Mapping Conan's career so far

 Here is my approximation of Conan's movements from the beginning of his life through the story "The Hand of Nergal."

1. Conan is born in northwest Cimmeria, literally on a battlefield.

2. A young Conan, probably no more than 16, participates in raiding parties and particularly the siege of Venarium.

3. The events of "The Frost-Giant's Daughter" take place in Nordheim, so Conan has traveled far to the north. He is with the Aesir raiding party at the beginning and end of the story. Many Conan readers place this story much later in Conan's career, but I think it makes the most sense here.

4. The Aesir dip down into Asgard where "Legions of the Dead" takes place. At the end of "Legions of the Dead," Conan is sold to Hyperborean slavers.

5. Conan has escaped his Hyperborean captors and is fleeing south through the mountains of Brythunia. Within these mountains, "The Thing in the Crypt" takes place. Conan continues southward, with his mind set on Zamora.

6. Conan arrives at the Zamoran City of Thieves. I've decided that it makes most sense to me that the City of Thieves and Arenjun are indeed two separate cities, so I've place this point on where Conan expert Dale Rippke approximated the Thief City to be. This is where "The Tower of the Elephant" (and Conan and the Sorcerer, mostly) takes place.

7. Trying his thieving elsewhere, Conan moves south to Shadizar the Wicked, the capital city of Zamora. He goes to the ruined, ancient city of Larsha nearby (which, on this map, makes it look like it's actually located over the border in Koth?) in "The Hall of the Dead". Having made trouble in Shadizar, Conan ends the story riding westward on the Corinthian Road toward Nemedia.

8. In Numalia, Nemedia, Conan attempts to steal from the Temple of Kallian Publico and gets mixed up in the murder of its proprietor, as seen in "The God in the Bowl." Conan apparently starts moving east again upon leaving Nemedia. Somewhere on this path eastward, he passes through an unnamed city where the events of "Rogues in the House" take place.

9. Acting as a mercenary, Conan participates in a battle with the army of Turan. The battle takes place in an open field, along a river. After the battle, when Conan finds Hildico, he travels with her to the city of Yaralet, where the rest of the story takes place. Conan defeats Munthassem Khan in Yaralet in "The Hand of Nergal." He stays there about a week before riding away from the city.

I really don't have much experience with the next several stories in my chronology- I've read a comic book adaption of "The City of Skulls" but don't know "The People of the Summit," "The Curse of the Monolith," "The Blood-Stained God," or "The Lair of the Ice Worm" at all. 

After that, Conan heads to the sea with "Queen of the Black Coast." I understand there are more pirate stories than just that one, but I don't think they're in my chronology...

​The essay "A Probable Outline of Conan's Career" suggests about two or three years spent in the service of armies as a sellsword:

"Riding westward into Corinthia, Conan becomes a mercenary soldier under one of the many roving generals of that time. He fares well and learns much of the art of civilized war among the Hyborian kingdoms. During a lull in the wars, he returns for a short time to his native Cimmeria, but the love of adventure again draws him south. He continues to prosper as a soldier, finally arriving in the seacoast kingdom of Argos, where a brush with the law forces him to ship with a coastwise trader, southward bound."

With that being said, I wonder if all the stories up to "Black Coast" will be mercenary stories...