Die Zuflucht
Beneath the Menschen city of Arcaniksburg, in a network of caverns at the outlet of the metropolis' sewer system, the one and only city of the Rattenvölkern lies obscured amongst the rocks and shadows.
In the days shortly after the lifting of Arcaniksburg's city center, in the renaissance of magical and technological experimentation that arose in its wake, there was a significant increase in techmaturgical pollutants in the city's sewers. These pollutants, along with only the most minimal and incidental of divine meddling gave rise to creatures who would eventually mature into the modern Ratten. Hunted by the Menschen above, they found their way into the sewer's outlet piles and the caverns beyond, and as they grew in sapience, they began to scavenge materials and build homes for themselves.
Somewhere along the way, the possibility of making a break for the surface - through the city above and into the lands beyond - was raised. It was rejected as being far too risky, threatening the lives and the very continuation of the species. The humans thought of the Ratten as monsters, and were well-documented for attacking on sight. An apparent assault by the entire species would only cement this perception, and likely get most of them killed in the process. Time and time again, it was pointed out that they would have to leave eventually, but time and time again, caution and fear kept them in place. Eventually the day came that the leaders of the Ratten had to face the facts: There were simply too many of them now. Attempting to leave all at once could only possibly be seen as some sort of attack upon the surface, while slower efforts would rapidly become an impossible logistical nightmare. They had become trapped in their own home.
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