Tetra/Pathir (Conan character; Hyborian era; human turned demonic)

pathir-tetra-face pathir-tetra-agonized-ctb178 TETRA

Real Name: Tetra

Identity/Class: Human magic-user (demon-possessed/replaced);
Hyborian era;
Brythunian citizen

Occupation: Former adventurer

Affiliations: Santiar and the exiled teens of Sadoria; unidentified Shemite nomad in Turanian steppes in the past (see comments);
    formerly Conan, Delmurio, Keiv, Ravager of Worlds (Imhotep);
    Renrutanit (at least her disembodied head) and her witch-children were her servants,
    enemy or not, the Scarlet Personage gave them a boatride that got them to Argos

Enemies: Barabbus, Conan, Kawagne, Keiv, Maddoc I, Maddoc II and his guards and servants, Nostume and his sea serpent and ghoul servants, Picts, Ravager of Worlds (Imhotep), Renrutanit, Scarlet Personage, Swan; unidentified demon wolf; unidentified groups of Argossean merchants and Cascan fishermen,
formerly Delmurio and his Zingaran soldiers

Known Relatives: Zacharus (father), numerous sisters

Aliases: Pathir;
"empty-headed girl" (insult from Conan), "flame-tressed girl-child" (reference from Renrutanit), "flame-tressed she-dog" (reference from Maddoc II),

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    formerly the Timestream;
    formerly mobile, notably across the Pictish wilderness; Sadoria & Cascan, Zingara; Argos; aboard the Black Ship; Nostume's island; Cimmeria; Turian Steppes; Becharadur & El Shah Maddoc, Shem;
    formerly an unspecified location in Brythunia

First Appearance: Conan the Barbarian I#172 (July, 1985)

Powers/Abilities: Tetra is an apt pupil, swiftly becoming skilled in various forms of combat and other activities.

Initially timid and fearful, she rapidly adapted to threatening and performing violent acts as needed, and swiftly progressed to become a fierce and bloodthirsty warrior.

She was proficient in fighting with fists, swords, daggers (hand held or thrown), and bow and arrow.

She was an experienced equestrian.

Passionate towards those in whom she was interested, Tetra would happily cut off a man's hand or even kill him (and several of his friends) for groping her without invitation and/or consent.

Empowered by the Well of Souls and possessed by its spirits, Tetra possessed vast magical powers. pathir-tetra-maddocii-bath

She could release energy that would devastate an entire castle in explosive fashion.

She could magically transform others and/or undo transformations effected by someone who previously utilized the Well of Souls as a power source.

She could generate illusions, either out of thin air or making one or multiple object(s) or being(s) appear like (an)other object(s) or being(s).

She could summon monstrous creatures (such as either a multi-tentacled being, or multiple serpent-like beings (that attacked with their tails) and/or create portals to allow other beings to access Earth through them).

She could generate flames at will.

She was to some degree trapped for all eternity to wander the timestream; she was unaging and could leave that realm and travel to Earth or other dimensions in the past or future as desired.

She created the Amulet of Pathir, which could protect its holder from the power of Imhotep, the Ravager of Worlds, and his people.

Height: Unrevealed; approximately 5'4" (she stood on her tip-toes to kiss Conan (whom I believe is around 6'3" - 6'5"), who still had to bend down significantly to reach her)
Weight: Unrevealed; approximately 115 lbs.
Eyes: Blue (occasionally glowing yellow with energy)
Hair: Red

History:

(Conan the Barbarian I#177 (fb) - BTS) - On her birthdays, Brythunian nobleman Zacharus typically showered his daughter Tetra with gifts, put ribbons in her hair, and dressed her in silks.

(Conan the Barbarian I#172 (fb) - BTS) - Zacharus brought his daughter, Tetra (not yet 17 summers old), with him when he traveled to the Pictish wilderness via horse-drawn carriage to obtain a treasure. He had the map sewn into the inside of Tetra's dress. As he headed into the territory of dangerous savages, Zacharus claimed to have wandered off the trail and gotten lost. tetra-pathir-hyborian-map

(Conan the Barbarian I#172 (fb) - BTS) - Zacharus instructed Tetra to get him some wine.

