Hive Fleet Kraken - Assault on Iyanden: The first warning the Craftworld Aeldari of Iyanden had of the danger posed by the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Kraken was brought in 992.M41 by the craftworld's far-roaming Rangers, those Asuryani whose instincts drive them to a life of exploration and danger, and who secretly monitored the planets and alien races near their craftworld. The news that the Rangers brought was terrible indeed: a Tyranid hive fleet of immense proportions was heading towards Iyanden craftworld.Already over a dozen Imperial planets had been consumed by the Tyranids' advance and, although the human Imperium was mounting furious counter-attacks where possible, it would be months until a major Imperial taskforce could be fully mobilised to deal with the threat. By the time the Imperial frontier was stabilised, the Asuryani of Iyanden knew that their precious craftworld would have been overrun.Farseer Kelmon, political leader and spiritual head of the craftworld, called together the Asuryani of Iyanden and warned them of the impending Tyranid assault. Each Aeldari craftworld has a great hall, known as the Place of Answering, which is capable of holding every member of the craftworld's population.At times of emergency, the Craftworld Aeldari met there, so that all may know of the peril that faced their craftworld, and so that any Asuryani might voice an opinion on the course of action that should be taken. Only once all views had been debated, and a consensus reached, would the craftworld's Farseer decide on the course of action to be taken.The debate by the people of Iyanden on the action to take against Hive Fleet Kraken's approach was heated and prolonged. The more conservative elements of the craftworld argued for a policy of isolation, shielding the craftworld behind a powerful psychic shield in an attempt to avoid all contact with the Tyranids. The more aggressive elements wanted to attack the Tyranids immediately, dispatching the fleet to destroy the Tyranids before they reached the craftworld.Both courses of action were problematic, however, because they took no account of the sheer size of the Tyranid hive fleet. It took a powerful speech from the Ranger Irilith, who had seen the hive fleet at first hand and understood the terrible threat that it represented, to sway the assembled Asuryani.For over a solar hour she drove home to all present that it would take the combined efforts of every Aeldari on Iyanden to have any chance of turning back the Tyranids. Even then they might not succeed in defeating the alien menace. A hush fell on the Hall as Irilith finished her speech.No more needed to be said, for all the Asuryani present now realised the sheer enormity of the task ahead. Farseer Kelmon rose and ordered that the Aeldari prepare the defences of Craftworld Iyanden. All elements of the fleet would be recalled, and every single Aeldari must take on the Warrior Aspect of Warlock, Guardian or Aspect Warrior, for the first time in Aeldari history since the Fall.The entire craftworld would be fortified, for there could be no doubt that the Tyranids would breach their outer defences and land on the immense worldship. Help must be requested from the other Asuryani craftworlds. The Avatar, the embodied spirit of the craftworld's war god Khaela Mensha Khaine, must be awakened to take part in the battle. And, most terrible of all, all of the craftworld’s ancient Spirit Stones must be plucked from their resting places and implanted in cybernetic exoskeletons to battle as Ghost Warriors.As many Imperial scholars know, when an Aeldari of the Asuryani kindred dies their spirit is released into a gem known as a Spirit Stone, which is grafted into the very structure of their craftworld to preserve the dead Aeldari's consciousness and prevent it from migrating into the Warp where it will be devoured by the Chaos God Slaanesh.Thus, each craftworld is actually a living, intelligent being which preserves a little of the once great Aeldari civilisation. By risking the destruction of the craftworld’s Spirit Stones, Kelmon risked the destruction of lyanden’s culture, racial memory and literally the souls of its people. It was a grave chance to take, but Kelmon knew that the Ghost Warriors could make the difference between victory and defeat in the struggle that was coming.The first Tyranid