Basic Lore

The following is meant as an introduction to Age of Conan lore and not a detailed guide. You will find essential information on the world's geography, little bits of history and different races and cultures in the world. For more detailed, advanced lore, scroll down and check out the links provided there. Note: where I use term like maybe, possibly or it would seem, it's usually to indicate that the following is guesswork based on the data we have. Unfortunately, data regarding everyday lives of people of Hyboria isn't very rich, so we have to make do with what we have.

A short FAQ

To answer a few common questions that aren't really covered in the general lore description

Q: I want to read some of the Conan books, but there's so many! Where to start?
A: The original stories were written by Robert E. Howard and they are without question the best ones. Several other writers wrote more stories set in that world later on and opinions about them are mixed, so it's best to start with the source. For starters I'd recommend two short novels, The Phoenix on the Sword and The Tower of the Elephant. The Hour of the Dragon is a longer and excellent novel and well worth a read. Give them a try and, first of all, give yourself the time to get used to Howard's style He once stated his Conan stories should be taken as old tales told by a campfire and that is a very good approach.
Recently an excellent centenary edition of Howard's [and some completed by de Camp] Conan stories was released, to coincide with 100th anniversary of the author's birth. It has all the 29 original tales are included and is called The Complete Chronicles of Conan - highly recommended.

Q: Is the movie Conan the Barbarian worth watching?
A: As a source of lore? No, not at all. It gives a rough general feel of Cimmerians and of the brutal Hyborian world, but there is very little of actual information there and the bit about a 'Riddle of Steel' is an invention of the film makers. I love it anyway, as do many others, just don't think it's a required watch.

Q: Is the Howard's world really *that* brutal?
A: Yes and no. Yes, there are frequent wars and skirmishes and there are many people that simply take what they will by force. Bandits are commonplace and there is always a need for mercenaries. No, that doesn't mean that killing any random person is considered normal. The world is much civilised in some places, and even in various border regions sociopath murderers are not an everyday thing, whatever some people may claim.

Q: I'd like to RP a vampire! Or a daemon! Can I?
A: Best not. Hyboria is what we call low-fantasy. Mystical beasts of all persuasions are more of an exception than of a norm, and your opponents would most often be other men and commonplace [if oversized] animals. While such beings *do* exists in the lore, they are almost universally incredibly powerful, ancient, inhuman and twisted in their evil. It's certainly possibly to RP such being effectively, but it won't be easy. Vampires and Werewolves will be easiest of the crowd, and the ones with the most solid setting in the lore.

Q: What about slavery? Which races keep slaves and which do not?
A: It would seem that most of the nations of the world keep slaves in one form or another, which makes sense seeing how the ancient world is a clear inspiration of Hyborian Age. The Nordheimers, particularly Vanir, are known to raid other nations frequently to acquire captives. Most countries south and east of Aquilonia seem to keep large numbers of slaves; in particular Stygia has a large slave caste. In one of the Conan stories, The Phoenix on the Sword Toth-Amon is in fact a powerless slave in Aquilonia, so it's safe to assume that slavery is legal in that country - though it doesn't seem to be widespread. The only nation that is specifically mentioned not to keep slaves is Gunderland, but we may assume Cimmerians keep none, too - their resources are scarce and they have no farming or industry to use them in. It is possible they sometimes take captives for random or to replenish the bloodlines in dwindling clans, but there is no evidence of that.

Q: What technology level is Hyboria at?
A: Most civilized kingdoms seem to be a mix of ancient and medieval cultures, featuring aqueducts in Aquilonia, sprawling architecture, crossbows and ballistae. The ships seem to me typical galley-like vessels. Cimmeria and Nordheim seem to be in early Dark Ages, with some regions - Pictish Wilderness for instance - stuck in Iron Age. It is fair to say that the cultures of the West are fairly advanced.

