The City of Skulls (short story)
Encyclopedia
For the fantasy roleplaying adventure game see City of Skulls
"The City of Skulls" is a short story
written by Lin Carter
and L. Sprague de Camp
starring the fictional sword and sorcery
hero Conan the Cimmerian
created by Robert E. Howard
.
soldier serving in the army of the empire
of Turan along with his friend Juma of Kush, both of them having met while in the army. They are assigned by King Yildiz to a Turanian detachment whose mission is to escort the king's daughter, Princess Zosara, to her wedding with the Great Khan
of the Kuigar nomad
s of the eastern land of Hyrkania. Before they can reach their destination the Turanian soldiers are attacked by a band of warriors who descend upon them from the foothills of the Talakma Mountains. The Turanians are all killed in the battle except for Conan, Juma and Zosara who are captured by the warriors and taken as prisoners to the fabled land of Meru, which consists of seven sacred cities on the shore of a vast circular lake in a lush fertile valley concealed by mountains on the north and south.
The three are taken to Shamballah, City of Skulls, the capital of Meru. Everywhere Conan looks the architecture of the city is ornately designed or decorated in the likeness of human skull
s of colored stone. They are eventually brought before the rimpoche or "god king" of Meru, Jalung Thongpa, a short, fat, ugly man of comical appearance who is nonetheless revered by the people as the reincarnated
son of Yama the Demon
King. It soon becomes clear that the reason for their capture was Jalung Thongpa's desire to claim Zosara for himself after his chief wizard
, Tanzong Tengri, the Grand Shaman of Meru, revealed through magic
her existence to the king. Conan then attacks the king in an attempt to escape but is struck by the wizard's magic staff, causing him to fall into a deep slumber. Conan and Juma are then sentenced to a life of slavery
at the oars aboard a ship as punishment.
The two adventurers eventually escape their chains and return to Shamballah with the intent to rescue Zosara. They make their way through secret passages back to Jalung Thongpa's throne room
while he and a group of priest
s are performing a ritual
to celebrate the king's marriage to the unwilling Zosara, who lay naked and shackled to an altar
before a gigantic statue of the god Yama. Conan and Juma disrupt the wedding ceremony as they leap in wreaking havoc, killing many of the priests including Tanzong Tengri and forcing others to flee in panic. The king chant
s a prayer
which causes the great statue of Yama to come to life and advance toward Conan, but Juma grabs the king and hurls him toward the statue. The rimpoche is then crushed by the god's foot which breaks the spell
, causing the statue to become inanimate once again. Conan and Juma flee the city with Zosara and complete their mission.
City of Skulls
For the short story see The City of Skulls The City of Skulls is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, set in the game's World of Greyhawk campaign setting.-Plot summary:...
"The City of Skulls" is a short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
written by Lin Carter
Lin Carter
Linwood Vrooman Carter was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft and Grail Undwin.-Life:Carter was born in St. Petersburg, Florida...
and L. Sprague de Camp
L. Sprague de Camp
Lyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction and fantasy books, non-fiction and biography. In a writing career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and notable works of non-fiction, including biographies of other important fantasy authors...
starring the fictional sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery is a sub-genre of fantasy and historical fantasy, generally characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts. An element of romance is often present, as is an element of magic and the supernatural...
hero Conan the Cimmerian
Conan the Cimmerian
Conan the Cimmerian may refer to:* Conan the Barbarian, Robert E. Howard's fictional character* Conan , Dark Horse Comics' comic series about that character...
created by Robert E. Howard
Robert E. Howard
Robert Ervin Howard was an American author who wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. Best known for his character Conan the Barbarian, he is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre....
.
Publication history
- ConanConan (collection)Conan is a 1967 collection of seven fantasy short stories and associated pieces written by Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter featuring Howard's seminal sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian. Most of the stories were originally published in various pulp magazines...
(Lancer BooksLancer BooksLancer Books was a series of paperback books published from 1961 through 1973 by Irwin Stein and Walter Zacharius. While it published stories of a number of genres, it was noted most for its science fiction and fantasy, particularly its series of Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian tales, the...
