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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/297340913_64fb5d66f0.jpg]]
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3->''"Barbarism is the natural state of mankind," the borderer said, still staring somberly at the Cimmerian. "Civilization is unnatural. It is a whim of circumstance. And barbarism must always ultimately triumph."''
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5"[[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Beyond_the_Black_River Beyond the Black River]]" is a ''Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian'' story by Creator/RobertEHoward. Published in 2 parts, from May to June, 1935.
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7Balthus is an young man, recently sent to help defend the border lands of western Aquilonia; lands which encroach upon the territory of the savage [[TheSavageIndian Picts]]. He meets and befriends Conan, a Cimmerian, who has been serving at the nearby fort as a tracker and soldier for several months. There have been a recent rash of murders, perpetrated by demonic minions of Zothar Sag, a Pictish chieftain.
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9Conan suggests breaking the shaky peace with the Picts in order to put a permanent end to the problem. He assembles a small team, including Balthus, who along with himself, will sneak into Zothar Sag's camp and kill him. However, this will require them to cross [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the Black River]] and into Pictish territory, a [[DeathWorld savage land]] for a savage people, populated by all manner of beasts, and [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow some things out of their nightmares]].
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11Often considered one of Creator/RobertEHoward's greatest works, it features many of the recurring themes present in his other works, such as man's innate barbarism and the impermanence of civilization, yet given far more focus here.
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13----
14!!Beyond the Tropes River:
15* ABoyAndHisX: Balthus and the dog, Slasher.
16* AloneInACrowd: Balthus feels alone in Conan's presence. This is because the Cimmerian is so in tune with the forest Balthus feels him the same way he feels the trees and fauna.
17* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Conan's woodcraft puts the Picts to shame. While they too can run in the forest without so much as a sound Conan can do it in chainmail and armor, so even when he is ambushed he can soak a few attacks before retaliating.
18* AristocratsAreEvil: Conan points out the king had no use of this expansion even if he would have bothered sending sufficient force to defend the settlers: they would have lived better and produce way more by turning the barons' deer hunting grounds into wheat fields if the prosperity was what mattered.
19* AuthorAvatar: Balthus, according to Howard himself.
20* BringNewsBack: Conan and Balthus try to warn the Fort that the Picts are preparing a major attack. [[spoiler:By the time they make the fort, it is fully besieged, so they make to warn Velitrium and the settlers in the path of the Picts.]]
21* CallForward: A few element that puts this story earlier than some others in Conan's history.
22** Conan jokes that the only thing left for him is to become a king.
23** He states that nothing in this universe cold steel won't cut. ''The Devil in Iron'' will disabuse him of that notion and so will the ''Scarlet Citadel'' where he yearns for clean foe to slash.
24* DarkMessiah: Zothar Sag is able to unite the Pict tribes to raid the settlement thanks to his display of magic. After being imprisoned by the settlers for stealing their ale he uses the power of the forest and promise to take the five heads of the people that arrested him. [[spoiler:He is also the son of one of their god]]
25* DeusExitMachina: Conan and Balthus separate near the end of the story, mainly so Conan can have a fight with a forest demon while Balthus defends the escaping settlers [[spoiler: in a HeroicSacrifice]].
26* DistressedDude: Balthus, one of the few male examples in a Conan story. He's captured by Pucts and Conan has to rescue him.
27* EvilColonialist: Downplayed, but the story definitely makes no valid justification for the Aqulonians expanding their kingdom into Pictland, and Conan explicitly says all this claiming of Pict lands is just going to bring retribution from the Picts onto the colonials. The Picts are still treated the same caricatural way most AlwaysChaoticEvil factions are in the settings instead of victims.
28* FriendOrFoe: Conan deludes a Pict by calling out in their language.
29* HalfHumanHybrid: [[spoiler: Zothar Sag is half demon-god, being a child of Jhebbal Sag, just like the swamp demon.]]
30* HeroicDog: Slasher is one badass dog that manages to take down several Picts. [[spoiler: Conan even says Slasher fought better than most men at the end.]]
31* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Balthus and Slasher HoldTheLine while settlers flee the advancing Picts.]]
32* HumanSacrifice: Part of the RitualMagic used by Zothar Sag.
33* JungleDrums: The Picts use them to communicate, or just to threaten and terrify opponents.
34* LibationForTheDead: Conan pours out a drink and smashes the tankard in respect for [[spoiler:Balthus and Slasher]].
35* TheNativesAreRestless: The Picts, not happy Aquilonia annexed some of their territory and fixing to do something about that.
36* OffWithHisHead: Zogar Sag has his enemies decapitated so their heads can be offered on an altar.
37* PantheraAwesome: A saber-toothed cat! Even Conan is shocked that one is still alive. Later an actual jaguar tracks the heroes through the forest.
38* PowerGlows: The forest demon, who glows with green fire.
39* RitualMagic: The Picts practice it.
40* ScarilyCompetentTracker: The Picts, to the point where despite traveling tens of miles through the forest, Conan tells Balthus it's only a matter of time until the Picts find them.
41* {{Synchronization}}: Zothar Sag is a child of Jhebbal Sag, just like the swamp demon. [[spoiler:The demon tells Conan that if one is injured, so is the other, and the ending confirms Zothar Sag died of wounds Conan inflicted on the demon.]]
42* ToAbsentFriends: Conan and some woodsmen discuss the settlers and the people who died at the fort over drinks at the end of the story.
43* WouldNotShootACivilian: Dead civilians enrage Balthus.

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