Q: I see a Stygian! Should I kill him like the dog he is?
A: There is a lot of hostility towards Stygians around: from Aquilonians because of their worship of Set, and from Cimmerians because of their use of black magic. However, and this is important, it is impossible to say if somebody is a Stygian just by looking at them. Yes, it is in the game world because we have only three playable races, but lore-wise it would be much more likely to meet a Kushite or a Shemite than a Stygian - especially the latter, as they commonly hire themselves out as mercenaries. These are just two common examples; a lot of nations have a skin colour similar to Stygian one.
It is not clear if Cimmerians would actually know about the far southern nations like Stygia, Kush and so on because of their lack of interest in outside world.

Q: How do different races view magic?
A: Certainly both Aquilonians and Cimmerians would be extremely distrustful towards any mages. It's not clear about Aquilonia, but any mage in Cimmeria has to expect violent treatment at one point or another - it may be that fear drives the barbarians' anger towards the dark arts.

Important note: If you are a Cimmerian visiting Stygia, especially the famed Serpent's Head Inn, keep a low profile! Insulting Stygian nobles, attacking the citizens, unwelcome advances toward local women and boasting of killing snakes and the like is *not* in keeping with the lore. While the game has no mechanism to reflect that, it would very likely result in a trip to one of Stygian sacrificial pits. Have fun, but remember you are a foreigner in, at times, extremely hostile country.

The Hyborian World

You probably noticed by now that Hyboria and its people are somewhat similar to both historical cultures and our modern-day geography. That is because Hyboria, while fictitious, is supposed to be a historical period before any known civilisation, lost because of great cataclysms that destroyed it.

Maps

The default AoC map, while functional for the game's purposes, is pretty limited and not at as detailed as we might want. Here's a few more maps of the *full* world:

A beautiful, full-sized map of the world

An even bigger, detailed map of Hyboria, if not so pretty

A map showing spread of different cultures around the world

A detailed map of Cimmeria from Conan comic books

A map of Hyboria superimposed over a modern map of Europe

History

About 17.500 to 15.000 years BC a great Cataclysm shook the world, sinking the isles of Atlantis and Lemuria and forever changing the world's landscape. Old empires were shaken and destroyed, and new kingdoms forged. The dominant race of the time are Hyborians - hence Hyborian Age - a race of savages from the very north of the world, that with time migrated south, conquering and destroying small tribes found on the way there. As they settled in the fertile West, with centuries and millennia they formed into separate kingdoms: Aquilonia, Nemedia, Brythunia, Hyperborea, Koth, Ophir, Argos, Corinthia and the Border Kingdom.

Age of Conan takes place about 10.000 BC, about 500 years before the Picts and Hyrkanians rise to destroy the Aquilonian Empire, stopped only by the push of Cimmerians and Nordheimers from the north. Also about 9.500 BC another great Cataclysm is to take part, eventually leading to forming of the world as we know it.

Countries and races

Cimmerians

Cimmerians are the usually dark-haired, blue-eyed descendants of Atlanteans occupying the rocky and hostile lands between Nordheim and the southern Hyborian kingdoms. Once, in the days of Atlantis, the greatest civilisation of the world, Atlanteans devolved into ape-man-like savages after the great Cataclysm, crawling back to a semi-civilized state only many centuries later. The harsh land and constant battles with Nordheimers - particularly Vanir - and their most hated enemy the Picts made them into a tall, powerful race, bred for battle and taught to fight from their earliest years.

They are not a civilized people, instead being a mix between late Iron Age and early Dark Age cultures. Cimmerians are gloomy, serious, unsmiling people for the most - showing no weakness and no mercy for their enemies. While powerful warriors are encouraged to gather wealth and trophies to show their strength and ability, qualities like honour, courage and martial prowess are far more valued than earthly possessions.

Cimmerians do not have any qualms about raiding their neighbours, particularly the well populated southern lands of the Vanir and Aquilonia to the south. Such expeditions are not their way of life as with some races, though, and are in most cases something undertaken in lean times.

