The City of Skulls (short story)

Short story by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter

This article is about a short story. For fantasy roleplaying adventure game, see The City of Skulls.

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"The City of Skulls"

Short story by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter
Country| United States
Language| English
Genre(s)| Sword and sorcery
Publication
Published in| Conan
Publication type| Collection
Publisher| Lancer Books
Media type| Print (Paperback)
Publication date| 1967
Series| Conan the Barbarian

"The City of Skulls" is a short story by American writers Lin Carter and L. Sprague de Camp, featuring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian created by Robert E. Howard.

## Plot overview

[edit]

Conan is a mercenary serving in the Turanian army along with his friend Juma of Kush, both of them having met while in combat. They are assigned by King Yildiz to his Turanian detachment, whose mission is escorting the king's daughter, Princess Zosara, to her wedding with the Great Khan of the Kuigar nomads in the eastern land of Hyrkania. Before they could reach their destination, the Turanian soldiers are ambushed by a tribe of warriors who descend upon them from the foothills of the Talakma Mountains. The Turanians are all killed in the battle except for Conan, Juma, and Zosara. The three survivors are captured by the tribesmen and journey into the fabled kingdom of Meru, which consists of seven sacred cities on the shore of an ancient lake within a tropical valley concealed by mountains on the north and south.

The three are taken to Shamballah, City of Skulls, the capital of Meru. Everywhere Conan looks, the architecture of the city is ornately designed or decorated in the likeness of human skulls craved from colored stone. They are eventually brought before the rimpoche or "god king" of Meru, Jalung Thongpa, a short, fat, ugly man of comical appearance who is nonetheless revered by his people as the reincarnated son of Yama the Demon King. Soon, it becomes clear that the reason for their capture was Jalung Thongpa's desire to claim Zosara for himself after his chief wizard, Tanzong Tengri, the Grand Shaman of Meru, revealed through magic her existence to the king. Conan then attacks the king in an attempt to escape, but is struck by the wizard's magic staff, causing him to fall into a deep slumber. Conan and Juma are then sentenced to a life of slavery at the oars aboard a ship as punishment.

The two adventurers eventually escape their fate and return to Shamballah, with the intent to rescue Zosara. They make their way through secret passages back into Jalung Thongpa's throne room, while he and a group of priests are performing a ritual to celebrate his marriage to the unwilling Zosara, who lays naked and shackled to an altar before a gigantic statue of the god Yama. Conan and Juma interrupt Thongpa's ceremony as they leap in wreaking havoc, killing many of the priests, including Tanzong Tengri, and forcing others to flee in panic. The king chants a prayer, which causes the great statue of Yama to come to life and advance toward Conan. However, Juma grabs the king and hurls him toward the statue. The rimpoche is then crushed by the god's foot which breaks the spell, causing the statue to become inanimate once again. Conan and Juma flee the city with Zosara and complete their mission.

## Publication history

[edit]

* Conan (Lancer Books, 1967, later reissued by Ace Books)
* The Conan Chronicles (Sphere Books, 1989)

## Adaptation

[edit]

The story was adapted for comics in Savage Sword of Conan #59 Dec,1980. Written by Roy Thomas with art by Mike Vosburg and Alfredo Alcala, and cover art by Clyde Caldwell.[1]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "The annotated Savage sword of Conan | Classic Comics Forum".

Preceded by

"The Hand of Nergal"

|  Complete Conan Saga
(William Galen Gray chronology) | Succeeded by

Conan the Hero

|
|

* v
* t
* e

Conan the Barbarian

Stories, books

| Books|

* Conan (books)

|

Original works by
Robert E. Howard|

* "Beyond the Black River"
* "Black Colossus"
* "The Black Stranger"
* "The Devil in Iron"
* "Drums of Tombalku"
* "The Frost-Giant's Daughter"
* "The God in the Bowl"
* "The Hall of the Dead"
* "The Hand of Nergal"
* The Hour of the Dragon
* "Jewels of Gwahlur"
* "The People of the Black Circle"
* "The Phoenix on the Sword"
* "The Pool of the Black One"
* "Queen of the Black Coast"
* "Red Nails"
* "Rogues in the House"
* "The Scarlet Citadel"
* "Shadows in the Moonlight"
* "Shadows in Zamboula"
* "The Slithering Shadow"
* "The Snout in the Dark"
* "The Tower of the Elephant"
* "The Vale of Lost Women"
* "A Witch Shall be Born"
* "Wolves Beyond the Border"

