Clan Ashbone
The Ashbone Family:
Targets of Clan Ashbone
Duergar Strongholds: The Duergar, with their mastery of metalwork, are frequent targets of Ashbone raids. The Skaven often steal their materials and enslave their smiths. The Duergar loathe the Ashbone Clan and have launched multiple campaigns to destroy them, all of which have failed due to the Skaven’s mobility and traps. Surface Settlements: While rare, Ashbone warbands occasionally raid surface settlements, particularly mining towns and villages near volcanic regions. These raids are chaotic and leave devastation in their wake.Enemies of Clan Ashbone
Due to their aggressive raids and volatile nature, Clan Ashbone has earned a host of enemies: The Drow Houses: Several Drow noble houses have grudges against Clan Ashbone, though the Skaven’s unpredictable tactics make them difficult to eradicate. Duergar Clans: The Duergar despise the Ashbone Skaven and have created specialized teams of hunters to combat their warbands. Illithid Colonies: The Ashbone Skaven’s reckless tunneling has disrupted Illithid enclaves, leading to a bitter enmity.Rival Clans of the Ashbone
Structure
Leadership and Structure
Retch Ashbone Retch remains the undisputed leader of Clan Ashbone, wielding the Ashbrand Rod and commanding through a combination of fear and cunning. His volatile experiments and disregard for safety have earned him both admiration and terror among his followers. Council of Embers Beneath Retch is the Council of Embers, a group of his most loyal warlock-engineers and generals. They oversee the clan’s various operations, including raiding, construction, and experimentation. Slave Workforce Clan Ashbone maintains a vast population of slaves, including Drow, Duergar, and surface dwellers, who are forced to work in the Forge of Despair and maintain the clan’s tunnels. Weapons of War The Ashbone Skaven are renowned for their fire-based weapons:Culture
Culture of Clan Ashbone
The Ashbone Skaven worship Great Horned Rat Skarva, but they also revere Igniskrit, a Skaven god that they claim resides within the volcanic heart of the Underdark. Retch Ashbone encourages this belief, using it to maintain control over the clan and justify his dangerous experiments. The clan's culture revolves around: Fire and Ash: Fire is seen as a tool of destruction and purification. The Ashbone Skaven are trained to wield fire-based weapons from a young age. Innovation and Recklessness: Inspired by Retch’s obsession with experimentation, the clan constantly develops new weapons, often at the expense of safety. Survival through Fear: Clan Ashbone thrives on instilling fear in others, including their own members. Those who question Retch’s authority often become test subjects for his experiments.Public Agenda
Legacy and Ambition
Clan Ashbone thrives on chaos and destruction, spreading fear throughout the Underdark and beyond. Retch Ashbone dreams of one day bringing the entire Underdark under his control and ascending to the surface to claim even greater power. However, the clan’s reliance on dangerous experiments and unstable weaponry poses a constant threat to their survival. Many wonder whether Clan Ashbone will achieve greatness—or implode under the weight of its own recklessness. For now, the name Ashbone strikes terror into all who dwell in the dark, as Retch Ashbone and his fiery horde continue to expand their domain.Assets
Territory and Raids
Clan Ashbone has carved out a sprawling network of tunnels and caverns in the Underdark, fortified with traps, and lava pits. These defenses make their territory nearly impenetrable to outsiders. Despite their focus on survival and invention, the Ashbone Skaven are relentless raiders. They venture into both the surface world and other parts of the Underdark to plunder resources, gather slaves, and spread fear.History
"In the shadows beneath shadows, we thrive, yes-yes!"
Origins of Clan Ashbone
Clan Ashbone’s story begins in the deepest tunnels of the Underdark, far below the surface world. This Skaven clan carved out its home in a region of the Underdark rich in volcanic vents and ash-choked caverns. These environments, inhospitable to most other creatures, proved ideal for the Ashbone Skaven, who adapted to thrive amid the choking air, molten rivers, and perpetual darkness. The clan’s name comes from an ancient ritual performed by its founder, Retch Ashbone, who burned an entire rival warband in a volcanic pit and kept their charred bones as trophies. He proclaimed, “From ash, we rise, yes-yes! From bone, we conquer, yes-yes!” Thus, Clan Ashbone was born, embracing fire and ash as symbols of their power.The Rise of Retch Ashbone
Retch Ashbone, the cunning and ruthless founder of the clan, was a Skaven warlock-engineer. Desperate to prove his genius, Retch fled to the Eastern parts of the Underdark and stumbled upon the volcanic region that would become the Ashbone lair. Retch Ashbone was invited to have a seat at the concil of 13 at Rat Pitt a city in the Underdark which some say is the heart of the deep dark parts of the Underdark.The Forge of Despair
Retch’s crowning achievement was the creation of the Forge of the Foreever Fire, a massive volcanic forge deep within the clan's lair. Using the forge, Retch created devastating weapons powered by volcanic heat: Retch also created a device known as the Ashbrand Rod, a staff that allows him to summon streams of molten lava from the ground and channel destructive bursts of fire.Territory and Raids
Clan Ashbone has carved out a sprawling network of tunnels and caverns in the Underdark, fortified with traps, and lava pits. These defenses make their territory nearly impenetrable to outsiders. Despite their focus on survival and invention, the Ashbone Skaven are relentless raiders. They venture into both the surface world and other parts of the Underdark to plunder resources, gather slaves, and spread fear.
From ash, we rise, yes-yes! From bone, we conquer, yes-yes!
Founding Date
595
Leader
Founders
Notable Members
Related Species
Related Ethnicities
Comments