”Better be fear-feared, rats die easier when cowering”
The Vermintide
There is really not many who can remember the past of the Vermintide except for the few elders that have yet to be killed by their clan mates. Yet, they tell of the formation of the tide, of how four packs from the dark-down united to fight off an invasion of clicking things. For many moons they have fought off these creatures, these clickers, before inevitably they were driven off after one decision cost them greatly. Gik-Gik the Corrupted was the cause of their downfall for he saw the chance to gain power by allowing the clickers into their camp and slaughter many of their people. Unfortunately, his plan cost him his own life.
This event fractured the Vermintide and a Great War of the dark-under ensued. For many moons they fought and slaughtered each other along with the clickers before one rat, Qip the True Rat, led a reunification effort to bring the Vermintide back. Miraculously his plan worked, and the Vermintide was eventually brought back to life as the crusade against the clickers became the ringing call for all. However, like many of the Vermintide’s plans, it ended in disaster as they underestimated how much the clicker threat had grown and after the assault on Clicker-Home it became clear they needed to evacuate before the clicker’s assaulted them once more.
Eventually the settled in their barren land, and allowed themselves time to recover before finding it in themselves to raid nearby packs for their food and other necessities. Such is the lackluster the history of the Vermintide.
The Vermintide’s leadership is a cursed privilege to have as hungry upstarts feel they can take the throne when they want! Evidently, the Vermintide is ruled by one singular rat, the strongest and most ferocious of which, they tend to rule through fear and blackmail. Yet, that is of where the leadership stops, the Vermintide is a conglomerate of lacks that have been absorbed into one being, each pack has a leader, or officer, which enforces the will of the Primarch. At the same time, these officers pose the largest threat to the seat of power, and power is like food. Everyone wants it...
While the Vermintide may control a large swath of territory, it is all barren and unsuitable for use to what most other packs would believe. This forces the Vermintide into conflict with any clan that lay claim next to it, or it forces the horde of rats to relocate and attack some pack that may be on the other side of the mall before they slump back to their barren home. Yet, it is not all barren for their home is a great ground for metal and miscellaneous building materials that the Vermintide barely uses for they are too simple minded to view it as more than gnawing-scraps.
The Vermintide, while being a conglomerate of different packs, is not significantly divided culturally as many would believe as those who are born into the clan or wish to join must make an oath that the entire clan comes first. That being said, it is often ignored as treachery and blackmail run rampant throughout the entire clan as power is what everyone desires. The young are raised to be killers, to be cannibals like their parents, and to know that the weak are never allowed to thrive. Hence, the Vermintide is a powder keg that can ignite into civil war at any moment as officers clash with officers are try to destroy the Primarch’s power.
Such is their miserable lifestyle, the rats’ view outsiders with disdain as they grow jealous of their wealth and luxury. While others live in proper homes, many of their people must sleep in the open, where they are vulnerable to predators. That is why the Vermintide do not allow weakness within their clans, the weak are killed if they do not recover quickly and their bodies provide some food for the others, despite their greed. However, that does not mean they are without homes, there are just very few proper ones with many more ramshackle huts that are filled to the brim with rats.
Finally, the Vermintide spend their pastimes watching other rats duel, sleep, train, or simply do anything to stave off boredom, which would include plotting against their leaders. Yet, they have one Grand sport that they can call their own, something they have mastered, gladiatorial combat! It is one thing to watch a pair of unarmed rats fight but when you include weapons and determination of a slave wanting freedom, then you have a true Vermintide battle of unrelenting savagery! Blood! Death! Violence!
The Vermintide are believers of the “Faith of Fire”, yet they already have their own segmented belief of it. They fear fire, it has the ability to turn strong into weak and many into dead, numbers mean nothing to a wall of flame for it will consume them all. However, that is simply the majority of their pack, the other is the “Faith of the Creators” which still has its roots in the clan but it is not strong enough to last with the few members that do believe. Unfortunately, many unbelievers are killed for their heresy forcing the few creator worshipers to worship in secret.The Vermintide’s military is an impressive display when one puts in numbers and unrelenting savagery, but it is very ill equipped. Many rats are not armed at all, preferring to use claw and tooth to overtake their enemy, and often times it has worked for this large pack. It is not only their savagery, but also their desperation that drives them in battle, for if a horde were to lose then they would come back with little food and low morale, allowing their Smalls to starve to death.
While they may be poor equipped with but merely rags for armor, the Vermintide’s army has decent organization for its size and that is what allows the horde to move and fight as a singular wave. The army is divided into cohorts, which are lead personally by the officers, or the Primarch, which is then divided down further into ranks, which are typically lead by the biggest and the baddest of the bunch. Order of best equipment follows as such as well, the Primarch has the best equipment, followed by Officers, then the big bads and since they lack the ability to make things themselves, nearly all of their equipment is scavenged from the fallen.
For a bunch of stupid rats, they are surprisingly good at this kind of stuff.
kingeditor
Frettzo
Candy Cane Elf
MarshalSolgriev
Vec