Chapter 1: Chapter 1: A Bond is Forged

Featherfang stalked the winding streets of Unterubersreik, his clawed feet silent in the darkness. The Death Master sent him to this wretched burrow that deigns itself a city of the great skaven Under Empire. The city is located under a pinkskin city, Ubersreik, which underwent a change of leadership and is still in turmoil. Unter Ubersreik, its dark twin, reacted to this change with its own uproar, with many clans springing into action, intensifying raids on the surface and each other. But Unterubersreik is teetering on the brink. Food is running out, the skaven are divided and heretics muster in the dark corners of the city, there is talk of goblin incursions… Featherfang is here to investigate the extent of corruption and report back to the Death Master. Many rats will die before his mission is over, Featherfang was sure of it. But he must control his bloodlust, for he must not damage the fragile political balance with his activities, until he receives further instructions from the Death Master.

Featherfang knew his craft well. He knew where to slip the blade to kill a ratman, a pinkskin, an orc, within seconds. But Eshin arts are not just limited to the art of the kill. No. Equally if not more important is the art of making “friends”, finding reliable informants or dominating weaker ratmen to your will. Featherfang had one friend, if one could say that friends exist among the skaven. This friend was divinely ordained, a blood brother, whom Featherfang did not choose but this bond was forced upon him three years ago. His name was Zagchikch Shadowfurry or as he is known by his human moniker, Eckbert Gyrowetz. He encountered Shadwfurry in his human form in the human village of Wurmgrube, he was part of a small group of bounty hunters Kalin’s Knives, led by Kalin Kovalevsky, a burly human from the north. They picked up a bounty from a dwarf lord from Khazid Grimaz to hunt down Gradzig Spineripper of the Deff Grindaz greenskin tribe. His target was the very same orc, so Featherfang, as any good skaven, followed the humans and stuck to the shadows, allowing them to bear the brunt of the fighting. The humans entered the Underway through a tunnel in the local woods and Gyrowetz, apparently the tracker among the group, sniffed out the orc boss and led his group underground.

The humans walked the tunnels oblivious of any danger, save for Gyrowetz, who was alert. Featherfang unmistakably sensed the musk of the greenskin, acrid and fungal and a scent of warp energy, secreted by the war boss himself. The attack came suddenly and humans were embroiled in a bloody ambush from all sides. Featherfang stuck to the shadows and carved his way through the greenskins, trying to find his was to his target, Gradzing Spineripper. The human Gyrowetz, foolishly heroic, asked his comrades to run while he shot with his pistols at the orc boss to draw his ire. The large human ran to a dead end room and he faced off against the orc and his underlings. Featherfang waited for his opportunity to strike. He waited until the orc was exhausted and he struck, poisoned blades flashing from underneath his cloak, striking the monster in the back. Featherfang vaulted the orc's underlings, climbed the creature’s fat back and shoulders and struck with his serrated daggers. But he made a mistake. The orc’s arm came up and caught him by the leg and within an instant he was on the ground, his back and head pulsing with horrific pain. Featherfang squirted the musk of fear, sensing his doom upon him. The orc seemed dismayed by the sudden onrush of the repugnant stench and the human exploited this moment. He jumped over Featherfang and struck the orc under the chin with a hefty marble rock. The war boss keeled over, unconscious and his underlings stood paralyzed in shock. The human butchered them in seconds. Featherfang rose up, blades in hand, ready to fight the pinkskin, despite his vision blurring and arms shacking.

However, the human spoke these words: “Calm-still Eshin! We are both ratkin!” The human grabbed his face and removed it and the mirage fell away. Where a burly human once stood now a large black furred rat appeared, grinning mirthfully. Featherfang fell unconscious.

He awoke hours later, his head in bandages, his back wet with ointments and Shadowfurry in the other end of the room, slicing away at the dismembered, but still living orc.

“The drukhi say that the second hardest thing is to bind an orc to your will, to dominate and enslave him. The hardest thing is to have him cry in pain and fear and begging for mercy, without magic of course. Now tell me, my green friend, how close am I?” He pierced the orc’s gut and started pulling out his bowels and eating them in front of the orc. This lasted for agonizing minutes, maybe an hour, until the orc sat there, with a hole in his gut. He screamed and cried for mercy.

“Good, good. Larash Darkblade will like this.”- Shadowfurry said, as he placed a gem in front of his face, which pulsed and seemed to absorb the screams of the orc. Shadowfurry then sliced the orc’s head clean off. “Now my friend. We saved each other, which would make us blood brothers?” Featherfang recoiled and protested “Weak-feeble, Skaven scheme-plot, oaths of bondage are pinkskin heresy!” Shadowfurry laughed and said “My brother, I am afraid that you have little choice in the matter!”

Featherfang saw runes on the floor, written in the green blood of the orc. The burly Skaven threw a glass globe on the ground, which burst open and filled the air with warpdust. The runes shone brightly and Shadowfurry began chanting in ancient Queekish and called upon the Ancient Foe of the Great Horned Rat, the secret god of Skaven warriors, pinksnouts and other heretics, Tyleous the Oathkeeper. Featherfang saw a creature emerge from the warp dust, an emaciated old man, with half his face being that of a Skaven and the other half of a man. The creature pulled out a scroll from underneath his robes and Shadwfurry spoke a prayer and named “Zagchikch Shadowfurry and Znakzach Featherfang”. Their names appeared on the scroll, thunder rang and warp lighting shone through the dusty cloud. The creature disappeared back into the Warp from whence it came.

“Now we are blood brothers, our oath sealed in sacrifice to Tyleous the Oathkeeper. Take heed brother, for one who breaks this sacred oath of bondage, will be struck by lightning from the heavens or buried beneath dirt and stone, by Tyleous himself. Keep our bond and our god secret brother, for the servants of the Deceiver will flay you alive for heresy.” Featherfang wanted to tear the pinksnout’s neck out, but he was afraid and squirted the musk of fear uncontrollably. Tyleous, the ancient god, the Rat Man, the Binder of the Clans, the King of Tylos, the Weak and Naïve Runt; was real and his power was manifest. “Now brother, I think that this tusk would be sufficient proof for your masters.”- Shadowfurry said and he carved an emerald encrusted tusk from the dead orc’s head, with dwarven runes etched into the bone. “You can also take this”, and Shadowfurry threw a knife into darkness, ran toward the thing that squealed and came back with a head of a snotling. “His pet snotling’s head. I will be taking the rest of the head to my human compatriots. Rest for a few more hours or a day brother and do not worry, this room is steeped in magic and full of dead orcs. You will not be disturbed.”

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