V'MIRA
Z'HAN
V'MIRA
Z'HAN
Classification: Terrestrial, humanoid
Location/Base of Operations: Desert regions around Kuthchemes/Caverns on unspecified mountains (Hyborian Era)
Known Members: Pharlopa D'zenn
Type of Government: Priestess leadership?
Affiliations: Bat-Demons
Enemies: Conan the Cimmerian, Darius, Turanians, Zuagirs, men.
Aliases: The Bat-People
First Appearance: Savage Sword of Conan I#76 (May, 1982)
Traits: The V'mira Z'han people had the size and strength of the normal people of the Hyborian Era. They had white blind eyes. They also had enhanced canines.
Powers/Abilities: They were blind, but the had some
alternative senses that completely compensated for their eyes. They were armed
with stones and slings, or a
spear, and rode giant bats that they also called Bat-Demons.
The giant bats had a wingspan of at least 6 meters, could transport a man
on their back and also another one with a claw, and they were not disturbed
from the light of the sun. To live, they needed to feed with blood.
History:
(Savage Sword of Conan I#76 (fb)) - In ancient times, before becoming V'mira
Z'han, the men lived outside the caverns but were oppressed by the raids of
savage beast-men. So they migrated, looking for a more pacific life and went to
live in the caverns. There they found the race of big Bat-Demons that became
servants of the V'mira Z'han, but, to let them survive, they had to feed the
bats with blood. So, the V'mira Zhans started to raid the regions around the
caverns, to find humans for their "pets". In the centuries, the life
in the darkness made the V'mira Z'hans blind.
(Savage Sword of Conan I#76) - In one of their nocturnal raid, a flight of bat-riders saw a group of Zuagirs and attacked them. They easily defeated them, launching sling-stones from far. The V'mira Z'han captured some Zuagirs, Conan the Cimmerian, a boy and Rayenna, and transported them to the caverns where they lived.
There, Pharlopa D'Zenn, the V'mira Z'han priestess, explained who they were and what would be their guests' fate. Conan tried to attack the priestess but was easily stunned by a magic bolt. Conan and the Zuagirs were unchained in a cavern to feed the big Bat-Demons but managed to free themselves. During their run, the Priestess shot several magic bolts to them, with the result of having some parts of the caverns ceiling crumble over them. The Zuagirs succeeded in escaping from the caverns.
(Savage Sword of Conan I#87) - Months later, the bat-riders continued their raids. During one of these raids, they found Darius, near the ruins of the Zuulda Thaal's Tomb. They were capturing him when Conan and his Zuagirs intervened. Conan succeeded in jumping on a bat and, mounting it, slew two other bat-riders. The other raiders went back home.
Comments: Created by Michael Fleisher (writer), John Buscema (pencils), Alfredo Alcala, Ricardo Villamonte & Joe Chiodo (inkers).
The V'mira Z'hans were ruled by a priestess, so, probably
they worshipped one or more Gods. (maybe a Bat-Devil? The same God of Night slain by Conan in Shadizar?---Spidermay)
They had enhanced canine teeth, but nothing is said whether they drunk blood or not
like their giant bats.
Clarifications:
The Giant-Bats have no known connections to
Pharlopa D'zenn has no known connections to any other character with a similar name.
Pharlopa D'zenn seemed to be a normal female of the Bat-People. She was a Priestess and wielded a sort of wand or sceptre that could fire magic bolts. Pharlopa seemed to be the leader of the V'mira Z'han.
Pharlopa D'zenn greeted Conan and the other prisoners, explaining to them what was to be their end. She knocked Conan out with a single magic bolt from her wand.
Later, when the prisoners were escaping, Pharlopa tried to stop them. She was distracted by Conan, and tried to hit him again with her bolts. But the bolts hit several times the walls of the caverns till they crumbled around her and closed many of the passages to the outside.
--Savage Sword of Conan I#76
Images:
Savage Sword of Conan I#76, p18, pan4 (V'mira Z'han
mounting a Bat-Demon)
Savage Sword of Conan I#76, p20, pan1 (V'mira Z'han male,
head shot)
Savage Sword of Conan I#76, p20, pan3 (Pharlopa D'zenn,
head shot)
Savage Sword of Conan I#76, p20, pan1 (Pharlopa D'zenn,
full body)
Other appearances: Savage Sword of Conan I#87 - Michael Fleisher (writer), John Buscema (penciler) and Ernie Chan (inker)
Last updated: 06/08/06
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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