Seeking wives in order to found families, the Skaven negotiated unsuccessfully with the local populations. Fearing the emergence of Skaven society, the locals refused to allow their women to marry the Skaven; consequently, the Skaven planned to abduct the women instead. They devised a festival of Blood Bowl and proclaimed the festival amongst their neighbours. Many came. While the strongest heroes from the other races battled on the field, the Skaven set their plan in motion...
But somewhere it went wrong. The Skaven became preoccupied with winning the festival; their attentions focused on the star players from their team and the plan was forgotten. They became caught up in the violence, the blood, and the theatre. Now, two seasons later, the Skaven live only for a victory in Blood Bowl, and their players have become legends and heroes.
Those that are still alive...Rape of Skabine
PLAYED Two Seasons
GROUP SECOND Two Seasons
FINALIST Two Seasons
SEMI-FINALIST One Season
PLAYED 17 Matches
WON Nine Matches
DRAWN Three Matches
LOST Five Matches
ROLL OF THE LIVING1. AdamThe new Adam. Fans hope he will do better than the old one.
2. BenjaminBenjamin is the brother of Benjamin, one of the linerats who died in season three, and he has been in the side since his brother's death. He has notched up 12 matches in total in his career. He is noteworthy for being the biggest punching bag in the side, and one of the biggest in the league - in season four he was stunned 13 times.
He is a huge favourite of the fans, who respect his reckless abandon and bravery, and he has won praise for the manner in which he has honoured his brother's memory. His career high was achieved when he scored a touchdown, but there may be more in his future.
4. Tiny TerrorThe unusually named Tiny Terror is an even more boring player than Adam. Rape fans are hoping he distinguishes himself soon... or dies and lets another young hopeful have a chance.
5. RheemusRheemus is one of the undisputed leaders of the team. It is often said that it was his brother, Rohmulus, who conceived and planned the Skabine team, while Rheemus planned the abduction of women. The fact that the latter part of the plan has never been properly pursued is often explained (or blamed, in some circles) by Rheemus' unexpected, and wholly distracting, love of the bloody carnage of the pitch.
It is a game Rheemus seems born to play and he has missed only one game since the founding of the team. A more considered and agile player than his brother he prefers to hold himself back and stand in support wherever the team needs it. Nonetheless he does have some of the family power and uses it when required: he has sent four competitors to hospital in his time.
This hidden strength of Rheemus is often talked of in reference to the 'mysterious' early death of Rhomulus. It was true that the first few games were marred by a power struggle between the brothers - which was resolved by Rhomulus' demise - but other critics have mocked these suggestions, pointing to Rhomulus' clear power advantage over his brother...
Questions still remain, but to a large extent all speculation is moot; neither brother has ever spoken on the subject and since Rhomulus returned from the grave the brothers have managed to share power much more amicably.
6. Flamma A veteran of the fighting pits, Flamma was been promoted to the first team after the shame of Brutus.
8. Giambologna, the CarverThe oft-injured Giambologna is an artist, one of the great players of the modern Blood Bowl era, and an unstoppable scoring force. Known as "the Carver" due to his swift and incisive movements on the pitch, Giambologna is the leading scorer of Rape of Skabine, despite spending a number of games out injured. A league favourite, he is instantly recognisable through his depiction in a number of statues found around grounds - there are so many statues these days that fans are beginning to think that he might be making them himself in shameless self-promotion!
The perils of fame don't stop at being recognised off the pitch, however. Giambologna also has to suffer being the first target of the opposition every game, and has increasingly spent time in the hospital as a result. Injured a record six times, twice as many as anyone else in the side (old Caleb), he has had to miss three games through injury.
He has scored nine times, at .643, and has run 232 yards, an average of 16.6 a game.
He has also never passed the ball.
9. Schonfeld from the DeadSchonfeld from the Dead used to be known as Steve. A young up-and-comming gutter runner, Steve idolised Rape player Schonfeld and was distraught when he was killed late in season three. All attempts to get the state to perform reanimation were ignored (the Skabine leaders reserving such treatment only for political leaders like Rhomulus), so Steve changed his name in homage.
He has since joined the main team, though he has so far failed to live up to the high standards of his idol. Now at a similar stage in their careers Steve has managed to score only twice, and runs at just over 10 yards a game; exhibiting none of the fabled feats of dexterity that Schonfeld perhformed. On the positive side he is still alive, and can look forward to building a career that honours the name he now bears.
10. Leech the LeechThe fans hate Leech. He has played every single game for the team, the only member in the squad apart from Poussin to do so, yet he has never been awarded the MVP. Poussin has it four times, as does Giambologna. Even Steve has had it twice, in less than half as many games. Yet Leech is still waiting...