Non-Howard works
(some based on non-
Conan Howard works)|

* "Black Sphinx of Nebthu"
* "Black Tears"
* The Blood-Stained God
* "The Castle of Terror"
* "The City of Skulls"
* Conan and the Amazon
* Conan and the Death Lord of Thanza
* Conan and the Emerald Lotus
* Conan and the Gods of the Mountain
* Conan and the Grim Grey God
* Conan and the Manhunters
* Conan and the Mists of Doom
* Conan and the Shaman's Curse
* Conan and the Sorcerer
* Conan and the Spider God
* Conan and the Treasure of Python
* Conan at the Demon's Gate
* Conan, Lord of the Black River
* Conan of the Isles
* Conan of the Red Brotherhood
* Conan of Venarium
* Conan, Scourge of the Bloody Coast
* Conan the Barbarian (1982)
* Conan the Barbarian (2011)
* Conan the Bold
* Conan the Buccaneer
* Conan the Champion
* Conan the Defender
* Conan the Defiant
* Conan the Destroyer
* Conan the Fearless
* Conan the Formidable
* Conan the Free Lance
* Conan the Gladiator
* Conan the Great
* Conan the Guardian
* Conan the Hero
* Conan the Hunter
* Conan the Indomitable
* Conan the Invincible
* Conan the Liberator
* Conan the Magnificent
* Conan the Marauder
* Conan the Mercenary
* Conan the Outcast
* Conan the Raider
* Conan the Rebel
* Conan the Relentless
* Conan the Renegade
* Conan the Rogue
* Conan the Savage
* Conan the Triumphant
* Conan the Unconquered
* Conan the Valiant
* Conan the Valorous
* Conan the Victorious
* Conan the Warlord
* "The Curse of the Monolith"
* "Death-Song of Conan the Cimmerian"
* The Flame Knife
* "The Gem in the Tower"
* "Hawks over Shem"
* "The Ivory Goddess"
* "The Lair of the Ice Worm"
* "Legions of the Dead"
* "Moon of Blood"
* "The People of the Summit"
* "Red Moon of Zembabwei"
* The Return of Conan
* The Road of Kings
* "The Road of the Eagles"
* "Shadows in the Dark"
* "Shadows in the Skull"
* "The Star of Khorala"
* The Sword of Skelos
* "The Thing in the Crypt"
* "The Witch of the Mists"

Collections|

* Black Colossus
* The Bloody Crown of Conan
* The Coming of Conan
* The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian
* The Complete Chronicles of Conan
* Conan
* The Conan Chronicles (Howard, et al)
* The Conan Chronicles (Jordan)
* The Conan Chronicles, 1
* The Conan Chronicles 2
* The Conan Chronicles, 2
* The Conan Chronicles II
* Conan of Aquilonia
* Conan of Cimmeria
* Conan the Adventurer
* Conan the Avenger
* Conan the Barbarian (1954)
* Conan the Barbarian (2011)
* Conan the Freebooter
* Conan the Swordsman
* Conan the Usurper
* Conan the Wanderer
* Conan the Warrior
* The Conquering Sword of Conan
* The Devil in Iron
* The Essential Conan
* The Further Chronicles of Conan
* Jewels of Gwahlur
* King Conan
* The People of the Black Circle
* The Pool of the Black One
* Queen of the Black Coast
* Red Nails
* Rogues in the House
* Sagas of Conan
* The Sword of Conan
* Tales of Conan
* The Tower of the Elephant
* The Treasure of Tranicos

Scholarship|

* The Blade of Conan
* The Conan Grimoire
* The Conan Reader
* The Conan Swordbook
* The Spell of Conan

