Sabatea:---Shemitish city of evil repute, on the Stygian border near the Taian Mountains, just west of the Shan-e-Sorkh. The city's people worshiped a golden peacock by means of abominable rites. The Wizards of the Black Ring had their headquarters here. (Hawks Over Shem, Flame Knife, Hour of the Dragon, Conan the Hunter)

Sadoria:---a city-state renowned as the garden spot of western Zingara. (Conan the Barbarian #174, "Children of the Night", by James Owsley)

Salt Lake:---also called the Lake of Salts, it is located in the barrens of central Koth, and is so salty that only spines and thorns grow along the edge. (Shadows in the Dark, Conan the Barbarian #270, "Fire on the Lake", by Roy Thomas)

Salt Valley:---the main route between Fort Zheman and the village of Winterhome, in the Ilbars Mountains of Turan. (Conan the Valiant)

Salt Water:---the Kwanyi name for the Western Sea. (Conan and the Gods of the Mountains)

Samara:---a city in Turan west of the Misty Mountains. (People of the Summit)

Sand-Lich, Gorge of the:---a long, broad ravine cut through the Dragon Hills in the desert west of Turan. As the name implies the gorge is haunted by a particularly nasty sand-lich, the remains of Tosya Zul, a mage from Zamboula. (Conan and the Sorcerer)

Sarelian Forest:---located one hours hard ride north of Ianthe in Ophir. The tangled, overgrown forest contains the ruins of an old keep. (Conan the Triumphant)

Sargasso Lake:---the huge, weed-choked, lake-filled chaldera of Mount Turio in Zamora, home to selkies and electric eels. (Conan the Freelance)

Sargasso, Palace of the:---the abode of the Mist Mage Abet Blasa, the stone palace was built atop a floating mass of sargasso weed so large that you could walk a days' travel in any direction and never reach the edge. (Conan the Freelance)

Sargossa:---the traditional, walled, northern capital of Brythunia's Royal Family is located in the north-central part of the country. The city sits astride the Danibos River and is the location of the fabled Gryphon Throne of Brythunia. (Conan the Savage)

Saridis:---a walled free-town of Shem serving wayfarers, merchants, and Asshuri of all callings. It sits upon the crossing of diverse roads, where the borders of the city-states of Ghaza, Kyros, Anakia, and Akkharia meet. It lies one days ride south from the village of Varhia. (Conan and the Grim Grey God)

Sark:---a city-state of the great Southern Desert, lying east of Stygia. Sark is a well-established city, tracing its history back over the last two thousand years. They worship the god Votantha, the "Tree of Mouths". (Conan the Outcast)

Sarp:---an ancient kingdom on the northern Vilayet Sea. It's capital was Sarpedon, and it was destroyed during a great cataclysm. (Conan - Scourge of the Bloody Coast)

Sarpedon:---an ancient seaport of the Vilayet Sea. Capital of the kingdom of Sarp, it was known in its time as the "Jewel of the Vilayet". It was a flourishing port ten thousand years prior to Conan's time, benefiting from its tremendous trade economy and powerful navy. A cyclopean granite statue of a man with a raised sword stood guard over the harbor. The city eventually foundered in a cataclysm, the sea burying it in a single night. It lies in ruins in the far northeast Vilayet, beneath the sea not far from the Hyrkanian coast. (Conan - Scourge of the Bloody Coast)

Saxula Pass:---a deep cleft in the central ridge of the Rabirian Mountains of Argos leading to Poitain in Aquilonia. (Conan the Liberator)

Sayara:---a small city of northern Zamora. (Conan the Adventurer #9, "Of Wings and Warriors", by Roy Thomas)

Scalp Creek:---a stream east of Black River, five miles from Fort Tuscelan. Between Scalp Creek and Velitrium were Aquilonian settlements. (Beyond Black River)

Scandaga:---the largest town of the Westermarck province of Conawaga, and seat of its judiciary. It may be synonymous with Skandaga. (Wolves Beyond the Border, Notes on Various Peoples)

Scarlet Citadel:---a wizard's stronghold commanding the Kothian capital of Khorshemish. (Scarlet Citadel)

Schohira:---the smallest of the frontier provinces of the Westermarck province of Conawaga, constantly at war with the Picts. The Baron of Kormon sponsored it. South of it lay Thandara and north were Oriskonie and Conawaga. Its main village was Schondara. (Wolves Beyond the Border, Notes on Various Peoples)

Schondara:---a village in Schohira province of the Westermarck, standing a few miles east of Fort Kwanyara. (Wolves Beyond the Border)

Scilda:---a rich, arrogant town that was leveled by Captain Brago and his men. It is assumed to be in eastern Ophir. (Conan the Renegade)

