Clan Boneclaw
The History of Clan Boneclaw
"Disease-rot, claw-bite, all shall decay-die for the Boneclaws, yes-yes!"
Origins of Clan Boneclaw
Clan Boneclaw is a Skaven clan steeped in death, rot, and disease, feared across the Underdark and surface lands alike. Their leader, Rallot Boneclaw, a cunning and vile Plague Bearer, has forged the clan into a bastion of pestilence and decay. Specializing in biological warfare, the Boneclaws are known for their mastery of disease magic, infectious plagues, and grotesque experiments on living beings.
The clan's name derives from their signature practice of adorning themselves with the bones of their victims, often carved into jagged claws or worn as macabre trophies. These bone ornaments serve as both weapons and symbols of dominance, embodying the clan's ethos of spreading death wherever they tread.
The Rise of Rallot Boneclaw
Rallot Boneclaw, born with a twisted body and a brilliant but malicious mind, rose from obscurity in the cesspools of Rotgorge, a festering cavern city deep in the Underdark. As a young Skaven, Rallot displayed an unnatural affinity for disease, surviving plagues that felled his peers and learning to manipulate the very forces of decay.
After assassinating his Warlord with a virulent plague that wiped out half of Rotgorge’s population, Rallot claimed leadership of the survivors. Declaring himself the Plague Bearer, he unified the remnants into Clan Boneclaw, reshaping them into an engine of death and pestilence.
Culture of Clan Boneclaw
Clan Boneclaw thrives on decay and destruction, viewing disease as both a weapon and a sacrament. Their culture revolves around spreading pestilence and creating new plagues to unleash upon their enemies.
Beliefs and Practices
- The Rotfather’s Blessing: The Boneclaws worship the Great Horned Rat Rakarath as the bringer of plague and pestilence, believing that disease is a divine gift to cleanse the weak.
- The Bone Rituals: The clan collects the bones of their victims, carving them into grotesque weapons, charms, and armor. These bones are imbued with magical diseases, making them deadly to touch.
- Plague Crafting: The Boneclaws constantly experiment with new diseases, blending magic and biology to create ever more devastating plagues.
Hierarchy
- Plague Bearer: The Plague Bearer and undisputed leader, Wields both martial and magical power, spreading disease and destruction wherever they go.
- Poxweavers: Plague priests and sorcerers who craft diseases and conduct the clan’s dark rituals.
- Bonecutters: Elite warriors who wield bone-forged weapons and serve as the Plague Bearer's enforcers.
- Rotfangs: Rank-and-file Skaven tasked with spreading diseases and fighting in the clan’s name.
- Plague Runners: Scouts and infiltrators who spread infection behind enemy lines.
The Boneclaw Family
Rallot Boneclaw’s family plays a crucial role in the leadership and operations of Clan Boneclaw. Each member is a reflection of Rallot’s twisted ambition, wielding their own skills and influence to spread the clan’s power and pestilence.
Rallot Boneclaw
Title: The Plague Bearer
The patriarch of the Boneclaw family and the founder of Clan Boneclaw, Rallot is a cunning and ruthless leader. His mastery over plague magic and his obsession with creating the ultimate disease have made him a figure of terror even among the Skaven. Rallot wields the Scepter of Rot, a staff carved from the bone of a slain dwarven king, imbued with magical diseases that rot flesh and spread contagion.
Sylkra Boneclaw
Title: Mistress of Decay
Sylkra is Rallot’s mate, an equally cunning and ambitious Skaven who acts as the spiritual leader of the clan. She oversees the rituals dedicated to the Great Horned Rat Rakarath, blending worship with plaguecraft to inspire fear and loyalty among the clan. Sylkra is also a skilled alchemist, creating some of the clan’s deadliest toxins and infectious brews.
