 In the wake of Venarium Conan ventures into an unforgiving world where he survives as a thief, pirate, and warrior on a path of wanton adventure and women.Chapters 12-33, set years later in the wake of his piratical career on the Black Coast and subsequent sojourn in the Black Kingdoms, relate how Conan chances upon the warlord responsible for his tribe's destruction.As he tracks Khalar Zym, Conan battles monsters, Zym's henchmen, and Marique, a powerful witch.