(Conan the Barbarian I#172) - When Tetra told Zacharus she could not find any wine, he shoved her by the face and told her to look again. Shortly thereafter, Zacharus' entourage was attacked and swiftly slaughtered by Picts, who took Zacharus captive.

Hiding within the overturned carriage, Tetra was later rescued by Conan, who slew the surrounding Picts instructed the terrified girl to come with him or be left behind.

(Conan the Barbarian I#185 (fb) - BTS) - Conan's callous but protective nature caused Tetra to believe he cared for her, and she began to care for him.

(Conan the Barbarian I#172) - After she introduced herself and explained her recent history, Conan advised her that her father had lied about being lost, as no one simply blundered into Pictland. As they approached what Conan assessed to a Pictish harvest ritual, Tetra watched with Conan as the Pict tribal leader, Kawagne, prepared to sacrifice Zacharus to their gods, to ensure a prosperus season of crops and hunting.

After Tetra agreed to give Conan half of the treasure he was certain her father was seeking in exchange for saving him, Conan tore off her dress (leaving her in a mid-thigh slip-type gown), as its ankle length would slow them down in the woods. Spotting the map sewn into her dress, Tetra secretly used the map-containing portion of the dress to tie back her hair.

(Conan the Barbarian I#172 (fb) - BTS) - Conan subsequently arranged an ambush of one Pict guard with a distraction of another guard to allow Tetra to take out another with a blunt weapon.

(Conan the Barbarian I#172) - Tetra hesitated before striking the Pict, allowing him to get the drop on her; Conan saved her and took out the Pict before chastising her, warning her that she would end up another nameless corpse lying in the tall grass, and that if she wanted to see her father alive again then she better learn to kill something before it killed her. Conan then set a fire and taunted the entire Pict camp to come after him, allowing Tetra to free her father, but after she saved him, he slapped and insulted her for losing her dress. Zacharus then left her behind as he fled, and Kawagne found her. pathir-tetra-kawagne

(Conan the Barbarian I#172 (fb) - BTS) - As Conan battered Zacharus for leaving Tetra behind -- despite Zacharus' rationalization that she wasn't even 17 summers old and that he had lots of daughter -- Tetra somehow got the better of Kawagne.

(Conan the Barbarian I#172) - Conan rushed back to the village, but as the Picts overwhelmed him, Tetra -- holding a kneeling Kawagne with a knife to his neck, called out to everyone to let Conan go or she would "carve up" their demon priest, and their crops would die and their children would starve; she instructed Kawagne -- who spoke Brythunian, or whatever Tetra was speaking -- to translate for her.

(Conan the Barbarian I#172 (fb) - BTS) - The Picts granted Conan, Zacharus, and Tetra leave from their valley.

(Conan the Barbarian I#172) - Tetra, now wearing a bikini-type outfit made from her dress and gaining Conan's attention as she appeared much more grown up. She then explained how she had saved the dress and the map, and then told her father that since she had the map, that made it her treasure: Conan was entitled to half, as they had agreed, but if her father and Conan helped her find Keiv, she might share her half with her father...perhaps...
tetra-pathir-hyborian-bikini-full

She then leapt atop her horse and asked what the others were waiting for, as they had a treasure to find.

(Conan the Barbarian I#173 (fb) - BTS) - Tetra particularly became adept in Conan's battle training.

(Conan the Barbarian I#173 (fb) - BTS) - Tetra, Conan, and Zacharus tracked Keiv to his tree home, still within the Pictish wilderness. Conan sensed an approaching army and prepared for them.

(Conan the Barbarian I#173) - When Captain Delmurio sent a trio of scouts, Tetra took out the first with an arrow and stabbed the second when he refused to back up; Conan -- intervening to prevent Tetra from killing him -- forced the third scout to reveal there were 100 men in their company before punching him out. When Conan noted to Zacharus that there was an army of Zingarans approaching, Zacharus, as Conan expected, rushed and shouted to the civilized men to rescue him, and his shouts drew the Picts to charge after him. The rushing Picts ran headlong into the approaching Zingarans, leading to a massive battle, which allowed Conan and Tetra to enter Keiv's quarters unmolested.

