The Blood of Bel-Hissar was a great ruby that travelled the ages, from before the Age of Acheron and into the Hyborian Age of Conan, going from hand to hand as its owner was struck by a violent death.[1]
History
Early Years[]
The original name of the gem, if any, is unknown. The ruby was held by a monstrous mummified king carved upon a jade throne, within a city of marble and lapis lazuli[1] built by an unidentified race.
Age of Acheron[]
By the time of the rule of King Bel-Hissar of Acheron, the city was far beyond the surface of the sea.
Naka, a diver for pearls, was brought back to the royal galley of Bel-Hissar, presenting him the gem, and telling him of the city, before dying. Despite his lords' begging him to throw gem back to the waters, believing it to belong to the Sea-Gods. Bel-Hissar refused after having gazed into the gem.
Soon afterwards, Bel-Hissar was slain in his very palace by a thief who stole the gem.[1]
Fall of Acheron[]
During the Sack of Python, Khossus V, the monarch of Koth, took it from a dying wizard.[1]
Hyborian Age[]
During the Hyborian Age, the Blood of Bel-Hissar drifted eastwards. Circa 10,000 BC, a Himelian chieftain acquired it, only to be slain by Skol Abdhur. In Bab-El-Shaithan, Skol Abdhur used it to ensure his dominance, safe from threats by the fact the Blood of Bel-Hissar would compel all to take down the one who would kill him and take the gem. Skol Abdhur learned of the jewel's secrets, of its blood-craving, and quenched its thirst with the blood of women who came at Bab-El-Shaithan.
When Suwaan, Turghol and Conan came to Bab-El-Shaithan, Suwaan hired two brigands (one from each factions in Bab-El-Shaithan) to assassinate Conan, Skol Abdhur, and his Kushite bodyguards, and help her steal the gem. Conan and Turghol both slew one brigand, Turghol finding the Blood of Bel-Hissar on one of them.
Suwaan turned the other dwellers of the city against Conan, who managed to escape with the assistance of Turghol. Turghol then revealed he had snatched the ruby. Conan hesitated to try and take the gem for himself, but choose to stand down and left Turghol in peace. The brigands of Bab-El-Shaithan, sure that Conan didn't had the Blood, turned against Suwaan who was quickly slain, before proceeding to slaughter each other.[1]
Ten years later, Turghol's new wife Tania wanted to wear the gem despite her husband's warnings about the curse. A shaman's daughter, Tania believed she could remove the curse, and thus took (or rather stole) the gem. Her half-remembered spell misfired, unleashing Fire-Demons who ravaged the Bahari village and killed many among the Bahari Kozaks. The survivors were captured by the Turanian troops of Yezdigerd, who took the Blood Jewel of Bel-Hissar, intending to incorporate it into the crown of Turan once his father Yildiz dead. Recently made hetman of the Bahari Kozaks, Conan was captured by Yezdigerd. Sentenced to death with Tania, Conan caused a brawl and Tania recast her half-remembered spell, unleashing the Fire-Demons upon the Turanian camp.
Returning to the Bahari, Turghol brutally took the Blood Jewel from Tania, thus lifting the curse set on her and reclaiming the Jewel. Trying to throw it away, Turghol saw the gem float mid-air and return to his palm, and consequently tried to commit suicide to evade the curse, but was stopped by Conan, who owed Turghol his life, and thus took upon himself the gem and its curse.[2]Properties
The Blood of Bel-Hissar seemed to have mesmerizing capabilities on humans, urging people to take it and cut down those who killed its owner.[1]
An half-remembered spell cast by Tania on the Blood Jewel of Bel-Hissar caused the unleashing of deadly Fire-Demons.[2]
The Jewel could allegedly only be passed on by being stolen, by force or stealth. Throwing it away would have the gem floating mid-air.[2]
Notes
- The Blood of Bel-Hissar was created in the eponymous story published in Conan the Barbarian #27 (June, 1973), written by Roy Thomas and penciled by John Buscema, a story freely adapted from Robert E. Howard's Cormac Fitzgeoffrey story "The Blood of Belshazzar" (Oriental Stories; Fall, 1931).