After stealing the stone known as Tarim's Touch from the Temple of Bel, Conan of Cimmeria and the thieving Gloryhounds were beset by violent specters. Facing impossible odds, Conan and his crew were forced to flee, running directly towards the waiting swords of the temple guards. After mercilessly dispatching the foemen, Conan faced the specters once again... yet this time they did not attack, instead issuing cryptic words to the Cimmerian before vanishing into thin air. Coin in-hand, Conan headed deep into Shadizar to spend his ill-gotten gains, indulging in drink and pleasures of the flesh with his ally Chaundra. But then a mysterious power washed over the sneak thief, a strange force compelling her to approach Conan, knife in-hand, poised to kill...