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At a glance
Iyanden is one of the great Craftworlds of the Aeldari, vast living vessels that drifted away from the doomed empire before the Fall and have wandered the stars ever since. For thousands of years, it was among the largest and most prosperous of them all, renowned for the beauty of its domes and the skill of its artisans. Its people were proud, and they believed that their craftworld would endure while others faded.
That pride was shattered when the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Kraken fell upon Iyanden. The swarm overwhelmed the craftworld's defences and tore through its domes, and by the time the battle ended, the greater part of Iyanden's people were dead. The craftworld survived only because its exiled prince, Prince Yriel, returned with his pirate fleet at the last moment and turned the tide.
Iyanden has never recovered. Its living population is a shadow of what it once was, and its halls are silent and empty. To defend themselves, the survivors have turned to the dead. The spirits of the fallen, preserved in their spirit stones, are housed in towering wraith constructs that march to war beside the living. Iyanden has become the craftworld of ghosts, and its armies are as much dead as alive.
The craftworld
Like every craftworld, Iyanden is a vast artificial vessel, kilometres across, built of psychoplastic wraithbone. It is divided into countless domes, each with its own environment and purpose. Some are forests and meadows under artificial skies, others are cities of slender spires, workshops or shrines to the Aspect Warrior paths. Before the Kraken came, Iyanden's domes were among the most beautiful in the galaxy.
At the heart of the craftworld lies the infinity circuit, a vast psychic network in which the souls of the dead are stored. When an Aeldari dies, their spirit stone captures their soul, and it is placed within the circuit, where it joins the souls of their ancestors. The infinity circuit protects these souls from Slaanesh, and it also powers and guides the craftworld itself.
Since the Tyranid invasion, much of Iyanden lies in ruins. Many domes were destroyed or contaminated, and they have been sealed or abandoned. The craftworld's people have rebuilt what they could, but vast areas remain empty, haunted by the memories of those who died there. The silence of Iyanden is the first thing that visitors notice, and it is the last thing they forget. Even the wind of its artificial skies seems to whisper with the names of the lost.
The infinity circuit and the dead
The infinity circuit is the soul of a craftworld. It is a network of wraithbone that runs through the entire vessel, and it is filled with the spirits of the dead. These spirits are not entirely gone. They retain a dim awareness, and they can be called upon by the living for guidance, strength and power. The infinity circuit is the craftworld's memory, and it is a refuge for the souls of the Aeldari.
On Iyanden, the infinity circuit has become something more. Because so many of the craftworld's people died in the Tyranid invasion, the circuit holds far more souls than living Aeldari remain. The dead outnumber the living many times over. To survive, Iyanden has drawn on these spirits as never before, calling them forth from the circuit and placing them in wraith constructs to fight.
This is a terrible choice. The Aeldari believe that the dead should rest in peace, and awakening them is a desecration. Yet Iyanden has no choice. Without its dead, it would be defenceless. The living of Iyanden must live with the knowledge that they have disturbed the rest of their ancestors, and the dead must fight once more for a craftworld that can no longer protect itself.
The ghost warriors
The ghost warriors of Iyanden are among the most formidable armies of the Aeldari. They are wraith constructs: wraithguard, wraithblades, wraithlords and towering Wraithknights, each animated by the spirit of a fallen warrior. They are guided by spiritseers, psykers who walk the Path of the Seer and can communicate with the dead. Without the spiritseers, the wraith constructs would be lost, unable to perceive the world of the living clearly.
Wraith constructs are slow and deliberate, but they are almost unstoppable. Their wraithbone bodies are incredibly tough, and their weapons are devastating. They do not feel fear or pain, and they fight with the cold determination of the dead. In battle, they advance relentlessly, crushing their enemies beneath their feet and blasting them apart with wraithcannon and distortion weapons.
The ghost warriors are a source of pride and sorrow for Iyanden. They are the craftworld's greatest strength, but they are also a constant reminder of its loss. The living Aeldari of Iyanden fight alongside spirits who were once their friends, their families and their loved ones. It is a heavy burden, and it has shaped the craftworld's culture in profound ways.
History
The golden age
For millennia after the Fall, Iyanden was one of the greatest craftworlds. It was large, prosperous and powerful, and its people were renowned for their artistry and their skill in war. Iyanden's warriors fought in many campaigns, and its artisans created works of extraordinary beauty. Its people believed that their craftworld would endure for ever.
The exile of Yriel
Before the Tyranids came, Iyanden's fleet was commanded by Prince Yriel, a brilliant and ambitious admiral. He won a great victory against a Chaos fleet, but in doing so, he left the craftworld exposed, and he was criticised by the craftworld's rulers. Stung by their rebuke, Yriel went into exile, taking many followers with him. He became a pirate, raiding across the galaxy with his corsairs.
Hive Fleet Kraken
Late in M41, Hive Fleet Kraken descended on Iyanden. The Tyranids came in vast numbers, and they overwhelmed the craftworld's defences. They swarmed through the domes, slaughtering the Aeldari and consuming everything in their path. The Aeldari fought with desperate courage, but they were outnumbered and outmatched. The craftworld seemed doomed.
The return of Yriel
At the last moment, Prince Yriel returned. He had foreseen the craftworld's peril, and he brought his pirate fleet to its rescue. His ships struck the Tyranid fleet from behind, and his warriors fought their way into the craftworld. Yriel himself took up the cursed Spear of Twilight, a weapon of terrible power that would slowly consume his life. With it, he slew the Tyranid commanders and broke the swarm. Iyanden was saved, but the cost was immense.
