Tau... What's up with them?

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**Grey Templar**

that is very true morgrim

a t'au lives what, 35-40 years? the space pope is probably 100ish so yeah the race would have to learn things fast and teach them to the next generation.

hmmm

a race with a very short lifespan, very advanced technology, No warp signiture, a desire to conquer the galaxy (one way or another),....OMG they are flipping

**Kilkrazy**

The average lifespan is 40 years. It's not clear whether that includes unnatural deaths -- presumably a lot of Fire Caste die in battle rather young and bias the stats.

That compares with about 75 for modern humans in the developed world.

The lifespan in the Imperium is probably less than 75 due to the state of constant warfare.

According to fluff Tau sleep much less than humans, so presumably they make up for a shorter lifespan by developing and learning more quickly.

**Grey Templar**

Actually i think in fluff the average human live span is 100 in the imperium.

If individual worlds are taken as examples i would say a world could go for stretches without problems. feral worlds, conscription, crime might lower the life expectancy, but a Hive, forge or developed world would have a higher life expectancy.

I would say a world could go for 2-300 years without major problems, allowing for several generations to live and die naturally. YMMV and worlds within 100 light years of the Eye don't count

I doubt the T'au lifespan includes unnatural deaths.

**shas'o vera**

an according to the 40K wiki, i was looking at the Shas'O vera information, and appearently the ethereals ( cant spell ) have implanted computer chips into the brains of the tau to stop their growth and lower their life span.

**Shas'O Dorian**

shas'o vera wrote:an according to the 40K wiki, i was looking at the Shas'O vera information, and appearently the ethereals ( cant spell ) have implanted computer chips into the brains of the tau to stop their growth and lower their life span.

Link please? I checked Lexicanum and warhammer40k.wikia.com It's not there so I must call B.S. as this is the first I've heard of such.

Here's my odd take not based on too much fluff just a little thinking. Perhaps it was Tzeentch that caused the warp storm that isolated the Tau. He is the master of the Empyrean and Master of Manipulation. Perhaps he did that as a way to slow the Necrons / Nids from eradicating all life in the galaxy and thus a significant portion of his power.

As to why they don't have a large warp signature (I read in Codex: Tau they DO have one it's just very small, something like one eldar has a larger warp signature than the entire tau race) he could be trying to keep them hidden from the rest of the chaos gods to use purely as his own. Harkening back to a time before the chaos gods decided to hold hands and be super-buddies. Back when if the world eaters were fighting the imperium & the Emperors Children showed up the WE & EC would ignore the imperium as much as possible and focus on killing each other.

**Lemming eater**

I think it is the necron's, or more Specifically the C`tan, isnt there bit of fluff in the codex that talks about the deciver Manipulating an alein race an then killing them becuase he was not happy with how they turned out

the fact about the warp storm cutting them of from the rest of the galaxy could just be the c`tan (probibaly the deciver) taking advantage of a good situation

**Asgeirr Darkwolf**

My only 'new' idea is that the tau are freak chance. NOTHING in 40k should use diplomacy. But the Eldar theory works best too. I just don't see them so... cold. And wo betide any eldar if the tau find out, and deem it not for th greater good...

**shas'o vera**

here ya go Shas'O Dorian, http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Shas%27O_Vera
the second and thrid paragraphs are the ones you need to read, its all there.

**Soo'Vah'Cha**

Thats interesting fluff/background, but I am not sure if its Canon, especially since the very bottom of the ingame area reads..

Note that this profile is “so called” home rules, which means that it has no relations to official games workshop products or rules, and may only be used if your opponent gives you his full acceptance.

Retrieved from "http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Shas%27O_Vera"

A official background would likely be followed by an official profile, but I do not want to nay-say anyone's idea on the Tau's origin.

Myself I like to think they are a natural occurance in a vast galaxy, where anything is possible, and maybe..just maybe they are the "good guys", or at least the lesser of many evils, and I do enjoy their fresh take on the grimdark, and hope that when the inevitable update happens they still keep some of the fluff ambigious, and stay away from the grim-iness, and dark-iness

**shas'o vera**

and you forgot that their good is greater than any others.

**Shas'O Dorian**

shas'o vera wrote:here ya go Shas'O Dorian, http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Shas%27O_Vera
the second and thrid paragraphs are the ones you need to read, its all there.

Sadly that page cites no official GW sources, or any sources for that matter so I must still declare B.S. on that one. I know the ethereals are mysterious but that just seems like a massive long shot.

**shas'o vera**

ah, ok then, i was only trying to help, well, good luck finding something offical about them.

