Appearing in "The Altar and the Scorpion!"
Featured Characters:
- Conan (Joins the Crimson Company)
Supporting Characters:
- Crimson Company (First appearance)
- Gallio (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Irena (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
Antagonists:
- Great Scorpion / Scorpion God
- Thuron (First and only known appearance; dies) (Only in flashback)
- Black Shadow (Only in flashback) (Also mentioned as the Unnameable One)
Other Characters:
- Citizens of Belverus
- Stable-meister
- Mitra (Invoked)
- Crom (Invoked)
- Ishtar (Mentioned)
- Red Priest (Mentioned)
- Valka, God of All Gods (Invoked)
- King Kull of Valusia (Only in flashback)
- Thoth-Amon (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
- Humans
- Horses
- Gods (Invoked)
- Elder Gods (Mentioned)
- Elder Race (Only in flashback)
Locations:
- Earth
- Hyboria (Hyborian Age)
- Nemedia
- Belverus (First appearance)
- Zingara (Mentioned)
- Koth (Mentioned)
- Corinthia (Mentioned)
- Cimmeria (Mentioned)
- Argos (Mentioned)
- Ophir (First appearance)
- Plain of Shamu (First appearance) (Mountain city of Thuron in the Pre-Cataclysmic Age)
- Ruins (First appearance) (Main story and flashback)
- Temple of Everlasting Darkness (First appearance) (Main story and flashback)
- Ruins (First appearance) (Main story and flashback)
- City-state of Ronnoco (Mentioned)
- Plain of Shamu (First appearance) (Mountain city of Thuron in the Pre-Cataclysmic Age)
- Hanumar (Mentioned)
- Soutern Marches (Mentioned)
- Stygia (Mentioned)
- Nemedia
- Thuria (Pre-Cataclysmic Age)
- Valusia (Only in flashback)
- Outer fringes of Valusia (Only in flashback)
- Mountain city of Thuron (First appearance) (Main story and flashback) (Plain of Shamu in the Hyborian Age)
- Temple of Everlasting Darkness (First appearance) (Main story and flashback)
- Mountain city of Thuron (First appearance) (Main story and flashback) (Plain of Shamu in the Hyborian Age)
- City of Wonders (Mentioned)
- Outer fringes of Valusia (Only in flashback)
- Valusia (Only in flashback)
- Atlantis (Mentioned)
- Hyboria (Hyborian Age)
Items:
- Ring of the Black Shadow (First appearance)
- Serpent Ring (Mentioned)
Events:
- Hyborian Age
- Belverus (Springtime Festival)
- Pre-Cataclysmic Age
Synopsis for "The Altar and the Scorpion!"
For the first time Conan enters Nemedia and arrives at its capital Belverus. Searching employment as mercenary, he meets Murilo again, whom he first encountered four years ago as nobleman of a corinthian city-state (Vol 1 11). Exiled because of to much betrayal of state secrets, he now is the merry leader of the Crimson Company and a known Condottiere. Together with a new aquaintance, the teenage acrobat Tara from the nemedian city of Hanumar, Conan joins Murilos mercenaries in their next campaign in Ophir. Assuming the new role as second-in-command, Conan begins training with Murilo to refine his fencing skills. The company travels south and arrives in Ophir, headed for the city of Ronnoco, their future employer. On the way they have to search a temple of the old scorpion god, who in the time of Kull of Valusia knew how to protect his faithful against the disciples of the shadow god. The remains of one of them, a dangerous shadow ring, is the target of the mercenaries. Conan has to defeat a gigantic scorpion statue turned alive for the mercenaries to find the ring of the black shadow beneath the altar. Murilo dares not to take the ring and positions two men to guard it, while the company travels to Ronnoco. Driven by greed, one of the guards takes the ring and is transformed into a big shadow creature that swallows the second guard and grows larger.
Notes
- The Altar and the Scorpion was inspired by the story by Robert E. Howard.
- Cover art modifications by Romita (Conan's face).
