"Rogues in the House" is one of the original short stories starring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard and first published in Weird Tales magazine in January 1934. It is set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age, and concerns Conan inadvertently becoming involved in the struggle between two powerful men fighting for control of a city-state. It was the seventh Conan story Howard had published. It is famous for the fight scene between Conan and an ape, often known as the cover by artist Frank Frazetta.
The story begins in an unnamed city-state between Zamora and Corinthia during a power struggle between two powerful leaders: Murilo, an aristocrat, and Nabonidus the "Red Priest", a clergyman with a strong power base. After he is delivered a written threat by Nabonidus, Murilo learns of Conan's reputation as a mercenary and turns to him for help. Prior to the story's beginning, Conan kills a corrupt priest of Anu, who was both a fence and police informer. However, Conan was arrested after he became intoxicated and a prostitute turned him in. Languishing in a jail cell while awaiting his execution, Conan receives Murilo's visit and is proposed a bargain: in exchange for setting him free and getting him out of Corinthia with a bag of gold, Conan will assassinate Nabonidus. After accepting his offer, Conan is given food and wine by Murilo. However, while he's consuming a roasted duck, the jailer who should release Conan when Murilo has left is arrested on unrelated corruption charges. Soon, his replacement is flabbergasted to see a prisoner awaiting execution while chomping down on a slice of beef. As he's entering the cell to confiscate it, Conan splits the man's skull with the very bone he was gnawing on and makes his escape. For a while, he considers leaving Murilo on his own, but then decides to follow the original plan and keep his word. After taking revenge on the prostitute who turned him in, Conan sneaks into Nabonidus' trap-filled mansion. However, he finds that Murilo and Nabonidus himself are being held captive by a mysterious third party who took control of Nabonidus' position while impersonating him. This turns out to be Thak, a primitive ape-like creature who Nabonidus had captured as a cub and trained as his personal bodyguard. The three observe Thak, via a series of hidden periscopes, and see that the creature has learned to imitate Nabonidus well enough to activate a toxic pollen trap, which eliminates yet another party of assassins penetrating the villa. Finally, Conan and the other two men manage to regain entry into Nabonidus' mansion from the basement. Later, Conan defeats Thak in hand-to-hand combat. The Red Priest soon betrays both Conan and Murilo; but, while Nabonidus is gloating over his plans in a detailed monologue, Conan slays him with an expertly hurled stool. The surviving pair leave and go their separate ways.
Motifs
"Rogues in the House" is written in an extremely ironic fashion and as a Jacobean revenge story. It's eventually revealed that Nabonidus' "usurper" is actually his pet, Thak, an intelligent ape-like creature who got the better of his master. The story's title also reflects the other main irony, the conflict between Murilo and Nabonidus. Each man has been using his position of influence for personal profit. After stumbling upon each other in a pit beneath Nabonidus' house, the two rivals realize that they're equally corrupt and, indeed, Conan may be the most morally honest of the three men because he doesn't attempt to conceal his criminal nature.
Reception
In a January 1934 letter to H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith praised "Rogues in the House". Smith stated, "Conan, as usual, put on a very entertaining and imaginative show."
Influence
The point where Conan clamors to be brought food while he waits to be set free evidently struck a chord in Lin Carter, the post-World War II heroic fantasy writer who cooperated with L. Sprague de Camp in bringing Lovecraftian and Howardian fiction back into publication. He included similar scenes in almost all instances when his Conan-inspired Lemurian hero Thongor managed to end up imprisoned.