Authors

| Creator|

* Robert E. Howard

|

Later
authors|

* Poul Anderson
* Leonard Carpenter
* Lin Carter
* L. Sprague de Camp
* Roland J. Green
* John C. Hocking
* Robert Jordan
* Sean A. Moore
* Björn Nyberg
* Andrew J. Offutt
* Steve Perry
* John Maddox Roberts
* Michael A. Stackpole
* Roy Thomas
* Harry Turtledove
* Karl Edward Wagner

Other media

| Films|

* Conan the Barbarian (1982)
* Conan the Destroyer (1984)
* Conan the Barbarian (2011)

| Related films|

* Red Sonja (1985)
* Kull the Conqueror (1997)
* Red Sonja (2024)

|

Television|

* Conan the Adventurer (1992)
* Conan and the Young Warriors (1994)
* Conan the Adventurer (1997)

Comics|

* Conan (comics)
* Conan (Dark Horse Comics)
* Conan (Marvel comics)
* The Savage Sword of Conan

Games|

| Tabletop|

* Unchained!
* Against Darkness!
* Role-Playing Game (1985)
* GURPS
* The Roleplaying Game (2004)
* Collectible Card Game
* Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of

|

Video|

* Hall of Volta
* The Mysteries of Time
* The Cimmerian
* Conan (2004)
* Conan (2007)
* Age of Conan
* Rise of the Godslayer
* Exiles
* Mortal Kombat 1

Other|

* Hyborian War

Setting

| Characters|

* Bêlit
* Conan the Barbarian
* Kulan Gath
* Red Sonja
* Serpent Men
* Thulsa Doom
* Valeria

|

Chronology|

* Hyborian Age

* The Hyborian Age
* Conan chronologies

Related articles

* "The Shadow of the Vulture"
* Red Sonja
* Cerebus the Aardvark
* Conan the Librarian
* The Adventures of Conan: A Sword and Sorcery Spectacular

* v
* t
* e

L. Sprague de Camp

Viagens
Interplanetarias|

| Krishna|

* "Finished" (1949)
* The Queen of Zamba (1949)
* The Hand of Zei (1950)
* "Perpetual Motion" (1950)
* "Calories" (1951)
* The Virgin of Zesh (1953)
* The Tower of Zanid (1958)
* The Hostage of Zir (1977)
* The Prisoner of Zhamanak (1982)
* The Bones of Zora (1983)
* The Swords of Zinjaban (1991)

|

Kukulkan|

* The Stones of Nomuru (1988)
* The Venom Trees of Sunga (1992)

Other|

* "The Animal-Cracker Plot" (1949)
* "The Colorful Character" (1949)
* "Git Along!" (1950)
* "The Inspector's Teeth" (1950)
* "Summer Wear" (1950)
* The Continent Makers (1951)
* "The Galton Whistle" (1951)
* Rogue Queen (1951)

Harold Shea|

* "The Roaring Trumpet" (1940)
* "The Mathematics of Magic" (1940)
* The Castle of Iron (1941/50)
* The Wall of Serpents (1953)
* The Green Magician (1954)
* Sir Harold and the Gnome King (1990)
* Sir Harold of Zodanga (1995)

Pusadian|

* The Tritonian Ring (1951)
* "The Eye of Tandyla" (1951)
* "The Owl and the Ape" (1951)
* "The Hungry Hercynian" (1953)
* "The Stronger Spell" (1953)
* "Ka the Appalling" (1958)
* "The Rug and the Bull" (1974)
* "The Stone of the Witch Queen" (1977)

Novarian|

* The Goblin Tower (1968)
* The Clocks of Iraz (1971)
* "The Emperor's Fan" (1973)
* The Fallible Fiend (1973)
* The Unbeheaded King (1983)
* The Honorable Barbarian (1989)

Neo-Napolitanian|

* The Incorporated Knight (1987)
* The Pixilated Peeress (1991)

