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 brings rideable tigers and wolves, a storyline linked to “The Tower of the

Elephant,” and vast new lands set in one of the Hyborian Age’s more elusive and mysterious

kingdoms.

Then there are some rather odd additions. Those acquainted with World of Warcraft will no

doubt find the addition of giant tigers and wolves to the stables somewhat familiar, and

leave the rest of us scratching our heads and wondering when this turned into “Age of

Barsoom”

One could say that the lack of concrete information about Khitai would make it ideal for a

game, since it allows greater freedom of interpretation. As demonstrated in the first issue

of the Hyborian Gazetteer, with a bit of application and connections, one can easily flesh

out the character, history and culture of a nation. Since Khitai is mentioned not once, but

several times, this makes it even easier.

This gazetteer will, hopefully, serve as both a small guide to Khitai as Howard described,

and a look at what Funcom’s plans for the Blue East may entail.

Geography

———

“He was a magician from far Khitai, returning to his native kingdom after a journey to

Stygia. He took me with him to purple-towered Paikang, its minarets rising amid the vine-

festooned jungles of bamboo, and there I grew to womanhood under his teaching.

A Witch Shall Be Born

The major distinguishing feature of Khitan geography is jungle. There are no references to

any other type of terrain, so it likely takes up a substantial portion of the landscape. It

is for this, and other reasons, that Dale Rippke posited that the traditional placement of

Khitai on Hyborian maps on the area analogous to china is incorrect. Instead, Rippke

theorises that Khitai is mostly found in what is now the Indochinese peninsula: naturally

filled with jungles, swamps and rainforest, south of the Tropic of Cancer. This gives it a

latitude similar to Vendhya and the Black nations just south of Stygia. This is a more

satisfying interpretation to me: dense jungle terrain would be a natural deterrent to the

Hyrkanian hordes, without the need of a “Great Wall” to keep them at bay.

Rippke’s map marks Khitai as occupying the area now known as Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand

and Cambodia. As such, although the vast majority of China might be outside the “Khitan”

borders, the southernmost of modern China–Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi Zhuang, Sichuan,

Chongoing, Hunan and Guangdong–may well resemble the climate of ancient Khitai.

The only Khitan city mentioned by Howad is Paikang, a metropolis of purple towers and

minarets in stark contrast to the sea of green bamboo surrounding it. The name is, obviously,

highly reminiscent of Peking, the English term for Beijing: a city steeped in history.

Flora & Fauna

————-

“He brought me up from the lost jungles of Khitai where the gray apes danced to the pipes of

the yellow priests, and offerings of fruit and wine heaped my broken altars.”

-The Tower of the Elephant

Khitai is home to one of the most quintessentially Howardian beasts, the Gray Ape. Conan has

faced at least two of these beasts, in “Iron Shadows in the Moon” and The Hour of the Dragon

respectively: a closer study of these fascinating animals could make a full article in

themselves. Although the two individuals Conan encounters are highly aggressive, it’s

possible that this is a result of misplacement and mistreatment, and that they are more

docile in their natural habitat. In an interesting precedent of Howard predicting

palaeontological discoveries, there is prehistoric precedent for gigantic apes in Asia: ten-

foot tall Gigantopithecus, the largest ape yet discovered, roamed what is now India, China

and Vietnam in the Pleistocene.

Khitai is home to some unusual flora, the most infamous of which is the Black Lotus. The

Black Lotus is used in a variety of circumstances: the pollen induces visions of the past,

the juice is deadly, and the dust is used to commune with dark forces. Although Taurus claims

that the Black Lotus grows only in the jungles of Khitai, there are examples of it being

found growing in other climes: blossoms grow in the jungle alongside the Zarkheba river, in

dark pits of Xuthal, and even in the unnatural light of Xuchotl. It is possible Taurus is

mistaken, and that he simply has not heard of Black Lotuses growing outside Khitai, but it

seems hard to imagine the Prince of Thieves to be so ignorant of such a matter. A more likely

explanation is that the Black Lotus has been exported to those places from outside Khitai,

either with the Proto-Stygian migrations and the subsequent foundations of Xuthal and

Tlazitlan Xuchotl, or on a regular basis via the caravan routes.

The Living Tree of Death is rather more mysterious. The only thing known of this tree is that

the four Khitan exiles of “The Hour of the Dragon” possess “long, curiously mottled” staffs

which are cut from it, and possess unusual qualities. A single strike from the staff in the

Khitan sorcerers’ hands results in instant death, turning the bones gelid and flabby. They

can also be used to divine knowledge when used to trace symbols in the sand. They have the

uncanny suggestion of a life of their own, and even appear to writh slightly in their

bearer’s hands. All this suggests that the Living Tree of Death is some monstrous, terrible-

-possibly even sentient–tree, perhaps linked to the malevolent, intelligent oak which

accosts Kull on his road to the coast.