    Conan discouraged Keiv's interest in Tetra, and when he claimed to no nothing of the map of which Tetra asked, Conan threatened him, leading Keiv to agree to take them to a map. Keiv instead brought them to the sorcerer-child Nostume and his ally Kawagne, and Nostume generated giant roots from the ground that wrapped around and began crushing Conan and Tetra. However, having followed Keiv, Delmurio -- who hated Keiv for long ago carving half of the map into his chest -- shot Nostume with an arrow. Nostume's injury allowed Conan to free himself and then Tetra, although she was already unconscious from the crushing. Recovering, Nostume sealed everyone but himself and Kawagne behind a rock barrier and then caused boulders to fall from the top of the cave at his enemies.

    Alongside Delmurio, Conan carried Tetra to safety; as Tetra awakened, Delmurio revealed the map on his chest, which Tetra recognized as the other half of ther father's map.

(Conan the Barbarian I#174) - As Tetra, Conan, and Delmurio crossed Zingara, they were assaulted by a group of teenage (and younger) Western Zingaran warriors -- who had fled into the woods after their city had been slaughtered by Eastern Zingaran warriors aided by Aquilonian forces -- led by Santiar, rightful crown prince of Sadoria. Not wanting to fight back against children, Tetra was spirited away as Santiar's group fled with the approach of Aquilonian field marshall Barabbus and his men (Aquilonia held dominion over Sadoria). Once freed from restraints, Tetra prepared to fight with her sword, but Santiar calmed her.

    After spending some time together, Tetra was both sympathetic and attracted to Santiar, but Conan took her away before they could kiss, as he wanted to ensure he kept track of her map.

(Conan the Barbarian I#185 (fb) - BTS) - Tetra further fell for Conan, believing he was protecting her because he loved her.

(Conan the Barbarian I#174) - However, by the time they had returned to Sadoria, they found that Barabbus had had Santiar slain and his corpse pubicly hung up to inspire fear of him in the citizens. As Tetra collapsed in anguish, Conan and Delmurio began to route the Zingaran soldiers; when Barrabas tried to slay the despondent Tetra, the rest of Santiar's tribe rushed forward and slew him; rising, Tetra stood and watched Barrabas brutal death.

    As they left the city to the children, Tetra was pleased to hear them singing again after so long a time of sadness.

(Conan the Barbarian I#175 (fb) - BTS) - Still in Zingara, the trio traveled to the fishing village Cascan in hopes of gaining a boat or at least a ride down the river to Argos. Suspecting trouble as they approached a group of nearly a dozen fishermen unable to work due to the civil war, Delmurio had Tetra don a cloak and pose as an elderly crone.

(Conan the Barbarian I#175) - As the fishermen threatened Conan and Delmurio, Tetra slew a pair of them from behind and then joined her allies in finishing off the rest. In a Cascan tavern, Tetra cut off the hand of a man who tried to grope her when she asked about a boat, while Conan had also reverted to force when the fishermen refused to help. The fight was broken up when blind Bracca (actually the Scarlet Personage, who had presumably slain and impersonated Bracca during a recent boating trip) offered them a ride.

    Several days later, Conan took watch as Delmurio and Tetra slept.

(Conan the Barbarian I#175 - BTS) - Conan was metnally assaulted by the Scarlet Personage; overcoming these apparent illusions, Conan recognized "Bracca" as the Personage and cast him overboard.

(Conan the Barbarian I#175) - Tetra and Delmurio awakened as the waters rose into fierce waves following the Personage's entry.

(Conan the Barbarian I#176) - In Argos, Delumurio won a bet with Conan as Tetra took out ten Argossean merchant marines who laid hands on her in a tavern. When she pursued them, Conan grabbed her by the arm and told her that was enough; and when she argued that it was not and kicked him in the chest, he gave her a swift kick in the rear, knocking her down. Furious, she reached for her sword, but Conan advised her that before she did so she should ask herself if she was ready to die. Tetra angrily stormed off.

    The next day, Tetra tried to apologize, and she caressed Conan and kissed him on the cheek, but he told her not to apologize, to say anything she didn't mean, or to put her hand on her sword unless she was going to finish the job; as she stared at him longingly, he walked out and told her to grow up.

