Rogues in the House
Encyclopedia
"Rogues in the House" is one of the original short stories
starring the fictional sword and sorcery
hero Conan the Cimmerian
, written by American
author Robert E. Howard
and first published in Weird Tales
magazine circa January 1934. It is set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age
and concerns Conan inadvertently becoming involved in the power play between two powerful men fighting for control of a city. It was the seventh Conan story Howard had published.
between Zamora and Corinthia during an apparent power struggle between two powerful leaders: Murilo, an aristocrat
, and Nabonidus, the "Red Priest," a clergyman with a strong power base.After he is delivered a subtle threat by Nabonidus, Murilo learns of Conan's reputation as a mercenary and turns to him for help.
Prior to the story's beginning, Conan killed a corrupt priest
of Anu
who was both a fence
and a police informer
, but was caught after he became intoxicated
and a prostitute turned him in. Languishing in a jail
and awaiting execution, Conan receives Murilo's visit and is proposed a bargain: in exchange for setting him free and getting him out of Corinthia with a bag of gold, Conan will kill Nabonidus.
Conan is brought food but while he's consuming it, the jailer who should set him free when Murilo is at home (thus with an alibi
) is arrested on unrelated corruption charges (corruption seems to run rampant in the city). The new jailer is flabbergasted to see a prisoner awaiting execution whilst chomping on a huge piece of beef; but when he enters the cell to confiscate it, Conan manages to split his skull with the very bone he was gnawing on and makes his escape.
For a while, he considers leaving Murilo on his own, but then decides to follow the original plan and thus not break his word.
After taking revenge on the prostitute who turned him in (he slays her new lover and drops her into a foul cesspit
), Conan sneaks into the Red Priest's booby-trapped mansion, only to find that Murilo and Nabonidus himself are being held captive by a mysterious third party that took Nabonidus' place and impersonated him. This turns out to be Thak, an primitive (pre-human) ape-like creature whom Nabonidus had captured as a cub and trained as a bodyguard and servant. The three observe Thak via a series of hidden periscopes and see that the creature has learned to imitate Nabonidus well enough to activate a toxic pollen trap which eliminates yet another party of assassins (nationalistic agitators) penetrating the villa.
Finally, Conan and the other two men manage to get back into the house from the basement and Conan defeats Thak in combat. The Red Priest then turns on his temporary compatriots; but, while Nabonidus gloats over his plans in a monologue, Conan slays him with an expertly hurled stool. The surviving pair leave and go their separate ways.
fashion, and as a Jacobean revenge story. It is eventually revealed that Nabonidus' "usurper" is actually his pet, a (relatively) intelligent and strong ape
-like creature, Thak, who got the better of his master.
The story's title reflects the story's other main irony, the rivalry between Murilo and Nabonidus. Each man has been using his position of influence for personal profit (Nabonidus by manipulating the king; Murilo by selling state secrets to foreign rulers); when they stumble upon each other in the pits beneath Nabonidus' house, the two rivals realise that they are each equally corrupt and, indeed, that Conan may be the most morally honest of the three because he does not attempt to conceal his criminal nature.
the post-WW2 heroic fantasy writer who cooperated with L. Sprague de Camp
in bringing Lovecraftian and Howardian fiction back in vogue. He included similar scenes in almost all instances when his Conan-inspired Lemurian hero Thongor managed to end up imprisoned.
and Barry Smith
in Marvel Comics
' Conan the Barbarian #11, and by Tim Truman and Cary Nord
and Tomas Giorello in Dark Horse Comics
' Conan #41-44.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
starring the fictional sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery is a sub-genre of fantasy and historical fantasy, generally characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts. An element of romance is often present, as is an element of magic and the supernatural...
hero Conan the Cimmerian
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian is a fictional sword and sorcery hero that originated in pulp fiction magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, several films , television programs, video games, roleplaying games and other media...
, written by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author Robert E. Howard
Robert E. Howard
Robert Ervin Howard was an American author who wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. Best known for his character Conan the Barbarian, he is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre....
and first published in Weird Tales
Weird Tales
Weird Tales is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine first published in March 1923. It ceased its original run in September 1954, after 279 issues, but has since been revived. The magazine was set up in Chicago by J. C. Henneberger, an ex-journalist with a taste for the macabre....
magazine circa January 1934. It is set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age
Hyborian Age
The Hyborian Age is a fictional period within the artificial mythology created by Robert E. Howard, in which the sword and sorcery tales of Conan the Barbarian are set....
and concerns Conan inadvertently becoming involved in the power play between two powerful men fighting for control of a city. It was the seventh Conan story Howard had published.
