BACKWORLD
BACKWORLD
Official Name: Unrevealed
Nature:
Extraterrestrial world;
alternate reality (Reality-81165)
Residents: It is unclear how many residents were native
vs. being transported there;
Amazons (Axomeen,
Keelooah, Soreana),
King
Balok, beast-man, dinosaurs, eeoynai,
fheta, Katrin and her
dwarven servants, the Kell
(Ghort, Phork;
others unidentified), norks, Shlime
and his
pet, whampa,
"White Elder," unidentified farm boy (the
princess' lover; mentioned only), unidentified
princess, unidentified
sorcerer;
it is unrevealed whether Brontnekkhar was a real being or
purely mythological; ditto for Flauvus,
K'ozar and Zharn
Population: Unrevealed
Capital City: Unrevealed
Government: Unrevealed;
it seemed that various regions and small societies (there
must have been kingdoms, as at least Balok was a king) had their
own organization and rules, but there is no evidence of any larger governments
Languages: Unrevealed;
the Amazons' language was foreign to Bront, but Katrin spoke
Bront's
language; Shlime spoke Bront's language, but Shlime was also telepathic
National Defense: General medieval-type swords and sorcery
Places of Interest: Monkey-puzzle tree within a
sea or lake of fire;
Shlime's abode;
oceans, rocky surfaces with volcanoes, rivers, jungles
Visitors: Bront (formerly Emmanuel Cody), numerous others deposited there by government of Cody's world, though many landed in hostile environments and likely did not survive
First Appearance: Savage Sword of Conan#65/2 (June, 1981)
History:
(Savage Sword of Conan#65/2 (fb) - BTS) - During a
centuries-long intergalactic conflict, the government council of
Emmanuel Cody's
world acquired a planet
that proved both near-impossible and undesirable to colonize. Though there were
precious resources to be exploited, there was precious little that could not be
gained elsewhere with much less risk.
(Savage Sword of Conan#65/2 (fb) - BTS) - The council members agreed this world might be a good depository for the "defectives."
(Savage Sword of Conan#65/2 (fb) - BTS) - <500 years before
the main story> - From this point forward, the defectives had their memories
erased, and they were placed into cylinders, transported across space and
deposited so that they would land on this planet, which was designated "Backworld."
(Savage Sword of Conan#80/2 (fb) - BTS) - King Balok mystically concealed his daughter from rival sorcerer Shlime (and perhaps others).
(Savage Sword of Conan#80/2 (fb) - BTS) - On multiple occasions, Shlime mystically perused the castle of King Balok.
(Savage Sword of Conan#80/2 (fb)) <At some point, during a summer evening> - Bored, Shlime re-perused Balok's castle, discovering Balok's beautiful daughter, who had been hidden from Shlime for the previous 18 years.
(Savage Sword of Conan#80/2 (fb) - BTS) - Seeking a closer look at Balok's daughter, Shlime sent some of his reanimated servants to bring the young woman.
(Savage Sword of Conan#80/2 (fb)) - Limited in their ability to process information, etc., Shlime's servants roughly abducted Balok's daughter (apparently putting her in a sack and carrying her over their shoulders) and failed to cover their tracks. A messenger soon relayed the direction in which the reanimates had taken the daughter.
(Savage Sword of Conan#80/2 (fb) - BTS) - Recognizing Shlime's nature and abilities, Balok enlisted another, unidentified sorcerer.
(Savage Sword of Conan#80/2 (fb)) - The unidentified sorcerer conjured up and plagued Shlime with "seven straight nights of screaming horror and boiling diarrhea." Shlime allowed the girl to return home after apparently having his way with her.
(Savage Sword of Conan#80/2 (fb)) - Balok was reunited with his daughter, and the shrieking hordes left Shlime alone. That night, however, the sorcerer's spells had one final effect: Shlime was turned to limestone from the waist down.
(Savage Sword of Conan#80/2 (fb) - BTS) - One month later, Balock's daughter apparently became pregnant via some farm boy and she ran off with him.
(Savage Sword of Conan#80/2 (fb)) - Shlime searched his library for and eventually found a cure, an antidote that grew in the topmost branches of the monkey-puzzle tree, which grew within a sea of fire five days journey from Shlime's abode.
(Savage Sword of Conan#80/2 (fb) - BTS) - Shlime sent three of
his undead slaves, but each one of them dropped over within arm's reach of the
tree.
Something about the lake of fire interfered with his control
over his servants, leaving them truly dead and inanimate...or close to it.
(Savage Sword of Conan#65/2 (fb)) - A starship from Emmanuel
Cody's world released cylinders in Backworld's
proximity; wings and fins helped guide the cylinders onto the
planet's surface, though some sank to the ocean's depths or landed in volcanoes
or other inhospitable environments. The former Citizen 09346-NW2/Emmanuel Cody's
craft came to rest in a verdant glade. After 27 minutes,
the cylinder opened.
A thunderstorm drove an approaching dinosaur-like creature
away from the cylinder, but after the storm passed, an eeoynai (a large cat-like creature)
approached while the former Cody slept.
Observing this, a female Amazon warrior named Soreana wounded the cat with an arrow in the shoulder region,
but then became trapped under a tree branch and dropped her arrows before she
could fire another arrow. The man in the
cylinder's eyes opened, and he sat up, spotting Soreana's
plight.
(Savage Sword of Conan#66/2) - Having no memory of who he was or how he got there, the former Cody pulled himself to feet, forced himself to move, attacked, and eventually broke the eeoynai's neck. Though he lifted the tree off Soreana, she feared him as her people feared all men.