Treachery and cowardice are despised, as is pure greed. It is said that none in a village starve unless all starve, since no Cimmerian would allow another to suffer without sharing with him. While wars between different clans seem to happen regularly, there doesn't seem to ever be an effort to unite Cimmeria by force. The only instance of Cimmerians uniting can be seen during the Gunderland invasion [need more info on this].

There are conflicting views on the landscape of Cimmeria. The in-game quote displayed upon entering Connall's Valley says it is a treeless land, but the actual in-game representation *does* feature trees. Also, many books and comic book maps indicate that there are widespread forests in Cimmeria, and some sources even list timber as one of the trade resources of the land, amongst animal hides and iron.

Cimmerians seem to care little about what is going on beyond their land, with Conan being more of an exception than a rule. Life is harsh in Cimmeria, and it takes enough effort to survive without worrying what goes on in the lands around you.

In Hyborian lore Cimmerians are the ancestors of dark-age Gaels, that is Celtic tribes living in Ireland and Scottish highlands. As the names of their lesser gods - Mannanan Mac Lir, Badb, Lir, Macha, Morrigan, Nemain - seem to be taken straight out of Celtic mythology, it is reasonable assume that they share some of their festivals and rituals. It would also seem they share the Celtic traditions of truthfulness and possibly even 'Fir Fer' [Fair Play], as it is said that warring clans can meet at the Fields of Chiefs with no fear of violence.

Shamanism seems to have a strong hold in Cimmeria. They are not priests for Crom, since this dark, gloomy god would have none of it, but it'd seem they have a strong connection with the spirits, possibly practicing animism. In many traditional cultures shamans would perform wedding and funeral ceremonies, ask for rich harvests, plentiful cattle and good hunting, make religious, criminal and civil judgments and also enter visions to predict the future and communicate with the dead. It is very likely that Cimmerians engage in ancestor veneration, and conduct of such ceremonies and rituals would also fall under a shaman's duties.
It is hinted that Bear Shamans are those more inclined to battle than to more traditional shamanistic pursuits. Likely they engage in some sort of bear or bear spirit veneration, which often was connected with eating the flesh and wearing the skins of such killed animals.


Aquilonians

Though often despised by Cimmerians as a nation weakened by civilisation, Aquilonia - sometimes called Flower of the West - is the most powerful nation in the world. In the centuries to come it will become a true Empire, but even now it is the jewel of Hyboria. The trade is rich, land fertile and the rule of law strong. It is a centre of education, philosophy, arts and science for the entire known world. The policies of King Conan I ensured that no nobles dare to mistreat common people any more, and taxes are said to be the lowest in the West.

Are Aquilonians soft? From a Cimmerian's point of view, it may certainly seem so. Especially the city folk often indulge in all sort of entertainment and are known to often grow fat - a sure sign of weakness in the barbarians' eyes. However, there are two points to be noted.

Aquilonia is not a homogeneous nation, but instead of many different people, of slightly varying cultures and even races. While the majority of the population enjoys peaceful lives, those along the borders with Cimmeria, Pictish Wilderness and Nemedia have seen their share of violence and know how to deal it in return.

Second, while there is no standing army, the troops under the command of the King are known to be disciplined veterans. They fight like soldiers and not warriors, but their is the strongest military in all Hyboria, consisting notably of hardened Gunderland spearmen, unparelled Bossonian archers and knights of Poitain. Especially the Black Dragons, King's elite fighting force, are known to be amongst the best fighters in the known world.

In day-to-day life Aquilonia seems to be something like ancient Rome or medieval France, with well established middle-class, fantastically rich nobles and unparelled level of culture and art. Under the laws of King Conan there is religious freedom with the land, with cult of the merciful god Mitra being the semi-official state religion, and cult of Asura being especially favoured by the ruler.

Despite its strength, Aquilonia faces many dangers - Picts, the occasional Cimmerian raid, skirmishes with her ancient enemy Nemedia and, as it was long the case in the country, civil unrest. While King Conan is beloved by much of the common population, many of the semi-autonomous nobles despise their barbarian ruler.

