List of Tau

This is a list of the most notable Tau, a race from the fictional "Warhammer 40,000" universe.

Aun'shi

Aun'shi is a member of the Tau Ethereal Caste in the fictional "Warhammer 40,000" universe.

In what was supposed to be his final assignment before retirement on the peaceful planet of Au'taal, he was sent to the planet of Kel'tyr, to oversee a mining colony dealing with feral Ork tribes.

During the inspection of the town of Fio'vash, the town came under attack by one such tribe of Orks, intent upon capturing the mine workings there. When the Shas'vre in charge of the Fire Warrior garrison was killed, Aun'shi dispatched a messenger and Stealth Suit team to the capital for help and led the defense himself, slaughtering Orks by the dozen armed with only his Honour Blade.

As dusk fell, Aun'shi and less than fifty Fire Warriors remained to protect the town. The Tau fell back to a barricaded shrine in the centre of town, where they prepared to make their final stand. Aun'shi stood at the door to the shrine and stood his ground, never moving even when the doors themselves were ripped from their frames. Suddenly, the Orks were thrown into disarray as massed Tau reinforcements attacked, Devilfish troop carriers, Hammerhead tanks, and Broadside battlesuits dropping from the sky, quickly devastating the Ork mobs and scattering the survivors. Aun'shi still stood at the shrine's door, his honour blade slick with greenskin blood. The Ethereal shrine still stood, and the mines of Fio'vash remained in Tau hands.

His defense of Fio'vash was considered a great victory, despite the horrendous casualties suffered by the Tau. When word reached the Ethereals on T'au, it was decreed that Aun'shi would continue to serve the Greater Good and expand the Tau Empire, instead of retiring. Aun'shi is considered to be a hero by the Fire Caste, and a huge marble bust of him was erected in the battledomes of Vior'la.

Aun'shi was slain by an imperial assassin during the Taros V campaign.

Modelling

In the rules presented for the tabletop game in "Warhammer 40,000: Codex Tau" (Haines et al., 2001), Aun'shi could be wielded as an HQ choice in a Tau army. He could either go into battle as an independent character or accompany a Fire Warrior squad into battle as a command squad. In addition to his special rules he is also used as a normal Ethereal Caste member, as his model was the only Ethereal model with an Honour Blade. He is not mentioned in the updated rules (Hoare, 2006), but an article about him is available on the official "Warhammer 40,000" website [http://uk.games-workshop.com/tau/aunshi/1/] , although he is now just a "regular" Ethereal Caste member.

Notable quotes

"I have taken great pains not to laugh at the actions of aliens, nor to weep at them or to hate them, but to understand them."

"How ironic it is that as fast as we spread progress and hope throughout the galaxy, the Tyranids spread death and despair. Only united can we hope to stand against them."

References

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* cite web
title=Master of the Blade – Aun'shi, Hero of Fio'vash
publisher=Games Workshop
url=http://uk.games-workshop.com/tau/aunshi/1/
accessdate=2006-04-20

Commander Shadowsun

Commander Shadowsun, also known as O'Shaserra is the third named Tau commander. The great Etheral Aun'Va selected her as a replacement for Commander Farsight to continue the Third Sphere expansion. Shadowsun is the only currently known female Tau commander. Selected after a distinguished career in the K'resh Expansion against the Orks, she successfully destroyed a tyranid splinter fleet without the loss of a single vessel.

She successfully captured five new major Septs and an unkown number of minor Septs for the empire, and has been persuasive in convincing the Tau castes to forget Commander Farsight. Her sibling, Shas’el Ty’res was killed as part of the Medusa V campaign.

Modelling

Commander Shadowsun wears a suit of unique XV-22 armour, and has with her a unique command-link drone and two shield drones. She can be chosen as a HQ choice for a tau army of at least 1,500 points.

Commander Farsight

Commander Farsight is a Tau character from the fictional "Warhammer 40,000" universe.

Farsight, also known as Shas'O Vior'la Shovah Kais Mont'yr or O'Shovah, is a Tau Fire Caste commander from the Vior'la sept. He was a highly respected Commander during the aftermath of the Damocles Crusade led by the Imperium of Man, where he won fame fighting the Orks. Unlike most other Tau, Farsight believes that close combat is a vital part of warfare. After Farsight's Ethereal was killed reclaiming lost Tau planets, Farsight chanced upon the Dawn Blade, a large artifact sword found on the dead world of "Arthas-Moloch". Farsight is said to still lead the Farsight enclave, making him more than 300 years old - an age far beyond the average 40-50 year life expectancy of a Tau. It has been speculated that the Dawn Blade is of daemonic origin, while others believe that it is a C'tan artifact, or even Anaris- the powerful blade created by the Eldar smith god Vaul.

Name

Farsight's name in the Tau language is broken down thusly:

*Shas (member of the Fire caste)
*'O (Commander, highest rank attainable)
*Vior'la (the sept, or world, where Farsight was born)
*Shovah (Farsighted, the core of his name)
*Kais (Skillful)
*Mont'yr (Blooded ) (lit. seen battle)

Modelling/Gameplay

In game terms, O'Shovah can be taken as an HQ choice for a Tau army. He is armed with a plasma rifle, shield generator and the Dawn Blade, a powerful alien artifact that makes him deadly in hand to hand combat. Farsight Enclave armies are trained more extensively in close combat, especially against Orks. Several units in the army are restricted, capable of using only one single unit of each type, and none of the alien races allied to the Tau. O'Shovah may take a bodyguard of up to seven Crisis Suits, making his army boast the largest number of Crisis Suits ever. Due to the restrictions O'Shovah's forces are often forced into assaults, as his armies are almost always lacking in long range weaponry. O'Shovah is also hated by many Tau, mostly by Commander Shadowsun and Aun'Va, therefore cannot be in the same force as the other two aforementioned heroes.

Notable Quotes

"Learn to shorten your reach! If your foe can come close enough to negate your striking power, all stratagem is lost and when all stratagem is lost, the battle is lost." "(3rd edition Codex: Tau)

“Each must find their own way. If those in our heartland had witnessed the savageries of the void as have we they would know this. The hand of each of the great starfarers is turned against the other, none will join their strength together just to see their ancient enemies prosper. Neither should we." "(4th Edition Codex: Tau Empire)"

References

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* http://uk.games-workshop.com/tau/converting-farsight/1/