Post by Doran'nan M'yenshi on Oct 25, 2010 21:30:31 GMT -5
The Tau
Mont'yr Kauyon
The Mont'yr Kauyon, or 'Blooded Hunters', a cadre infamous for it's hot-headed warriors of Vior'la origin, and extensive experience fighting the Daemons of the Warp, have set out to colonize the stars, stationed aboard the Ko'Vash Tau'Va Expeditionary Fleet. Under the command of their Shas'O, they began to make their miniature conquest, but were soon beginning to lose ships as fast attack raids from Dark Eldar began to wear them down.
The fleet soon needed to set down on the volcanic planet called Omicron-Delta IV, where they established a defend-able location that they named Peak's Point, establishing a powerful choke point on the ground that allowed for them to create anti-ship batteries on the ground, allowing for both a powerful ground defense as well as a formidable space defense.
Tau Biogrpahy
The Tau are a young race of technologically-oriented beings from the Eastern Fringe. T'au, the Tau home planet, was discovered in 789.M35 by the Adeptus Mechanicus ship Land's Vision. Adeptus Mechanicus records indicate that at that time the Tau species had mastered the use of simple tools and weapons, as well as fire. Before the planet could be cleansed and colonized by the Imperium however, a violent Warp storm erupted around the planet. This continued for 6,000 years, making the Tau's home world utterly inaccessible.
It was not until the Damocles Crusade that the Imperium again contacted the Tau. The Imperium found the primitive Tau had advanced considerably. In six thousand years the Tau had advanced from spears and fire to colonizing planets and pulse rifles.
Tau Society and Physiology
Tau society and physiology revolve around the Sept they are part of. Each caste could almost become a subspecies of their own, such are the variations between the caste members.
Society
The Tau are the most open and tolerant of the races in the galaxy, which means that they prefer not to destroy all other races on sight and are nowhere near as xenophobic as the Imperium. They are appreciative of the ways of the Humans, Eldar, and other sentient races but hold their own values as superior above all others.
Their tolerance also extends to themselves, as the Tau recognize even lowly Fio'la workers as being as important to the operation and well-being of the Empire as Shas'vre Battlesuit leaders or even the highest Aun'o.
Tau Names
Tau names are generally seen in the Imperium as long, complicated and unwieldy, but they can be broken down into the following:
• Caste and rank within that caste
• Sept of birth
• Personal name (which is often determined/extended by their notable actions or achievements)
Castes and rank
The caste system organizes all Tau into five different castes and each one of them has a defined social role, be it military, trade, diplomacy, or leadership. The members of a caste are further classified by a specific rank.
Ranks are indicated by suffixes while Caste is indicated by a Prefix.
the castes are:
Shas - Fire
Aun - Ethereal
Fio - Earth
Kor - Air
Por - Water
*Shas - Fire Caste being the warrior caste of the Tau.
*Aun - Etheral Caste being the leaders and high priests of Tau Society. Often regarded with GREAT respect no matter the rank.
*Fio - Earth Caste being the builders of the Tau society.
*Kor - Air Caste being the Pilots and messengers of the Tau Society.
*Por - Water Caste being the Diplomats of Tau Society.
The Ranks are ranged from lowest to highest and each Caste has ranks set up by a similar system. Each suffix is a step higher on the tiered ranking system of the Tau.
*'cass
*'la
*'ui
*'el
*'o
'cass - Lowest rank, Recruits.
'la - Second lowest rank, the general population sit here.
'ui - Third rank, these are a bit more experienced and in military settings often command a squad or so of lower-ranked members.
'el - A high rank in Tau society, often presiding over several sectors at a time, or on the battlefield, he would control an entire platoon. Often rank held by Crisis Suit Pilots.
'o - highest rank anyone other than Ethereals can achieve, a VERY prestigious and respected rank for anyone to hold, they are often commander on the battlefields, running entire fleets and expeditionary forces across worlds.
Sept
Tau come from many planetary systems, or Septs, and these shape and define their methods of work. Some of these are
• T'au
• Vior'la
• Sa'cea
Personal Name
Tau personal names, unlike those of humans, usually mean things in their language, depending on the deeds in their lives.
