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

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At the time of Shoh's graduation to the Fire Caste, the legendary Commander Puretide was still making a point of personally initiating as many new recruits into the ranks as possible. The famous commander was on military business on Vior'la when Shoh's generation of warriors were inducted, and to the great pleasure of Mont'yr's warriors, he agreed to be present for the ceremony. Shas'El Lusha led Tau forces during the campaign to take the world of Dolumar IV from Imperial and Chaos invaders. He deployed himself and his Battlesuit Teams during the closing stages of that conflict, and rescued Shas'La T'au Kais after he defeated the Lord of Change Tarkh'ax. A master of adaptive defence and a deft hand in breaking his foes before they even realise battle has been joined, Commander Sternshield has proven himself invaluable to Commander Shadowsun. He is a level-headed traditionalist driven by a simple, abiding love of his people, and has proven a dangerous foe to the warriors of the Imperium. Lastly, Farsight's returned to his adopted world of Vior'los, and his first act was to conduct a mass Ta'lissera bonding ritual, revitalising the frayed morale of his warriors. With the other Enclave worlds freed from invaders and the castes united behind him once more, O'Shovah enacted a mercilessly efficient military strategy that culled the Orks from one district after another. He then used powerful artificial firestorms to sterilise the environment. Very few indigenous species survived the extermination Farsight unleashed on the planet, but no T'au were lost to the flames. There is no figure in T'au history as divisive as Farsight, for he is the most famous warrior to hail from the T'au world of Vior'la, as well as a protégé of the legendary Commander Puretide. Farsight led the T'au Empire to reclaim space that had been invaded by the Imperium, but when he went beyond the furthest reaches of T'au space and established his own independent Farsight Enclaves, the Ethereals denounced him as a traitor to the Greater Good.

It was possible that the vastness of space or some strange interference prevented the messages from reaching their recipient, but after many Terran years with no reply, it was eventually deemed that the expedition was lost and assumed that their never-defeated commander had, at long last, been vanquished -- dying on a distant planet, far from the stars that lit the T'au Empire. All castes on every sept bowed their heads low when the loss of this revered and illustrious hero was broadcast across the empire. A period of exceptionally bloody battle soon unfolded across the Western Veil, scarring Shoh both physically and mentally. He lost most of his left leg to a skitterling swarm that got inside a damaged part of his Crisis armour, and saw many trusted comrades meet spectacularly visceral ends, their Battlesuits physically ripped apart by giant Arachen Grandfathers. The T'au Empire had faced off against an insanely strong opponent and emerged victorious, but the cost of that victory had been high indeed. Every one of the worlds settled on the other side of the Damocles Gulf had been left to the Imperium in the early stages of its crusade, and one of the prime Sept Worlds of the empire had been badly mauled. The notion of the T'au's natural supremacy in the universe had been shaken to its core. In this time of doubt, Ethereal Master Aun'Va negotiated with the then- Ethereal Supreme Aun'Wei, and a plan of reconquest, led by O'Shovah, was initiated. The Fire Caste T'au Commanders who had monitored his progress wanted to teach Shoh the self-control and perspective of a support role. On the day the young prodigy reported for duty to Shas'ar'tol High Command, he was immediately assigned to the specialist pilots of the XV88 Broadside Battlesuit teams.

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Shoh was transported to Daly'th Prime, where he made his way to the peak of Mount Kanji, seat of Puretide's tutelage. With only his wits and tenacity to call upon, the journey up the sheer mountainside was a gruelling test by itself. Yet by using a system of improvised pulleys, and the dead weight of a Kanjian snow lynx he had killed with a makeshift slingshot, Shoh made the journey up the perilous face of the mountain, kilometre by painstaking kilometre. On the watery world of Salash'hei, Commander Farsight dove once more to the bottom of the ocean and carefully planted the gifts he had requested from the Earth Caste. His old friend, O'Vesa, had not let him down; the dull thumps of the disc-shaped Seismic Fibrillator Nodes awoke the wrath of the world's oceanic vents. Soon, the seas above were riven by such extreme tsunamis that the Ork battleships prowling its waters were all capsized. The razorwhales of the oceans ate well that night, but Farsight had already moved on. Extremely vexed by this revelation, Farsight formulated a meticulous plan to exterminate all the Ork asteroid ships. With Admiral Kor'O'Li'Mau'Teng's finest pilots at the tip of each spearhead, the T'au fell upon the clumsy Ork fleet with dizzying speed. Each asteroid could barely turn its guns toward the T'au before its engines were blown apart by the Air Caste. This spectacle was repeated for weeks, and Farsight's progress could be followed by the string of burning lights he was stitching across the stars. The sheer number of the Ork bases was their only real defence, though the now-accepted tactic of killing the Ork leader and throwing his followers into anarchy was next to impossible to enact. Furthermore, whilst Farsight was methodically smashing base after base on the fringe of the Vorac Belt, hundreds of the furthest asteroid ships were accelerating towards the worlds of the next system. A period of unprecedented mayhem and confusion erupted as the Imperial fleet fought its way through the orbital defences of Pra'yen and barged straight on to Dal'yth Sept, intending to make planetfall upon the T'au homeworlds no matter the cost. Commander Farsight was briefed on the situation and told that his forces would join those of his old training rival O'Shaserra in repelling the Imperium from Dal'yth. O'Shovah swore he would either cleanse the planet of human scum or die in magnificence. There would be no retreat this time -- only victory, or death. Each must find their own way. If those in our heartland had witnessed the savageries of the void as we they should know this. The hands of each of the great starfarers is turned against the other; none will join their strength together just to see their ancient enemies prosper. Neither should we."