Publication history
- Weird Tales magazine (Jan 1934)
- Terror by Night anthology (Selwyn and Blount, 1934, ed. Christine Campbell Thomson)
- Skull-Face and OthersSkull-Face and OthersSkull-Face and Others is a collection of fantasy and horror short stories by author Robert E. Howard. It was the author's third book and was published by Arkham House in 1946 in an edition of 3,004 copies....
(Arkham HouseArkham HouseArkham House is a publishing house specializing in weird fiction founded in Sauk City, Wisconsin in 1939 by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei to preserve in hardcover the best fiction of H.P. Lovecraft. The company's name is derived from Lovecraft's fictional New England city, Arkham. Arkham House...
, 1946) - The Coming of ConanThe Coming of ConanThe Coming of Conan is a collection of eight fantasy short stories written by Robert E. Howard featuring his seminal sword and sorcery heroes Kull and Conan the Barbarian, together with the first part of his pseudo-history of the "Hyborian Age" in which the Conan tales were set...
(Gnome PressGnome PressGnome Press was an American small-press publishing company primarily known for publishing many science fiction classics.The company was founded in 1948 by Martin Greenberg and David A. Kyle. Many of Gnome's titles were reprinted in England by Boardman Books...
, 1953) - More Not at Night anthology (Arrow Books, 1961, ed. Christine Campbell Thomson)
- ConanConan (collection)Conan is a 1967 collection of seven fantasy short stories and associated pieces written by Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter featuring Howard's seminal sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian. Most of the stories were originally published in various pulp magazines...
(LancerLancer BooksLancer Books was a series of paperback books published from 1961 through 1973 by Irwin Stein and Walter Zacharius. While it published stories of a number of genres, it was noted most for its science fiction and fantasy, particularly its series of Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian tales, the...
, 1967, later reissued by Ace BooksAce BooksAce Books is the oldest active specialty publisher of science fiction and fantasy books. The company was founded in New York City in 1952 by Aaron A. Wyn, and began as a genre publisher of mysteries and westerns...
) - Rogues in the HouseRogues in the House (collection)Rogues in the House is a 1976 collection of two fantasy short stories written by Robert E. Howard featuring his sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian. The book was published in 1976 by Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. as volume VI of their deluxe Conan set. The title story originally...
(Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc., 1976) - The Conan ChroniclesThe Conan ChroniclesThe Conan Chronicles is a 1989 omnibus collection of three previous fantasy collections by Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter featuring Howard's seminal sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian, published by Sphere Books. The component collections had originally been published by...
(Sphere BooksSphere Books-History:Founded in 1961, Sphere Books began work on its first publication, the 1962 paperback edition of Gottfried Benn's The Trainee Man. Originally part of The Thomson Corporation, Sphere was sold to Pearson PLC in 1985 and became part of Penguin...
, 1989) - The Conan Chronicles, Volume 1: The People of the Black Circle (GollanczVictor Gollancz LtdVictor Gollancz Ltd was a major British book publishing house of the twentieth century. It was founded in 1927 by Victor Gollancz and specialised in the publication of high quality literature, nonfiction and popular fiction, including science fiction. Upon Gollancz's death in 1967, ownership...
, 2000) - Conan of Cimmeria: Volume One (1932-1933)Conan of Cimmeria: Volume One (1932-1933)The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian is the first of a three volume set collecting the Conan stories by author Robert E. Howard. It was originally published in 2003, first the United Kingdom by Wandering Star under the title Conan of Cimmeria: Volume One , and shortly thereafter in the United States...
(Del ReyDel Rey BooksDel Rey Books is a branch of Ballantine Books, which is owned by Random House and, in turn since 1998, by Bertelsmann AG. It is a separate imprint established in 1977 under the editorship of author Lester del Rey and his wife Judy-Lynn del Rey. It specializes in science fiction and fantasy...
, 2003).
Plot summary
The story takes place in an unnamed city-stateCity-state
A city-state is an independent or autonomous entity whose territory consists of a city which is not administered as a part of another local government.-Historical city-states:...
between Zamora and Corinthia during an apparent power struggle between two powerful leaders: Murilo, an aristocrat
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
, and Nabonidus, the "Red Priest," a clergyman with a strong power base.After he is delivered a subtle threat by Nabonidus, Murilo learns of Conan's reputation as a mercenary and turns to him for help.
Prior to the story's beginning, Conan killed a corrupt priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
of Anu
Anu
In Sumerian mythology, Anu was a sky-god, the god of heaven, lord of constellations, king of gods, Consort of Antu, spirits and demons, and dwelt in the highest heavenly regions. It was believed that he had the power to judge those who had committed crimes, and that he had created the stars as...
who was both a fence
Fence
A fence is a freestanding structure designed to restrict or prevent movement across a boundary. It is generally distinguished from a wall by the lightness of its construction: a wall is usually restricted to such barriers made from solid brick or concrete, blocking vision as well as passage .Fences...
and a police informer
Informant
An informant is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law enforcement world, where they are officially known as confidential or criminal informants , and can often refer pejoratively to the supply of information...
