"Greywolf of Xanthus" CONAN THE ADVENTURER (script: 03/12/92) by KATHERINE LAWRENCE TEASER FADE IN: EXT. MOUNTAIN TRAIL - DAY OPEN ON AERIAL DOWNSHOT on a narrow mountain trail with the mountain stretching up above the trail, and sloping down below, ending in a vertical drop about 100 feet below the trail. On the trail are CONAN on THUNDER, ZULA and JEZMINE (on ordinary horses). The trio are dressed for cold weather, with furs over their garments (reference Ice Age Conan). CONAN looks up as LIGHTNING from a hovering thunderstorm hits a nearby peak. Thunder stays calm, but we HEAR Jezmine and Zula's horses WHINNY in fear. Conan turns to look. CONAN'S P.O.V. - ZULA AND JEZMINE Jezmine's horse rears, then bucks like a rodeo bronc in fear of the storm. Jezmine stays perfectly balanced on top of the horse no matter what it does, thanks to her circus training. Zula controls his terrified horse by sheer strength, pulling on the reins, forcing the horse's chin into its chest, to keep it under control. CONAN rapidly dismounts, and hurries back to help Jezmine, leaving Thunder behind him on the trail. Jezmine does a flip dismount just as Conan reaches her. Conan grabs the reins. JEZMINE At this rate, we'll never find Xanthus! Another LIGHTNING STRIKE overhead and the horse rips the reins from Conan's hands and takes off back the way they've come, followed by Zula's horse. JEZMINE (CON'T) Let's get smarter horses next time. ZULA kneels on the trail and forms the Sign of Jhebbel Sag. ZULA I may be able to persuade them to return. WHITE FLASH of nearby lightning. CONAN looks up. CONAN'S P.O.V. At the top of the mountain, a landslide begins, at first very slowly, then gathering speed, heading straight for camera, getting larger with every foot it falls. CONAN over the growing ROAR of the landslide CONAN (yells) Jezmine! Zula! RUN! Zula and Jezmine look up. WIDE SHOT Conan runs towards camera and the waiting Thunder (well out of range of the avalanche), while Zula and Jezmine sprint back down the trail, following their horses. They're too late. The landslide HURTLES down upon the trail with the ROAR of an approaching freight train. It catches up with the trio, rips their feet out from under them, and tosses them around like toys. They disappear from sight beneath the loose rock and scree as the cloud of dust rises, obscuring our view. FADE OUT MAIN TITLES HERE ACT 1 FADE IN: EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - DAY The landslide has stopped, for now, and quiet returns. Thunder is at the edge of the landslide, on the trail, prancing nervously, looking for Conan. PAN DOWN LANDSLIDE. CONAN lies at the edge of the landslide, several feet below the trail, only partially buried, from the waist down. He strains massive muscles, and pulls himself free, causing a small landslide himself. With a rapid scramble, moving faster than the rocks can shift, he climbs the slide and regains the trail, and safety. CONAN Crom! Thunder pushes at Conan with his nose, demanding attention. Conan pats Thunder as he scans where the trail was, but sees no sign of his friends. CONAN (CON'T) You stay here. I don't want to lose you too. Conan leaves Thunder and goes to the edge of the landslide. CONAN (CON'T) Jezmine! Zula! Frantically, he begins tossing rocks (some of them enormous) down the mountain, clearing the trail, trying to get to where he last saw his friends. JEZMINE (O.S.) (scream) Stop! Conan looks towards the voice, down the landslide. CONAN'S P.O.V. PAN DOWN LANDSLIDE nearly a hundred feet. Jezmine is partially buried in the loose scree. She's hanging onto Zula, who even at this distance looks unconscious. (There's a vertical drop-off twenty feet further down the mountain.) JEZMINE (CON'T) Conan, the slide is too unstable! You've got to find Xanthus and bring back help! Magical help! As we watch, Jezmine and Zula slip closer to the drop-off. CLOSE CONAN CONAN I'll be back! Hang on! CONAN mounts and takes off up the trail. JEZMINE looks at the unconscious Zula and tightens her grip on his wrist. JEZMINE You'll be fine, Zula. Conan will bring help. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. MOUNTAIN PEAK - DAY Much higher in the mountains, but along the same trail, is GREYWOLF, an air wizard, guarding the road into Xanthus. Far below, he sees Conan and Thunder approaching. Greywolf draws an arc in the air with his staff (the arc GLOWS, like drawing after dark with a sparkler), then draws a second just like it. GREYWOLF Nullo modo, noli intrare. With his staff, he pushes the glowing arcs down toward the lower trail, and Conan. CONAN comes around a sharp bend in the trail. WIDEN to reveal three arcing bridges over what seems to be a bottomless chasm. The bridges are extremely narrow, barely two feet wide. Beyond the bridges, through a gap between two peaks, he SEES two minaret-style towers of Xanthus. Greywolf stands on the other side of the chasm. GREYWOLF Strangers are not welcome here! CONAN dismounts and approaches the start of the bridges. CONAN I am Conan, of Cimmeria. I seek the City of Xanthus, and help for .... GREYWOLF GREYWOLF (interrupts Conan) Xanthus? You must first be found worthy of that honor. Two of these bridges lead to doom. Only one will bring you to Xanthus. Greywolf turns and heads back up the trail, then pauses. GREYWOLF (CON'T) Truth is a beacon of light when the shadows of despair fill the soul. Greywolf disappears up the trail. CONAN CONAN (snarls) Wizards! Conan tests the start of each bridge, taking one step out, and slowly transferring his weight to that foot. All three bridges seem solid. CONAN Needle! I need your help. NEEDLE flies out of Conan's shield and fluffs his wings. NEEDLE Always with Conan it's I need. Never what