CONTENTS

THOTH-AMON AND HIS MINIONS
Earth’s most powerful sorcerer, Lord of the Black Ring and
the speaker of Set, this imposing dusk-skinned man leads the
snake god’s cult in Stygia. Though a master sorcerer, it is the
horrifying powers of Set that help raise him above his Stygian
brethren to his unassailable position of power. His dominating
will and lust for power is bolstered by his fervent faith and fed
by his insidious god.
His face is unknown to most, and is here illustrated
by one of his minions.
GODS AND WORSHIP
The array of deities is rich and diverse in the world of Hyboria, and their agendas
much the same. There are many of them, but here some of the most important ones.
CROM
Crom is the head of the Cimmerian pantheon of cruel
gods, sending forth dooms and death from his seat
on the great mountain of Mount Crom, the holiest place
in Cimmeria. Nominally, every Cimmerian is a follower
of Crom, but there is no established clergy devoted
to him, he doesn’t inspire any rituals, and the people
proffer him no sacrifice besides using the strength
he granted them to take what they want from life
and to cleave the skulls of their enemies.
To pray to Crom is a pointless task, as it will only
invoke his anger. Prayer is a sign of weakness,
and Crom has little patience for the weak. Cimmerians
prefer not to attract his attention. If his name
is muttered, it is invariably in the form of a curse.
MITRA
Mitra is the god most commonly worshipped in Hyboria,
and is the chief deity in almost all Hyborian kingdoms,
including Aquilonia, Nemedia, Brythunia, Corinthia, and even
Zingara. The worship of Mitra is a monotheistic one. There is
a host of saints, but there must be no other god than Mitra.
His followers are fervently suspicious toward other gods
and religions, especially the worship of Set and the Pictish
animal gods. As opposed to Crom and Set, Mitra is a kind god,
although he holds his followers to high standards. The
theology is based on justice and a very strong sense of right
and wrong. His followers are expected to strive for justice
and are encouraged to forgive.
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SET
Set, the Old Serpent, is Mitra’s arch-enemy. He is
the ancient god revered and worshipped mainly in Stygia,
and is known and worshipped as Damballah in the Black
Kingdoms. He is a cruel, jealous god who demands constant
sacrifice from his subjects, and his priests are only too
willing to comply as they bring naked virgins screaming
to his altar to appease his blood-lust. In Stygia the snake is
holy and to kill a snake is a mortal sin. If a snake slithers
into the cities or the streets, Set’s subjects will lay prostrate
before him, hoping to be found worthy of his bite.
His priests are almost as frightening as the god himself,
and they terrify their own people almost as much as they
terrify their enemies. Stygia is a theocracy, and the mad
and corrupt clergy run the country on fear and wonder,
as well as an indiscriminate willingness to sacrifice
their own people.