When the Tau ventured outward from the cradle of their home star system,
they did so as burning sparks of life in a dying galaxy. They have emerged on the interstellar
stage as a rising sun in the East, bringing with them the light of progress and harmony.
Of the endless multitude of races that have expanded into the void,
none can match the Tau’s dynamism, unity of purpose and superb grasp of technology.
From a once empty and desolate region of space has come an Empire. Toxic planets transformed
into lush worlds shining with industry, commerce and culture. Artificial planets,
orbital docks and strings of relay stations binding together an entire civilization
in a way that few before have ever achieved. As their Empire relentlessly expands, the Tau have
an unshakeable belief that the galaxy is theirs to rule. And that no matter how long it may take,
there is no power in the universe that will not one day accept the superiority of their culture,
and their destiny as the true emissaries of The Greater Good.
But the unshakeable ideology that drives the Tau onwards is built on a foundation of ignorance.
Only a few among their kind have begun to grasp the true nature of the universe,
and their place within it. Yet even those Tau with a vague awareness of the powers that shape
the galaxy refuse to accept that the stars around which their worlds now orbit were once crafted and
shattered on the whims of ancient monsters. Or that long before their ancestors had mastered
fire, living gods warred against one another bringing to ruin the realm of their creator.
Or that as the Tau look outwards to the galaxy with hope and optimism,
the galaxy looks back on them as nothing more than a trivial realm of naive children.
The ignorance of the Tau has emboldened their empire to accomplish wonders,
but has just as often been exploited by outsiders, bringing with them terror, death, and desolation.
It is a lesson the Tau have learned to their sorrow,
time and time again. But never as costly as during the War of Dark Revelations.
The Tau Empire gained a healthy fear of the Tyranid Hive Fleets after one such swarm,
Hive Fleet Gorgon, was barely repelled after entering Tau space. With the threat of other Hive
Fleets imminent, the Empire desperately sought out new technologies, advantages or allies wherever
they might be found. In the closing years of the 41st Millienium, with the Tau world of Vigos
threatened by a tendril of Hive Fleet Kraken, a unique opportunity had seemingly presented itself.
As the Tau defenders of Vigos prepared for the arrival of the Hive Fleet,
their High Command was approached by a strange individual from a race they had
never before encountered. Calling himself “Urien Rakarth”, he offered the services of his Coven;
The Prophets of Flesh. All he asked for in exchange was that once the battle was won,
the Tau would consent to what he called a “cultural exchange”. Eager both for allies,
and to spread the tenets of the Greater Good, the Tau accepted without hesitation.
When the skies above Vigos were darkened by the arrival of countless Tyranid bioforms,
Rakarth’s warriors quickly proved their worth.
Seen as grotesque by their Tau allies, they nevertheless seemed impervious to pain and cut
a swathe of carnage through the Tyranids faster than the eye could follow. In their wake, came
legions of gruesome machines, seemingly formed from mechanical and biological components alike.
Together, these allies were decisive in the defense of Vigos, and while the tactics of the
strangers were stomach-churning, the Tau Defenders could not help but be impressed. Once the last of
the Tyranids had been struck down, Urien Rakarth” returned to name his price. For the assistance of
his Coven, he demanded seventy-seven Tau from each of their societal Castes be handed over to him,
as well as seven Ethereals. Though the Ethereals, the highest leaders among the
Tau could not be traded under any circumstances, they agreed to the remainder of Rakarth’s demand.
During the next phase of the war against Hive Fleet Kraken, the Tau and their allies began
a focused counter-attack. Again the Prophets of Flesh were decisive against the Tyranids,
especially the new weapon they had deployed to the battlefield. They were towering forms of
flesh and bone, ribs protruding from a weeping mass of scar tissue. Eldritch viles tore into
their backs and stomachs, bubbling with glowing liquids. Needles were half-buried in their skins
and wounds pulled apart by biting hooks. They screamed and moaned in despair as
they tore their way through Hive Fleet Kraken emerging victorious after 6 days of butchery.
But amongst the Tau that fought alongside them, a terrible suspicion had begun to form.
Footage of the battle captured by their drones and warriors, revealed that the newest weapons crafted
by the Prophets of Flesh bore strips of skin of a striking similarity to the blue-grey flesh of the
Tau themselves. Within seconds of the realization of what had become of their “Cultural Exchange”,
Rakarth transmitted his new demand to the Tau High Command;
Seven Etherals, or 7,077 other Tau in their place.
Furious at Rakarth’s treachery, fleet reserves were mobilized from the nearby
Tau world of Rubikon. As they engaged their former ally in orbit of Vigos,
they found his starships to be nothing more than mirages, tricks of light and shadow. It was then
that the first distress calls from their headquarters were received. The Tau Fleet raced
with all possible speed back to Rubikon, but the planet they had departed was now unrecognizable.
Where there had once been great cities, there were now only ruins
and the unmistakable signs of struggle, death and slaughter. Yet not a single body was found.
Not a single Tau of any Caste, remained on Rubikon, nor any of its precious Ethereals.
Within “Commorrah”, the vast capital of the Drukhari, are said to be great and terrible
arenas. Beneath the laughter of countless shadows, the finest warriors from every race across the
galaxy are tormented by lone gladiators, against which they have no chance. Few among the Tau have
any knowledge of this place, for the War of Dark Revelations has been buried by the Etherals to
keep the dream of the Greater Good alive. Those burdened with the knowledge that Tau
captives were taken from Rubikon to a realm of torture, forever beyond the reach of the Tau,
must hope that they have long since been given a quick death. But it is a hope built on ignorance,
for any who have come to know the Drukhari well, know that no-one dies quickly in the Dark City.