"The most fervent servants of the Horned Rat are known as Grey Seers. Raised from birth to serve their unholy master, the Grey Seers are the spiritual advisers of the Skaven legions. They commune with their horned god, offering advice and seemingly daring their leaders to discount it in favour of their own plots and plans. Who can argue with the will of a god? Who would risk his wrath by ignoring his emissaries"
- —Steffan Paulus Adelhof, Scholar of Wolfenburg
A Grey Seer carried upon his luxurious palaquin
The Grey Seers of the Priesthood are the chosen grey-furred emissaries of the Great Horned Rat, unholy prophets of ruin and destruction capable of channeling eldritch energies in destructive ways, leveling armies with lightning, or summoning ravening swarms of rats, all for the sake of furthering the Skaven cause and bring about the Great Ascendency of their foul deity. As chief agents for the Horned Rat and the Priesthood dedicated to his worship, Grey Seers wield tremendous influence amongst the clans, and only a fool would ignore their council and to inquire the wrath of the Horned Rat's chosen.[1a]
The spiritual leaders of the Skaven Under-Empire, these grey or white ratmen are born with tiny horns that, along with the color of their fur, mark them as the chosen of the Horned Rat. Cloistered away from the rest of the Under-Empire, they are tutored in the Lore of the Ruin. Much of their time is spent in prayer to their horned god, seeking his favour and guidance against those that would seek to undermine him.[2a]
Though it may seem a less hazardous course, the path of the Grey Seer is as treacherous as the road followed by any Skaven in the Under-Empire; perhaps more so. Initiates are commonly killed during their apprenticeship, both by the rigors of their training, as well as by the duplicity of their peers. If the competition between Skaven in the warrens is fierce, then it is doubly so in the cloisters of the Grey Seers. The Skaven that survive their apprenticeship are perhaps the most dangerous Ratmen of all. Apprentices are required to walk the Labyrinth of the Horned Rat to be fully initiated into the Grey Seers, and should they succeeded in all of this, they prove their fitness to guide, or some would say rule the Clans to greatness.[2a]
Overview
"Long time we’ve dwelt in darkness, studying ever the turnings of the surface. We were here before the Empire, watching the dwarf-things carve their stone halls. We were here amongst the shadows when the God-thing Sigmar stalked the world and scattered the green-things before him. We pitted our wits against the Great Necromancer, he who’s name I shall not utter, and won. We watch, we wait, we plan. The endless subtle games the Decay Lords engage in are merely a way to pass the time. We have no need to conquer the surface world by force. We need only wait long enough for others to do it for us, allowing us to seize the spoils of your Empire’s ruin, for we are the Children of the Horned Rat, survivors all and as we we’re here before you, so shall we be present to see you fall."
- —Grey Seer Akitvere
The emissaries of the Horned Rat
In their role as chief agents for the Lords of Decay, Grey Seers wield tremendous influence. The Grey Seers visit the Warlord clans for many self-serving reasons, such as seeking aid, building alliances, or gathering a coalition against a common foe. The ability to call council with top Warlords allows the horned sorcerers access to valuable insight and inside information, which they use to their own advantage. The fact that Grey Seers ever use such tidings to further their own ends is, of course, denied by Seerlord Kritislik. He is the leader of the Grey Seers, who also happens to occupy the first, and most important, seat on the Council of Thirteen. Kritislik spends so much time vehemently denying any abuse of position or the sacrosanct nature of all clan dealings, that he occasionally misses opportunities to exploit such precious information.[1a]
It is their role of intermediaries for the Council of Thirteen that grants the Grey Seers such power and it is a position they jealously guard. Even implied displeasure from a Grey Seer causes much self-castigation (however insincere). Not even the Greater clans can easily afford so much as the merest slight to a Grey Seer. When manipulations fail to influence a Warlord clan, a Grey Seer can bring many pressures to bear. A key weapon in the Grey Seer political arsenal is their role as envoy of the Great Horned Rat.[1a]
Warfare
"White-fur? Seers are not to be trusted. Everywhere they scurry, hoarding their secrets, spreading their lies. Who knows what they whisper in distant ears. Is it same as were told to say-squeak? Is it what they squeak in other ears? Queek thinks no."
- —Queek Headtaker, Warlord of Clan Mors
A mighty Grey Seer being carried to war
Grey Seers alone have the ability to summon a Vermin Lord, a threat often insinuated, but an act Grey Seers secretly wish to avoid. Luckily, no Warlord wants to be accused of standing opposed to the will of the Great Horned One, or being anywhere near a Vermin Lord. Thus, the threat of summoning alone suffices to persuade even the most suspicious Warlord to see the Grey Seer's point of view.[1a]
Having the backing of a Grey Seer means a clan is in ascendancy, and will gain supremacy in dealings with others. They may barter with the upper hand and a Skaven with an advantage will press it mercilessly. It is always best to exploit such an advantage while it last, for it will only be a matter of time before the Seers call with their own demands. In Skaven societey it is well known that absolutely nothing comes without a steep reciprocal price.[1a]
