Conan the Barbarian 105

Major Characters

 * Conan (Last appearance in CB-104; next appearance in CB-106).

Minor Characters

 * Bamulas (Last appearance in CB-104; no further appearances to date).
 * Stygians (First and only appearance to date). All die in this issue. Kaspa and Merap named.

Locations

 * The Black Kingdoms

Time Frame

 * Several days

Synopsis
After several months of Conan's rule, a drought and plague have hit the Bamulas, and the shaman blame Conan. Conan knocks a witch-man aside, which brings down the wrath of the suspicious tribe upon his head, and he flees, heading north to Kush. After days of crossing the forests and eventual savanna, and fighting off wild animals, Conan finds an ancient stone fortress in partial ruins in which he seeks shelter from a storm. He doesn't notice a creature made of mists and shadows hover above and he falls asleep to the sounds of thunder as a band of Stygians, seeking slaves in the Black Kingdoms, also arrive. The being, made of hundreds of spirits begin to coalesce into a physical form in order to kill Conan, but is distracted by the crowd of men. Conan is awakened by thunder and notes the amorphous shape on the stairs and when a guard is sent up the stairs to investigate the upper area, the spirit takes the form of a many-headed and tentacled beast that rolls over the Stygians. Conan doesn't wait to see how the battle goes and climbs down an outside wall. He kills the Stygian sentry outside and steals a horse, continuing north to Kush.

Reprinted

 * The Chronicles of Conan 13 - Whispering Shadows and Other Stories