Hive Swarms attacked Iyanden just twenty solar days later. By then the craftworld had already been isolated for over a solar week by the Hive Mind's Shadow in the Warp which made it extremely difficult for the other Asuryani craftworlds to send help through the Webway or psychically communicate with their brethren. Apart from a few scattered units that made it through, Iyanden ultimately fought the Tyranids on its own.Nonetheless, the first Tyranid waves were dealt with easily and efficiently by the Aeldari fleet. The Aeldari’s spacecraft were faster, more manoeuvrable and had longer-ranged weapons than their opponents. In battle after battle, the Aeldari spacecraft destroyed the lumbering, biomechanical Tyranid Hive Ships while only suffering minimal casualties themselves. For a while it looked as if the Aeldari fleet might be able to hold off the Tyranids on its own, as wave after wave of Tyranids were wiped out.But Farseer Kelmon was not convinced. Already the ability of the craftworld's wraithbone forges to replace destroyed Aeldari spacecraft was being far outstripped by the casualties being suffered in the deep space battles that raged around the craftworld. The Aeldari fleet was being ground down in a massive battle of attrition; a battle that only the Tyranids, with their vastly superior numbers, could hope to win. As if to confirm Kelmon's worst fears, the next Tyranid wave attack was massive, very nearly twice the size of any that had hit the craftworld so far.The Aeldari fleet suffered terrible casualties in its attempt to hold the Tyranids off, and for the first time was unable to stop them from landing on the craftworld itself. Although the landing was wiped out before any serious damage was done to Iyanden's defences, the Aeldari fleet as a large-scale fighting force had ceased to exist.Still there was hope, especially if the wave had represented the Tyranid hive fleet's main assault force. The Aeldari's morale was raised even more as the next Tyranid wave turned out to be tiny in comparison to what had come earlier. Although the weakened Aeldari fleet couldn’t keep all of the swarms away from the craftworld, the landings that were made were easily isolated and destroyed. For a short while it seemed that the Aeldari had weathered the terrible storm of Hive Fleet Kraken.Then Iyanden was hit by two huge Tyranid attacks in rapid succession. The pitiful remnants of the Aeldari fleet opposed the Hive Swarms as best they could, but were ultimately swept aside by a tide of living alien spacecraft. Iyanden was all but engulfed as horde after horde of Tyranid Warriors, Genestealers, Gaunts and Carnifexes were disgorged onto the craftworld's surface and interior. Huge battles erupted all over Iyanden, the fighting bitter and close-ranged with enemy forces often only separated by the width of a corridor of Wraithbone wall, as the Aeldari desperately attempted to beat off the alien invaders.Often they succeeded, but the Fortress of Tears, the Shrine of Asuryan and, most terrible of all, the ancient Forests of Silence, repositories of the flora and fauna of the lost Aeldari Empire's homeworlds on Iyanden, all fell to the Tyranid hordes. The Aeldari furiously counter-attacked, the raging figure of the Avatar of Khaine leading the craftworld's Aspect Warriors, Guardians and Wraithguard and Wraithlord Ghost Warriors in a berserk orgy of destruction which recaptured the Forests of Silence from the Tyranids.It is said that the Aeldari Warriors wept tears of rage and sorrow to see the damage inflicted on the ancient forest domes of their craftworld. Slowly the Aeldari managed to turn the tide on the Tyranids and gain the upper hand, forcing them back onto the defensive. And then another huge Tyranid wave arrived, the third in succession, and the largest yet. As swarm after swarm flickered into existence on the Aeldari’s scanners, Kelmon knew that, barring a miracle, Iyanden craftworld was doomed.Over 50 Terran years before the Tyranid assault, High Admiral Yriel, an Autarch, had led the Iyanden Fleet. Although he was considered one of the greatest Aeldari naval tacticians to have ever lived, his character was flawed by the sin of pride. When Iyanden had been threatened by a Chaos space fleet raiding out of the Eye of Terror, Yriel had led the Aeldari fleet on a pre-emptive attack on the Chaos fleet’s flagship, leaving