A visit by Chief Councillor Tu, with exposition from Brule, reveals the truth as Tu attempts to assassinate the sleeping King but meets him awake and armed it was, however, not the real Tu but a serpent man who had taken on his appearance.īrule reveals that the Serpent Men, an ancient pre-human race who had founded Valusia but were almost extinct, rule from the shadows, using their Snake Cult religion and ability to disguise themselves with magic. Soon, Kull sees that the guards outside his room are all unconscious and their bodies hidden, although they still seem to be on guard at the same time. Brule explains that Kull's life is in danger and shows him a series of secret passages which riddle the palace. In the early night, Brule climbs into Kull's bedroom, identifying himself with a 'bracelet of gold representing a winged dragon coiled thrice, with three horns of ruby on the head' which had been shown to Kull at the feast. Despite the fact that the Picts are ancient enemies of the Atlanteans, Ka-nu confides in Kull and tells him to expect the arrival of Brule the Spear-Slayer around sunset. Kull is invited to a feast by the Pictish ambassador for Valusia, Ka-nu the Ancient. The story starts shortly after Kull, a barbarian from Atlantis, has conquered Valusia and become its King. The story introduces Kull himself, the setting of Valusia, Brule the Spear-Slayer (a supporting character), and the Serpent Men (who don't appear in any other work by Howard, but were adopted by later authors for derivative works and inclusion in the Cthulhu Mythos). It was first published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in August 1929. Howard, the first of his Kull stories, set in his fictional Thurian Age. ' The Shadow Kingdom' is a fantasy short story by American writer Robert E.

Kull of atlantis