Absalom's History
Origin
The man only known as Absalom is a member of a rare subspecies of immortal mutants called Externals, to which he represents Despair of the Thread in the Tapestry of the Infinite. Though he had not yet ascended his first death and reveled in immortality, Absalom under unrevealed circumstances joined a number of other Externals that had formed the self fashioned High Lords. Together they manipulate events behind the scenes on a global scale, with the sole goal of political and monetary control over the destiny of Earth.
Tomorrow Starts Today
Having grown in numbers Absalom together with the High Lords had become a type of authority among their kind. Especially if it interfered with their plans. So in 1891 when they learned that Candra planned to stop En Sabah Nur rise to power and take the ability to fold space for herself. Absalom and the others unwilling to physically act against her sent Doctor Nathan Milbury, who worked for En Sabah Nur, deal with Candra.
After Candra made it to En Sabah Nur’s sanctum beneath the pyramids outside of Banī-Mazā in Egypt, thanks to her Thieves Guild and their leader Jean-Luc LeBeau so began to translate the text. Doctor Nathan Milbury with a time traveling Gambit and Courier arrived to stop her via Doctor Millbury's transport ship. Choosing to bring down En Sabah Nur sanctum instead of fighting and steal his powers another day, Doctor Millbury quickly over powers her with his new found metamorphic ability. Defeated she begs for him to stop and as he does while revealing Absalom and the other four High Lords who appeared as the reason behind her loss. Candra tried to explain her actions but Absalom and the others knowing En Sabah Nur's citadel is not to be touched, his slow glaciers rise to power is not to be interrupted. For their greater glory awaits the Millennial Dawn and Candra's actions put that at risk punished her.
Defining Moment
At the end of the 19th century, in 1896, Absalom was a thief and a murderer running away from sheriffs from six states.
In a small town in Wyoming, he met the legendary Caleb Hammer and challenged him, intending to become one as well, and thinking he could outmatch Hammer, now old. As he rejected the challenge, Absalom shot him in the back and was subsequently captured.
As he was hanged, his mutant powers manifested and he freed himself, only to be gunned down by the citizens. While he died, he wished to become a better man. He was buried, woke up two days later, and escape the village during night. Despite never returning to the man he had been, he never found the strength to be the one he wanted to be. He also came to hate his bone-spikes generation mutant abilities. After his mutant powers manifested, he left the town where he was hung and wondered the Earth for some time.
Mystery Of The Externals
In more recent years, the High Lords were searching for the next External to ascend and their next member. For a time, thanks to Gideon believed it was Sunspot, but when Cannonball came back to life moments after his death, it was sensed by Absalom and the other four High Lords, who then believed that Samuel was the next External they had been looking for.
Absalom and the others gathered at fellow External and High Lord Nicodemus' chalet in the Swiss Alps, to discuss this new revelation. Though Absalom, who already disliked Gideon, was made more so by the months Gideon wasted on recruiting the wrong person, Saul and Nicodemus listened to Gideon’s plan to get Samuel to join them. They were shocked to learn that he planned to use Krule, Absalom protested the involvement of Crule in what was already an otherwise untenable morass. Though Burke was the only other who was against bring in Crule to kill Cable, although more out of fear of exposure, Saul and Nicodemus allowed him to go through with the plan.
Legacy Virus
He eventually contracted the Legacy Virus released by Stryfe.
The Young And The Restless
For a time he and the others stayed away from Cannonball and his X-Force, until he and Burke became infected by the Legacy Virus which would take Burke's life first. But not before Burke, through his precognitive skills, saw and made the others aware that Samuel Guthrie was the architect of their salvation.
Along with Gideon and Saul, he went to Cumberland County, Kentucky, to meet with Samual, threatening his brother Josh. There to convince Samual to aid them, they discussed with Samual and Tabitha of their defining moments of their ascension from mortals to something more, they told him about what each of them represent and for Samuel that was Hope. After Samuel shared heartfelt words with them and how they could have made a difference, but did nothing Absalom, who had lost his temper once already with Samual but was put in his place by Gideon now raged. Accusing the other Externals of acting like "frightened children", he assaulted Gideon and then as virus overwhelm all he wanted was for someone to mourn his passing.
Samuel saved the others with his blast field from the explosion, amazed to have found Absalom survived Saul and Gideon believed it was a testament to the truth of Samuel's words. So with Samuel's word that as long as they try to do better with what they got and if the time comes, if he is able to he will save their lives Saul and with Gideon carrying an unconscious Absalom left.
Even an X-Ternal Can Die!
