# Gue'vasa psykers



## GabrialSagan (Sep 20, 2009)

At some point the Tau will have to deal with the reality that among their human population there are people who can read minds, make things explode at will and summon daemons. How do you think the Tau will deal with that sort of thing?


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

The tau, at least ethereals know of them, what happens to em is never said.

Fire Caste, the water caste is well aware that there are 'humans have special individual with abilities to the less informed would seem like magic.' and 'tales of 'demons''.

More than likely the humans in the tau held human worlds/settlements deal with them in house or the tau have some kind of black ops squad. No doubt the tau catch some and experiment on em.


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## Stormxlr (Sep 11, 2013)

They always could "try' to develop a psychic nullifier? 
Most likely though train em to be combat psykers for the Greater Good, right?
I dont think there are a lot of books that deal with humans under Tau rule, if any, that actually would be interesting to read.


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

Stormxlr said:


> They always could "try' to develop a psychic nullifier?
> Most likely though train em to be combat psykers for the Greater Good, right?
> I dont think there are a lot of books that deal with humans under Tau rule, if any, that actually would be interesting to read.


The only one that has more than a couple of sentences is fire caste and even then it was from a military/imperial point.


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## Moriouce (Oct 20, 2009)

Since the Tau forbid the Kroot to eat psykers, I guess they would have anyone execute any psyker that showed any powers. For the Greater Good ofcause.


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

Moriouce said:


> Since the Tau forbid the Kroot to eat psykers, I guess they would have anyone execute any psyker that showed any powers. For the Greater Good ofcause.


They did? I don't know that the Tau forbid the kroot from eating anything. I know the shapers forbid eating of Tau, chaos tainted x, and nids (I think). The last 2 are posiones/drives em mad and the Tau they don't want to upset them tau.


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## Jacobite (Jan 26, 2007)

GabrialSagan said:


> At some point the Tau will have to deal with the reality that among their human population there are people who can read minds, make things explode at will and summon daemons. How do you think the Tau will deal with that sort of thing?


Your also forgetting that more often than not they won't have much control over their "powers", go mad and/or be possessed by said deamons. Sounds like a "pulse round to the back of the head as soon as they are found" solution to me.


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## GabrialSagan (Sep 20, 2009)

Jacobite said:


> Your also forgetting that more often than not they won't have much control over their "powers", go mad and/or be possessed by said deamons. Sounds like a "pulse round to the back of the head as soon as they are found" solution to me.


The thing with the tau is that part of their ethos is that every problem has a solution, they call it Da'noh. Psykers are a powerful resource, one that humanity has harnessed to great effect. The Ethereals are not the type to give up on solving a problem like that.


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## hailene (Aug 28, 2009)

My best guess? An explosive collar with some sort of machine to detect daemonic possession or taint. As soon as some threshold is met or a Tau of sufficient rank feels something untoward is happening, *boom*!

Doesn't solve everything, but I think this would be a reasonable first step measure. If this doesn't work, I imagine something more...drastic would probably be done.


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

Stormxlr said:


> I dont think there are a lot of books that deal with humans under Tau rule, if any, that actually would be interesting to read.


One of the Cain novels takes place on a planet under Tau and Imperium rule, with negotiations taking place. So granted, it's from Cains views (along with the odd extract from Inquisitor Vails favourite General, the generally insufferable Sulla) and not fully under Tau control, but it give interesting insight nonetheless.



GabrialSagan said:


> The thing with the tau is that part of their ethos is that every problem has a solution, they call it Da'noh. Psykers are a powerful resource, one that humanity has harnessed to great effect. The Ethereals are not the type to give up on solving a problem like that.


Well a pulse round to the back of the head is a solution technically. A blunt and inelegant solution i'll admit, but it still solves the problem.


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## GabrialSagan (Sep 20, 2009)

Angel of Blood said:


> One of the Cain novels takes place on a planet under Tau and Imperium rule, with negotiations taking place. So granted, it's from Cains views (along with the odd extract from Inquisitor Vails favourite General, the generally insufferable Sulla) and not fully under Tau control, but it give interesting insight nonetheless.
> 
> 
> 
> Well a pulse round to the back of the head is a solution technically. A blunt and inelegant solution i'll admit, but it still solves the problem.


