Savage Sword of Conan 118

=Valley of the Howling Shadows=

Creators
Writer: Larry Yakata

Artist: Gary Kwapisz

Letterer: Diana Albers

Major Characters

 * Conan (Previous chronological appearance in CB-7; next chronological appearance in first story of SSOC-161).

Minor Characters

 * Shameel (First appearance; next appearance in first story of SSOC-161). Ophirian prostitute.
 * Gundar (First and only appearance to date). Ophirian graverobber.
 * Batu (First appearance; next appearance in first story of SSOC-161). Saahkiar guardsman.
 * Panzu (First appearance; next appearance in first story of SSOC-161). Saahkiar guardsman.
 * Tymack (First and only appearance to date). Saahkiar guardsmen.

Location

 * Ophir, near the Road of Kings.

Time Frame

 * Several days.

Synopsis
Conan sneaks into a Saahkiar camp and steals a chalice of gold. His escape doesn't quite go as planned as he is pursued by the entire clan. He tries to escape on horseback along a cliffside, but that proves treacherous and Conan barely makes it across a collapsing ravine. He wanders into a village that night and tries to barter his treasure, but finds that the village is surprisingly abundant in gold and jewels, much brought by a mysterious cloaked figure, and everyone raves about the local alcohol, Juk. Conan does manage to threaten a worthwhile sum from a merchant and promptly spends it on a local prostitute, Shameel. Their interlude is interrupted by the arrival of the Saakhiar, and a brawl breaks out in the middle of the village. With a little help from Shameel, Conan manages to escape yet again, the horde in hot pursuit. Eventually, an earthquake creates a path to a valley inside the mountain range. The pair enters, but soon realizes they are being followed by the remnants of the Saakhiar horde, who are rather cowardly and desperate for Conan to help them out of the mysterious valley. Their fears are realized as a creepy sphynx appears and warns them they have no hope here in the place of Emak. That night, the Saahkiar get drunk on Juk and bat-winged demons observe the party from above. Suddenly, a procession of the damned, monsters, zombies, and pitiful humans marches by, and Conan is forced to do battle with a gigantic monstrosity. The group discovers, much to the Saakhiars' delight, the thing's innards stuffed with gems. Further journey finds enoucnters with gigantic bones and tortured humans. Finally, the party reaches a bridge watched over by a pair of cloaked figures, much like the one who was in town. Unfortunately, they discover the cloaked figures, although friendly and talkative, are in fact skeletal undead. The group flees, and manages to find a small village. They enter a tavern, and are more than a little disturbed when an altercation leads to the decapitation of a villager, who then calmly picks up his own head and resumes chatting with Conan. Shameel discovers a dagger that she is sure belonged to her lost love, and the group leaves the town intending to follow a series of skulls on spikes they will lead them to the Gates and the valley's exit. As they approach some ruins, hands reach from the ground and grab some Saahkiar, and as Conan runs back to help he discovers their newly spiked heads. Conan decides now is a good time to run away real fast and Conan, Shameel, and the two remaining Saahikar, Batu and Tymak, race into the ruins. They find and dispatch a couple of graverobbers, but a third is revealed to be Gundar, Shameel's long lost love. Another skeletal cloaked figure appears and points the way outof the ruins. Shameel and Gundar choose to stay behind, and Conan manages to escape to familiar territory.