Thorgil Bloodaxe is an aging mercenary man, who sells his blade to those who can afford his price. He holds no allegiances to any land, but only serves those who will add silver to his purse of coins. Once a proud Jomsviking commander and a member of the Byzantium Empires elite mercenary unit of Varangian Guards, Thorgil now makes his meager living by wandering from one northern province to another, providing protection to fat merchants or aiding in blood-feuds. Enter the White Queen of Nidafjoll, who is seeking a warrior called the Bloodaxe who murdered her sister Karelia of Trolleboten...

In a savage world ruled by the sword, the mercenary leader Thorgil Bloodaxe stands apart, a man feared and respected across all the bloodstained lands from west to east. Well aware of his reputation, it is to Thorgil that the Caliph of Baghdad sen...