Chief Servant of Set

“Uuuhhhnnnnn…”  A pained, rasping groan sounded from the debris surrounding the crumbling remains of the Skelos Pyramid.  The only one in the area with Set’s Followers having fled the destruction from the fight.  

Hazy recollection reminded him of what he’d witnessed within the walls while they’d been intact.  How had he been there?  He had personally been witness to his Death.  He had been there when he confirmed it with his own eyes, and burned the body.  

Whatever the reason, he knew Conan would not survive Set himself, a massive discharge from the Black Ring to awaken his Master from his forced slumber.  The revelation of what Mighty Set had truly used Jezmine for, that had been a shock for him, and as they fought…

…now he knew where he was, the pile of wooden fragments and abandoned goods confirming that he’d been sent through the wall!  The stands having broken his fall.  

The deathly silence permeating this place informing Wrath-Amon that it was just himself there.  Either Conan had perished in the destruction, or was not long for this world.  There could be no other option for that Barbarian Ghost?  Demon?  Whatever was the case.  

Set would not be pleased with him, that much was clear to his Chief Servant.  But he certainly wouldn’t tolerate his just laying there for someone to find him.  Time for him to rise up and…wait…?  

“M-my legs?  W-why, can’t I?  M-move my-y l-legs-s?”  In spite of his furious commands, they refused to respond, or return any sensation to speak of.  

It was now that he could open one eye enough to see, his leg bent at an impossibly awkward angle, clearly broken yet no pain.  Covered in scales and barefoot.  No armour, no weapons, just a ragged loincloth.  Any and all effort to move his leg, or the other, or even his tail futile.  

His back was broken.  

Without the Black Ring (which was not on his finger) there was no means for him to repair the damage to his body, and unable to move he couldn’t even begin to search for it.  

A crumbling noise reached him and in the corner of his sight he could make out the outline of a ruined wall failing, toppling over.  Towards him.  

‘Is this?  How I, meet my end?’  The Lizardman chuckled at the pathetic nature of his imminent demise.  All his power, all his achievements in the name of Set, and this is how he would go?  

A moment of clarity, of epiphany came to him in his last moment.  All his life, ever since he had first hatched.  Never, had he performed a task for himself.  Everything he had ever done, his every act, speech, threat.  All he had done for another.  First Ram-Amon, then Set.  That barbarian fool.  At least he had made his own decisions.  Acted on his own for his own purposes.  

Now, at the end, he knew why he hated Conan so much.  He hated his freedom, he hated his companions, he hated the life Conan had that he could not!  

The wall crushed him, extinguishing his Life Force.  

Synopsis:  At the Khemi Pyramid, Wrath-Amon is approached by Skulkar, who having spent some time searching the bottom of the oceans (his being undead making that possible), was only able to find a small Star-Metal Dagger to present him.  Which is exactly what Wrath-Amon was after, as it contained just enough Star-Metal to complete the seventh and final disc needed to free Set from The Abyss.  

At this time, Mesmira approaches Ram-Amon - who had been freed from captivity in a failed attempt to stop Wrath-Amon some time before - and makes clear that he knows as well as she does that once Wrath-Amon has Set’s Full Power at his disposal, neither of them will be safe from him.  And that she has a plan to keep that particular problem from arising.  

The following day, and with the last disc ready, Conan, along with Zula, Snagg, and Greywolf attack a group of Serpent-Men - who in the wasteland make no effort to conceal themselves - supposedly delivering Star-Metal to Wrath-Amon, and make short work of them.  Realising too late that it was a diversion intended to keep Conan and his companions away long enough for Wrath-Amon to complete his plan, and bring Set back to the Earth.  This is when the first element of Mesmira’s plan comes into action as Ram-Amon confronts Dregs, sealing him in a Ruby and taking his place in order to keep an eye on events.  

Wrath-Amon is rewarded for his work once Set returns with the Black Ring charged to levels he’s never experienced before, resulting in a notable increase in his size, and a constant emission of power from him, pledging to make Conan and his companions the first ones he’ll crush beneath his heel.  

At Shushan(?), Conan’s efforts to warn the King of the impending danger bear no fruit until a Disciple of Mitra - who identifies himself as Darius - alerts him that Set and his army are sighted, the War Drums pounding as they approach.  In an effort to buy time for its citizens to escape, the canyon walls that mark the pathway are brought down before Set and his army can clear it.  The fight with the powered-up Wrath-Amon, while knocking him out for a while - and revealing that even with the extra black magic, he is still at least somewhat susceptible to the effects of Star-Metal - they aren’t able to claim the Black Ring, and once Set enters the fray, the Kari Dragon has to intervene to save Conan and his friends from certain death.  The delay he brought by holding back Set - to which Conan deems his debt to him repaid - barely sufficient for everyone in Shushan to evacuate.  

The following episode opens with Conan meeting with his Grandfather as he rides to meet with Epemitrius the Sage to see if he knows a means of defeating Wrath-Amon and Set now that the latter is free.  While this happens, the others are in Tarantia preparing for when Set and his army attack.  A short wait as Set personally leads the assault.  And this time the Start-Metal is of little use, since with the Gateway to The Abyss open, once struck with it they are simply teleported a short distance away and able to enter the fray again, essentially making Set’s army limitless.  Though able to drive away Set’s army, the cost in life is alluded to being very high, the timely arrival of the Wizards of Xanthus making even that pyrrhic victory possible.  

Before Conan leaves for Tarantia, Epimetrius informs Conan that the Star-Metal Disc set on the Khemi Pyramid must be destroyed in order to close the Gateway to The Abyss, which means facing Wrath-Amon.  

Once Conan is able to rejoin his companions, he forwards the information he was given, at which point Darius returns stating that his help will be needed.  This is when he chooses to reveal that there is no Darius, and she is in fact Mesmira.  Stating that she is the Queen of Stygia, and refuses to be Ruled by Wrath-Amon, Set, or any other Reptile, which will most certainly be her fate should Set succeed.  With little choice in the matter, Conan has Mesmira tell them her plan.  

The plan involves Mesmira entering the Khemi Pyramid bearing Tribute, which is enough to allow her entry with her entourage who carry them on her behalf.  As Wrath-Amon demands that Mesmira speak, the Wizards of Xanthus - having recovered from the previous battle - attack Khemi itself to distract the serpent-men station there, as Mesmira dispels the illusions cast over Conan and companions.  

