Yag Kosha (Yogah of Yag) (circa "The Tower of the Elephant") Medium Outsider 18th level Wizard Hit Dice 2d8+18d4 (54 Hit Points) Speed: 30 ft. AC: 13 (+3 Dex) Attacks: Slam +12/+7/+2; or Gore +12/+7/+2 Damage: Slam 1d6+1 or Gore 1d3+1 Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: Spells Special Qualities: Darkvision 60' (before he was blinded); sense death Saves: Fort +9, Ref +9, Will +14 Abilities: Str 12, Dex 11, Con 10, Int 30, Wis 26, Cha 17 Skills: Listen +29, Spot +31, Search +31, Knowledge (Arcana) +33, Alchemy +31, Concentration +21, Spellcraft +31, Scry +31, Knowledge (Religion) +31, Knowledge (Nature) +31. Feats: Alertness, Blind Fighting, Create Wonderous Item, Empower Spell, Combat Casting, Flyby Attack (useless now that his wings are gone), Spell Mastery (Abjuration), Spell Mastery (Divination), Skill Focus (Knowledge Arcana) Maximize Spell, Still Spell Climate/Terrain: Zamora Organization: Solitary Challenge Rating: 20 Treasure: Standard Alignment: Neutral Advancement: By Character Class.

Above is the original artwork that accompanied the Weird Tales presentation of The Tower of the Elephant in 1933 featuring an early depiction of Conan killing Yag Kosha.

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"I am very old, O man of the waste countries; long and long ago I came to this planet with others of my world, from the green planet Yag, which circles for ever in the outer fringe of this universe.  We swept through space on mighty wings that drove us through the cosmos quicker than light, because we had warred with the kings of Yag and were defeated and outcast.  But we could never return, for on earth our wings withered from our shoulders."

~Robert E. Howard, "The Tower of the Elephant"

Yag Kosha, also called Yogah of Yag, is a being from the planet Yag.  He is ages upon ages old, and was worshipped as a god in Khitai before Yara enslaved him.  A wise creature, he was part of a rebellion on his home planet and was exiled. Other than his green skin and elephant head, Yogah looks humanoid.  He no longer has the wings he boasted of to Conan. Of the several utterly alien life forms from dark worlds barely guessed at by man that Conan encountered, only Yag Kosha from the green planet Yag could really be considered benevolent.  He prefers white magic and will only cast black magic if forced to, either through guile or perhaps his own sense of vengeance. Yag Kosha was forced to serve Yara for three hundred years, tortured by fire, rack, and more inhuman methods. Yag Kosha is older than can probably be comprehended by mortal man.  He arrived before men evolved from the ape.  He was around during the time of King Kull, before the sinking of Atlantis. Combat In his prime (before Yara broke him) he could fight bare handed or with his tusks (a gore attack).  Now all he has left is magic and sorcery, and most of that is gone at this point.  He really can't even use his tusks, as Yara tipped the tusks with round golden balls. Sense Death: Yag Kosha could sense death around him, and could tell if a man killed anything in the last twenty four hours.

To the left is the original cover art that accompanied Bob Howard's "The Tower of the Elephant" in the March 1933 Weird Tales.  This is one of the most popular of the Conan stories.  It is the third Conan story Howard wrote (following Phoenix on the Sword and The Scarlet Citadel). Why is this story so popular?  Well, it has a strange wizard in a mystical tower, a being from beyond our ken, curses and dark magics, giant spiders and a tavern brawl.  It has everything.  The Robert E. Howard's story, "Tower of the Elephant," was first published in Weird Tales in March of 1933.  The story can also be found in the Ace/Lancer paperback "Conan"; the Donald M. Grant Limited Edition "The Tower of the Elephant", Arkham's  "Skull Face and Others" and the Gnome Press collection "The Comin of Conan".   All of these are out of print but can be found on eBay quite often.

On the left and right are the covers to Conan the Barbarian #4 and The Savage Sword of Conan the Barbarian #24, both of which feature comic adaptations of "The Tower of the Elephant."  I really wish I knew why both artists (Barry Windsor Smith and John Buscema) chose to put a girl in the art.  No such woman appears in the story. The Savage Sword adaptation is the longer of the two, but the Conan The Barbarian adaptation won an award.  Both are pretty fun adaptations.

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