Conan|

| Novels|

* Conan and the Spider God (1980)
* Conan of the Isles (1968)
* Conan the Barbarian (1982)
* Conan the Buccaneer (1971)
* Conan the Liberator (1979)
* The Return of Conan (1957)

|

Short stories|

* "Black Sphinx of Nebthu" (1973)
* "The Treasure of Tranicos" (1953)
* "Black Tears" (1968)
* "The Blood-Stained God" (1955)
* "The Castle of Terror" (1969)
* "The City of Skulls" (1967)
* "The Curse of the Monolith" (1968)
* "Drums of Tombalku" (1966)
* The Flame Knife (1955/81)
* "The Frost Giant's Daughter" Conan (1953)
* "The Gem in the Tower" (1978)
* "The God in the Bowl" (1952)
* "The Hall of the Dead" (1967)
* "Hawks Over Shem" (1955)
* "The Ivory Goddess" (1978)
* "The Lair of the Ice Worm" (1969)
* "Legions of the Dead" (1978)
* "Moon of Blood" (1978)
* "The People of the Summit" (1970/78)
* "Red Moon of Zembabwei" (1974)
* "The Road of the Eagles" (1955)
* "Shadows in the Dark" (1978)
* "Shadows in the Skull" (1975)
* "The Snout in the Dark" (1969)
* "The Star of Khorala" (1978)
* "The Thing in the Crypt" (1967)
* "The Witch of the Mists" (1972)
* "Wolves Beyond the Border" (1967)

Other
speculative
fiction|

| Novels|

* The Carnelian Cube (1948)
* Genus Homo (1950)
* The Glory That Was (1960)
* The Great Fetish (1978)
* Land of Unreason (1942)
* Lest Darkness Fall (1941)
* None but Lucifer (1939)
* Solomon's Stone (1942)

|

Short stories|

* "Aristotle and the Gun" (1958)
* "The Blue Giraffe" (1939)
* "The Command" (1938)
* "The Contraband Cow" (1942)
* "Cornzan the Mighty" (1955)
* "Divide and Rule" (1939)
* "The Egg" (1956)
* "Employment" (1939)
* "The Gnarly Man" (1939)
* "The Guided Man" (1952)
* "A Gun for Dinosaur" (1956)
* "The Hardwood Pile" (1940)
* "The Hibited Man" (1949)
* "Hyperpilosity" (1938)
* "In-Group" (1952)
* "Internal Combustion" (1956)
* "The Isolinguals" (1937)
* "Judgment Day" (1955)
* "Let's Have Fun" (1957)
* "Living Fossil" (1939)
* "The Merman" (1938)
* "Nothing in the Rules" (1939)
* "The Reluctant Shaman" (1947)
* "The Saxon Pretender" (1952)
* "The Space Clause" (1952)
* "The Stolen Dormouse" (1941)
* "Throwback" (1949)
* "The Wheels of If" (1940)

Historical fiction|

* The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate (1961)
* The Arrows of Hercules (1965)
* An Elephant for Aristotle (1958)
* The Bronze God of Rhodes (1960)
* The Golden Wind (1969)

Fiction edited|

* The Wolf Leader (1950)
* Swords and Sorcery (1963)
* The Spell of Seven (1965)
* Conan the Warrior (1967)
* The Fantastic Swordsmen (1967)
* Conan the Conqueror (1967)
* Warlocks and Warriors (1970)
* 3000 Years of Fantasy and Science Fiction (1972)
* Tales Beyond Time (1973)

Nonfiction|

| Science and
history|

* Inventions and Their Management (1937)
* The Evolution of Naval Weapons (1947)
* Antarctic Conquest (1949)
* Engines (1959)
* The Heroic Age of American Invention (1961)
* Man and Power (1961)
* Energy and Power (1962)
* The Ancient Engineers (1963)
* Ancient Ruins and Archaeology (1964)
* Elephant (1964)
* Spirits, Stars, and Spells (1966)
* The Story of Science in America (1967)
* The Day of the Dinosaur (1968)
* The Great Monkey Trial (1968)
* Darwin and His Great Discovery (1972)
* Great Cities of the Ancient World (1972)
* The Ragged Edge of Science (1980)
* The Fringe of the Unknown (1983)
* The Ape-Man Within (1995)
* Rubber Dinosaurs and Wooden Elephants (1996)

|

Lit crit and
biography|

* Blond Barbarians and Noble Savages (1975)
* The Conan Reader (1968)
* Dark Valley Destiny (1983)
* Lands Beyond (1952)
* Literary Swordsmen and Sorcerers (1976)
* Lost Continents (1954)
* Lovecraft: A Biography (1975)
* The Miscast Barbarian (1975)
* Science-Fiction Handbook (1953/75)
* Time and Chance (1996)