Despite threatening to direct his black magic at the statues of Conan’s parents - who are in the throne room with Wrath-Amon - his grandfather, Conn, makes clear he’ll protect them, allowing Conan to continue his attack on Wrath-Amon, whose next attack knocks him to the floor, the Amulet of Vathelos absorbing the magical energy and restoring him shortly afterwards to allow him to press on with his fight.  

Shortly after, demonic tentacles are summoned through the floor to ensnare Jezmine, Zula, Greywolf, Falkenar, Snagg, Sasha and Misha to remove them from the fight.  Ram-Amon - who had been revealed to having disguised himself as Dregs by now - forced to flee and Mesmira nowhere in sight.  Forcing Conan to face Wrath-Amon alone before Needle is called by Jezmine to take Wrath-Amon’s Black Ring - to which he notes that he shouldn’t listen to Epemitrius again.  

After some effort, Needle is able to prise the Ring from Wrath-Amon, who almost immediately begins reverting without its power.  Forgetting Conan for the moment, he chases after Needle to retrieve his Stolen Ring, this proves to be a mistake when Conan himself keeps Wrath-Amon from catching Needle, so he returns his focus to just trying to kill Conan there and then.  

Unfortunately - for Wrath-Amon - since the Amulet of Vathelos has been restored to its full power, it activates again, accelerating his reversion.  Panicking and begging, Wrath-Amon stumbles and backs away while Conan advances on him, the next strike finishing the process of making him a simple lizard once more.  This time, for good.  

Though aware that Set remains to be defeated, Conan insists on finally freeing his parents, as he swore to do at the beginning of the series, though the Black Ring’s close proximity initially blocks his attempts.  Greywolf uses his own Magic, augmented by all the Star-Metal they have to finally destroy it - an act that catches Set’s attention moments later.  

Now destroyed, Conan is able to free his parent from the Spell of Living Stone, but in the momentary celebration, Mesmira is able to take the ruined remnants of the Black Ring.  

Once Conan’s parents are airlifted to be taken to Tarantia, he and his companions direct their Star-Metal and the Amulet’s power at the Disc keeping The Abyss open, the act of closing it costing Set half his serpent-men.  

Their joy at this success is cut short when Ram-Amon returns and uses a purple lotus-laced potion to render them all unconscious.  Despite the loss of the Black Ring, he considers the Amulet of Vathelos and Greywolf’s Star-Metal Staff enough to ensure he is the most powerful Wizard in all the lands.  Calling Set, he informs him that Wrath-Amon failed him for the last time, but that he has done what he could not.  Offering Set the lives of his enemies and a promise to reopen The Abyss, which will enable Set to resume his conquest of the Earth.  Set being rather more pleased with this development states that once Conan and his friends are dead, Ram-Amon will be rewarded with all he desires.  

As Set approaches, Ram-Amon having tied and bound them all, help comes from a rather unlikely source.  Jezmine’s father, the serpent-man Astevus.  While initially only trying to get Jezmine out of the killing zone, her refusal to leave her friends to die compels him to remain and aid his daughter, Astevus himself unwilling to leave her behind.  

Set arrives before they’re all freed, and they attack Ram-Amon to try and get close enough to Conan to break him from his own chains.  But since Ram-Amon currently wields both the Amulet of Vathelos and Greywolf’s Staff, it isn’t long before they’re all either unconscious or pinned down.  

This is when the Kari Dragon arrives - unable to just sit by and do nothing while Set is loose - and attacks Set directly before he can devour Conan.  This allows Jezmine to free herself and attack Ram-Amon again, first striking Greywolf’s staff from him, then kicking the Amulet away so Needle can give it to Conan, forcing Ram-Amon to flee the area shortly before Set kills the Kari Dragon.  

Set’s next attack floors Conan again, and now it’s Needle who expends all his own power to stall for time, burning himself down to ash.  Now with the Amulet charged almost to the point of bursting, Conan, Jezmine, Zula, Greywolf, Snagg, and Falkenar launch an all-or-nothing attack against Set with their Star-Metal Weapons and the Amulet.  

They’re finally successful with Set being forced back into The Abyss, permanently.  Though before Conan gets the chance to mourn for Needle, he reveals that True Phoenix’s always rise from ashes as he returns to the Land of the Living.  

Most likely at Conan’s rebuilt village, they celebrate that night, toasting to their own success.  During this, Zula wonders what Conan will do next, as Greywolf points out that Ram-Amon hadn’t been seen since the battle, and Mesmira - who is the rightful Queen of Stygia - also remained at large.  

Conan’s response was to Eat and be Merry, as Crom alone knew what the next day would bring.  Bringing the series to a close.  

Review:  Easily the longest Synopsis I’ve done, and for good reason.  With three episodes to cover, there’s a lot to talk about.  

First off, the simple fact that Set is free from The Abyss.  This by itself means that things, just got real.  Since at this point Conan and his companions had been having problems with just defeating Wrath-Amon, now that Set is loose and bestowed Wrath-Amon with his full power via the Black Ring, the stakes have just exploded upwards.  Fitting for a series that - as best as I could tell - knew it was approaching its end.  

Said stakes showing in the first part of this finale as all their work and effort was simply to buy time for an evacuation, and a chance to regroup and determine a means of defeating Set.  

Another clear detail was yet again the need for unusual alliances, twice before Conan had allied with Ram-Amon in an attempt to defeat Wrath-Amon, and both times Ram-Amon sold out on him when it suited him.  This time it was Mesmira offering to help Conan - and having already done so without their knowledge.  Though wary of her, - they know full well that Mesmira has her own motives, and the obvious one that she makes clear is that she refuses to bow before any reptile - with little choice in the matter they join forces to bring about Wrath-Amon’s defeat.  This being what allowed them to get inside the Khemi Pyramid to face Wrath-Amon.  

This time the temporary alliance worked better as Mesmira, while having her own more selfish reasons, was under no illusion that if Set were to win, she would lose.  Thus it was in her own interest to aid Conan and help him win, even if she stayed out of the fight itself and helped herself to the ruined Black Ring when the others were distracted.  Why she took it isn’t explained, but it is true that while she holds it, it can’t be used against her.  