Sea-Land Picts:---a group of clans living in villages along the coast of the Western Ocean, described as "wilder" than the forest clans. Three of their tribes near Korvela Bay were the Hornbills, the Cormorants, and the Sea-Falcons. (Treasure of Tranicos)

Sea Tribes:---people of Hyrkanian descent living on the islands of the eastern Vilayet Sea. (Conan - Scourge of the Bloody Coast, Conan and the Red Brotherhood)

Secunderam:---a large Turanian city on the Hyrkanian Steppe, ruled by a governor. Troops sent from here invaded Vendhya. (People of the Black Circle, Return of Conan)

Sei:---a city of the country Neria, on the Primal Continent. (When Hell Laughs)

Sendaj:---a squalid, riverside hamlet of western Shem. (Conan the Gladiator)

Serpent, Path of the:---a narrow, sinuous path through the craggy, treacherous peaks of the Karpash Mountains of southeastern Brythunia. (Conan the Hunter)

Seven Empires:---the principle political entities of the Western world at the time of Kull. According to Robert Weinberg, the Empires most probably included Valusia, Verulia, Grondar, Kamelia, Thule, Commoria, and the "Triple Federation". The latter, according to Weinberg, might have included Farsun, Zarfhaana, and one other unnamed country. We suggest that the Triple Federation might have included Farsun, the Atlantean Colonies, and Lemuria-of-the-West. Thurania might also have had a place among the Seven Empires. (Annotated Guide to REH's Sword and Sorcery, by Robert Weinberg, Hyborian Age I, Castle of Terror, Exile of Atlantis)

Seven Sacred Cities:---of Meru, all ports on the Sumeru Tso. In order, presumed clockwise, they are: Shamballah (capital), Shondakor, Thogara, Auzakia, Issedon, Paliana, and Throana. (City of Skulls)

Seyan:---a Taian city on the confluence of the rivers Styx and Helu. It is the Stygian seat of government for the rebellious province of Taia, and a militia is stationed there. (Conan the Rebel)

Sfanol:---a village in the Border Kingdom which serviced merchants who journeyed from Aquilonia to Brythunia by a northern route to avoid paying Nemedian taxes. (Conan the Barbarian #46, "Curse of the Conjuror", by Roy Thomas)

Shadizar:---so-called City of Wickedness, walled capital of the kingdom of Zamora. It was known for its spectacular and expensive vices. Shadizar was a crossroads for all the thieves, murderers, pimps, rogues, and renegades of the world. (Thing in the Crypt, Hall of the Dead, Pool of the Black One, Scarlet Citadel, Conan the Magnificent, Endithor's Daughter, et al.)

Shahpur:---a Turanian caravan-city located twelve days ride east of Zamboula on the edge of the Kharamun Desert. One of the caravan routes, called the "Samara Road", enters the city through the "Arch of Good Fortune". There is a ruined temple of the ancient god Ahriman on the western edge of Shahpur. There is a small range of hills lying south of the city and to the west-southwest lies a small mountain range. Originally thought to be a seaport on the Vilayet, a careful examination of the Saga shows this position to be based more on inference, rather than actual evidence. (Road of Eagles, Devil in Iron, Conan and the Manhunters)

Shalizah Pass:---in the Himelian Mountains, lay to the North of the road to Turan via the Gurashah Valley. (People of the Black Circle)

Shamar:---one of the greatest of all Aquilonian cities, Shamar is older than Atlantis. It was walled and moated with water from the Tybor River. It has been besieged three times from Ophir, twice from Nemedia, and once from Aquilonia. It's garrison numbers in the thousands. Its governor is always a Duke. The plain southwest of the city, bordering the Tybor River, was the source of the most exquisite wine in the world. (Scarlet Citadel, Conan and the Death-Lord of Thanza, Conan the Freelance)

Shamballah:---so-called City of Skulls, capital of Meru. It was ruled by a rimpoche or god-king and stood on a large bay facing west. The palace resembled a huge cone made of skulls. (City of Skulls)

Shamla Pass:---led from the Eastern Desert into Khoraja, forming the most important eastern break in the Kothian Escarpment. The statement that it was "the only break for 1000 miles" referred to the continuing barrier of the Kothian Hills along the southern border of Koth. North of Shamla there was another important pass at Khauran. (Black Colossus)

Shamu, Plain of:---a region in Ophir, just south of the Tybor River. It was the site of a battle Conan lost, only to return for a later victory. (Scarlet Citadel)

Shan-e-Sorkh:---or Red Waste, an area of red sands in the Eastern Desert west of Aghrapur. The area around Skauraul's tower has drab, yellow sand dunes. (Black Tears, Conan the Hunter)