It is a solution, but not as efficient a solution as the Imperium's. I don't think the Tau would accept that the Imperium can do something better than they can.


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

GabrialSagan said:


> It is a solution, but not as efficient a solution as the Imperium's. I don't think the Tau would accept that the Imperium can do something better than they can.


Tossing most of them into a 'furnace'? The trained psykers are only the cream of the crop the vast majority are fed to the golden throne/emperor.


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## GabrialSagan (Sep 20, 2009)

Those cream of the crop psykers are still an edge that the Imperium has on the Tau, an edge that I am sure the Ethereals would want for themselves.


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## emporershand89 (Jun 11, 2010)

Honestly though GabrialSagan the Tau are nullified to the effects of the Warp; and barely register in the flows and ebbs of the Emperium itself. In short why would the Ethereals, leaders of a psyker-free society, want to introduce or risk introducing something that is more dangerous than beneficial. 

The Tau rock the field of technology, they dominate in battlefield tactics, and their moral is a helluvah lot higher than many of the Imperial Army's they come up against. With the exception of the Damocles Crusade the Tau have lost very little of their holdings to the Imperium, and, IMHO, can dominate most of the weapons the Imperium of Man has to throw at them. Why are they worried?

I would think the psyker's, if used at all by the Tau leadership, would be used against the Hive-Mind to combat the Nids that threaten the Tau. Otherwise, as others have said, they are probably rounded up as "defective allies" and summarily executed.


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## Karthak (Jul 25, 2010)

Ethereals exterminating all psykers? I sincerely doubt that. The Nicassar have been part of the empire for a long time, and isn't the entire species psychic?


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

Karthak said:


> Ethereals exterminating all psykers? I sincerely doubt that. The Nicassar have been part of the empire for a long time, and isn't the entire species psychic?


Yes. But we are talking about human psykers.


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## hailene (Aug 28, 2009)

emporershand89 said:


> Honestly though GabrialSagan the Tau are nullified to the effects of the Warp; and barely register in the flows and ebbs of the Emperium itself.


Barely register, yes, but they are no means protected from Warp powers. Psyker generated lightning would toast a firewarrior as easily as a guardsman.



emporershand89 said:


> In short why would the Ethereals, leaders of a psyker-free society, want to introduce or risk introducing something that is more dangerous than beneficial.


The same reason why the Imperium mostly shoulders them--Navigators and Astropaths.

The Tau are limited to short dives into the Immaterium. This limits their expansion. Navigators would be one solution.

Tau long-range communication is limited by courier or message drones. Both are much slower than an astropathic message.


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## Creon (Mar 5, 2009)

The Tau have FTL travel without exposure to the Warp. No Gellar Field needed. It's a major advantage. That they expand slower is not really a disadvantage, as they don't have the population to fill worlds fast like the Imperium. And so far the Imperium hasn't called a Crusade against the Tau, which would be the test. And remember, the emperor "foresaw" the rise of the Tau, and said they should be protected. So they're not likely to trigger off a crusade at this time.


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

Creon said:


> stuff


Couple things the tau ftl doesn't get far enough into the warp to warent a geller field. 
Along with the pop situation since most tau expanses are planned and move in phases, diplomats, then soldiers where the diplomats failed.

YEAH the Imp has, the Democles Crusade, the Imp forces ground to a complete halt as soon as the encountered the first tau world, Vior'la, That being said they handed the tau's first humans their own asses. Then while the first hive fleet caused the imperium to ask for a peace treaty.












Please tell me where this happened.


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## Jacobite (Jan 26, 2007)

Creon said:


> The Tau have FTL travel without exposure to the Warp. No Gellar Field needed. It's a major advantage. That they expand slower is not really a disadvantage, as they don't have the population to fill worlds fast like the Imperium. And so far the Imperium hasn't called a Crusade against the Tau, which would be the test. And remember, the emperor "foresaw" the rise of the Tau, and said they should be protected. So they're not likely to trigger off a crusade at this time.