Indeed, while disguised as Darius, there are a few subtle hints that he’s not who he appears to be.  The first being his immediate recognition of Ram-Amon, the other being the look on his face when trying to take the Black Ring the first time in the first episode of the finale.  

Wrath-Amon’s final defeat is another highlight.  Having sworn to do so since the first episode, Conan finally achieves this in the penultimate episode.  

Since being powered up by the Ring, his arrogance and ego had inflated along with his size.  As had his obsession with killing Conan.  But once Needle was able to prise the Black Ring of Set from him, and he began reverting to his Lizardman form, this to me marks the point when the arrogance melted and he began to panic.  Conan was on the ground, but still conscious, yet Wrath-Amon ignored him and started chasing Needle to take back the Ring.  It was only after Conan ‘reminded’ him that he was still there that Wrath-Amon turned his attention back to him.  To me, this indicates that he wasn’t even trying to think about the situation, and was reacting pretty much wholly on instinct.  

Then when Wrath-Amon learned too late that the Amulet of Vathelos had been restored to its full power - having forced him to resume his Lizardman form - he really was panicking.  Screaming and begging for Conan to stop.  And Conan in no mood to show him any mercy as he forcefully makes Wrath-Amon the lowly lizard he was.  

Rather satisfying for many, for all his arrogant claims, threats, sometimes actually enacting said threats, and schemes.  Wrath-Amon really was very insecure, jumping at shadows, and perhaps even paranoid about his own safety.  All of this made more than clear in the final moments of sentience he had.  And yet sometimes, I pity him.  When first created by Ram-Amon, he made sure to fill him to the brim with the Power of Evil, those were the attributes he was given at the start, and he never did appear to be able to become more than he was.  

Speaking of Ram-Amon, once Wrath-Amon was disposed of, choosing then shortly after that battle and before Conan had a real chance to recover from it was a smart move for him, allowing him to collect the spoils without having to put much effort into it.  Displaying his knowledge of tactics and strategy to get into Set’s favour once more.  This knowing when to attack and retreat, is why he was able to escape the final battle without injury, granting him the opportunity to recover, and strike again when he’s ready.  Not bad for a villain.  

Then there’s Set.  He displays just how little care he holds for anyone other than himself.  Once Wrath-Amon was gone, he pretty much forgot all about him and instead offered his rewards to Ram-Amon.  It may even be possible that he sees the serpent-men as less his children, and more his tools to be used.  

Which could be one reason why Astevus chose again to side with his daughter, and his wife in opposing Set.  Actively aiding Jezmine when she was attacked by Ram-Amon, this act being the proof for her to finally reconcile with him, and accept that he is her father.  The only gripe here is Astevus, was precisely, a token character.  

As for the conclusion itself?  It does well to close the main story.  After all, Set is gone for good.  Wrath-Amon is no longer a concern.  The serpent-men for the most part have been routed, and divided - with half of them permanently trapped with Set in The Abyss.  And things are looking up for Conan and his companions.  

That said, they appear to have deliberately left some pieces unresolved.  What happened next to Wrath-Amon was never shown - though trying to bring him back for an “Oh how the Mighty have Fallen” is at best extremely unlikely to work.  Ram-Amon escaped and is still at large.  Mesmira is still Queen of Stygia - and most likely with a more secure rule now.  While Greywolf’s mission to restore his brother and sister to human form remains unfinished.  All of this would suggest that they left these plots dangling for a possible sequel series where they could finish these arcs.  

Synopsis:  Having received information concerning a means of freeing his parents from the Spell of Living Stone (his grandfather having been restored earlier), Conan, along with Zula, Jezmine, and Snagg head into Wrath-Amon’s Garden of Stone to meet the Wizard who claims to know the means.  

It turns out to be a trap set by Wrath-Amon, who claims that the Cure in question is for himself, to rid himself of Conan permanently, statues set in the garden being monstrous snakes he had waiting for the ambush.  

During the fight, as Conan leaps to attack one of the snakes, his effort is halted when he is pulled through time, the first one he sees once Conan gets up again being a much older Greywolf.  Naturally confused as Greywolf hadn’t travelled with them when Wrath-Amon sprung his trap, he tries to attack some serpent-men who are currently patrolling it, Greywolf only able to explain the futility of it after the brief fight.  

As they travel to the Pyramid City of Skelos, Greywolf explains what transpired by his Time, that the ambush Wrath-Amon had set was successful, before Conan was pulled into the future, he had been killed, and of the others, only Greywolf, Snagg, and Zula are known to remain.  With Jezmine missing, Falconer, Stormcloud, Sasha, and Misha dead, and Needle frozen in crystal.  The only means to save the future that remained, was to change the course of history itself, by creating an anti-venom that can save Conan.  The problem being that it requires Set’s own Venom to complete it, so they must go to Skelos to obtain it from Set directly.  

With Snagg providing the distraction so Conan could sneak into Set’s Palace, Set is revealed to be restored to his original golden colour, and while sensing that something is off, dismisses it but not without ‘reminding’ Wrath-Amon that he expects the festival (one held to celebrate the day of Conan’s Death) to proceed without incident.  

Though Zula is able to fire the potion design to put even Set into a deep sleep (the only way Conan can obtain his venom in a survivable manner), Snagg was captured and thrown into the pot that contained the offerings for Set, his last waking moments spent realising that Zula had succeeded in his end of the plan.  

Once asleep, Conan is able to extract the venom and is about to leave when he knocks over a stand holding the crystallised Needle, who actually sheds tears.  He is discovered and attacked, but before Conan can properly retaliate, he stops when he realises who it is.  Jezmine, forced to be a serpent-woman by Wrath-Amon’s magic.  She barely has time to explain what happened before Wrath-Amon finds him, and uses the Black Ring to infuse power into Set, allowing him to wake up.  To buy Conan time to escape, Jezmine transforms herself into a giant snake about Set’s size and attacks him.  During that fight, the palace is destroyed, Wrath-Amon is knocked through the wall and sent falling to the ground, and Jezmine is crushed by the debris.  

Though able to make the anti-venom in time, Set is already within striking distance when they return to the Garden of Stone, and within moments of Conan and Greywolf’s re-entering it’s grounds, Zula is killed when Set attacks the caravan they used.  Greywolf himself barely having enough time to return Conan to his correct point in time before Set prepares to attack (and presumably kill) him.  