Stygians

Through the centuries their country has remained virtually untouched by foreign influence, allowing very little traffic through outside but the usual traders. Possibly the oldest and once the greatest nation in the world, its extreme xenophobia pushed this nation into a slow decline. Note: there is very conflicting lore on this subject. While the book lore would have us believe that Stygians, while harsh, generally do not outlaw foreign visits to their country and the Khemi is the only place really harsh on them, the in-game lore is reversed. According to AoC lore, any wanderers inside the Stygian borders may be killed at will, often in sacrificial rituals, and Khemi is open to foreigners, or at least the trade part of it is.

The worship of the snake-god Set is central to Stygian society, with any blasphemy or dissent being swiftly and cruelly punished, often by sacrificing the offender to sacred snakes. Killing a snake in Stygia carries a death sentence. Set's priests seem to have a lot of power in the society, with the country - though nominally a monarchy - being led by them.

Stygians value intelligence, cunning and agility over pure strength and do not find dark magic to be something inherently evil. Mages of all sorts may practice more or less openly here, and have been known to come from all over the world in search for knowledge.

There is a very strong hierarchy in the society, in large part based on race. Royalty and the most ancient aristocracy are fair skinned and quite tall; the middle-class and most of nobles are dusky-skinned hawk-nosed men, with peasantry and slaves being of mixed stock, with mixed Kushite, Shemite, Hyborian and Stygian ancestry.

Slavery is widespread in Stygia and considered absolutely normal. Some are born slaves, while other are captured from the nations to the south, sold into bondage for their crimes or debts - in some cases, an unlucky foreigner may find himself enslaved for some small breach of the law.

Gods


Crom

There is not much to be said about Crom. The chief god of Cimmerians, he is said to be sitting at his throne at the top of the sacred mountain Ben Morgh. He cares little for the puny affairs of men, and it is enough that he has given them strength and will to fight their enemies at their birth. He hates weaklings, and so tolerates no prayer to him and has no priests. it is best not to attract his attention, as he send forth only dooms, not good fortune. Cimmerians also believe in a few lesser gods, or perhaps mighty spirits, but they are said to do as they will and no prayer or sacrifice are offered to them.


Mitra

Mitra is perhaps the kindest and most good-willed deity of the Hyborian Age - and in the AoC timeline, the one with most worshippers. In the kingdoms of Aquilonia, Argos, Corinthia, Nemedia, Ophir, and Zingara it is the official, or semi-official religion and is certainly the dominant faith south of Cimmeria. It is worth noting that this is a male god, despite what the name could imply.
Mitra holds his followers to very strict moral standards. Truthfulness, honour and trustworthiness are said to be the highest virtues, and telling a lie or betraying a friend are mortal sins. Priests of Mitra have to follow even stricter rules, and are required to be celibate and abstain from mind-altering drugs, such as black lotus.

Set is this god's ancient enemy and his followers believe Mitra often intervenes where the Stygian god's dark plans threaten his flock.


Set

Also called The Old Serpent, Set is possibly the most ancient deity in Hyboria. He is a cruel, bloodthirsty god, requiring regular human sacrifices. He is said to be a powerful friend and the most dreadful enemy, favouring the strong and devouring the weak. His worshippers believe that his dominance over the world is only a matter of time, and that mankind's fate is to serve the serpent god for all eternity.
Stygians have 'inherited' the cult of Set from the ancient race of lizardmen who once owned their lands, using humans as a slave force. An uprising wiped out the oppressors, but their religion lives on.

References and further reading

The Age-of-Conan-Wiki
Age of Conan Wiki
Conan Wiki
Wikipedia
Forum thread by Nakhti - very much recommended reading, full of information.

http://hyboria.xoth.net/- An excellent site, and credit goes to them for all maps but the first one [which I sadly cannot remember where I got from]