Appearing in "The Curse of the Golden Skull!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Juma the Black (First appearance)
- Captain Kiribor (Death)
Villains:
- Anaxor (Death)
- Devil of the Pits
- Ape God (Mentioned)
- Rotath of Lemuria (Death)
Other Characters:
- Princess Yolinda (First appearance)
- Crom (Mentioned)
Locations:
- Lemuria
- Turan
- Valley of the Sun (First appearance)
Items:
Synopsis for "The Curse of the Golden Skull!"
Eons in the past, the sorcerer Rotath falls at the hands of the warrior King Kull. Dying, he places a curse upon his own bloodline and invokes the name of an unspeakable deity. Centuries later, one of Rotath's own descendents discovers Rotath's solid gold skeleton. Upon making contact with it, the man's body is taken over by the spirit of Rotath
Months later, Conan and his Turanian confederate Captain Kiribor are escorting the captured princess Yolinda through the northern hills of Aghrapur. Aghrapuran raiders attack the party, but Conan finds aid from a Kushite named Juma. The raiders defeat them and bring them back to the Valley of the Sun. Princess Yolinda is handed over to Rotath - who has since been reborn in a body of solid gold. Conan and Juma are enslaved and sent to mine for gold in the valley's deep caverns. After mining for gold for several days, Conan and Juma decide to escape. A gigantic slug monster raids the cavern and begins attacking the guards. Conan and Juma grab two bags of gold and run down the mine shaft. They reach the surface, but the slug continues to chase them. Conan begins to realize that it is the gold that the creature requires and throws his weighted sacks. Rotath appears in the central square, and the slug is distracted by the sorcerer's golden flesh. While the slug eats Rotath, Conan rescues Princess Yolinda and rides off with Juma.
Notes
- Juma the Black is the creation of L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter (used by permission).
- Rotath was originally destroyed by the Altantean warrior King Kull.