Fortunately, their efforts bore fruit as Conan (having already ingested the anti-venom) is able to withstand the venom this time.  And after proving himself to be alive and well to a more-than-surprised Wrath-Amon, hurls the remainder of Set’s venom at both him and his snake monsters, forcing them to limp away in agony.  

And with a renewed appreciation for his friends, Conan’s resolve to halt Wrath-Amon’s plans to return Set from the Abyss is stronger than ever.  

Review:  The thing about episodes such as this - which allow the writers to deviate from the norm - is that they are able to go much further than they otherwise could, safe in the knowledge that nothing they do in it will last longer than the episodes that cover it.  And they really went all-out with it!  

To begin, four of Conan’s companions are already dead - of which Sasha and Misha were vaporised - and four more are shown to be killed during the episode itself, with another two heavily implied.  

Not only that but logically there is only One Reason that Jezmine would be able to turn herself into a snake large enough to be comparable with Set.  With the words “You’ll never Touch me again!”, it’s all but announced that Set used her as a Concubine!  The Serpent God was Sexually Attracted to her!  That is some Serious Crap, that they managed to slip past the Radar!  

Regarding Wrath-Amon, there are two things that stand out.  Even though he was successful in freeing Set from the Abyss, he seems even more fearful than ever of him, and while he doesn’t show it in front of Set’s followers, before Set he is grovelling and begging more than he ever did.  A simple act of enquiring about the festival enough to make him shake in his shoes.  In short, Wrath-Amon wields more power than he ever has, but his life is now utterly dominated by Fear.  And I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s questioned his past decisions on more than one occasion.  

The other may be an animation error, but when he was knocked through the wall, the Black Ring I couldn’t see him wearing.  But it’s also possible that the Ring itself was wrenched from him by the impact, which opens up the possibility that the fall he took might not have been survivable for him, and if he had, he’d be missing his Black Ring, which combined with Set’s Rampage, would make certain that the next couple of minutes would be ones he’d wished he’d never lived through.  

A real heartwrencher was mentioned in the Synopsis, Needle’s tears.  This means, that while frozen in Crystal, Needle, was still very much, aware, of his surroundings…

There were more than a few moments of humour injected into the episode, from Dregs being Dregs, to Conan’s blunt reference to how Set would give him his Venom, and stating the serpent-men wouldn’t mind his attending a festival being held in his ‘honour’.  This works here as given the very dark (for the type of show) elements that this episode contained, it was essential to have these points to keep it from being nothing but a dreary, depressing drag.  

There is however one thing that doesn’t quite add up.  Where the previous episode that dealt with Time Travel (Birth of Wrath-Amon) featured a stable, self-sustaining time-loop.  This one has no such set of actions to keep it stable, and is never addressed in the remainder of the series.  Not a huge thing wrong, but a notable one nonetheless.  

Synopsis:  While taking a break from their travels, Conan, Snagg, and Jezmine are approached by Tarana who alerts them to the fact that her father, Torrinon appears to have gone Mad.  When they travel to Eruk to investigate, they are swiftly captured by the seemingly-mad Torrinon.  Who after chaining them to the wall, has the real Torrinon join them, revealing himself to be Wrath-Amon.  

As Wrath-Amon leaves to begin the preparations for having their Star-Metal Weapons melted down, Torrinon admits that having spent time learning more about the proper application of Magic, he grew rather cocky and sent a prank to Wrath-Amon, to tell him he wasn’t afraid of him.  Inevitably this is what led to Torrinon’s imprisonment in the first place.  

Fortunately for them all, Torrinon is also an accomplished Escape Artist, and is able to free them from their shackles, and comes up with a plan - thanks to a combination of his pick-pocketing skills and a magical artefact (a Glove of Doubling) to make a copy of himself to facilitate said plan.  

The plan works in that Torrinon is able to steal the Ring moments after their ruse is found out, but are still forced to fight Wrath-Amon, who despite being bereft of the Black Ring’s Power (and thus revealed to Conan and his companions to being a Lizardman), and thanks to being hit repeatedly by the Glove of Doubling, there are three of him to contend with once they stop fighting each other.  

During the fight, the workshop takes damage and with the fire for the forge burning, once debris enters it, it blows clear and sets the entire room ablaze.  And despite their best efforts - they are able to recover their weapons and cool them before they could be melted down - Dregs accidentally swallows the Black Ring and is forced to flee from Wrath-Amon (plus copies) while Conan needs to put out the fire that cut them off from him.  

Despite Wrath-Amon’s escape and their not having the Black Ring, they are able to celebrate the fact they kept the Star-Metal from him, as Torrinon holds a dinner for them by way of gratitude and apology.  

Review:  There’s to me, a definite Aesop here concerning picking fights with those you aren’t a match for, as Torrinon was made to learn the Hard Way.  His idiotic prank against Wrath-Amon being the catalyst that set off the sequence of events leading to this Episode.  

Another serious detail to be covered is that episode marks the very first time that there is absolutely no question that Conan is now aware of what Wrath-Amon really is, which means that now Conan has one new weapon to use against him, one that isn’t really used however, but given the requirements needed to force out this truth, it’s an understandable omission.  That said, it wouldn’t be surprising that Wrath-Amon would grow more fearful of Conan than he had been, and given that later he attempts to just kill Conan, it’s a theory that has at least some weight to it.  

There are notable animation issues here.  As well as moments when Wrath-Amon’s limbs bend in ways they shouldn’t and the proportions are way off, there’s also the constant changes to the colour scheme used for his Lizardman form.  Having first used two tones (green and sand-yellow) for the body and a darker green for his face, they switched to a single green throughout, and now the last one which used the first scheme save for a light green-white on the face with purple highlights around the eyes - and is the one they keep for the remainder of the show.  While they did settle on one colour design, it does feel like there had been a lack of oversight during the animation process as evidenced by the changes such as the aforementioned.  

Back to the plus side.  The producers did show a willingness to return to past points and stories, the events/encounters of ‘The Terrible Torrinon’ being referenced briefly, and bringing back characters first introduced in that episode - namely Torrinon and Tamara.  Details like that, showing that they could build on past episodes, not dropping them once done, this is what allows the show to hold up.  Especially as this was neither the first nor last such occurrence.  