Shangara:---the abode of the "People of the Summit". It is located high in the Misty Mountains of Turan. (People of the Summit, Conan and the Manhunters)

Shangara, Straits of:---a mild stretch of water in the southern Vilayet Sea. Ships seldom use it since it lies out of sight of land. (Conan and the Red Brotherhood)

Shanki:---a tribe of camel riding desert raiders living in the Southern desert near Zamboula. They live in a permanent encampment at an oasis that has been in their control for "hundreds of years." They swear by the god, Theba. (Sword of Skelos)

Shanki Oasis:---an oasis in the Southern Desert northwest of Zamboula. It has been under the control of Shanki warriors for "hundreds of years." (Sword of Skelos)

Sharken Hills:---a range of hills in western Dinander province. (Conan the Warlord)

Shartoum:---a town of caravan raiders living many leagues to the south of Sark, on the north shore of a salty, inland sea. (Conan the Outcast)

Shartoum, Sea of:---a small, salty inland sea that lies to the south of the city-state of Sark. (Conan the Outcast)

Shaulun:---a village in Khitai a short distance west of Paikang. (Return of Conan)

Shem:---a southern kingdom bounded on the west by the Western Ocean, on the east by the Eastern Desert, on the south by Stygia, and on the north by Argos, Koth and Khoraja. Western Shem was a fertile meadowland with cities and city-states in the hills. The land became more and more arid as one traveled the caravan routes eastward; but busy trade-centers continued to abound. There was constant warfare between the meadow cities and those of the desert. Anciently the lands of Shem were part of the Old Stygian Empire. Nomadic savages of the eastern borders of Shem-Stygia, called the Sons of Shem slowly attained a higher level of culture through contact with the Stygians. We have presumed a subsequent westward movement of vigorous Shemite peoples, who intermarried with the Stygians of the coastal meadowlands. It may be presumed that the Old Stygian Empire did little with its subject lands north of the Styx other than graze herds and undertake agriculture on a small scale. If Stygia had prospered mightily in the trans-Nilotic area, it would have fought harder to keep it when the invading Kothians came down from the North. The genes of Hybori and Stygians combined with those of west-drifting Shemites to produce a fierce, hybrid people who established the city-states of western Shem after casting off the yoke of Koth. The gods of the Shemites were Ishtar, Ashtoreth, Derketo, Adonis, and Bel. The people were primarily pastoralists, raising cattle in the lush meadows and sheep in the marginal areas. The land was also suited to specialized agriculture--such as the growing of wine-grapes and other fruits--as well as to the growing of grain. There were also reserves of copper and gold. The vigor and intelligence of the Shemites led them to prosper in other commercial areas such as textile production and small manufactures. They also produced an important warrior-clan, the Asshuri, who saw service as mercenaries in many parts of the Hyborian world. They probably arose in response to early Kothian invasions. The Shemites of Conan's time had little truck with the cheapjack coasting galleys of Argos and Zingara. Rather, they were overland traders. However, some Argossean galleys traded mirrors, silk cloaks, gilded helmets and swords for Shemite copper and gold. The Aquilonian Empire that arose after the reign of Conan dominated Shem. Later, when Aquilonia had to withdraw to protect itself against the Picts, Shem began to feel its oats. It conquered neighboring Koth and tried unsuccessfully to invade Stygia. Not long after this, Shem's dreams of glory were destroyed by invading Hyrkanians, who held sway over the land until the advance of the glaciers and the birth of the Mediterranean Sea drowned the once proud nation under fathoms of saltwater. (Hyborian Age I-II, Tower of the Elephant, Queen of the Black Coast, Shadows in the Moonlight, Witch Shall Be Born, Black Colossus, Hour of the Dragon, et al.)

Shem, Sons of:---a group of nomadic, savage clans that dwelt along the eastern fringe of Old Stygia several thousand years after the Cataclysm. They were the principle ancestors of the Shemites. (Hyborian Age I)

The Shifting Land:---a demon-haunted spirit-world. Usually visited during a spirit-trance, the land can be entered through the opening of magical gateways, such as the one at the "Giant's Stones". (Conan the Champion)

Shihar:---a frontier town in northeastern Brythunia, lying at the edge of a great forest. The Kezankian Mountains lie in sight of this stockade-town. It lies a fortnight's walk from Sargossa. (Conan the Savage)

Shima Straits:---a body of water lying between Khitai and the island kingdom of Yamatai. (Savage Sword #190-193, "Skull on the Sea", by Roy Thomas)

Shimak River:---a tributary of the mighty Ilbars River, it begins as a stream in the eastern Ilbars Mountain range. (Conan the Valiant)

