The Second Black Crusade was Abaddon the Despoiler’s follow-up to his first great push out of the Eye of Terror, launched in 597.M32 against the Cadian Gate. It’s also known as the Cursing of Corona, and it’s the campaign where the Imperium’s new fortress line got its first real test.
What it was
After the First Black Crusade, the Imperium learned its lesson and built a wall of defences around the Cadian Gate: the fortress world of Cadia itself, a bastion on Nemesis Tessera, and a huge naval port at Belis Corona. The Second Black Crusade was Abaddon’s attempt to break that wall.
He led a vast army and fleet, possibly larger than the first invasion. The fighting raged for five years, and the Imperium held Cadia in the end. But that’s only half the story.
The Cursing of Corona
Abaddon didn’t just throw troops at the fortresses. At Belis Corona he launched a diversionary strike that wrecked the Imperial shipyards and destroyed dozens of Navy cruisers. Then he and his Bringers of Despair landed on the system’s outermost moons and performed a ritual that cursed one of them.
That curse lay dormant for centuries. When it finally woke, it unleashed a mutagenic plague on the defenders. That’s where the name Cursing of Corona comes from, and it’s a good example of how Abaddon fights: the battlefield is only part of the plan.
Nemesis Tessera and the Word Bearers
Black Legion forces hit the Inquisitorial Fortress on Nemesis Tessera and freed several daemons held captive there. Abaddon himself teleported down to topple the hexagrammic Eldritch Needles, which were really a black stone Pylon holding back the Warp.
Elsewhere, a Word Bearer fleet showed up and attacked Imperial ships. They weren’t formally allied with Abaddon, but they boarded five Imperial cruisers, unleashed Defilers inside, packed the hulls with explosives, and sent the wrecks spiralling back into the Imperial armada.
Outcome and why it matters
The sources call this an Imperial tactical victory, since Cadia held and the Chaos forces were stymied there. But they also note that Abaddon achieved his objectives. He bloodied the Cadian Gate, sowed a curse that would bite centuries later, and freed daemons the Imperium had worked hard to contain.
That pattern repeats across his later crusades: the Imperium can win the battle and still lose ground in the long run. The Second Black Crusade is an early sign that Abaddon plays a longer game than a simple siege.
Key facts
- Date: 597.M32, during the Long War.
- Also known as the Cursing of Corona.
- Fought at the Cadian Gate, mainly on Cadia, Nemesis Tessera, and Belis Corona.
- Abaddon cursed a moon at Belis Corona with a plague that woke centuries later.
- Black Legion forces freed daemons from the Inquisitorial Fortress on Nemesis Tessera.
- The Imperium held Cadia, but Abaddon still achieved his objectives.
FAQ
When was the Second Black Crusade?
It took place in 597.M32, roughly a thousand years after the First Black Crusade. The main siege of Cadia lasted five years.
Who led the Second Black Crusade?
Abaddon the Despoiler led it, at the head of the Black Legion. A Word Bearer fleet also attacked Imperial assets in the region, though without a formal alliance.
Did Abaddon win the Second Black Crusade?
The Imperium held Cadia, so it’s usually called a tactical Imperial victory. But Abaddon still achieved his goals, which is why the outcome is often described as a win for him in the long run.