Example
Thus, the Tau named "Shas'O Vior'la Shovah Kais Mont'yr" (Commander Farsight) would be broken down as follows:
• Shas - The individual is a member of the Fire Caste...
• O - ...Who is a high-ranking Commander and hero...
• Vior'la - ...Who comes from the Sept of Vior'la...
...And has a personal name translated as being far-sighted (Shovah), Skilled (Kais), and having seen many battles (Mont'yr, meaning "blooded").
List of Tau Words from A to Z for names.
tauonline.org/?content=browse&cat=getting_started&article=432
Physiology
Every Tau is humanoid in shape, with two arms, two cloven feet, and a single head. Their gray-blue skin is leathery and tough and exudes no moisture, owing to the generally dry conditions of their home world. Their faces are flat, wide around the eyes, and their olfactory organs are located inside their mouths. Their eyes can see into the infrared and ultraviolet. Tau eyesight is good, but they focus on distant objects slower than humans. The Tau are not very good in close combat, as they find the whole concept uncivilized.
It has also been suggested in several Black Library books that Tau blood is a bluish purple, explaining that the blood contains trace amounts of cobalt, rather than iron as common in Humans.
Tau and the Warp[/size]
The Tau achieve faster-than-light travel by "diving" into the Warp and being subsequently flung out a great distance from where they entered. There are positives and negatives to this method of travel. Because their ships have such minimal contact with the Warp and are in a sense just skimming the surface, their travel is relatively safe, but a flaw in this design is that their speed is greatly reduced in comparison to races which immerse themselves fully in the Warp.
It is also true that the Tau are a race bereft of psykers. Whether it is due to their limited Warp interaction or something distinct about the Tau mind it means that they are unique amongst the dominant races of the galaxy. For while it does mean that the Tau do not possess the significant advantages that having psykers brings, it is also worthy to note that not one Tau has ever fallen to Chaos. In fact, as a species, the Tau register as barely more than a blip in the Warp and it may well be that this has been their saving grace, protecting the altruism and idealism their race shares from the destructive tendencies of Chaos.
Mont'yr Kauyon
The Mont'yr Kauyon, or 'Blooded Hunters', a cadre infamous for it's hot-headed warriors of Vior'la origin, and extensive experience fighting the Daemons of the Warp, have set out to colonize the stars, stationed aboard the Ko'Vash Tau'Va Expeditionary Fleet. Under the command of their Shas'O, they began to make their miniature conquest, but were soon beginning to lose ships as fast attack raids from Dark Eldar began to wear them down.
The fleet soon needed to set down on the volcanic planet called Omicron-Delta IV, where they established a defend-able location that they named Peak's Point, establishing a powerful choke point on the ground that allowed for them to create anti-ship batteries on the ground, allowing for both a powerful ground defense as well as a formidable space defense.
Tau Biogrpahy
The Tau are a young race of technologically-oriented beings from the Eastern Fringe. T'au, the Tau home planet, was discovered in 789.M35 by the Adeptus Mechanicus ship Land's Vision. Adeptus Mechanicus records indicate that at that time the Tau species had mastered the use of simple tools and weapons, as well as fire. Before the planet could be cleansed and colonized by the Imperium however, a violent Warp storm erupted around the planet. This continued for 6,000 years, making the Tau's home world utterly inaccessible.
It was not until the Damocles Crusade that the Imperium again contacted the Tau. The Imperium found the primitive Tau had advanced considerably. In six thousand years the Tau had advanced from spears and fire to colonizing planets and pulse rifles.
Tau Society and Physiology
Tau society and physiology revolve around the Sept they are part of. Each caste could almost become a subspecies of their own, such are the variations between the caste members.
Society
The Tau are the most open and tolerant of the races in the galaxy, which means that they prefer not to destroy all other races on sight and are nowhere near as xenophobic as the Imperium. They are appreciative of the ways of the Humans, Eldar, and other sentient races but hold their own values as superior above all others.
Their tolerance also extends to themselves, as the Tau recognize even lowly Fio'la workers as being as important to the operation and well-being of the Empire as Shas'vre Battlesuit leaders or even the highest Aun'o.
