satyne-hyborian-set-confrontsatyne-hyborian-setSATYNE

Real Name: Satyne

Identity/Class: Human magic-user; Hyborian era;
    Stygian

Occupation: Priestess and agent of Set,

Group Membership: Priests of Set,

Affiliations: Dark Agnes (Agnes de Chastillon), James Allison, Conan of Cimmeria, Solomon Kane, Khonshu, Moon Knight (Marc Spector), Niord, people of Tezunar, Set

Enemies: Wyrm;
    formerly Dark Agnes,
James Allison, Conan of Cimmeria, Solomon Kane, Moon Knight

Known Relatives: Unspecified family members / ancestors

Aliases: "Great Satyne" (by a patient she blessed);
    "my child," "my loyal servant" (by Set);
    "witch" (from Conan and Dark Agnes); "snake-woman" (from Solomon Kane)

Base of Operations: Tezunar, Stygia

First Appearance: Conan: Serpent War#2 (February, 2020)

Powers/Abilities: A priestess of Set, Satyne had unspecified training, expertise, and knowledge of Set and his worship, religion, etc.

    She possessed one of a pair of bracelets imbued with some of Set's power.

    Satyne may or may not have had any mystical abilities on her own. satyne-hyborian-set-csw3-assault

    She was briefly empowered by Set, enabling her to control (perhaps magically-enhanced) snake(s). She could also suck these snakes' venom out from the wound, long after a person had been bitten (see comments).
    She could transport herself and others to an astral plane in which they could confront gods and demons.
    She had unspecified abilities to oppose the power of Set's enemies.
    However, these energies were too much for her body to handle, and they proved to be fatal to her.

    She cared for the sick, offering them blessings, at least; she likely had some knowledge of the medicine in use at the time. 

    She enjoyed spending time with children and teaching them of the ways of her religion.satyne-hyborian-set-tears

Height: Unrevealed (she does not short standing around the 6'5"-ish Conan and the 6'2" Moon Knight, so perhaps 5'9" or taller)
Weight: Unrevealed (perhaps 135 lbs.)
Eyes: Green (or perhaps brown); solid white while first communing with Set; large green irides with irregular margins and snake-like slit pupils in god-empowered form
Hair: Black or dark brown

History:
(
Conan: Serpent War#2 (fb) - BTS) - Satyne's family held a Set-empowered bracelet, cherishing it.

(Conan: Serpent War#2 (fb) - BTS) - Set blessed the people of Tezunar many times over the years. 

(Conan: Serpent War#2 (fb) - BTS) - The Wyrm, an ancient foe of Set, manipulated Conan the Barbarian, Dark Agnes, Solomon Kane, and Moon Knight to oppose Set, weakening his power. Concealing its true nature, in 1936 A.D.,  the Wyrm influenced the infirm James Allison, a reincarnation of the ancient warrior Niord who had defeated the Wyrm in ages past. 

    The Wyrm had Allison send Dark Agnes back through time from France circa 1522 A.D. to the Hyborian era where she joined forces with Conan, while Moon Knight was brought back to England circa 1584 A.D. to join forces with Kane.

satyne-hyborian-set-commune(Conan: Serpent War#2) - A priestess of the serpentine Elder God, Set, Satyne, blessed injured/wounded patients in this life and the next, while noting that she was not "great," but merely a servant, just like them. 

    She told young children that good fortune would find them "by the cane, by the coil, and by the cowl," causing them to cheer with joy. 

    She subsequently prayed to Set, "god of the endless coil, lord of the blessed lands, under the sun and moon," asking him to purify her soul and keep her safe.

    Set then apparently appeared to Satyne, telling her that a pair of warriors had been sent to take the bracelet and shatter its power. Asking for repayment of the debt of his blessings, Set told her that the relic must be protected at all costs, body or soul. 

