Demon of Dark Valley (Earth-616)

The Demon ruled over the Dark Valley in Koth. He took the mortal dancer Timara as his lover and concubine, and they had twin sons, named Tsotha-Lanti and Laza-Lanti.

The Demon did not raise his sons. Tsotha-Lanti was send to Druids for education, while Laza-Lanti was raised by his mother within the Dark Valley. Laza suspected that the Demon was his father, and went in search for him. Laza saw the Demon's two eyes, burning like hellfire in the shadows, and then fled the Dark Valley.

The Demon spend another decade with Timara, but then Laza-Lanti returned to the Dark Valley, accompanied by Conan. He located the Demon and killed him, by severing his antennae. Timara explained their story to Laza, and then committed suicide, while laying on the carcass of her lover. Laza was distraught and committed suicide, at a short distance from the corpses of his parents.^[1]

The Demon of Dark Valley could cast spells:

• Youth spell: The Demon could cast a spell to keep Timara young. That spell faded upon his death.^[1]

The Demon of Dark Valley could seemingly be killed by slashing his antennae.^[1]

• The father of Tsotha-Lanti is briefly mentioned in the short story "The Scarlet Citadel" (January, 1933) by Robert E. Howard (adapted in Savage Sword of Conan #30; June, 1978), but he is neither named, nor depicted. In the short story, the sorcerer Pelias (Tsotha-Lanti's arch enemy) mentions his foe's origin: "As for Tsotha—men say that a dancing-girl of Shadizar slept too near the pre-human ruins on Dagoth Hill and woke in the grip of a black demon; from that unholy union was spawned an accursed hybrid men call Tsotha-lanti—".
  • Roy Thomas decided to flesh out the character, and added to it a second son, Laza-Lanti.
• Creatures similar to the Demon of Dark Valley, yet smaller in size, were witnessed. It was speculated that they could be its children, brothers or sisters.^[2]

• Conan the Barbarian #271 and 272 mentions Conan as the killer of the Demon of Dark Valley, when it was truly Laza-Lanti.^[1]