Complete Chronicles of Conan (5). Black Colossus.

[via Wikipedia]

Another great story. So great that was the germ that spawned the novel The Hour of the Dragon. Here Conan is a soldier in the Khoraja service that would have to lead and army and fight a great sorcerer from Stygia and save a princess. All in thirty pages.

But first, there is this story about Shevatas, a great Zamoran thief that trying to gain an artifact awakes an enchanted evil magician called Thurga Khotan. This evil sorcerer kills Shevatas and uses the tribes that surround him to gather an army. His plans are, like any other Stygian magicians, to conquer the world. To create a terrifying efect he changes his name to Nathok the veiled one, meaning, the mummy. 

Meanwhile, the kingdom of Khoraja is suffering from the attacks of the neighbour country of Ophir, that has kidnapped the King and are now ruled by his sister, Yasmela. Khoraja is the first land Nathok tries to conquer, being also in peril must mean an easy task.

But with Conan around, the Stygians has no easy task at all. Yasmela is impelled by her God, Mitra, to go find someone to lead the army against Nathok and this one, of course, is Conan.


Taking command of the whole army is not easy when there are so many highest rank commanders (more civiliced, more "perfumed" as there is said in the story). But Conan is one of the best there is and easily plans a combat tactic to fight Nathok's army. 


There is also a problem here. Being a skilful magician, Nathok enchants many of the second range officials, Conan resisting his spell. What Nathok couldn't resist is Yasmela's natural charms, falling in love with her. 


When Conan decimates Nathok's army, he tries to kidnap Yasmela, leading Conan into a fight that kills the wizard.


Wow! What a great story!

More about Black Colossus:

• Read it online at Wikisource and PGA.
• Conan Wiki
• Wikipedia.
• Imagen taken from Wikipedia.