    Her eyes turned opaque white during the communication, Satyne bowed her head and vowed that it would be done.satyne-hyborian-set-csw3-ambush

(Conan: Serpent War#3 - BTS) - Following a trail of destroying beings and items of power associated with Set, Conan and Agnes eventually came to Tezunar, seeking the bracelet (twin to a bracelet in 16th century Turin, Italy) imbued with a portion of Set's power. 

(Conan: Serpent War#3) - As Conan and Agnes entered the temple, they were confronted by the waiting followers of Set, led by Satyne, who proclaimed, "Slay the infidels in the name of the Great Serpent!

    Conan and Agnes swiftly overcame the warriors, and Conan advised Satyne to hand over the bracelet she wore, so that she could keep every limb she had been born with. 

    Introducing herself and vowing on her life that he would not have the bracelet, Satyne ignored Conan's bravado, and she instead sent forth a serpent that bit him in the forearm, delivering an apparently lethal dose of (likely magically-enhanced) venom. 

satyne-hyborian-set-csw3-fuller    Satyne then told Set that the barbarian lay dying and she would sacrifice him to her glory, but Set told her, "Not yet, loyal servant..."

(Conan: Serpent War#3 - BTS) - Throwing off the Wyrm's influence, James Allison convinced Moon Knight to don the other bracelet, and Moon Knight joined Conan in an astral realm where Set -- engaged in battle with Khonshu -- welcomed Moon Knight to "the true war."

(Conan: Serpent War#4 (fb) - BTS) - Set instructed Satyne to revive Conan.

(Conan: Serpent War#4 - BTS) - While Khonshu and Set both acknowledged that they faced a far greater foe than each other, Khonshu crushed the diminished Set in his hand, noting that what remained of the great serpent's power would be used to mount their defense. 

    Khonshu then sent Moon Knight to Stygia to act as his avatar on the physical plane while Khonshu would attempt to unravel the Wyrm's spirit.

(Conan: Serpent War#4) - Dark Agnes threatened Satyne to stay away from Conan, but Satyne informed her that she was the only one who could save him from the venom coursing through his veins. She further explained that Set had told her to revive Conan, and she offered that if she failed, Agnes could cut her down. satyne-hyborian-set-csw4-venomsuck

    Noting that the poison was strong but so was Conan, Satyne sucked the venom back through the bite wound, causing green strikes to spread across her cheeks and a dark tear to shed from her eye, and then she cried out in agony while spitting out the venom. 

    As Conan revived, Satyne welcomed him back to the land of the living, as he had been felled and freed by the great serpent. Although acknowledging that he had been dead for a time, Conan told her that she could believe what she would, but that he knew the truth about her fanged god.

    Satyne then asked Agnes and Conan if they could feel the power in the air? "The gods call to us, and we must answer." Via her bracelet, Satyne transported herself, Conan, and Agnes to an astral realm where they were met by Solomon Kane and Moon Knight, who told them that the great serpent spoke to her under the light of the resplendent moon (representing Khonshu) and that she relayed their message. satyne-hyborian-set-csw4-snakeeyes

    Satyne told the warriors that they had all been brought there to face the Wyrm, which threatened all existence. She shared how in every reality, across all time, Set and the Wyrm engaged in a cosmic rivalry, an endless battle for dominance, and that all of them had been pawns in their power. 

    Although Kane raised his pistol and suggested they eliminate both threats, starting with Satyne, Moon Knight stopped them, noting that James Allison had been manipulated by the Wyrm to guide them to weaken Set so that the Wyrm could gain a foothold to invade their reality. 

    Confirming this, Satyne further noted that if left unchecked, the Wyrm's influence would overwhelm all other gods and energies, and its kingdom would lead to unfettered madness and decay; she further noted that the gods would bless them if they fought the Wyrm back beyond the veil.

    While Conan and Agnes countered that they had no need for blessings from her gods or monsters, all four warriors agreed to fight: Conan said, "Show me the foe. If it bleeds, I'll kill it.

