A mythical demon and its ancient fortress are resurrected after the theft of a sacred dagger, and Conan is tricked into landing on the island, with many unexpected consequences in store.
Conan and his army walk into a bloody, treacherous trap, and Conan is condemned to a wizard's frightening dungeon, where he forges an improbable alliance with a former enemy.
Beyond the fields we know, in the Lands of Dream, lies the Valley of the Yann where the mighty river of that name, rising in the Hills of Hap, idleing its way by massive dream-evoking amethyst cliffs, orchid-laden forests, and ancient mysterious cities, comes to the Gates of Yann and passes to the sea.
In diesem kleinen Büchlein stellen sich zwei meiner Figuren vor, die auf den ersten Blick kaum etwas gemeinsam haben: Kurt, der Detektiv aus Oberbayern, der einige ausgesprochen eigenartige Gestalten zu seinen Freunden zählt, und Jekarina, ein junges Mädchen in einer fernen Welt, die so ganz anders ist als unsere.
Come with me, ladies and gentlemen who are in any wise weary of London: come with me: and those that tire at all of the world we know: for we have new worlds here.
And the diviner rose up, stroking his grey beard, and spake guardedly-"e;There are certain events,"e; he said, "e;upon the ways of Fate that are veiled even from a diviner's eyes, and many more are clear to us that were better veiled from all; much I know that is better unforetold, and some things that I may not foretell on pain of centuries of punishment.
Thus passed away in the hour of her iniquities before Annolith, in the two thousand and thirty-second year of her being, in the six thousand and fiftieth year of the building of the World, Babbulkund, City of Marvel, sometime called by those that hated her City of the Dog, but hourly mourned in Araby and Ind and wide through jungle and desert; leaving no memorial in stone to show that she had been, but remembered with an abiding love, in spite of the anger of God, by all that knew her beauty, whereof still they sing.
There in Pegana lay the gods asleep, and in a corner lay the Power of the gods alone upon the floor, a thing wrought of black rock and four words graven upon it, whereof I might not give thee any clue, if even I should find it-four words of which none knoweth.
And the Book of the Knowledge of the gods tells further how the day on which Pompeides found the gods shall be kept for ever as a fast until the evening and called the Fast of the Departing, but in the evening shall a feast be held which is named the Feast of the Relenting, for on that evening Sarnidac pitied the whole world and tarried.
After rescuing a beautiful maiden, Conan escapes to a remote island where he encounters a skulking creature and mysterious iron statues, and is captured by pirates.
"e;In the mists before THE BEGINNING, Fate and Chance cast lots to decide whose the Game should be; and he that won strode through the mists to MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI and said: "e;Now make gods for Me, for I have won the cast and the Game is to be Mine.
And though I had seen him go forth with his terrific spear, and mighty elephant-hunter though he was, yet his was a fearful quest for I knew that it was none other than to avenge Perdondaris by slaying that monster with the single tusk who had overthrown it suddenly in a day.
It was not age that caused him to leave his romantic profession; nor unworthiness of its traditions, nor gun-shot wound, nor drink; but grim necessity and force majeure.