He was swiftly subdued by a bola hurled by a member of the Amazons as they came upon the scene. The queen, Axomeen, ordered the others slay the man to make certain he would not do further violence to one of their own. Instead, Soreana implored Axomeen to spare him, agreeing to accept him as her private property. Though the scheming Keelooah sought to claim the man for herself, Soreana slew her in a trial by combat.
The warrior-sisters broke into a wild song of praise, an ancient song in honor of the god of light and life: Brontnekkhar. As Soreana claimed Bront, he told her that, though he lacked a past and a name, he was still a man, a free man, and he refused to be anyone's servant. When he grabbed one of the warrior-sisters' spears, Soreana struck him with the shaft of her spear, knocking him out.
(Savage Sword of Conan#66/2 - BTS) - With the former Cody unconscious, the warrior sisters bound his arms behind his back around a thick branch.
(Savage Sword of Conan#66/2) - As he recovered, Soreana apologized, telling him this was necessary if he was to stay alive; "Be faithful and obedient and I will reward you well."
(Savage Sword of Conan#66/2) <From the Chronicles of the White
Elder> - Shackled and weary, the man was led through the lush jungle -- out
toward the Amazon city. As the group reached the rocky outlands, the night wind
whispered excitedly to the stars: "This man is special. He will remain no one's
slave for long -- he has a destiny."
"What shall we name the man?" asked the stars.
With a mighty gust, the wind replied" Bront."
(Savage Sword of Conan#79/2 (fb) - BTS) - The sorcerer Shlime sent one of his undead servants -- with whom the amazons were experienced, and who they knew as the Kell -- via a boat to capture Bront and bring him to him.
(Savage Sword of Conan#79/2) <perhaps continuing from the Chronicles of the White Elder - or just a narrative> - The night wind whispered the name even as the party of tawny-limbed amazons, chattering in a strange, musical language, led him captive through the rocky crag. It was picked up and carried by the tides and eddies swirling below: Bront...Bront...Bront!
(Savage Sword of Conan#79/2) - As they crossed a stone bridge between two cliff edges, presumably hearing the voice in the wind, Soreana told Axomeen she had decided to name the man Bront, further asking if Axomeen liked the name. Axomeen told Soreana to name the pig whatever she wanted, as he was hers...she only insisted Soreana feed and clean up after them.
(Savage Sword of Conan#79/2 / Savage Sword of Conan#79/2 (fb)) - Suddenly, one of the Amazons noticed and warned Axomeen that one of the Kell was in the water, invoking both Flauvus and Zharn for protection as she realized the Kell saw them...with eyes that cannot see. Shlime, acting in unseen fashion through his servant, caused the stone bridge to crumble, and Bront and the Amazons fell into the water. The Kell claimed Bront, who had been knocked out in the fall, and Axomeen warned Soreana that she had feared her pet would anger the elders...and that she would be whipped for this. Soreana sobbed over the loss of her Bront.
The undead servant brought Bront to Shlime's home within the misty mountains and placed him in a room.
(Savage Sword of Conan#79/2 - BTS) - The latter three servants changed Bront into new clothes made from fheta-skin.
(Savage Sword of Conan#79/2) <hours, minutes, or days later> - Speaking telepathically, Shlime awakened Bront and guided him through his base, explaining that his servants were dead and thus could not speak. As Bront entered his chambers, Shlime greeted him, then had a servant bring in some mushroom soup. At Bront's request, Shlime introduced himself, then rambled aimlessly in answer to Bront's query of where he was.
Shlime then summoned another servant, the
castle warrior champion Ghort, to test Bront's fighting ability. Fully armored and wielding a
shield and axe, Ghort battered Bront repeatedly until Bront got his feet against Ghort's
head and ribs, pinned his arm, knocked him to the ground, and began battering
him; Shlime then halted the fight and sent Ghort away
to polish his armor. Shlime then revealed that he was half-statue,
his legs an immobile block of stone.
(Savage
Sword of Conan#80/2) - After Shlime detailed his origins, Bront rightly
suspected that Shlime intended for him to obtain the cure; Bront intended to
depart until Shlime told Bront he knew who he was and could send him home. Shlime gave Bront a heavy battleaxe (which Phork had sharpened) and a dagger,
and them mentally guided him along the way. Bront hacked his way through thick
wooden branches until he came upon a still-living man suspended by his upper
arms from a tree branch. Despite Shlime's insistence to the contrary, Bront cut
him down, only to find the man to actually be a monstrous being. Shlime instructed
Bront to stab the being with his silver dagger, but when this failed to subdue
the creature, Shlime considered that Phork must have given Bront the wrong
dagger. At Shlime's guidance, Bront then threw his battleaxe to cleave the
creature's head right between the eyes, which indeed felled the creature.
Shlime continued his guidance, leading Bront to a cave; Bront was unaware he was being watched by several dwarven man-creatures armed with stone axes.
(Savage Sword of Conan#81/2) - As Bront expressed reluctance to enter the cave, Shlime assured Bront he was seeking to cure his own malady and wouldn't lead Bront astray. Soon after, however, Shlime realized he actually had made a mistake and that this was the wrong cave; but it was too late to stop Bront from being ambushed by several dwarven creatures; armed with stone-axe-like weapons, they swiftly subdued Bront.
(Savage Sword of Conan#81/2 - BTS) - The dwarves bound Bront's hands and feet to a pole and carried him through the caverns to their mistress, Katrin.
