| rdfs:comment | - Conan has taken Prospero on an expedition through the forests of Aquilonia, but the young lad has run ahead of the group and gotten lost. Conan, at first confident that his son will find his way back and learn a valuable lesson in the bargain, soon becomes agitated and begins to search in earnest. Meanwhile, his son has spotted and is chasing a white stag, who, when Conn is drawn far enough away from the Aquilonians, turns into a grey-haired crone who demands Conn yield, sending ivory masked, lanky, grey humans to grab him The boy draws his sword and attacks. Though Conn manages to slit the throat of one of them, the men manage to subdue him eventually though, and take him away. Later, Conan's chief huntsman Euric spots an ivory mask and Conn's falchion. A search finds the body of a Hyperb
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| abstract | - Conan has taken Prospero on an expedition through the forests of Aquilonia, but the young lad has run ahead of the group and gotten lost. Conan, at first confident that his son will find his way back and learn a valuable lesson in the bargain, soon becomes agitated and begins to search in earnest. Meanwhile, his son has spotted and is chasing a white stag, who, when Conn is drawn far enough away from the Aquilonians, turns into a grey-haired crone who demands Conn yield, sending ivory masked, lanky, grey humans to grab him The boy draws his sword and attacks. Though Conn manages to slit the throat of one of them, the men manage to subdue him eventually though, and take him away. Later, Conan's chief huntsman Euric spots an ivory mask and Conn's falchion. A search finds the body of a Hyperborean, the one Conn killed. They follow the trail, though all know it is a trap, and find a letter written to Conan in blood attached to Conn's javelin. The letter tells him to go alone to Pohiola, the capital of Hyperborea. His men return to ready the army to invade Hyperborea as Conan heads through the Border Kingdoms and Hyperborea. For three days he travels, following the marks of white hands on rocks and trees until he is set upon by a band of cannibalistic beast men in the Great Salt Marsh. They overwhelm Conan and knock him out. Meanwhile, Conn is brought to a castle and shackled to a wall in the great hall. After a bit, a group of Hyperboreans brings in another prisoner and slit his throat over a flaming brazier as the grey-haired crone looks on and greets the man summoned by the sacrifice - Thoth-Amon. Miles away, Conan awakens wondering how he is still alive, but realizes that the cannibals were run off by whoever is leaving a trail for him to follow - the Hyperboreans want him alive. Finally, he makes his way to the border of Hyperborea, which is guarded by the giant skull of an ancient mammoth, and from there Pohiola, where he, unmolested, walks directly to the castle and throne room, where he sees the crone, Louhi. She tells him Thoth-Amon wants him immediately slain, but she wonders if Conan will be useful. Conan refuses to talk until he sees Conn, and he is led to a pit and let down inside. Father and son reunite, and Conn tells Conan what he has learned. Thoth-Amon has joined a group of other wizards representing the White Hand and the Scarlet Circle who intend to invade the western kingdoms, though Louhi has plans to possibly use Conan to betray Thoth-Amon. Later, Conan and Conn are taken to a council of the wizard leaders, which in addition to Louhi and Thoth-Amon includes Pra-Eun of the Scarlet Circle and Nenaunir, a shaman of Damballah (Set) from Zimbabwei. Nenaunir wonders aloud why Thoth-Amon is so frightened of Conan, and Louhi commands one of her Hyperborean soldiers to fight Conan to see how worthy he is, but Conan easily defeats the masked Hyperborean and tosses him at the brazier and into Louhi. In a panic, Pra-Eun tries to scramble away but trips over his throne and falls into the spreading pool of fire himself. Conan attacks the shocked Hyperboreans but when he turns to Thoth-Amon, the wizard vanishes in a cloud of green smoke, as does Nenaunir. Conan spies Louhi's burned and lifeless body, but is surprised to see Pra-Eun emerge from the flames and, using magic, paralyzes Conan as the fire draws closer. Suddenly, an arrow pierces Pra-Eun's throat - the Aquilonians have arrived! Euric has killed Pra-Eun as he and Prospero lead their troops into the castle. Conan and Conn are rescued and the fire destroys the entire capital as the Aquilonians make their way home.
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