Games Workshop 99120113060" Tau Empire Commander Plastic Kit, Black,Medium

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Despite their best efforts, the forces Farsight and O'Shaserra had at their command could not be everywhere at once. The Imperium was a powerful foe indeed, and unlike the barbarous Ork race, it appeared to have a strategy worked out for every combat environment and tactic the T'au could engineer. In defiance of the Fire Caste's spirited defence, the Imperium had gradually, but irresistibly, overtaken several of the planet's cities, slaughtering any T'au within and fortifying the war-torn structures. The Ethereals in overall command of the war effort could not countenance such losses. Ever more extreme measures were taken to stall the Imperial advance whilst reinforcements were brought in from the other worlds in the Sept, and beyond, yet on the field of battle, far more drastic measures were being taken.

Shas'O Sa'cea Tsua'm was a Tau Commander who led Tau forces to the Sept world of Kel'shan. There, he made one of the first recorded Tau encounters with Chaos forces, and defeated them. He personally killed the Chaos army's warlord whom he mistakenly believed to be named Slaanesh. United, our will is greater than any other force. We shall inherit the stars, even if we must first cleanse them in blood." Using the immense canyons and gulleys criss-crossing the desert to maximum effect, O'Shovah set the Ork invaders to chase shadows, constantly boxing off and destroying isolated elements wherever they turned at bay. It was O'Shovah's tactical brilliance that earned him his famous title of "Farsight." However, towards the end of the war, O'Shovah was in turn surrounded and besieged by massive numbers of Orks in the natural fortress of the Argap highlands. Despite even this, his Fire Warriors held the mountains for solar months until the last remnants of his forces were evacuated off-planet. Amidst much bowing and scraping, the Mont'yr academy's tutors told Puretide of the student they called Shoh, the first warrior to have been enrolled into the academy at such a young age.M41 Battle Dome Mont'yr - The young prodigy Shoh is inducted into the training academies of Vior'la. In response, O'Shovah abandoned his recolonisation efforts to confront his old enemy, directing his efforts and drawing his forces far from their assignments. What started as swift raids to repel the Greenskins they found probing the edge of their newly recaptured space, eventually turned into a solar-decade-long war across multiple star systems; war against a sizable conglomerate of Ork tribes who travelled aboard crude asteroid bases or " Roks." Wise Hunter was a great commander and conqueror of new territory during the initial expansions of the Tau Empire.

Meaningful glances were exchanged between the assembled dignitaries, but nothing more was said on the matter at the time. Two rotaa later, Shoh and his fellow novitiates were sent to their first war zone against the Arachen incursions of the Western Veil, whilst behind closed doors, Commander Puretide and his aides discussed the fact that Shoh's military acumen and prowess were as promising as they had hoped. When asked to clarify his intent, O'Shoh drew one of the ornamental swords from the wall above and stabbed it through the arm of the command throne before snapping its blade in half. It was a metaphor that was to become famous amongst the Fire Caste in the ensuing months. It happened at the periphery of the Damocles Gulf during a battle on Arthas Moloch, a deserted artefact world save for strange monuments and ruined shrines of some long-forgotten culture. Unknown to the T'au, the world had already been purged by the Scythes of the Emperor Space Marines in the 39th Millennium, but in the ruins of a pre- Human civilisation, the T'au forces engaged an unknown enemy and all of the Ethereal Caste leaders of Farsight's expedition were killed. The Trial by Fire was a traumatic experience. A high level of adversity is the norm for the warrior caste's coming-of-age tests, but there were those at the training academy that remembered Shoh's inadvertent hand in the fall of their old colleagues, and wished to test him all the more harshly for it. Commander Vesu'r R'alai has become a legend among the grim Fire Warriors of Ke'lshan, and is one of the Tau Empire's most experienced Battlesuit pilots. It is his leadership and innovation that has successfully led the way in the controversial tactics associated with the new XV9 close support armour, and he is a strong advocate for the Fire Caste adopting more ruthless tactics against the Tau Empire's growing legion of deadly foes. Shas'O Ra'Lai utilises an XV9 Hazard Battlesuit rather than the standard XV8 Crisis Battlesuit.

M41 Scourge of the Arachen - The war against the Arachen lingering in the Western Veil Nebula absorbs many of the Fire Caste's new recruits. Over the course of sixteen years of battle, Shoh secures a string of promo Statues to Farsight's greatness were erected in every major battle dome, pod complex and naval harbour across the worlds of the First Sphere Expansion. Fire Warriors of every rank had images or holo-cuts of Farsight somewhere in their possession, sometimes even displayed alongside those of Aun'Wei and Aun'Va themselves. For O'Shovah, the attentions were bewildering and unwelcome. The commander was greeted with the hunter's salute so many times each day that he feared he would wear out his arm joints before the crusade even started. Yet he bore it all stoically, understanding that the empire needed its heroes. Soon after he reached the topmost peak, Shoh found Commander Puretide deep in meditation. Seated in focused meditation in front of Puretide were two young T'au warriors -- one who later introduced herself as Shaserra, a fellow aspirant to the command ranks of the Fire Caste, and the other a taciturn but gifted young warrior known as Kais. Through the hardships that were to follow, the three aspirants became as close as Ta'lissera bondmates -- albeit ones engaged in a bitter rivalry for the approval of their elderly master. Each of Puretide's students had a different style of war and a separate philosophy to go with it.