(Conan the Barbarian I#176 - BTS) - Checking out the galley of the corrupt Mitraic priest Feducio while trying to learn of an approaching black ship, Conan found his former ally Redondo apparently brainwashed/indoctrinated into serving Feducio as one of his "Free-Ends." Conan dragged Redondo out by force, brought him back to his room, bound him, and tried to break his conditioning.

(Conan the Barbarian I#176 (fb) - BTS) - Meanwhile, Tetra and Delmurio fruitlessly sought the black ship in the pouring rain, finding only mudslides and flooding everywhere, which Feducio was trying to credit as the wrath of the gods.

(Conan the Barbarian I#176) - Tetra and Delumurio returned to the room, where she untied Redondo (it's not clear why) as she wondered how people could believe such superstitious nonsense. Redondo caught her off guard by suddenly springing to his feet and stunning Conan with a hurled footstool. When Tetra tried to stop him by throwing a dagger at him, Delmurio tackled her to prevent her from needlessly killing Redondo, who escaped as a result.

(Conan the Barbarian I#176 - BTS) - Conan went after Redondo, but as he approached Feducio, the corrupt priest -- fearing Conan had broken his conditioning -- had one of his men slay Redondo with an arrow.

(Conan the Barbarian I#176) - Tetra and Delmurio arrived in time to watch Conan slay slay Feducio and his protectors, after which the trio was forced to flee the enraged mob.

(Conan the Barbarian I#185 (fb) - BTS) - With death seemingly approaching them, Conan's speaking Tetra's name led her to believe she loved him.

(Conan the Barbarian I#176) - However, when the rain abruptly ceased and the approaching black ship and its statue of Mitra became visible in the bright sunlight, the mob took this as a sign that Feducio had been misguided, and they rushed to worship...leaving the trio alone.

(Conan the Barbarian I#176 - BTS) - Meanwhile, Keiv -- who had mutated into a monstrous marsh creature by Nostume -- slew everyone within an Argossean trading post near the Aquilonian border while seeking information on Tetra, Delmurio, and Conan.

pathir-tetra-empowered

(Conan the Barbarian I#177) - Aboard the black ship, on her birthday, Tetra defended Conan for arguing with the ship's captain about continuing on their course rather than turning around, criticized Delmurio, and noted that she was frustrated by being marooned with a bunch of unwashed mariners. Delmurio told her he knew she was in love with Conan, but that Conan didn't love her and would leave her as he got his share of thre treasure; Tetra denied this and further insulted Delmurio, but further discussion was interrupted by the arrival of Keiv.

    The monstrous Keiv violently boarded the ship before offering to save Conan, after which they observed an youthful (but older) Nostume direct a sea serpent to shatter the black ship. Tetra and Nostume floated to a nearby island (the one they had sought) along with Keiv, only to overwhelmed by zombies under Nostume's control. They were brought into a castle by an adult Nostume and shown the Well of Souls, of which legend said that if one of pure heart plunged to its bottom they would enter the "other" world, where madness and evil reigned, and unrivaled, near limitless power would be theirs.

    After Nostume's ghouls forced Keiv and then Delmurio into the well, Nostume offered to spare Tetra in exchange for certain favors. Telling him she'd rather die, Tetra slashed Nostume's face with his dagger, leading Nostume to have his ghouls throw her in, as well.

    Having braced himself by spanning the well's walls with his immense form, Keiv caught Delmurio and Tetra as well.

(Conan the Barbarian I#177 - BTS) - As Keiv carried Tetra and Delmurio back up to the top of the well, Conan arrived and repeatedly slashed the wounded Nostume, who teleported away to save himself.

(Conan the Barbarian I#177) - Upon reaching the surface, Tetra told Conan how she had been afraid she would die without telling him she loved him; she kissed Conan, but he casually brushed her off, telling her to get hold of herself. Conan ignored Delmurio's repeating that Tetra loved him, apparently avoiding such feelings due to past experiences with Bêlit and Red Sonja.

    Overcome with pain at this rejection, Tetra stood by the Well and considered jumping in.

(Conan the Barbarian I#177 / Conan the Barbarian I#178 (fb) - BTS) - When an elderly Nostume returned, seeking vengeance, Tetra was sufficiently startled to fall into the Well.

