A southern outlaw named Ascalante… secretly plans to… claim the crown. [He] enslaves Thoth-Amon, a Stygian wizard who has fallen on hard times: A thief had stolen Thoth-Amon’s ring and left him defenseless, forcing him to flee from Stygia; while disguised as a camel driver, he was waylaid in Koth by Ascalante’s reavers. The rest of his caravan was slaughtered, but Thoth-Amon saved himself by revealing his identity and swearing to serve Ascalante… Thoth-Amon discovers that his ring of power is in Dion’s possession, murders him and summons a fanged ape-like demon to slay Ascalante…
Appearance List “The Phoenix on the Sword” in Weird Tales v20 n6 (Dec 1932). Collected: King Conan (Gnome Press, 1953), Conan the Usurper (Lancer Books, 1967), Conan the Usurper (Sphere Books UK, 1974).
Description A southern outlaw named Ascalante… secretly plans to… claim the crown. [He] enslaves Thoth-Amon, a Stygian wizard who has fallen on hard times: A thief had stolen Thoth-Amon’s ring and left him defenseless, forcing him to flee from Stygia; while disguised as a camel driver, he was waylaid in Koth by Ascalante’s reavers. The rest of his caravan was slaughtered, but Thoth-Amon saved himself by revealing his identity and swearing to serve Ascalante… Thoth-Amon discovers that his ring of power is in Dion’s possession, murders him and summons a fanged ape-like demon to slay Ascalante…
Depiction of similar-looking character from Mr. M’Kean Buchanan as Othello (1850, Detail) via Victorian Illustrated Shakespeare Archive | Engraved by C. H. Jeens from a Daguerreotype by Brunkerhoff of New York
