The galaxy-shaking Arks of Omen series continues this Saturday when book three, Vashtorr, arrives for pre-order, and now we look ahead to the next instalment in this momentous narrative – Arks of Omen: Farsight. Our eponymous hero – though some would dispute the title – has been on the front lines of the T’au Empire for centuries,* but many still wonder: who actually is Commander Farsight?
Before we join the renegade commander and his phenomenal new battlesuit fighting Orks at the edge of T’au space, a history lesson is in order – and it’s one the Ethereals would rather you didn’t know.
Shas’o Vior’la Shovah Kais Mont’yr – or O’Shovah to his friends – started life as a Fire Caste soldier from the world of Vior’la. Like all gifted students he really got on his instructors’ nerves, but the young Fire Warrior distinguished himself, winning the name ‘Shoh’** and eventually earning the Hero’s Mantle – the right to pilot a battlesuit.
His excellence during his Trial by Fire*** earned Shoh the personal tutelage of Commander Puretide, the greatest military mind in the history of the Empire. Together with another, less hot-blooded prodigy, he devoured everything this aging soldier could teach. Farsight came to master Mont’ka – the Killing Blow – over all other forms of warfare, and put it to shockingly effective use against the Damocles Gulf Crusade when the Imperium knocked on the T’au Empire’s door.
Fate struck again when Farsight found himself on a dead world named Arthas Moloch. Here he was attacked by mysterious red-skinned aliens never before seen by the Empire. The expedition’s attendant Ethereals were slain by these bloodthirsty creatures, who appeared seemingly from nowhere, and only the discovery of a strange talisman and conveniently battlesuit-sized sword allowed Farsight to close the portal disgorging the attackers.
The experience left Farsight more than a little rattled. Now aware of the existence of Chaos, amongst the galaxy’s other unpleasant secrets, he came to see the Ethereals’ guidance as something far more sinister – control. Unwilling to follow any longer, but knowing that his fresh new outlook wouldn’t wash with the wider Empire, he took his Dawn Blade into self-imposed exile in his new Farsight Enclaves.
This schism became a cautionary tale to Fire Caste Commanders, who are taught that hubris and arrogance led to the former hero’s downfall. Despite this, Farsight returned during the Fifth Sphere Expansion to help his old classmate Shadowsun kick the Imperium out of Mu’gulath Bay – the apparent death of Aun’va no doubt giving him a chuckle.****
Since then, O’Shovah has returned to his Enclaves to end the War of Dakka – a bizarre conflict in which the Orks seem determined to out-shoot the T’au or die trying. So when one of Vashtorr’s Arks of Omen shows up to throw an almighty spanner in the works, Farsight might just feel the tug of the Blood God once more…
We haven’t even talked about the Eight, Farsight’s personal bodyguard of elite battlesuit pilots – with an Earth Caste engineer and an AI drone-pilot along for the ride. Luckily, Warhammer+ subscribers can find plenty on them and the Farsight Enclaves as a whole in the Warhammer Vault, where lore from previous publications like Codex Supplement: Farsight Enclaves and War Zone Damocles are available to be browsed at your leisure.
* Far, far longer than the normal lifespan for the T’au, it should be noted.
** Shoh means ‘inner light’ – T’au names tend to evolve throughout their lives.
*** A test of skill and fortitude required to advance through the ranks of the Fire Caste.
**** The Ethereal Supreme has since been replaced by an AI hologram, as it was felt the T’au Empire wouldn’t survive his passing. Quite an achievement, given it lasted millennia before he showed up…