Religion

——–

There are three deities mentioned by Robert E. Howard present in Khitai: Yun, Yogah, and

Ishtar.

Yogah, also known as Yag-Kosha, is an extraterrestrial being from the planet Yag, who was

exiled from his home by its kings. When he was the last remaining of the outcasts, Yogah

dwelt in Khitai, worshipped by the locals. Since Yogah imparted white magic to Yara, it is

logical that he did this with the Khitans also, resulting in him being deified as a god of

knowledge, wisdom and magic. These folk may be the same priests who charm gray apes, and

induce them to dance to their pipes. Quite why or how they can do this is unclear: presumably

it is part of their mysterious rites, perhaps taught to them by Yogah himself.

It isn’t clear how the Khitans reacted to Yara’s kidnapping of Yogah: one would assume that

they would be dismayed at this act of iconoclasm, but even with Yogah’s white magic, they may

have been unable to stop Yara with both his own dark powers and those of the enslaved,

unwilling Yogah against them.

The other major Khitan deity is Yun. Little is known of his nature, save that of his

worshippers. Priests of Yun are known to shave their heads, and dwell in the lost jungles of

Khitai. It is possible that the Priests of Yun and the worshippers of Yogah are one and the

same, and that Yun is Yogah/Yag-Kosha himself: both the gods and the worshippers are located

in “lost jungles” and are described as “yellow-skulled”–which could be synonymous with

shaven headed. Another possibility is that Yun is a separate being from Yag, but also a

benevolent deity. Howard used the name “Yun” in many of his modern stories: Yun Shatu, Yun

Kang, Yun Chei, Yun Lai Kao. The name translates to “cloud” in Chinese, which has relatively

friendly and benign connotations.

However, another possibility is that the two are different deities, and that Yun is more

sinister in nature. The priests of Yun are explicitly associated with the black lotus–no

good ever comes of that hellish bloom. Similarly, the four exiles of The Hour of the Dragon

are very different in temperament from the friendly, kindly Khitans Yogah spoke of, and they

too are found “starving in the jungles” as exiles of their kingdom–likely a result of

falling afoul of powerful foes. However, there’s no indication that the four outcasts are Yun

worshippers. I can see a case for and against both interpretations of Yun.

There is a third named deity associated with Khitai, and it is a surprising one. In “Marchers

of Valhalla,” we learn that Ishtar–a goddess more associated with the Shemites than with the

Khitans–lived in Khitai for a space:

“Then Poseidon wearied of Lemuria and of Atlantis. He rose and shook his foaming mane, and

his white steeds raced over the alls and the spires and the crimson towers. But he lifted me

gently on his bosom and bore me to a far land, where for many centuries I dwelt among a

strange and kindly race.

“Then in an evil day I went upon a galley from distant Khitai, and in a hurricane it sank off

this accursed coast.”

“Marchers of Valhalla”

This certainly puts a new spin on the development of Ishtar worship. It seems likely that

Ishtar worship was exported east, perhaps in the wake of the Proto-Stygians. Eventually the

Zhemri/Sons of Shem discover Ishtar, and adopt her into their pantheon. By Conan’s time,

Ishtar is second only to Mitra in the western Hyborian nations, being sworn by Zingarans,

Ophireans, Kothians and others. Since Ishtar is one and the same with the Ishtar of the

Assyrians–as well as Ashtoreth, Derketo, Isis, Astarte, Freya, Aphrodite and venus,

associations noted by Joseph Campbell and Donald A. Mackenzie–it follows that the similar

goddesses of the Hyborian Age are also faces of Ishtar. This is an intriguing parallel with

another, darker deity in Howardian cosmology: the Black Master, also known as Sathanas,

Beelzebub, Apolleon, Ahriman and Malik Tous. Perhaps she survives into later Chinese

mythology as a Khitan ancestor of Mazu, the goddess of the sea, or Nüwa the creator-goddess.

Apart from Yun, Yogah and Ishtar, there are an indeterminate number of other Khitan deities,

whose appearance is alien and perverse to a western Hyborian mind. None of these are named,

though it can be presumed that they are of lesser importance than the three named deities.

Culture

——-

It’s pretty obvious that Howard intended Khitai to resemble China: Khitan is the root word

for Catai, and anglicized as Cathay, an archaic synonym for China. The Khitans were a

significant ethnos of ancient and medieval Asia, giving rise to the Kara-Khitan Khanate, and

are mentioned in Howard’s historical adventure “Red Blades of Black Cathay.”