Tau Names
Tau names are generally seen in the Imperium as long, complicated and unwieldy, but they can be broken down into the following:
• Caste and rank within that caste
• Sept of birth
• Personal name (which is often determined/extended by their notable actions or achievements)
Castes and rank
The caste system organizes all Tau into five different castes and each one of them has a defined social role, be it military, trade, diplomacy, or leadership. The members of a caste are further classified by a specific rank.
Ranks are indicated by suffixes while Caste is indicated by a Prefix.
the castes are:
Shas - Fire
Aun - Ethereal
Fio - Earth
Kor - Air
Por - Water
*Shas - Fire Caste being the warrior caste of the Tau.
*Aun - Etheral Caste being the leaders and high priests of Tau Society. Often regarded with GREAT respect no matter the rank.
*Fio - Earth Caste being the builders of the Tau society.
*Kor - Air Caste being the Pilots and messengers of the Tau Society.
*Por - Water Caste being the Diplomats of Tau Society.
The Ranks are ranged from lowest to highest and each Caste has ranks set up by a similar system. Each suffix is a step higher on the tiered ranking system of the Tau.
*'cass
*'la
*'ui
*'el
*'o
'cass - Lowest rank, Recruits.
'la - Second lowest rank, the general population sit here.
'ui - Third rank, these are a bit more experienced and in military settings often command a squad or so of lower-ranked members.
'el - A high rank in Tau society, often presiding over several sectors at a time, or on the battlefield, he would control an entire platoon. Often rank held by Crisis Suit Pilots.
'o - highest rank anyone other than Ethereals can achieve, a VERY prestigious and respected rank for anyone to hold, they are often commander on the battlefields, running entire fleets and expeditionary forces across worlds.
Sept
Tau come from many planetary systems, or Septs, and these shape and define their methods of work. Some of these are
• T'au
• Vior'la
• Sa'cea
Personal Name
Tau personal names, unlike those of humans, usually mean things in their language, depending on the deeds in their lives.
Example
Thus, the Tau named "Shas'O Vior'la Shovah Kais Mont'yr" (Commander Farsight) would be broken down as follows:
• Shas - The individual is a member of the Fire Caste...
• O - ...Who is a high-ranking Commander and hero...
• Vior'la - ...Who comes from the Sept of Vior'la...
...And has a personal name translated as being far-sighted (Shovah), Skilled (Kais), and having seen many battles (Mont'yr, meaning "blooded").
List of Tau Words from A to Z for names.
tauonline.org/?content=browse&cat=getting_started&article=432
Physiology
Every Tau is humanoid in shape, with two arms, two cloven feet, and a single head. Their gray-blue skin is leathery and tough and exudes no moisture, owing to the generally dry conditions of their home world. Their faces are flat, wide around the eyes, and their olfactory organs are located inside their mouths. Their eyes can see into the infrared and ultraviolet. Tau eyesight is good, but they focus on distant objects slower than humans. The Tau are not very good in close combat, as they find the whole concept uncivilized.
It has also been suggested in several Black Library books that Tau blood is a bluish purple, explaining that the blood contains trace amounts of cobalt, rather than iron as common in Humans.
Tau and the Warp[/size]
The Tau achieve faster-than-light travel by "diving" into the Warp and being subsequently flung out a great distance from where they entered. There are positives and negatives to this method of travel. Because their ships have such minimal contact with the Warp and are in a sense just skimming the surface, their travel is relatively safe, but a flaw in this design is that their speed is greatly reduced in comparison to races which immerse themselves fully in the Warp.
It is also true that the Tau are a race bereft of psykers. Whether it is due to their limited Warp interaction or something distinct about the Tau mind it means that they are unique amongst the dominant races of the galaxy. For while it does mean that the Tau do not possess the significant advantages that having psykers brings, it is also worthy to note that not one Tau has ever fallen to Chaos. In fact, as a species, the Tau register as barely more than a blip in the Warp and it may well be that this has been their saving grace, protecting the altruism and idealism their race shares from the destructive tendencies of Chaos.