Synopsis:  Having been tipped off about the construction of a Pyramid, to be overseen by Wrath-Amon, Conan, Jezmine, and Greywolf race to halt its construction and demolish it.  En-Route, Conan is separated from his companions to aid a young maiden in returning to her encampment.  This turns out to be a trap set by Mesmira with the goal of enslaving Conan, by making herself utterly irresistible to him - and using him to steal Greywolf’s Star-Metal Staff, Jezmine’s Star-Metal Shuriken, and later Wrath-Amon’s Black Ring.  

The plan at first proceeds smoothly as Mesmira claims the Star-Metal Weapons from Conan, and proceeds with her plan to seize the Black Ring from Wrath-Amon.  It’s when she makes her move to steal it that problems begin to arise.  Namely Jezmine and Greywolf - having recovered from Conan’s attacking them - learn from the caged Needle what Mesmira has done to Conan, and act to halt her plans.  

Things come to a head as while under Mesmira’s Charms, Conan successfully stole the exhausted Black Ring from Wrath-Amon, but the spell he was under was broken before he could take it to Mesmira.  The resultant pause caused by Conan returning to his senses allowed Wrath-Amon to take it back.  Though with the Ring so low on power, Wrath-Amon is forced to retreat, while Mesmira is barely able to escape herself, having lost both Greywolf’s Staff and Jezmine’s Shuriken.  

Review:  This is an episode that opens up a few cans.  Having openly acted against Wrath-Amon, Mesmira is now firmly set against him, and as such now has enemies on two fronts to contend with.  

It also expands further on her initial appearance, in that she openly shows her infatuation with Conan, appreciating his looks and strength - if not his manners.  On top of this, this episode displays her ability to show cunning and forward planning, as she had clearly invested a good bit of time and effort into her scheme, hence the initial payoff.  Furthermore, the trader who tipped off Conan did so under Mesmira’s instruction, and he was shown to be under no-one’s control but his own, in other words, he followed Mesmira’s orders of his own volition.  Something that will be shown again in later episodes.  

That said there are some problems with this particular episode.  As said earlier, this was the first of two consecutive episodes to prominently feature Mesmira, and both episodes follow the same basic direction.  This does reduce the impact somewhat as the next one you’ll be able to work out early on, this episode still being extremely fresh in your mind.  It would have been better to have a few episodes of space between them IMHO.  

The other issue that arises is one of consistency.  Since Wrath-Amon’s human-like form is later shown to be completely reliant on a constant flow of Power from the Black Ring, the fact that all that occurred with his losing it was a change in his voice, this does raise the question of why.  Being an earlier episode, it is possible that this feature hadn’t been finalised at the time of production, but it still would have helped to have settled on it and then include it here for regularity’s sake.  Though I’ll concede that doing so would have made for some substantial alterations to the story down the line.  

Synopsis:  After learning of the Spellbinder: Conan; Zula; and Falkenar travel to his mountainside home where he lives alone to see if he knows of a way to reverse the Spell of Living Stone cast upon Conan’s family.  While he does not know the means or wish to divulge it, he does offer Conan the option of travelling through time to before the Spell was cast and preventing it from ever happening.  

Once sent back in time, Conan is quick to realise that he’s been sent too far back, as Wrath-Amon is nowhere to be found and there’s a man named Ram-Amon who wields the Black Ring, which is what Conan is interested in.  

His first attempt to seize the Ring fails, and Ram-Amon blames Dregs (who is alive even at this point in time, and just as incompetent and useless as he is under Wrath-Amon) and in an effort to prove that anyone and anything would make a more competent underling than Dregs could ever amount to, uses the Black Ring’s power, sparing no attribute when reforming an ordinary Gila Monster Lizard (that was used as a Sniffer to find slaves attempting escape amongst other things) into a Lizardman.  

Later it’s revealed that the Spellbinder never intended to bring Conan back, and after stealing what he suspects (and later confirms to be) the Amulet of Vathelos, and attempting to kill Zula and Falkenar, is forced under threat of being returned to Civilisation (something he despises, and is extremely fearful of) agrees to return Conan to his correct point in time.  

Unfortunately for Conan, he’s pulled back just before he can steal the Black Ring of Set, which rolls to a stop by (literally) the Lizardman’s feet, to which he responds by taking it as his own, imprisoning Ram-Amon, becoming the new Chief Servant of Set, becoming Wrath-Amon.  The one who cursed Conan’s family.  

Review:  Ouch!  >_<  Conan really made (with the benefit of hindsight) a serious error here!  His effort to free his family from the Spell of Living Stone sending him through time, where his actions aided Wrath-Amon in becoming Chief Servant of Set, and in turn casting said spell to Close the Stable Time Loop.  

Ram-Amon really made a blunder when creating the Lizardman to prove that anything could make a better underling than Dregs.  The Strength of 100 Men.  Cleverness.  Cunning.  In sparing no attribute, he made him more powerful physically than himself.  Furthermore, you see the look on Wrath-Amon’s face when he sees the Black Ring being recharged, and how he replies to Ram-Amon when he gives his warning to never “defy the Master of the Black Ring”.  Wrath-Amon wasn’t stating that he understood (though that is also true), he was indicating even then, his intention to claim it as his own.  His crushing the skull with his foot within the dungeons (while searching for Conan and Needle) and declaring that that would be Ram-Amon cementing this fact.  

And when you stop to think about it, Wrath-Amon had incredible good fortune to claim the Black Ring when he did, perhaps not even an hour after becoming a Lizardman thanks to his Predecessor.  It is thanks to Conan’s interference, some quick thinking, and blatant opportunism that he won that particular round.  

The obvious result here is that the number who’d be aware of what Wrath-Amon truly is, how he came to be most likely peaks at no more than 4.  Himself, Ram-Amon, Dregs, and Set.  None outside the Pyramid, and very few inside know of this, combined with his changing his form to appear almost human, I suspect leaves him very insecure, and utterly dependant on Set recharging the Black Ring in order to maintain said form (as mentioned in an earlier post) which may also explain why Set would be so willing to permit it, as doing so would keep Wrath-Amon loyal to him.  

While it is true that this makes Wrath-Amon appear to be shallow, rather self-conscious, and more than a little fearful.  To make this his Origin and tie in properly with what had already happened demanded this be the case.  Especially if that development came (as I suspect) after the series had already started and was some way through, making this design one of the few that could work properly.  

