So just how powerful is Abaddon?

[Sception]

Calgar doesn't command all those Chapters the way Abaddon does. He is hugely respected and influential, but not the absolute dictator over them.

 

That's just what he wants you to think! ::shiftyeyes::

[Dammeron]

Aba-dabba-doo-don's power is more political than anything. Although he wields an insane amount of personal brutality, owing to his equipment, his glory in the eyes of Chaos and his own insane vision and determination, there are entities at large within the Eye of Terror that could potentially squash him flat in a one on one smack down (the likes of Angron, Perturabo, Magnus and Mortarion instantly spring to mind).

 

However, unlike these chaps, Abaddon has maintained some strength and clarity of purpose outside of what the respective powers of Chaos dictate. It seems to me that Abaddon is not necessarily a follower of Chaos, or even a pawn in the same manner that, say, Ahriman is. Rather, he has willingly and happily entered into a mutually beneficial pact with the Chaos Gods, since their intentions coincide: Abaddon wants the galaxy to burn and the Imperium to crumble for denying and defeating Horus, Chaos wants the same in order to transform the material universe into a dark paradise that will perpetually sustain it unto eternity. Abaddon doesn't particularly give a hoot by what means he tears all of reality down; if Chaos provides it, then wonderful; he'll happily do whatever the Gods demand in order to maintain their support. There is a suggestion of a certain nihilism behind Abaddon; the death of Daddy Horus did more to him psychologically than any mortal human being could ever conceive'; it destroyed his universe; everything by which he defined his existence. However, rather than sinking into despair, he simply stomped on the pieces of his broken life, ground them to dust, and said: So be it. If that's the way it will be, that's the way it will be. That agenda; the obliteration of all, seems to have become his new purpose; the means by which he now defines himself, and it is so strong, so unwavering, it allows him to unite others who would otherwise stand in conflict behind it. Though he is generally portrayed as ruling through fear and tyranny (which I have no doubt are his primary mediums), I imagine that he is also extremely charismatic and manipulative, in the same way that Horus was before him. When come across warbands and forces dedicated to particular Gods or daemons, I imagine he has no compunction about engaging in their sacred rituals in order to ingratiate himself, subtly swerving them to his cause. I can't imagine any amount of threats would sway the likes of Lorgar or Mortarion, since they've arguably already achieved a significant amount of their own personal requirements, and, being immortal, can effectively sit and wait for the Imperium to crumble or consume itself from within, if they so choose. So there must be something else; some other means he uses to sway such entities to his cause. I imagine the principle argument lies in the demands of their patrons: Abaddon is clearly favoured by them, and is destined to play a significant part in their intentions for material reality. It would therefore be incumbent on the daemon primarchs to aid him, to a degree. Even so, I can't imagine that they kowtow to him in the way that lesser lords and champions do.

 

That said, I imagine he is somewhat perturbed by the likes of Huron Blackheart, who seems to be one of the few at large with the raw political and military persuasion in order to realistically pose anything like a problem. It would be an interesting subject for a Black Library novel or short story to examine precisely how the two regard and deal with one another. My guess is that Abaddon regards Huron as an upstart; a whelp with presumptions of power and authority that stretch beyond his means, but ultimately blinkered if vision. Likewise, I have little doubt Huron regards Abaddon as brutish and unimaginative; a relic of a by-gone age still chasing an agenda he will never achieve. However, that the two would exercise a kind of grudging respect for one another I have no doubt; Huron and his empire is not something Abaddon can simply disregard or even simply do away with, given his influence over and access to key resources such as Imperial shipping lanes etc. Similarly, Huron cannot simply ignore Abaddon or wait for him to fail in his ambitions, since the authority and raw numbers he commands could potentially swallow his fledgling empire, should it become necessary.

 

It's all quite wonderfully complicated, and I look forward to more BL novels down playing the bolter-porn to examine these intricacies.

[empchildrenbob]

Hes so powerfull that he doesnt even need arms.