, but was caught after he became intoxicated
Drunkenness
Alcohol intoxication is a physiological state that occurs when a person has a high level of ethanol in his or her blood....
and a prostitute turned him in. Languishing in a jail
Jail
A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie...
and awaiting execution, Conan receives Murilo's visit and is proposed a bargain: in exchange for setting him free and getting him out of Corinthia with a bag of gold, Conan will kill Nabonidus.
Conan is brought food but while he's consuming it, the jailer who should set him free when Murilo is at home (thus with an alibi
Alibi
Alibi is a 1929 American crime film directed by Roland West. The screenplay was written by West and C. Gardner Sullivan, who adapted the 1927 Broadway stage play, Nightstick, written by Elaine Sterne Carrington, J.C...
) is arrested on unrelated corruption charges (corruption seems to run rampant in the city). The new jailer is flabbergasted to see a prisoner awaiting execution whilst chomping on a huge piece of beef; but when he enters the cell to confiscate it, Conan manages to split his skull with the very bone he was gnawing on and makes his escape.
For a while, he considers leaving Murilo on his own, but then decides to follow the original plan and thus not break his word.
After taking revenge on the prostitute who turned him in (he slays her new lover and drops her into a foul cesspit
Cesspit
A cesspit, or cesspool is a pit, conservancy tank, or covered cistern, which can be used to dispose of urine and feces, and more generally of all sewage and refuse. It is a more antiquated solution than a sewer system. Traditionally, it was a deep cylindrical chamber dug into the earth, having...
), Conan sneaks into the Red Priest's booby-trapped mansion, only to find that Murilo and Nabonidus himself are being held captive by a mysterious third party that took Nabonidus' place and impersonated him. This turns out to be Thak, an primitive (pre-human) ape-like creature whom Nabonidus had captured as a cub and trained as a bodyguard and servant. The three observe Thak via a series of hidden periscopes and see that the creature has learned to imitate Nabonidus well enough to activate a toxic pollen trap which eliminates yet another party of assassins (nationalistic agitators) penetrating the villa.
Finally, Conan and the other two men manage to get back into the house from the basement and Conan defeats Thak in combat. The Red Priest then turns on his temporary compatriots; but, while Nabonidus gloats over his plans in a monologue, Conan slays him with an expertly hurled stool. The surviving pair leave and go their separate ways.
Motifs
"Rogues in the House" is written in an extremely ironicIrony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
fashion, and as a Jacobean revenge story. It is eventually revealed that Nabonidus' "usurper" is actually his pet, a (relatively) intelligent and strong ape
Ape
Apes are Old World anthropoid mammals, more specifically a clade of tailless catarrhine primates, belonging to the biological superfamily Hominoidea. The apes are native to Africa and South-east Asia, although in relatively recent times humans have spread all over the world...
-like creature, Thak, who got the better of his master.
The story's title reflects the story's other main irony, the rivalry between Murilo and Nabonidus. Each man has been using his position of influence for personal profit (Nabonidus by manipulating the king; Murilo by selling state secrets to foreign rulers); when they stumble upon each other in the pits beneath Nabonidus' house, the two rivals realise that they are each equally corrupt and, indeed, that Conan may be the most morally honest of the three because he does not attempt to conceal his criminal nature.
Influence
The point where Conan clamors to be brought food while he waits to be set free evidently struck a chord in Lin CarterLin Carter
Linwood Vrooman Carter was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft and Grail Undwin.-Life:Carter was born in St. Petersburg, Florida...
the post-WW2 heroic fantasy writer who cooperated with L. Sprague de Camp
L. Sprague de Camp
Lyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction and fantasy books, non-fiction and biography. In a writing career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and notable works of non-fiction, including biographies of other important fantasy authors...
in bringing Lovecraftian and Howardian fiction back in vogue. He included similar scenes in almost all instances when his Conan-inspired Lemurian hero Thongor managed to end up imprisoned.
Adaptation
The story was adapted by Roy ThomasRoy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
and Barry Smith
Barry Smith
Barry Smith may refer to:*Barry Smith , ontologist at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York*Barry Smith , preacher from New Zealand...
in Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
' Conan the Barbarian #11, and by Tim Truman and Cary Nord
Cary Nord
Cary Nord is an artist noted for his work in comic books. He started his career with a letter and some original artwork sent into the editors of Marvel Comics's Marvel Comics Presents. They were so impressed, he was awarded with a professional job penciling a Shang Chi serial. He eventually became...
and Tomas Giorello in Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
' Conan #41-44.
External links
- Conan wiki • Rogues in the House • Synopsis, characters, locations, and publishing history
- Conan the Barbarian at AmratheLion.com
- Conan.com: The Official Website