The T'au Empire (pronounced "TOW" as in "WOW"), also spelled Tau Empire in older Imperial records, is a rapidly expanding, multispecies xenos stellar empire situated within the Imperium of Man's Ultima Segmentum, near the Eastern Fringes of the Milky Way Galaxy. It lies within the reach of the Astronomican.
The T'au Empire was founded by the T'au caste called the Ethereals, who lead the T'au Empire in the name of and in accordance with the utilitarian philosophy they have named the "Greater Good" (Tau'va in the T'au Lexicon). Several intelligent alien races have allied themselves with the T'au within the empire.
The empire 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 T'au (Imperial binomial classification: Tau tau), also spelled "Tau" in older Imperial records, are a young, humanoid and technologically-advanced intelligent species native to the Eastern Fringes of the Milky Way Galaxy. They are fighting to expand their small, but rapidly growing, interstellar empire and extend a philosophical concept they call the "Greater Good" to all the intelligent species of the galaxy.
The T'au claim to be a peaceful species when possible, asking if others will join their cause voluntarily instead of fighting against them. However, if their peaceful overtures are refused, the T'au may well decide to conquer a planet and add it to their growing stellar empire for the Greater Good, searing the flesh from the bones of anyone who stands against their benign intentions.
T'au society is divided into a number of castes, each responsible for managing a specific aspect of their civilisation. The T'au's central motivating ideal is that everyone in their empire, regardless of their species or culture of origin, will work for the collective betterment of everyone else, an almost mystical philosophy that is embodied in the Greater Good.
The T'au are the dominant species of the T'au Empire, an interstellar polity which is also composed of several other different intelligent species, primarily the Kroot of Pech, the insectoid Vespids of the world of Vespid, the nomadic psykers of the Nicassar and many others.
However, there are now several Human T'au Septs derived from conquered Imperial Humans or Humans who voluntarily joined the T'au Empire because they were impressed by the concept of the Greater Good. These people are known as Gue'vesa in the T'au Lexicon and they are considered amongst the most vile of Traitors and Heretics within the Imperium of Man.
The T'au are a relatively young species (it has been only 6,000 Terran years since Imperial Inquisitors first noted that the T'au had only just mastered fire and the wheel), and they have evolved rapidly over the past few standard millennia. Unlike other intelligent, starfaring species, the T'au have made remarkable leaps in technology and now represent a real threat to Imperial domination in their region of the galaxy.
T'au Important Links | |
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Castes | Ethereal • Air Caste • Earth Caste • Fire Caste • Water Caste |
History and Culture | Sept • Greater Good • T'au Lexicon • Farsight Enclaves • Mont'au • War of the Place of Union • First Sphere Expansion • Second Sphere Expansion • Third Sphere Expansion • Fourth Sphere Expansion • Fifth Sphere Expansion • Damocles Gulf Crusade • Nimbosa Crusade • Great War of Confederation • Farsight Expedition • Hive Fleet Gorgon • Battle of Mu'gulath Bay • Prefectia Campaign • Second Agrellan Campaign • Battle of the Startide Nexus |
Allied Species | Anthrazod • Boaburi • Brachyura • Charpactin • Demiurg (Kin) • Domati • Formosian • G'nosh • Galgs • Greet • Humans (Gue'vesa) • Hrenian • Jagordian • Ji'atrix • Kroot • Morralian • M'uh'ja • Nagi • Nicassar • Ostense Council • Phosiab • Pohu-Agg • Ranghon • Tarellians • Thraxians • Vespid • Vorgh • Yabi-Yabi |
Military | Fire Warriors • T'au Battlesuit • T'au Drone • Cadre • T'au Protection Fleet (Kor'vattra) • T'au Merchant Fleet • T'au Auxiliaries • T'au Wargear |
T'au Grav Vehicles | Devilfish • Drone Harbinger • Hammerhead • Sky Ray • Swordfish • TX-4 Piranha • TX-42 Piranha • Tetra |
T'au Aircraft | Barracuda • Manta • Orca • Razorshark • DX-6 Remora Drone Stealth Fighter • Sun Shark • Tiger Shark • Tiger Shark AX-1-0 |
Notable T'au | Aun'Va • Aun'Shi • Commander Farsight • Commander Puretide • Commander Kais • Commander Shadowsun • Sub-Commander Darkstrider • Shas'el Lusha • Shas'la T'au Kais • Shas'la Longstrike • Commander Arra'kon • Commander Bravestorm • Commander Brightsword • Commander Sha'vastos • Sub-Commander Torchstar • Honour-Shas'Vre O'Vesa • Shas'vre Ob'lotai 9-0 |
Imperium of Man • Space Marines • Adeptus Mechanicus • Chaos • Craftworld Aeldari • Drukhari • Orks • Tyranids • Necrons • T'au • Inquisition • Astra Militarum (Imperial Guard) • Leagues of Votann |
All items (344)
- Por'la Vior'la Kais'uam
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- Positional Relay
- Prefectia Campaign
- Psyker
- Pulse Accelerator
- Pulse Accelerator Drone
- Pulse Blastcannon
- Pulse Blaster
- Pulse Bomb Generator
- Pulse Carbine
- Pulse Driver Cannon
- Pulse Ordnance Multi-Driver
- Pulse Pistol
- Pulse Rifle
- Pulse Submunitions Cannon
- Pulse Submunitions Rifle
- Pulse Weapons
- Punishment Crusade
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- Scansion Beta
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- Second Sphere Expansion
- Security Orbital
- Seeker Missile
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- File:Shadowsun-vs-Imperium.png
- Shas'la T'au Kais
- Shas'O Kais
- Shas'O Or'es'Ka
- Shas'O Vesu'r Ra'lai
- Shield Drone
- Shield Generator
- Shielded Missile Drone
- Skapula
- Skether'qan (Messenger)-class Starship
- Sky Ray
- Smart Missile System
- Sniper Drone Team
- Sniper Rifle
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- Stronghold-class Commerce Vessel
- Structural Analyser
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- Sun Shark
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- Swordfish
- T'au (Planet)
- T'au Battlesuit
- T'au Commander
- T'au Drone
- T'au Empire
- T'au Merchant Fleet
- T'au Protection Fleet
- T'au Wargear
- Ta'shiro (Fortress Station)
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- Tarellians
- Target Lock
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- Taros (T'ros)
- Taros Campaign
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- File:Tau Shadowsun.jpg
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- Tetra
- Third Sphere Expansion
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- Tiger Shark
- Tiger Shark AX-1-0
- Timeline of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe
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- TX-4 Piranha