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. Yet Commander Farsight was not dead. Obstinately choosing to press on with his personal crusade rather than return to the bosom of his empire, Farsight instead established a string of heavily fortified strongholds across the frontier space on the far side of the Damocles Gulf, a region long forbidden to the T'au. Even now, sporadic signals from long-range probes are received by the Ethereal High Council, which confirm the continued existence of a set of worlds now known in the empire as the " Farsight Enclaves." 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.These reflections were his first step towards understanding the psyche of the Ork, and in achieving that understanding, turning the tide of the Arkunasha War. Though the T'au had engaged whole alien civilisations before and emerged triumphant, in almost all of those invasions, the Fire Caste had held the upper hand. This was one of the few times the T'au war machine would be tested in such desperately unfavourable conditions. The Ork crusade of violence known as WAAAGH! Dok appeared in the vicinity of Arkunasha without warning or reason. One equinox, a strange solar storm erupted that appeared to make odd symbols in the sky. 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. Wise Hunter was a great commander and conqueror of new territory during the initial expansions of the Tau Empire. The Water Caste's top propaganda efforts were put behind Commander Farsight's coalition -- perhaps the largest fleet of warships, ground troops and accompanying colony ships yet assembled by the T'au Empire. As was customary, several Ethereal Caste members were also part of the expedition. However, there was no need for embellished accounts and initially Aun'Va's choice proved correct, for in the ensuing battles O'Shovah truly established his greatness.

The planet of Arkunasha was settled during the Second Sphere Expansion. Despite the aridity of the oxide deserts that made up the world's surface, the T'au had settled the red planet with a sizeable population. This they had achieved through the tireless work of the Earth Caste's scientists and engineers. This Tau Commander is a rising star in the Velk'Han Sept's Fire Caste. The Ethereal Aun'Kar hand-selected this warrior at a young age and has helped him advance rapidly. As a result, Shas'Vre Ren is unceasingly loyal to Aun'Kar above any other and full of pride to have such a renowned Ethereal's trust. Shas'Vre Ren's Battlesuit was commissioned specifically for him. The glossy instrument of war hasn't so much as a scratch on it and bears the Tau word for "victory."

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United, our will is greater than any other force. We shall inherit the stars, even if we must first cleanse them in blood." Following her successes in the Second Sphere Expansion War, Ja'Vra was promoted to Shas'o and given command of a Breakthrough Contingent involved in the fighting in the Jericho Reach, under the oversight of the Ethereal Aun'Roh. Commander Skyroar's tactical acumen and dogged determination saw her gain a great many victories, but also her greatest defeat. As with most Tau Fire Warriors of the rank of Shas’vre or higher, Tau Commanders will often utilise an XV8 Crisis Battlesuit in combat. The Battlesuit is usually customised to a degree to suit their personal taste. However, due to a Tau Commander’s previous experience in combat, they will be given access to "special issue" weapons, Support Systems, wargear or even prototype Battlesuits. These unusual items will often be experimental in nature or hard for the Earth Caste to mass produce. As such a Tau Commander may be called upon to field-test these items. Many such pieces of equipment may be entirely unique, and only a Tau Commander can be entrusted with the use of them. Such items range from the special issue items in the Tau Battlesuit Armoury, to signature items of rare or experimental technologies and experimental Battlesuits such as the XV22 Stealthsuit and the XV9 Hazard Battlesuit. Farsight's training, much of which was under the direction of the famed strategist Commander Puretide himself, had taught him to use the natural terrain against the foe, and the importance of a bold, decisive stroke to cripple his enemies. Though his training had shown him the value of long range firepower, he nevertheless partially denounced the normal T'au martial philosophy of using ranged combat to the exclusion of almost all other tactics. In doing so, O'Shovah encouraged the aggressive spirit of the Fire Caste in his warriors, and they fought many bitter battles at close range before emerging triumphant.

Pathfinder teams uncovered them. When the Orks mounted one of their fearsome charges, the T'au would hold their ground at the ambush point, kneeling in the rust and laying down a fearsome network of supporting fire that overlapped whenever the Orks came close. Should any greenskin make it through the deadly lattice, they would be charging into a storm of blazing light from the Fire Caste's time-delayed Photon Grenades. If necessary, the surviving greenskins would then be shot at point-blank range or even clubbed to death with the barrels of Pulse Rifles while they reeled from the photon blasts, unable to defend themselves from the vengeful T'au.Weeks later, the planet was in the throes of a full-scale war. An Ork invasion of vast size had descended, slamming giant asteroid fortresses into the planet's dunes. The crudeness of the Ork assault had been its saving grace. O'Shovah's journey from hero to rebel covers three centuries of warfare. Within that great span have been battles that changed the course of history for the T'au Empire, from the most glorious of victories to the deepest pits of recrimination. Though the history that follows is forbidden knowledge within the Sept worlds of the Empire's core, the most fervent supporters of Farsight's cause have it committed to memory. It will continue to be passed on long after his death.