(Savage Sword of Conan#81/2) - As Bront awakened and futilely attempted to re-establish mental contact with Shlime, his one-sided conversation amused Katrin. Intrigued, Katrin
had him brought to her bed and left
there (hands still bound). Once alone, she tried to establish a carnal
relationship, but while Bront was also interested, Shlime then re-established
their rapport and instructed him to leave "Crazy Katrin" behind. Annoyed by both
Shlime and Katrin's responses to his own responses to Shlime, Bront departed
Katrin's abode, fighting his way past a number of dwarves in the process.
Outside, Shlime protected Bront from the airs as he
approached the flaming sea surrounding the monkey-puzzle tree. Shlime then
alerted Bront of the approaching whampa (a giant lizard-creature) and guided
Bront (including the use of a "cerebral nudge" that drove Bront off of a rocky
prominence he had climbed to escape it) to slay it with a stab to its forehead.
After Bront skinned the Whampa and wrapped himself in its flesh, which protected
Bront from the flames (during which time Bront had a brief flash of memory,
thinking he could make a fortune selling the hide to...places he couldn't
remember), Shlime had him climb the tree, pluck the desired fruit, and then get
out of the sea of flames before the whampa hide dissolved into powder (though
the impending dissolution may have been a threat or a joke Shlime used against
Bront). Though Bront considered a brief rendezvous with Katrin, Shlime urged him
to return to his base, as the deal wasn't complete until the fruit was in his
hands.
After following a safe path back to Shlime's base and listening to
Shlime's instructions to trust him, Bront withheld the fruit from Shlime,
demanding to first learn where he was from. Shlime quickly told Bront he was from
St. Louis, and when Bront had never heard of St. Louis, Shlime corrected himself
as having meant Mars...and then Altair Seven...and then Phobos. Despite Shlime's
insistence that Bront's memory was still weak and that that was why those places
didn't sound familiar to him, Bront turned and headed out of
Shlime's chambers, taking a bite of the fruit as he did so. Shlime desperately
warned him that the fruit was full of worms...would give him diarrhea...would
make him impotent...Bront apparently finished the fruit (or discarded it) and
left Shlime's castle behind.
Comments: Created by John Buscema, with aid from J.M. DeMatteis.
Savage Sword of Conan#79/2 and 80/2 both reference Backworld as "a million light years into the void" from Cody/Bront's planet of origin.
It
occurs to me that "Emmanuel Cody's World" may not (necessarily) be an alternate
(or divergent) Earth at all, unless I'm missing something & it's stated in the
source material as such. Cody's origin world could be an alien planet and the "Backworld"
may very well be - - Earth in the (distant - ?) past!!
While the names of individuals seem very much "of Earth",
this may not necessarily pose a problem. As evidence, I would point to Prince
J'son/Jason of Spartax among a few others as examples. Indeed (if my guess is
correct), Spartax could be a possible candidate as the origin world. Other
candidates could be Xandar, Dakkam, or any number of worlds populated by
decidedly humanoid beings (for further discussion, see the Xorri). The arrival
of (future) descendants of the human race in the distant past, in the form of
Prince Wayfinder's/(Wayfarer's?) followers, leads to further possibilities. The
arrival of these individuals would not necessarily discount other origins for
humans on Earth as they could very easily have been incorporated into existing
societies or even possibly interbred with indigenous peoples.
I know you tend to use Occam's Razor in these debates but it
really seems to me to be a very real possibility. The whole story seemed to
suggest an allegorical or moral bent pointing to the origins of our decidedly
martial or defiant race. The whole thing seems to point to the story suggesting
that Earth was a penal colony of sorts, which was a somewhat popular trope in
fiction at the time of publication.
It's just a fun thought - & it would open up a score of
possible stories & could very well explain others. I hope this at least keeps
your imagination going & proves helpful in some way.
--Wil Plaza
Sure sounds possible. Only
John Buscema could tell us for sure, and sadly, he died years ago. J.M. DeMatteis took
Bront's homeworld to be a future Earth, but nothing in the stories really
confirm it one way or another.
--Snood
Interestingly (to me, at least), I used two different scanners for the images. The yellowed images come from my Scanner mouse, which is quick and convenient to use for panels or smaller images. The ones with the whiter background are from my HP desktop scanner. The interesting part is that the actual images, which come from a 33 year old magazine, are pretty yellowed. The Scanner mouse maybe makes them look a little worse, but the desktop scanner whitens them nicely...without any such instruction/program/whatever from me...
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Backworld has no known connections to
The whampa has no connection to
The Amazons
The beast-man has no connection to
The Amazons are a tribe of women warriors living in a city either in or bordering the "rocky outlands," across a river from a jungle region. Having experienced brutal treatment by men, the Amazons generally slew men they encountered, though an Amazon could take a man as her private property; Amazons wishing to claim the same man would resolve the matter by combat, sometimes to the death. The Amazons typically refer to each other as sisters, presumably more of a figurative designation that literal.
They worshipped the god of light and life: Brontnekkhar, though they also invoked Flauvus, K'ozar and Great Zharn.
They wield spears, daggers, bolas, and bow and arrows.
Identified members: Axomeen (leader), Keelooah, Soreana
First Appearance: (Soreana) Savage Sword of Conan#65/2 (June, 1981); (Amazons as a group) Savage Sword of Conan#66/2 (July, 1981)
(Savage Sword of Conan#79/2 (fb) - BTS) - The Amazons were experienced with the "Kell," the undead servants of Shlime.
