Red Sonja

"Know also, O Prince, that in those selfsame days that Conan the Cimmerian did stalk the Hyborian kingdoms, one of the few swords worthy to cross with his was that of Red Sonja, warrior woman out of majestic Hyrkania.  Forced to flee her homeland because she spurned the advances of a king and slew him instead, she rode west across the Turanian Steppes and into the shadowed mists of legendry..."   ~ The Nemedian Chronicles.

Eastward from the inland Vilayet Sea, in the days when Conan lived and strived, stretched the endless steppes of Hyrkania.  From this vast expanse of prairie came the greatest warrior-woman of the Age, the She-Devil with a Sword whose ferocity in battle rivaled that of the mighty Conan himself:  Red Sonja!

Red Sonya of Rogatino was created by Robert E. Howard in the story "The Shadow of the Vulture."  His Red Sonya was very different from the Red Sonja most of us know and love.  She lived in an age of gunpowder and lived on our Earth.  Writer Roy Thomas thought she would make a suitable companion for Conan in Marvel Comics, so he reinvented her and made her a Hyborian age heroine.  He changed the 'y' in her name to a 'j' and took away her guns and gave her a sword.  Thus Red Sonja, She Devil of the Hyrkanian Steppes was born.  What follows is my interpretation of this character for Third Edition D&D.  The text largely comes from "A Red Sonja Chronology" by Fred Blosser and Roy Thomas, and its usage should not be mistaken as a challenge to the copyright.  This is non-profit and used merely for entertainment.

Red Sonja, She Devil with a Sword (level 1) - "The Day of the Sword"
Red Sonja, Sword for Hire (level 2) - unrecorded adventures
Red Sonja, Sword for Hire (level 3) - unrecorded adventures
Red Sonja, Sword for Hire (level 4) - "The Shadow of the Vulture", "The Song of Red Sonja"
Red Sonja, Fugitive (level 5) - "Red Sonja Quells the Song of the Siren"
Red Sonja, Fugitive (level 6) - "Curse of the Undead-Man", "Tower of Blood", "Of Flame and the Fiend", and "Siege"
Red Sonja, Fugitive in Darkwood (level 7) - "Episode", "Red Sonja, She-Devil with a Sword", "The Temple of Abomination,""The Day of the Sword"
Red Sonja, Reunited with Conan (level 8) - "Beware the Sacred Sons of Set" through "The Battle of the Barbarians", and "Of Once and Future Kings"
Red Sonja (level 9) - "The Blood of the Unicorn" through to the "Wizards of the Black Sun"
Red Sonja (level 10) - "Throne of Blood" through "The Tomb of Three Dead Kings", and "A War of Wizards"
Red Sonja, The Pale Destroyer (level 11) - "Day of the Red Judgment" through "Necropolis"
Captain Red Sonja (level 12) - "All Roads Lead to Zamora", "They Came to Castle Zukala", through "End of the Road"
Red Sonja, Time Traveler (level 13) -"Ravagers out of time", etc
Red Sonja (level 14) - unrecorded adventures...

Below is a listing of all the Marvel comics (that I know of) that feature Red Sonja.