This does make me wonder though, why he felt it necessary to hide that form from the others.  After all while Ram-Amon was human and the Cult of Set was comprised mainly of Serpent-Men, they did follow his instructions without question.  The most likely explanation for this is that Ram-Amon had the time and patience to establish his hold as Chief Servant, to use his leadership skills and sheer power through both the Black Ring and his own to secure it.  Things that Wrath-Amon apparently lacked, and still does, indicating impatience and (in his earlier days) not thinking his moves through.  

All of this leads to the conclusion that by far Wrath-Amon’s greatest downfall was his early, and rapid, rise to power.  A rapid rise that left him without the time needed to become more known within the Cult of Set, to grow comfortable with himself, and to learn the key leadership, strategising, and diplomacy skills to be an effective leader when he attained his title.  That in retrospect, having 10-12 years from his becoming a Lizardman before stealing the Ring would have worked far better for him in the long run.  Although, in the final analysis, not being able to claim the Ring at all would have given him the best outcome in the end.  

Synopsis:  Wrath-Amon’s scheme to collect all the Star-Metal he can from Conan’s Village (suspecting that there is still some to be claimed) involves his Serpent-Men masquerading as villagers not only from Conan’s Village, but Snagg’s as well.  Their goal being to launch raids and attacks on the other in order to instigate a war between them.  Once they wear each other out, Windfang and his Dragonspawn minions move in to seize the weapons crafted from them to be taken to Wrath-Amon to create the Discs he needs to free Set from the Abyss.  

Review:  What a way to start the Second Season!  Perhaps the biggest detail that can be covered here is that this marks the point where you have no choice but to take Wrath-Amon seriously, having demonstrated beyond doubt his ability to Win, and quite handily at that.  In an era dominated by largely ineffectual villains whose competence could vary wildly from episode to episode, it’s rather refreshing to see one who maintained the same basic level of competency and skill throughout.  

In the case of Wrath-Amon.  He’s been shown to be able to make good plans and think things through, but when they start to go awry (usually thanks to Conan) that’s when he becomes wilder, less controlled.  In this instance, events proceeded largely as he intended, save for the fact that the Cimmerians and Vanir saw through his deception and banded together - albeit too late to stop him from achieving his main goal.  

Dawn had yet to break over the Stygian Priestly Capitol, Khemi, and its Pyramid remained dark and silent, save for the moonlight-guided patrols along its walls and perimeter.  Inside, more guards kept vigil over the passageways and chambers though in its interior they could forgo their guises, dull olive-green scaled, snake-headed, the Serpent-Men who swore their loyalty to Set, the Serpent God.  

Security was tight with even the food shipments held up for up to hours as they were searched, in case of attempts to smuggle in unwanted items, poisons within the produce, or people hidden inside.  To be expected as along with the other Great Pyramids spread across Hyboria, this one was vital to their goal of releasing their God from The Abyss, its Black Disc of Corrupted Star-Metal at its top waiting for the others to be ready.  

But here, even more so thanks to the one who resided within.  

Wrath-Amon.  High Priest and Chief Servant of Set.  Leader of the Serpent-Men.  Tasked by Set to release him from his Millennia of Imprisonment.  Awake, as of a few minutes ago.  

The last part was not unusual for him, being a light sleeper by nature and able to manage on little more than four hours a day if needs be.  

It wouldn’t be the size of the room that would give anyone entering pause - that said it was admittedly extremely spacious - or the sparse furnishings for its size, the immense four-poster bed centred along one wall, a row of tables and desks opposite and a few stands for his armour and equipment to their right.  Or even the relatively humble look of them with their earthy greens and browns.  

The clawed feet that struck the stone floor however would, for they belonged to the occupant of this room.  

Not a Serpent-Man, as his scales were of two colours, an emerald-green that almost shimmered in the right light, and a sandy-yellow for the front.  Nor did Serpent-Men have long tails, or any tail at all.  An Elevated Lizardman was what Wrath-Amon was.  

“Again?”  He hissed between gulps of drink to quench his thirst, the goblet slammed to the bedside table once drained.  “That’s how many times now?”  

These nightmares were not unusual for him, but in the past few months they’d been more frequent.  Ever since first his forced Moulting that his life had depended on, then the disaster in Eruk where Conan saw him, what he truly was, where he’d barely made it out, forced to leave the Star-metal behind.  Forced to extract the Black Ring that Dregs had so foolishly swallowed while the chariot returned them to Stygia.  

Usually he would face the same nightmare, something happened that saw him exposed, humiliated, in front of either the Followers of Set, or the general populace, sometimes both.  This time he’d been in a Star-Metal cage, paraded throughout the Barbarian Lands, the gloating face of that Barbarian Fool, the jeers of too many faces to count.  His armies, his followers abandoning him to that fate.  

“No!”  He struck the wall, pushing the images from his mind.  

Forcing himself to stop shaking, Wrath-Amon made his way to one of the desks, littered with reports and updates that he’d put off for the sake of a few hours troubled sleep.  They were all mostly the same, progress reports, income and expenditure, the vast bulk of which he delegated to better focus his efforts on the Key Goal.  The one he did take notice of, was the one that stated that the fifth of the great Pyramids needed to release Set was complete and ready to take the Star-Metal Disc.  

This would be some welcome Good News to deliver to Set when he went to recharge the Black Ring - and it was quite low on Power now - with His release from the Other Dimension one step closer.  The remaining pair would be some weeks at least from completion but they would be complete, and enough Star-Metal for half the final disc.  As for Conan…

“My Lord!  I have urgent news…for…you…”  Wrath-Amon was wrenched from his thoughts by the arrival of the Draconic Windfang, who now stood by the open door, gawking at the one who’d risen from the seat, and turned to face him.  

The doors!  Both of them!  They were supposed to be locked, with additional bars across to keep the others out!  How had he forgotten to lock them!?  

And he couldn’t even blame Dregs for this one.  

“Close the door.”  Wrath-Amon realised he’d been staring at Windfang while he’d been scratching nervously at one of his lower arms, and if he was to salvage this possible catastrophe, he had to make sure Windfang knew just who was in charge.  Once his order was complied with, he moved to the point of the intrusion.  “Well?  What is it?”  