    Satyne then told the warriors to steel their souls and ready their weapons...but her next words were drowned out by the raging storm and screeching cry of the immense Wyrm. 

    As Satyne knelt and presumably invoked whatever magic she could, the four warriors engaged the Wyrm, attacking it with sword and bullet, and fist and faith. 

    Khonshu then granted to Moon Knight the power of "a piece of the moon that is and every moon that shall ever be" and told him to use it to strike the Wyrm. 

    At the same time, James Allison used his powers, the power of words and the spirit of ancient Niord to drive back the Wyrm as it struggled to enter the physical world. 

(Conan: Serpent War#4 (fb) - BTS) - Satyne's mortal flesh could not contain the godly energies it had been given, which devastated her body as well as the temple of Set and the town and people of Tezunar. satyne-hyborian-set-csw4-ravaged

    With the Wyrm's banishment, Conan and Satyne returned to her temple, while Agnes, Kane, and Moon Knight were returned to their own times and places.satyne-hyborian-set-csw4-dying

(Conan: Serpent War#4) - As Conan pulled himself from the wreckage, the gravely injured Satyne called to him, and as he uncovered her, she explained that the others had been sent back to their rightful places, while her form had been unable to contain the godhood's power. 

    Acknowledging the loss of her village and her life, she considered it a worthy sacrifice to her lord. When Conan called her a misguided fool, she asked if there was not anyone he prayed to, no god to give him comfort. Conan shared how he wished to avoid any involvement with his god, Crom, and told her that she was a deluded zealot who had served an evil snake but now served only empty air. Satyne reminded Conan that Set had given him visions of his glory and saved his life, but Conan insisted that the Moon God had brought him back after slaying her god.

    With her apparent dying breath, Satyne told Conan that he lied: "Set is eternal." Conan told her that she would find out soon enough.

(Conan: Serpent War#4 - BTS) - Knowing that Set was necessary to prevent the Wyrm's regaining a foothold in their reality, Khonshu released Set.

Comments: Created by Jim Zub and Stephen Segovia. 

    This story was a sequel to the Robert E. Howard short story, "The Valley of the Worm" (in Weird Tales, February, 1934); Supernatural Thrillers#3 (April, 1973) (Marvel appearance)

    In case you're not aware, Stygia was something of a precursor to Egypt. Some of Set's worshippers were later usurped by the Heliopolitan/Egyptian god Seth. 

    While it was commonly shown in movies, etc., in the real world, you cannot effectively drain venom from a snake bite by sucking on the wound; however, the sucker might get some venom and harm himself or herself. However, comics are not the real world (WHAT?), and there was magic involved here. 

    This profile was completed 7/28/2021, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20th anniversary 's celebratory event.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Satyne
should be distinguished from:



images
: (without ads)

Conan: Serpent War#2, pg. 1, panel 1 (walking through village);
            panel 3 (with children);
        pg. 2 (visited by Set);
        pg. 3, panel 5 (eyes white)
    #3, pg. 15, panel 1 (with army, confronting Conan and Agnes);
        pg. 17, panel 2 (snake-eyes, extending serpent);
    #4, pg. 8, panel 4 (sucking out poison);
        pg. 11, panel 2 (face, close, snake-eyes);
        pg. 21, panel 2 (ravaged form; profile);
        pg. 22, panel 4 (death)

Appearances:

Conan: Serpent War#2 (February, 2020) - Jim Zub (writer), Stephen Segovia (artist), Martin Biro (assistant editor), Mark Basso (editor), Ralph Macchio (consulting editor)
Conan: Serpent War#3 (March, 2020) - Jim Zub (writer), Luca Pizzari (artist), Martin Biro (assistant editor), Mark Basso (editor), Ralph Macchio (consulting editor)
Conan: Serpent War#4 (April, 2020) - Jim Zub (writer), Ig Guara (artist), Martin Biro (assistant editor), Mark Basso (editor), Ralph Macchio (consulting editor)


First posted09/05/2021
Last updated: 09/04/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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