After trouncing a trio of Aesir warriors set to steal his hard-fought game, Conan of Cimmeria struck a peace with their leader Niord and shared their campfire, where he listened to Aesir tales of battle, the fury of their gods, and of their mortal enemies the Vanir. Upon heeding a desperate horn call, the group found the nearby Aesir village aflame and, knowing the Vanir were to blame, Niord set his warband to hunt, accepting Conan's offer of help and arming the Cimmerian for battle. Setting out into the norther wastes, the war party was shadowed by an ethereal mysterious woman, who observed the warriors persisting through a blizzard sent by 'her father.' When the sudden storm abated, Niord's war party found themselves facing the Vanir out on the ice, and an orgy of violence followed. During the brutal battle, the woman marveled at the black-haired Cimmerian, whose fire and fury burned so much brighter than the others. There, amidst the cold and carnage, she claimed Conan for herself.