(Savage Sword of Conan#65/2 (fb) - BTS) - Following a thunderstorm, Soreana wandered the jungle lands. Observing an eeoynai approaching the open canister containing the unconscious body of the mind-erased former Emmanuel Cody, Soreana struck it with an arrow, but became trapped under a collapsing rotten branch before she could finish the creature.
(Savage Sword of Conan#66/2) - Reviving, the
former Cody slew
the eeoynai, freed Soreana, and struggled to breach the language barrier and
convince Soreana of his good intentions. Coming upon the scene, the Amazons
subdued Cody with a bola, and then Axomeen,
ordered the others to slay him to make certain he
would not do further violence to one of their own. Before the women could strike
with their spears, Soreana rushed forward, explaining how the man had saved her
and imploring Axomeen to spare him, and answered in the affirmative to
Axomeen's question of whether she wished to take the man as her private
property. Keelooah challenged Soreana's claim, further noting how Axomeen had
long favored Soreana, despite Keelooah being the bravest and strongest. Whispering to Soreana that Keelooah had too long spewed poison
against her queen, Axomeen gave Soreana her own blade and encouraged her to "do
what must be done." As Soreana acknowledged that she would try, the former Cody
realized what was going on between the two Amazon women.
Soreana slew Keelooah in a fierce struggle, after which the warrior-sisters
broke into a wild song of praise, an ancient song in honor of the god of light
and life: Brontnekkhar. As Soreana claimed Bront, he told her that, though he
lacked a past and a name, he was still a man, a free man, and he refused to be
anyone's servant. When he grabbed one of the warrior-sisters' spears, Soreana
struck him with the shaft of her spear, knocking him out.
(Savage Sword of Conan#66/2 - BTS) - With the former Cody unconscious, the warrior women bound his arms behind his back around a thick branch.
(Savage Sword of Conan#66/2) - As he recovered, Soreana apologized, telling him this was necessary if he was to stay alive; "Be faithful and obedient and I will reward you well."
(Savage Sword of Conan#66/2) <From the Chronicles of the White Elder> - Shackled and weary, the man was led through the lush jungle -- out toward the Amazon city. As the group reached the rocky outlands, the night wind whispered excitedly to the stars, naming the man as "Bront."
(Savage Sword of Conan#79/2) <perhaps continuing from the Chronicles of the White Elder - or just a narrative> - The night wind whispered the name even as the party of tawny-limbed amazons, chattering in a strange, musical language, led him captive through the rocky crag. It was picked up and carried by the tides and eddies swirling below: Bront...Bront...Bront!
(Savage Sword of Conan#79/2) - As they crossed a stone bridge between two cliff edges, presumably hearing the voice in the wind, Soreana told Axomeen she had decided to name the man Bront. Axomeen only insisted Soreana feed and clean up after him.
(Savage Sword of Conan#79/2 / Savage Sword of Conan#79/2 (fb) - BTS) - Suddenly, one of the Amazons noticed and warned Axomeen that one of the Kell was in the water, invoking both Flauvus and Zharn for protection as she realized the Kell saw them...with eyes that cannot see. Shlime, acting in unseen fashion through his servant, caused the stone bridge to crumble, and Axomeen told the women to be brave as Bront and the Amazons fell into the water. After the Kell claimed Bront and rowed away, Axomeen and Soreana pulled themselves onto land, with Axomeen warning Soreana that she had feared her pet would anger the elders...and that she would be whipped for this. Soreana sobbed over the loss of her Bront.
Note: Some of the women were referred to as "these two Amazons" in #66, and the group was referred to a "party of tawny-limbed Amazons" in #79. The term may well be a descriptor rather than their actual name, but they were otherwise only described as warrior women or warrior-sisters.
The leader of the Amazons, she apparently favored Soreana, but another Amazon, Keelooah, frequently spoke out against the queen
(Savage Sword of Conan#66/2) - Coming across Soreana just
after the former Cody had rescued her, she had an Amazon subdue the man with a
bola and then ordered the others to crush his skull and cut out his heart to make certain he
would not do further violence to one of their own. Soreana rushed forward, explaining how the man had saved her
and imploring Axomeen to spare him, and answered in the affirmative to
Axomeen's question of whether she wished to take the man as her private
property. When Axomeen announced Soreana's claim and asked if any others
disputed it, Keelooah responded with her challenge, further claiming that Soreana had too
long been Axomeen's favorite while she (Keelooah), "the bravest and strongest," had been
overlooked. Whispering to Soreana that Keelooah had too long spewed poison
against her queen, Axomeen gave Soreana her own blade and encouraged her to "do
what must be done." Soreana acknowledged that she would try.
Soreana ultimately slew Keelooah, and the warrior-sisters
broke into a wild song of praise, an ancient song in honor of the god of light
and life: Brontnekkhar. As Soreana claimed the former Cody, he attempted to
assert his independence, but Soreana
struck him with the shaft of her spear, knocking him out. The warrior women
bound the man's arms behind his back as they headed back to their city.
(Savage Sword of Conan#79/2) - As they crossed a stone bridge between two cliff edges, Soreana told Axomeen she had decided to name the man Bront, further asking if Axomeen liked the name. Axomeen told Soreana to name the pig whatever she wanted, as he was hers...she only insisted Soreana feed and clean up after them.
