DARIUS

Real Name: Darius ???

Identity/Class: Human, Brythunian (Hyborian Era)

Occupation: Tyrant; formerly archeological assistant

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Uval Q'baal (formerly)

Enemies: Conan the Cimmerian, Turanians

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Turan

First Appearance: Savage Sword of Conan I#87 (April, 1983)

Powers/Abilities: No physical powers beyond the strength and skill of the average man. He knew how to read some ancient languages or symbols, such as those of ancient Kuthchemes.
Wearing the enchanted objects of Zuulda Thaal he acquired enhanced strength, greater than Conan's, a near-complete invulnerability to all physical attacks, hits and falls, and with the bow he could slay fifties of enemies at a time.

History: (Savage Sword of Conan I#87) - Darius followed his master, Uval Q'baal, in his researches. Uval Q'baal translated the instructions left 3000 years before by Zuulda Thaal about some enchanted objects, which would enable a man to beat an entire army. Darius and Uval Q'baal found Zuulda Thaal's tomb under the sand of the desert of Kharamun. There, on a wall, they found some hieroglyphs that let Uval Q'baal understand better where the objects were sent.

(Savage Sword of Conan I#87 (fb) - BTS) - Darius, wanting those weapons for himself, killed his master. But shortly after he was attacked by some bat-raiders, who rode some giant-bats, and had to flee from the Zuulda Thaal's Tomb.

(Savage Sword of Conan I#87) - He was followed by the bat-riders and was saved from Conan and some Zuagirs. He convinced them to help him in his research of the enchanted objects, adorned of precious gems.
    They reached the Kezankian mountains, where Conan defeated a big Snow-Ape in its icy cavern, to take the Zuulda Thaal's armor.
    They traveled to an active volcano in Koth. Darius suggested to Conan to wear the armor to be defended from the venomous vapors and the intense heat in the volcano. Conan fought a Fire Demon, suffering through the heat, but retrieved the enchanted gauntlets. That night Darius secretly wore the gauntlets to test their strength.
    Finally they reached the Vilayet Sea. There Conan killed a monstrous serpent-fish to retrieve the enchanted bow.
    That night Darius wore again the armor and the gauntlets, suddenly the group was attacked by a company of Turanians, and Darius easily overwhelmed them. Then he revealed his purposes of domination. He beat Conan nearly to death and took the leadership of the Zuagirs.

    In a few weeks Darius put routed the Turanian army, and even his emperor Yedzigerd had to flee. Darius became the new leader of Aghrapur. For his safety, Darius always wore the enchanted armor.

    But, after some months, in Aghrapur, Conan the Cimmerian arrived at Darius' court. Suddenly the barbarian cut the enchanted bow in two pieces then attacked Darius but without result. Darius pursued Conan, who hit and fled, always parrying Darius' counterattacks. Finally, on the roof of the Royal Palace, Darius threw himself on Conan, who dodged and let Darius fall in the big chimney of a smith's furnace. The Zuulda Thaal's armor didn't protect him, Darius died, the armor and the gauntlets were destroyed.

Comments: Created by Michael Fleisher, John Buscema and Ernie Chan.

Maybe the gauntlets were not really destroyed, because they lied for 3000 years in a volcano; what could do a furnace to them?

Profile by Spidermay

Clarifications:

Darius has no known connections to any other character with a similar name.

Uval Q'baal has no known connections to

• Ba'al, Ba'al Hadad, Mesopotamian God/Demon, ruler of Gehenna in millennia past, @ Wolverine II#12
• Ba'al, alias of Varnae, @ Marvel Comics Presents#63/4
• Baal, Mr. Gabriel, agent of Mysterio/Nicholas Macabes, @ Daredevil II#3
• Baal of Earth-Baal, universal computer, sent Mr. Kline/Assassin to alter past, @ Iron Man I#41
• Baal of the Crimson Sands @ 3000bc, leader of Sandstormers, rescued and raised Apocalypse, @ Rise of Apocalypse#1
• Baal-Pteor of the Hyborian Era, trained by Priests of Yajur as Strangler of Yota-Pong, @ Shadows in Zamboula; Savage Sword of Conan#14
•  any other character with a similar name.

Uval Q'baal

    Uval Q'baal was a normal human, from Belverus in Nemedia. He was a researcher, and archeologist.

    He learned of Zuulda Thaal's story when he was young and studied documents and parchments for years. Then he found the tomb of Zuulda Thaal.

    Uval Q'baal was helped by his assistant Darius, in his research. Uval Q'baal translated the instructions left 3000 years before by Zuulda Thaal about the enchanted objects left to him by his God, objects capable of letting a man beat an entire army. In an unexplored zone of the desert of Kharamun, they found the Tomb and opened it. There, on a wall, they found some hieroglyphics that let Uval Q'baal understand better where the objects were sent. But Darius, wanted those weapons for himself, to conquer an empire and rule it, so killed his master.

--Savage Sword of Conan I#87

Images:
Savage Sword of Conan I#87, p32, pan4 (Darius, full body)
Savage Sword of Conan I#87, p31, pan3 (Darius, head shot)
Savage Sword of Conan I#87, p1, pan4 (Uval Q'baal)

Last updated: 06/05/06

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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