"The Scroll of Thoth" by Richard L. Tierney (1977)

Originally appeared in Swords Against Darkness II (1977).

Plot: Simon of Ghitta comes to Rome to steal the Scroll of thoth from the emperor himself, Caligula. The emperor has been using the spells in the book to raise the dead. Simon, disguised as a slave finds the secret chamber where the scroll is kept and kills the guard. He burns the scroll then flees, but is unfortunately caught. He is about to meet his fate when the assassination of the empereor gives him time to escape.

Monsters:

Undead Prisoner - using the Scroll of Thoth, Caligula raises a dead for mere moments but is learning necromancy slowly.

History: Tierney's use of historical facts is brilliantly done in this tale, explaining why Caligula would fight Neptune for a beach full of sea shells. Like the Vettius & Dama stories of David Drake, the historical detail is as much fun as the S&S. This story was a sequel to "The Ring of Set" in Swords Against Darkness #1. These stories are also part of the Cthulhu Mythos, this story mentioning Deep Ones.

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