(Savage Sword of Conan#79/2 / Savage Sword of Conan#79/2 (fb) - BTS) - Suddenly, one of the Amazons noticed and warned Axomeen that one of the Kell was in the water. Shlime, acting in unseen fashion through his servant, caused the stone bridge to crumble, and Axomeen told the women to be brave as Bront and the Amazons fell into the water. After the Kell claimed Bront and began to row away, Axomeen and Soreana pulled themselves onto land, with Axomeen warning Soreana that she had feared her pet would anger the elders...and that she would be whipped for this.
--Savage Sword of Conan#66/2 (July, 1981)
Note: Axomeen is pictured full body at the forefront of the Amazons' sub-profile.
She looks a bit like Thundra, doesn't she? Presumably that's due to John Buscema being the artist...
beast-man
(Savage Sword of Conan#80/2) - Bront hacked his way through thick wooden branches until he came upon a still-living man suspended by his upper arms from a tree branch. Ignoring Shlime's orders to ignore the man, Bront cut him down, only find the man to actually be a monstrous being. Shlime instructed Bront to stab the being with his silver dagger, but when this failed to subdue the creature, Shlime considered that Phork must have given Bront the wrong dagger. At Shlime's guidance, Bront then threw his battleaxe to cleave the creature's head right between the eyes, which indeed felled the creature.
--Savage Sword of Conan#80/2 (September, 1982)
Note: Who knows what he deal was with the beast-man? He seemed to be somewhat magical, as a stab from a dagger didn't phase him, and Shlime intended for him to use a silver dagger against him. Nonetheless, he could be slain (or at least incapacitated) by a battle axe strike between the eyes. I'm not sure whether the battle axe was made out of anything special, but a strike between the eyes was required.
He seemed to be a shape-changer, as there is an image that makes it look like he has a normal face, and he definitely doesn't have the hairy arms and legs, or claws when he was hanging up. Beyond that, we don't know who he was, how he got to be a beast-man, or who tied him up and left him that way.
Brontnekkhar is the god of light and life; he was worshipped by the Amazons, an presumably by others.
(Savage Sword of Conan#66/2- BTS) - After Soreana slew Keelooah in combat to claim the former Emmanuel Cody, the warrior-sisters broke into a wild song of praise, an ancient song in honor of Brontnekkhar.
(Savage Sword of Conan#66/2 - BTS) <From the Chronicles of the White
Elder> - As the group reached the rocky outlands, the night wind
whispered excitedly to the stars: "This man is special. He will remain no one's
slave for long -- he has a destiny."
"What shall we name the man?" asked the stars.
With a mighty gust, the wind replied" Bront."
(Savage Sword of Conan#79/2- BTS) - Soreana named the former Cody "Bront."
--(mentioned only) Savage Sword of Conan#66/2 (July, 1981)
Note: Brontnekkhar was never shown on panel; we only have the references listed above. Presumably he is a real figure, as are the gods in the Marvel Universe...but possibly he was purely mythological.
One of many creatures present on -- and presumably native to -- Backworld. The one pictured was present as the former Emmanuel Cody's cylinder landed in the jungle. When a thunderstorm started, it fled.
A winged dinosaur is also seen in the background as Bront finds the beast-man...and probably elsewhere
--Savage Sword of Conan#65/2 (June, 1981)
A large, presumably man-eating felid, they were known as eeoynai to the Amazons, at least.
(Savage Sword of Conan#65/2 (fb) - BTS) - A starship from Emmanuel Cody's world dropped the cylinder containing the former Citizen 09346-NW2/Emmanuel Cody into a jungle on Backworld. After it opened, an eeoynai approached while the former Cody slept, jerking spasmodically as if dreaming. Observing this, Soreana (the greatest archer in three generations of her Amazon people) nailed the cat with an arrow in the shoulder region, but then the rotted branch on which she was standing broke before she could fire another arrow. She twisted her ankle and dropped her bow and arrows in the fall, and the branch trapped her injured leg under its weight, leaving her with only her spear. Knowing that pinned as she was, she had little hope against the giant cat, Soreana uttered a long-forgotten childhood prayer. The man in the cylinder's eyes opened, and he sat up and spotted Soreana's plight.
(Savage Sword of Conan#66/2) - Awakening lazily and having no memory of who he was or how he got there, the former Cody was rendered alert by the sight of Soreana beset by the Eeoynai. Pulling himself to feet and forcing himself to move, the former Cody grabbed a broken branch and struck the cat-creature. After the two briefly sized each other up, the cat engaged the former Cody, who dodged its strike, leapt on its back, and snapped its neck.
--Savage Sword of Conan#65/2 (June, 1981)
An eeoynai is also shown in the main profile image
The barbarian costume Bront got from Shlime was made of fheta-skin...some sort of furred creature, presumably
see the main image here for that costume: Bront
--Savage Sword of Conan#79/2 (August, 1981)
In noting one of Shlime's undead servants watching them, one of the Amazons exclaimed, "Flauvus protect us! He sees us!"
--Savage Sword of Conan#79/2 (August, 1981)
Note: Flauvus was presumably some deity, either real or purely mythological that the Amazons, at least, invoked for protection in times of fear. The name seems masculine, but we don't know the naming conventions in Backworld's various societies.
She called herself Queen Katrin, and she lived in a subterranean cavern from which she ruled a number of dwarven servants, which she referred to as her pets.
Katrin is known to Shlime, who calls her "Crazy Katrin" and considers her "nutty as a fruitcake."
(Savage Sword of Conan#80/2-BTS) - Telepathically, guided by Shlime, Bront began a journey to the Lake of Fire and the Monkey Puzzle Tree.
Shlime led Bront over a ridge and to a cave; as he approached, Bront was unaware he was being watched by several dwarven man-creatures armed with axes and other weapons.
