Aun'shi

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Aun'shi is a member of the Tau Ethereal Caste in the fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe.

In what was supposed to be his final assignment before retirement on the peaceful planet of Au'taal, he was sent to the planet of Kel'tyr, to oversee a mining colony dealing with feral Ork tribes.

During the inspection of the town of Fio'vash, the town came under attack by one such tribe of Orks, intent upon capturing the mine workings there. When the Shas'vre in charge of the Fire Warrior garrison was killed, Aun'shi dispatched a messenger and Stealth Suit team to the capital for help and led the defense himself, slaughtering Orks by the dozen armed with only his Honour Blade.

As dusk fell, Aun'shi and less than fifty Fire Warriors remained to protect the town. The Tau fell back to a barricaded shrine in the centre of town, where they prepared to make their final stand. Aun'shi stood at the door to the shrine and stood his ground, never moving even when the doors themselves were ripped from their frames. Suddenly, the Orks were thrown into disarray as massed Tau reinforcements attacked, Devilfish troop carriers, Hammerhead tanks, and Broadside battlesuits dropping from the sky, quickly devastating the Ork mobs and scattering the survivors. Aun'shi still stood at the shrine's door, his honour blade slick with greenskin blood. The Ethereal shrine still stood, and the mines of Fio'vash remained in Tau hands.

His defense of Fio'vash was considered a great victory, despite the horrendous casualties suffered by the Tau. When word reached the Ethereals on T'au, it was decreed that Aun'shi would continue to serve the Greater Good and expand the Tau Empire, instead of retiring. Aun'shi is considered to be a hero by the Fire Caste, and a huge marble bust of him was erected in the battledomes of Vior'la.

Presently, Aun'shi is reported to be leading an expedition to the Farsight Enclaves.

[edit] Modelling

In the rules presented for the tabletop game in Warhammer 40,000: Codex Tau (Haines et al., 2001), Aun'shi could be wielded as an HQ choice in a Tau army. He could either go into battle as an independent character or accompany a Fire Warrior squad into battle as a command squad. In addition to his special rules he is also used as a normal Ethereal Caste member, as his model was the only Ethereal model with an Honour Blade. He is not mentioned in the updated rules (Hoare, 2006), but an article about him is available on the official Warhammer 40,000 website [1], although he is now just a "regular" Ethereal Caste member.

[edit] Notable quotes

"I have taken great pains not to laugh at the actions of aliens, nor to weep at them or to hate them, but to understand them."

"How ironic it is that as fast as we spread progress and hope throughout the galaxy, the Tyranids spread death and despair. Only united can we hope to stand against them."

[edit] References

• Chambers, Andy; Haines, Pete, and McNeill, Graham (2001). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Tau. Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-098-6. 
• Hoare, Andy (2006). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Tau Empire. Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-712-3. 
• Master of the Blade – Aun'shi, Hero of Fio'vash. Games Workshop. Retrieved on April 20, 2006.