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  1. Reviewing the Situation: A Year on The Cimmerian Blog
    By Al Harron. Posted on 30-May-10. Filed in NEWS and EVENTS. Comments Off
    Well, it appears that’s that. Just a scant week ago, I was astonished to discover it had been exactly one year since my debut on The Cimmerian, and now it appears my first year will be my last on the site. Working at TC has been the time of my life. I followed the blog for [...]
  2. The Barbarians of Middle-earth: The Lossoth
    By Al Harron. Posted on 29-Mar-10. Filed in History and REH, Legendarium of JRRT, Motifs in REH's Work. Comments Off
    ‘In 1974 the power of Angmar rose again, and the Witch-king came down upon Arthedain before winter was ended. He captured Fornost, and drove most of the remaining Dúnedain over the Lune; among them were the sons of the king. But King Arvedui held out upon the North Downs until the last, and then fled [...]
  3. Hyborian Age Gazetteer: Khorala
    By Al Harron. Posted on 28-Mar-10. Filed in History and REH, Motifs in REH's Work, Pre-Cataclysmic & Hyborian Ages of REH. Comments Off
    “So you could steal from him the only thing he would never give you — the ring with the jewel men call the Star of Khorala — the star stolen from the queen of Ophir, who would pay a roomful of gold for its return.” –”The Man-Eaters of Zamboula” Like Kyros, Khorala is something of a mystery [...]
  4. Heroes of Dark Fantasy, Returning from the Aether…
    By Al Harron. Posted on 18-Nov-09. Filed in FANDOM, Pre-Cataclysmic & Hyborian Ages of REH. Comments Off
    I’m from a family of computer users: my uncle worked at the old IBM installation, and we all got a bit obsessed with technology. I was on the Net comparatively early compared to my classmates, probably about ‘95 or ‘96. Still, it wasn’t until ten years later or thereabouts that I discovered Dale Rippke’s “Heroes [...]
  5. The Barbarians of Middle-earth
    By Al Harron. Posted on 13-Nov-09. Filed in FANDOM, Legendarium of JRRT, TOLKIEN, J.R.R.. Comments Off
    There’s an unfortunate preconception about Tolkien and Middle-earth: that it’s a safe, twee, rustic fairyland, where all dangers are far away and not of too much concern to the pipe-smoking gentlemen enjoying their tea in the garden. I myself went through an anti-Tolkien period, which seems to be a rite of passage among certain fantasy [...]
  6. Hyborian Age Gazetteer: Kyros
    By Al Harron. Posted on 24-Oct-09. Filed in History and REH, Motifs in REH's Work, Pre-Cataclysmic & Hyborian Ages of REH. Comments Off
    “Yet here I sit and guzzle wine of Kyros.” –Conan to Tito regarding the drink he is enjoying, The Hour of the Dragon A peculiarity of the Conan pastiches is that a number of places which are not immediately tied to a particular country are generally placed in the Lands of Shem. Akbitana, Ghaza, Sabatea, and Kyros [...]
  7. Hyborian Age Gazetteer: Khitai, Part Three
    By Al Harron. Posted on 05-Sep-09. Filed in History and REH, Motifs in REH's Work, Pre-Cataclysmic & Hyborian Ages of REH. Comments Off
    So far, I’ve looked at the geography and ecology, followed by the religion and culture of Khitai. This final installment shall place trade and people on the slide, as I peer through the microscope to see what I can find. Before I do, however, I’d like to add an update on Age of Conan: Rise of [...]
  8. Hyborian Age Gazetteer: Khitai, Part Two
    By Al Harron. Posted on 29-Aug-09. Filed in History and REH, Motifs in REH's Work, Pre-Cataclysmic & Hyborian Ages of REH. Comments Off
    The geography and ecology of Khitai is fascinating in its own right, but it is not all we know or can extrapolate from Howard. This second week of my look at Khitai will go into detail regarding the religion and culture of the mysterious jungle nation. Religion “It was made from the black lotus, whose blossoms wave [...]
  9. Hyborian Age Gazetteer: Khitai, Part One
    By Al Harron. Posted on 22-Aug-09. Filed in History and REH, Motifs in REH's Work, Pre-Cataclysmic & Hyborian Ages of REH. Comments Off
    In the news this week, it was revealed that the expansion to the best-selling game based on the Hyborian setting would bring Khitai to the Age of Conan. Titled “Rise of the Godslayer,” the expansion seems ideal for the lucrative Chinese and Korean online gaming market–no doubt giving their Beijing office plenty to do. They [...]
  10. Hyborian Age Gazetteer: Sabatea
    By Al Harron. Posted on 08-Aug-09. Filed in History and REH, Motifs in REH's Work, Pre-Cataclysmic & Hyborian Ages of REH. Comments Off
    Something I’d been planning for a while was a series of posts based on one of the most enjoyable aspects of Howard’s Conan series for me. It’s often said, usually by detractors but sometimes by well-meaning fans, that Howard drew upon history as a quick and efficient way to form a sense of time-lost antiquity, [...]
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