History
For uncounted eons the Bird-Men of Akah Ma’at dwelt above Earth in their floating, cloud-enshrouded city; their existence unsuspected by the wingless races of the planet below. The only threat to tranquil Akah Ma’at was the evil race of bat-winged conquerors from nearby Ur-Xanarrh some half-dozen leagues away. For centuries the Man-Bats endlessly sought to destroy the Bird-Men. Then one of Akah Ma’at’s sages devised the miraculous Cylinder of Power. This source of inexhaustible energy, in turn, fueled a cordon of 'power batons' encircling the city that unleashed death-dealing bolts upon any invaders. However, periodically the power batons and other weapons charged by the Cylinder needed recharging. For a millennium Akah Ma’at enjoyed peace thanks to the Cylinder and the floating batons; but, a fortnight before Conan was drawn into the struggle between the two floating cities, the traitorous elder Thaltar stole the Cylinder, intending to betray Akah Ma’at. Luckily, Thaltar did not succeed and was shot down by a warrior wielding one of their energy weapons before he could get away. However, both Thaltar’s dead body and the Cylinder fell to Earth far below. Three of Akah Ma’at’s most valiant warriors were dispatched to recover the Cylinder and never seen again. If the power batons were not recharged, the cordon will fail: after a millennium of peace, the unprepared Bird-Men would be attacked by Ur-Xanarrh[1].
Hiding in a nearby cloud bank, the bird-warriors then caught Conan in a net and took him to Akah Ma’at, bringing him before Alhambra’s father, the King of Akah Ma’at, as a captured spy. Telling the king he had pledged to help his people, the king, seeing nothing to lose, freed Conan and gave him a giant cloud-hawk to fly to Ur-Xanarrh to steal back the Cylinder of Power.