(Conan the Barbarian I#177 - BTS) - As Tetra gained the Well's power, Nostume abruptly lost his power, allowing Conan to slay him.

(Conan the Barbarian I#177) - As Keiv and Conan, questioned where the power had gone, the castle crumbled, allowing them to see Tetra floating in the air, begging them to stop the power, which she felt was leading her to an agonizing death.

(Conan the Barbarian I#185 (fb) - BTS) - Tetra apparently perished, but the spirits of the Well of the Souls filled her form; affected by her memories and feelings, this collective sought Conan's love and continued to act as if it was still Tetra.

(Conan the Barbarian I#178 (fb)) - Keiv, Conan, and Delmurio were assaulted by Tetra's raging power; despite Conan's warnings that he could destroy them all, she followed him until the power suddenly left her (but not the pain), and she collapsed in agony. The power apparently transferred into a demonic wolf, who stalked her for her virtue/purity, to fulfill an ancient ritual consummating the new bond and making the corruption as complete as the transformation. Keiv advised Conan and Delmurio of this legend and advised they leave Tetra to the wolf, telling them that she had already died when she bridged the portal between worlds.

pathir-tetra-wolf

After Conan and Delmurio refused to accept this, Keiv stunned Conan with a casual swat and then departed, intending to swim to Argos. Delmurio offered Tetra to the wolf, but it chose to slay him first. Recovering, Conan savagely battled the wolf, seemingly slaying it. Maddened by agony, Tetra told Conan he should have let the wolf have her and asked Conan to end her agony; as Conan drew his sword, she told him she had always loved him, but the wolf attacked anew. Panged by guilt, Keiv returned in time to save Conan, after which he advised the wolf to take Tetra rather than face his and Conan's combined power. Though Conan rushed to stop it, the wolf grabbed Tetra, and the two vanished, the ritual consummated.

(Conan the Barbarian I#178 (fb) - BTS) - Tetra was doomed to wander the timestream for all eternity.

(Conan the Barbarian I#185 (fb) - BTS) - Seeing that Cona believed her to have died, Tetra decided that Conan should die.

(Conan the Barbarian I#178) - Considering death at the Picts' hands preferable to her current existence, Tetra traveled into the past to encounter a young Conan. After convincing him to let her sit by his fire, she related her tale (though neither spoke the other's language), and then prepared to slay him so that he wouldn't be around to save her from the Picts. When the boy Conan stood his ground and challenged her with his spear, an impressed Tetra -- realizing she was losing more of her soul to an "evil older than time itself" -- chose to leave him while she still could; and she walked into the woods and vanished.

(Conan the Barbarian I#185 (fb) - BTS) - Tetra traveled to the nebulous realm between space known as the Nest where -- for some reason known as Pathir -- she sought out Imhotep, the Ravager of Worlds, and sent him to Earth's past.

(Conan the Barbarian I#185 (fb) - BTS) - Tetra traveled "ten thousand years before <Conan's> birth" (see comments), where she confronted a Shemite nomad on the Turanian steppes. Glowing and floating on air, she told the nomad of the eventual coming of Imhotep the Ravager, which might mean the end of all that lived; she gave the nomad an amulet (the "Amulet of Pathir") that would be all that stood between whoever held it and death. Telling him the amulet was holy, she instructed him to share this legend with his descendents.

(Conan the Barbarian I#179 - BTS) - In Becharadur, a city on the western shore of the meadow region of Shem, an unidentified prophet gave the "Amulet of Pathir" to a thief Jamal who had saved him from a stoning at the hands of an unruly mob. Jamal was later slain by corrupt guards, but the amulet was found in his dead hands by Keiv, who gave it to Conan; and Conan used it to survive (and also protect Kevin from) the coming of Imhotep (the Ravager of Worlds) and his host, which utterly destroyed Becharadur.

(Conan the Barbarian I#180 (fb) - BTS) - Tetra ("a flame-tressed girl-child) was seen in the woods between Becharadur and El Shah Maddoc by agents of Renrutanit, "Queen of Witches."

(Conan the Barbarian I#180 - BTS) - Ren asked Conan about the "flame-tressed girl-child" who had been seen in her location.

