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History
Plague rats are one of the oldest denizens in Halloween Town, and also among the dying ones. The first plague rat was born during the outbreak of the bubonic plague (aka the Black Death) in Europe back in 1347, in which a surge of fear was aimed at the rats whom humans believed carried the disease. Ever since humans made leaps in strides in the field of medicine, however, this fear has all but died down, leaving the rats to feed on what FEAR they can, derived mostly from pestilence and the already established fear of rats in general.


Culture
Plague rats live in strict hierarchical groups or "colonies" not unlike those found in wolf packs, including a single male alpha, several male betas, the general congregation, and the omegas who often seek alpha status and are quickly put in their place. Females rarely get into positions of power, but most have come to accept that. At best they can be considered one of the alpha's "harem", or women he likes the qualities of above the rest; these usually get better treatment than other women in the colony, such as first choice of the meal.

The plague rats are very set in their ways as a whole, preferring to live without technology and away from the whole of society where their kin can develop without being "tainted" by the more modern parts of Halloween society. They live in derelict buildings or shacks and raise their young themselves, distrustful of the education offered elsewhere: to them, the best way to teach young scarelings is to show them how to live off the land, and no book and teach better than a friend or family could. Colonies are very tight knit regardless of any animosities between members, emphasizing very much a "family is above all else" sort of mentality; this also encourages suspicion of strangers and starves plague rats of any other meaningful relations outside of their own.

Plague rats are by nature very physical and learn quickly that there is no such thing as privacy: all items belong to all of the people as distributed by the alpha. As many as four or five will share beds, the warmth of their bodies keeping them through the colder months. To think of one's self before the clan is almost treasonous and quickly squashed, for if too many begin to think selfishly then the family devolves into chaos. Fights and scraps are commonplace, though serious injury is a rare occurrence: it is simply a means of showcasing dominance. Plague rats will often groom one another to bond, so to have one as a friend means a life of getting used to being touched, poked, prodded, and maybe even hugged to death - as well as getting hurt looks by shooing them off.

In general, different colonies either avoid each other or beget constant rivalries; very rarely will truces occur, friendship less so. Alpha males do not like to share after all, and to have one's colony taken away is akin to taking away the alpha's life.


The Grim Jaw Clan (25 members total)
Alpha: Uther "Wraith" Longfang
Betas: Ysil "Swift" Shortstep + Noah "Ghost" Burrows
Signature: Black bandanna painted with the lower jaw of a rat

The Grim Jaw Clan is somewhat recent (in relative terms to the rats), having been started by an upstart from the -- Clan who was driven out. Longfang runs a tight ship but the rats have seen worse, and his behavior is generally well accepted within the clan. His drunken state is almost infamous for having the uncanny manner of dodging almost everything thrown his way.

The Grim Jaws are known for their inclination towards thievery and staccato bursts of attacks from the shadows, and they teach the skills to uprising cutpurses through an elusive method called The School of the 7 Bells: a dummy is rung with seven bells in strategic places, and the rats must learn how to swipe various objects from the pockets without ringing one - only when their steals are completely silent are they allowed to work a crowd, though their targets are often the ones who look wealthiest. The Grim Jaws do have more honest means of getting supplies, such as running messages, packages, and other jobs that focus on a fleetness of foot.

HELLO

You have a plague rat. I have a plague doctor. I feel this is a good combination. :3 Perhaps their families might have known of each other? They seem to have a similar "ew, modernity" thing, culturally speaking.

(Though, um, I will tell you that people didn't actually figure out the rats/their fleas-as-a-plague-vector thing until well after the 1300s. At that time, humans thought it was caused by 'bad air', aka the miasma theory of disease. That's actually why historical plague doctors have those distinctive beaked masks: they were actually a sort of respirator, filtering the 'bad air' from outside through scented objects like flowers, etc. that were contained in the beak. I may or may not have researched this too much...)