Shinu:---a dread "village of the dead" in Uttara Kuru. (Savage Sword #184, "Disciple", by Larry Yakata)

Shirakma:---a wine-producing region of Vendhya. (Return of Conan)

Shirki River:---the main tributary of the Thunder River, arising in the mountains of southern Cimmeria and flowing southwesterly through the middle of Aquilonia. In its upper reaches around Tanasul, it was swift and turbulent, cutting through gorges with very few crossings. A rocky reef at Tanasul provided a route into Gunderland, the region north of the Shirki. There was a more difficult crossing at Galparan. We may presume the river flowed more gently below Tanasul; but there must have been a fairly steep profile along its channel, which would make for rapids and cascades all through the Tauran. On a wide section of the river south of Tanasul, lay the penal island of Os Harku, where the criminal dregs of Aquilonian society are incarcerated. Ferries could doubtless cross the Shirki in its lower reaches, but it would probably not be navigable for any distance. (Hour of the Dragon, When Hell Laughs)

Shondakor:---one of the Seven Sacred Cities of Meru. (City of Skulls)

Shu-Chen:---probably a city-state rivaling Paikang and situated north of it. (Return of Conan)

Shumir:---an ancient city in Shem, birthplace of the god Bel. (Queen of the Black Coast, Hawks Over Shem)

Shushan:--- an ancient city of Shem, called "imperial". (The empire would have to be that of Old Stygia.) Its women dressed in barbaric splendor. (Queen of the Black Coast, Witch Shall Be Born, Devil in Iron)

Shushan River:---a Shemitish watercourse. (Conan the Barbarian #249, "Red Wind", by Roy Thomas)

Shuta:--- a warrior tribe native to the nameless continent that lies across the sea east of Khitai. Their tribal lands lie north across a river from the Malagu lands. (Savage Sword #167, "The Spirit of the Beast", by Gerry Conway)

Sibu's Oasis:---a waterhole in the Dune Sea of eastern Stygia, south of Bel-Phar. (Conan and the Emerald Lotus)

Sicas:---a small, wicked Aquilonian city of ten thousand people that lies off the King's High Road between Tarantia and Shamar, at the confluence of the Ossar and Fury Rivers. Its wealth comes mainly from nearby silver mines. Once, it was widely known as the "City of Silver", before the precious ore began to play out. Sicas is lorded over by a King's Reeve. (Conan the Rogue)

Sighing Lake:---a body of water in eastern Koth that holds the sunken city of Yagala. (Conan the Barbarian #14, "A Sword Called Stormbringer", and #15, "Green Goddess of Melniboné", by Michael Moorcock, James Cawthorn, and Roy Thomas)

Sight of Kherdpur:---an oasis two hard days ride southeast of Arenjun in the desert. Also known as the "Breath of Arenjun", Conan calls it the "Oasis of Death". (Conan and the Sorcerer)

Sigtona:---southernmost keep in Hyperborea, along the Skull Gate trail. (Lair of the Ice Worm, Witch of the Mists)

Sikander, Fort:---a Turanian palisade fort and village lying on the Gulf of Tarqheba in Venjipur, one full day's journey from Venjipur City. (Conan the Hero)

Silk Road:---the caravan road to Khitai. (Conan the Guardian)

Silver Creek:---an area of the Westermarck farmed by settlers from Poitain. (Conan at the Demon's Gate)

Silver, Isles of:---or Southern Isles, lie far to the south, along the Black Coast. Bêlit recruited some of her black corsairs from the populace. The islands are famed for their bird-riders, warriors who do battle astride the "Birds-That-Run", a type of ostrich. (Queen of the Black Coast, Conan the Barbarian #59, "Ballad of Bêlit", by Roy Thomas)

Simura, Gate of:---the entry to Asgalun. (Hawks Over Shem)

Siojina-Kisua:---the ancient name for Nameless Isle

Siptah's Isle:---a small island off the coast of Stygia south of Khemi. The island is uninhabited except for the sorcerer Siptah, who lives in a high, black tower on the eastern coast. (Gem in the Tower)

Sithra, Temple of:---the temple of a serpent-god located far to the south, among the Black Kingdoms. The temple is presumed to be in the vicinity of the snake-man citadel of Yanyoga. (Against the Prince of Hell)

Six Trees:---a Turanian village that lies low in the foothills of the Ilbars range, southwest of Fort Zheman. (Conan the Valiant)

Skaun:---a town of Vanaheim, renowned for it's pit fighting. (Conan the Barbarian)