(Savage Sword of Conan#81/2 - BTS) - After guiding Bront into a cave, Shlime realized he actually had made a mistake and that this was the wrong cave, but it was too late to stop Bront from being ambushed by at least seven dwarven creatures; armed with battle-axe-like weapons, they swiftly subdued Bront.
(Savage Sword of Conan#81/2 - BTS) - The dwarves bound Bront's hands and feet to a pole and carried him through the caverns toward their mistress, Katrin.
(Savage Sword of Conan#81/2) - Bront awakened near the end of the trip and futilely attempted to re-establish mental contact with Shlime, and his one-sided conversation amused Katrin. Intrigued by both this and his handsome appearance, Katrin wondered what else he could do: "Can you play knuckle-bones? Can you meditate to level seven? Can you ride a wild ass?" Bront responded, "That depends...how wild and whose a--?" Amused, Katrin wondered whether he would be as equally droll after she asked her pets to dismember him slowly and devour his parts. Nonetheless, she had him brought to her bed and left there (hands still bound); she made certain to order her servants not to get their filthy hands on her sheets. Once alone, she instructed Bront to dominate and ravage her, to "crush me in your arms and make my blood boil with passion. Send me shrieking to the heights of ecstasy under the power of your own stallion force!" However, she then hesitated, worrying that he was one of the changelings come to torment her. "You're not one of the frog people? They come here every night, paint my legs red, and run off giggling to themselves! They leave my cave smelling horribly." After Bront assured her that he wouldn't paint her legs without her permission, she regained her composure and asked Bront if she should tell him the secret of the universe. When he asked her to do so, she leaned forward and kissed him passionately as she started her sentence, and her words were unintelligible. Just them, Shlime then re-established their rapport, instructed him to leave "Crazy Katrin" behind, and untied Bront's hands. Annoyed by both Shlime and Katrin's responses to his own responses to Shlime, Bront departed Katrin's abode, fighting his way past a number of dwarves in the process.
One of her dwarves told her "Unga Slug Batha!" She understood this to mean that Bront would soon be dead if he continued heading in the direction he was going...towards the lake of fire and the whampa.
After completing his mission for Shlime, Bront considered a brief rendezvous with Katrin,
but Shlime urged him
to return to his base, as the deal -- Shlime had promised to reveal where Bront
was from and send him back there in exchange for Bront retrieving a fruit that
could cure Shlime's literal para-petrifaction -- wasn't complete until the fruit was in his
hands.
--Savage Sword of Conan#81/2 (October, 1982)
Katrin's
dwarven servants
Katrin referred to them as her pets, and she treated them like animals. They spoke in some primitive language, though Katrin seemed to understand them.
(Savage Sword of Conan#80/2-BTS) - Telepathically, guided by Shlime, Bront began a journey to the Lake of Fire and the Monkey Puzzle Tree. Shlime led Bront over a ridge and to a cave; as he approached, Bront was unaware he was being watched by several dwarven man-creatures armed with axes and other weapons.
(Savage Sword of Conan#81/2 - BTS) - After guiding Bront into a cave, Shlime realized he actually had made a mistake and that this was the wrong cave, but it was too late to stop Bront from being ambushed by at least seven dwarven creatures; armed with battle-axe-like weapons, they swiftly subdued Bront.
(Savage Sword of Conan#81/2 - BTS) - The dwarves bound Bront's hands and feet to a pole and carried him through the caverns to their mistress, Katrin.
(Savage Sword of Conan#81/2) - Bront awakened near the end of the trip and futilely attempted to re-establish mental contact with Shlime, and his one-sided conversation amused Katrin. Intrigued, Katrin wondered what else he could do, and his responses led her to have him brought to her bed and left there (hands still bound). Bront eventually became annoyed with Katrin, and he departed Katrin's abode, fighting his way past a number of dwarves in the process.
One of her dwarves told her "Unga Slug Batha!" She understood this to mean that Bront would soon be dead if he continued heading in the direction he was going...towards the lake of fire and the whampa.
--Savage Sword of Conan#80/2 (September, 1982)
Comment: Most of the time, only 3-4 of the servants were shown on panel, but there was one in the initial conflict that showed seven attacking Bront. Whether it was intentional to have seven dwarves (as in Snow White and the...), I have no idea.
(Savage Sword of Conan#66/2 (fb) - BTS) - Believing herself the strongest and bravest of the Amazons, Keelooah resented what she perceived to be Queen Axomeen's favoritism to the smaller Soreana; as such, Keelooah frequently spoke out against Axomeen, earning her the queen's ire.
(Savage Sword of Conan#66/2) - When Soreana staked a claim to
make the former Emmanuel Cody her personal property, Keelooah responded with her challenge,
that she would skewer Soreana and claim her man for her pleasure; she further
voicing what she perceived to be unfair favoritism towards Soreana by Axomeen. Whispering to Soreana that Keelooah had too long spewed poison
against her queen, Axomeen gave Soreana her own blade and encouraged her to "do
what must be done."
As the two women circled stealthily, Keelooah was certain she
would be victorious, while Soreana hoped that her wit could compensate for what
she lacked in raw power. Keelooah suddenly charged forward, grabbing Soreana by
the face -- digging at her eye sockets and tearing at her mouth -- and forcing
her to the ground as she yelled, "Ha! You are nothing, Soreana! Nothing!" As
Keelooah tried to finish Soreana with her blade, however, Soreana kicked
Keelooah in the face, knocking her back. Acknowledging that "the queen's pet had
some fire in her," Keelooah told Soreana to savor this brief moment of joy
before she was sliced apart. Soreana returned the insult, calling Keelooah "Fat
One" and challenging her to prove herself with actions not words. When Keelooah
leapt at her, Soreana stabbed her in the chest, killing her. The warrior-sisters
broke into a wild song of praise, an ancient song in honor of the god of light
and life: Brontnekkhar.
