Conan the Barbarian 72

Major Characters

 * Conan (Last appearance in CB-71; next appearance in CB-73).
 * Belit (Last appearance in CB-71; next appearance in CB-73).

Minor Characters

 * Belit's crew (Many appeared last in CB-71; many appear next in CB-73). Kawaku and Yasunga named.
 * N'Yaga (Last appearance in CB-70; next appearance in CB-91)
 * Nim-Karrak (Last appearance in CB-59; next appearance in CB-91).
 * Ptor-Nubis (First appearance; next appearance in CB-90). Stygian emissary and wizard.

Location

 * The city of Asgalun in Shem.

Time Frame

 * A week.

Synopsis
Conan, Belit, and her crew successfully raid a Shemite vessel, though Kawaku's bloodlust earns a rebuke from Belit. Meanwhile, N'Yaga's illness gets worse, forcing Belit to return to the palace in Asgalun to retrieve healing herbs. Conan and Belit disguise themselves as weaponmakers to gain entrance to the city, but are mistaken for performers and given an audience with Nim-Karrak, who overthrew Belit's father, and Ptor-Nubis, the representative of the Stygian king. To amuse himself, Ptor-Nubis magically compels Belit to attack Conan before Nim-Karrak puts a halt to the swiftly growing deadly fight. He wishes Belit for himself, and has her taken to his chambers while Conan is conscripted into the army. In his private chambers, Nim-Karrak utterly fails to seduce Belit and realizes who she is as Belit prepares to hill him. Nim-Karrak bargains for his life by revealing that her father is still alive and prisoner in the Stygian city of Luxur. Belit retrieves the vial of herbs she came for and encounters but flees from Ptor-Nubis. She finds Conan, who easily escapes his guard, and they steal a chariot as they make their escape from the city, Belit vowing to rescue her father.

Reprinted

 * Conan Saga #88
 * Chronicles of Conan Volume 10: When Giants Walk the Earth and Other Stories