Khitan music appears to be dominated by bells, chimes and pipes. Khitan temple bells in

particular are noted for their powerful, somber tones. Khitan chimes are rich and vibrant,

and very appealing to hear. While bells and pipes are used in religious ceremonies, it’s

likely that they are also played for entertainment and other activities. It is possible that

these instruments were analogues of the traditional Bianzhong (bronze bells) and bianqing

(stone chimes) of ancient China. The pipes which charmed the Gray Apes may have been a

Hulusi, Sheng, Lusheng, or any of a great variety of Chinese wind instruments.

Khitan’s art is probably centred around jade and silks. Since Jade is a major export of

Khitai, it follows that jade is used much in the home country: in architecture, jewelry,

talismans, ornamentation, perhaps even burial suits like those made during the Han Dynasty.

The believed medicinal and magical qualities of Jade would also make it a highly prized

medicine or ingredient for magic. Considering the unusual bountifulness of silk in the

Hyborian Age–where Stygian and Hyrkanian peasants were silk–indicates that even then,

Khitan silk was of high value. If the boast of Khitan silk being indestructible has some

truth in it, then it would be highly prized for its longevity and quality.

Khitai appears to be one of the major proponents of sorcery and magical studies. This is not

surprising, considering Khitai was the original home of the proto-Stygians, and that the

Vendhyan Hadrathus considers the wizards of the east to be greater than those of the west.

Western sorcerers such as the Zamorian Yara and the Nemedian Orastes have travelled there,

and at least one Khitan sorcerer travelled to Stygia, showing that the fraternity of

sorcerers is universally inclusive. It is likely that sorcerers from other nations such as

Vendhya also travel to Khitai for learning. Given that the dangerous and exotic nature of the

many Lotus variants used by sorcerers and thieves is primarily found in Khitai, it is logical

that this is one of the major reasons the nation is a centre of such arts.

Trade

—–

“I’ve looted enough from the Khitan caravans to know what I’m talking about,” he asserted.

“That’s jade!”

Red Nails

There is evidence of Khitai being a fairly open and approachable nation when it comes to

international trade. Caravans carrying distinctive Khitan jade and Khitan silk rugs are found

regularly traversing the eastern desert routes, and an be found as far west as the deserts

around Khauran and the jungles south of Stygia. Conan himself has looted many such caravans,

presumably during his days as a Zuagir, Afghuli or Kozak bandit.

In addition to caravans, Khitai may well have command of a trading fleet. The galley which

bore Ishtar sank in what is now Texas: its final destination must have been even further.

This is an incredible distance for a galley to travel, something only able and confident

sailors could accomplish. It is unclear exactly when in the Hyborian Age “Marchers of

Valhalla” takes place, but whenever that voyage took place, it suggests Khitai was a strong

presence in the Eastern Ocean throughout.

A third Khitan export is more exclusive, and likely not to be traded among the common market

stalls: Black Lotus. The dust of the Black Lotus has been seen as far apart as the Castle of

Yimsha and Belverus, to the Thief-City of Zamora and Stygia, suggesting this to be a trade

commodity to the sorcerously minded. There may also be gardens of the blossom on a sorcerer’s

grounds, with seeds or whole plants carefully transported from the Khitan jungles, and

nurtured as a source of magical ingredients.

People

——

“Valerius summoned before him four men of curious and alen aspect. They were tall, gaunt, of

yellowish skin, and immobile countenances. They were very similar in appearance, clad alike

in long black robes beneath which their sandaled feet were just visible. Their features were

shadowed by their hoods. They stood before Valerius with their hands in their wide sleeves.”

Like the Hyrkanians, the Khitans are Lemurian diaspora, likely to have been enslaved by the

proto-Stygians.

According to The Tower of the Elephant, Yogah considered the people of Khitai to be “kindly

jungle-folk”. This matches the description of the race Ishtar dwelt among in “Marchers of

Valhalla,” who were “strange and kindly.” The contrast between these alluded Khitans and

those we meet in The Hour of the Dragon is intriguing: while they may look similar, they are

much more sinister in aspect and demeanour.

Khitai also seems to be fairly hospitable to foreigners: Conan visited Khitai at an undefined

point in his life, as did the Aquilonian nobleman Valerius: Belesa even considered making a

new life for herself and Tina in Khitai. While far away from her homeland, Khitai seems

civilized and welcoming enough to Belesa for her to consider it her new home.