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Kroot Shaper • Kroot Carnivore Squad • Kroot Hound • Krootox • Knarloc • Great Knarloc • Vespid Stingwings • Gue'vesa O'Shovah was born upon the T'au Sept world of Vior'la, and his meteoric rise through the ranks of the Fire Caste began in the training domes of its capital city of Mont'yr. Shas'O Or'es'Ka was the Tau Commander who led the Tau forces during the Tau Empire's unsuccessful campaign to take the Kaurava System. Shas'O Or'es'Ka utilises an XV22 Stealthsuit rather than the standard XV8 Crisis Battlesuit. Just as she had hoped, Shoh had excelled in his role as bodyguard, even without his Battlesuit to rely on. In light of this success, he had been promoted to shas'el -- a commander-in-training. Better yet, Shoh had succeeded in his duties with such flying colours that the venerable Commander Puretide himself had agreed to train him in the arts of war.

An older profile view of Commander Farsight holding aloft the Dawn Blade with his XV8 Crisis Battlesuit behind him The T'au of the core Sept worlds heard progressively less from the Farsight Expedition as the years wound on. Soon, the probes sent across the Damocles Gulf failed to reappear altogether. Commander Farsight, whose natural lifespan was long spent, was officially proclaimed dead. The entire T'au Empire mourned the passing of their mightiest hero and the end of his glorious quest to bring the light of the Greater Good to distant stars. Farsight took this tactic one step further at the Siege of Rala'tas, a dome city famous for its sculptures of living light. With the T'au's most capable commanders engaged on the other side of the planet, an Imperial drop ship landed only a few miles from the city gates. Within hours, Rala'tas was surrounded by Imperial tanks, including several super-heavy squadrons powerful enough to blast breaches in the city walls. With the exception of the Kroot kindreds that made their homes in the dome's sprawling arboreal districts, the city had only a small garrison of Fire Warriors to defend it -- certainly nothing that could deal with over a thousand battle tanks. Shas'gra, a Cadre Fireblade in charge of the garrison, patched through an urgent message to Farsight, requesting help. O'Shovah could give him none, but said he would think on it. Less than a minute later, a reply reached Shas'gra and he spread the word to the Earth Caste artisans abroad in the city. Just as the Imperials breached the walls and began to barge their way into Rala'tas' perimeter, the city went completely dark.Shoh's simmering passion and desire to plunge into the fires of battle saw him gravitate towards the Mont'ka, or "killing blow," strategies, whilst Shaserra was a careful and meticulous practitioner of the "patient hunter", Kauyon. Kais, a withdrawn and strange individual, was unusual in that he sought mastery of the Monat's way of war. His goal was to become the perfect lone warrior, an army of one that could triumph in any situation with only the materials to hand. Though Shoh regularly scored the highest in the training simulations, his peers were not far behind. The competition between them saw each strive for success just as hard as in any true war zone, and in the process, earn the respect of their fellow students. Shas'El is the second highest rank within the Fire Caste, and for a Fire Warrior to have attained this rank is to become a Tau Commander and earn the right to lead their own Hunter Cadre. However, those Shas'El who have proven themselves worthy through repeated success in the field through displays of masterful leadership, are considered for promotion to the rank of Shas'O -- the highest rank one can attain in the Fire Caste. A Tau Commander of the rank of Shas'O will often lead multi-cadre operations and larger scale campaigns, and will form part of the Shas'ar'tol (Tau High Command) in the coordination of these affairs. It is a position of great honour, and can only be attained after years progressing through the ranks - there are no shortcuts or exceptions. To be named Shas'o is to be proven a master in the martial arts, a first rate tactician and a true disciple of the art of war. Once a Shas'O has served long enough, he is given the choice to retire from active service and/or join a high council of advisors who can play a more active role in Tau politics and directing the affairs of the Tau Empire. Many Tau Commanders do not wish to play the political games so enjoyed by the Ethereals, however, and often continue to command the forces of the Fire Caste in the name of the Greater Good – serving until death. However, Tau Commanders who grow too old may also be asked to permanently join the Tau military high command, or the Shas’ar’tol, and further direct larger war affairs where their wisdom can be put to best use.