--Savage Sword of Conan#66/2 (July, 1981)
Soreana threatened the former Cody with "In K'ozar's name--one more step and I'll run you through"
--(mentioned only) Savage Sword of Conan#66/2 (July, 1981)
Note: Whether K'ozar was a real or mythological deity, or a legendary/historical figure, or a familial name, I guess we'll never know. Presumably other Amazons invoked K'ozar, as well.
(Savage Sword of Conan#80/2 (fb) - BTS) - Shlime sent three of
his undead slaves, but each one of them dropped over within arm's reach of the
tree, "like horseflies on a nork's tail."
Something about the lake of fire interfered with Shlime's control
over his servants, leaving them truly dead and inanimate...or close to it.
--Savage Sword of Conan#80/2 (June, 1981)
Note: We never saw a nork, and the only reference we have is what is listed above. I don't know what a Nork is; perhaps some sort of equid creature or other livestock. And what was the deal with a nork's tail that made the horseflies drop? Maybe they were coated in poison or something?
She was the greatest archer in three generations of her people, the Amazons. Like the rest of her people, Soreana had been conditioned -- either through warning or experience -- to fear men, and to consider men "a disease."
(Savage Sword of Conan#65/2 (fb) - BTS) - Following a thunderstorm, Soreana wandered the jungle lands, discovering an eeoynai approaching an open cylinder containing the unconscious body of Emmanuel Cody, whose memory had been erased just before he had been transported to this world. Soreana nailed the cat with an arrow in the shoulder region, but though her aim was true, she realized it would take another shaft to kill the beast; however, the rotted branch on which she was standing broke before she could fire another arrow. She twisted her ankle and dropped her bow and arrows in the fall, and the branch trapped her injured leg under its weight, leaving her with only her spear. Knowing that pinned as she was, she had little hope against the giant cat, Soreana uttered a long-forgotten childhood prayer. Cody then awakened, disoriented, and spotted Soreana's plight.
(Savage Sword of Conan#66/2) - Rendered alert by
the sight of Soreana beset by the eeoynai, the former Cody attacked and
ultimately slew the Eeoynai. When Soreana stifled a
moan, he turned to her, futilely trying to dispel her alarm (the difficulty
enhanced by her speaking a foreign language) at his approach and realizing she
feared other fates at his hands more than death; after snatching her spear with
his hand, he decided to convince her of his good intentions by showing her, as
he lifted the immense branch from her ankle.
Soreana remained uncertain of him, and before the former Cody briefly
could try to explain his current situation, he was swiftly subdued by a bola
hurled by another Amazon. The queen, Axomeen,
ordered the others to crush his skull and cut out his heart to make certain he
would not do further violence to one of their own. Before the women could strike
with their spears, Soreana rushed forward, explaining how the man had saved her, imploring Axomeen to spare him,
and agreeing to take the man as her private
property.
Keelooah then responded with a challenge to take the man for herself, further claiming that Soreana had too
long been Axomeen's favorite while Keelooah, the bravest and strongest, had been
overlooked. Whispering to Soreana that Keelooah had too long spewed poison
against her queen, Axomeen gave Soreana her own blade and encouraged her to "do
what must be done." Soreana acknowledged that she would try.
As the two women circled stealthily, Soreana hoped that her wit could compensate for what
she lacked in raw power. Keelooah suddenly charged forward, grabbing Soreana by
the face -- digging at her eye sockets and tearing at her mouth -- and forcing
her to the ground as she yelled, "Ha! You are nothing, Soreana! Nothing!" As
Keelooah tried to finish Soreana with her blade, however, Soreana kicked
Keelooah in the face, knocking her back. Acknowledging that "the queen's pet had
some fire in her," Keelooah told Soreana to savor this brief moment of joy
before she was sliced apart. Soreana returned the insult, calling Keelooah "Fat
One" and challenging her to prove herself with actions not words. When Keelooah
leapt at her, Soreana stabbed her in the chest, killing her. The warrior-sisters
broke into a wild song of praise, an ancient song in honor of the god of light
and life: Brontnekkhar. As Soreana claimed her man, he told her that, though he
lacked a past and a name, he was still a man, a free man, and he refused to be
anyone's servant. When he grabbed one of the warrior-sisters' spears, Soreana
struck him with the shaft of her spear, knocking him out.
(Savage Sword of Conan#66/2 - BTS) - With the former Cody unconscious, the warrior women bound his arms behind his back around a thick branch.
(Savage Sword of Conan#66/2) - As he recovered, Soreana apologized, telling him this was necessary if he was to stay alive; "Be faithful and obedient and I will reward you well."
(Savage Sword of Conan#79/2) - As they crossed a stone bridge between two cliff edges, presumably hearing the voice in the wind, Soreana told Axomeen she had decided to name the man Bront (hearing a name the wind had whispered), further asking if Axomeen liked the name. Axomeen told Soreana to name the pig whatever she wanted, as he was hers...she only insisted Soreana feed and clean up after them.
