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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
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{{TyranidsPortal}}
'''Dagon''' is a minor [[Tyranid]] [[Hive Fleet]], currently active in the [[Eastern Fringe]]s and the [[Jericho Reach]] region. A splinter fleet of [[Hive Fleet Behemoth|Behemoth]], it detached before its destruction in the [[First Tyrannic War]]. The Tyranid Hive Fleet launched a surprise attack [[Imperial]] forces of the [[Achilus Crusade]] in 817.[[M41]], sewing widespread and death and confusion thanks to the [[Shadow in the Warp]]. The Hive Fleet has consumed at least nine inhabited worlds while immediately threatening six more. The fate of more then twenty other systems lost in the Shadow in the Warp remains unknown.{{Fn|1}}
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Hive Fleet Dagon
“The Tyranid swarm must not be viewed as a foe set to destroy us, but as a tool. Our challenge is to learn to use that tool, so that it may not be used against the Imperium, but rather to assist the Imperium in fulfilling our manifest destiny.”
–Inquisitor Evaine Cartier
This section is devoted to providing further information regarding the Tyranid threat that opposes Achilus Crusade elements within the Orpheus Salient. Initial contact with the Tyranid foe suggested that the xenos forces were little more than a minor splinter fleet. However, over the years since first contact, the Tyranid forces have shown little signs of abating. Instead, they have advanced into the Jericho Reach to an extent that may be triggering additional growth and expansion.
After the discovery of Freya’s ruination in early 814M41, Deathwatch forces became aware of the Tyranid incursion. Since that time additional worlds have fallen prey to the swarm. Astropathic communications have been limited as the Hive Mind has spread its Shadow in the Warp. The relentless swarms of the xenos continue to grow, as each new triumph expands their available bio-mass. The stalwart vigilance of the Deathwatch in concert with the near-boundless sacrifices of the Achilus Crusade has blunted the pace of the xenos advance. However, the tide has not yet turned and the final outcome remains in the balance. The size of Hive Fleet Dagon has not yet been determined, but the forces of the Crusade and the Deathwatch are being struggling to compete.
Throughout the Hive Fleet’s advance, it has continuously evolved new Tyranid creatures and alternative tactics. Imperial forces are thus challenged to identify new effective ways to respond to these threats. This section presents a number of the Hive Fleet’s more extreme innovations, while disclosing a few of the Imperium’s attempted responses. To date, neither side has enjoyed tremendous success from their alternative methods, but the tipping point continues to grow ever closer.
The Orpheus Salient’s advance was once rapid. System after system fell before the might of the Imperium’s return to the Jericho Reach. So great were there successes that Crusade command chose to reassign many of the Salient’s forces so that they might be utilised to fulfil more desperate needs. With the xenos incursion, the remaining forces have become overstretched. Substantial ground has been lost, and the Salient is in desperate need of reinforcements that are no longer available. As the individual battles stretch on longer and devour resources through attrition and loss, Crusade command has grown ever more frustrated. Unless the Imperium manages to somehow regain control, the Tyranids may overwhelm the Imperial armies that remain committed to the Orpheus Salient’s battlefronts.
Dagon Overview
“We have begun to encounter some communications difficulties within the Salient. These seem linked to activity near the Phonos system. I am personally taking Battlegroup Argo there, to identify the issue and get it quickly sorted. I am confident that it is not a matter of serious
concern.”
–General Mikal Curas, in his last dispatch to the Lord Militant
Imperial forces have continued to analyse Hive Fleet Dagon, but any measurement based upon Tyranid activity is confounded by the Shadow in the Warp. As the xenos presence prevents Imperial forces from effective communication, it is likely that additional worlds have fallen to the alien threat without the Crusade or even the Deathwatch becoming aware of the attacks. Consequently, any analysis that depend upon such data collection must be carefully considered in light of this imposed limitation.
Though Herisor was the first world to fall to the Tyranid threat, attacks upon Freya and Zanatov’s Harbour also occurred in short order. Timing of these early attacks is difficult to gauge, as there was little contact during the attack and substantial time may have passed before investigations revealed the Tyranid activity. Best estimates suggest that all three of these worlds were under assault at the same time.
