The original Four Cimmerians: Mark Finn, Leo Grin, Steve Tompkins and Rob Roehm

“You are free to start whenever you want. No rules or regulations, just go for it. Any news items that crop up on the lists should be posted, as well as any new Howard projects or gossip. You can comment on your new REHupa, can muse a bit about some story or letter you’ve read recently, can review new books and products from others. Any other fantasy, Texan, or other related writers can be discussed, keeping in mind that Howard should at least ostensibly remain the focus of the blog.”

– Leo Grin, email, June 2006

Leo Grin set out the rules almost from the beginning. Though the Man from Cross Plains would remain “at least ostensibly” the focus, The Cimmerian web log was not only about Robert E. Howard. As early as the fourth post, signs of its broadening scope were appearing, and within its second year, it had truly become “A Website and Shieldwall for Robert E. Howard, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Best in Heroic Fantasy, Horror, and Historical Adventure.”

In June of 2006, The Cimmerian website grew from the base of operations for a Lone Ranger to the stronghold of Four Musketeers, with Rob Roehm, Steve Tompkins and Mark Finn joining the blog. Leo, Steve, Mark, and Rob were something of a “Dream Team” for a Howard website. All had been Howard fans for a long time, but were comparatively new to the scholarly field: Leo got into Howard scholarship in the late nineties, Steve and Mark were 2005 Venarium Award nominees (Mark himself winning), and Rob attained the 2006 Venarium Award.

When Deuce took over as Managing Editor in October 2009, one might get the impression that Leo simply left him to his devices. Not so — for a long time, Leo kept watch over the site, making sure everything was going according to plan. Deuce & Leo were in regular contact, so if Leo had any problems with how Deuce was running the site, he would let him know.

The final death of The Cimmerian cannot exclusively be attributed to Leo. Leo was the Once and Future King of The Cimmerian, of course, but Deuce was the castellan of the blog. Personal & financial issues were taking their toll on Deuce, and he realized that he could not give The Cimmerian the dedication it deserved. At the same time, Leo was becoming less interested in watching the blog, and was concerned about scholarly and editorial mistakes being made: mistakes that Deuce would normally not make.

Deuce had enough, and decided to contact Leo about his retirement as managing editor (tentatively scheduled for this September, at that point). When Leo brought up his own grievances, the two discussed the future of the blog: it was then that they both decided that there was no way to continue. None of the other bloggers could contribute the time & expertise in Deuce’s stead, and Leo was not interested in continuing to pay for hosting of the site nor staying in Howard fandom.

Thus started the preparations for The Cimmerian blog’s funeral pyre.