(Conan the Barbarian I#180) - After the "Amulet of Pathir" again protected Conan and Keiv when Imhotep razed the region, Tetra appeared and caressed the head of her unconscious "love," telling him to rest well as she promised him he would need it. She then greeted the decapitated but still living Ren, taking her head and then taking charge of her daughters as the new Witch Queen of Shem, leading them toward El Shah Maddoc.

pathir-tetra-maddocsreign

(Conan the Barbarian I#185 (fb) - BTS) <Possibly immediately after she had given the amulet to the Shemite nomad> - Tetra traveled to roughly five years in the past of El Shah Maddoc, where she appeared in the midst of a major celebration of the completion of the massive tower known as Maddoc's Reign. Swatting aside his perhaps early-teens son, Maddoc II, as he tried to stop her, Tetra seized ruler Maddoc I and carried him up into and imprisoned him within the tower. As she did so, she taunted Maddoc II that he should dry his eyes as he was now the king.

(Conan the Barbarian I#181 (fb) - BTS) <Five years before the main story; according legend reported by Keiv> - Under a devil's blood-red moon, Tetra spirited El Shad Maddoc's ruler, Maddoc I, away from his bedchamber. It was rumored that Maddoc was imprisoned in his tower, Maddoc's Reign. No one who entered the tower was ever seen again.

(Conan the Barbarian I#181) - Conan briefly spotted Tetra at the top of the immense tower Maddoc's Reign in the city El Shah Maddoc.

(Conan the Barbarian I#181 - BTS) - Conan showed the Amulet of Pathir to Maddoc II and explained how it was all that could save his people from the coming threat of Imhotep. Seeking to either get rid of Conan or have him prove his worthiness of trust, Maddoc II sent Conan into Maddoc's Reign, from which he recovered Maddoc I. Conan was proclaimed the new warlord of El Shad Maddoc.

(Conan the Barbarian I#181) - Atop Maddoc's Reign, Tetra spoke to the daughters of Renrutanit, reminding them that their serving her orders complicitly kept Ren alive; she further noted her goal of destroying "he whom she loathed above all men" and that all was going according to plan.

(Conan the Barbarian I#182) - As Maddoc II considered a trap -- involving the nomadic M'Gai Kushite tribe -- he hoped would slay Conan (whom he saw as a threat), Tetra -- having apparently slain all of Maddoc II's guards -- greeted him in his bath and offered an alliance to slay Conan. When Maddoc arrogantly refused, Tetra summoned a tentacled creature into his bath that pulled his two female servants under. After Maddoc fled the bathwater, Tetra calmed its waters, although the women remained absent. She then assured Maddoc that Conan would survive his trap and return to slay him unless Maddoc allied with her; vanishing, she promised to return for his answer.
pathir-tetra-maddocii-throne

(Conan the Barbarian I#182 - BTS) - Conan's attackers fled as Imhotep approached.

(Conan the Barbarian I#183 - BTS) - Conan initially warded off Imhotep with the amulet of Pathir, but after Kollos, leader of the M'Gai, stole the amulet, Imhotep attacked Conan directly. Conan's second-in-command, Shapur, ultimately recovered the amulet and returned it to Conan, but not before Conan had defeated Imhotep without it. pathir-tetra-yellowrobe

When Imhotep grasped the amulet, it forged a link between he and Conan, and he communicated telepathically that Conan had earned his respect and that he was now Conan's slave.

(Conan the Barbarian I#183) - Meanwhile, Tetra confronted Maddoc II (alongside his enslaved prophetess and lover, Swan) in his library, telling him Conan had survived, setting afire his library of precious tomes, and telling him that she would be his slave in their joint efforts against Conan, after which she led him on a chase through his castle. She taunted Maddoc and his father as despots, used illusions to cause him to slay his own loyal guards, and ultimately forced him to accept servitude to her to stop her from slaying Swan; however, once Maddoc acquiesced, Tetra slew Swan anyway. She explained to Maddoc that she had killed Swan to prevent him from rebelling against her, and he kneeled, seemingly accepting his role as her slave.
She instructed him to meet her in the bedchamber in an hour, after bathing..."the only maggot I want near me is you."

(Conan the Barbarian I#184) - Tetra taunted Maddoc II with news of Conan's return, questioning his sanity and ultimately instructing him to leave Conan's fate to her.

