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Tanith

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Targetdrone.gif This article is about the planet Tanith; for the Tanith First and Only regiment, see Tanith First and Only.
Map Basic Data Planetary Image
px Name: Tanith PlanetTanith.JPG
Segmentum: Segmentum Pacificus
Sector: Sabbat Worlds
Subsector: Unknown
System: Tanith System[1e]
Population: 0
Affiliation: Unknown, formerly Imperium[1e]
Class: Dead World[1e], former Forest World[1e]
Tithe Grade: Unknown

Tanith was a Forest World of the Imperium[1e] located in the Sabbat Worlds cluster of Segmentum Pacificus[Needs Citation], which was destroyed by the forces of Chaos.[1e] It is most notable for being the homeworld of the Tanith First and Only regiment of the Astra Militarum.[1a][1e]


History

The Fall of Tanith

On his deathbed, Warmaster Slaydo, commander of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, bestowed upon Ibram Gaunt — a commissar who had fought with distinction at Balhaut — the rank of Colonel-Commissar and dispatched him to Tanith to raise three regiments for the Crusade.[1e]

In the wake of their defeat at Balhaut, a splinter fleet of Chaos slipped past the picket set up by the Imperial Navy, thanks to the newly-appointed Warmaster Macaroth's change of tactics.[1e] This small fleet attacked and conquered six worlds, The Circudus Offensive, one of which was Tanith.

On the day of the Founding, the Chaos armada bombarded Tanith from orbit, and deployed ground troops to kill vital Imperial personnel before burning Tanith and its forests with the fleet's firepower. Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt was one of the last people to leave the planet before its demise, and was saved by a youth called Brin Milo, whom he took with him in gratitude.[1b] Milo later confirms that he was the only civilian to leave Tanith alive, being too young to join the Guard.[Needs Citation]

In all, only around two thousand people survived the evacuation.[1d] The remaining Tanith themselves referred to the destruction of their homeworld as The Loss. Nonetheless, the survivors knew their duty - they had, after all, enlisted with the Astra Militarum - and joined the Imperial forces fighting in the Sabbat Worlds Crusade.[1e]


Geography

Tanith was a heavily forested world, famous for its forests of nalwood trees. Nalwood trees were capable of uprooting and moving, with entire forests migrating to get better access to sunlight or water. This made blazing trails through the forests useless, as any trails were erased by the movement of the trees. As a result of this, Tanith's native inhabitants have an unerring sense of direction, developed in the ever-changing woodlands, and unmatched stealth skills which became renowned during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade.[1e]

Nalwood was Tanith's main export, both in terms of raw nalwood lumber and exquisite carvings.[1e] The material became extremely rare after the planet's destruction.[Needs Citation]

Tanith's people are pale-skinned and dark-haired, with a lilting, sing-song accent. Most Tanith men (and youths) were tattooed with blue ink.[1a]

The capital city of Tanith - surrounded by a giant wall, presumably to keep the nalwood trees from moving into the city - was Tanith Magna. The world was governed by the Elector, and the main governmental building was the Assembly. The planet was split up into counties, and each city raised a militia, from which a number of Imperial Guardsmen were recruited.[Needs Citation]

Known Regions & Settlements

Other Geographic Features


Native Wildlife

The various animal and planet species that lived on Tanith are largely extinct, following the planet's destruction.[1e]

Flora

Fauna


Culture

Some of the Tanith people believed in various types of spirit, including the drud-fellad (which watch over the forests) and nyrsis (which protect streams and rivers). In addition, some believed in benevolent spirits of order and protection known as anroth, which supposedly watched over Tanith homes (however others dismissed the stories of anroth as tales for children).[1f]

Tanith Pipes are a traditional musical instrument of Tanith.[1c] Described as a small clutch of spidery reeds attached to a bellows bag which is squeezed rhythmically under the arm. Their initial use on Tanith was to guide off-worlders through the shifting forests, but in the Tanith First they were used to rally the men and spook the enemy (although they have a similar effect on the Tanith's allies).[Needs Citation]

According to Scout Trooper Bonin, most old Tanith families (his own included) baptise and officially name their children at the age of eight, as naming children at birth was considered premature and a child would grow into the names he or she would need. Bonin also remarks that this tradition wasn't observed much in Tanith's final years.[Needs Citation]

Tanith was home to the legendary Nalsheen wood warriors, a brotherhood of Tanith who used the martial art cwlwhl (pronounced kil-wil); using blade-tipped staffs to fight off multiple foes. The Nalsheen were responsible for overthrowing the corrupt Huhlhuch Dynasty and ushering in the free modern era of Tanith. Guardsman Mkvenner is the only remaining Tanith to have been trained in cwlwhl, but has reluctantly admitted that he never completed his training.[Needs Citation]


Language

The Nalsheen used proto-Gothic - the early form of both High and Low Gothic used presently in the Imperium - as their private language.[Needs Citation]

The main Tanith curse-word is feth, the name of an ancient Tanith tree-god.[Needs Citation]

Known Words & Phrases

  • Anroth — A type of spirit.[1f]
  • Chulan — Pronounced "Koo-lun". Outsider, unknown person, foreigner/off-worlder.[1f]


Trivia

  • The county names are closely similar to those of real-life Ireland and Scotland.
  • Many Tanith names begin with "Mk", a variant of "Mc" or "Mac" used by the Irish and Scottish, from whom inspiration for the Tanith appears to have been drawn.
  • There are also elements of Welsh in their language.
  • Tanith pipes are described as a similar in appearance and sound to Uilleann pipes.

Sources

  • 1: First and Only (Novel)The Founding (Omnibus)
    • 1a: Part Two, Chapter One
    • 1b: Part Two, Chapter Two
    • 1c: Part Two, Chapter Six
    • 1d: Part Three, Chapter Four
    • 1e: Part Three, Chapter Six
    • 1f: Part Five, Chapter Four
    • 1g: Part Five, Chapter Five
    • 1h: Part Five, Chapter Six
    • 1i: Part Five, Chapter Nine
    • 1j: Part Six, Chapter Fifteen