Conan the Barbarian 127

Major Characters

 * Conan (Previous appearance in CB-126; next appearance in CB-128).

Minor Characters

 * Xean (First and only appearance to date). Vanir slavegirl. Dies in this issue.
 * Grendel (First and only appearance to date). Vanir chieftan. Dies in this issue.
 * Potarr (First and only appearance to date). Vanir shaman.

Locations

 * Cimmeria

Time Frame

 * Several days

Synopsis
Conan trudges through a Cimmerian snowstorm when he hears the cries of a Vanir woman being attacked by a large snow bear. He manages to slay the bear but collapses due to his injuries, and the woman drags him to a cave to tend to his wounds, but when he awakens, healed, she is gone. He leaves the cave and comes across a village being pillaged by Vanir. Conan immediately attacks, but sheer numbers defeat him. The Vanir chief, Grendel, and shaman, Potarr leave Conan to search for the woman, Xean, who sneaks back after the Vanir leave. The two of them flee into the woods, where she tells Conan she was a slave to Potarr, but managed to escape recently and has been on the run since. They are eventually found by the Vanir, though a stronger Conan manages to fight and kill them all, though in the battle Xean's slave collar is shattered. After Conan kills Grendel, Xean collapses and turns into water. Potarr reveals that she was a mystical construct, kept alive by his magic and the collar, and he was only chasing her to save and love her. Conan leaves the weeping Potarr, saying sometimes it's better to forget.

Reprinted

 * The Chronicles of Conan 17 - The Creation Quest and Other Stories