Conan the Barbarian 79

Major Characters

 * Conan (Last appearance in CB-77; next appearance in CB-80).
 * Belit (Last appearance in CB-77; next appearance in CB-84).

Minor Characters

 * Neftha (Last appearance in CB-76; next appearance in CB-84).
 * Mer-Ath (Last appearance in CB-76; next appearance in CB-84).
 * Ak-Ner (First appearance; dies in this issue). Soldier of Harakht.
 * Hun-Ya-Di (First appearance; next appearance in CB-81). High Priest of Harakht.
 * Bardylis (First appearance; next appearance in CB-80). Citizen of Attalus.
 * Ptolemy (First appearance; next appearance in CB-80). King of Attalus.
 * Iskander (First appearance; no further appearance to date). Time-lost Alexander the Great.

Location

 * The city of Harakht in Stygia and the village of Attalus in the Lost Valley of Iskander.

Time Frame

 * Two days.

Synopsis
In exchange for safe passage and assistance to Luxor, Mer-Ath asks Conan to deliver a gem called the Eye of Set to neighboring Attalus, a tradition marking a change of rulership in the cities. New high priest Hun-Ya-Di objects at first, but ultimately agrees to allow Conan the honor, although he sends his man Ak-Ner to guide Conan. As the two climb through the mountains, Ak-Ner unsuccessfully (and fatally, for him) ambushes Conan, who then encounters Ak-Ner's co-conspirators hidden further in the hills. During the battle, a falling body triggers an avalanche, which Conan manages to outrun and take cover behind an outcropping, while most of his attackers, which include Hun-Ya-Di, don't seem to be as lucky. At the base of the mountain, Conan finds a girl, Bardylis, trapped under a rock. He frees the girl just as the surviving ambushers regroup. Bardylis shows Conan a treacherous path down the mountain to her hidden village of Attalus, founded years ago by a wandering soldier named Iskander (actually a time-lost Alexander the Great), and the two manage to make it to the village. She leads Conan to the city's leader, Ptolemy, who distrusts Conan immediately, threatening the barbarian's life...

Reprinted

 * Conan Saga #90
 * Chronicles of Conan Volume 10: When Giants Walk the Earth and Other Stories