Skauraul, Stronghold of:---an ancient, ruined, green-stone tower found in the Shan-e-Sorkh desert of southeast Shem. (Conan the Hunter)

Skelos, Isle of:---also called the Isle of Hidden Gold, it is located in the Western Ocean far to the west of the coast of Stygia. The island is the location of the fabled "Well of Skelos", where the lore of the Black Coast claim that demons guard the long-dead mage's bones. (Conan the Barbarian #73, "He Who Waits in the Well of Skelos", by Roy Thomas)

Skranos:---a city in the mountains of northern Argos. (Red Sonja vol.1 #7, "Throne of Blood", by Roy Thomas and Clara Noto)

Skull Gate:---the skull of a mammoth, which marks the main pass into Hyperborea from the Border Kingdom. The skull is set into the side of a hill and bears the inscription:

THE GATE OF HYPERBOREA IS THE GATE OF DEATH

TO THOSE WHO COME HITHER WITHOUT LEAVE

Beyond the pass lies a plain. (Witch of the Mists)

Skull, Mountain of the:---the resting place of the "Soul of Thanza". It has twin peaks. The cave of a water dragon lies beneath it. (Conan and the Death-Lord of Thanza)

Skull of Silence:---a castle in the Zalgaran Hills of ancient Valusia. (Skull of Silence)

Skulls, Place of:---a battle site in Zingara across from Poitain. It is a barren plain "a few leagues south of the Alimane". (Black Sphinx of Nebthu)

Slott's Castle:---the lair of the powerful sorcerer, Sovartus of the Black Square. The huge castle is found on a large, lonely mountain in the middle of Dodligia plain in Corinthia. (Conan the Fearless)

Snake Picts:---a clan of the Pictish Wilderness. A warrior society of this tribe is called the Red Adders. (Conan at the Demon's Gate)

Snakes, River of:---a meandering watercourse in Kush that runs past Meroê and empties into the sea at Zabhela. (Savage Sword #202-206, "Conan in the City of Magicians", by Roy Thomas)

Snow Devil Glacier:---an ice field in the Eiglophian Mountains at a difficult pass between Asgard and the Border Kingdom. It is also called the River of Death Ice, perhaps after a river issuing from the glacier. (Lair of the Ice Worm)

Sodgrum:---a small village of central Brythunia. (Conan the Savage)

Sogaria:---this large, walled city-state, renowned for its fabrics woven from Khitian silk, is the westernmost of the Hyrkanian cities lying on the Silk Road caravan route. The city is covered with many gorgeous flower gardens and flowing fountains. (Conan the Marauder)

Sogdia:---a place to the east of the Vilayet Sea, presumed to occupy the approximate historical position of Sogdiana. (Road of Eagles)

Sons of Yezm:---see Yezmites.

Sorjoon:---a place in the Far North where intelligent, man-eating white-apes dwell, possibly in Hyperborea. They have been known to make forays as far south as Brythunia. (Conan the Barbarian #264, "White Apes and Ebon Thrones", by Roy Thomas)

South Bight:---a feature of the southern Vilayet Sea, where the shoreline curves around a bay. (Conan and the Red Brotherhood)

South Creek:---the border dividing the Westermarck. provinces of Schohira in the north, and Conajohara in the south. Fort Tuscelan lies 10 miles north of its mouth and it flows westward into the Black River. Below it are miles of marshes. (Beyond Black River, Moon of Blood)

Southern Desert:---an arid expanse in southern Kush near Xuthal, on a north-south route from the Kothian uplands, Shem, and outer Stygia. (Slithering Shadow)

Southern Hills:---an isolated range of lush, craggy hills located to the east of the Sea of Shartoum. A radioactive ore is mined from these hills and combined with the hotsprings, causes mutant plants and animals to abound. (Conan the Outcast)

Southern Isles:---see Isles of Silver.

Southern Ocean:---the vast ocean that lies east of the Black Kingdoms, south and east of Iranistan, and south of Vendhya. (Conan and the Shaman's Curse, Shadows in the Skull)

Southern Wastes:---the desert lands bordering Punt and Stygia. (Conan the Indomitable)

Sphinx of King Rahotep:---an ancient sphinx hewn from a single outcropping of sandstone, it is located on the high desert of Stygia. The sphinx has a lion's body, dragon' wings, and the face of the abominable wizard-king, Rahotep. (Conan the Valorous)

Spider Clan:--- a warrior society of the Kwanyi tribe of the Black Kingdoms. (Conan and the Gods of the Mountains)

Spokesjo Lake:---an eerie, blue lake near the summit of Haunted Pass in the Karpash Mountains of Corinthia. The lake is the home of undines, a type of water spirit. (Conan the Fearless)

