"The Theft of the Thirty-Nine Girdles" by Clark Ashton Smith

This is the last of the Hyperborean cycle. In just 11 short stories, Smith paints an incredible world of surprising depth and lore. I certainly enjoyed these stories! There are four more short stories/prose poems coming up here that were tacked on to the book I'm reading that the editor called The Rim World cycle. Despite not being Hyperborea, they do give something of a similar vibe.

adit: a horizontal passage leading into a mine for the purpose of access or drainage

soporific: tending to induce drowsiness or sleep

medicament: a substance used for medical treatment

lubricious: there are two definitions here and neither one seems particularly apt, so I present them both and let you decide which one makes sense to you: 1) offensively displaying or intended to arouse sexual desire, or 2) smooth and slippery with oil or a similar substance

abdominous: having a large belly

lupanars: brothels

lascivious: lustful, wanton

approbation: approval

perspicacious: having a ready insight into and understanding of things

mazzard: in this context, a person's head or face

The picture used is "Vestal Virgins" by Jean Raoux, 1727, now displayed at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Lille, France.

To follow along: http://eldritchdark.com/writings/short-stories/215/the-theft-of-the-thirty-nine-girdles