Since these initial attacks, reports have begun pouring in from worlds all across the rimward edge of the Reach. Much of this information comes from bedraggled survivors who managed to escape on warp-capable vessels just as their worlds were being consumed, and Crusade leadership has
struggled to sort through the mountains of contradictory reports. Some headway has been made in stalling the relentless advance of the Hive Fleet, but most of it has been due to the efforts of the Triumverate who are operating deep within the Shadow in the Warp.
The agents of the Deathwatch and the Ordo Xenos have had much more luck than the overwhelmed Crusade leadership. Making use of their array of rapid strike vessels, the Deathwatch has sent Kill-teams into the swarm to collect samples for analysis, scout the Hive Fleet’s progress into the system, and to strike at high-value targets when the opportunity rises. However, even the elite and well organised Deathwatch Space Marines have difficulty contending with the complete communications blackout imposed by the Shadow in the Warp. Watch Fortress Erioch will go great lengths of time hearing nothing from the rimward edge of the Reach, unsure if the Watch Stations there are even still standing.
Hive Fleet Dagon Tactics
“There is no evidence that these so-called “Tyranids” are a reasoning opponent. The xenos are surely incapable of using any sort of advanced tactics. Rather they are little more than an all-consuming organism. Overcoming them should be a simple matter of applying thought and leverage to determine their vulnerabilities.”
–Bishop Josef Daven to Inquisitor Kryptman
Because of the limitations imposed by the Shadow in the Warp, Imperial analysts believe that Hive Fleet Dagon was identified only after it had completed several successful assaults within the Jericho Reach. As a consequence, it is uncertain whether the Tyranid forces are the spear tip of a much larger force, or if they simply represent the surge in growth that would occur after absorbing the bio-mass from several of the region’s planets. If these xenos began their intrusion with a limited force, it may be that the earliest attacks exhibited were undertaken in a conservative manner.
Unfortunately for the Achilus Crusade forces, it is clear that the Hive Fleet has met with a great deal of success. At this time, the Hive Fleet’s resources are generally well supplied with bio-mass. As a consequence, the Tyranid incursion represents a substantial threat to all other life within the Jericho Reach. These xenos are capable of exploiting the raw materials that they have captured to launch attacks that utilise near overwhelming force against prey worlds. With each triumph, their resources are renewed and their capacity for destruction becomes further enhanced.
Crusade and Deathwatch forces have confirmed intrusions by Tyranid Drone ships within more than twenty systems of the Orpheus Salient. Imperial forces fear, but have not confirmed, that the majority of these intrusions coincide with insertions of Genestealers or Lictors to habitable planets. Imperial analysts have thus far had no luck in tracing a pattern of how Hive Fleet Dagon’s Vanguard Drone ships have been scouting the Reach. This, combined with a lack of knowledge regarding the lifespan of the Vanguard Drone ships, leaves Imperial forces helpless to defend against these forward scouts of the Hive Fleet. If each such creature is capable of identifying and infecting multiple targets, a single vessel surviving could soon draw Hive Fleet elements to dozens of planets.
Deathwatch agents are currently monitoring reports that could indicate the earliest stages of Tyranid scouting activities within more than a dozen systems. Based upon current data, the Deathwatch believes that this substantially exceeds the number of planets that the Hive Fleet is currently capable of engaging. While Deathwatch agents have confirmed Tyranid activity in all systems that have been attacked by the full might of the Hive Fleet, not all systems that exhibited a scouting presence have been attacked. This suggests that the Hive Fleet may be plotting out its travel through the Jericho Reach. The Hive Mind may be preparing for an extended incursion, carefully selecting which planets might offer the most biomass return, so that environments of less strategic value could be targeted after its resources are better established.
When the Tyranid Hive Ships enter a system, they have consistently demonstrated a specific focus upon immediately assaulting any habitable planets. While this may seem an obvious strategy, it is important to note that Hive Fleet Dagon has largely ignored Imperial space stations and outposts on otherwise barren planets and moons. Imperial vessels have generally only been attacked after they directly engaged the Tyranid void travellers. It might offer further evidence that the Hive Mind is operating in a conservative fashion, or might simply be that for some reason the Hive Fleet is unable to accurately identify these elements as worthwhile targets.
Once Hive Ships enter the orbit of a prey planet, they have consistently begun their attacks by launching vast numbers of Mycetic Spores towards the world’s surface. In the earliest reported instances, this initial attack wave was so numerous that defenders were overwhelmed within days. More recently, Crusade forces have successfully survived this initial attack.
