Some Thoughts on Tau

What follows are some of my thoughts on Tau, and how they will be treated in Embers. 

The Tau are the youngest faction in 40k by an incredible amount, a fact that colors all aspects of their interactions with the galaxy. On the upside this youth gives them a level of flexibility lacking in more established powers, and makes them the only group in 40k to be making constant improvements to their technology. On the downside they lack the hard won experience with the dangers of the galaxy that all other factions have, leading them to make countless, often disasters mistakes. 

By the time of Embers the Tau civilization is a good bit more mature then it is in 40k, with thousands of years of technological research both improving their technology by a major amount and increasing the difficulty of future improvements even as they lean about the dangers of the galaxy. This means that while the Tau are not able to improve their technology at the same rate that they once did by now they have been able to work out how to combat even the more insidious threats of the galaxy. The sheer length of time that they have been around has also allowed them to better streamline their civilization to operate on the scale needed for even a minor galactic power and to make better use of their non Tau auxiliaries. 

The Tau are the only civilized race in 40k that has not been though an incredibly traumatic catastrophe, such as the First Age of Strife, the Fall of the Eldar or the War in Heaven. This gives strength to their naive belief in their own manifest destiny to spread the Greater Good across the galaxy. As such most Tau can not really picture any long term defeats for the Tau Empire, and it is unknown how they will deal with it if such a defeat occurs. 

Technologically the Tau have not reached near as far as pretty much every other race, with even the Orks having the odd bit of technology greater then what the Tau can produce. However the one great technological advantage of the Tau is there complete understanding of their own tech base, which allows them to equip the vast majority of their forces with technology not that far below their best. It was this that allowed them to provide even the most humble Fire Warrior with a Pulse Rifle superior to an Imperial Bolter in the 41st Millennium, providing the illusion that they were technologically superior to the humans. By Embers it allows the Tau to provide their entire army with power armour with several advanced systems developed out of those used by Battlesuits in the past. Modern Tau Battlesuits as expected have ever more powerful technologies integrated into them. The Tau technology is very Materium based, following a path closer to what Necrontyr once trod then to any other faction. This again reduces the maximum potential of their technology while allowing them to field larger amounts of near top-of-the-line technology. 

The Taus greatest mystery is exactly who is responsible for the Ethereals, and possibly for their rapid technological booms. Theories range from the Ethereals being the creation of Tau equivalent of the Emperor, the Old Ones or even some other as yest unknown force.   

At war the Tau rely on their advanced, mass produced technology to give them superior firepower and mobility, doing all that they can to prevent the battle becoming a close range brawl.