A small and unlikely theory about "War Eternal"

[Erasculio.2914]

I'm sure I'm not the first one to think about this, but since I didn't find a post about it here in the forum...

So far, many people have mentioned how the title "War Eternal" may be about how there's always war within the Mists, or about how Kralk would be stuck within a time loop in the Mists (so he would not be killed, avoiding that "end of the world" scenario, but would also not be active on Tyria).

But, what if "War Eternal" is not about endless fighting, and rather about how the role of God of War is eternal? So Balthazar may have fallen, but either someone else will become the new God of War, or Balthazar will rise again. This new entity could be the (somewhat literal) Deus ex Machinae that would allow us to defeat Kralk in episode 6.

[ugrakarma.9416]

well, theres recurring balthazar stuff in recent episodes, then of course they have not yet closed the balthazar arc.

[ThatOddOne.4387]

I to think the title has something to do with Balthazar, his replacement or both, so you're not alone in that, nor would I really consider it unlikely.

[Bast.7253]

@ThatOddOne.4387 said:I to think the title has something to do with Balthazar, his replacement or both, so you're not alone in that, nor would I really consider it unlikely.

Well, if the episode is eluding to us trapping Kralk in the mists, which is pretty much our only option at this point without Aurene or some random solution that gets shoved in last minute... then the only way I can see that working is if we somehow manage to extract Balthazar's magic from Kralk.. whether it be the help of the gods or whatever.. which could also lead into a crowning ceremony for a new god of war if there isn't one for some reason...

And by trapping in the mists, I mean in a remote area where he can't just devour everything and keep getting stronger.

I think the main argument is that we assume they had to do something with Balth's magic when they stripped him of his title and power and chained him up in the mists. Because if they didn't need to with Balth and find a replacement for him now, then they're basically retconning the Abaddon plot.

I think we're going to get a retcon or something that doesn't necessarily match up perfectly with known lore at some point though, and I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see Zafirah take up Balthazar's mantle if we were to find a replacement.

[derd.6413]

we trap kralk in menzies realm and have the 2 distract eachother till we have a permanent solution to the dragon problem.

[Randulf.7614]

Since balths power was removed, guild war lore dictates needing a new vessel when that happens. That means a new God of War already exists and has done for a while

[Genesis.8572]

@"cptaylor.2670" said:I think we're going to get a retcon or something that doesn't necessarily match up perfectly with known lore at some point though, and I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see Zafirah take up Balthazar's mantle if we were to find a replacement.And then Grenth looked at all the prior female godesses still around and male gods being replaced by female goddess successors and said, "Oh boy. I don't like my future chances."

[ThatOddOne.4387]

Desmina waves at Grenth from the distance

[MithranArkanere.8957]

@"derd.6413" said:we trap kralk in menzies realm and have the 2 distract eachother till we have a permanent solution to the dragon problem.

The skins "Menzies's Agony" and "The Fate of Menzies" suggest Menzies has been killed by Balthazar already.

[derd.6413]

@MithranArkanere.8957 said:

@"derd.6413" said:we trap kralk in menzies realm and have the 2 distract eachother till we have a permanent solution to the dragon problem.

The skins "Menzies's Agony" and "The Fate of Menzies" suggest Menzies has been killed by Balthazar already.

suggests but doesn't confirm

[Sir Vincent III.1286]

The notion of trapping Kral in the Mist will have the same repercussion as killing him. His existence, or at least his essence, is essential in Tyria since his magic has to seep back to Tyria. Which has been happening naturally while the EDs slumber. The absence of Kral will distort the balance in Tyria.

If they choose to trap Kral in the Mist, then the whole information about restoring the balance are nothing but hogwash and Glint is a big fat liar.

As for the title War Eternal, it only really mean, at least to me, that we have to go to war against the ED every time they wake up. Which is the cycle that Glint was trying to break.

[derd.6413]

@Sir Vincent III.1286 said:The notion of trapping Kral in the Mist will have the same repercussion as killing him. His existence, or at least his essence, is essential in Tyria since his magic has to seep back to Tyria. Which has been happening naturally while the EDs slumber. The absence of Kral will distort the balance in Tyria.