Kull & the Barbarians 3 (origin story); also Savage Sword of Conan 78 (same story, different artist) "The Day of the Sword"  
Conan the Barbarian 23 (Red Sonja's first appearance) "The Shadow of the Vulture"  
Conan the Barbarian 24 "The Song of Red Sonja"  
Marvel Feature 1 "Red Sonja"  
Savage Sword of Conan 153 "Phantasm"  
Savage Sword of Conan 187 "Red Sonja Quells the Song of the Siren"  
Savage Sword of Conan 1  "Curse of the Undead Man"  
Conan the Barbarian 43  "Tower of Blood"  
Conan the Barbarian 44 "Of Flame and the Fiend"  
Red Sonja (series 3) 3 "Seige" (flashback portion only) Conan the Barbarian 48 "Episode"  
Kull and the Barbarians 2 "Red Sonja, She Devil with a Sword"  
Marvel Feature 1 "The Temple of Abomination"  
Savage Sword of Conan 78 "The Day of the Sword"  
Marvel Feature 6 "Beware the Sacred Sons of Set"  
Conan the Barbarian 66 "Daggers and Death Gods"  
Conan the Barbarian 67 "Talons of the Man Tiger"  
Marvel Feature 7 "The Battle of the Barbarians"  
Conan the Barbarian 68 "Of Once and Future Kings"  
Red Sonja (Series 1) 1 "The Blood of the Unicorn"  
Red Sonja (Series 1) 2 "The Demon of the Maze"  
Red Sonja (Series 1) 3 "The Games of Gita"  
Red Sonja (Series 1) 4 "The Lake of the Unknown"  
Red Sonja (Series 1) 5 "Master of the Bells"  
Red Sonja (Series 1) 6 "The Singing Tower"  
Savage Sword of Conan "Wizards of the Black Sun"  
Red Sonja (Series 1) 7 "Throne of Blood"  
Red Sonja (Series 1) 8 "Vengeance of the Golden Circle"  
Red Sonja (Series 1) 9 "Chariot of the Fire Stallions"  
Red Sonja (Series 1) 10 "Red Lace"  
Red Sonja (Series 1) 11 "Sightless in a Strange Land"  
Red Sonja (Series 1) 12 "Ashes and Emblems"  
Red Sonja (Series 1) 13 "Shall Skranos Fall?"  
Red Sonja (Series 1) 14 "An Evening of the Border"  
Red Sonja (Series 1) 15 "The Tomb of Three Dead Kings"  
Conan the Barbarian 115 "A War of Wizards"  
Marvel Super Special 9 " Day of the Red Judgement"  
Red Sonja (Series 2) 1 "The Blood that Binds"  
Red Sonja (Series 2) 2 "The Sea that Steals"  
Savage Sword of Conan 225 "Valeria of the Red Brotherhood"  
Red Sonja (Series 3) 2 "Blood Debt"  
Red Sonja (Series 3) 3 "Siege"  
Red Sonja (Series 3) 4 "Lassusar Must Die"  
Red Sonja (Series 3) 8 "The Queen of Ice and Blood"  
Red Sonja (Series 3) 9 "The Queen of Hearts"  
Red Sonja (Series 3) 10 "Strangers"  
Red Sonja (Series 3) 11 "Buried Alive"  
Red Sonja (Series 3) 12 "Descent"  
Red Sonja (Series 3) 13 "The Demon's Tooth"  
Conan the Barbarian 195 "Blood of Ages"  
Conan the Barbarian 196 "The Beast"  
Conan the Barbarian 197 "Stand"  
Conan the Barbarian 198 "The River"  
Conan the Barbarian 199 "Revelation in the Mists"  
Conan Annual 12 "Legion of the Dead"  
Conan the Barbarian 200 "The Fall of Acheron"  
Conan the Barbarian 240 "Goblin"  
Conan the Barbarian 205 "Necropolis"  
Conan the Barbarian 241 "All Roads Lead to Zamora"  
Conan the Barbarian 242 "They Came to Castle Zukala"  
Conan the Barbarian 243 "Dawn and Death Gods"  
Conan the Barbarian 244 "Fiends of the Flaming Mountains"  
Conan the Barbarian 245 "Empire of the Undead"  
Conan the Barbarian 246 "Chaos in Khoraja"  (Note: This takes place around the time of "Black Colossus")  
Conan the Barbarian 247 "The Sword that Conquers All" (Note: This takes place around the time of "Black Colossus")  
Conan the Barbarian 248 "The Peril and the Prophecy" (Note: This takes place around the time of "Black Colossus") 
Conan the Barbarian 249 "Red Wind" (Note: This takes place around the time of "Black Colossus")  
Conan the Barbarian 250 "Chaos Beneath Kuthchemes" (Note: This takes place around the time of "Black Colossus")
Savage Sword of Conan 207 "Diverging Paths"  
Savage Sword of Conan 208 "All in the Game"  
Savage Sword of Conan 209 "Battles Lost and Won"  
Savage Sword of Conan 210 "End of the Road"  
Savage Sword of Conan 229 "A Bride for Varitra"  
Savage Sword of Conan 192 "Red Sonja on the Road of Kings"  
Savage Sword of Conan 230-233 "The Ring of Ikribu"  
Conan: The Ravagers Out of Time (Graphic Novel)  
Savage Sword of Conan 223 "The Many Mirrors of Tuzan Thune"  
Savage Sword of Conan 224 "Dragons of the World's Dawn"  
Savage Sword of Conan 226 "Of Kings and Cataclysms"  
Savage Sword of Conan 227 "Days of the World's Ending"  
Savage Sword of Conan 228 "Back From Time's Abyss"  
Savage Sword of Conan 229 "Assault on Acheron"  
Savage Sword of Conan 230 "The Fall of Python"  
Savage Sword of Conan 144 "The Waiting Doom"  
Savage Sword of Conan 145 "Feast of the Stag"  
Savage Sword of Conan 179 "Fury of the Iron Damsels"  
Conan the King 28 "Call of the Wild"   

I have no idea where Red Sonja (Series 3) 1, 5,6, or 7 fit into the chronology.  They were not listed in the Chronology by Fred Blosser and Roy Thomas.  I have all the issues listed above, so I guess I could read them again and see where they fit.  The Series 3 of Red Sonja comics weren't that good, though.  

 

Main Index | Message Boards | Conan | Recent Updates | Sign Guestbook | email

Back to the Main Menu

Trademarks and copyrights are cited on this page without permission. This usage is not meant in any way  to challenge the rightful ownership of said trademarks/copyrights. AD&D is a trademark of TSR; reach TSR's parent company at Wizards of the Coast, Inc.©. All copyrights are acknowledged and remain the  property of the owners. "Inzeladun" and related characters © 1984, 2000 Vincent N. Darlage. All rights  reserved by their respective owners. This page is for entertainment only.