Abda was a member of the secret Stranglers cult in Dreams of Steel where he was described by Lady as "a shifty-eyed little villain who looked like a villain no matter what". He was a red rumel man, meaning he was an experienced killer, and of Vehdna background. Though Abda was subordinate to Narayan Singh, it is not certain if he was part of jamadar Narayan's Changlor band or a volunteer from a different Strangler band like Sindhu seemed to be.
Abda and Ram were assigned by Narayan as bodyguards for Lady for a time when she was in Taglios. There, at the exclusive Taglian olive grove and mineral baths, he and Ram stood guard during her meeting with the Prahbrindrah Drah. As she departed, Abda assisted her in foiling Chandra Chan Tal's attempted assassination. He used his red rumel to snap the neck of a Gunni assailant who wielded a tulwar, and loaded the corpses of the would-be assassins into Lady's coach.
Abda next assisted Lady with her relief army efforts against Shadowspinner's forces that were conducting the Siege of Dejagore. Abda and his fellow cultists Narayan, Ram, and Sindhu, as well as the foreigners Cordy Mather, Blade, and Willow Swan coordinated Lady's troop movements. Abda was present with Lady, Sindhu, and others during a tense and unexpected encounter with Mogaba outside Dejagore's walls. After this, he disappears from the Annals; he may have been among the many Strangler fatalities of later events, but it is unconfirmed.