A) Slower warp travel is a major disadvantage as it prevents them from responding to threats quickly or taking advantage of breakthroughs as they cannot redeploy and re-enforce with the speed that the Imperium can. 

B) Damocles Crusade (clue is in the name).

C) When the Tau were first discovered their planet was ear marked for extermination and seeding for human colonization however warp storms cut them off and prevented this from happening. Nothing to do with the Emperor protecting them.


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## Creon (Mar 5, 2009)

Slower warp travel sure makes the individual worlds have to defend themselves more, I agree. But not having starships vanish from failed Gellar Fields is an advantage. 

I don't disagree there's a historical crusade. But from what I recall, it worked until nids showed up. 

As to Gue'vesa psykers, without the imperial sanctioned training and black ships, eventually psykers are all focuses of demonic power. I can't see the Tau putting up with that sort of chaotic danger for something they really don't need. Also, Battleglobes are very fast, and can be the vanguard and reserve for Tau. 

Also, the Tau don't feel comfortable with things they don't understand. Until they understand the incomprehensible ever-changing warp, They won't use it.


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## Jacobite (Jan 26, 2007)

Battleglobes? Do you mean Battlesuits? Kroot Warspheres?


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

Creon said:


> stff


Correction it was Dal'yth, pg 15, the imperial forces grounded to a halt before the nids, again says was the first tau world 'unlike before the imperium was not facing a newly conquered world'. The nids showed up the imperium request a peace meeting.

What in the 7 lvls of hell are you talking about, battleglobes, if you are talking about a warsphere those things are slow.


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## Jacobite (Jan 26, 2007)

I think you are over simplifying the Damocles Gulf Crusade a bit. First of all the Crusade wasn't an extermination mission. It was a Crusade to reclaim the worlds on the Imperial Side of the Gulf who had either been annexed by or seceded to the Tau. At first the Imperium smashed through these worlds as you say however it is noted that towards the end they were beginning to find it harder and harder to keep up the pace they had developed as the worlds became more "Tau"ified (in effect). This was the original objective of the Crusade and it had been achieved. However the Imperium continued to press the advantage they had and crossed the Gulf. This is entirely understandable, they had been winning, they had the enemy on the backfoot and for all they knew the worlds on the otherside of the Gulf were similar to ones on their side. 

They soon found this wasn't the case though. When they reach Dal'yth the Imperium and Tau reach a stalemate, the Imperium can't break through it but the Tau can't force them off it. The Imperium's supply lines at this point are extended as they didn't expect to get this far (they only meant to take back their own worlds on their side of the Gulf) and they have run into a far stronger foe than they had previously. They are eventually forced to withdraw back across the Gulf. There seems to be some conflict in the fluff about when the Nid’s appeared and caused the following redeployment of troops. The Tau dex implies it was after the Imperial withdrawal but the SM dex implies it was before the Imperium invades Dal’yth. The Farsight Supp implies it was after the invasion but before the withdrawal. The Damocles Gulf Crusade happens in 742.M41 while the First Tyrannic War is in 745.M41. I can’t seem to find an exact date fo the Invasion of Dal’yth. Possibly the new Nid dex or that stupid fucking unnecessary UM sup can shed some more light on it. 

Regardless the Imperium pulled out of Tau space because they were over extended and were in danger of losing what foothold they had. It says in the Tau dex that their ability to maintain orbit was becoming tenuous. A peace was made which allowed the Imperium to withdraw unmolested. Apparently it was the Water Caste who had offered this rather than the Imperium requesting it (Farsight Supp). I imagine the Ethereals were doing since they saw the Imperium was on the back foot but continuing to fight, the hope being that the sooner the Imperium buggered off the better be it by the pen or the sword. The Imperials, on the other hand, could have known about the Nids (three different sources give different impressions) or they didn’t want too lose a large amount of their forces (Astartes in particular) in a pointless war, even if they broke Dal’yth then there would be many more like it. For the Tau the longer the fighting went on the more likely that the Imperium could get re-enforcements and the Ethereals knew that in a competition of blood for blood the Imperium would crush the,. For whatever combination of reasons the Imperium pulled out and back across the Gulf to re-enforce and prepared to return or at the very least contain the Tau problem. But that didn’t happen. The redeployment of their forces following their withdrawal was to combat the Nids (amongst other things). This stripping of assets from the Damocles Gluf was what allowed the Tau, under Farsight, to reclaim the worlds they had lost.


