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"only different" everything there works except for the undying elday arrogance, they would hve given the tau the same tech as they had because of their belief in their own archeotech

well this was all very interesting to read. Perhaps they will go into the rise of the Tau empire further in the future like they did for the Horus Hersey. Maybe not now but hey who knows maybe a Horus Hersey style series of the Tau Empire and hey while we are at it an eldar which would go into much more detail how a Chaos god was formed the battles etc... Anyway i think all of the ideas on here are plausible except Chaos. Idk it just doesnt seem plausible lol. Old Ones are gone or ascended or just dont give a gak maybe a Star God? How come the Kroot and other races werent wiped out they had small civilisations before joining with the greater good. Anyway Warp taints it changes beings...like fans of fantasy the beastmen and Skaven. Perhaps being in the purview of a warp storm for so long did stuffff...Anyways maybe the eatherals are the people who were changed by chaos. But were not affected as far as i can tell

the eatherals have feet as aposed to hoofs and they can fudge peoples minds. that is the only diffrence i can see. the warp is called the warp because it warps?

soo retracting the chaos theory what if the seclusion between the casts helped with the evolution and improving the inteligence of the whole species?????

Im not quite shore how that would happen.

For me Tau's are just mysterious even for Games Workshop. I went for "The Old Ones" just because I liked it, but GW is keeping the truth outside from the print just because... they don't know it either.

As for technological development I think it's important to remember the fact that the Space Marine delegation (sent to investigate the then relatively unknown Tau wolrd discovered a primitive race, not even capable of creating fire) Were reassigned by the inquisition and hastly evacuated the world, leaving behind research facilities as well as a fair ammount of weaponry and vehicles. This I guess is the main reason why the Tau evolved so rapidly, discovering and eventually learning how to use some of the technology was a huge boost. As for developing spychic afinity ''Etherals'' it might simply be possible that the ability to harness psychic powers lay dormant in any sentient race. As such it's no enigma why the Tau Ethereals learned to harness such powers.
Some might argue that the very essense of the warp influences all biological evolution (not nenescessarily through any intentional act of chaos) even from it's earliest stages, and thus The tau could also simply have developed their powers through evolution.

As much as I want to say its all their hard work, its kinda strange how.....
1) Etherals mysteriously appeared and unified the tau
2) Tau were protected from extiction via Imperium
3) They aren't affected/percieved by the warp
4) They are nigh unstoppable
Maybe some influence from the cabal?

Nigh unstoppable?

Tell that to a freind of mine of whom i regularly kick his sorry tau but with my chaos marines

Tyranic Marta wrote:Nigh unstoppable?

Tell that to a freind of mine of whom i regularly kick his sorry tau but with my chaos marines

You mean Evaelc?
the last game I played with you, I won.
I have to admit that you have beet me more than I you though.

Fluff is from a compleatly diffrent world than gameplay. Fluff can be cheezey. Gameplay is much more balanced.

I was saying nigh unstoppable fluff-wise. The gameplay and lack of adaptability were the reasons why the tau got sold

Horizon9 wrote:I was saying nigh unstoppable fluff-wise. The game play and lack of adaptability were the reasons why the tau got sold

Yup. very predictable innless you have you were new to playing against them

I think the eldar have helped the tau because the tau cause a "serious threat to the imperial of men" (quote from the 40K wiki) and the eldar absolutely hate the imperial

Ok lets get this right, every single codex (bar perhaps nids) is perfectly centred on lauding the "awsomely powerful" points of each faction, what they dont do is point out the weakness's of each race, in the tau there are quite a few weakness's, the main one is their complete dependability on ethereals, without them theyre screwed, and ethereals have the lovely habit of being where the fighting is rather thick

I think that GW wanted to have a cool technologically advanced race so they thought up the Tau and gave em lots of cool high tech weapons. I went with other, GW.

I also find it curious that just as the Ultramarines were about to stomp their little empire into dust they were recalled to fight elsewhere. COINCIDENCE? Possibly.

I voted Old Ones, with a caveat that a faction of eldar played a part and elbow grease has seen them carry through on the investment placed on them.

