The Third Black Crusade was Abaddon the Despoiler’s third great push out of the Eye of Terror, fought in 909.M32. On paper it was a Chaos defeat at the Cadian Gate. In practice Abaddon got exactly what he came for, and that’s the whole point of the story.
What the third black crusade actually was
It’s one of the thirteen Black Crusades Abaddon has launched against the Imperium since the Horus Heresy. This one is also called the Host of Tallomin, after the Daemon Prince he unleashed, and the Desecration of Gerstahl, after the real target.
The dating comes from the Black Legion supplement, which places it in 909.M32. Lexicanum flags the year as needing a citation, so treat the exact date as the commonly used figure rather than gospel.
The Cadian Gate was the distraction
Abaddon wanted the Imperium looking at Cadia while he went after something else entirely: the tomb of Saint Gerstahl on the shrine world named for him. Destroying the saint’s remains would kill any chance of a prophecy about Gerstahl coming true, and Abaddon clearly didn’t fancy that future.
So he hit the Cadian Gate hard. He’d talked the Daemon Prince Tallomin, sometimes called the Prince of Princes, into leading the assault by convincing him that drinking the blood of Adeptus Astartes would make him vastly stronger and let him dominate his rivals back inside the Eye of Terror.
How the fighting went
It was a bloodbath. Tallomin and his daemonic host killed millions of Imperial soldiers, and the scale of the slaughter pulled in at least a dozen loyalist Space Marine Chapters.
The Space Wolves were the ones who finally broke him, driving the Daemon Prince back into the Warp. Cadian Shock Troopers and regiments like the Taronian 1st were in the meat grinder too, alongside other Chapters whose names the records don’t give us.
- Abaddon’s stated aim: destroy Saint Gerstahl’s remains and stop the prophecy
- Tallomin’s aim: gain power from Astartes blood and crush his rivals in the Eye
- Result: Tallomin banished by the Space Wolves, but the tomb was already gone
Why it matters
This is the template for how Abaddon operates. He’ll trade a battlefield loss for a strategic win without blinking, and the Imperium will call it a victory while never noticing what he actually took.
It also sets up the pattern that runs through the later Black Crusades: Cadia as the pressure point, the Long War as the frame, and Abaddon always playing a longer game than the defenders realise.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 909.M32 |
| Location | Cadian Gate |
| Chaos commander | Abaddon the Despoiler, with Daemon Prince Tallomin |
| Imperial defenders | Cadian Shock Troopers, Space Wolves, other Chapters |
| Outcome | Tactical Chaos defeat, strategic objective achieved |
Key facts
- The Third Black Crusade took place in 909.M32 at the Cadian Gate.
- It’s also called the Host of Tallomin and the Desecration of Gerstahl.
- Abaddon used the Cadia assault as cover to destroy Saint Gerstahl’s remains and thwart a prophecy.
- Daemon Prince Tallomin led the Chaos attack after being promised power from Astartes blood.
- The Space Wolves banished Tallomin, but Abaddon’s real objective was already achieved.
FAQ
Did Abaddon win the Third Black Crusade?
Yes, in the way that mattered to him. His forces were driven off at the Cadian Gate, but the diversion let him destroy Saint Gerstahl’s remains, which was the actual goal.
Who was Tallomin?
A Daemon Prince known as the Prince of Princes, unleashed by Abaddon on the Cadian Gate. He was eventually banished back into the Warp by the Space Wolves.
When was the Third Black Crusade?
909.M32, according to the Black Legion supplement. Lexicanum marks the date as needing a citation, so some sources may vary.