The Beast-Men and the Mountain's Depths

Conan the Barbarian

A descent into the cannibal caverns and drugged pavilions beneath the Mountain of Power, revealing Doom's monstrous support.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The Cauldron of Flesh The Cauldron of Flesh from "Conan the Barbarian". The Cauldron of Flesh After climbing the secret gorge, Conan, Valeria, and Subotai peer into a vast firelit cavern.

The Cauldron of Flesh from "Conan the Barbarian". The Cauldron of Flesh After climbing the secret gorge, Conan, Valeria, and Subotai peer into a vast firelit cavern.

The Cauldron of Flesh After climbing the secret gorge, Conan, Valeria, and Subotai peer into a vast firelit cavern. The Feast Beast-men stir a steaming cauldron, and hanging from meat hooks are human bodies. Pilgrims who trusted Doom become the soup stock of his army. The Horror Witnessed Valeria turns pale, Subotai retches, and Conan's hatred of the cult turns cold and absolute.

The Shadow-Dwellers' Den The Shadow-Dwellers' Den from "Conan the Barbarian". The Shadow-Dwellers' Den The raiders move beyond the cauldron into a section where beast-women and beast-children live.

The Shadow-Dwellers' Den from "Conan the Barbarian". The Shadow-Dwellers' Den The raiders move beyond the cauldron into a section where beast-women and beast-children live.

The Shadow-Dwellers' Den The raiders move beyond the cauldron into a section where beast-women and beast-children live. The Legend of Origin Valeria explains that these are not fallen men but animals almost risen to manhood, the ancient shadow-dwellers who would not face the sun. Doom's Breeding Pits The cult feeds them corpses, turning cannibals into disciplined guards and breeding a private army in the dark.

The Bridge and the Boy The Bridge and the Boy from "Conan the Barbarian". The Bridge and the Boy The raiders cross a narrow pole bridge over a deep fissure.

The Bridge and the Boy from "Conan the Barbarian". The Bridge and the Boy The raiders cross a narrow pole bridge over a deep fissure.

The Bridge and the Boy The raiders cross a narrow pole bridge over a deep fissure. The Beast-Child Sentry An apelike boy, four feet tall and muscled like a bull, charges with a hatchet. Subotai's arrow kills him. The Murder of Innocence Subotai sighs that he was only a boy; Valeria answers that he would have grown up. The cost of entering Doom's fortress is written in such small horrors.

The Chamber of Dreams The Chamber of Dreams from "Conan the Barbarian". The Chamber of Dreams Stealthy steps lead to a gauze-draped garden of drugged sleepers and languid lovers.

The Chamber of Dreams from "Conan the Barbarian". The Chamber of Dreams Stealthy steps lead to a gauze-draped garden of drugged sleepers and languid lovers.

The Chamber of Dreams Stealthy steps lead to a gauze-draped garden of drugged sleepers and languid lovers. The Serpent Master Thulsa Doom sits in an alcove inhaling narcotic vapors, with Yasimina kneeling before him in sensual trance. The Prize Revealed Conan's eye is torn from the princess to the wall behind Doom, where his father's great sword hangs on silver pegs.

The Fire Escape The Fire Escape from "Conan the Barbarian". The Fire Escape Conan seizes his father's blade, and Subotai touches candle flame to the veils of Thulsa Doom's retreat.

The Fire Escape from "Conan the Barbarian". The Fire Escape Conan seizes his father's blade, and Subotai touches candle flame to the veils of Thulsa Doom's retreat.

The Fire Escape Conan seizes his father's blade, and Subotai touches candle flame to the veils of Thulsa Doom's retreat. The Chaos of Smoke Waking cultists shriek and stumble while the pavilion collapses around them. Rexor enters the stairs and is crushed beneath a falling pillar. The Flee of the Rescuers Valeria drags the struggling princess; Conan shoulders the girl and follows Subotai back through the cavern of beast-men to the secret cleft.

during the rescue infiltration of the Mountain

when the raiders cross the great cavern

at the fissure bridge in the cavern

inside the pleasure pavilion

as the pleasure pavilion burns