Clan Eshin is a Skaven faction in Total
War: Warhammer II.
"All Clans fear the assassins. They
envy-hate them for their power-strength. Assassins kill-kill Skaven and many
Man Things. To the Lords of Decay, the assassins are valuable tools that should
not be squandered like hapless Clanrats"
—Skreelin Thurntik, Grey Seer
Clan Eshin is one of the Four Great Skaven
Clans which specializes in the deadly and secretive arts of stealth, murder,
poison and assassination learned from the exotic Far East. Out of all the other
clans which populates the Under-Empire, Clan Eshin is by far the most secretive
and hidden of them all. This mysterious Clan has eyes and ears everywhere and
its deadly operatives are scattered throughout the Under-Empire as well as
secreted about within the cities and settlements of the surface dwellers. For
the right price, the black-clad agents of Clan Eshin will steal any
information, commit any act of ruthless sabotage or assassinate any rival with
ruthless efficiency.
Considering the treacherous nature of the
Skaven, it is of no wonder that Clan Eshin has become so powerful and so
feared. In a race filled with sneaking, scampering cut-throat killers, the
warriors of Clan Eshin rank many times above the petty vermin. Clan Eshin
provides an unseen force with which the Council of Thirteen and other powerful
Skaven Warlords maintain or gain their position of power. Within the highly
feared Caverns of Unyielding Shadow, the Clan Eshin district deep in the bowels
of Skavenblight, many treaty-pacts are claw-marked and the doom of many rivals
is assured.
Overview
"I feel the eyes upon me wherever I
go. I cannot shake the notion that I am being followed. As I lay in my bed at
night, I can hear the sound of claws upon the tiles of my roof. It is as if
everything I do, every word I speak, is being marked. "
—Fransesca Diorgino, Tilean Diplomat
Early in the history of the Skaven, Clan
Eshin stole away to the Far East. Eshin was thought to have been lost for
hundreds of years, but the Clan mysteriously returned to Skavenblight to offer
its allegiance to the Lords of Decay. The time spent exploring the lands of
Nippon, Ind, and Cathay had served Eshin well, for the clan had gained
significant training in the arts of stealth and assassination. The assassins of
Clan Eshin are rightly feared by all Skaven. They come silently, dispense death
with uncanny accuracy, and return to their warrens with their foes none the wiser.
Their methods are seemingly supernatural, and the shadows appear to cling to
them like spiderwebs.
Rarely are their faces shown, for they hide
them behind cowls and masks. Clan Eshin is not merely a den of assassins.
Because of their stealth, their fighters are also prized as spies and scouts.
Eshin sells its services to the warlords, offering skirmishers and light troops
that can infiltrate the rear of an enemy’s line to scout enemy formations or to
dispatch leaders, wizards, and other valuable assets. Eshin also maintains a
powerful cadre of informants from which they draw a great deal of useful
information. Eshin is shrouded in mystery, much more so than the other Great
Clans. Little is known about the clan’s inner workings, and this information is
well-hidden from prying eyes and ears. Skaven who learn too much about the
assassins have been known to wind up dead, or worse, which ensures that the
clan will sustain its secrecy in the centuries to come.
Information is a prized commodity amongst
Clan Eshin’s population, and secrets are not given away for free. It would seem
that Clan Eshin strives to increase its own wealth and power in the
Under-Empire by lending its services to anyone willing to pay their exorbitant
prices. They have yet to use the secrets they have learned for their own power
bids, or to provide false information to their clients for their own benefit.
The clan has simply worked its way into the good graces of the Lords of Decay
and continues to serve the Council unquestioningly. Whether this obedience will
continue is a question that future generations must answer, but for the time
being, Clan Eshin is virtually untouchable.
