Atlas of the Serpent Men - A Tale of Conan of Cimmeria Chapter 1, a conan series fanfic

Atlas of the Serpent Men

A Tale of Conan of Cimmeria

Chris L Adams

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Based on the character created by Robert E. Howard (see Trademark information below)

This is a Bizarre Tales © Publication.

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Trademark

Legal disclaimer: permission to make this story available for FREE was obtained in writing from Cabinet Entertainment LLC. Do not pay for this story. If you hear of charges being leveraged for this story, please contact me at:

From Cabinet Entertainment LLC: CONAN, CONAN THE BARBARIAN, HYBORIA and related logos, characters, names and distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks or registered trademarks of Conan Properties International LLC. All rights reserved.

The Cabinet group and its subsidiaries are the successors-in-interest to the intellectual property of the estate of Robert E. Howard, with the exception of certain rights owned by Red Sonja Corporation. The rights owned by Cabinet include copyrights in various Robert E. Howard works and derivative works as well as trademarks encompassing names, logos, characters, settings and distinctive likenesses thereof.

Cabinet is dedicated to continuing the Howard estate's unbroken tradition of promoting the fine work of Robert E. Howard by, among other things, publishing Howard's original works, developing new creative derivative works based on Howard's original works and characters, and supporting Howard scholarship through the Robert E. Howard Foundation.

Robert E. Howard died in 1936. Contrary to popular belief, all of his literary works did not pass into the public domain 70 years later. The copyright protection afforded to Howard's works differs among countries. Cabinet continues to own and exploit numerous copyrights in Howard's works (in which some of Howard's most famous characters first appeared) and in an extensive list of derivative works. In addition, Cabinet continues to own and exploit numerous trademarks throughout the world in connection with the Howard characters. Trademarks do not expire at some fixed point in time like copyrights. As long as a company is using a trademark in connection with its goods and services, that company has the exclusive right to use that trademark.

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Contents

Trademark

Preface

Chapter 01: Death on a Frozen Road

Chapter 02: Surprise Arrival

Chapter 03: Highwaymen

Chapter 04: A Talkative Rogue

Chapter 05: On the Trail of Yrdihz

Chapter 06: Tunnel into Darkness

Chapter 07: A Stony Trap

Chapter 08: The Treasure Chamber

Chapter 09: Serpent Specters

Chapter 10: The Capstone

Chapter 11: Battle with the Serpent Ghosts

Chapter 12: Conan!

Chapter 13: Red-Haired Witch

Chapter 14: The Hoard of Xotaolaianx

Chapter 15: On the Southwest Pike

Chapter 16: Melkronias

About the Author

About Robert E. Howard

Bizarre Tales

List of Works

Preface

I became a fan of pulp authors at an early age. But my love of adventure stories dates long before that. I recall discovering Arthur Conan Doyle's hero, Sherlock and later his The Lost World. I devoured C. S. Forester's Sink the Bismarck and Horatio Hornblower. I read Mutiny on the Bounty, Two Years Before the Mast, Treasure Island...growing up in rural West Virginia, I loved daring sea-stories.

But never did I thrill so much until I drew steel and traveled alongside a certain dusty Cimmerian. If I'd quaffed ale-for-ale, clutched barmaid for barmaid, swung sword, axe and hammer in mirror of the tales I read after I discovered Robert E. Howard—by Crom, I'd say I've lived!

Although I've commented that there is much more to Howard than Conan, and lamented the fact that one can't buy an REH paperback without reading By the Creator of Conan on the cover as if that single creation summarized his worth, it would be a disservice to the man to not admit what a character is Conan.

Conan is Howard's obvious magnum opus, and possibly the most powerful character he created—maybe the most powerful character anyone ever created—and those original tales are my favorites by him.

May God rest his soul.

I hope you enjoy this romp through the Hyborian Age I've crafted as an homage to a top-shelf writer and his undying creation—Conan of Cimmeria.

Chris L Adams

ChrisLAdamsBizarreTales

Chapter 01: Death on a Frozen Road

On the outskirts of Greshahla, a town lying in northern Brythunia along the Hyperborean border…

Taking an overgrown path to the top of a windswept bluff, Conan, King of Aquilonia, reined-in his horse in a clump of trees where he might remain hidden. The wind ripping through the brittle brush lining the path was biting, the force of it instantly tearing away the vapors issuing from the steady breathing of him and his steed. Yet, for all its cold he did not seem to outwardly suffer from its frigid temperature.

Seated upon his motionless mount, Conan's massive frame looked as though it were fashioned by the gods to careen into war, so powerful he appeared even at rest. Catching the salty scent of blood on the air, his steed, an immense draft horse considered large even for its breed, snorted, causing the man to tense.

From his vantage point he scouted the frozen road below him, narrowing his eyes against the wintry gusts which carried with it stinging grains of ice that he might better focus on a bend in the dirt track. He was supposed to rendezvous with Gallardo along this stretch of road this morning; instead, a ragtag band of ruffians was rifling the slaughtered body of the man he was to meet.

Conan's keen, blue eyes, overhung by a square-cut black mane shot with gray, took in the scene of carnage with a quick glance. One calloused thumb unconsciously caressed the well-worn grip of the sword residing in its scabbard. He knew these bandits, and their identities caused him to rip out a curse which he did not bother stifling. He could care less if they heard him. And in many more moments it was they would be beyond caring—about anything.

The king of Aquilonia was here on clandestine business, and so these men had for weeks known him as Korma, a Cimmerian thief. Conan knew from of old that the less lies one told, the less one had to remember . . . and he remembered well how to be a thief.

"Yrdihz, you filthy dog!" he grit. "This will cost you, by Crom! Heeyah!"

Conan accompanied his shout with the sudden planting of his heels in the ribs of the black. With a startled snort the horse launched itself over the edge of the bluff and thundered down the precipitous slope like an immense bowlder to careen into the unsuspecting bandits below.

The rider on its back barked a ragged laugh at the surprised looks on the rogues' faces and then his previously relaxed posture exploded into action. Rising in his stirrups his sword cleared the mouth of the well-worn scabbard in a smooth, upward sweep which terminated in an arcing slash that practically beheaded the first brigand in his path.