Nonfiction edited|

* The Conan Swordbook (1969)
* The Conan Grimoire (1972)
* To Quebec and the Stars (1976)
* The Blade of Conan (1979)
* The Spell of Conan (1980)

Poetry|

* Demons and Dinosaurs (1970)
* Heroes and Hobgoblins (1981)
* Phantoms and Fancies (1972)

Collections|

* The Continent Makers and Other Tales of the Viagens (1953)
* The Virgin of Zesh & The Tower of Zanid (1983)
* The Incomplete Enchanter (1941)
* Wall of Serpents (1960)
* The Compleat Enchanter (1975)
* The Complete Compleat Enchanter (1989)
* The Enchanter Reborn (1992)
* The Exotic Enchanter (1995)
* The Mathematics of Magic (2007)
* The Tritonian Ring and Other Pusadian Tales (1953)
* The Reluctant King (1985)
* Conan (1967)
* The Conan Chronicles (1989)
* The Conan Chronicles 2 (1990)
* Conan of Aquilonia (1977)
* Conan of Cimmeria (1969)
* Conan the Adventurer (1966)
* Conan the Avenger (1968)
* Conan the Freebooter (1968)
* Conan the Swordsman (1978)
* Conan the Usurper (1967)
* Conan the Wanderer (1968)
* Sagas of Conan (2004)
* Tales of Conan (1955)
* The Treasure of Tranicos (1980)
* Aristotle and the Gun (2002)
* The Best of L. Sprague de Camp (1978)
* Divide and Rule (1948)
* Footprints on Sand (1981)
* A Gun for Dinosaur (1963)
* The Purple Pterodactyls (1980)
* The Reluctant Shaman (1970)
* Rivers of Time (1993)
* Scribblings (1972)
* Sprague de Camp's New Anthology (1953)
* Tales from Gavagan's Bar (1953/78)
* The Undesired Princess (1951)
* The Virgin & the Wheels (1976)
* The Wheels of If (1948)
* Years in the Making (2005)

About de Camp|

* GURPS Planet Krishna (1997)
* The Enchanter Completed (2005)

* v
* t
* e

Works by Lin Carter

Callisto|

* Jandar of Callisto (1972)
* Black Legion of Callisto (1972)
* Sky Pirates of Callisto (1973)
* Mad Empress of Callisto (1975)
* Mind Wizards of Callisto (1975)
* Lankar of Callisto (1975)
* Ylana of Callisto (1977)
* Renegade of Callisto (1978)

Green Star|

* Under the Green Star (1972)
* When the Green Star Calls (1973)
* By the Light of the Green Star (1974)
* As the Green Star Rises (1975)
* In the Green Star's Glow (1976)

Mars|

* The Flame of Iridar (1967)
* "The Martian El Dorado of Parker Wintley" (1976)
* The Valley Where Time Stood Still (1974)
* The City Outside the World (1977)
* Down to a Sunless Sea (1984)
* The Man Who Loved Mars (1973)

Zarkon|

* The Nemesis of Evil (1975)
* Invisible Death (1975)
* The Volcano Ogre (1976)
* The Earth-Shaker (1982)
* Horror Wears Blue (1987)

Zanthodon|

* Journey to the Underground World (1979)
* Zanthodon (1980)
* Hurok of the Stone Age (1981)
* Darya of the Bronze Age (1981)
* Eric of Zanthodon (1982)

Thongor|

* The Wizard of Lemuria (1965/69)
* Thongor and the Dragon City (1966/70)
* Thongor Against the Gods (1967)
* Thongor in the City of Magicians (1968)
* Thongor at the End of Time (1968)
* Thongor Fights the Pirates of Tarakus (1970)
* Young Thongor (2012)
* The Sword of Thongor (Robert M. Price) (2016)