Stag's Leap:---a village in the foothills of the Rabirian Mountains in Argos. (Conan the Guardian)

Stagus River:---a watercourse marking the eastern frontier of pre-Cataclysmic Grondar. Beyond it was terra incognita. (Riders Beyond the Sunset)

Standing Stone:---a stark black shaft of rock located on the "Field of Chiefs", it is the sacred meeting place of the clans of Cimmeria. Legend claims it to have been a missile in a long-ago war between Crom and Ymir. (Conan the Valorous)

Starkadsgarth:---a fjord in Vanaheim. (Conan the Valorous)

Starkad's Great Hall:---the long-house of the Vanir chief Starkad, located above the fjord called Starkadsgarth, in Vanaheim. (Conan the Valorous)

Steppe of Famine:---a large, waterless area on the Hyrkanian steppe that lies northwest of Sogaria. (Conan the Marauder)

Stone City:---a great ,ruined underground city, presumably made by the same people who built Xuchotl. The bulk of the city lies underneath the Lake of Death, its magic keeping the water from flooding the ruins. The city is lit by green glow-stones, the eye-gems of its Golden Serpent guardians. (Conan and the Gods of the Mountains)

Stone Clan:---one of several warrior clans of the Ekinari nomad tribe. (Conan and the Mists of Doom)

Stone Hill:---an Aquilonian village that lying in the hilly region of the Bossonian Marches. The village sits atop a high, rocky hill. (Conan the Valiant)

The Stone Ship:---the coral-encrusted remnants of a ship that sank when the "Waste" was still a sea. It lies in a remote canyon of the Blood of Attlos Mountains. It is rumored to hold a great treasure, and at least one expedition has disappeared looking for it. (Conan the Outcast)

Stone Tree:---the Atupan name of a ruined tower, deep in the forests of northeastern Brythunia. It is believed to be a remnant of Hyperborea the Elder. (Conan the Savage)

Stork Wadai:---an oasis northwest of Qjara. (Conan the Outcast)

Stygia:---a southern kingdom bounded by the Western Ocean on the west, the River Styx on the north and east, the kingdoms of Kush, Darfar, and Keshan on the South. The terrain of Stygia is not well described in the Saga. There are forests, marshes, and numerous islands along the western coast; but inland the land seems mostly to have been a featureless desert, dotted with tombs and sinister ruins. In the south-central grasslands were the ghost-haunted Swamps of the Purple Lotus. The jungle rainforest began near the frontier with Darfar and Keshan. There were more grasslands and a portion of the Southern Desert at the frontier with Kush. Cultivated lands lay along the great river. The Stygians were a mysterious people, the ruling elite tall, dusky, hawk-nosed, and haughty while the lower classes were a mixture of Negroid, Stygian, Shemite, and Hyborian stock. Stygia was a decadent nation and its total population must have been very small. Certainly arable land was in short supply, apparently being found only along the Styx. (If the presumed wetter climate of the Hyborian Age held true, Stygia should not have been a vast desert. Maybe the Stygians themselves had something to do with the devastation of the landscape.) The economy during Conan's time may have included nomadic herding, fishing, manufacturing of jewelry such as amulets and talismans, and the production of drugs. Stygia had a distinct superfluity of sorcerers. It trafficked as far as Khitai to obtain magical nostrums. Caravan routes criss-crossed the country, bringing goods into the Black Kingdoms and raw materials and slaves out of them. Stygian silk industry and steel-arms productions are mentioned in the Saga. Stygia was a theocracy controlled by the priests of Set, the Serpent-God. The administrative capital and seat of the king was Luxur, lying inland and south of the Styx on an important caravan route. We may presume that when the climate was wetter, the River Bakhr was navigable up to Luxur. In Conan's time it was not. The greatest port and religious center was at Khemi, on the estuary of the Styx. Sukhmet and Kheshatta were apparently caravan cities that serviced traders from the black nations. From the coast, it was possible to take a caravan trail all the way to Sukhmet and presumably beyond. After the Cataclysm, the land of Stygia was invaded by a large body of Lemurian survivors, originally from the Far East. They destroyed a pre-human race of serpent-folk to establish what was probably the first of the post-Cataclysmic kingdoms of the West--Old Stygia. A remnant of the serpent-race survived in the Far South and in a few other places. The serpent-worship characterizing the religion of the nation had its basis in the veneration of the vanished snake-beings. At its greatest extent, the Old Stygian Empire embraced the lands of Shem, western Koth, Ophir, and Corinthia, as well as part of the Eastern Desert. Acheron may have taken over the northern satellites just prior to the Hyborian invasions. Stygians were driven out of Shem by Hyborian-Kothic invaders. During Conan's time the nation represented an undefined menace of ancient sorcery. After the Age of Conan, the dominion of Aquilonia was extended as far as Stygia, whose king sent tribute to Tarantia at least once. When Aquilonia faded Shem had a go at trying to conquer the mysterious land south of the Styx. It failed; but not long afterward, Hyrkanian hordes rampaged through Stygia and into the kingdoms to the south. Thus Stygia faded away amid the chaos that preceded the advance of the glaciers. (Hyborian Age I-II, Tower of the Elephant, Hall of the Dead, Queen of the Black Coast, Witch Shall Be Born, Conan the Buccaneer, Conan and the Treasure of Python, Hour of the Dragon, et al.)