Service
to the Council
"We will show-show these manthings the
true face of diplomacy! "
—Iksha Fastclaw, Nightlord of Clan Eshin
Over the centuries since their return,
Eshin has achieved a special place within the Council of Thirteen, using their
talents to cow and corral the lesser clans and maintain the authority and
influence of the Great Clans. In effect, they act as the secret police force to
the Lords of Decay, the metaphorical poisoned dagger in the hand of the
Council. Their political reach has grown long, for they hold the power to call
any Skaven forward as a heretic or a traitor. Evidence of such crimes is easily
manufactured, and in many cases, it need not be fabricated at all. It is for
precisely this reason that the other clans avoid angering Clan Eshin, and
indeed facilitate its investigations without objection.
Clan Eshin also uses more direct methods to
quiet opposition to the Council’s authority. Political murder is common amongst
the Skaven, and Eshin excels at such activities as no other clan can. Countless
deaths have been engineered by Eshin’s assassins in the name of the Lords of
Decay, and entire clans have been destroyed by their brothers after having been
struck leaderless by a well-placed blade or poisoned dart. Though Clan Eshin
offers its services to other customers who have little or no affiliation to the
Council, it has never been proven that the clan has participated in treasonous
activity.
Military
"Nothing was expected, and so the men
were at ease. Sentries had been posted, but they, too, were weary from the
road. We’d taken off our armour, set our weapons to the side. A pair of
bruisers from Altdorf were throwing dice and telling bawdy jokes. Little did we
realize that in mere moments, half of our number would be dead, and the other
half would be running for their lives."
—Ulrich Krebs, Mercenary
Clan Eshin is famed for uncanny stealth,
for employing a variety of unusual and exotic weapons, and for its ability to
kill swiftly and efficiently. Even the lowliest Clan Eshin warriors, the Night
Runners, have some rudimentary skill at subterfuge, being able to move quickly
and quietly to strike at the hearts of their enemies. Those who survive and
learn the greater techniques of the Art of Silent Death are promoted to Gutter
Runners, who can sneak behind enemy lines and slaughter entire units of
enemies, unseen and unheard.
Of all of Clan Eshin’s warriors, though,
the assassins are the most feared and reviled. These Skaven are masters in all
of the techniques learned in distant Cathay and bring to bear an incredible
array of fighting techniques that allow them to eclipse the greatest human
killers. Using a host of weapons from the throwing star and blowgun to the
repeating crossbow and an arsenal of poisons, these dealers of death are blamed
for the majority of suspicious murders in both Skaven and Dwarf societies, not
to mention those untimely deaths in the human lands by those who do not deny
the Skaven menace.
Eshin Infantry
Night Runners - The Night Runners are
considered the rank and file soldiers of Clan Eshin. Lightly armed and armoured
so as to take advantage of their tremendous speed and agility, the Night
Runners excel at flanking maneuvers and lightning-fast attacks. They cannot
stand long against heavily-armed or armoured opponents, and are best kept in a
reserve role unless no other course is available. Despite their limitations,
they are often thrown into the fray as necessary, their lives sacrificed en
masse.
Gutter Runners - Gutter Runners are nimble
and quick; they would have to be to have survived their apprenticeship in the
ranks of Clan Eshin’s Night Runners. They are elite skirmishers and scouts,
second only to Eshin’s Assassins in the art of stealth and speed. Their attacks
are quick and effective, frustrating their enemies as the Gutter Runners
appear, attack, and vanish just as quickly in a flash of smoke or a splash of
shadow.
Eshin Heroes
Eshin Assassins - Eshin Assassins are
capable of infiltrating virtually any fortress and eliminating any enemy. The
Council of Thirteen regularly uses them to eliminate rebellious warlords and
disloyal Grey Seers. Their services are also sold to whoever may afford the
price demanded by Clan Eshin. They are capable of committing sabotage, like
burning ships or houses and poisoning wells and food supplies. Operating mostly
alone, they are also capable of concealing themselves inside a regular Skaven
infantry unit to better slay an enemy champion amidst the confusion of battle.
Notable Characters
Deathmaster Snikch - Deathmaster Snikch is
the chief assassin and prime agent of Lord Sneek, Lord of Decay and Nightlord
of Clan Eshin. His infamy is only exceeded by the mystery which surrounds his
whereabouts at any particular time. Lord Sneek ensures that this is the case -
as long as no one knows the location of his chief assassin no one can feel
safe.
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