The Y'vahra Battlesuit originates with the same Earth Caste engineer who designed the XV107 R'varna Battlesuit, Fio'O Ke'lshan Sho'Aun, infamous for his resistance to the will of the Ethereal council as much as his genius at weapons design. The Y'vahra represents a disturbing paradigm shift in the tactics of the pragmatic Ke'lshan Sept, in whom long years under near constant attack by alien forces has bred a stubborn pragmatism and siege mentality. The new XV109 is clearly a design intended to carry the fighting to the enemies of the Ke'lshan, perhaps marking a new stage of expansion on the Tau Empire's neglected eastern border.