CONAN DIES
... ..AND SO THERE I WAS LONG AGO IN A LAND FAR AWAY WONDERING WHY MY BLADE COULD NO LONGER DO THE THINGS MY FATHER TOLD ME...
The old king sat on his throne and contemplated his long life of adventure. His throne was his father's old anvil in a burnt out village in Cimmeria. Conan tried to remember life before that fateful day and recall times after it. Both were fading into the mists of memory. His kingdom of Aquilonia was overrun by Picts, his queen and children taken by pirates, his Atlantean sword lost in the heart of a dragon, and his name forgotten and left to legends... ..
He began to organize the tools in his father's smithy, repair buildings and fireplaces for the coming winter, gather bleached bones to place in the ground for Crom. He would live out his dying days here where he was born reconciling his deeds and preparing his tomb to meet his god of earth.
"I wonder if my father will be there" he mused aloud. He hoped silently that Belit would be there also in the afterlife awaiting him.
Winter arrived late so Conan was able to repair the smithy, a stable for his horse, a food larder, and even a fence to secure his compound from the wolves. The north was deserted. Even the Aesir and Vanir had fled before the onslaught of the Picts. Rumors told of the remaining Cimmerians fleeing further north also... .. The Gundermen were no more, their race wiped out. Aquilonia was pillaged with the survivors fleeing with Ophir to the ancient deserts of Stygia. Stygia was open for settlement since Conan had destroyed the Sorcerers of Set with his final military campaign to rid the Hyborian world of that evil snake cult. Only the Black Kingdoms and Kush resisted the wave of Picts overturning the world and they were still fighting to this day. Khitai in the East simply went further east. Argos sailed away in their ships. Conan had the entire north to himself. Maybe an old witch woman would find him to comfort and warm his nights... ..
Under his father's anvil, Conan found a secret passage into the earth. It was an old stone cellar that he could seal from within and make his final resting place. He found some of his father's ore down there and spent the winter forging a new sword, axe, spear, and dagger. He would go exploring in the spring.
Sleeping by the fireplace with the icy winds wailing outside, Conan dreamed of his time as Amos the Pirate. They had sailed further west than anyone expected to escape the vengeful merchant fleet ... .. there was mutiny brimming but Amos was to be saved by the luckful discovery of an island not on the charts... ..
"What are we to do captain" the crew complained. Conan replied "We shall go ashore and find food and hope the merchants have turned back from their chase, repair the ship, and if any of you dogs wants to challenge me then do so on the beach as I am tired of being on this boat with you." The crew laughed and grumbled their consent. None would challenge him. He was the strongest and more cunning that all of them combined and they all knew his leadership had kept them alive this long when the other ships of their pirate fleet were lost or destroyed or captured. Exploration of the mystery island revealed an old fortress on the highest hill with strange metal tubes and large balls of metal and barrels of fine black powder. Conan knew them as cannons from his time with foreign inventors in the far east. After preparing a wick and grease, he demonstrated the devastating device to his amazed crew. "We can defend ourselves with these if the merchants come" Conan explained as he directed the fortification of the fortress. And within a fortnight the merchant fleet did arrive and Conan's pirate crew defended the island with fire and blasted metal and nighttime raids into the waters and onto their decks and the merchant navy was defeated. Conan rigged the captured ships with canons and convinced the surviving enemy sailors into service and terrorized the seas for years using their secret lost island fortified castle as a port of harbor... ..Most of the treasure is still probably there lost in the vaults of that forgotten island fortress with its strange engineering devices spitting out fire and metal and death... ..
The neighing of his horse awoke Conan and he knew the wolves were making his horse nervous again. He dressed, cocked his heavy crossbow, and shot some wolves circling outside the perimeter fence and picket stakes and watched the pack of furry predators flee. They would come back again. He comforted his horse and put another blanket on the poor cold beast. Conan retrieved the dead wolves for skinning and meat and then went back to sleep dreaming of the time he was a caravan commander seeking a new trade route thru the deserts of Stygia and they stumbled upon some ancient ruins of which all were afraid to enter except him... ..
"It is said to be cursed" they complained so Conan left them outside whilst he went inside to explore. Only his experience as a thief in Zamora saved him from the traps but it was his father's fearsome example of bravery and courage for which prepared him to survive the horror found in the deepest crypt of that cursed ruin. It was a monster with the head of a lizard, the arms of an ape, and the legs of a goat. The beast had the body of a muscular human man so Conan knew it to be a wizards experiment guarding the sorcerers treasure. It took Conan days to defeat the creature running thru dark corridors with sword and torch using the wizards own traps to weaken it and finally ambushing it several times to hack away with sword and torch and burn it with pitch. The creature thanked the barbarian for killing it and told him where he might find the wizard who so tortured his existence begging the warrior to avenge him. Conan said he would try but also promised to give gold to his family in Hyperborea and let them know of his demise. When Conan emerged from the ancient ruins with bags of gold and told the others there was more gold below, his caravan comrades turned against him and the superior swordsman of Cimmeria was forced to slay them all... .. "Fools" Conan muttered "We could have all been rich together." So he packed as much treasure as he could onto the mules and camels and carts and traveled to Argos to purchase a ship to begin his career as a pirate. He marked the ruins on his map sending a trusted friend to retrieve gold for that family in Hyperborea to let them know that their farmer father had died an honorable death at the hands of an evil wizard of whom Conan never did go find... .. Conan would return to those lost ruins often over the years when in need of gold and gems and solitude with the bleached bones of those who betrayed him still there in the sun picked clean by jackals and with vultures perched on their bodies guarding the ruins and treasures and secrets for him... ..