(Conan the Barbarian I#184 - BTS) - Conan led his forced to storm Maddoc's castle, and Maddoc gave Conan an impressive challenge, sorely wounding him before being driven to fall to his death from a high palace window.

(Conan the Barbarian I#184) - Tetra confronted Conan, Keiv, and Imhotep, the latter of whom identified her as Pathir, after which she exploded the castle with a threat of killing them all. pathir-tetra-possessed-face

(Conan the Barbarian I#185) - As Tetra transported Conan into the air, away from the destroyed castle, Conan pulled his sword, which she casually destroyed as she noted that she was not the same silly girl he once knew. She then revealed her "recent" activities, including her time-traveling, and explained how she had done it all for him.

Explaining that all of her threats about bringing about his death were hollow, intended solely to gain his attention. Inviting him to stay with her and wander the Timestream forever, she offered him unlimited wealth and armies under his service, as well as power to conquer worlds, and anything and everything he could ever want.

Kissing her, Conan accepted, but only on his terms: returning to Maddoc's castle prior to its destruction and sparing his companions; and transforming Keiv back into a man; Tetra readily performed these actions. Conan's final requirement was that she give up her power: She argued that she would still be cursed to wander the timestream, but Conan noted that she would lack the means to destroy the lives of men. She asked Conan to take a sacred oath, and he told her that if she released her evil magics, he would love her forever.
pathir-tetra-blasting_conan

Tetra/Pathir then summoned a mighty wind, and power seared her flesh and buffeted her like a mighty wind, after which she collapsed to the ground. She asked Conan to hold her, which he did, telling her nothing would ever harm her again as he plunged his dagger into her back. Shocked and pained, she questioned his love, but Conan explained that he loved Tetra enough to despise the mockery the demon(s) -- the sum of the evil embodied by Nostume and/or found within the Well of Souls, which had taken over her form as she perished within the Well of Souls -- had made of her.

The collective demon/evil acknowledged Conan's assessment as accurate, explaining that her passionate love for Conan caused it to develop similar feelings when "they" took her form, and they had hoped to find love. Pathir then struck Conan with an eldritch bolt that smashed him against the wall, after which she unleashed massive roots against him. pathir-tetra-death

When Conan pursued her, sword in hand, the badly wounded Pathir took to the air and fled to the top of Maddoc's Reign, but Conan pursued her on foot and eventually confronted her. Wounded to some degree even worse by his words than his blade, Pathir was unaccustomed to such emotional agony; with nothing else to live for, she allowed Conan to plunge his sword into her chest, killing her. As she died, Maddoc's Reign collapsed as well, but Conan was saved by Imhotep, to whom Conan relinquished the Amulet of Pathir, allowing him and his brethren to return to the Nest.

Comments: Created by Jim Owsley, John Buscema, and Bob Camp.

She just wanted to be loved...was that so wrong?

It wasn't until Conan tore off the dress that she spotted the map? How long had she been wearing the same dress? I guess this was the Hyborian era, but you'd think she would have changed or bathed on an extended trip....
...maybe it was hidden between two layers, and it was only visible when the dress was ripped? Yeah, that's the ticket...

Conan was active around 10,000 BC, and ten thousand years before that would obviously be 20,000 BC. Shem is supposed to have formed more like 15,000 BC by nomads outside of Stygia (with Stygia having been founded by the East Folk driven out by the Lemurians); my specific information is that Shem dominated Stygia for 1500 years until being driven out by Koth following the fall of Acheron in 13,000 BC.

Possibly Tetra met with a man who was part of the people who would become the Shemites (presumably the East Folk), and the Amulet had such value that it was protected and both its physical nature and legend survived the Great Cataclym of 18,000?
Or possibly the deranged Tetra meant ten centuries rather than ten thousand years...or something like that?
It seems a bit more far-fetched that the warning of Tetra/Pathir lasted for then thousand years without any appearance of the Ravager of Worlds, but obviously it's still possible...

I placed the flashback in which she seized Maddoc I as after her taking control of Ren's witches I got the impression she has used them to trap Maddoc I (I recall reading that it seemed to have been a host of demons and/or witches that imprisoned him). If not, it at least occurs after she gave the Amulet to the Shemite nomad.

