The Scarlet Citadel
| "The Scarlet Citadel" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Short story by Robert E. Howard | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| Language | English | ||
| Genre(s) | Fantasy | ||
| Publication | |||
| Published in | Weird Tales | ||
| Publication type | Pulp magazine | ||
| Publisher | Rural Publishing Corp. | ||
| Publication date | January 1933 | ||
| Chronology | |||
| Series | Conan the Cimmerian | ||
| |||
"The Scarlet Citadel" is one of the original
The story was republished in the collections
Plot summary
An older, wiser King Conan of Aquilonia receives a call for help from Amalrus, the ruler of neighbouring Ophir. Amalrus claims that Strabonus, the Emperor of Koth, is threatening his kingdom.
Conan marches into Ophir with an army of five thousand Aquilonian knights. His planned campaign is a trap; the two monarchs are working together to destroy him with the help of a Kothian wizard named Tsotha-lanti. The Aquilonian knights are cut down by the Kothian cavalry, while Conan is imprisoned within a Korshemish dungeon. This dungeon is used by Tsotha-lanti for nefarious experiments, and Conan discovers many bizarre horrors during his escape.
Conan frees Pelias, a former rival wizard of Tsotha-lanti, who helps him escape the dungeon and regain his position as king of Aquilonia. The story climaxes with a gigantic battle, where Tsotha-lanti meets a grisly fate at the hands of Pelias.
Reception
Robert Weinberg described "The Scarlet Citadel" as "Howard at his best", and praised the character of Pelias.[1]
Adaptation
The story was adapted by
References
- ISBN 0913960160(p. 36).
External links
- The Scarlet Citadel at Project Gutenberg
- Conan the Barbarian at AmratheLion.com
- Conan.com: The Official Website
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