+ inload: Tau in Tzi'Na +

+ The Tzi'Na Crisis – Tau forces of M41 +

The Tzi'Na Crisis is a campaign between the Tau forces of the Brightsword Protectorate and the invading Curdling Armada, an immense fleet of unsavoury and predatory Chaos raiders.

This article is here to help PCRC Tau players to tell stories within the new region during the campaign. (A similar one is on the way for the Chaos players.) More importantly, perhaps, it's here to make the setting a little clearer! Antona Australis is more than six years old, and has got quite complicated.

The Brightsword Protectorate and surrounding space, M41.

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+ What is the Tzi'Na Enclave? +

The Brightsword Protectorate is a tau-led coalition of worlds, armed forces and space fleets. Under the command of The High Council and its figurehead Aun'El Si'Ot Lon, the Protectorate represents the power and influence of T'au in the Antona Australis sector; intended as a bold and gleaming statement of the young species' intent of galactic dominance. 

In broader terms, the Brightsword Protectorate is the Tau's area of influence in Antona Australis; roughly equivalent in size to an Imperial Subsector. A general space for the PCRC to play with, it is made up of a large circular region and a number of smaller Enclaves. A short bit of 'history' explains this here [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+] in more detail, but the broad points are summarised below.

In-universe: The Tau were so successful that the Protectorate eventually got too big to govern centrally, owing to the Tau's lack of faster-than-light travel and communication. The High Council (see above) therefore set up subsidiary regions called Enclaves. These remain part of the Brightsword Protectorate, but are semi-autonomous. They are responsible for their own protection, taxation etc., but send representatives to The High Council, and can expect support from the broader Protectorate (and in turn from the Tau Empire as a whole).

• Tau Empire > Brightsword Protectorate > Enclave > Individual starsystems > Septs (planets)

Out-of-universe: The Enclaves are a bit of a fudge that allow different PCRC members to create their own personal space for their Tau, and help account for the different stories you guys have written – while still keeping the Tau in the region vaguely united. Stuntwedge created his Starblade Enclave when the region was first set up back in 2013, so I took the name from there. The Tzi'Na Enclave was created to physically connect the main Brightsword Protectorate region to Warmtamale's Deep Reef setting on the sector map.

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+ Okay, I want to join the Tau + 

Cool. You don't need to do anything beyond playing games with your Tau against people's Chaos armies.

+ Join the Tau Empire! Super-dynamic opportunities for advancement! +

+ Aw, but I want to add to the story +

Sweet – now we're talking! As always, the first rule is 'do whatever you like, I'm not your boss'. 

However, if you'd like to build on the basic blocks already laid down, then read on:

+ Tzi'Na Enclave history and notes: +

• The Enclave covers a region that was largely wilderness space. There are lots of minor xenos and abhuman populations, as well as lots of worlds populated only by Tau settlers. Your systems can be ex-Imperial if you like, but most regions are 'fresh'. 
• The Enclave was created following the High Council's Second Sphere Expansion. A fleet was created to liberate the region and establish the Tzi'Na Enclave. 
• The Enclave is relatively new (one or two generations of Tau settlers). Some planets remain independent, but most of the planets have – willingly or unwillingly – submitted to Tau rule. 
• The region as a whole can be treated as an occupied territory. The Tau decided to grant religious freedom, so lots of Chaos Cults sprang up on the ex-Imperial worlds.
• The increased presence of cults drew the interest of Kainan; who became the figurehead for a Black Crusade. He heads the Curdling Armada, which has invaded to conquer the region in the name of the Dark Gods of Chaos.

+ Shas'O Po'Psox +

+ Who's in charge? +

• The High Council is at the top. 
• Below The High Council, and directly responsible for the Enclave's military is the Tau Military Command (TMC).
• Commander Strongheel – also known as Shas'O Po'Psox – is the TMC's representative in the region; and in overall command of all Tau forces. He led the Second Sphere expansion for the Tzi'Na Enclave.
• The TMC is a council of equals; so while Strongheel is the current President, he has no direct authority over your characters, merely political weight. In short, he can't order your guys; though for the sake of fitting in with the broader Tau background, I'd suggest we avoid everyone being a rebel!