Black Library's thoroughly excellent "Xenology" background book heavily implies an intelligent and consistent design to all of the major sentient xenos races in the 40k galaxy (even belief systems are similair, barring da Orkz).

I don't believe its the chaos gods because do they truly create anything? To my understanding, they just warp or destroy. I don't believe it could be the C'tan because:



Plus, in the Tyranid codex, there is a tiny mention of Necrons wiping out a Tau world after destroying the Tyranid attackers. The Necrons seem to have as much disdain for the Tau as they do for all living things.

Also, in the novel Legion:



I personally think all evidence(that I've read) points to Old One and/or Eldar interference. We'll probably never get a solid answer, unfortunately. GW loves to tie up their lore in webs. Easier to retcon I guess, also gets the fans discussing their stuff, which is good.

the Imperium... I'm serious

I think the the chaos gods are planning something in the way that Tzeentch would do.

The creators of Tau (GW) are guiding them; in order to take your money for the greater good!

(I think the the chaos gods are planning something in the way that Tzeentch would do.) woooo someone whos thinkin like me go shadeyaces

Actually, based on the very outset, I have read over and over the "fluff" and my conclusion is that the Old ones were protecting the Tau until they could defend themselves. 1)The Old ones are manipulators of genetics, and the codex has mentions from a Biologos that his samples show signs of such.
2)The Old Ones could manipulate the warp that was not tainted with chaos at will and make such storms for their defense, and warp space near the Tau was still"pure" at that time. The colony fleet was crewed by skilled spacers and navigators who had ridden out storms and other problems before, there should have been a few vessels intact, but all were wiped out.
3) Starship wreck found by the Tau. May have been left there to let them understand fast travel in space.
4)Pollution of the warp, the Old Ones learned lessons with making psyker races and the oncoming of the Enslavers as well as the pollution of the warp, which limited their abilities with it. Hence Tau and lack of Psykers.

When the Imperium found the tau, they were just a savage tribe. After the humans left, the Tau technology evolved rapidly. I'm guessing that the Tau studied human technology left on their planet and learned to control the "machine spirit"

this is a very very good point, me thinks you have found a good theory to run with for a while

GLORY BE TO CHAOS!

Perhaps the Ethereals are simply the Tau's version of the Primarchs or the Emperor (false) spontaneously powerful beings that are the superheros of their race. Who's vive la revolution Greater Good rhetoric appealed to their race and united the world under the Greater good Banner (communist/socilaist) ideal. Anyone else notice the historical refrences throught history? The Imperial gaurd WWI era armour, Commisars (Russian motivarors) Inquistion?(good times) Crusades, Custodes (waffen SS) Emporer(hitler: wanted death to anyone who was diffrent) to name a few. Surely the Tau are the Communist revolution of the 41st mill ethereals are the Lennins Trotskies who have if you will the so called Russian "super men capabilities"
sorry for the jumbled test but its four thirty in the am. doesnt explain warp storm but maybe it represents the climatic event that pisses of the lower classes to follow the etherals? haa thoughts? or am i just a crazed college student trying to connect his history major to his hobby

shasolenzabi wrote:Actually, based on the very outset, I have read over and over the "fluff" and my conclusion is that the Old ones were protecting the Tau until they could defend themselves. 1)The Old ones are manipulators of genetics, and the codex has mentions from a Biologos that his samples show signs of such.
2)The Old Ones could manipulate the warp that was not tainted with chaos at will and make such storms for their defense, and warp space near the Tau was still"pure" at that time. The colony fleet was crewed by skilled spacers and navigators who had ridden out storms and other problems before, there should have been a few vessels intact, but all were wiped out.
3) Starship wreck found by the Tau. May have been left there to let them understand fast travel in space.
4)Pollution of the warp, the Old Ones learned lessons with making psyker races and the oncoming of the Enslavers as well as the pollution of the warp, which limited their abilities with it. Hence Tau and lack of Psykers.

This is what happened, based on the fluff I poured over.

ooo very interesting it seems we have the best theory right here. I like this theory a lot haa. Thankyou

Its the Old Ones.

Goreyevisceration wrote:ooo very interesting it seems we have the best theory right here. I like this theory a lot haa. Thankyou

Yes, thank you!


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Its the Old Ones.

We agree