The Sixth Black Crusade is Abaddon the Despoiler’s 901.M36 campaign, better known as Drecarth’s Folly. On the surface it was an attack on a Mechanicus forge world, but its real target was a rival Chaos lord.
History
The Sixth Black Crusade, also called Drecarth’s Folly, took place in 901.M36 across the Segmentum Obscurus. It was one of Abaddon the Despoiler’s thirteen Black Crusades, the long war he wages against the Imperium from the Eye of Terror.
Abaddon’s real objective wasn’t a forge world or a fleet. Drecarth the Sightless led the Sons of the Eye, a warband of former Sons of Horus, and his existence made him a rival for Abaddon’s authority over the old Legion’s legacy. Abaddon wanted him gone.
So he forged an alliance with Drecarth and the Sons of the Eye, then pointed the combined Chaos force at Arkreath, a Forge World held by the Adeptus Mechanicus. The defenders were crushed, and their ziggurats were wrecked badly enough that they could no longer work as sophisticated flux-cages.
With the battle won, the Sons of the Eye celebrated. That’s when Abaddon turned on Drecarth and impaled him on his power claw. The Sons of the Eye, left leaderless, folded into the Black Legion. The campaign’s stated goal was achieved; its real goal was too.
Why it matters
Drecarth’s Folly shows how Abaddon fights his own side as much as the Imperium. He didn’t just want a forge world broken; he wanted a potential challenger removed and his warband’s ranks swollen.
It’s a pattern that repeats across the Black Crusades. Abaddon uses each one to burn Imperial worlds and to consolidate Chaos forces under the Black Legion, usually by making sure anyone who could rival him doesn’t survive the victory.
Key facts
- The Sixth Black Crusade happened in 901.M36.
- It’s also called Drecarth’s Folly.
- Abaddon allied with Drecarth the Sightless to attack the Forge World Arkreath.
- The Adeptus Mechanicus defenders were crushed and their flux-cage ziggurats ruined.
- Abaddon betrayed and killed Drecarth, then absorbed the Sons of the Eye into the Black Legion.
FAQ
What was the Sixth Black Crusade?
It was Abaddon the Despoiler’s campaign in 901.M36, known as Drecarth’s Folly. He allied with Drecarth the Sightless to attack the Forge World Arkreath, then killed Drecarth and absorbed his warband.
Why is it called Drecarth’s Folly?
Because Drecarth trusted Abaddon. He joined the crusade as an ally, won the battle at Arkreath, and was killed by Abaddon during the victory celebration.
Who was Drecarth the Sightless?
He was the leader of the Sons of the Eye, a warband of former Sons of Horus. Abaddon saw him as a rival and had him killed at the end of the Sixth Black Crusade.