If they choose to trap Kral in the Mist, then the whole information about restoring the balance are nothing but hogwash and Glint is a big fat liar.

not if it's a temporary solution

[Sir Vincent III.1286]

@derd.6413 said:

@Sir Vincent III.1286 said:The notion of trapping Kral in the Mist will have the same repercussion as killing him. His existence, or at least his essence, is essential in Tyria since his magic has to seep back to Tyria. Which has been happening naturally while the EDs slumber. The absence of Kral will distort the balance in Tyria.

If they choose to trap Kral in the Mist, then the whole information about restoring the balance are nothing but hogwash and Glint is a big fat liar.

not if it's a temporary solution

Even if it is temporary, the absence of Kral's magic will tip the balance and Tyria will go out of whack, or so they say.

[derd.6413]

@Sir Vincent III.1286 said:

@derd.6413 said:

@Sir Vincent III.1286 said:The notion of trapping Kral in the Mist will have the same repercussion as killing him. His existence, or at least his essence, is essential in Tyria since his magic has to seep back to Tyria. Which has been happening naturally while the EDs slumber. The absence of Kral will distort the balance in Tyria.

If they choose to trap Kral in the Mist, then the whole information about restoring the balance are nothing but hogwash and Glint is a big fat liar.

not if it's a temporary solution

Even if it is temporary, the absence of Kral's magic will tip the balance and Tyria will go out of whack, or so they say.

no, because it's currently out of wack because of an over abundance of loose magic (see all the ley-line anomalies) so removing it wouldn't contribute to that issue. it might cause other issues but it wouldn't worsen the magic imbalance issue.

my guess is that we'll find a solution to the magic imbalance caused by ED deaths in season 5 with kralk's mist imprisonment to add a ticking clock to the season

[Bast.7253]

It’s out of wack because of the excess magic and the fact that two elder dragons have been taken out of the eternal alchemy. Kralk being trapped could potentially keep him from absorbing excess magic as the elder dragons slumber and release, but he would be trapped with a substantial amount of magic that would have effectively been removed from Tyria, assuming that the magic doesn’t find a way back somehow. And if he is alive, the eternal alchemy balance remains the same as it is now. Still in need of two replacements, but not imminent destruction.

[Sir Vincent III.1286]

@"cptaylor.2670" said:It’s out of wack because of the excess magic and the fact that two elder dragons have been taken out of the eternal alchemy. Kralk being trapped could potentially keep him from absorbing excess magic as the elder dragons slumber and release, but he would be trapped with a substantial amount of magic that would have effectively been removed from Tyria, assuming that the magic doesn’t find a way back somehow. And if he is alive, the eternal alchemy balance remains the same as it is now. Still in need of two replacements, but not imminent destruction.

There is no "excess magic". The amount is the same. When awake, the ED consume magic and the same amount of magic seeps out while they slumber. The amount of magic is no more or less, else there would be no such thing as balance.

[Konig Des Todes.2086]

@Sir Vincent III.1286 said:The notion of trapping Kral in the Mist will have the same repercussion as killing him. His existence, or at least his essence, is essential in Tyria since his magic has to seep back to Tyria. Which has been happening naturally while the EDs slumber. The absence of Kral will distort the balance in Tyria.

If they choose to trap Kral in the Mist, then the whole information about restoring the balance are nothing but hogwash and Glint is a big fat liar.

As for the title War Eternal, it only really mean, at least to me, that we have to go to war against the ED every time they wake up. Which is the cycle that Glint was trying to break.

His magic doesn't have to seep back to Tyria. The whole ebb and flow of magic to the extremes in the Elder Dragon cycle is heavily suggested by Glint's Legacy (specifically Sadizi's speech during The Way Forward) to be unnecessarily drastic and damaging.

Trapping Kralkatorrik in the Mists wouldn't have such adverse effects so long as he's not further into the Mists than he is already. He seems to be remaining in the bordering lands of the Mists adjacent to Tyria, which is where the afterlives and fractals (basically everything we've directly seen of the Mists in GW2 and, excluding HA, in GW1) has been.

The only ways that the information about restoring balance would be hogwash and Taimi and Sadizi - not Glint - are liars would be if a) we kill him without a replacement (with or without his magic being absorbed somewhere), or b) he goes deep into the Mists, and disconnects from Tyria entirely while alive.

Trapping him in the borderlands of the Mists won't disconnect him from Tyria anymore than his current state.

