The Hour of the Dragon Conan the Conqueror

He is an outlander, an adventurer who seized the crown by force during a time of civil strife, strangling King Namedides with his own hands, upon the very throne. Dead hands grope in the shadows, the stars turn pale with fright, For this is the Dragon’s Hour, the triumph of Fear and Night. Conan reeled out of the chamber, sword in hand, blood streaming down his face from under his burganet. Lying in his own tent that night, Amalric heard the steady rumble of a drum in Xaltotun’s tent; through the darkness it boomed steadily, and occasionally the Nemedian could have sworn that a deep, croaking voice mingled with the pulse of the drum.