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A confident young Cimmerian barbarian attempts to plunder an impenetrable, jewel-encrusted tower, only to encounter a trapped alien deity seeking a cosmic liberation. This sword-and-sorcery narrative tracks how the strange, sorcerous architecture of an urban temple becomes a lethal maze that transforms a simple theft into an act of supernatural justice.
When a low-born thief arrives in a lawless city tavern, he overhears seasoned criminals discussing a legendary diamond locked inside a secure fortress managed by a powerful high priest. The narrative opens within the smoky, dangerous interior of the Maul district, establishing an immediate conflict between the protagonist's primitive physical confidence and the sophisticated, lethal traps of the civilized city. This initial ambition sets the primary tension, matching Conan's determination to scale the glass-smooth walls of the tower against the presence of venomous guardians and elite rival thieves. Every subsequent step across the outer garden tests his survival against the sorcerous mechanisms of the shrine.
The middle chapters progress through a sequence of moonlit rooftops, silver towers, and silent interior chambers. A professional master thief, Taurus of Nemedia, joins the barbarian in the garden only to be immediately killed by giant, silent spiders, keeping the reader fully aligned with the immediate physical danger of the climb. The plot accelerates when Conan penetrates the central jade sanctuary, discovering a blind, green-skinned alien entity with the head of an elephant chained to a stone altar by the high priest, keeping the audience fully aligned with the unfolding cosmic horror. This crisis forces the barbarian to abandon his plan for theft, choosing instead to follow the creature's instructions to squeeze the heart's blood of the deity onto the priest's magical gems to break the spell of his captivity. Because the author holds back the true nature of the alien's cosmic history until the central interview, the audience experiences the structural tension of delayed information.
The drama concludes within the collapsing hall of the temple, where the high priest shrinks into a tiny gem before the entire tower shatters into dust under the morning light, leaving the barbarian to escape into the street without the treasure. With the alien deity successfully restored to the stars and the tyrant permanently eliminated by his own greed, the narrative resolves in a swift, silent return to the wilderness. The entire plot takes place within the strict architectural boundaries of the temple complex, using the steady ascent of the glass walls to sequence the supernatural encounter.
This short story is a masterclass in pulp adventure structure, cosmic fantasy, and the thematic contrast between primitive vitality and civilized corruption. The third-person narrator uses a deeply objective, intense vocabulary to document physical action and alien biology, forcing the audience to see how easily human institutions can be dismantled by ancient cosmic laws. The narrative engine relies on the physical presence of the chained entity, tracking how a single encounter can reshape the geopolitical balance of a city.
Howard’s architecture relies on smooth glass walls and iterative interior loops. By repeatedly placing his characters into a small, predictable cycle between the dark city alley, the silver balcony, and the jade chamber, he highlights their exposure to sorcerous traps. Every silent examination of a locked chest becomes a high-stakes arena where the thief uses steel and the structure uses magic to contest their survival without ever breaking the intense decorum of the pulp text.
I have known many gods. He who denies them is as blind as he who trusts them too deeply. I seek not beyond death. I know if I can live life to the full, it is enough. I know what I am. I am a barbarian.