Conan awoke one morning to a heavy fall of snow noticing bear tracks outside the fence. He was curious as to why a bear would leave its hibernation and not frighten the horse. So the barbarian prepared his gear and weapons and rode the horse for to exercise it and followed the trail of the bear to its lair. Once inside the cave he discovered no bear but a very hairy huge man. He knew he had discovered a changer and knew it to be a good creature. "I am Conan" spoke Conan as he unsaddled his horse and sat beside the fire. The bear man spoke. "You may call me Braytor. It is good to have company again here in the north. It is also good to see a child of Cimeria return home. I knew your father. I need your help." The old king Conan sighed and explained his reason for coming back to the north. "I have come here to die where I was born and wish no more adventures. My tomb in prepared under my fathers anvil and I hope to be at peace for once in my life."
The changer stood and closed the entrance to the cave with a hidden stone sliding wall and told Conan of his purpose in luring him here. "One of the great serpents of Set-in truth the greatest of the snake god's creatures-escaped your purging in Stygia long ago and was sent by Set himself with help from Toth Amon and the spirit of Thulsa Doom by way of underground tunnels to coil itself within the northern mountains of your homeland. The evil snake god knew you would return here someday and has eagerly anticipated his revenge. I can not defeat this evil alone."
Conan replied and laughed as he drank some of the soup from the kettle cooking over the fire and stood to feed his horse some oats and barley from his backpack. "I do not think we can defeat it together. I had an entire army to crush Stygia and the high priests of Ibis to aid me against their magic." The bear changer smiled and growled. "The serpent has invaded Crom's mountain so your god of earth will aid you." Conan scoffed and muttered "My god has never helped me but maybe I will finally meet him and we can have a reckoning. What must we do to prepare for this battle against Set's snake... .."
Braytor the Bear transformed himself into a huge ice cave bear and began drinking out of the kettle pot hanging over the fire. Conan continued drinking the brew from his wooden mug and settled down for a long sleep. Braytor's voice filled Conan's mind as their bodies began to fall asleep seeming to fall thru stone and float thru time. "First we must take a spirit journey to visit Crom. He will bless us and advise us on what to do. Your god has promised me to protect our souls from Set's magic minions and the stone door across the cave entrance will protects our bodies from predators in the wilderness. When we arrive is Crom's realm, your father will be there but not your beloved Belit. She was not chosen and her soul was cursed to one of the lower hells."
This news depressed Conan greatly and he dreamed of the time he and Belit had stolen into a wicked prince's palace in Khitia to steal a magic gem but ended up rescuing slave children instead. Belit was only interested in the jewelry but Conan insisted they take the children along as well as the treasure. Her heart was wicked but he loved her anyway. Perhaps that is why she was denied paradise. She could never see past herself nor her money. They had spent weeks in the city slums gathering information on how to get into the palace. The thief duo had disguised themselves as merchants and guards yet finally it was crawling thru the sewers fighting alligators that got them inside the building. "If one of these brats makes any noise to bring the prince's guards down us, then I will kill these children and leave you here Conan." Belit was vicious when it came to her gold.
Conan the Barbarian awoke alongside Braytor the Bear Man inside the throne room of Crom. His god of earth sat upon a wooden chair wearing leather armor but no sword. Crom was a huge warrior with many scars, gnarled muscles, and a full beard of many colors. The god of earth spoke.. ... "Conan... ..your adventures have amused me and I am impressed with your many exploits and I am glad that you have wisely used the gifts given to you by me. You may go visit your father. He works in my smithy as a worthy blacksmith. Braytor .. ... I am grateful for your guardianship of my ancient homeland of Cimeria. You may go see your wife and children. They work in my gardens tending the springs and flowers and trees allowing me solace when I walk there with troubled mind. When you both have returned here, I will then explain to you what you must do to destroy this vile snake of which Set has sent to plague me and my mountain. This will be both your final tasks on earth. You will both die defeating Set's great serpent. Now go and return here when you are ready."
Conan the Barbarian went to find his father and Braytor the Bear Man went to find his family... ..
"Ah son... ..it is good to see you. Crom has told me some interesting tales of your life. You have done well." For the first time in his life Conan began to cry and hugged his father and his father hugged him also. "I have made a special sword for your dance with snake. I hear you will be joining us soon. When you do, we shall go visit your mother. She sleeps alot thinking of you..."
THE RED SWORD OF SONJA
After the years of adventure and the lose of the barbarian to Snake God, Red Sonja went searching for her sisters lost sword to go avenge herself upon the evil Stygian cult for the death of her only friend Conan of Cimmeria… ..
"I lost it somewhere at sea aboard a ship sailing for Vendhya. The ship was washed ashore but the sword was taken by the local native snake worshipers and used for child sacrifices to their wicked diety."
Red Sonya often mused aloud to herself in her lonely older years. As a leader of amazons, she had an easy life in the deep jungles of the Black Kingdoms training the natives to fight the Picts. Her days were worn away teaching young girls combat with bow and sword and spear and knife and mace and and net and setting traps and understanding strategy and team tactics.
When news of the legend's fall reached her, she wept openly in front of her tribe and declared her quest to find the Sword of Set to slay the great serpent that slew the former King of Aquilonia. On her day of departure to visit Conan's tomb in the frozen north, her amazons would not go with her so she set sail alone hoping for wind and mercy from the gods of Argos knowing they cared not for mortal fools trying to understand the whims of gods and demons—they only helped if it amused them and they were unbusy destroying the lives of other peoples… ..