Needle need. CONAN points at the bridges. CONAN A wizard said two of those bridges are illusions. Which ones? NEEDLE flies over, around and between each of the bridges, doing aerobatics. CONAN, NEEDLE Needle returns to hover in front of Conan. NEEDLE Strong magic. Needle only little phoenix. Not tell difference. CONAN I said I'd get help, and by Crom I will! Needle returns to Conan's shield as Conan paces from bridge to bridge, trying to figure it out, Thunder following him. CONAN (CON'T) (quotes Greywolf) Truth is a beacon of light when the shadows of despair fill the soul. BRIDGE ON FAR RIGHT This bridge casts a shadow its entire length. OTHER TWO BRIDGES The shadows for the other bridges disappear at the center of the span, as if they're not really there. CONAN AND THUNDER CONAN That's it! The shadows! Thunder WHINNIES. Conan turns and pats his nose. CONAN Sorry, my friend. You must stay here; the way is not safe for you. Thunder SNORTS, but stays where he is. CONAN runs across the far right bridge. He makes it across safely and charges up the trail, after the wizard. CONAN Wizard! Wait! THUNDER WHINNIES and follows, walking carefully across the bridge. GREYWOLF is back where we first saw him. He watches Conan running up the trail towards him. Greywolf again waves his staff, this time in a circle, counter-clockwise. GREYWOLF Aurum, fac ut gaudeam. The glowing circle begins to spin, counterclockwise. SFX: WIND. Greywolf gives it a push with his staff, down towards Conan. CONAN barely notices the wind tugging at his hair at first, but it quickly escalates into hurricane-force winds, forcing him to lean forward into the wind to avoid being pushed back down the trail. Snow begins falling, and soon Conan is covered in white. GREYWOLF (O.S.) Go back, stranger! You cannot win! The magic of Xanthus is not for you. Conan grits his teeth and leans further into the wind, almost shaking from the effort to take a step, one at a time, slowly, inexorably moving forward. GREYWOLF retraces the previous counterclockwise circle, much faster this time. CONAN The wind WHISTLES and gets even stronger, forcing Conan to drop to his hands and knees, but he keeps moving forward. HAILSTONES begin dropping, pounding against Conan's skin and clothing. Conan shifts his shield to protect his head and shoulders, and continues forward, inch by inch. Abruptly the storm stops. CONAN AND GREYWOLF Conan regains his feet, and faces Greywolf, who stands quietly, staff in hand. CONAN No more tricks, wizard. GREYWOLF You've seen all my magic tricks, barbarian, but not ALL my tricks. Greywolf brings up his staff like a quarterstaff, holding it diagonally across his body, then whips the lower end forward with the intention of thumping Conan's knee. Conan draws sword and parries the blow (does NOT sever the staff), and tries one of his own, which Greywolf parries. Conan puts an end to the fight by smashing his sword against Greywolf's staff, causing Greywolf to lose his grip, and sending the staff over the edge of the cliff into the gorge below. Greywolf appears helpless, and Conan advances, sword aimed at Greywolf. Greywolf opens his shirt, baring his chest over his heart. GREYWOLF (CON'T) Strike swiftly. Don't make me suffer. Conan pulls back the sword as if preparing to lunge forward, then takes stops. CONAN I won't strike an unarmed man. Conan sheathes his sword. Greywolf bows deeply, from the waist. GREYWOLF Then you have passed the three tests: Perception, Determination and Mercy. I am Greywolf, your guide to Xanthus. Greywolf claps his hands. GREYWOLF (CON'T) Venite! IN THE GORGE Greywolf's staff rises from the depths of the gorge. GREYWOLF AND CONAN The staff comes into Greywolf's waiting hand. CONAN First, I need help. My friends were caught in a landslide. GREYWOLF If you will trust me, we can save your friends. Greywolf unfastens his cloak, then whips it off, swirling it in the air. GREYWOLF (CON'T) Muto aurum, savanti. The cloak swirls to a stop, about one foot above the ground, floating in the air. Greywolf steps aboard. GREYWOLF Come! My cloak will take us to your friends. Conan steps carefully onto the floating cloak. INCLUDE THUNDER Thunder trots up the trail and SNORTS at the floating cloak. GREYWOLF He can't follow where we go now. Greywolf points further up the trail toward Xanthus. GREYWOLF (CON'T) (to Thunder) Your friend will meet you at Xanthus, where green pastures await. (to cloak) Capite! The cloak lifts, then moves away from the trail, into open air. Thunder watches, then turns and continues up the trail toward Xanthus. The cloak disappears from CAMERA, heading down toward the landslide. CUT TO: EXT. LANDSLIDE - DAY Things look the same as when we last saw Jezmine and Zula, but they've slipped a little closer to the drop-off. Zula starts to regain consciousness. ZULA Jezmine? What...? JEZMINE Don't move! Conan's gone for help. Zula, still groggy, starts to sit up. Rocks shift, and Jezmine and Zula slip further down the mountain. EDGE OF DROP-OFF First gravel slips over the edge and falls down the sheer drop, then larger stones. Within seconds we see Zula and Jezmine APPROACHING the edge, sliding closer and closer. CONAN (O.S.) Jezmine! Jezmine looks up the slide and sees GREYWOLF AND CONAN on the flying cloak. It swoops down the slide, then turns to hover in mid-air at the edge of the drop-off. INCLUDE JEZMINE AND ZULA Jezmine and Zula are at the very edge of the drop-off as Conan and Greywolf grab them and haul them to safety. That part of the slide falls over the edge and we HEAR it hit rocks far below. Jezmine and Conan REACT. GREYWOLF Savanti aurus! To Xanthus! The cloak swirls in a full circle once, as if checking directions, then lifts up for the mountain peaks, and the City of Xanthus. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. XANTHUS GATE - DAY TIGHT ON NEEDLE eyes wide (as he pops out of Conan's shield). NEEDLE Ooooh! Good magic! Warmth!... PULL BACK TO REVEAL Needle hovers in mid-air as the cloak sets down on the ground outside the city gate of Xanthus. The city is surrounded by a high stone wall, so solid and secure it looks like a single piece of stone, completely without seams. Outside the walls are grassy fields and orchards (including pomegranates). In one field is Thunder, grazing happily. NEEDLE (CON'T) And ... pomegranates!!! GREYWOLF looks at Conan with new respect. GREYWOLF A fledgling phoenix? You are quite a surprise, warrior. GREYWOLF AND NEEDLE Greywolf pulls a pomegranate from a belt pouch and offers it to Needle. With great politeness, Needle accepts the gift. NEEDLE Thank you, wizard. You Needle's friend. CUT TO: EXT. - INSIDE XANTHUS GATE - DAY The magic of Xanthus is elemental magic. The four elements are earth, air, fire and water. The walls were created with earth elementals and they really are seamless. The buildings show more creativity with stone lacework, freeform walls that look as if they were poured into place, then solidified in an instant. PAN WITH our heroes as they walk through the city, Needle flying along above their heads. JEZMINE See, the stonework, Conan? I told you the wizards of Xanthus could help your family. ANOTHER ANGLE as our characters see a fountain filled not with water, but with fire! There are also gardens galore, with every sort of flower blooming simultaneously, regardless of season. GREYWOLF (to Conan) Your family? CONAN Wrath-Amon turned my parents and grandfather to stone when they refused to help him. ANOTHER ANGLE They pass a pond, floating in mid-air, like a bubble, containing fish that watch our characters walk past. In the distance, we see flying carpets moving through the sky. GREYWOLF Wrath-Amon's our worst enemy! We only use our magic for good. CONAN Then you will help me? GREYWOLF We no longer have a full Council of Wizards, but my older sister and brother are very wise, as is the visiting sorceress, Mesmira. I'm sure they can help. Come! Greywolf turns a corner, taking them to his brother and sister. DISSOLVE TO: INT. WIZARDS' COUNCIL CHAMBER The chamber is a high-ceilinged room with tall, thin windows up near the ceiling that let in lots of sunlight. On one side of the room is a large table, surrounded by chairs, for meetings. In the other side of the room is a "conversation area" with chairs and small tables, with a fire fountain in the corner, and a water fountain (not a drinking fountain) in the center. Around the water fountain, sitting or sprawled in chairs are: SASHA, a fire-wizard and Greywolf's older sister; MISHA, Greywolf's older brother, a water-wizard; MESMIRA, a beautiful Stygian sorceress; and KEDEM, seemingly an air-wizard, but actually a Serpentman in human-disguise. (All but Mesmira have wizards' staffs beside them.) Greywolf, Conan and Zula are also seated (sword and bolas out of sight), but Jezmine is across the room, looking out the window. Conan has just finished explaining the problem. SASHA I truly wish we could help you, but our earth magic can't transform things. (to Mesmira) Mesmira, perhaps in Stygia? MESMIRA Stands, and strolls over to Conan, to perch on the arm of his chair and lightly run her fingers down his arm. MESMIRA Not even in Stygia have I heard of such a spell, Conan. For your sake, I sincerely wish I had. MISHA MISHA I've read of a creature that turns people into stone. GREYWOLF AND JEZMINE Jezmine finally sits down, next to Greywolf. He notices her star-metal bracer is glowing. MISHA (CON'T)(O.S.) But I don't know if it can reverse the spell. Greywolf points to Jezmine's bracer. GREYWOLF What's the meaning of that? CONAN AND MESMIRA Conan leaps to his feet, nearly dumping Mesmira onto the floor, and draws his sword. CONAN One of you serves Wrath-Amon! Stand forth, serpentman! WIDE ON THE OTHERS Jezmine and Zula stand, hands on weapons and watch the wizards. Greywolf stares at Conan, uncertain now of this barbarian. Misha and Kedem fearfully sink deeper into their chairs. Sasha stands quickly. SASHA Put that sword away! We are a people of peace. CONAN ignores Sasha and stalks forward, sword extended, swinging the tip back and forth as if it were a divining rod. KEDEM reaches surreptitiously into his sleeve. INCLUDE CONAN Conan gets close enough to Kedem that the star-metal makes Kedem's disguise DISAPPEAR, revealing him as a SERPENT-MAN! KEDEM/THE SERPENTMAN pulls his hand out of his sleeve, revealing a foggy glass globe. KEDEM Wrath-Amon ssends his greetingsss! Kedem hurls the globe onto the floor. ZULA whips his bolas around, then flings them at the Serpentman. THE SERPENTMAN Turns to flee, but the bolas wrap around him at blinding speed. At the touch of the star-metal, the serpentman disappears, leaving behind a limp pile of clothing. THE GLOBE shatters on the floor, and from it burst a dozen very large, winged scorpions which instantly attack! FADE OUT: END OF ACT ONE ACT TWO FADE IN: INT. WIZARDS' COUNCIL CHAMBER Greywolf moves in front of Conan, Jezmine and Zula. Mesmira quickly joins them, hiding behind Conan. GREYWOLF draws a glowing wedge in the air with his staff. GREYWOLF Rego aurum! A gust of wind divides the scorpions in half, and pushes half within range of Sasha, half within range of Misha. SASHA AND MISHA stand back to back. The scorpions approach. SASHA (to Greywolf) Good work, little brother. (over shoulder, to Misha) Ready, Misha? Now! SASHA points her staff at her group of scorpions. SASHA Aliquid ardet! Flames gushes out of the end of her staff, frying the scorpions. SFX: FLAMETHROWER. MISHA gestures with his staff from the fountain to the scorpions, and a tidal wave of water crashes over them. MISHA Pistrix! The falling water instantly turns to ice, freezing the scorpions to death. The chunk of ice filled with scorpions falls to the floor. SFX: THUD WIDE ON ROOM as everyone looks around to make sure there aren't any other scorpions. SASHA Thanks to all of you, I no longer believe the disappearance of four of our most powerful earth wizards to be coincidence. MISHA We should examine Kedem's house. They all move toward the door. SASHA (to Conan and others) May we count on your continued assistance? They NOD and follow her out of the Council Chamber. DISSOLVE TO: INT. SERPENTMAN'S HOUSE Conan, Zula, Jezmine, Greywolf, Sasha, Misha and Mesmira come from various doorways/stairways to meet in the entry hall of the house. SASHA (disappointed) Nothing! Not a sign of the missing wizards, or of Wrath-Amon's plans. MESMIRA looks around, then walks to the rear wall behind the stairs. MESMIRA I detect a door here. This wall is an illusion. Mesmira holds her palms together briefly, then turns them toward the wall. A BLAST OF LIGHT from her hands hits the wall, which DISAPPEARS, revealing an open doorway with stairs going down into the earth. SASHA SASHA Hidden stairs! Thank you, Mesmira. Your magic is indeed strong. STAIRS There is light at the bottom of the stairs. With Sasha in the lead, staff in hand, the group heads down. DISSOLVE TO: INT. ROOM - BOTTOM OF STAIRS The room is lit with panels of light sunk into the walls. On the other side of the room are two tunnels, on the left and right. The tunnels are also lit with the light panels, but more dimly. CONAN Let's split up, so we can quickly search both tunnels. Conan enters the left-hand tunnel, with Greywolf and Zula. SASHA AND OTHERS SASHA Then let us take the tunnel on the right. She heads down the right-hand tunnel, followed by Jezmine, Misha and Mesmira. INT. LEFT-HAND TUNNEL They're in single file, Conan first, then Greywolf and Zula. The tunnel angles, and Conan goes around the corner first. CONAN'S P.O.V. at the other end of the tunnel is a large person coming towards him. CONAN backs up around the corner, quickly, almost running into Greywolf. INCLUDE GREYWOLF AND ZULA CONAN We have company. (to Needle) Needle! Come out! I need you. NEEDLE (O.S.) No! GREYWOLF Please? When this is over, I promise you a whole basket of pomegranates. NEEDLE pops out of shield. FOLLOW NEEDLE as he flies to Greywolf's shoulder. NEEDLE Needle help friend. Not nasty barbarian. CLOSE ON CONAN Conan REACTS. CONAN Fine. Then you tell him to fly around the corner and tell us what he sees. GREYWOLF AND NEEDLE Needle flies off Greywolf's shoulder and around the corner. NEEDLE (O.S.) (fearful) Squawk! Flee! ON GROUP Needle flies around the corner and goes SPLAT onto Conan's shield. NEEDLE (CON'T) Big, nasty phoenix! Needle not like! Conan, Greywolf and Zula look puzzled. FAVOR CONAN CONAN Wait a minute! I saw a warrior. Needle sees another phoenix. I know what it is. Come on. Conan leads the way around the corner. THE MIRROR We see the reflection of Conan, Greywolf and Zula coming around the corner, and seeing the mirror. CONAN (O.S.) As I thought. A mirror! REVERSE ANGLE Needle pops out of Conan's shield, and flies toward the mirror. NEEDLE Needle not afraid. Only baby phoenix scared of reflection. THE MIRROR As Needle approaches, hideously distorted versions of Greywolf, Zula, Conan and Needle LEAP out of the mirror toward our heroes, weapons ready. CUT TO: INT. RIGHT-HAND TUNNEL Sasha still leads the way with Jezmine, Misha and Mesmira behind her. JEZMINE Wait! JEZMINE'S P.O.V. At the end of the tunnel there's a bright light, coming from a open door in the side of the tunnel. JEZMINE (CON'T) There's something up ahead. ON GROUP Sasha and Misha ready their staffs, and Jezmine takes a shuriken in hand. (Mesmira does nothing.) SASHA Everyone ready? Then let's go. They walk forward. CUT TO: INT. LEFT-HAND TUNNEL Conan draws his sword, Needle flies up near the ceiling, Zula readies his bolas, and Greywolf holds his staff ready for spell-casting. Their evil doubles leap across the distance between them, and ATTACK! CONAN fights an evil, distorted (as if dead and buried for a week) version of himself (CONAN #2). Conan #2 is a perfect reflection: same weaponry, and left-handed. Every blow Conan makes is matched as if he's shadow-fighting, only this time it's for real! Conan takes a slash at his opponent, only to have Conan #2 make a mirror-image of that attack, simultaneously. Conan barely gets his shield up in time to block the blow, as does his opponent. ZULA swings his bolas and flings it at ZULA #2's shoulders, to pin his arms to his sides. Zula #2, looking dried and desiccated as if left in the desert to die, matches him move for move (using opposite hand), and both bolas connect, taking both Zulas out of the battle, temporarily. NEEDLE is in the equivalent of a WWI dogfight with his opponent (NEEDLE #2), who is black fire to Needle's red/yellow. They try to get the advantage of height on the other, so they can dive and attack with claws, but they're so evenly matched that neither can get the aerial advantage. (Like two planes performing aerobatics, side by side, matching each other perfectly.) GREYWOLF points his staff toward his opponent, GREYWOLF #2, who's the evil antithesis of Greywolf, in attire and facial expression, and calls up a wisp of fog to blind him. Greywolf #2 does the identical movement and spell-casting. GREYWOLF/GREYWOLF #2 (simultaneously) Pergamentum! A wisp of fog covers both wizard's eyes, leaving them temporarily helpless. (SFX: Clash of sword on shield (O.S.)). CUT TO: INT. SORCEROUS LABORATORY The room is a cross between a greenhouse and a mad scientist's laboratory. There are shelves of odd plants with magical grow-lights shining on them, jars of odd powders, dried roots, animal skulls (wolves), dried bats, one live bat in a bird cage, and a chemist's bench for experiments. They cautiously enter the room. MISHA Looks like we took the proper tunnel. MISHA gets too close to a plant, and it snaps at him. He leaps backwards. MISHA Yikes! SASHA is more cautious, and examines the labels on the sealed jars of powders, roots and other weird things, on the shelves. JEZMINE steps over to the chemist's bench. She leans over to take a good look at a retort containing an evilly bubbling liquid. MESMIRA (O.S.) Don't touch that! MESMIRA MESMIRA (CON'T) It's highly explosive. INCLUDE JEZMINE Jezmine backs away from it. JEZMINE How do you know? Mesmira smiles and saunters across the room to the shelves. MESMIRA I know lots of things. CLOSE ON MESMIRA Mesmira caresses a long, narrow silver box covered with designs of snarling wolves. CUT TO: INT. LEFT-HAND TUNNEL Conan is still fighting Conan #2, who is matching him blow- for-blow, parry-for-parry, and getting nowhere. Zula and Zula #2, now free of the bolas, are wrestling, trying to pin each other, but also getting nowhere. Needle and Needle #2 continue their aerial maneuverings. Greywolf has given up on spells, and is battling Greywolf #2 with his staff as an ordinary quarterstaff. CONAN looks and realizes his friends are having as little success as he is. CONAN (panting a little) Switch opponents! We can't win against ourselves! Conan leaps sideways to take on Greywolf #2, sword against staff. WIDE ANGLE Greywolf steps backwards, and points his staff at Needle #2. GREYWOLF Vadamus! A sudden downdraft forces Needle #2 to the floor of the tunnel. Greywolf quickly grabs Needle #2 and muffles him in Greywolf's cape. NEEDLE AND ZULA #2 Needle dives to Zula #2, digs his claws into Zula #2's hair and pulls his head back, away from Zula. Zula #2 grabs for Needle, but now Needle is nipping at Zula #2's face. ZULA AND CONAN #2 Taking a second bolas from his belt, Zula swings and hurls it at Conan #2. It wraps around Conan #2, tripping him. Zula leaps upon his back, and jerks the sword from his grasp. CONAN is beating Greywolf #2 backwards, toward the mirror. GREYWOLF looks up, past Conan (o.s.) to mirror. GREYWOLF Conan! The mirror! THE MIRROR no longer reflects anything. It's murky darkness. CONAN AND GREYWOLF #2 Conan ignores Greywolf #2, and hurls his sword past Greywolf #2, straight at the mirror. WIDE ON TUNNEL As the sword impacts, SHATTERING the mirror, the duplicates are also shattered, Greywolf #2 in mid-blow, about to split Conan's head with his staff. CONAN retrieves his sword and sees the tunnel continues past the now-broken mirror. It opens up into a large room. Near floor-level is a cloud of roiling green gas. CONAN Zula! Greywolf! Come look at this! NEEDLE ZIPS to join him, and in his hurry, flies THROUGH the cloud of gas. CONAN (O.S.) Needle, be careful! Come back here! Needle, now on the other side of the cloud, lurches sideways, then does a slow turn and comes back toward Conan, eyes half- closed, right THROUGH the cloud of gas again. CONAN AND NEEDLE Needle flaps his wings extra hard, and just barely makes it to Conan's outstretched hands before he collapses. CLOSE ON NEEDLE Greywolf's hand enters frame, to check for a heartbeat. GREYWOLF (O.S.) He's still alive. NEEDLE (snores softly) CONAN, GREYWOLF AND ZULA CONAN He's sleeping! Greywolf looks (o.s.) at the gas. GREYWOLF Which means that's a sleeping gas. I'll have to do something about it. GREYWOLF draws a vertical spiral in the air with the top of his staff. GREYWOLF Rego aurum, shakari aurus! A small tornado appears (SFX: HOWLING OF WIND), which sucks up the gas. When the tornado is finished, it heads off down the tunnel to disperse the gas elsewhere. THE HOLE is now revealed to be a deep pit. At the bottom of the pit are four unconscious forms, three men and a woman. GREYWOLF (O.S.) Our missing earth-wizards! CONAN leaps down into the pit to help the wizards out. THE PIT The wizards have started to wake, now that the gas is gone. The first of the wizards to fully awaken is CHADO, a silver- haired, beardless, male earth-wizard. Conan helps him to his feet. CHADO CHADO Thank you. I can handle it now. With palms upwards, Chado holds his hands at arm's length, then raises them slowly towards his head. CHADO Farrago thunni! THE PIT As he does so, the BOTTOM OF THE PIT RISES like an elevator! Conan and the four wizards are now level with the floor of the tunnel. CONAN Crom! WIDE ON EVERYONE CHADO I am Chado. Thank you for saving us. We were kidnapped so we could be delivered to Wrath-Amon, and be forced to use our earth-magic to build his temples. Zula bows. ZULA I am Zula, and this is my friend, Conan. You are safe, now. CHADO We won't be safe until Mesmira, the sorceress who kidnapped us, is stripped of her magic. CUT TO: INT. SORCEROUS LABORATORY Mesmira has opened the long silver box. Inside is a white tube, and three long grey thorns. She reaches for the tube, and the thorns. JEZMINE (O.S.) Yes, you do know a lot. JEZMINE backs up toward the door. JEZMINE (CON'T) In fact, I think you know too much. MESMIRA turns around, puts the tube to her mouth and shoots quickly at Jezmine, Sasha and Misha. SFX: THFPT! THFPT! THFPT! JEZMINE uses her acrobatic training to dodge, and the thorn misses her by a hair. JEZMINE Sasha! Misha! It's a trap! She throws a shuriken at Mesmira. MESMIRA The shuriken knocks the blowgun from Mesmira's hand. Mesmira steps on a dark-colored stone in the floor. SFX: HEAVY SLIDING DOOR CLOSING. THE DOOR A wooden door slides across the opening, locking them inside the room. MESMIRA MESMIRA (laughs) Too late! FOLLOW JEZMINE as she circles the edge of the room, keeping furniture between her and Mesmira, in case there are more darts. JEZMINE What have you done? MESMIRA Look at the wizards. Jezmine turns and looks (o.s.) SASHA AND MISHA are writhing in agony, and sprouting hair all over their faces and hands. Their faces are starting to change shape, as are their bodies (SFX: CLOTHES RIPPING). (Think the Lon Chaney WEREWOLF movies, or THRILLER.) MESMIRA (CON'T) (O.S.) They were hit with thorns from the Lycanthros plant, which appears but once a decade. I'm told the transformation is quite painful. SASHA/MISHA (painful moans and cries) As we watch, their noses elongate, turning into muzzles, their shoulders hunch, ripping the backs of their shirts, and they sprout large, savage teeth. Their eyes turn red. Finally, the process is complete. Sasha and Misha are now WEREWOLVES! They lift their muzzles to the ceiling and howl. SFX: BEASTIAL, WOLF-LIKE HOWLS. MESMIRA points at Jezmine. MESMIRA Get her, my children! THE WEREWOLVES charge at Jezmine, snarling and foaming at the mouth. JEZMINE tumbles out of their way, grabs the explosive retort, and hurls it at the door. SFX: KA-BOOM! The door disappears in smoke and splinters. Jezmine flees through, running for her life. THE WEREWOLVES leap through the door after her, growling and snapping at her heels! FADE OUT: END OF ACT TWO ACT THREE FADE IN: INT. ROOM AT BOTTOM OF STAIRS Conan, Greywolf, Zula, Chado and the other three wizards exit the left-hand tunnel and enter the room, walking quickly. SFX: RUNNING FOOTSTEPS. Conan motions the others back and has his sword at the ready for whatever comes out of the tunnel. SFX: PANTING. Jezmine bursts out of the tunnel, panting heavily. She grabs Conan and tries to shove him up the stairs ahead of her. JEZMINE (gasping for breath) Werewolves! Run! TUNNEL ENTRANCE The two snarling werewolves leap out of the tunnel, and pause, looking for their prey . SFX: GROWLING. GREYWOLF Greywolf waves his staff in a circle, counter-clockwise. GREYWOLF Aurum, fac ut gaudeam. The glowing circle begins to spin, counterclockwise. SFX: WIND. As happened during on the mountainside, a blizzard appears, blowing wind and snow at the werewolves. THE WEREWOLVES reluctantly retreat toward the tunnel. CONAN steps forward, sword and shield ready to slay them. INCLUDE JEZMINE She grabs his arm. JEZMINE Don't kill them! That's Sasha and Misha! Mesmira transformed them! GREYWOLF falters in concentration, and the blizzard diminishes. GREYWOLF (horrified) My brother and sister? THE WIZARDS Chado pushes the other wizards ahead of him up the stairs. CHADO Lure them outside, Conan. We will prepare a cage for them. Chado turns and quickly goes up the stairs. WIDE ON ROOM Greywolf, Conan, Jezmine and Zula back slowly toward the stairs, the blizzard fading fast. The werewolves close their eyes and SHAKE the snow out of their faces. At that instant, the adventurers turn and flee at top speed, up the stairs. Able to see again, the werewolves (SFX: FEROCIOUS GROWL) take off after them, up the stairs. PAN to right-hand tunnel. Mesmira has been eavesdropping. MESMIRA Those meddlers freed the wizards! I'll make them pay. She turns and heads back up the tunnel at a run. CUT TO: INT. SORCEROUS LAB Mesmira enters and quickly crosses to a cupboard. She opens it and pulls out a large plant bulb. Mesmira then tugs twice on the bat cage. A section of wall SWINGS OPEN, revealing a spiral staircase straight up. She hurries up the stairs. CUT TO: EXT. SERPENTMAN'S HOUSE Conan, Zula, Jezmine and Greywolf throw the door open and run out, slamming the door behind them. They're just in time -- the door SHUDDERS as the werewolves hurl themselves upon it, trying to break through. (SFX: WOOD SPLINTERING) Conan looks around for the Wizards (o.s.). THE WIZARDS Chado and his three associates are 30 feet from the door, and form a square. SFX: DOOR SPLINTERING FURTHER (o.s.). The wizards raise their hands and spellcast. WIZARDS (in unison) Nullo metro compositum est. Metal extrudes from the earth and puddles to form the floor of the cage. Bars rise from the floor on two sides. (The two sides that are open are on opposite sides.) CONAN, GREYWOLF, ZULA AND JEZMINE CONAN Zula, you and Jezmine guard the wizards. We'll try and slow the werewolves. Conan and Greywolf stand facing the door, weapons ready. Zula (with crossbow) and Jezmine move several paces behind them, nearer the wizards. THE DOOR SHUDDERS again (SFX: SPLINTERING), and the boards separate slightly, giving us a momentary glimpse of the werewolves. CUT TO: EXT. FLAT-TOPPED TOWER - DAY Although most of the towers are the Moorish onion-domes, some are flat-topped. At the top of the tallest is Mesmira. She places the bulb in a large container of earth that she'd previously placed here. She begins to glow with yellow-green light (surrounding her). She points at the bulb, and a line of yellow-green light connects her with the bulb. The glow around her diminishes as she pours her magic into the bulb. THE BULB absorbs the green light, SHUDDERS, then splits, putting out tendrils as if they were tentacles. The bulb absorbs more and more of Mesmira's magic. The central tendril doubles in thickness and continues to grow longer and thicker. It extrudes a tendril, which reaches forward and CARESSES Mesmira's cheek, while the plant continues growing. CUT TO: EXT. SERPENTMAN'S HOUSE The door gives way and the werewolves HURL themselves through. GREYWOLF steps forward. GREYWOLF Sasha. Misha. Stop! This is not your true nature. WIDEN ANGLE The werewolves ignore his words and leap for his throat. CONAN leaps forward to save his friend. INCLUDE GREYWOLF AND WEREWOLVES Conan shoves his shield between Greywolf and the werewolves, knocking them to one side, then grabs Greywolf and hauls him towards the waiting cage at a run. CONAN You're a brave fool, Greywolf. GREYWOLF AND CONAN Greywolf quickly recovers and matches Conan stride for stride. SFX: GROWLING (O.S.) behind them. GREYWOLF (panting) I had to try. THE CAGE is almost completed. The wizards stand ready to raise the two final sides, sealing it closed. Jezmine and Zula are on either side of the cage, weapons pointed at the werewolves. CONAN AND GREYWOLF dash through the open sides of the cage (the werewolves only two leaps behind). SFX: FIERCE GROWLING (O.S.) THE WEREWOLVES leap into the cage, following Conan and Greywolf. THE CAGE The wizards immediately extrude the two final sides. WIZARDS (in unison) Nullo metro compositum est. THE WEREWOLVES spin around to retreat, but they're trapped! SFX: GROWLING. CLOSE ON GREYWOLF as he looks at his transformed sister and brother. Sadness turns to rage. GREYWOLF Mesmira must pay for what she's done! CUT TO: EXT. TOP OF TOWER The glow around Mesmira continues to thin as she transfers more and more of her power to the bulb. The plant has continued to grow and sprout tendrils, which thicken and sprout their own tendrils. The plant is fifteen feet tall, then twenty feet and still growing! CUT TO: EXT. SERPENTMAN'S HOUSE The sickly yellow-green glow from the top of the tower is visible throughout Xanthus, and casts reddish shadows beneath the earth-wizards and our heroes. CHADO That's Stygian magic! GREYWOLF (cold rage) Mesmira! CUT TO: EXT. TOP OF TOWER At last Mesmira stops, drained. The only glow remaining is in the bulb itself. The plant is now thirty feet high, with huge trumpet-shaped blossoms at the top and small pods clustered at the base of the blossoms (blossoms and pods are colored brown, yellow, red or blue), enormous thorns along each stem, tentacle-like branches, and venus-flytrap-like leaves at the center that keep opening and closing as if searching for food. MESMIRA Time to feed, my pet. THE PLANT The blossoms at the top of the plant open and begin sucking in the elementals that are Xanthus' magic -- brown (earth), yellow (air), red (fire), and blue (water), each element to that color of blossom. The elementals change shape as they're sucked in, like pulling Play-Doh through the eye of a needle. The pods begin to swell, storing the magic. CUT TO: EXT. XANTHUS STREET Wizards collapse in the street as the magic disappears. A floating fish pond is sucked up toward the plant, leaving the fish to fall to the pavement and flop around. A fire fountain elongates as it's sucked towards the plant, and with an audible (SFX: POP!) it loses its grip on the stone bowl that contained it and it too disappears. CUT TO: EXT. TOP OF TOWER Greywolf, Conan, Zula and Jezmine are on Greywolf's flying cloak, nearly at the top of the tower. The flying cloak slips sideways in the air as the plant turns a blossom toward Greywolf and starts to draw his air magic (yellow glow) out of him. The cloak slows, and stops, hovering in the air ten feet away from the tower roof. GREYWOLF (exhausted) Savanti aurus. Aurus! The cloak slides a few feet closer to the roof, then the edges flutter and it stops again. Jezmine and Zula leap for the roof, five feet away. Conan grabs Greywolf, and follows them to safety. The cloak falls (o.s.). CONAN, JEZMINE, ZULA AND GREYWOLF turn and face Mesmira and her monstrous plant, weapons ready. CONAN Mesmira! You can't win. REVERSE ANGLE - ON PLANT AND MESMIRA The pods are growing and multiplying as the plant devours Xanthus' magic. Mesmira is smiling at the plant, like a proud mother. One yellow blossom turns toward CAMERA. GREYWOLF has the last of his magic (a yellow glow) sucked from him. GREYWOLF (weakly) Conan, it's the blossoms. Break the pods. Greywolf collapses, face-down on the tower roof. JEZMINE flings shuriken. THE PLANT blocks them with fast-moving tentacles, which the shuriken slice through like buzz-saw blades, severing tentacles right and left. But the shuriken don't reach the blossoms. ZULA stands at a distance, and repeatedly fires his crossbow at the nearest pod, trying to release the magic trapped inside. THE POD The crossbow bolts bounce harmlessly off the hard shell. One of Jezmine's shuriken bounces off as well. CONAN drops his shield to the pavement (SFX: CLANG) and holds his sword hilt with both hands, a feral grin on his face. FOLLOW CONAN as he charges in, hacking and slashing, moving too quickly for any tendril to grab him. JEZMINE steps forward to attack a different part of the plant. CLOSE ON PLANT TENDRIL A curled, very thick tentacle snaps out toward her. INCLUDE JEZMINE The tentacle wraps around her waist, pulling her towards the nearest venus-flytrap-like mouth. NEEDLE The shield stops spinning, and a slightly dizzy Needle pops out. NEEDLE'S P.O.V. He sees the plant drawing Jezmine toward a waiting mouth. NEEDLE ZIPS over to help Jezmine try and break the tentacle. NEEDLE Jezmine! Needle help! THE PLANT A red blossom turns toward Needle. INCLUDE NEEDLE The red blossom sucks Needle inside. NEEDLE Help! FOLLOW NEEDLE THROUGH PLANT The stem of the blossom is suddenly filled with a mass of very angry Phoenix who moves rapidly through the stem and into the waiting red pod. NEEDLE (O.S.) (muffled) Needle hate nasty plant! Needle want out now! The pod shakes as Needle tries to break through, but the pod is too strong for him. THE PLANT A sneaky tendril creeps along the pavement. INCLUDE ZULA Suddenly the tendril wraps itself around Zula's ankles and jerks his feet out from under him. Zula