| abstract | - The Under-Empire, sometimes known as Skavendom is the name given to the massive inter-continental underground Empire that holds uncountable miles of tunnels and passageways that stretch from the Ice-capped mountains of the north to the damp swamplands of the south, and from the great plains of the East to the lush jungles of the West. Though arguably one of the largest and perhaps the most farthest Empire in the entire Warhammer World, the Under-Empire is by no means an entirely unified nation. Though the Council of Thirteen have direct and absolute control over Skavendom, they are utterly helpless to the great inter-clan warfare that has engulfed much of the Skavens long and arduous history. As such, the Under-Empire is in actuality a loose confederation of smaller clan-based kingdoms that are only tied together by their utter belief in the Horned Rat, and the tyrannical ruling of the Council of Thirteen. The great city of Skavenblight acts as the one true capital of the Skaven race, and as such it is also situated at the very heart of the Under-Empire. Most of the vast territory that make up the Under-Empire are usually held by the larger and stronger of the Skaven clans, with the smaller Clan having only a territory of a mere few miles, usually at a backwater region of the Under-Empire. Most major Skaven strongholds or cities are usually within the vicinity of larger population centres like the cities of the great Clan-Empire. These cities were built for either the purpose as a staging point for an upcoming invasion of the suppose city, or rather a city that has grown fat and prosperous by the wealth these cities throw away. Another important part of this Under-Empire is the massive highway of tunnels that connects much of the numerous Burrows together. This massive highway is known as the great Under-Way, an ancient tunnel that was carved into the spine of the entire World's Edge Mountains by the ancient Dwarfs of the Golden Age. But the Dwarfs no longer take care for these abandoned tunnels, and this lack of vigilance has given the Skavens a great advantage, for each and every tunnel that branches out of the main highway will always lead to one or more Dwarf holds that would have taken decades to tunnel towards without the aid of these tunnels. Though the Skavens stake claim to these tunnels, they are by no means safe, for an untold number of numerous species have also taken patches of territory for their own. With an unexhaustable supply of Skaven bodies to feed their ravenous appetite, these Skavens became the natural prey for marauding bands of Greenskins, nest-lairs of brooding Spiders, and on rarer occasions, even mutated creatures that have gotten lost in the maze-like passages. This goes the same to all the other tunnels that the Skaven occupy, as a vast majority of tunnels used by the Skavens are often good lairs for numerous other species as well. Seeing themselves as the Masters of their underground realm, they would sometimes go into conflict with other Underground realms such as the Dwarfs of Karaz Ankor and the Night Goblin tribes of the northern and eastern mountains. Ever since their emergence, the Skaven race had been at a constant and ever-escalating war with these two races, forcing those within the war to improve and create newer and deadlier ways to fight more effectively within the cramp conditions of their home terrain. This has lead to the creation of the very first drilling machines meant to cover longer distances that a horde of Skaven-slaves can never do. Skavens have even created biological weaponry that proved decisive in underground warfare, such as toxic fumes and gases that kill those who breath it within a matter of seconds. From here on till the end of time itself, the Under-Empire shall fight to the bitter end against the Dwarfs of Karaz Ankor, with only one of them claiming the deep dark depths of the world as their own.
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