The Charnel God

"The Charnel God" by Clark Ashton Smith concerns Phariom, a young exile traveling with his newly-wedded wife Elaith through the desert city Zul-Bha-Sair. When Elaith falls into a cataleptic seizure—a recurring condition resembling death—a local physician declares her dead. According to the city's law, all who die within its walls must be delivered to the priests of Mordiggian, a voracious deity worshipped as an impersonal consuming force. The masked, shrouded priests arrive to claim Elaith's body despite Phariom's desperate resistance. As Phariom recovers from his beating, he learns the temple stands at the city's core and remains open to the living, though few dare enter for fear of becoming Mordiggian's next victim. Determined to rescue his wife, Phariom begins gathering information about the temple and its mysterious priesthood.