Abalok
Devourer of Conflicts
a.k.a Devourer of Conflicts
"I am Time grown old to destroy the world, Embarked on the course of world annihilation."
~a poor translation of one of Abalok's decrees
"I am the father of wolves and serpents. Fires and lies and poisonous pain, and the laughter at the end of the world. "
~excerpt from a cultist scripture seized by Witch Hunters
Most view Abalok as an opportunistic warlord, culling the weak and moving in with lightning raids on those already invested in fights with others. He has a long history of using both Abyssal and Infernal allies, though most of his dealings have been with those of the Infinite Pit.
Abalok is a Greylord that doesn't only draw power from souls claimed in his conflicts, as many believe. Long ago he learned to draw power from violence. Each battle and war in turn only works to fuel him and make him stronger. The limitations of this ability are unknown, but they must exist otherwise he would have conquered the Greylands long ago. It is possible his involvement in much of the fighting within the Greylands is simply to maintain his current strength. This constant fanning of the flames has often drawn him into conflict with those that seek balance, making him an adversary of Nyx.
Abalok is the creator of the Ma'ab race. Often he sold the strong males to other Greylords as slave labor and warriors like the Malok, but always kept the smaller breeding females more capable of magic in his control. Using the race as a cog in his grand machine of war, little did he realize the error in ignoring the growing unrest of his slaves far and wide, or the significance of a chance meeting between those who would become Ascended and the Deathless.
In short order, full-scale rebellion broke out over his entire holdings. Abalok was forced to purge entire areas to root out this sedition, only to find the souls of the Ma'ab were drawn elsewhere, robbing him of the harvest to recoup the power spent. In the end, the Ma'ab retreated where he could not follow as the last and gravest insult.
While Abalok has managed to keep most of his lands, the loss to his infrastructure has led to him focus on using his Malok in raiding parties to hunt for stray souls rather than join in the various larger battles to which he had grown accustomed. That is not to say he hasn't sought inroads to Miurag. Immortals rarely forget slights which wound this deep, but he is still but a mere whisper upon that world. One day he shall reclaim his servants, and perhaps conquer those lands as well.
Unlike some Greylords, Abalok rarely takes a humanoid form. Instead he prefers a “lesser” version of his true form, that of a massive, winged serpent with multiple bladed pinions and scything limbs. A spread of black eyes gaze out from the heavy plates of chitinous bronze showing patina from age. A thick, black mane which flows like fur but seems carved from obsidian graces his head and upper body. In the rare gap of his chitin plates or at the wattle of his throat, one can see his flesh appearing pale, ashen gray, at odds with the inflamed red of his gums and facial markings. His wings are covered in ragged, red feathers with only a few bladed and spiked plates at the joints.
The Malok of his armies put in streaks of muted red and yellow in their queues. Due to the mountainous regions of his territory, Abalok also enjoys a large population of flying Roh’ghast, enough to employ the beasts in his cavalry and hunting war bands. While he uses devils or demons in some of his assaults, it seems to be only when needed, as such beings can be costly and treacherous to field. When the Ma'ab were under his control, the various mines helped him to field armor and weaponry of higher quality than other Greylord armies. Without the large slave populations, this production has flagged greatly. He must focus on actively hunting souls to accumulate resources, all in order to continue his wars.
Ultimately, despite all this, war or violence is not what motivates him. Abalok seeks the prize at the end of all conflict: an absolute victory. He seeks in no easy terms to end everything. For him it shall be the greatest and most meaningful battle that has ever been. At the end, not even the Mother and Firstborn shall remain; all shall be gone. In his mind he shall have consumed Existence itself to stand triumphant and alone, his will and power made manifest and absolute.