, 1967, later reissued by Ace BooksAce BooksAce Books is the oldest active specialty publisher of science fiction and fantasy books. The company was founded in New York City in 1952 by Aaron A. Wyn, and began as a genre publisher of mysteries and westerns...
) - The Conan ChroniclesThe Conan ChroniclesThe Conan Chronicles is a 1989 omnibus collection of three previous fantasy collections by Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter featuring Howard's seminal sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian, published by Sphere Books. The component collections had originally been published by...
(Sphere BooksSphere Books-History:Founded in 1961, Sphere Books began work on its first publication, the 1962 paperback edition of Gottfried Benn's The Trainee Man. Originally part of The Thomson Corporation, Sphere was sold to Pearson PLC in 1985 and became part of Penguin...
, 1989)
Plot overview
Conan is a mercenaryMercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
soldier serving in the army of the empire
Empire
The term empire derives from the Latin imperium . Politically, an empire is a geographically extensive group of states and peoples united and ruled either by a monarch or an oligarchy....
of Turan along with his friend Juma of Kush, both of them having met while in the army. They are assigned by King Yildiz to a Turanian detachment whose mission is to escort the king's daughter, Princess Zosara, to her wedding with the Great Khan
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...
of the Kuigar nomad
Nomad
Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...
s of the eastern land of Hyrkania. Before they can reach their destination the Turanian soldiers are attacked by a band of warriors who descend upon them from the foothills of the Talakma Mountains. The Turanians are all killed in the battle except for Conan, Juma and Zosara who are captured by the warriors and taken as prisoners to the fabled land of Meru, which consists of seven sacred cities on the shore of a vast circular lake in a lush fertile valley concealed by mountains on the north and south.
The three are taken to Shamballah, City of Skulls, the capital of Meru. Everywhere Conan looks the architecture of the city is ornately designed or decorated in the likeness of human skull
Human skull
The human skull is a bony structure, skeleton, that is in the human head and which supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.In humans, the adult skull is normally made up of 22 bones...
s of colored stone. They are eventually brought before the rimpoche or "god king" of Meru, Jalung Thongpa, a short, fat, ugly man of comical appearance who is nonetheless revered by the people as the reincarnated
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
son of Yama the Demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
King. It soon becomes clear that the reason for their capture was Jalung Thongpa's desire to claim Zosara for himself after his chief wizard
Magician (fantasy)
A magician, mage, sorcerer, sorceress, wizard, enchanter, enchantress, thaumaturge or a person known under one of many other possible terms is someone who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources...
, Tanzong Tengri, the Grand Shaman of Meru, revealed through magic
Magic (fantasy)
Magic in fiction is the endowing of fictional characters or objects with magical powers.Such magic often serves as a plot device, the source of magical artifacts and their quests...
her existence to the king. Conan then attacks the king in an attempt to escape but is struck by the wizard's magic staff, causing him to fall into a deep slumber. Conan and Juma are then sentenced to a life of slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
at the oars aboard a ship as punishment.
The two adventurers eventually escape their chains and return to Shamballah with the intent to rescue Zosara. They make their way through secret passages back to Jalung Thongpa's throne room
Throne room
A throne room is the room, often rather a hall, in the official residence of the crown, either a palace or a fortified castle, where the throne of a senior figure is set up with elaborate pomp— usually raised, often with steps, and under a canopy, both of which are part of the original notion of...
while he and a group of priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
s are performing a ritual
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
to celebrate the king's marriage to the unwilling Zosara, who lay naked and shackled to an altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
before a gigantic statue of the god Yama. Conan and Juma disrupt the wedding ceremony as they leap in wreaking havoc, killing many of the priests including Tanzong Tengri and forcing others to flee in panic. The king chant
Chant
Chant is the rhythmic speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of notes to highly complex musical structures Chant (from French chanter) is the rhythmic speaking or singing...
s a prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
which causes the great statue of Yama to come to life and advance toward Conan, but Juma grabs the king and hurls him toward the statue. The rimpoche is then crushed by the god's foot which breaks the spell
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
, causing the statue to become inanimate once again. Conan and Juma flee the city with Zosara and complete their mission.