What's the deal with Ethereals? How do they control the rest of the Tau? It can't just be with words. Why is there no record of them before they united the Tau?
>>45611172
well that guy is clearly a necron in disguise, just look at his skull
Pheromones or psychic powers. Never been proven either way.
>>45611172
Brainwashing, Pheromones, a found STC mindcontrol implant, a deal with Chaos. It could be any, none or all of these things.Considering their mary sue status it could just be because their caste is the most fit to lead and thus all the other tau follow without complaint because they are 5000% right.
>>45611172
They have an extra organ in their heads that other tau don't have, strangely this organ is also found in some insect creatures, the queens and what not use it to influence the drones.
Some imperium Magus Biologis is doing an autopsy on one, he later speculates how around the time the etherals began showing up, the eldar had abducted a bunch of the insect things
>>45613428
>the eldar had abducted a bunch of the insect things
Their emperor-queen to be more specific
>>45613530
>>45611172
Pheromones, life-long indoctrination and subtle brainwashing
Because they didn't exist before, they were created and put on the planet by the eldar to alter the course of the tau race, probably for a similar reason elves did something like that with the cult of the lady and the bretonnians in fantasy, an expendable token to be used and discarded at will, or sacrificed for a last chance; whatever it is I'd not bet in a benevolent purpose from the egocentric eldar, even if it was apparently a project kept secret even amongst other eldar, so everything is possible.
>>45613428
>>45613530
>>45613536
Except that doesn't make sense.
Commander Flamewing felt the Ethereals die on the world he was fighting on. This would indicate a psychic connection.
>>45611172
>tfw the tau were actually created by the eldar to be a peace offering to the necron as new bodies for the biotransference in order to unite against the common evils of chaos and nids.
>>45613598
It implies a connection, not necessarily of the psychic kind.
Bad writing.
>>45611172
The organ releases pheromones that make the Tau utterly obedient. Ethereals are basically Kilgrave.
If you put all the pieces from xenology and basic tau background, Its pretty clear that the eldar designed them to be the chaos resistant race that replaces humanity or at least unites all the reasonable xenos races into something that can oppose chaos. Xenology mentions that their organ systems were at different stages of evolution and seemingly modeled after humans. suggesting that the tau were quickly raised up from their stock species into their current form.
>>45613598
Also the whole rage and despair thing that happens to the Tau if an ethereal dies.
If pheromones were the things controlling the Tau, then there would be still in the air making the Tau retain their composure. This is not the case. The Tau instantly fall into rage when an ethereal dies, this indicates that what linked them to the ethereal was cut in the instant of the ethereal's death.
>>45613638
If having emotional reaction to great loss is proof of psychic power then rejoice, the great awakening has begun.
>>45613601
Doesn't make sense because Tau have short life span, which was the reason for necrontyr to switch to metal bodies.
>>45613638
Pheromones explain part of it, but there is still something else to it, some sort of presence that they give off. The Assassin was unable to mimic this
>>45613638
Not true, upon death certain wasps release pheromones that attract other wasps and make them aggressive. Upon death etherals could release sad hormones, or the sudden interruption of constant pheromones could somewhat quickly cause the tau to get sad
>>45613661
Flamewing and his men did not see the Ethereals die with their own eyes. They were on the battlefield away from the ethereals, and yet they fell into despair and rage.
>>45613638
There are animals IRL that release pheromones or other chemicals upon death that cause psychological and even physiological changes in other members of their species. An Ethereal dying might release something that does this.
Alternatively, Tau simply do this in the absence of the Ethereal's pheromones, but as you said, it would not be instantaneous in that case; Games Workshop isn't very good at science though, so I don't feel that necessarily disproves it. We'll probably never know either way, and if the Eldar/Necrons created the Ethereals, then they might be released psychic pheromones or some other bullshit.
Old One's super science.
Then there is Farsight and his people.
They did not regress into savagery without the presence of the ethereals. The Farsight Enclave is a place of harmony between the casts without a need for the ethereals.
In the Mon'tka book, Farsight and his men came into contact with the ethereals once again. They did fall under the influence of the ethereals once again.
PLOTHOLES
I think Farsight still believes in the Greater Good. Only without Ethereals Puppetmasters.
>>45613732
Not plotholes. Just Ethereal propaganda. Then again, Farsight is an immortal anomaly and military dictator at this point.
>>45613601
>Implying Eldar wanna ever make peace with the Necrons
>>45613670
Average Tau have short lifespans. Ethereals can live for hundreds of years.
>>45613673
Almost like the assassin couldn't replicate the pheromones...
The Tau are clearly someone's else pet project. Whoever it is, it made a very well-organized, very efficient, resilient to Chaos, unable to produce psykers, technological and scientifically savy species.
>>45613749
>Then again, Farsight is an immortal anomaly and military dictator at this point.
His men aren't, though
Also we had Farsight and Aun'va talk to each other. I didn't see a point where Aun'Va was getting shocked at Farsight's resistance to his "pheromones".
>>45613784
No need to thank me.
>Farsight's sword was forged by a race older than the Imperium
So..it was forged by theOrks?
>>45613794
Will you reveal yourself someday, sir?