**Blind**

I'd like to think that they are a freak occurance, I mean the galaxy is a huge place and it can happen.
Although the most logical conclusion to me is that the Warp affected the life span so rapid birthrates had to happen to survive as a race. The rapid birthing made for many small mutations to occure rapidly and compound and form the Tau we all know. The Ethereals, able to persuade and control the masses have formed a psychological need in the Tau.
Now maybe the Ethereal is manufactured, and if it is, I would say the Eldar, Ethereals most similarly look like them and I think have similar personalities, calm reserved, and willing to talk things out first but fight fiercely for their belief. My guess it that the Eldar had hopes that the Tau will come to realize the Greater Good is to support the Eldar and vanquish the Necrons and Chaos.

**tiberius183**

A lot of evidence does point to some kind of outside manipulation, or something "not right" with the Ethereals. For example, in Farsight's fluff, it is speculated that he found out some kind of "dark secret" about the Tau, which caused him to break away from the empire and fight for the Tau as a race rather than for the Ethereals...

**Kroothawk**

shas'o vera wrote:an according to the 40K wiki, i was looking at the Shas'O vera information, and appearently the ethereals ( cant spell ) have implanted computer chips into the brains of the tau to stop their growth and lower their life span.

Seems like C.S.Goto has hacked the wiki website to produce this jewel of utter nonsense

Is there also a wiki entry of braying Slaanesh worshipping and child molesting ethereals downing Eldar Falcons with stones

**kravus master of Horus**

It's like Lost ® it's made up as they go along

**Blind**

tiberius183 wrote:A lot of evidence does point to some kind of outside manipulation, or something "not right" with the Ethereals. For example, in Farsight's fluff, it is speculated that he found out some kind of "dark secret" about the Tau, which caused him to break away from the empire and fight for the Tau as a race rather than for the Ethereals...

hmmm Ethereal dark secret? All I can suspect is that the more the Ethereals control the more powerful they become; the greater good is actually the devotion to the Ethereals which gain power with more control and believe that they will protect the masses that give them power, still not entirely evil but not straight forward either.

**InventionThirteen**

If we are talking about the Tau's role for the Eldar and what reasons they would protect them with a warp storm...
Maybe they believed the planet to hold remnants of eldar genetics, i mean, they are all about self preservation are they not?

Then again, my dark eldar like the little blue commies, cause they still squelch the same as anything else.

**shas'o vera**

they are not commies!!!

**Grey Templar**

Yes they are!

the T'au have managed to enact true communisim on a galactic scale

this is why they must be purged with fire, bolter and free marketing so they may know the power of Freedom and Wallymart

**shas'o vera**

explain what makes them so communist?

**Kroothawk**

They are commies in the redneck sense of the word:
"They don't like killing anything looking unfamiliar" = Commies.

Don't expect subtle argumentation in a Tau thread!

**shas'o vera**

you are all ignorent, explain what makes them so commie? what that just said isn't even correct.

**IggyEssEmManlyMan**

Shelegelah wrote:Yeah, they're not extinct

necron codex: "the Old Ones were broken and scattered, never to come to any power again and eventually die out altogether."

They're all dead. Hence Extinct.

**Soladrin**

It's just one of those internet things, they are generally referred to as space commies.

Apparently this has hit a soft spot with you, so... you play tau and are anti communism?

**Shas'O Dorian**

shas'o vera wrote:you are all ignorent, explain what makes them so commie? what that just said isn't even correct.

It's more or less a joke because in the old T'au codex it was said that every member of the society regardless of ranks is held in equal respect and the whole "For the greater good" thing. But at the end of the day it's a joke, loosen up a bit, just like how Ultra marines are referred to as smurfs & spess mahreens, and how when mocking him people call the emperor the "emprah".

**agnosto**

Naw, Tau aren't commies, they're hindu....caste system with priesthood and warriors being on top...

**shas'o vera**

Soladrin wrote:It's just one of those internet things, they are generally referred to as space commies.

Apparently this has hit a soft spot with you, so... you play tau and are anti communism?

no, not anti-communist, i just hate the tau being refered to as communists, there is sooo many differences seperating the two

**Kroothawk**

I have seen Tau equaled to Nazis, commies, hippies, British Labour Party, Catholic Church, Bush, Hindus, ...
Every second poster claims that Tau generally subjugate races and do massacres and genocides, even if the designers explicitely say the contrary.
As said, don't expect subtle argumentation, well founded statements and respect for official background in Tau threads. They are just a place to let your hate against Tau flow.

**1hadhq**

shas'o vera wrote:

i just hate the tau being refered to as communists, there is sooo many differences seperating the two

So you'll refute our fun with Tau-players up in arms on every communist comment?

@agnosto: Hindu could fit, still "blue-grey communist ants" sounds better.