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| - The Horned Rat is the patron deity of the Skaven. He is one of the Gods of Chaos, or depending on the interpretation, one of the many aspects of Chaos Undivided. His greater daemons are Verminlords. His chosen, according to the Skaven, are Greyseers, light furred Skaven born with the ability to grow horns.
- The Horned Rat is the patron deity of the Skaven race in Games Workshop's Warhammer world. The only god worshipped by the Skaven, the Horned Rat desires the fall of all civilization, leaving its children the Skaven to inherit the world. The Skaven are fervent in their worship, and this is as much out of fear of retribution as it is piety - the Horned Rat is a wrathful god. The Horned Rat embodies Skaven culture and ideals, and each Skaven clan, in their worship, places emphasis on different aspects of the god - the assassin clan Eshin emphasises stealth and secrecy, for example.
- All Skaven revere the Horned Rat. None question his existence. Such respect is a product of fear, for the Horned Rat’s eternal hunger does not discriminate between his vermin children and the dwellers of the surface world. A devout Skaven utters small prayers to the Horned God throughout the day, each prayer being a verbal slice of hate, envy, or malice. These prayers are answered often enough to give the Horned Rat validity in the minds of his adherents, even in cases when divine intervention is obviously not involved.
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| abstract
| - All Skaven revere the Horned Rat. None question his existence. Such respect is a product of fear, for the Horned Rat’s eternal hunger does not discriminate between his vermin children and the dwellers of the surface world. A devout Skaven utters small prayers to the Horned God throughout the day, each prayer being a verbal slice of hate, envy, or malice. These prayers are answered often enough to give the Horned Rat validity in the minds of his adherents, even in cases when divine intervention is obviously not involved. Blood sacrifice is common in the day to day worship of the Horned Rat. The Skaven fear that if the Horned Rat’s appetite is not satisfied, he will devour his children instead. The form of the sacrifice—a slave, Skaven or otherwise—is not as important as the sacrifice itself. There is no specific doctrine that governs who or what must be sacrificed. The sacrifice itself is enough to sate the Lord of Decay for a brief time. Young victims are considered to be the most potent sacrifices for the Horned Rat, while the blood of the aged and infirm is less desirable. The number of sacrifices made to the Horned Rat by his followers varies considerably depending upon their need. In times of war, the number of daily blood sacrifices can be staggering, sometimes numbering in the thousands in the great Skaven cities of Skavenblight or Hell Pit. The Skaven also increase the number of daily sacrifices if they fail to secure victory in battle, or suffer some other embarrassing setback. The Grey Seers preach that victory cannot be won if the Horned Rat is unsatisfied with his minions, and thus, any defeat or failure is a sign that he must be appeased. Religious services are constantly held by the Grey Seers in honour of their sinister god. All Skaven are expected to be present at a mass at least once a day, even though no formal records of attendance are kept. Those who do not attend services open themselves up to all manner of criticism, including accusations of heresy, treason, and atheism. Influential Skaven warlords contract their own spiritual advisers from the ranks of the Grey Seers, and these priests for hire give private services to their employers and their households.
- The Horned Rat is the patron deity of the Skaven. He is one of the Gods of Chaos, or depending on the interpretation, one of the many aspects of Chaos Undivided. His greater daemons are Verminlords. His chosen, according to the Skaven, are Greyseers, light furred Skaven born with the ability to grow horns.
- The Horned Rat is the patron deity of the Skaven race in Games Workshop's Warhammer world. The only god worshipped by the Skaven, the Horned Rat desires the fall of all civilization, leaving its children the Skaven to inherit the world. The Skaven are fervent in their worship, and this is as much out of fear of retribution as it is piety - the Horned Rat is a wrathful god. The Horned Rat embodies Skaven culture and ideals, and each Skaven clan, in their worship, places emphasis on different aspects of the god - the assassin clan Eshin emphasises stealth and secrecy, for example. The Horned Rat is depicted as a rat's head with curving, goat-lik e horns, and its symbol is three lines formed into an inverted triangle, each point being an intersection of two crossed lines. His sacred number is held to be 13, which is echoed in many aspects of Skaven society - for example, for this reason, the Council of Thirteen, the high council which rules over the Skaven under-empire, always leaves its 13th and final chair empty, for the Horned Rat. The centre of his cult is located in Skavenblight, the subterranean capital of the Skaven. Powerful Skaven wizards known as Grey Seers serve him as prophets, and as a result are extremely influential throughout all Skavendom. As well as being agents of the Council, they also preach of the Great Ascendancy, a time in which the multitudinous Skaven will rise to the surface, and finally conquer and enslave all surface nations. The Horned Rat is considered a chaotic power, though not officially one of the Chaos Gods.
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