>>45613839
Yessssss.....
Sssssssooooneer than you think.....
>>45613638
>>45613598
Imagine an atmosphere filled in pheromones so advanced they only need a specific bio-electric discharge to change conformation and spread the new conformation in a chain reaction to other pheromones.
That would be the way I'd make them if I had to bioengineer a similar system and had super science at my disposal.
Not being psychicm is their whole point, making the ethereal psychic would be off.
The way the Ethereal's control over the other Tau has been presented in fluff varies a lot.
Personally I prefer it being more aboutt suggestions than outright mind control. An Ethereal, through a combination of pheromones, suggestion, and the fact that Tau are trained from birth to respect and obey them, can make other Tau see that the Etheral is correct and that he should obey him, even if he would previously have disagreed with him.
The Farsight Enclaves book describes Farsight thinking, after the Ethereals that accompanied had died, back to some of the things the Ethereals had done or commanded him to do and how back then the actions had seemed justified and good but now when he thought about them they seemed far less so. In other words, his judgement was clouded in the presence of the Ethereals.
But they can't just full-on mind control the Tau. Farsight still didn't like the Ethereals when he showed up to assist the Tau in Mont'ka, and there are Tau in the empire who secretly sympathise with and support Farsight despite Ethereals declaring him a traitor. Farsight also disobeyed the orders of the Ethereals even before going rogue (putting his friend who had the old model of the Puretide neurochip in stasis until he could figure how to fix the neural degragation it caused, rather than hand him over to the Ethereals, and chasing after the Orks to Arthas Moloch rather than turning back like he was supposed to).
>>45613679
Environmentally sealed suits though
What if their souls are gestalt linked?
"Just as the Kroot hounds are trapped in their feral form, the Krootox are trapped as grazing beasts. I suspect that they have a measure more intelligence, though, and have been impressed by their loyalty to the Kroot. When a Krootox is domesticated, it becomes attached to its masters to the extent that it will die to protect them. Droaken joked that they were as faithful to the Kroot as we are to the Ethereal ones. I chided him that there was more to our devotion than simple reaction to exuded chemical odours. The very thought!"
In any case, the 6th edition codex revealed that they can artificially enhance their innate abilities, whatever those may be, through technology:
>So it was that Aun’Va assumed the role of the Great Leader of his people, assuming the title that translates best as ‘Master of the Undying Spirit’ – or, he that directs the Greater Good. This choice was long ordained, for from his beginning, Aun’Va displayed skills that made him a master of his caste. Even without technological aids, he was able to inspire those nearby to impossible acts or bend their wills to comply with his wishes. When his natural talents were boosted through artificial means, Aun’Va could implant powerful auto-suggestions that would last a lifetime and instil unbreakable loyalty.
>It is whispered by others of the High Council, that when Aun’Va asks a question, he has already given the responder the answer. So natural is his skill, so powerful are his methods, that those who agree with his councils are never sure if it was ever their idea to do so in the first place. In all his long life, there has only been one Tau who was able to defy Aun’Va, and all know that it is best to not mention his name.
>>45614164
>there has only been one Tau who was able to defy Aun’Va, and all know that it is best to not mention his name.
And he's now back working for the Tau Empire!
>>45614187
>And he's now back working for the Tau Empire!
He always worked for the good of the empire. He just doesn't work for the Ethereals agendas
>>45614295
Sorry.
And now he's back working for the Ethereals!
Why does Farsight bar all the Ethereals except Aun'shi? Is it out of respect, a shared agenda or because he is his real master?
>>45614164
>there has only been one Tau who was able to defy Aun’Va, and all know that it is best to not mention his name.
It should be mentioned that Farsight did it to his face while he was working as a Empire Commander.
Farsight's resistance to ethereal powers was never explained. It appears that his resistance even became widespread in his enclave Tau.
PLOTHOLE!
>>45614310
But he isn't, though. His exchange with Aun'va makes that clear.
>>45614314
Part respect, part Aun'shi is his ally. I speculate that Aun'shi desires to reform the Ethereal Caste.
While Farsight respects the guy, he still resents him somewhat and calls him an assassin for what happened in the Rust Wars.
>>45614317
Don't fire warriors bond to a biological level with a blood ritual of sort? maybe it's that that spread the resistance to the ethereals.
That or homosex.
>>45614364
>on't fire warriors bond to a biological level with a blood ritual of sort?
What? No.
They just carve the symbol of their sept on their chests, say some oaths, and then drink a spicy alcohol beverage.
>>45614364
>That or homosex.
Is there anything it doesn't solve?
>marriage knife
>>45614380
Ah, ok, I didn't know the details and assumed there was some exchange of blood.
>>45611172
The emperor himself made the ethereals when he saw that the imperium went to shit after the hh.
He tells them what to do by phoning them through the shallow warp and eventually the empire of the tau (see the similarity to "imperium of man") will conquer all of the imperium and make it great again. t. tzeench
>>45614463
>Make the Imperium great again
>MIGA
>>45614463
>fire wall
>>45614463
>>45614528
>>45614537
Proof that the illuminates have taken over gw and are now hiding hints at what will happen in the real world inside of 40k fluff
>>45613622
/thread
