The Vermin States are one of the civilisations that call the Sea of Sorrow home. Not a single city, but a collection of united city states, the Vermin States are led by a group of warlocks calling themselves the Vermin Lords. They have some affinity with rats, whom they've learnt to meld together into screaming war-forms (rataphracts) that can devour anything they encounter on the sea. They also meld rats into screaming rafts, which they put the rataphracts on, so they can also sail.
Rats flock to the Vermin Lords, answering some unseen, unheard call, whether the Lords wish it or not. They can never know silence, or peace.