With the lost of Nicodemus and Burke, Absalom found himself as with the remaining High Lords vulnerable for the first time in centuries. Though not from others but from one of their fellow Externals, namely Selene. Selene who had been waiting for this moment for centuries and with the coming terror that is Onslaught, not to mention the return of Apocalypse that would come with it she made her move.
Made aware they were being hunted by Crule, who he did not believe at first until they made it to Manhattan and found a dead Gideon in the streets of the Rockefeller Center. With X-Force's Sunspot and Caliban having found Gideon due to him calling them for help, and unaware of Saul’s fate Absalom with Crule attacked X-Force members believing they were the cause. The two High Lords proving to be to much to handle and with Absalom nearly killing Caliban, they were defeated when the rest of X-Force in Shatterstar, Siryn, Meltdown, Domino and Warpath who would not join the fight arrived to help.
With X-Force having won and Absalom caught unaware Selene, who had been watching and knocked out Warpath after he found a dead Saul discovered her made her move and killed him by quick drained Absalom’s life-force.
The Newer Mutants
At some point after Selene’s failed attempt to absorb the essence of what was left of her fellow Externals, Absalom and the others including those that died due to the Legacy Virus came back to life. 10 years later Absalom had become tired of immortal life and secretly started spying on the other Externals for a time-traveling Gideon, and joined Selene, Crul and Nicodemus when they sensed the sudden death of Candra to discovering this mysterious killer. To keep up the ruse he stood with them when a Cable from 13 years later came with Shatterstar, Doop and Longshot to Manhattan’s Hellfire Club to find Selene and learn who this mysterious killer is.
Sensing the death of Saul he with the others would teleport to Saul's home in Orkhon Valley; Mongolia thanks to Selene's newly resurrected Blink. To continue his ruse he'd fight alongside Crule against Shatterstar, Longshot and X-23 who they discovered there.
After the death of Burke and with no other possible culprit Gideon revealed himself, as Selene and Gideon fought Absalom dropped the ruse; killing Crule and Nicodemus to stop them from aiding Selene. But before either Absalom and Gideon could finish Selene she had Blink teleport them to Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado where Cable and the others were. Even with Cable dropping Absalom by blasting a whole in his chest, Gideon with the combined powers of all five Externals was to much for Cable and his team of Shatterstar, Longshot, Armor and X-23. Selene with all her strength fought Gideon as Cable and Doop’s help distract Gideon, giving Blink the chance to quickly opened and close a portal decapitating the giant Gideon. Absalom quickly back up and ranting was knocked out by Cable, who had him locked down and took Gideon to a future with a Super-Max Prison that can hold him.
Having stopped Gideon from achieving the godhood Selene once tried to attempted by stealing the essence of the others Externals, Cable revealed that an External can only kill another External so Gideon failing means they'll be back.
External Gateway
Choosing to answer a summons through their shared psychic-link from Apocalypse he went to the Eternal Caldera of Krakoa, and there joined by Selene, Saul, Crule, Nicodemus, Candra and Gideon waited for Apocalypse. When Apocalypse arrived not wanting to play his games they learned of his plans for them, but they were unwilling to go along with his belief of what their purpose should be nor willing to sacrifice themselves for his goals. Apocalypse would force Absalom and the others to be sacrificed by playing his trump card in a newly enhanced Rictor. Rictor erupted from the ground in a blast of lava killing Crule. After an enraged Nicodemus attacked, forcing Apocalypse to call out for Selene, Gideon and Rictor to his side Absalom disrupted their chat by firing a number of his bone spikes at them. Despite Selene animating the ground to shield themselves one of his bone spikes hit Apocalypse hurting him. Rictor turned to face Absalom, Nicodemus, Candra and Saul. Even as Saul turned into a great dragon Rictor blasted them with a wave of lava unintentionally killing Nicodemus along with Candra and Saul. Absalom survived but was drained and badly hurt begged for Apocalypse's help, Apocalypse would have finished him but he needed four Externals for the ritual to work.
Even after learning Candra, who knew this would happen, used a similar ritual Apocalypse was attempting and one they used long ago to place her energy into her Heart-Gem and hide it in Avalon's he staid by Apocalypse. Thanks to Gambit who had been sent to Avalon with the rest of Excalibur by Apocalypse happened to find the Gem in Starlight Citadel. With Apocalypse opening a gateway Rictor was able to telepathically warn Captain Britain, she asked Gambit to throw the Gem through the gate. Despite Candra's protests he did and with the Gem finding its mark the ritual was done.
With the ancient bones of Saul, Crule, Nicodemus and Candra, thus their life energy, turned into the stones that powers the External Gate, trapping them, and allowing the whole of Krakoa to enter Otherworld as Apocalypse planned.
