Mal'aav

Tau Portal

Mal'aav is a T'au Empire Vespid^[1c] Royal Bodyguard Stingwing,^[1b] that is charged with protecting its species' leader strains.^[1a][1c]

History

In late M41, Mal'aav and the Mal'bas^[1c] Royal Stingwing,^[1b] were charged with taking a Vespid leader strain pupa to undergo "conditioning" by a team sent by the T'au Empire. After leaving their isolated Vespid Hive, however,^[1a] they were attacked by Captain Urotriorchis' Shadow Hawks strike force.^[1c] The Space Marines were intent on capturing the pupa for the Ordo Xenos^[1a] and their initial attack caught the Stingwings by surprise. Mal'aav bore the brunt of the Shadow Hawks' wrath and most of its members were slain by the Castraferrum Dreadnought Buteogallus. The only survivors were the Royal Stingwing's Strain Leader and one other Vespid, who covered the retreat of Mal'bas who began escaping with the pupa.^[1c]

Despite their losses, the Royal Stingwings succeeded in surviving until the T'au Empire team, led by the Shas'el Commander Braun'wa, to arrive at the Vespid Hive.^[1c] Time was now of the essence for both sides, as Braun'wa had to stop the Shadow Hawks before they could escape with the pupa, while the Space Marines had to complete their mission before the T'au could send a large force against them.^[1d] Unfortunately for the Commander, his forces arrived in a piecemeal fashion, instead of a united front. Braun'wa and Team Bork'hal were the first to enter the battle and by then only Mal'aav's Strain Leader still lived. However he soon fled, after being rammed by Tactical Squad Butastur's Rhino. While Braun'wa^[1c] and most of his forces were later killed,^[1c][1d] their intervention kept the Shadow Hawks at bay long enough, that the Space Marines had no choice but to retreat without the pupa.^[1d]

Trivia

The following information is not to be regarded as officially sanctioned and/ or is not written from an in-universe point of view. A detailed explanation of the term "Trivia" as used in the Lexicanum can be found here.

• Mal'aav and Mal'bas^[1c] were created by the Games Workshop employee Marc Raley. They were featured on an older version of Games Workshop's website.^[1b]

Sources

• 1: Games Workshop: Specimen Collection: Scenario and Battle Report (Saved archive page, dated 15 Jun 2006, last accessed 19 Sept 2024, original link: http://us.games-workshop.com/games/40k/tau/gaming/vespids/default.htm)
  • 1a: Scenario (Saved archive page, dated 19 Jun 2006, last accessed 19 Sept 2024, original link: http://us.games-workshop.com/games/40k/tau/gaming/vespids/scenario.htm)
  • 1b: Tau Force (Saved archive page, dated 19 Jun 2006, last accessed 19 Sept 2024, original link: http://us.games-workshop.com/games/40k/tau/gaming/vespids/1.htm)
  • 1c: Setup - Turn 3 (Saved archive page, dated 19 Jun 2006, last accessed 19 Sept 2024, original link: http://us.games-workshop.com/games/40k/tau/gaming/vespids/3.htm)
  • 1d: Turn 4 - Conclusion (Saved archive page, dated 19 Jun 2006, last accessed 19 Sept 2024, original link: http://us.games-workshop.com/games/40k/tau/gaming/vespids/4.htm)