[Konig Des Todes.2086]

@Sir Vincent III.1286 said:

@"cptaylor.2670" said:It’s out of wack because of the excess magic and the fact that two elder dragons have been taken out of the eternal alchemy. Kralk being trapped could potentially keep him from absorbing excess magic as the elder dragons slumber and release, but he would be trapped with a substantial amount of magic that would have effectively been removed from Tyria, assuming that the magic doesn’t find a way back somehow. And if he is alive, the eternal alchemy balance remains the same as it is now. Still in need of two replacements, but not imminent destruction.

There is no "excess magic". The amount is the same. When awake, the ED consume magic and the same amount of magic seeps out while they slumber. The amount of magic is no more or less, else there would be no such thing as balance.

You're both right, to varying degrees. There is excess magic, but that isn't the "out of wack" imbalance that Taimi and Sadizi are talking about. As Taimi says in Small Victory, Kralkatorrik gaining Balthazar's magic furthers the Elder Dragon balance, not the magical balance. In Flashpoint, Taimi mentions that the magic excess is a known issue, but one that's not very critical and could be solved later; if there was a later. The All's imbalance is the critical issue, not magic's imbalance.

As for magical imbalance, there is such because the Elder Dragons have never been fully depleted of magic. Zhaitan and Mordremoth currently are, due to a strong case of death, and this results in excessive amounts of magic.

Think of it like this:

"Normal" state of Tyria deprived of magic (ED about to go to sleep/just went to sleep): Tyria has 2 magic, each ED has 4 magic"Normal" state of Tyria full of magic (ED about to wake up / just woke up): Tyria as 20 magic, each ED has 1 magic

In this set up, Tyria withers with 1 magic, or goes chaotic boom with 21 magic.

Let's say Zhaitan and Mordremoth had 3 magic at the time of their death. With their deaths,the result is likely thus:Tyria: 12 magicPrimordus: 4 magicJormag: 3 magicKralkatorrik: 4 magicDSD: 3 magic

(NOTE: I don't list Jormag or DSD as getting a numeric boost because of their distance; Jormag barely got any magic, and the DSD is supposedly further away. It's arguable that they're at like 3.1 or something but I'm simplifying as heck.)

Now as one may note, even if a fourth ED dies and all of its magic gets sent into Tyria, it won't reach 21. Thus the aforementioned note by Taimi during Elder Druid Protection: the magical buildup in the world is not at a critical state.

Of course, aforementioned numbers are technically prior to Path of Fire, and doesn't separate the Bloodstone's magic. Post-PoF is likely along the lines of:Tyria/Bloodstones: 15 magicPrimordus: 1 magicJormag: 1 magicKralkatorrik: 6 magicDSD: 3 magic

(Thanks Balthazar.)

At the moment, in theory at least, the only way to destroy Tyria via magical imbalance before The All's/Elder Dragon imbalance, would be to drain the remaining Elder Dragons (namely Kralk and the DSD) back down to "1 magic" (aka starved of magic), and put said drained magic into the ley lines. That would result in Tyria having "22 magic", being fatal.

Unless they of course just want to retcon the entire plight of fighting Balthazar and make it all about magical imbalance thus completely rendering the unfortunate and horribad retcon of Balthazar's personality into a manchild and the Commander needlessly antagonizing him, as well as Aurene's death, to be utterly and completely moot.

[Sir Vincent III.1286]

@Konig Des Todes.2086 said:

@Sir Vincent III.1286 said:The notion of trapping Kral in the Mist will have the same repercussion as killing him. His existence, or at least his essence, is essential in Tyria since his magic has to seep back to Tyria. Which has been happening naturally while the EDs slumber. The absence of Kral will distort the balance in Tyria.

If they choose to trap Kral in the Mist, then the whole information about restoring the balance are nothing but hogwash and Glint is a big fat liar.

As for the title War Eternal, it only really mean, at least to me, that we have to go to war against the ED every time they wake up. Which is the cycle that Glint was trying to break.

His magic doesn't have to seep back to Tyria. The whole ebb and flow of magic to the extremes in the Elder Dragon cycle is heavily suggested by Glint's Legacy (specifically Sadizi's speech during The Way Forward) to be unnecessarily drastic and damaging.

Trapping Kralkatorrik in the Mists wouldn't have such adverse effects so long as he's not further into the Mists than he is already. He seems to be remaining in the bordering lands of the Mists adjacent to Tyria, which is where the afterlives and fractals (basically everything we've directly seen of the Mists in GW2 and, excluding HA, in GW1) has been.

