Conan, on the trail of a map stolen from him that leads to the legendary Bloodstained God, hears the cries of a Kezankian Tribesmen being tortured in a dark alley in Arenjun. Conan decides a Kezankian might make a good ally, and intervenes, freeing the tribesman and killing several of the torturers. The tribesman runs, and Conan follows but loses the man when a well-thrown stool catches him from behind. Luckily, Conan is revived by Sassan, another on the trail of the Bloodstained God who knows Conan recently had a map to its location. Sassan wants to ally with the barbarian, who readily agrees, and Sassan reveals that the torturers were in fact the thieves who stole the map from Conan and they have ridden westward into the Kezankian hills. The two get horses and begin to follow, but are so