History
Origins[]
Khosatral Khel was the demon offspring of the aquatic monster and possible Great Old One or degenerated god Dagon.[4]
He allegedly extracted himself from darkness and the abyss to exist in substance of the material universe. As human flesh was too frail to hold his essence, he crafted from matter a body, a blasphemy against nature.
For thousand years, he went through the world, where he was attacked (but couldn't be harmed) by the humans.[1]
Dagonia[]
Eventually, he came across the primitive inhabitants of the island of Dagonia (later known as Xapur), and he gave them culture and civilization as he was pleased to so. Aided by him, they built the city of Dagonia.[1]

Khosatral Khel's "human" form
He was worshipped by the Dagonites[5] or Dagonians.[1][6] His house was connected to every other in the city, so his priests could always bring him victims as sacrifice.
At some point, the brutish people self-styled Yuetshi came on the shore of Dagonia. After a fierce battle, the Yuetshi were defeated by Khosataral Khel, and became slaves, serving as sacrifices on the altar for nearly a generation.[1]
Dagonia's destruction[]
It was hypothesized that those events occurred circa 17,100-16,900 BC (within a century or so from G.C. 1500, or 1500 years after the Great Cataclysm):[7] a Yuetshi priest went into wilderness, and later returned with a knife forged of a meteor. Upon his return, the Yuetshi slaves revolted against their Dagonian masters, slaughtering them. Before that knife, Khosatral Khel's magic was impotent. Allegedly, it was the magic of Khosatral Khel repelled the Yuetshi from the walls.
The priest then faced Khosatral Khel and stabbed him with the knife. That way, the god wasn't slain but remained senseless and unmoving, and the priest used that state to threaten to revive him in case of rebellion.[1]
Age of Conan (10,000 BC)[]
Some Yuetshi invoked Khosatral's name.[2]
Return[]
Years later, a Yuetshi fisherman went on Xapur the Fortified (Dagonia), and removed the knife from Khosatral Khel's chest, breaking the spell. The god killed the fisherman, then restored his city and its inhabitants using necromancy.
Khosatral Khel later captured Octavia, and battled Conan when he came to retrieve the woman. He then turned against Jehungir Agha and his men, came to kill Conan, leaving only Jehungir Agha on the island. As Conan slew Jehungir Agha, Khosatral Khel was back upon them. Using the magic dagger he had retrieved, Conan stabbed the god and killed him. As he died, his body returned to his original and repugnant form, while Dagonia shifted back to the ruins of Xapur.[1]Attributes
Powers
Khosatral Khel had magic powers, including necromantic abilities.[1]
He also possessed high or superhuman strength and durability.[1]Abilities
Weaknesses
Notes
- Khosatral Khel was created by Robert E. Howard in "The Devil in Iron", a story considered to part of the Cthulhu Mythos,[8] and adapted in Savage Sword of Conan #15 (October, 1976).
- Khosatral was connected to H.P. Lovecraft's Dagon first by the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe who proposed that he was a vassal or allied entity to Dagon (due to the name of the city of Dagon),[9] then stated by handbooks (some handbooks writers being part of the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe) to be likely his spawn in All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z: Update #3 (September, 2007),[5] which was confirmed in Marvel Zombies: The Book of Angels, Demons & Various Monstrosities #1 (republished in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #3), out the same month.
See Also
- 1 appearance(s) of Khosatral Khel (Earth-616)
- 1 minor appearance(s) of Khosatral Khel (Earth-616)
- 3 mention(s) of Khosatral Khel (Earth-616)
- 3 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Khosatral Khel (Earth-616)
- 1 invocation(s) of Khosatral Khel (Earth-616)
- 2 image(s) of Khosatral Khel (Earth-616)
Links and References
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Savage Sword of Conan #15 ; The Devil in Iron
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Savage Sword of Conan #38 ; The Road of the Eagles
- ↑ Conan Saga #84 ; Conan Comics Chronology, Chapter Nine - VII. Wanderings
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #3 ; Demons' profile
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z: Update #3 ; Annunaki's profile, Dagon's second paragraph
- ↑ Handbook of the Conan Universe #1 ; Turan's profile
- ↑ Savage Sword of Conan #23 ; Stygia: Serpent of the South - I. Before the Fall
- ↑ Conan: The Devil in Iron at John C. Wright - Author
- ↑ Dagon at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe