History Literature / TheHourOfTheDragon

* DamselInDistress and HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Countess Albiona. One of Conan's fiercely loyal subjects. Very young, innocent, with a "proud, rebellious spirit," so Valerius steals her lands, [[GirlInTheTower locks her up in The Iron Tower]], AndNowYouMustMarryMe. She quite sensibly refuses, so she's about to be [[OffWithHisHead beheaded]]. Fortunately, Conan finds out and rescues her, assisted by the Asura priests. Safe in Count Trocero's palace in Poitain, she verifies what she and Conan found out from the Asura devotees about Xaltotun's longevity and power.

* ImAHumanitarian: Conan scorns the rumor that the worshippers of Asura eat human flesh and eats their meat. [[spoiler:He's right, as Asura is one of the few Hyborian gods who isn't a [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demon]] or [[EldritchAbomination worse]], and is merely maligned by rival priesthoods.]]

* ReligionOfEvil: Inverted with the cult of Asura, an eastern deity whose followers were accused during Conan´s reign of performing human sacrifices, eating human flesh and casting black magic. Being a man who knows a lot about actual evil sorcerers, he did not believe any of it and ordered the priests of Mitra to leave them alone. That gesture turned all followers of Asura unto his [[UndyingLoyalty stalwart supporters]] [[spoiler: whose help will end up being crucial against his enemies]].

* ArtifactOfDoom: Inverted with the Heart of Ahriman, which is an artifact of pure ''good''. When Xaltotun comes into posession of it, he hides it in a box because he knows that it can not be used to aid his evil magic. He also knows that it's the only thing capable of destroying him.

* BloodMagic: Xaltotun takes his sweet time using his sorcery to influence the final battle, and when challenged about it explains that blood empowers great sorcery, and he'd rather conserve his strength. Apparently, it doesn't matter if the blood is enemy or ally, as the army Xaltotun supports takes heavy casualties while he waits to his magic.

* CoolHorse: Xaltotun's chariot is drawn by "weird horses". When he dies, they bring the chariot and, when someone puts the body on board, carry it off.

* {{Greed}}: A man offers to betray Conan for this, [[spoiler:but his true motive is {{Revenge}}. He reveals all when he has led them into the trap, because they have so utterly ruined his life that he does not care about their killing him]].

* LaResistance: Resistance continues after Conan is driven from the throne; his survival lends it new strength, and when he recovers the Heart of Ahriman, it overwhelms his enemies.
* LeaveYourQuestTest: Conan faces a rare dual version. He feels the temptation to leave his quest for the Heart of Ahriman and to regain his throne -- for the InHarmsWay life of a mercenary. He chooses the "regain the throne" quest instead of the mercenary way of life.

* MaliciousSlander: ThePlague is blamed on the king because of this. When he dies and a great storm immediately blows away the plague, everyone takes it a sign of divine favor.

* OneSteveLimit: Amalric is the name of three distinct characters within the Conan legendarium: An Aquilonian soldier of fortune who adventures with Conan throughout the Black Kingdoms in "The Drums of Tombalku", the leader of a Nemedian mercenary company who allies himself with Conan during a Khorajan civil war in "Black Colossus", and the Nemedian nobleman who bankrolls Valerius's coup here. It's never explicitly spelled out if they're all supposed to be the same guy, or if this is just a case of Howard's penchant for using similar-sounding names for characters catching up with him. The name Valerius was also used for one of Conan's allies in "Literature/AWitchShallBeBorn".

* OurLichesAreDifferent: Xaltotun is necromancer of ancient Acheron dead some three thousand years, given life again by the Heart of Ahriman. He was killed well after the fall of Acheron, and a coin minted some 100 years before the fall bears his likeness, indicating he lived for an unnaturally long time.

* PlayingWithFire: Zeiata uses fire to show Conan what happened in his realm in his absence.

* ThePowerOfFriendship: Many of Conan's triumphs in this story are due to assistance from allies that he helped at some point in the past. The villains, on the other hand, ultimately fail because they have their own conflicting secret agendas, do not trust each other, and cannot work together effectively. In fact, the villain's downfall began the very moment Tarascus stole the Heart of Ahriman without Xaltotun's knowledge, believing it was the source of his power [[WrongGenreSavvy but in reality was the only thing capable of stopping him]], and sends it away. This is the only reason why Conan is able to go on his quest for it, retrieve the Heart, and put an end to the villain's plans.

* ReligionOfEvil: Inverted with the cult of Asura, an eastern deity whose followers were accused during Conan´s reign of performing human sacrifices, eating human flesh and casting black magic. Being a man who knows a lot about actual evil sorcerers, he did not believe any of it and ordered the priests of Mitra to leave them alone. That gesture turned all followers of Asura unto his [[UndyingLoyalty stalwart supporters]] [[spoiler: whose help will end being crucial against his enemies]].

* {{Seers}}: Zelata gives Conan some cryptic advice, prophesy from the gods, about reclaiming "the heart of his kingdom." Conan initially assumes this to be the steadfast holdouts against the occupation in Poitain, but when he hears about the Heart of Ahriman from Hadrathous, the message clicks.
* SlaveGalley: Conan get shanghaied to served in one, at least until he takes over the galley in question.

* TheStarscream: Almaric wanted to manipulate his allies in order to become the emperor of the Hyborian kingdoms.
* StumblingUponTheLostWizard: An unconscious Conan is found and healed by a hermit witch. When he tells her what's happening to Cimmeria, she decides to help fight for the country's freedom.

* TwoAliasesOneCharacter: In Argos, the fact that Conan the Cimmerian, King of Aquilonia and Amra the Lion, the legendary pirate, are one and the same is known to a select few.

* TheUndead: The Heart of Ahriman can grant a sort of false life to long dead and mummified corpses that has all the appearance and function of true life - however it is still a false life and can be undone by the same magic from the jewel that granted it.

-->''"Oh, but Trocero will weep tears of joy to see you, sire!" cried one.

* VillainousValor: Tarascus when he realizes the battle is lost refuses to retreat but makes a beeline directly to Conan to fight him. [[CurbStompBattle His defeat is swift]], but Tarascus is still pragmatic enough to surrender willingly rather than be slain.

* OminousFog: Hadrathus summons one to aid some refugees in ambushing Tarascus and his host while they attempt a flanking maneuver on Conan's army.

* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: After his brother and nephews are killed in ThePlague, Tarascus gets one. He was expecting it, even though he'd been his brother's SpareToTheThrone; Tarascus helped induce the plague magically, and ThePlague ended with the king and prince's deaths.

Creator/MarvelComics began their adaptation of the story in their ''Conan the Barbarian'' comic book and finished it in the ''Savage Sword of Conan'' magazine. Creator/DarkhorseComics would make their own comic adaptation years later. Creator/{{Ablaze}}, as of 2022, have taken to adapting the story as well.

''[[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Hour_of_the_Dragon The Hour of the Dragon]]'' is the only full-length Literature/ConanTheBarbarian novel by Creator/RobertEHoward. Published in 5 parts, from December, 1935 to April, 1936.

The story received a loose adaptation with the 1997's ''[[Literature/{{Kull}} Kull The Conqueror]]'' movie.

* ANaziByAnyOtherName: The book was written in late 1933 or early 1934, shortly after Hitler took power in Germany. Looking at the map appearing in every Conan book it is clear that Aquilonia is France and Nemedia is Germany - hereditary enemies. There is a new regime in Nemedia, which initially arouses enthusiasm, immediately starts planning war and conquest, and perpetrates countless atrocities. Xaltotun plans to perpetrate "the greatest bloodbath the world had ever seen" in order to bring back the glories of an ancient empire. Nemedia/Germany occupies Aquilonia/France, puts a collaborator regime in power, brutally oppresses the Aquilonian Resistance. Finally, the Aquilonians are liberated and take grim revenge on those who had collaborated with the occupiers. Howard, who would not live to see UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, made a fairly accurate prediction.

* BloodMagic: Xaltotun takes his sweet time using his sorcery to influence the final battle, and when challenged about it explains that blood empowers great sorcery, and he'd rather conserve his strength. Apparently, it doesn't matter if the blood is enemy or ally, as the army Xaltotun supports takes heavy casualties while we waits to his magic.
* BookEnds: The story begins and ends with the army of Aquilonia going into battle with the army of Nemedia.

* DecapitatedArmy: Invoked, Discussed, and Played Straight. [[spoiler:As dawn breaks and the hosts of Nemedia and Aquilonia square off to do battle, King Conan is paralyzed in his tent by some foul sorcery. His general notes that, if their mythically undefeatable warrior king does not lead the charge, the army will lose morale and break, so they dress someone of Conan's approximate stature in the king's armor and have him lead the charge. When the substitute falls in battle, the Aquilonian army is instantly routed.]]

* EvilIsNotWellLit: The dungeon Xaltotun imprisons Conan un is just shy of pitch black, only some shafts admitting faint moonlight give it illumination once the jailers take their torches with them. Conan even suspects the shafts close by day, permitting prisoners faint moonlight but no sunlight as a from of psychological torture.

* GirlInTheTower: Countess Albiona.

* NobleWolf: Zelata has one.

* PlotIrrelevantVillain: The vampire princess Akivasha is just one obstacle that Conan faces on his adventure, she has no ties with Xaltotun or his conspirators whatsoever. Conan doesn't even kill her, he flees her lair and she is never mentioned again.

* RightfulKingReturns: Twice.

* ScarilyCompetentTracker: The Khitan assassins [[spoiler: Valerius]] sics on Conan pursue him across several kingdoms and an ocean without much trouble. They appear to be doing much of it just by ''smell''.
* SecretCircleOfSecrets: The cult of Asura.

* TurnCoat: Publio promises to aid Conan, since Conan used to be a pirate not sanctioned by the government of Argos, and Publio did business with him, and if the shit hits the fan, it would cost both of them their heads. Afterwards, Publio decides it would be better for some assassins to eliminate Conan to remove the threat of his ties to the pirate ever being uncovered.
* TwoAliasesOneCharacter: In Argos, the fact that Conan the Cimmerian, King of Aquilonia and Amra the Lion, the legendary pirate, are one and the same is known to a select few.

* WhenTheClockStrikesTwelve: When executions are held.