T'au

T'au's History

The T'au Empire (pronounced "TOW"), also spelled Tau Empire in older records, is a rapidly expanding xenos stellar empire situated within the Imperium of Man's Ultima Segmentum, near the Eastern Fringes of the Milky Way Galaxy.

The T'au Empire was founded by the T'au caste called the Ethereals, who lead the T'au Empire in the name of the philosophy they have named the Greater Good.

Several intelligent alien races (the Kroot, Vespid, Nicassar, Demiurg and even some Humans who have turned their backs on the Imperium, known as Gue'vesa in the T'au Lexicon) have allied themselves with the T'au. The T'au Empire borders the Imperium of Man, and lies within the reach of the Astronomican.

It has suffered many raids from the Orks, and also seems to lie in the path of several Tyranid splinter fleets of Hive Fleet Kraken.

The exact date of the founding of the T'au Empire in the Imperial Calendar is unclear. However the way in which the T'au were united as a species is a well-known tale. What is known is that only 6,000 standard years ago, in the 35th Millennium, an Adeptus Mechanicus Explorator fleet discovered the T'au homeworld of T'au and determined that its population of sentient xenos were a primitive people at the Stone Age level of development, having only just mastered fire. Since then, the T'au have developed very rapidly to a space-faring species.

Earlier in their history, the T'au were a culture built upon warring tribes. During this time, the T'au's legends tell of the first appearance of the Ethereals at the city of Fio'taun. The fortress city of Fio'taun was under assault by the T'au warriors from the plains. Though negotiation had been attempted, the fierce plains warriors would settle for nothing less than the annihilation of the city of Fio'taun.

For five long T'au years the inhabitants held off the savage assaults with their thick walls and plentiful cannons. However, disease and starvation began to take their toll. As the tide of the siege turned, two mysterious T'au appeared. One made his way into the camp of the plains T'au, exuding a quiet authority that no T'au was able to resist. Soon, the leader of the plains warriors was persuaded to parley with the settled T'au of Fio'taun. Similarly, the other mysterious T'au made his way deep into the fortress. Within a few short hours, the gates stood wide open, and T'au of both sides stood ready to talk.