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## GabrialSagan (Sep 20, 2009)

Creon said:


> As to Gue'vesa psykers, without the imperial sanctioned training and black ships, eventually psykers are all focuses of demonic power.


I used to think that was true. Until Faith and Coin came out and I read page 11. It talks about a planet that had been ruled for generations by a psyker aristocracy without any mention of daemonic taint or chaos worship. So clearly, while some psykers can act as daemonic portals, there is no need to assume that untrained psykers succumb to temptation.


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## Rems (Jun 20, 2011)

GabrialSagan said:


> I used to think that was true. Until Faith and Coin came out and I read page 11. It talks about a planet that had been ruled for generations by a psyker aristocracy without any mention of daemonic taint or chaos worship. So clearly, while some psykers can act as daemonic portals, there is no need to assume that untrained psykers succumb to temptation.


Take anything not directly produced by GW with a grain of salt. In the hierarchy of canon, external 3rd party stuff ranks pretty low. 

Obviously though those psykers are not untrained if they've formed and reserved a ruling class for the planet. They've obviously learn't to control their powers or they wouldn't be able to function and hold power. 

A psyker is not guaranteed to fall to daemonic possession but being untrained greatly magnifies the risk. Psykers are blazing beacons in the warp for daemonic entities. An untrained or unaware psyker is at more risk than a trained and warded psyker who can protect his mind and knows the limits of his powers.


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## GabrialSagan (Sep 20, 2009)

Rems said:


> Take anything not directly produced by GW with a grain of salt. In the hierarchy of canon, external 3rd party stuff ranks pretty low.
> 
> Obviously though those psykers are not untrained if they've formed and reserved a ruling class for the planet. They've obviously learn't to control their powers or they wouldn't be able to function and hold power.
> 
> A psyker is not guaranteed to fall to daemonic possession but being untrained greatly magnifies the risk. Psykers are blazing beacons in the warp for daemonic entities. An untrained or unaware psyker is at more risk than a trained and warded psyker who can protect his mind and knows the limits of his powers.


Truth. My point is that there is no reason to assume that the Imperium has a monopoly on trained psykers. The Tau are not stupid, any species that can make a nuclear reactor is bound to understand the idea that great reward comes with great risk and requires care and vigilance. The Tau were introduced to psykers through the nicosar and now have a population of thousands if not millions of psykers to call on in their quest to propagate the Greater Good. They understand that their are risk but they also know those risks are manageable because humans have successfully managed them.


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## emporershand89 (Jun 11, 2010)

hailene said:


> The Tau are limited to short dives into the Immaterium. This limits their expansion. Navigators would be one solution.
> 
> Tau long-range communication is limited by courier or message drones. Both are much slower than an astropathic message.


This is true Hailene, however I feel this is at the Core of what the Tau represent. The Tau are Xeno, more technologically and culturally advanced from humanity, and enjoy a better standard of living than the average Imperial Citizen. To me the Tau give us a glimpse of what writers thought the early days of humanity may have looked like before the Emporer arrived. Yes their Comminications are Slow and their Travel time is longer. In their defense I'd say they have to deal with less ships being lost in the Emperium, and less incidents of rogue psykers within their Empire.


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## hailene (Aug 28, 2009)

emporershand89 said:


> his is true Hailene, however I feel this is at the Core of what the Tau represent


You asked why the Tau would want psykers--potentially dangerous psykers--in their society. I gave you the reason.

The Tau's ability to spread as a single, unified empire is extremely limited by both their communication and fleet speeds. If they want to become a major player on the galactic scale, not on the piddly little 300 LY sphere they currently have, they need a way to get to places faster.

Psykers are one (of many) ways to do so.

This answered your earlier inquiry of why the Etherals would want human psykers.


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