Nicassar

Tau Portal

The Nicassar are a psychic xenos race who were the first addition to the T'au Empire.^{[1][Conflicting sources]}

Biology

The Nicassar are highly psychic. Fearing that the Imperium's distrust of psykers would intensify their already dangerous xenophobia, the T'au have carefully kept them hidden from humans.^[1]

Physically, Nicassars are ursine in appearance and have ivory hair-quills and stubby, clawed limbs.^[4] They possess no eyes, instead sensing their surroundings with psychic abilities generated by glands in their avian skulls.^[2][3] Nicassar are described as having long, furred snouts.^[4]

When communicating with T'au, a Nicassar always floats in a special healsphere.^[2] They are described as having limited mobility and being unfit for ground combat, and so further the Greater Good by providing ships for the Tau fleet, especially for the roles of scouting and exploring.^[1] The Nicassar are driven by an insatiable curiosity to explore and travel and are semi-nomadic and most content when traveling. They are able to place themselves into a state of hibernation, allowing them to survive for long periods.^[1]

The Nicassar also have a prophecy of doom known as the Hollowing, which foretells the ending of the Galaxy.^[5]

History

Era Indomitus

A Nicassar ship was part of the ill-fated Fourth Sphere of Expansion as it was drawn into the Great Rift following the experimental mass activation of AL-38 Slipstream Modules. Where daemons would attack only the mercenary ships of the T'au, ignoring the ships purely crewed by the T'au, the Nicassar's ship suffered the worst of these with demons swarming their vessel "like alkali-gnats" according to Twiceblade.^[10]

Technology

A Nicassar Dhow

Their spaceships are known as Dhows and are small, maneuverable, yet elegant yachts propelled by the psychic powers of the captain. But the Nicassar lack any real interstellar capability. As such, they are often towed by T'au ships, and also provided with upgraded T'au weaponry, or they will travel slowly for centuries while in hibernation. Often for a longer journey a Nicassar family will join together to form a larger community, with crew alternating between hibernation.^[1]

The Loxatl, who themselves seem to lack warp-capable ships, are known to rely on the Nicassar (among other races) for transportation.^[7]

Nicassar dhows are mentioned among the wrecks passed by Fabius Bile's vessel Vesalius when it left the Maelstrom.^[8]

Notable Nicassar

• Ven Tah Regah^[4]

Known Battles

• Battle of the Startide Nexus^[1]

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.

Conflicting sources

While the Nicassar were originally said to be the first race to join the Tau Empire, 6th Edition lore states that the Poctroon were in fact the first (though they quickly died out).^[9]

See also

• List of sentient species

Sources

• 1: To Unite the Stars: Tau Vessels, pg. 107 Battlefleet Gothic Resources (site accessed 2009.11.01)
• 2: Farsight: Crisis of Faith (Novel), Chapter Three
• 3: Storm of Damocles (Novel), Chapter One
• 4: Shadowsun: The Patient Hunter (Novel) - Chapter 17
• 5: Leviathan (Box) Rulebook, pg. 63
• 6: Shadowsun: The Patient Hunter (Novel) Chapters 17-19
• 7: Deathwatch: Mark of the Xenos, pgs. 68-69
• 8: Fabius Bile: Clonelord (Novel), Chapter 16
• 9: Codex: Tau Empire (6th Edition), pg. 28
• 10: War of Secrets (Novel) Chapter Seventeen - The Blade Unsheathed