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+ How does my existing army fit in? +

All the above has been written in order to make sure that you get to tell your stories. I've been careful not to contradict anything recorded on the PCRC site, so there's no need to change your army's background. However, if you want to update, advance or adapt your army's story, now's as good a time as any. Here are a couple of starting points.

• The PCRC's military commanders – that is, your characters, like Starblade, H'unk, Suna Sene etc. – represent senior officers within the TMC. You decide what relationship they have. Your commander might be a maverick, treating the TMC's orders as advice; or they may be a staunch believer in the Greater Good, and closely influence the TMC's plans.
• The PCRC's Ethereals (Lord T'o'T'o, Aun’El K’myar’sa etc.) are Ethereals, so they can pretty much do what they want. However, unless there's a very good reason, I'd suggest they will all recognise Aun'El Si'Ot Lon (The High Council's figurehead) as their boss.
• You should choose whether your forces are:
• Veterans of the Second Sphere Expansion wars – i.e. the Tau warriors who conquered the region, and who remain as a garrison.
• Newly-raised within the Enclave.
• Reinforcements from the broader Protectorate brought in to fight the invading Curdling Armada.

+ New worlds, new opportunities +

Needless to say, the Tzi'Na Enclave (and the Second Sphere Expansion in general) offers a great opportunity to create a new army, or develop second-line characters a bit further. 

+Stuntwedge's Kais-Eoro oversaw the victory in Heyn'Am. What will he do next? +

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+ To create a star system for your Tau +

Use this link [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+]. Stuntwedge's template makes everything nice and clear, so just fill in the boxes.

• If you want to be a good, loyal Tau citizen, and part of the main Protectorate, then your system should sit near the following co-ordinates: X:85 Y:35 (you fill these in near the bottom of the form, under 'Star Map Settings'). That site is the centre of the Protectorate region – keep the values within five or so to make sure you're within it (or test and adjust with the edit function).
• If you want to be a dynamic frontier colonist, and part of the Tzi'Na Enclave, your system should sit near the following co-ordinates: X:75 Y:38. Again, that marks the centre. Keep the values with three or so to stay within the Enclave.

This system is for you and you alone. It can be your army's homeworld, or – if you don't want your troops permanently settled in Antona Australis for whatever reason (e.g. an existing story you've written) – it can simply be a place they use as a staging post. If anyone wants to invade or do something to this region, they ought to check with you first. 

As an Imperial example, Lambda is the system where my Lamb's World guard come from. If someone wants to invade it/blow it up/have their character declare Exterminatus on it, it would be nice to be consulted beforehand. In contrast, Cha'Anxi is another system I've made – and its entire raison d'etre is to provide a setting for us to have battles, write stories etc. Feel free to do whatever there – and events in-games should definitely have an effect.

The same approach can be used to create a new system to fight over. As explained above, these are fair game for anyone to use. Here are the broad strokes of Tzi'Na to help guide you in creating systems and provide some inspiration for writing background that fits the existing background:

+ Warmtamale's Sune Sene has a whole history to write+

+ Naming +

• As per above, the PCRC first rule applies – 'do what you want'.
• I've been using slightly re-worded Chinese and Korean towns/regions as the basis for the systems' names, to give a semi-coherent feel to the region.
• Not all the systems you create need to be Tau septs, so feel free to bring in other influences. I would, however, suggest that most systems should have a Tau feel to them.
• The enclave's a pun on the New Wave band China Crisis, so feel free to add some classic dreadful 80s references.

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+ But I'm not in the PCRC +

While it's written for our gaming group, there's nothing to stop you using this inload to provide some guidelines or ideas for your own gaming. 

Antona Australis is our little corner of the 40k galaxy – but even so, it's a big place. Doubtless there are Tau forces we'll never identify fighting against some offshoot of the Curdling Armada – why not tell their story with your own games?