The only ways that the information about restoring balance would be hogwash and

Taimi and Sadizi

- not Glint - are liars would be if a) we kill him without a replacement (with or without his magic being absorbed somewhere), or b) he goes deep into the Mists, and disconnects from Tyria entirely while alive.

Trapping him in the borderlands of the Mists won't disconnect him from Tyria anymore than his current state.

Isn't trapping him means that he's going to be disconnected from Tyria? Otherwise, what's the point of trapping him if he maintains connection and can still harm Tyria?

When you trap the radiation of Uranium, you don't let any of the radiation seeps out, else your trapping is a failure since it continues to harm the environment. A minor leakage can mean a disaster.

Besides, can they really trap Kral? Even if it is as far-fetched as time loop trap, what's preventing him from opening a portal and flying away?

[Konig Des Todes.2086]

@Sir Vincent III.1286 said:Isn't trapping him means that he's going to be disconnected from Tyria? Otherwise, what's the point of trapping him if he maintains connection and can still harm Tyria?

Trapping him physically means he cannot return to Tyria. Not that he'd disconnect from Tyria's The All, which seems to encompass a bit more than just Tyria the world itself.

Besides, can they really trap Kral? Even if it is as far-fetched as time loop trap, what's preventing him from opening a portal and flying away?

We don't know, that's why it's merely a theory that it could happen. The theory plays on the idea that we somehow prevent Kralkatorrik from opening rifts (the methods are as numerous as people's imaginations) while putting him inside a fractal / fractal-like place.

[Sir Vincent III.1286]

@Konig Des Todes.2086 said:

@Sir Vincent III.1286 said:Isn't trapping him means that he's going to be disconnected from Tyria? Otherwise, what's the point of trapping him if he maintains connection and can still harm Tyria?

Trapping him physically means he cannot return to Tyria. Not that he'd disconnect from Tyria's The All, which seems to encompass a bit more than just Tyria the world itself.

It doesn't make sense, but ok.

Besides, can they really trap Kral? Even if it is as far-fetched as time loop trap, what's preventing him from opening a portal and flying away?

We don't know, that's why it's merely a theory that it could happen. The theory plays on the idea that we somehow prevent Kralkatorrik from opening rifts (the methods are as numerous as people's imaginations) while putting him inside a fractal / fractal-like place.

Hmm, I guess distorting his rift so that even if he enters it, it will always bring him back to the Mist. Just like two Asura gates facing each other.

It sounds to me that they may be using the same solution that the Flash did against the Mirror Master where he surrounded MM with mirrors so it doesn't matter which one he tries to get in, MM still ends up in the middle -- and Lyssa might come back to play a role into this.

EDIT: typos

[Konig Des Todes.2086]

@Sir Vincent III.1286 said:

@Konig Des Todes.2086 said:

@Sir Vincent III.1286 said:Isn't trapping him means that he's going to be disconnected from Tyria? Otherwise, what's the point of trapping him if he maintains connection and can still harm Tyria?

Trapping him physically means he cannot return to Tyria. Not that he'd disconnect from Tyria's The All, which seems to encompass a bit more than just Tyria the world itself.

It doesn't make sense, but ok.

Try thinking it like this: If The All were purely physical, then it is not just the world, but what's in the world's orbit (such as the moon and satelites). Kralkatorrik is currently popping in and out of the atmosphere, but can reach as far as the moon (maybe a bit further) before leaving the world's orbit (the reach of the All). Leaving orbit means leaving The All; so let's say we instead trap him inside a "new moon", or make it so he could not withstand entering the atmosphere again, but is still alive. He loses his ability to pop in and out of the atmosphere, but remains within The All.

That's the jist of why the theory of trapping Kralkatorrik in some fractal or another would work. He's not in Tyria proper, but he's still in within Tyria's The All.

[Sir Vincent III.1286]

@Konig Des Todes.2086 said:

@Sir Vincent III.1286 said:

@Konig Des Todes.2086 said:

@Sir Vincent III.1286 said:Isn't trapping him means that he's going to be disconnected from Tyria? Otherwise, what's the point of trapping him if he maintains connection and can still harm Tyria?

Trapping him physically means he cannot return to Tyria. Not that he'd disconnect from Tyria's The All, which seems to encompass a bit more than just Tyria the world itself.

It doesn't make sense, but ok.