Jim Owlsey changed his name in 1993 to Christopher Priest, and he often goes solely by Priest. I've enjoyed his stuff under both names, but I was and am a huge fan of his Black Panther. Speaking of which, I'm really enjoying the current run.

Reality-86784 Maddoc's castle destroyed by Tetra/Pathir, apparently slaying Keiv and Imhotep. Conan the Barbarian I#184 (1986)

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Tetra/Pathir should be distinguished from:

TETHRA - Fomor, blue skin--Avengers I#225
TETRAGRAMATON - mystic entities, invoked in a spell , possibly referring to the Judeo-Christian God --[Dr. Strange II#45]
"TETRAMAM" of the Fire People of Earth-93060 - around the time of ancient Egypt, part of project to see if the surface world was ready to accept them. Serpentine tail, four breasts--Freex#17
TETRARCHS of ENTROPY (Hafga, Heml, Vug, Yod) - enigmatic extradimensional entities--[Avengers I#327], 329

"Timestream"

A mystic body of water that travels throughout all eternity and all infinity.

Falling to the bottom of the Well of Souls caused a person to be "trapped for all eternity to wander the timestream." The experience also rendered the being unaging and enabled him or her to leave that realm and travel to Earth or other dimensions in the past or future as desired. Additionally, arrival in the "other world" accessed via the bottom of the well exposed the traveler to collection of evil there, where madness and evil reigned. The evil collective corrupted and/or possessed the being arriving there; the spirit of the being arriving in the realm perished and was replaced by OR was completely corrupted by -- sources described it differently -- the evil therein.

Via the Well of Souls, Nostume was bonded to the Timestream.

Via the Well of Souls, Tetra was bonded to the Timestream.

(Conan the Barbarian I#185) - Tetra/Pathir brought Conan to the Timestream and tried to convince him to stay with her forever.

--(seen) Conan the Barbarian I#185; it was referenced earlier, and I'll sort that out when I do a profile on Nostume...

images: (without ads)
Conan the Barbarian I#172, pg. 7, panel 6 (timid);
            pg. 19, panel 4 (Kawagne at her mercy);
            last page, panel 1 (Tetra, full body, bikini);
            panel 2 (face, with map sewn into dress);
    #177, last page, last panel (empowered; possessed);
    #178, pg. 4 (agonized by power);
    pg. 21, panel 2 (grabbed by demon-wolf);
        last page, panel 2 (face);
    #181, pg. 5, panel 5 (atop Maddoc's Reign);
        pg. 9, panel 5 (Amulet of Pathir_;
    #182, pg. 9, panel 2 (releasing tentacled creature in Maddoc's bath);
    #183, last page, panel 2 (atop Maddoc's throne);
    #184, pg. 3, panel 5 (robe/gown);
    #185, pg. 4, panel 4 (timestream);
        pg. 19, panel 6 (glowing eyes);
        pg. 20, panel 1 (blasting Conan);
        pg. 22, panel 1 (death);

Appearances:
Conan the Barbarian I#172-174 (July-September, 1985) - Jim Owsley (writer), John Buscema (penciler), Bob Camp (inker), Larry Hama (editor)
Conan the Barbarian I#175 (October, 1985) - Jim Owsley (writer), John Buscema (penciler), Ernie Chan (inker), Larry Hama (editor)
Conan the Barbarian I#176 (November, 1985) - Jim Owsley (writer), John Buscema (penciler), Bob Camp (inker), Larry Hama (editor)
Conan the Barbarian I#177 (December, 1985) - Jim Owsley (writer), John Buscema (penciler), Pablo Marcos (inker), Larry Hama (editor)
Conan the Barbarian I#178 (January, 1986) - Jim Owsley (writer), John Buscema (penciler), Ernie Chan (inker), Larry Hama (editor)
Conan the Barbarian I#179-180 (February-March, 1986) - Jim Owsley (writer), John Buscema (penciler), Bob Camp (inker), Larry Hama (editor)
Conan the Barbarian I#181-185 (April-August, 1986) - Jim Owsley (writer), John Buscema (penciler), Ernie Chan (inker), Larry Hama (editor)

First Posted: 12/02/2017
Last updated: 12/02/2017

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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