Not that Leech himself seems to notice. Part of the fans' disdain stems from Leech's solitary nature and his distance from the usual Blood Bowl social calendar. He is a bit of a loner, keeping to himself both inside and outside the lockerooms, and is often pre-occupied by solitary, unfashionable, pursuits like drawing. Despite all this he is a complete professional when he steps out on the pitch and he never stops working hard for the team. He has run the ball in six times and has been on hand to receive it more than any other player.
He is a complete team player, but not a complete individual. The coaches hope to get a bit more out of him in upcoming seasons; channelling more of the creative energy he spends on his drawing out on to the pitch itself.
11. PoussinHailing from one of the outlying provinces of Skaven civilization, Poussin only came to the capital later in his life. He was quickly entranced by the beauty of Blood Bowl and brought his own style to bear upon the game - reflecting his aspirational personal history. After two seasons and 17 uninterrupted games he is now considered the unofficial leader of a new movement in Skaven gutter runner play, one that focuses on swiftly controlled aggression rather than mere running, and he has a huge influence on younger players of the game.
Fearless, but not stupid, Poussin can often be seen throwing himself not at the ball carrier, but the ball itself, spearing it free for his team-mates to capitalise. He is superbly fit, being able to cover more ground than anyone else in the league, and often uses this skill to his advantage, supporting Livytch from deep in the field with precision strikes, or precision run and passing moves.
12. Hostus Hostillius14 games, nine casulties. Hostus is THE biggest brute in the league. He cannot be moved, he cannot be blocked. He's even scored a touchdown!
13. Virghl, the InvalidSince his mentor's death Virghl has become the team thrower. Fans hope the pressure won't get to him.
14. EphraimEphraim has had little chance to establish much of a reputation.
ROLL OF THE RETIRED3. Caleb - Caleb was a survivor. He was one of the original linerats from the first side put together. He played 19 games before retirement. His longevity is due in part to his above average ability to dodge hits, a skill he learnt early in his career. In season four games age caught up to him and he lost some of his agility, which ultimately lead to his retirement in season five.
Adam - Linerat. Retired season five after fracturing his skull. He played 7 games but fans hated him as he never did anything of note. He has not
been missed.
Adam - Linerat. Retired after the season one semi-final when he lost much of he already ordinary strength.
Brutus - Stormvermin. Retired season five in his first game after getting a smashed knee playing against Halflings. Retired as much from shame as from the injury itself.
ROLL OF THE DEADReanima-Rohmulus - Stormvermin. Reanima-Rhomulus was the risen incarnation of Rhomulus, team blitzer and strongman, the powerful rat often credited as the founder (or co-founder, with his brother) of Rape of Skabine. He returned from the grave after a mysterious death early in the team's life and continued where he left off: with a series of powerful hits cutting through opposition sides.
In both incarnations Rhomulus hurt the opposition, establishing some much needed strength in the side. Fueled by rage (only increased by his early death) Reanima-Rhomulus made the weaker and softer players on the pitch his target, developing new techniques to stop them squirming away before cutting them to pieces.
Unfortunatly he died again in season five, this time so horribly that neither the apothecary nor the state magicians were able to coax any more like from his body.
Livytch - Thrower. A scholar of the game, Livytch was often found sitting in the back of the field with the ball, making considered studies of the play before launching a swift move in conjunction with the team's runners. It was often said that Livytch conducted
all the movements on the pitch, telling each player were to go, but his sound understanding of the game was lost to the side in season, meeting his end at the hands of the Dark Elves in the top of the table regular season clash.
Rohmulus - Stormvermin. Died in season three. Re-animated by the state. See Rheemus and Reanima-Rhomulus above for more information.
'Dark' Schonfeld - Gutter Runner. Died in season three. Three touchdowns. 110 yards run. +1 Agility. One of the early stars of the Skabine side Schonfeld was cruelly cut down after playing only seven games. His feats of dexterity remain unmatched to this date. His death began a feud between the Skabine team and Drogg's 'Burning Love' that has not yet abated.
Benjamin - Linerat. Died in season three. Four games played. One killed.
Benjamin - Linerat. Died in season one in the semi-final.
Saki - Thrower. Died in season four against the Nifty Helmets. Three games played. One pass completed and one casualty caused.
Manglehand - Thrower. Died in season four. Three games played. One pass completed, one casualty caused.
Daniel - Linerat. Died in season four. One game played. MVP.
Manglehand II - Thrower. Died in season four finals. One game played.
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