Try thinking it like this: If The All were purely physical, then it is not just the world, but what's in the world's orbit (such as the moon and satelites). Kralkatorrik is currently popping in and out of the atmosphere, but can reach as far as the moon (maybe a bit further) before leaving the world's orbit (the reach of the All). Leaving orbit means leaving The All; so let's say we instead trap him inside a "new moon", or make it so he could not withstand entering the atmosphere again, but is still alive. He loses his ability to pop in and out of the atmosphere, but remains within The All.

That's the jist of why the theory of trapping Kralkatorrik in some fractal or another would work. He's not in Tyria proper, but he's still in within Tyria's The All.

Even if Kral goes deep into the Mist, akin to leaving Tyria's orbit to go to another planet, he will still be part of The All. Leaving Tyria's orbit is just that, leaving Tyria, but not leaving The All since The All is basically the universe.

Given that The All is also known as the Eternal Alchemy suggests that it is not tangible or physical. So even if you trap Kral physically, he will still be part of The All because his chemical structure/spiritual essence/magic (religious terms) is till connected, right? If that is the case, then even if the ED dies, that is only a physical death, so their chem/spirit/magic are still connected to The All. They simply changed from one form to another, just like energy (which in GW1 Energy exists).

Even the Six leaving Tyria is still connected to The All. Leaving Tyria doesn't necessarily means leaving the all. At least that's what the information implies or explicitly says.

With that said, even if Kral is physically trapped, his connection to Tyria can still harm Tyria. Just look at Abaddon, he's trapped in the Mist, yet he was still able to cause harm to Tyria. Kral is even more powerful than Abaddon. The only really way to prevent Kral from harming Tyria is to sever the connection by placing him in some kind of a containment unit. Which of course will trigger some chain of events that may hasten the end of Tyria.

[Konig Des Todes.2086]

@"Sir Vincent III.1286" said:Even if Kral goes deep into the Mist, akin to leaving Tyria's orbit to go to another planet, he will still be part of The All. Leaving Tyria's orbit is just that, leaving Tyria, but not leaving The All since The All is basically the universe.

Given that The All is also known as the Eternal Alchemy suggests that it is not tangible or physical. So even if you trap Kral physically, he will still be part of The All because his chemical structure/spiritual essence/magic (religious terms) is till connected, right? If that is the case, then even if the ED dies, that is only a physical death, so their chem/spirit/magic are still connected to The All. They simply changed from one form to another, just like energy (which in GW1 Energy exists).

Even the Six leaving Tyria is still connected to The All. Leaving Tyria doesn't necessarily means leaving the all. At least that's what the information implies or explicitly says.

With that said, even if Kral is physically trapped, his connection to Tyria can still harm Tyria. Just look at Abaddon, he's trapped in the Mist, yet he was still able to cause harm to Tyria. Kral is even more powerful than Abaddon. The only really way to prevent Kral from harming Tyria is to sever the connection by placing him in some kind of a containment unit. Which of course will trigger some chain of events that may hasten the end of Tyria.

The All is not the universe, it is merely Thyria (the center of The All) and its neighboring bodies of power (which have not yet been identified, but are known to be connected directly to the Elder Dragons). This is why every depiction of The All has Thyria in the center, with six spheres surrounding it. Thyria is not the center of the universe. The All, despite its name, is not about all things. Just "all things Thyria".

Nor is it the same as Eternal Alchemy, which is the theoretical interconnections of all things in existence - the multiverse, if you will. Despite Scarlet's belief of what she saw (which led others, like Vorpp, to restate what Scarlet said). Once you leave Thyria's "neighborhood" you're leaving Thyria's Antikytheria, but you're still within the multiverse (and thus still within the influence of the Eternal Alchemy).

Abaddon was able to harm Thyria solely because his minions spread his influence. It was not until the barriers between Thyria and the Realm of Torment were weakened by Varesh's rituals that Abaddon was able to influence the world, and he was only able to do so through the minds and knowledge (aka his primary domain) of those who knew about him. If those barriers were never weakened, then Abaddon wouldn't have been able to influence Thyria to bring about Nightfall. In effect, Abaddon was in that kind of containment unit you speak of - and that is exactly what the fractal we're talking about would entail. However, the Realm of Torment is still within the reach of Thyria's Antikytheria. There is, however, zero evidence to suggest that placing Kralkatorrik within a prison would disconnect him from The All. After all, we're physically imprisoning him, but The All is metaphysical in nature.

