| abstract | - The Cadian Gate is an area of calm space leading into and out of the massive Warp Rift called the Eye of Terror. It is located to the galactic southeast of the Eye in the Segmentum Obscurus, and is the only predictably stable way out of that maelstrom of Warp energy. It is therefore a site of frequent raids by the Forces of Chaos seeking to break through the Imperial defences in the region so that they can invade the larger Imperium of Man. Several Black Crusades have emerged from the Cadian Gate, including the most recent campaign (13th Black Crusade) led by the Chaos Lord Abaddon the Despoiler. This has led to its continuous monitoring by the Imperium and the stationing of several forces of Imperial Guard in the closest star system, Cadia. Abaddon the Despoiler is the only Chaos Lord to date to gain a foothold on the Fortress World of Cadia during the 13th Black Crusade of 999.M41 in which minor Chaotic victories resulted in the capture of large swathes of the planet from its valiant defenders. The Cadian Gate is not the only stable exit from the Eye as the Arx Gap offers another way to exit the Warp Rift, although it is somewhat less reliable. It was from the Arx Gap that Abaddon began the Gothic War (the 12th Black Crusade) by raiding the research and monitoring station located there in 139.M41. The Arx Gap bypasses the powerful defences of the Cadian Gate, thus making it a more attractive location from which the Forces of Chaos can stage their assaults on the Imperium, but it is more prone to Warp turbulence.
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