the Iyanden craftworld unprotected. He only returned just in time to stop a suicide attack by a small flotilla of Chaos raider ships, who nonetheless managed to damage the craftworld.Expecting to be feted and honoured for his victory, Yriel was deeply angered when he was called upon to defend his course of action. Claiming that his record should speak for itself, Yriel refused to enter into the debate, leaving his old friend Farseer Kelmon no choice but to elect a new High Admiral in his place. Bitter with rage, Yriel had vowed that he would never set foot on Iyanden again. He and a small band of followers left the craftworld to pursue the Path of the Outcast and formed an Aeldari Corsair company known as the Eldritch Raiders that became the single most powerful Aeldari pirate force operating in the galaxy.Yet, when he heard of Hive Fleet Kraken's assault on Iyanden, Prince Yriel did his best to ignore the terrible peril that threatened his old craftworld. But proud though he was, righteously angry though he remained, Yriel could not leave lyanden's people to their fate in this, their darkest hour. Battling his way through the Tyranids' psychic blockade, Yriel swept to the aid of his people and arrived just in time.Like a thunderbolt from the blue Yriel and his large Aeldari raider fleet smashed into the swarm of Tyranid vessels. He was quickly joined by the few remaining craft of Iyanden's fleet, and together the combined Aeldari space fleets tore the swarms of Hive Fleet Kraken apart. Two more waves of Tyranid Hive Swarms from the Kraken attacked the craftworld, only to meet the same fate. Not a single Tyranid bio-ship reached the craftworld, though the cost to Yriel's Eldritch Raiders was dear.Bloodied but unbowed, the Raiders prepared to sell their lives to the last in order to turn back the next wave of Tyranids. On the bridges of the craftworld and of the circling Aeldari starships, vigilant eyes watched the scanners, waiting for the first tell-tale blip that would indicate the direction of the next assault. Minutes passed, then hours, and with a growing sense of wonder the Aeldari realised that no more Tyranid Swarms were coming – the assault was over. Hive Fleet Kraken had been dispersed; its coherence had been destroyed!But on Iyanden craftworld the war raged on. The Tyranid hordes that had been fighting a tenacious rearguard action awaiting the aid of the rest of the hive fleet now turned like cornered rats and hurled themselves at the Aeldari. Caught by surprise, the Asuryani staggered back, desperately trying to hold in the face of the suicidal Tyranid onslaught. The Fortress of the Red Moon fell to a surprise attack, and for a moment it seemed that with victory within their grasp the Aeldari would yet be defeated.But, for the second time, Yriel led his Eldritch Raiders to the rescue of the craftworld. Disembarking from their orbiting spacecraft, the Raiders joined with the battered defenders of Iyanden craftworld and, metre by metre, step by step, forced the Tyranids back.A final wild charge led by the Tyranid Hive Tyrant was annihilated by the combined efforts of the Avatar of Khaine, Prince Yriel and the Ghost Warriors, and then in a series of vicious one-sided battles the last of the Tyranids were hunted down and destroyed. The Tyranid attack on Iyanden craftworld was over. The Tyranids had been defeated.But the victory was a hollow one. Though the Craftworld Aeldari had repulsed the invaders, the cost was enormous. Their once proud Craftworld stood in ruins, and four-fifths of the inhabitants were dead or lay dying in its shattered halls. Amongst their number lay Farseer Kelmon, surrounded by the bodies of a dozen Tyranid Zoanthropes whose wretched heads bore the marks of psychic fire.Iyanden's mighty space fleet was a pitiful shadow of its former self; the blasted remains of its majestic spacecraft and their brave crews hanging silent and weightless in space. But all this could be rebuilt, maybe not for hundreds of Aeldari generations, but one day in the distant future.What was lost forever were the souls of the Asuryani whose Spirit Stones had been destroyed in the battle against the Tyranids. The massive destruction wrought upon the people and the Ghost Warriors of Iyanden dealt that craftworld -- and the entire Aeldari species -- a blow from which its culture could never fully recover.