Styx:---also called Nilus or Nile by Howard, the greatest river of the Hyborian world-continent. It is said to spring from sources far in the unknown lands south of Stygia; then it runs north for "a thousand miles" before it turns and flows westward "for hundreds of miles" and ultimately empties into the Western Ocean. If we accept the scale of the original Kyle map that superimposed modern continents upon that of the Hyborian Age, we discover that Howard suffered one of his most notable lapses in perspective when he described this river. (Or perhaps he referred to Hyborian leagues--not miles.) Its north-flowing section is seen to be at least 1500 miles long; after the Big Bend, the Styx flows westward for some 2000 miles before reaching the sea. The river forms the boundary between Shem and Stygia and between Punt and Keshan. The mouth of the river is a huge estuary, several miles wide, with black-walled Khemi guarding the Stygian side. Just east of Khemi, the river breaks into numerous channels, reedy byways, and lagoons. Hills and cliffsides mark the northern bank of the river. The Stygian side is mostly snake-infested marshes. The hippopotamus and cocodrill creep in its swampy shallows. Beyond Black Lotus Swamp, the river dwindles at times to a none-to-broad channel confined by reed and willow banks, shallow enough in places for an army to ford. Locals speculate that the river's deepest currents run through underground caverns, since past this area the river swells back to a broad artery of commerce. Here the Stygian marshes give way to irrigated lands planted in vast tracts of grain, onion, papyrus, and palm. Harakht and other great cities can be seen lying a days trek or more inland. The Styx in this area is dotted with many islands; some with ruined temples, noble estates, and the occasional river-port. It has a ford at Bubastes near the tributary Bakhr River and is crossed by ferries at many other points. Once past Luxor, the Styx becomes broader and less treacherous. The Shemitish side is dry meadowland, while the Stygian side is pale bedrock and drift sand. The south bank is a parched land, with no farm or inhabited cities, only isolated, crumbling ruins. Further upstream, meadows, orchards, and cultivated bottomlands spring once again from the river's mud. At long last, the Shemitish city-states are left behind, as the river narrows and meanders through broad gorges walled by steep precipices and rainbow ribbed hills. The river runs past Erkulum and the rock-fanged mouth of the Helu River. The river is so wide that it's right turn south is barely noticed. It travels south past sheer-walled river oases, caverns cut deep under mountains, and the crimson-faced temple-tombs of Qarnak. It crosses the Ellobolu, a narrow lake rumored to be bottomless. Beyond are more bends and convolutions in a wilder, less inhabited Styx. The few towns, fortified outposts, and ferry-crossings cling between the black river and the barren hills. Past an island fortress, southward canyons open out into a broad, shallow reach of river, whose steep west bank boasts a stone-walled caravan river-town. It is beyond here that he Styx comes thundering down a steep canyon in a series of impassable falls and rapids. To the west of the falls, in the hilly region over the ridge, lies a hot-spring lake, claimed by the Stygians as being the source of the Styx's miraculous waters. In actuality, the lake's outflow feeds a tributary stream of the great river. Above the falls, the Styx traverses a brushy plateau, with dry hills away to the east. Here there are no great cities, only bricked-walled, riverside towns and the occasional ruined stone temples, ruptured tombs of the serpent-race. Upriver from Stygia, the river's aspect changes. Riverbanks grow wild with impenetrable wood and thickets. The Styx's course meanders in broad, looping curves. One hundred leagues south, along the border of Keshan, lies the Grand Gorge of the River Styx. This stretch of the river is totally impassable, full of waterfalls and numerous whirlpools and rapids. Two days travel upstream, the Styx becomes a large, sodden swamp, literally taking a week or better to sail through it. At last, the disease-ridden swamp gives way to open slough, then dense forest. The river becomes a black canal walled by curtains of impenetrable brush and vine, and tropical jungles teeming with birds and monkeys. At long last, the river runs up against a truly staggering obstacle, a waterfall that falls in ribbons over a half a league down a fern-lined cliff-face. On the plateau above the waterfall, the Styx runs swift and clear through a large, animal-filled veldt. In the middle of this open, airy basin, the river splits into nearly equal-sized forks, one running in a westerly direction, the other due south. The west fork has only been explored a hundred leagues or so, ending at a black-inhabited city standing atop a bluff above the river. This unidentified city has sturdy brick walls and high towers. The inhabitants of Punt call the southern fork of the Styx "Waputan". For several hundred leagues, the Styx passes through the sparsely inhabited grasslands and forests, thorny thickets and reed lakes of Punt. The south branch ends at a vast rampart of snow-covered volcanoes called the Mountains of Jukala. But in the end, the ultimate sources of the River Styx were the equatorial rain forests. (Hyborian Age I, Tower of the Elephant, Queen of the Black Coast, Witch Shall Be Born, Lord of the Black River, Hour of the Dragon, Black Sphinx of Nebthu, Red Moon of Zembabwei, Conan the Bold)