“Well…”  Windfang faltered, now under no illusion as to who he was speaking with.  “Conan…and some of his companions.  They were sighted not far from the Stone Gardens.  They…should be there…sometime mid-morning.”  

About the middle of the morning?  That left Wrath-Amon with little time to complete the trap he had waiting for him.  In fact, he’d have to leave soon if he was to be there to finally rid himself of that accursed Barbarian for good.  

“Have my Chariot prepared.  I will leave for the Stone Garden as soon as I am able.  You, will come with me.”  Wrath-Amon instructed his underling, who was about to leave when he paused.  

“Wrath-Amon?  If I may ask?  What…are you?”  

“Not now.  There must be no delay if Conan is to be rid of.  See to the Chariot as I ordered.”  When Windfang did not appear to be satisfied he added.  “Another time, perhaps, if, I feel like it.  And remember this.  What you saw here, stays in this room.”  He added, the threat in his tone clear.  

“Of course, my Master.”  Windfang realised he couldn’t press his luck further, leaving the Lizardman alone with his thoughts.  

Not for the first time, Wrath-Amon wondered if he’d made the correct choice more than two centuries past, in Spiting Ram-Amon with his new form thanks to the Power of Set, from the Black Ring that he kept on his finger at all times.  Perhaps, had be instead allowed himself to be seen as he was, is, and not need to expend so much of the Black Ring’s reserves on simply maintaining what he’d come to see as his own face.  Then he would remember Windfang, Skulkar.  Two inhuman minions under his command who’s only real followers were the reanimated skeletons in the latter, and the Dragonspawn created by him for the former.  The Serpent-Men and Human followers operating under his (and Set’s) instruction only.  

As he always intended.  

In any case, after so long, it was too late for him to change that tactic.  The fallout from it?  He didn’t even want to think about it.  Even if it meant he could at least have some armour and clothing made to fit in this…form.  

Actually, given the recent close calls, that was an idea he’d been harbouring for some time, if nothing else it would trim some of the Power needed to maintain his illusion.  

Synopsis:   While travelling to Kusan to repurchase the Star-Metal Tools and Weapons previously sold in the Merchant’s Gathering, Conan, Greywolf, and Jezmine are attacked by Windfang who kidnaps Jezmine and takes her to his Eyrie.  While imprisoned, Jezmine learns of Windfang’s past, how he came to be the way he is, why he became infatuated with her.  

Once known as the Kothian General Venturas, when King Barras of Koth ordered an invasion of Stygia, Venturas was captured, and used in Wrath-Amon’s experiments, resulting in his becoming Windfang.  An act that cost him all he had, including the Love of his Life, the Lady Mirim whom Jezmine shares a resemblance to.  

As this happens, Conan meets with his newest travelling companion, Falkenar, a Champion of Kusan who aids him in his efforts to rescue Jezmine.  Between them and Jezmine, they are able to keep Windfang and Wrath-Amon sidetracked long enough to allow Jezmine to escape his Eyrie.  

Review:   And this episode marks one of the strong upshots to the Series, its willingness to devote time, attention, and development to not only the heroic characters but the villainous ones as well, with this being the first of two episodes dedicated to Windfang.  

One particular detail that stands out here is that Windfang - with good reason - despises Wrath-Amon, and has never truly wanted to serve him.  He only does so due to a lack of better options and Wrath-Amon’s (undoubtedly false) promise that he would one day release him from his curse.  

This serves to highlight just how malicious a ‘man’ Wrath-Amon is as in doing so, he not only forced Windfang to live decade after decade in servitude to him, but ensured that he ended up outliving the First Love of his Life.  

Which leads the probability that Windfang’s infatuation with Jezmine is in part a consequence of his efforts to fill the void in his own heart, using her physical similarity as a substitute for Mirim herself.  Not a healthy mindset but given what he’s been subject to, an understandable one.  In addition, it suggests that the joy he takes in his own cruel acts when operating under Wrath-Amon’s orders is itself a coping mechanism for him, he does so out of a need to derive some kind of pleasure simply in order to feel something other than pain and grief.  That too being a very unhealthy way to deal with his plight.  

In short, in just this episode you get a good insight into not only Windfang’s past, but it also serves to illustrative the Despotic Nature of Wrath-Amon.  His reliance on fear and threats to hold his ‘subjects’ in line, and unable to secure any real loyalty from them.  

If there’s a downside, it comes from the other new character, Falkaner.  Unfortunately, despite being a regular feature in the main cast, his character is rather flat, and never really develops past loyal friend/champion who hates Wrath-Amon and Windfang.  

Synopsis:   By this point Conan already has a few companions, namely Zula and Jezmine, though only Jezmine is with him at this time.  This is also the episode that introduces Snagg, a Vanir Fisherman whose tribe lives relatively close to Conan’s Village.  

The focal point of this episode is the temporary raising of the island nation of Atlantis, a place that did exist in the world that Conan inhabited in its past before the oceans drank it.  Which in turn made possible the recovery of a mystical red jewel known as the Heart of Rakkir, which permitted control of an ancient Sea Serpent known as Rakkir.  It is that property that makes it of value to Wrath-Amon who along with Windfang and Skulkar travels to Atlantis to retrieve it himself.  

And while successful in claiming the Heart of Rakkir after Conan was able to recover it, his success is short-lived when it’s knocked out of his hands, allowing Conan and Snagg to destroy it, only for now-freed Rakkir to strike the foundations of the island itself to sink it again.  A temporary spell to age Needle prematurely is what makes Conan ,Snagg, and Jezmine escaping the sinking island possible.  

Review:   Zula is completely absent from this episode but this is actually a good thing as with the introduction of three new characters, retaining him here would have squeezed out room to begin the process of fleshing out the new ones - especially considering one of them is utterly lacking in Flesh!  

This also reinforces the fact that the characters have lives outside of their time with Conan and his Quest against Wrath-Amon.  In Zula’s case, his being the Prince of the Wasai Tribe and first in line to its throne which requires him to be in his home village to perform his duties as such.  

Already you see the vitriolic nature between Conan and Snagg, and while at times good-natured, - almost as if the exchange of insults is what marks the strength of their friendship - as will be shown later, can prove to be a serious source of friction and strife.  That said, Snagg’s introduction is handled well enough, and while initially cold towards Conan, he is more polite and warm when speaking to Jezmine.  