(Savage Sword of Conan#79/2 / Savage Sword of Conan#79/2 (fb) - BTS) - Suddenly, one of the Amazons noticed and warned Axomeen that one of the Kell was in the water. As the Kell stared at them, Shlime, acting in unseen fashion through his servant, caused the stone bridge to crumble, and Axomeen told the women to be brave as Bront and the Amazons fell into the water. The Kell claimed Bront and rowed away. Axomeen and Soreana pulled themselves onto land, with Axomeen warning Soreana that she had feared her pet would anger the elders...and that she would be whipped for this. Soreana sobbed over the loss of her Bront.
--Savage Sword of Conan#65/2 (June, 1981)
Soreana is also shown in the main profile image
The whampa was a large lizard-like creature that dwelled in the caverns near the lake of fire surrounding the monkey puzzle tree. It's skin could protect a wearer from the flames, but allegedly -- according to Shlime, who may have just been trying to pressure Bront to hurry back to him -- dissolved into powder within a few minutes after the skin was removed.
(Savage Sword of Conan#81/2) - Shlime alerted Bront of the approaching Whampa and guided Bront (including the use of a "cerebral nudge" that drove Bront off of a rocky prominence he had climbed to escape it) to slay it with a stab to its forehead. After Bront skinned the Whampa and wrapped himself in its flesh, which protected Bront from the flames (during which time Bront had a brief flash of memory, thinking he could make a fortune selling the hide to...places he couldn't remember), Shlime had him climb the tree, pluck the desired fruit, and then get out of the sea of flames before the whampa hide dissolved into powder (though the impending dissolution may have been a threat or a joke Shlime used against Bront).
--Savage Sword of Conan#81/2 (October, 1982)
Note: The Whampa is also pictured in Bront's profile towards the end.
"White Elder"
(Savage Sword of Conan#66/2) <From the Chronicles of the White
Elder> - Shackled and weary, the man (the former
Emmanuel Cody) was led through the lush jungle -- out
toward the Amazon city. As the group reached the rocky outlands, the night wind
whispered excitedly to the stars: "This man is special. He will remain no one's
slave for long -- he has a destiny."
"What shall we name the man?" asked the stars.
With a mighty gust, the wind replied" Bront."
(Savage Sword of Conan#79/2) <perhaps continuing from the Chronicles of the White Elder - or just a narrative> - The night wind whispered the name even as the party of tawny-limbed amazons, chattering in a strange, musical language, led him captive through the rocky crag. It was picked up and carried by the tides and eddies swirling below: Bront...Bront...Bront
--(mentioned only) Savage Sword of Conan#66/2 (July, 1981)
Note: We never saw the White Elder, nor do we really know who he (or she) was. The White Elder apparently wrote chronicles of life amongst the Amazons or perhaps legends of Backworld itself. He/she/it seemed to be a third-person omniscient narrator, as he/she/it was aware of the wind whispering to the stars, etc...or, he/she/it was just embellishing the story.
(Savage Sword of Conan#79/2 - BTS) - In noting one of Shlime's undead servants watching them, one of the Amazons exclaimed, "Flauvus protect us! He sees us! Oh, Great Zharn! He sees us..."
(Savage Sword of Conan#79/2 - BTS) - Shlime also asked "Great Zharn" for patience to help him deal with his simple Kell and their difficulty in following instructions.
(Savage Sword of Conan#80/2 - BTS) - Shlime exclaimed "Great Zhan!" (sic) in frustration regarding people using the word "trick" (which Shlime considered vulgar) to describe feats of magic and/or deception.
--(mentioned only) Savage Sword of Conan#79/2 (August, 1982)
Note: Zharn was presumably some deity, either real or purely mythological that the Amazons, at least, invoked for protection in times of fear. The name seems masculine, but we don't know the naming conventions in Backworld's various societies.
images: (without ads)
Savage Sword of Conan#65/2, pg. 8, panel 2 (from orbit);
panel 6
(rocky surface);
pg. 9, panel 1 (sea)
panel 2
(volcano)
panel 5
(glade/dinosaur)
pg. 10, panel 1 (dinosaur face)
pg. 11, panel 1 (Eeoynai)
panel 2 (Soreana
profile)
#66/2, pg. 1 (Soreana vs. Eeoynai);
pg. 2, panel 2 (Eeoynai face);
pg. 5, panel 4 (Soreana face);
pg. 6, panel 3 (Amazons; full Axomeen);
pg. 7, panel 4 (Axomeen upper body);
pg. 8, panel 1 (Keelooah upper body);
pg. 9, panel 4 (Soreana, battle);
panel 5 (Keelooah
battle);
#79/3, pg. 1 (Amazons walking Bront across stone bridge);
#80/2, pg. 7, panel 1 (beast-man hanging);
panel 6
(beast-man face);
pg. 8, panel 1 (beast-man, full);
#81/2, pg. 1 (Katrin's dwarves watching Bront)
pg. 3, panel 4 (Katrin full);
pg. 4, panel 1 (Katrin, face);
pg. 6, panel 3 (Katrin's dwarves
threatening Bront with spears);
pg. 8, panel 3 (whampa)
panel 5 (vs. whampa)
Appearances:
Savage Sword of Conan#65/2-66/2 (June-July, 1981) - John Buscema (art/plot), J.M.
DeMatteis (script), Danny Fingeroth (associate editor), Louise Jones (editor)
Savage Sword of Conan#79/2-81/2 (August-October, 1982) - John Buscema
(art/plot), Bruce Jones (script), Danny Fingeroth (associate editor), Louise
Jones (editor)
First Posted: 01/02/2015
Last updated: 01/01/2015
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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