fires at the tendril, then tries beating at it with the crossbow, but moment by moment, he too is drawn towards one of the waiting mouths. CONAN tries to climb the plant, but the tentacles gang up on him. Though he hacks through many of them, he's eventually imprisoned, hands bound to his sides, held in mid-air, sword still in hand. MESMIRA smiles at Conan. MESMIRA What a handsome barbarian! Forget your friends. Agree to be my consort, and I will reward you well. CONAN NO! Conan strains mighty sinews and snaps the tentacles as if they were string. Before the plant can recover, he swarms up the plant to the top and slashes blossom after blossom from its stem. MESMIRA holds her hands out as if to cast a spell, but nothing happens. Her energy is exhausted. She SNARLS. CONAN AND THE PLANT When all the blossoms are cut, he turns his star-metal sword on the magic-filled pods, starting with Needle's. ON POD With a mighty swing, Conan splits the pod. There's a RED BLUR as Needle and the fire magic stored inside are flung into the sky. FOLLOW RED BLUR as it arcs across the sky like a comet. Needle ZIPS back toward the tower. NEEDLE Needle free! CONAN AND THE PLANT More blows follow quickly and yellow, blue and brown blurs BURST into the sky, following the red. Conan never stops breaking pods. (SFX: THWACK! THWACK!) THE SKY The yellow, blue and brown blurs join the red for a rainbow before they swirl together then explode outwards like a firework display, each bit of color heading back where it belonged. FOLLOW YELLOW LIGHT A bit of yellow light hurtles across the sky, arrowing for the tower, and Greywolf. GREYWOLF The yellow light impacts Greywolf and disappears into him. He sits up, restored, in time to see. CONAN AND THE PLANT The last pod is hacked open and the plant itself EXPLODES! tossing Conan onto the roof beside Greywolf. Zula and Jezmine land nearby. MESMIRA manages to call up a bit of magic and is surrounded by a yellow-green glow. (All we see is the glow, not Mesmira.) GREYWOLF, CONAN, JEZMINE AND ZULA stand and brush themselves off. Conan looks around (o.s.). CONAN Where's Mesmira? WIDE ANGLE ON ROOF There's no sign of Mesmira at all. ZULA We couldn't be lucky enough to have her be destroyed with her evil plant. NEEDLE flies overhead, and drops the remains of the green-glowing bulb into Greywolf's hands. NEEDLE Mesmira's magic! Now yours. GREYWOLF examines the bulb. He looks at Conan. GREYWOLF This is Stygian magic. Greywolf holds the bulb out to Conan. GREYWOLF (CON'T) You saved Xanthus. This by rights is yours. It might break Wrath-Amon's spell on your family. Conan takes it gingerly. CONAN Could it also break Mesmira's spell on your sister and brother? Greywolf NODS. Conan hands the seed pod back to him. CONAN (CON'T) Then use it. DISSOLVE TO: GREYWOLF AND WEREWOLVES holds the bulb in both hands, and channels his magic through it. A golden-green beam of magic shoots from the bulb and envelopes Sasha and Misha. (NOTE: The cage is distorted, having been sucked toward the plant, but is still intact.) Through the glow we see only the smallest of changes: their muzzles shrink a tiny bit, their hair shortens a little, but it stops there. The werewolves SNARL and fight the spell. Greywolf closes his eyes to concentrate harder. The glow brightens, with more yellow than green. The werewolves HOWL in pain. Suddenly, the bulb explodes in Greywolf's hands, and Greywolf sinks to his knees, exhausted, head bowed. GREYWOLF I've failed. THE DOGS There have been more changes. The werewolves now look like wolf-dogs of some sort (Irish Wolfhound-type). Their eyes have changed from red to Sasha and Misha's colors. Sasha puts her paw out through the bars of the cage, and pats Greywolf. GREYWOLF does a double-take, then looks up (o.s.) at his friends. GREYWOLF Sasha and Misha are themselves again! THE OTHERS look skeptical. But Needle agrees. NEEDLE Open cage! Open cage! CHADO AND THE OTHER EARTH WIZARDS surround the cage, and chant. WIZARDS Est compositum metro nullo. The cage disappears back into the earth from which it came. GREYWOLF, SASHA AND MISHA The wolf-dogs leap out of the cage, and bounce around Greywolf, acting like puppies! Greywolf hugs both dogs tightly. GREYWOLF (to Sasha and Misha) I promise, no matter what it takes, I'll find a way to completely restore both of you. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. CROSSROAD OUTSIDE OF XANTHUS - DAY Conan on Thunder, with Greywolf, Zula and Jezmine mounted on new horses, approach a crossroad. (Misha and Sasha trot along on either side of Greywolf's horse.) At the crossroad, seated on a rock is a bent, ragged old woman. The riders stop. JEZMINE It's a long way to the next city, grandmother. May we offer you a ride? The old woman bends her head sideways (heavy dowager's hump) and looks up at Jezmine and the others. OLD WOMAN (MESMIRA) A sweet and generous offer, child, but it isn't to the next city I am travelling. JEZMINE Oh well. Have a safe journey! Jezmine turns to Conan while the Old Woman watches avidly. CONAN Where do we go next? JEZMINE I promised the circus I'd return for the Spring Festival performances. ZULA And I must go back to my tribe for a time. My father needs me. GREYWOLF Conan, let's head East. There are legends of powerful sorcerers there. CONAN Then East it is! We will all meet again, soon! He knees his horse and takes off for the east, at a gallop. Greywolf, Misha and Sasha follow. Jezmine and Zula take the South road. HOLD ON OLD LADY As the four heroes disappear into the distance, the old lady throws off her disguise, revealing herself as MESMIRA! MESMIRA Yes, my dear Conan. We will meet again. FADE OUT: END ACT THREE This script is copyright 1992 by Katherine Lawrence.