Savage Sword of Conan 115

=Isle of the Faceless Ones=

Creators
Writer: Larry Yakata

Art: Val Mayerik

Letterer: Joe Rosen

Major Characters

 * Conan (Previous chronological appearance in first story of SSOC-116; next chronological appearance in SSOC-61).

Minor Characters

 * Tebnar (First and only appearance to date).

Location

 * Shar

Time Frame

 * A month

Synopsis
Conan and his companion Tebnar are hired by a Zingarian merchant to chart a safe ocean route to a gold-enriched island and to rescue survivors of a previous voyagers if they still live. The two are hesitant but the chest full of gold convinces them. They hire a crew and set sail for the island. A sudden storm nearly wrecks the ship, decimating the sails, but manning the oars and a judicious wind that catches what remains of the sails gets the boat moving, until a school of giant eels attacks the ship, bursting through the bottom. Conan and Tebnar swim underneath and chop the eels in half, leaving their heads jammed into the holes to seal them shut. Soon, they encounter a bed of what looks like seaweed, only to discover it is also home to a slithering mass of baby sea serpents. The ship is attacked by the mother, and Conan manages to thrust a broken mast through its head. Luckily, the body of the serpent falls in a way that separates the seaweed and the ship manages to sail through. After a few more days, the broken ship reaches the island, and Conan and Tebnar take a rowboat to the island. Tebnar's foot becomes trapped in a giant clam, which breaks his leg. Conan frees Tebnar but is forced to leave him in a safe place on the beach while Conan explores. He follows the smoke from a fire to a family living in thatched huts who flees when Conan approaches. Conan brings Tebnar to the huts and waits for the natives to return, and gradually makes contact with the peaceful and friendly family, far from the savage natives he was told to expect. The natives, the Shoth, despite not sharing a common language with Conan, befriend and welcome the two men. After some time, as Tebnar heals, they find rich veins of gold leading into caverns guarded by a bear-sized sloth creature, the true killer of the previous crews. Conan slays the beast and soon, with a safe passage discovered and the guardian to the golden caves slain, the merchants arrive to begin mining the gold as Conan and Tebnar return, rich, to Shar. The two spend days carousing and spending their money until they notice a Shoth in captivity, and upon following, discover many Shoth have been enslaved. Tebnar is determined to return to the island to make things right but Conan refuses to go with him. Tebnar finds the Shoth on the island chained and when he demands the soldiers release them, their combative leader kills one of the Shoths. The soldier is suddenly gutted from behind by Conan, who decided to help after all, including bringing weapons and shields to the island. The two men train the Shoths in the use of swords and then lead them to defend their island against the merchants' army, and even Conan is shocked at how well the formally peaceful natives have taken to war. Conan and the Shoths lead the soldiers into traps with the giant clams and bear-sloths and soon the marauders are all killed. Conan and Tebnar leave knowing they have taught a once peaceful people bloodshed.

=The Warlord of the Castle=

Creators
Writer: Craig Anderson

Penciller: Henri Bismuth

Inker: Rudy Nebres

Letterer: Diana Albers

Major Characters

 * Conan (Previous chronological appearance in fifth story of SSOC-3; next chronological appearance in second story of SSOC-123).

Minor Characters

 * Various villagers (first and only appearance to date for all).

Location

 * The Misty Mountains, north of Aghrapur.

Time Frame

 * An hour.

Synopsis
Conan, scouting territory as a Turanian soldier, discovers a small village with a sacrificial feast laid out. Conan helps himself to the food and drink, when the villagers burst out from their hiding places exclaiming that the food is for the Warlord of the Castle who demands tribute. Conan quickly makes the villagers fear him more than the Warlord, who soon shows up in all his armored glory along with his equally armored soldiers. The Warlord and his men terrify the villagers, but not Conan who defeats the Warlord with one blow, revealing him and his soldiers to be men from a nearby village wearing scary black armor; it was all a con to get food and tribute from the first village. The original villagers, realizing they face nothing special, make swift work of the Warlord, and Conan rides off as the vilagers decided to don the armor and try the con on another village.

Reprinted
Conan Saga #76