I'm also doubtful that Kralkatorrik is more powerful than Abaddon. Even at the height of Abaddon's power in GW1, he was still at 3/8th of his full power due to the chains and locks the other gods made. At full strength, Abaddon was strong enough to defeat two other gods; at his current, enhanced, strength, Kralkatorrik still got nearly beaten by an army of mortals and a demi-Elder Dragon (Aurene), only surviving by exploiting Aurene's care for the Commander (intentionally or not). I'd argue that Kralkatorrik is just a bit stronger than "3/8th-powered Abaddon".

[Sir Vincent III.1286]

@Konig Des Todes.2086 said:

@"Sir Vincent III.1286" said:Even if Kral goes deep into the Mist, akin to leaving Tyria's orbit to go to another planet, he will still be part of The All. Leaving Tyria's orbit is just that, leaving Tyria, but not leaving The All since The All is basically the universe.

Given that The All is also known as the Eternal Alchemy suggests that it is not tangible or physical. So even if you trap Kral physically, he will still be part of The All because his chemical structure/spiritual essence/magic (religious terms) is till connected, right? If that is the case, then even if the ED dies, that is only a physical death, so their chem/spirit/magic are still connected to The All. They simply changed from one form to another, just like energy (which in GW1 Energy exists).

Even the Six leaving Tyria is still connected to The All. Leaving Tyria doesn't necessarily means leaving the all. At least that's what the information implies or explicitly says.

With that said, even if Kral is physically trapped, his connection to Tyria can still harm Tyria. Just look at Abaddon, he's trapped in the Mist, yet he was still able to cause harm to Tyria. Kral is even more powerful than Abaddon. The only really way to prevent Kral from harming Tyria is to sever the connection by placing him in some kind of a containment unit. Which of course will trigger some chain of events that may hasten the end of Tyria.

The All is not the universe, it is merely Thyria (the center of The All) and its neighboring bodies of power (which have not yet been identified, but are known to be connected directly to the Elder Dragons). This is why every depiction of The All has Thyria in the center, with six spheres surrounding it. Thyria is not the center of the universe. The All, despite its name, is not about all things. Just "all things Thyria".

Nor is it the same as Eternal Alchemy, which is the theoretical interconnections of all things in existence - the multiverse, if you will. Despite Scarlet's belief of what she saw (which led others, like Vorpp, to restate what Scarlet said). Once you leave Thyria's "neighborhood" you're leaving Thyria's Antikytheria, but you're still within the multiverse (and thus still within the influence of the Eternal Alchemy).

The Wiki says, "The All, also referred to as the Antikytheria, is a symbolic representation of the world of Tyria as a machine with various moving parts. Those who have seen it describe it synonymously with the Eternal Alchemy"

Yet you're saying it's not the same.

I digress.

Abaddon was able to harm Thyria solely because his minions spread his influence. It was not until the barriers between Thyria and the Realm of Torment were weakened by Varesh's rituals that Abaddon was able to influence the world, and he was only able to do so through the minds and knowledge (aka his primary domain) of those who knew about him. If those barriers were never weakened, then Abaddon wouldn't have been able to influence Thyria to bring about Nightfall. In effect, Abaddon was in that kind of containment unit you speak of - and that is exactly what the fractal we're talking about would entail. However, the Realm of Torment is still within the reach of Thyria's Antikytheria. There is, however, zero evidence to suggest that placing Kralkatorrik within a prison would disconnect him from The All. After all, we're physically imprisoning him, but The All is metaphysical in nature.

But Abaddon's influence extended all the way back to the Lich and Shiro way before Varesh.

I'm also doubtful that Kralkatorrik is more powerful than Abaddon. Even at the height of Abaddon's power in GW1, he was still at 3/8th of his full power due to the chains and locks the other gods made. At full strength, Abaddon was strong enough to defeat two other gods; at his current, enhanced, strength, Kralkatorrik still got nearly beaten by an army of mortals and a demi-Elder Dragon (Aurene), only surviving by exploiting Aurene's care for the Commander (intentionally or not). I'd argue that Kralkatorrik is just a bit stronger than "3/8th-powered Abaddon".

I don't know about "nearly beaten" because to me he's just toying with us. Playing into our belief that there is hope to only crush that hope in the end.