single Skaaven completely typifies the bad traits in a human’s hearts. Selfishness, cowardice, cruelty, ego, greed... any human may have one or two of these faults, but EVERY Skaaven is polluted with all of them

[@2Tough]

I remember that! THe book doesnt hit that topic as hard as it used to for sure

[@chrisaurovilian4618]

I bow to thee, Master of Intros!

[@2Tough]

haha, thank you ;)

[@tylerghersinich576]

I was born on the year of the rat, on the hour of the rat. So i am getting this rats. Have a pestilin clan called the sons of scrot. The legendary lord for clan pestilin

[@2Tough]

I love it!!!!

[@tylerghersinich576]

@@2Tough @@2Tough basically back story after scrots dead by krock qur at the end times. The great horn rat took his soul and made him into a verminlord corruptor. He found the last survivers of his army and attached himself to them. The leader calls himself scrot but is a pretender. But the verminlord does not argue but watchs, aids and waits for the right time.

[@tylerghersinich576]

@@2Tough i enjoy your videos. your explanation on the deepkin got me back into warhammer in itself. I have khorn, deepkin, skaven and seraphon army

[@garinevans8369]

Great vid man my niece (shes two) wants me to collect these but she calls them rat boys. I showed the storm cast and maggot kin but she wasn't keen on them. I'm starting to love them sense I've been researching them.

[@MrPaul-bn9cl]

#RatBoys4Life

[@2Tough]

She makes good decisions ;)

[@garinevans8369]

She's a future war gamer I think. I guess I got get Skaven models now my wallet will not be happy :').

[@NMahon]

Hey Doug I know you are starting Skaven so you should check out Vince Venturellas video on the new battletome, he's played Skaven for a looong time so he knows what he's talking about, they talk a lot about what they think would be effective builds :)

[@2Tough]

watching it now :)

[@magoox1378]

Imagine the whole tunnel to nagash ocean opening idonith deepkin exposure thing as a movie every image in my head spells epic

[@magoox1378]

Matt Damon mind twists have nothing on aos

[@kermit3amchallenges644]

All hail papa nurgle

[@Crazozourus]

Farsqueaker smartphone. Million dollars idea.

[@ZeroHxC07]

The sakaven, the worst of humanity made rat. Gotta love em.

[@ryuleerose8490]

Skaven showing up in Skyrim

[@Gimplock1]

Clan splinter ftw

[@rhystucker3369]

Love your videos remember if you guys are ever in the uk and want to play true chaos (chaos dwarfs) then my army would be happy to blow you apart :)

[@2Tough]

Someday I'll make it over there :)

[@Webgobo]

Maybe the great rat is just a skaven way to pray to the chaos gods. All the element of the rat is inside the 4 chaosgods...

[@theeternalchronicler3072]

Blight city? The hell happened to Skaven Blight? Did they rename it?

[@2Tough]

Yeah seems that way

[@theeternalchronicler3072]

@@2Tough That's stupid. Is their any reason for the change.

[@DjVollmayer]

Can Skaven clan rats, Warlocks etc. actually speak/communicate like humans or do they communicate via rat sounds?

[@lioneltaylor3395]

Wait just one second Doug, did you say that you were starting a Skaven army? Are you abandoning your Beasts of Chaos already?

[@2Tough]

Pretty much, check out my channel announcement video for details... its all to go to NOVA 2019!

[@Grz349]

Any one else find it fascinating that the heads of the great skaven clans consider themselves to be on the same level as their god.

[@invaderdesla7229]

Me: I think I’ll be Nighthaunts for my first army **3 days later** Me: On second thought, I think I’ll be Stormcast Eternals, after all 2+ Tough made them sound really cool! **Not 24 hours later** Me: **sees video** Damn it! This man-thing is converting me to their side! I’m so angry-hate! You will pay dearly for this man-thing!

[@SophiaAstatine]

But when the heavens light up and primordial roars shake the ground, the serpent banner peering over the horizon. They shit themselves and run.

[@VindensSaga]

Skaven are best-best!

[@joshuaturnquist5538]

You haven’t broken your New Years Resolution yet because Skaven are Beastmen in a way. Just with more backstabbing and technology.

[@2Tough]

haha

[@johanderyck6598]

9:25 RABBIThole he said 🥳

[@leviwatson8926]

They are basically the tyranids of warhammer fantasy

[@theeternalchronicler3072]

A poor comparison in my opinion

[@squidcultist0022]

Nah. The tyranids are a hive mind following instinct alone. There's no greed or ambition. The nids don't infight or backstab themselves. No entity they worship, just a rapidly evolving insect colony.

[@kylecasler8239]

Warp stones batterys drugs food money to skeven warp everything

[@jacobduke3029]

Ruin all the horned rat makes Ruin chaos god of Ruin

[@swearwerks]

Brexut means means brexit!! Sniff sniff the great horned e.u demands it!

[@TheMatyou18]

I've always found that the "numbers game" of Skaven over any other faction to be strange. Comparing them to death, Death should theoretically have the numbers game due to the fact that the majority of souls go to Nagash regardless. Save Stormcasts and the minor races siphoning what they can.

[@RoloTonyBrownTown69420]

The Skaven are just modern day Boston dwellin people

[@Snorlaxx64]

Just sad what they've done to the skaven, taking the truely iconic and lowering it to high fantasy shenanigns. Big fan, just salty.

[@Ungantor]

Yeah. I was on board with a bunch of this, but 'solidified pure evil' for warpstone is just dumb thirteen year old fanfiction. They should have just made it realmstone. Warpstone in oldhammer was literally that, minus the gods being physically present to tell you not to lick it.

[@keithhinder7042]

The Skaven are the most complex race in WH fantasy and AoS. By far

[@BBlueu2]

They are complex and interesting. But I think the Aelven race as a whole now, is even more interesting, and even more diverse now.

[@tylerghersinich576]

@@BBlueu2 deepkin are a good addition to the race. They are brilliant.

[@lokepoke1337]

I hate the meta feeling of realm stuff of AOS it's just dumb! It lost it's charm and the relatability. I stopped reading lore and started covering my ears Lalalaing and ignoring it (except Skaven-ish) and just play battles, still thinking of (and calling the races) Dwarfs, Goblins, Orks, Trolls and Lizzardmen etc. instead of Duradin, Grots, Orruk, Troggoths, Seraphon Deamon memories of what once was! (This one is the dumbest) :-D

[@ieuanking5026]

First

[@kadajgin384]

Sry man but the music in the beginning is awful , just awful and annoying.