On Castobel, Atonement, and Hethgard, Imperial defenders managed to repel enough of the spores that the battles for control of these planets have become protracted engagements. On Avalos and Treyen, Imperial defenders even managed to repulse the initial Tyranid attack, causing the void-faring Tyranid creatures to leave those systems. There are many speculations as to why the Tyranids fled, some Imperial analysts believe they moved on to easier prey, while more military minds speculate the creatures are attempting deliberate feints to draw Imperial defenders away from other worlds.
If this is the case, it may be that planets further from currently engaged systems could be attacked unexpectedly. The Orpheus Salient currently has a very limited number of defenders held in reserve. The vast majority of these are currently deployed upon those planets closest to the Tyranid incursion. In the event the Hive Mind chooses to bypass those planets, and instead targets worlds deeper behind enemy lines, the consequences could be catastrophic. Such a tactic might also explain the extensive number of systems where scouting activity has been confirmed.
The potential for this strategy is increased due to the absence of a Tyranid supply line. Once a Hive Ship leaves a system after devouring its habitable planets, nothing is left behind. A Hive Ship and its support vessels effectively carry all of its swarm into each new warzone. Once a system is engaged, it must triumph quickly or the vessels possess ever fewer creatures to commit to an attempt to consume an alternative target. While these failed and extended engagements could increase the chance of an ultimate Imperial victory, they might also provide evidence that Hive Fleet Dagon is actually carefully preparing to expend all of its resources upon an unsuspecting target.
Dagon Morphology
“Before we can come to understand the threat presented by Hive Fleet Dagon, we first must come to grips with the organisms that comprise it. Only by studying their ontogeny can we begin to understand their capacity.”
–Brother Codicier Taelon
The Tyranids of Hive Fleet Dagon are similar to those which encountered during Hive Fleet Behemoth’s assault. However, additional Tyranid creatures have been observed among the forces of Hive Fleet Dagon. There have also been subtle changes within the appearance, but not the tactical role, of some of the previously identified strains. These variations have included exoskeletal structures, colourations, and the most commonly observed weapon symbiotes used by the different Tyranid strains.
The most distinctive change shown by Hive Fleet Dagon is a variation in the hues of the different Tyranid creatures. The carapace on specimens from Hive Fleet Behemoth typically ranged from jet black to a deep blue. The unprotected skin of those species was typically a bright red. In contrast, the exoskeletons of Hive Fleet Dagon are generally dark grey or a blue close to that used by the Ultramarines Chapter. In portions of the xenos where their flesh is unprotected, it is a burgundy colour.
Weapon symbiotes employed by the various Tyranids also show a substantial change in frequency from those observed during Hive Fleet Behemoth’s forays into Ultima Segmentum. Specific instances within commonly encountered creatures are addressed below. Nonetheless, the consensus variants have been shown to be statistically different among parts of Hive Fleet Dagon. As this incursion has been in progress for less than five years, this may be an anomaly due to the environmental conditions and the defenders present on the worlds that have been invaded to date. This evidence suggests that Hive Fleet Dagon is a distinct entity, but does not definitively confirm a separation between the two incursions.
In addition to symbiote modifications, the Tyranids found within Hive Fleet Dagon have shown an increased propensity for toxicity. A substantial number of otherwise characteristic Tyranids have presented with venomous sacks near their claws and fangs. These toxins substantially increased the mortality rate among Imperial casualties within the Orpheus Salient. Further, these toxins have shown a substantial range of variation even within planetary environs. Imperial medicae personnel have been unable to identify an antiserum that works consistently against the toxins.
Distinctive specimens
Several Tyranid variant strains have been observed within Hive Fleet Dagon that are believed to be completely novel. Of these, a few have generated legends and lore among the Imperial forces that oppose them. Tech-priests seem unable to discern whether these specimens are specific individuals of their species or variant strains. It is, however, clear that these examples are consistent in their tactical approaches and
seem capable of learning from past encounters. Some reports indicate that members of these strain variants have returned to the battlefront after being slain in battle. It is unclear if this indicates that the Tyranids have a mechanism for resurrecting these specimens, or if the later encounters are evidence of additional specimens.
==See Also==
==Sources==
*{{Endn|1}}: [[Deathwatch Core Rulebook]] , pg.341-342*{{Endn|2}}: [[Deathwatch: The Jericho Reach]], pg. 170-173
[[Category:Hive Fleets]]
[[Category:Tyrannic Wars]]
