Isle of Hidden Gold

Early years[]

After his death, the bones of Skelos rested in the Well of Skelos, in the Temple of the Toad (a massive toad-shaped structure whose builders remain unrevealed, and later named in the Age of Conan by Bêlit)) on a nameless isle in the Western Sea,^[1] off the coast of Argos and Shem,^[2] guarded by a "toad-thing".^[1]

At some point, a spear was hewn from a Hellnail Tree found in the darkest and most inpenetrable jungle of the Isle of Skelos (the spear was later wielded in the early years of the Age of Conan by an islander, until it was shattered and used against its wielder by Conan).^[3]

Hyborian Age of Conan[]

Bêlit, pirate queen of the Black Coast and captain of the Black Corsairs, stored the loot of her plunders (which he intended to later use against Nim-Karrak) in the Temple of the Toad (as she had christened it) on a nameless isle, taking only a few trusted crew members, such as M'Gora or Amra (Conan) with her.

When Kawaku, one the Black Corsairs, mutinied and took control of the crew (drugging and imprisoning much of them), he forced Conan to lead them to the Isle of Hidden Gold. Conan led them there, to the Temple of the Toad and the Skelos-Well, where the mutiniers are destroyed by the "toad-thing". Conan managed to hurl the toad-thing back in the well, and was rescued by Belit, M'Gora and Laranga, as the mutineers left to guard the Tigress were defeated by Bêlit. Before departing, the Black Corsairs hid more gold in the Temple of the Toad.^[1]

Facts[]

Flora[]

• The Isle of Hidden Gold was introduced by Roy Thomas in "He Who Waits -- in the Well of Skelos!" (Conan the Barbarian #73; April, 1977), a story "freely adapted from a plot by Robert E. Howard".
  • The Isle of Hidden Gold is considered as being the Isle of Skelos.^[4][5]
  • It was possibly inspired by the Nameless Isle created by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter in Conan the Buccaneer (1971) adapted in Savage Sword of Conan #40 ("A Dream of Blood"; May, 1979) and 41 ("The Quest For the Cobra Crown"; June, 1979).