You also get a good look at what Needle could be once he matures, and while it’s only for a short while - after all, at that size he would be a lot more conspicuous - it is nice to see what could well be his future.  

For the other introduced characters, Windfang and Skulkar, their entry into the series isn’t so good, neither have a lot of lines to say, and their actions are those of generic-albeit-competent henchmen.  Though they do get later episodes dedicated to them that add some proper depth, their seemingly lacklustre introduction does detract from them for the time being.  

They are at least interesting from a perspective of design, Skulkar’s voice having a haunting reverberation to it (although this is dropped later) and Windfang’s multi-limbed form.  Very illustrative of the type of minions Wrath-Amon has under his command.  

But by far the top score for this episode has to be the reference to Atlantis and how the Cimmerians are descended from them.  Not because of what they covered in this episode, but by actually going back to this detail, and expanding on it, as opposed to dropping it once they were done.  Something that the series overall has in its favour.  

Synopsis:  Conan is being recited a tale from his Grandfather Conn (most likely from his own times of adventure) when a meteorite shower (falling stars) forces them to flee the immediate area and seek shelter.  Found to be made of metal (Star-Metal), Conan’s father is impressed by its make and makes a variety of tools and weapons from it.  Only one sword is made from it for Conan, and only when he is able to lift the stone slab and retrieve it himself.  

This meteor shower is also seen by Wrath-Amon who is less concerned about it until Set summons him, informing Wrath-Amon that he must collect all of it in order to make Star-Metal Discs to be placed atop seven great pyramids to permit his release from The Abyss (a Dimension that effectively served as his prison) to resume his conquest of Earth.  

Jump to over a year later and Wrath-Amon arrives at Conan’s village to claim all the Star-Metal they possess.  When refused it he makes Conan’s parents and grandfather Living Stone to serve as a permanent reminder that he is not one to be Slighted.  

Thus did the conflict between Conan and Wrath-Amon begin.  One that would take a long time before it reached its conclusion.  

Review:  Only the first Episode and already the bulk of what will occur has been decided.  

The good about this is that they don’t waste time getting you into it, in just 23 minutes you know what is happening and what will form the primary focus of the remaining 64 episodes.  

The lack of killing is forgivable as it was designed for a younger audience, and when you think about it.  Being Cursed with Living Stone suggests that you’d still be aware of your surroundings, still able to see and hear what is happening, but being unable to do anything to interact with it.  Looking at it that way, simply killing his parents and grandfather could be perceived as more merciful.  A good way of sidestepping the No-Kill Rule and still making Wrath-Amon a legitimate threat.  

It isn’t known until later, but for the more generic Serpent-Men, the no-kill is also worked in such a way that they become a serious problem much later.  

Epimetreus the Sage is again, a strong point, mainly due to how little of him there is.  He makes only a handful of appearances and when he does, it’s usually at the most critical points in the story.  So when he has something to tell Conan, it’s something that has to be listened to.  

With regards to Conan himself, we see clearly that while not the most-versed in the ways of civilisation, he possesses a strong sense of honour and morals that he won’t deviate from.  If he sees Wrong, he’ll act to stop it.  If he sees on in trouble, he’ll jump in to help them.  And when he sets himself a task, he won’t stop until it’s done.  

The not-as-good number a few.  The animation (as will be the case throughout) is definitely showing its age these days, with inconsistencies in size and proportion, and the movements aren’t always the most fluid, but it’s still better than some from its time.  

The Voice Acting is also prone to being rather vocal and hammy (again this happens a lot) and there’s one instance where Wrath-Amon’s voice becomes hissing and raspy without any Star-Metal or loss of the Black Ring to facilitate such a change in tone.  

And easily the weakest point are the Comic Relief Characters, I speak both of Dregs and Needle.  The former is unbelievably incompetent, more of a hindrance than a help to Wrath-Amon.  The latter lacks an Indoor Voice and is extremely prone to speaking in Third Person.  More often than not, they’re simply an annoyance.  

In Xanthus, while there are a great many Magics to be learned, each individual is restricted to a select few areas they may choose to pursue, a means of preventing any one individual from collecting too much power into their hands.  Where he learned the ways of the Element of Wind and its uses alongside his older brother (Misha) and sister (Sasha) who learned Water & Fire Magic respectively.  

His main driving goal is for the same reason he despises Mesmira.  As it was she who used the Lycanthrus Thorns to turn his brother and sister into wolves, and place them under her control.  To which his efforts to restore them to their original forms were lacking in success.  The first attempt only sufficient to restore their minds, a later effort proving to be temporary, and the final attempt (in the series) only granting them human form during the Night of the Full Moon, and then only once it shone on them.  

His efforts never stopped, so it’s obvious that Greywolf was committed to his personal goal, and unwilling to allow multiple setbacks to defeat him.  

Conan first meeting with Greywolf was not the most welcoming as Greywolf’s tests - which were designed to assess one’s inner self - ended up threatening the lives of Zula and Jezmine.  Realising what his actions could result in, he wasted no time aiding Conan in rescuing them before they could fall off the cliff-edge.  This would suggest that while he (and perhaps others in Xanthus) can become dangerously Set in their Ways, he is quick to realise he’s in the Wrong and take action to rectify his errors.  

When it comes to his companions, Greywolf has proven himself to be an asset.  His knowledge of Magical Artefacts/Spells/Lore of help when facing Wrath-Amon, Ram-Amon, and Mesmira.  But perhaps best demonstrated when he aided Conan in translating the Scrolls of Skelos which allowed him to restore his own Family from the Curse of Living Stone.  

On top of this, he is oft-the Voice of Reason, advising the others and maintaining his calm to keep the others on track.  But this is balanced out by his frustrations when they go against his council.  Case in point, despite his protestations against seeking aid from Ram-Amon, Conan knew that he’d need his help to recharge the Amulet of Vathelos, and he left rather than be a part of it.  But again his ability to realise his mistake showed through when he admitted he’d allowed his Pride to overrule his Judgement and returned in time to keep Ram-Amon from turning on the others.  

It is also possible that even Wrath-Amon (at the very least) respects Greywolf, as once when Greywolf arrived his response was “Hmm, Wizards.”, and when making the last possible Spells of Living Stone, while he made it for Conan, Jezmine, Zula, Snagg and, Falconer, he never mentioned Greywolf, seemingly leaving him out.