After the Kraken
In the aftermath of the invasion, Iyanden was a shadow of its former self. Much of its population was dead, and the craftworld was badly damaged. The survivors rebuilt as best they could, and they turned to their dead for protection. Yriel was welcomed home and named Autarch, but the Spear of Twilight continued to eat away at his life. In later years, as the Ynnari rose, some of Iyanden's people, including the spiritseer Iyanna Arienal, joined the cause of Yvraine, hoping that the god of the dead might offer salvation.
Prince Yriel and the Spear of Twilight
Prince Yriel is one of the most famous heroes of the Aeldari. He is a brilliant strategist and a fearless warrior, and he has won many great victories. But he is also proud and impetuous, and his pride has cost him dearly. His exile from Iyanden was the result of his arrogance, and his return was an act of redemption.
The Spear of Twilight is one of the most powerful weapons of the Aeldari, but it is also cursed. It was locked away in Iyanden's vaults because of the terrible price it exacts on its wielder. When Yriel took it up, he knew that it would kill him, but he did so anyway, in order to save his craftworld. The spear slowly consumes his life force, and he has only a limited time left to live. Yet he fights on, determined to protect Iyanden until his last breath.
Yriel's story is a tragedy and a triumph. He saved his craftworld, but he paid a terrible price. He is a symbol of Iyanden's resilience, and he embodies the craftworld's determination to survive.
Hive Fleet Kraken
Hive Fleet Kraken was the second great Tyranid hive fleet to strike the galaxy, following Hive Fleet Behemoth. Unlike Behemoth, which advanced as a single mass, Kraken split into countless tendrils that struck at many worlds at once. Its swarms were fast and adaptable, and they overwhelmed the defences of world after world. The Imperium, the Aeldari and countless other races suffered at its hands.
Iyanden was one of Kraken's most prominent victims. The Aeldari seers had foreseen the coming of the swarm, but they could not prevent it. The Tyranids were drawn to Iyanden by the presence of its psychic population, and they struck the craftworld with overwhelming force. The Aeldari fought bravely, but they were outnumbered and outmatched, and only Yriel's return saved them from total annihilation.
The destruction of Iyanden was a warning to the other craftworlds. It showed that even the greatest of them could be destroyed by the Tyranids, and it underscored the threat posed by the Great Devourer. Many craftworlds have since become more willing to fight alongside other races against the Tyranids, recognising that the swarm is a threat to all.
The empty halls
Visitors to Iyanden speak of the silence above all else. The craftworld was built for a population far larger than the one that survives, and its domes are mostly empty. Whole cities stand abandoned, their spires gleaming in the artificial light, with no one to walk their streets. The gardens are overgrown, and the shrines are tended only by the spirits of the dead.
The survivors have consolidated in the domes that remain habitable, and they have sealed off the rest. Yet the memory of what was lost is everywhere. The infinity circuit hums with the voices of the dead, and the living can feel their presence at every turn. For some, this is a comfort. For others, it is a torment.
People & culture
The people of Iyanden are a sombre and melancholy folk. They have lost so much, and they live in a craftworld haunted by the dead. Their culture is steeped in grief and remembrance, and they honour the spirits of their ancestors with solemn rituals. They are also fiercely determined to survive, and they will do whatever is necessary to protect their craftworld.
Like all craftworld Aeldari, the people of Iyanden follow the Path, a discipline that guides them through life. They devote themselves to one path at a time, whether as artisans, warriors, seers or others, mastering it before moving on to the next. The Path protects them from the excesses that doomed their ancestors, and it gives their lives purpose and meaning.
On Iyanden, the Path of the Seer has taken on special importance. Spiritseers are vital to the craftworld's defence, for they alone can guide the ghost warriors. The most famous of them is Iyanna Arienal, the Angel of Iyanden, who leads the craftworld's wraith armies and speaks for the dead.
Defenders & war-machine
Iyanden's defences are built around its ghost warriors. Wraithguard, wraithblades, wraithlords and Wraithknights form the core of its armies, supported by the living Aeldari: Guardians, Aspect Warriors such as the Striking Scorpions and Shining Spears, and grav-tanks. The craftworld's fleet, rebuilt after the Kraken, defends it in the void. Its seers and Farseers guide its strategy, peering into the future to anticipate threats.
The ghost warriors make Iyanden's armies uniquely resilient. They can withstand losses that would cripple other craftworlds, for the dead do not need to be replaced from the dwindling population of the living. Yet each wraith construct destroyed is a soul lost or damaged, and the craftworld cannot afford to squander them.
Notable battles
- The Battle of Iyanden (late M41): Hive Fleet Kraken nearly destroys the craftworld; Prince Yriel returns to save it.
- The wars of the ghost warriors (M41 and after): Iyanden's wraith armies fight across the galaxy to protect the remaining craftworld.
- The rise of the Ynnari (M41 to M42): some of Iyanden's people join Yvraine's cause; see Ynnari.
Trivia
- Iyanden's colours are gold and blue, and its wraith constructs are often painted in the same proud livery they bore in life.
- Hive Fleet Kraken attacked Iyanden late in M41, and the battle is remembered as one of the worst disasters in craftworld history.
- Prince Yriel wields the Spear of Twilight, a cursed weapon that slowly consumes his life.
- Iyanna Arienal is known as the Angel of Iyanden.
- Wraith constructs cannot perceive the living world clearly on their own, which is why spiritseers must guide them in battle.
- Iyanden's ghost warriors are so numerous that its armies often field more wraith constructs than living warriors.