Suba:---a tribe of black-skinned people living on the Black Coast. They are fishers, farmers, and jungle hunters. They do an abundant trade with the inland tribes. Some of the blacks aboard Bêlit's Tigress are men of the Suba. (Conan the Rebel, Drums of Tombalku)

Subarak:---a Turanian seaport ruled by a governor. Conan looted this city while with the "Red Brotherhood". (Conan - Scourge of the Bloody Coast)

Suddah Oblates, Temple of:---also called "The Temple That Will Not Fall", it is a massive stone monastery perched atop a thin spire of rock in northern Brythunia. The temple is the size of a small town. There are no women allowed inside the temple, as the Oblates are a celibate order. (Conan the Defiant)

Sukhmet:---a city on the southern border of Stygia, near Darfar. It stands amid level grasslands, on the caravan route from Zabhela. (Red Nails)

Sulimar, Well of:---a devil-haunted oasis lying in the desert south of Hyrkania. One days' ride east lies the Well of Harith. (Savage Sword #37, "Sons of the White Wolf", by Roy Thomas)

Sultanapur:---a port city of Turan, it is known as the "Gilded Bitch of the Vilayet". There is a caravan route running from Sultanapur, through the Kezankian Mountains to the town of Khesron. (Conan and the Spider God, Devil in Iron, Return of Conan, Conan the Invincible, Conan the Unconquered, Conan the Victorious)

Sumeru Tso:---a great inland sea (lake) in the central basin of Meru. Its waters are fresh, though brackish. The Seven Sacred Cities stand on its shores, served by galleys which ply the lake. (City of Skulls)

Sun, Valley of the:---a warm oasis in northern Turan, having a lake, gold mines, and large animals. A city lies within the valley. (Conan the Barbarian #37, "Curse of the Golden Skull", by Roy Thomas)

Sunset Land:---a land lying to the west of Antilla, an elderly Conan claimed to be its conqueror. (Conan the Barbarian #250, "Chaos Beneath Kuthchemes", by Roy Thomas)

Suthad:---a small, walled city in southwest Koth. A city of 200,000 people, it sits atop a high hill, surrounded by thin woods and a sea of rich pasture and cropland. Half a days ride to the south is a greenwood forest. The city is ancient, having been founded by the Stygians before the fall of Acheron. (Ring of Ikribu)

Swamp, The:---the thieves quarter of Khorshemish in Koth. It lies by the river. (Conan and the Amazon)

Swamp of Souls:---a haunted, swampy waste in eastern Brythunia, four days ride west across the Kezankian Mountains from Bougankad. It is the abode of the witch, Osylla. (Star of Doom)

Sword, Cave of the:---a cavern deep in the Graaskal Mountains of Northern Brythunia, where Conan found a mummy holding a sword. (Thing in the Crypt)

Swords, Isle of:---an isle located on a large lake in southwestern Vanaheim. The island was home to a tribe of Vanir, led by a chief named Thorfel the Fair. They lived in a place called the Hall of the Lake Dwellers. (Savage Tales #4, "Night of the Dark God", by Roy Thomas)

Syreb:---a city-state of western Koth. (Conan the Barbarian #191, "Deliverance", by James Owsley)

Sythia:---a city-state of the frigid lands bordering eastern Hyperborea. (Red Sonja vol.3 #8, "Queen of Ice and Blood", by Louise Simonson)

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Disclaimers

• The people and locations described in this gazetteer are the property of Conan Properties, Inc. They are used here without permission. Their use herein should not be considered a challenge to its ownership.
• Finally, I claim the copyright on this gazetteer's compilation. But only on the compilation, not on the people or locations; as I said, I'm not challenging the copyright.

10/23/98