Conan|

| Novels|

* Conan of the Isles (1968)
* Conan the Barbarian (1982)
* Conan the Buccaneer (1971)
* Conan the Liberator (1979)

|

Short
works|

* "Black Sphinx of Nebthu" (1973)
* "Black Tears" (1968)
* "The Castle of Terror" (1969)
* "The City of Skulls" (1967)
* "The Curse of the Monolith" (1968)
* "Death-Song of Conan the Cimmerian" (1972)
* "The Gem in the Tower" (1978)
* "The Hand of Nergal" (1967)
* "The Ivory Goddess" (1978)
* "The Lair of the Ice Worm" (1969)
* "Legions of the Dead" (1978)
* "Moon of Blood" (1978)
* "Red Moon of Zembabwei" (1974)
* "Shadows in the Dark" (1978)
* "Shadows in the Skull" (1975)
* "The Snout in the Dark" (1969)
* "The Thing in the Crypt" (1967)
* "The Witch of the Mists" (1972)

Collections|

* Conan (1967)
* The Conan Chronicles (1989)
* The Conan Chronicles 2 (1990)
* Conan of Aquilonia (1977)
* Conan of Cimmeria (1969)
* Conan the Swordsman (1978)
* Conan the Wanderer (1968)
* Sagas of Conan (2004)

Kull|

* "Exile of Atlantis" (1967)
* King Kull (1967)

Gondwane|

* The Warrior of World's End (1974)
* The Enchantress of World's End (1975)
* The Immortal of World's End (1976)
* The Barbarian of World's End (1977)
* The Pirate of World's End (1978)
* Giant of World's End (1969)

Terra Magica|

* Kesrick (1982)
* Dragonrouge (1984)
* Mandricardo (1987)
* Callipygia (1988)

Kylix|

* The Quest of Kadji (1971)
* The Wizard of Zao (1978)
* Kellory the Warlock (1984)

Other|

* Tara of the Twilight (1979)
* The Tired Tailor of Oz (2001)
* The Merry Mountaineer of Oz (2004)

Collections|

* Beyond the Gates of Dream (1969)
* Lost Worlds (1980)
* The Xothic Legend Cycle: The Complete Mythos Fiction of Lin Carter (1997)
* Lin Carter's Simrana Cycle (2018)

Anthologies
edited|

| BAFS and
Doubleday
anthologies|

* Dragons, Elves, and Heroes (1969)
* The Young Magicians (1969)
* Golden Cities, Far (1970)
* New Worlds for Old (1971)
* The Spawn of Cthulhu (1971)
* Double Phoenix (1971)
* Discoveries in Fantasy (1972)
* Great Short Novels of Adult Fantasy I (1972)
* Great Short Novels of Adult Fantasy Volume II (1973)
* Kingdoms of Sorcery (1976)
* Realms of Wizardry (1976)

|

Flashing
Swords!|

* Flashing Swords! #1 (1973)
* Flashing Swords! #2 (1973)
* Flashing Swords! #3: Warriors and Wizards (1976)
* Flashing Swords! #4: Barbarians and Black Magicians (1977)
* Flashing Swords! #5: Demons and Daggers (1981)
* Lin Carter's Flashing Swords! #6 (2020/21)
* Lin Carter's Flashing Swords! #7 (2023)
* Lin Carter's Flashing Swords! #8 (2023)

Year's Best
Fantasy|

* The Year's Best Fantasy Stories (1975)
* The Year's Best Fantasy Stories: 2 (1976)
* The Year's Best Fantasy Stories: 3 (1977)
* The Year's Best Fantasy Stories: 4 (1978)
* The Year's Best Fantasy Stories: 5 (1980)
* The Year's Best Fantasy Stories: 6 (1980)

Weird Tales|

* Weird Tales #1 (1980)
* Weird Tales #2 (1980)
* Weird Tales #3 (1981)
* Weird Tales #4 (1983)

Other|

* The Magic of Atlantis (1970)

Nonfiction|

* Tolkien: A Look Behind "The Lord of the Rings" (1969)
* Lovecraft: A Look Behind the "Cthulhu Mythos" (1972)
* Imaginary Worlds (1973)

Poetry|

* Sandalwood and Jade (1951)
* Galleon of Dream (1953)
* Letter to Judith (1959)
* Dreams from R'lyeh (1975)

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