The Boneclaw Offspring
- Skarrik Boneclaw
Role: Heir and Warlord
The eldest of Rallot’s children, Skarrik is a towering Skaven known for his brute strength and tactical acumen. He leads the Bonecutters, the elite warriors of the clan, into battle. Skarrik wields a massive plague-enchanted war cleaver called Rotfang, capable of infecting enemies with a single strike. - Vyrix Boneclaw
Role: Master of Plague Rats
Vyrix, the second eldest, is a twisted genius who breeds and commands the Boneclaw’s vast swarms of plague rats. She has a particular affinity for creating monstrous, diseased beasts that spread destruction on the battlefield. Vyrix often rides into battle atop her favorite creation, Poxsnout, a grotesque, bloated rat ogre. - Lirra Boneclaw
Role: Shadow Weaver
Lirra, the middle child, is a stealthy and cunning assassin who specializes in spreading diseases in enemy camps and fortresses. She is a skilled poisoner and often serves as a spy, infiltrating enemy strongholds to spread chaos from within. Lirra wields a pair of daggers coated in magical venom that causes victims to rot alive. - Nekrit Boneclaw
Role: Poxweaver
Nekrit, the youngest son, is a prodigy in plague magic. He assists his father in crafting new diseases and serves as one of the clan’s most powerful sorcerers. Nekrit is frail and physically weak but compensates with devastating magical abilities, often summoning clouds of toxic fumes and swarms of plague-bearing insects. - Yrlith Boneclaw
Role: Keeper of Bones
The youngest and most macabre of the Boneclaw children, Yrlith has an unsettling fascination with death and bones. She oversees the collection and preparation of the bones used in the clan’s weapons and rituals. Yrlith wields a bone staff adorned with magical runes, which she uses to animate skeletons and create undead servants.
Territory and Stronghold
The Boneclaws make their home in Blightspire, a massive, crumbling fortress built into the side of an ancient fungal cavern. The air around Blightspire is thick with disease, toxic spores, and the stench of decay, creating a natural defence against invaders.
Blightspire serves as both a fortress and a laboratory, with vast chambers dedicated to breeding plague rats, cultivating poisonous fungi, and crafting deadly contagions.
Weapons of Pestilence
The Boneclaws are masters of biological and magical warfare, utilizing a terrifying array of weapons:
- Boneclaw Blades: Jagged weapons carved from infected bones, enchanted to spread disease with every cut.
- Plague Bombs: Vails filled with virulent toxins, capable of infecting entire battlefields.
- Rotting Glaives: Polearms laced with corrosive venom that dissolves flesh on contact.
- Disease Magic: Poxweavers wield dark spells to summon swarms of plague rats, create toxic clouds, and rot their enemies alive.
Enemies and Allies
Enemies
- Dwarves of Ironhold: The dwarves of Ironhold have endured countless plagues unleashed by the Boneclaws and have sworn to eradicate the clan.
- Illithids: The mind flayers see the Boneclaws as a chaotic threat to their controlled ecosystems, leading to frequent clashes.
Allies
- Fungal Tribes: Various myconid tribes in the Underdark have aligned with the Boneclaws, sharing their love for toxic spores and decay.
- Lutrin: The leader of the Moggites Piccers on the surface they were helped by Garnaith Lutrin to make the first Rat Ogres in Platera.
- The Skavens: A mercenary group the does work on the surface, Clan Boneclaw trade knowledge with them and introduce them to Garnaith Lutrin who help them to make Rat Ogres.
The Boneclaw Legacy
The Boneclaw family embodies the clan’s twisted values of rot, death, and pestilence. Under Rallot’s leadership, and with the support of his equally vile offspring, the Boneclaw family continues to spread their influence across the Underdark and beyond. Each member plays a vital role in the clan’s rise to power, ensuring that the legacy of disease and decay remains unbroken.
Legacy and Ambitions
Under Rallot Boneclaw’s leadership, the clan has risen to prominence as one of the most feared Skaven factions in the Underdark. Their plagues have wiped out entire settlements, and their influence continues to spread like the diseases they craft.
Rallot dreams of creating a Plague Empire, where disease and death reign supreme. To achieve this, he seeks to perfect the ultimate plague, one that will bring even the strongest foes to their knees.
While their methods are reviled by most, the Boneclaws’ mastery of death and decay ensures their place as a force of unmatched terror in the dark, festering depths of the world.
