Let not the sword sleep in your hand, son of Asgard, nor let the blood lie thick and cold in your veins! Now is the time for battle, for bloodshed and for bold deeds that you will boast of in the meadhall – or in Valhalla! The white snows shall bear witness to our red victory over the dogs of Vanaheim!'

So speaks Cneph Coalhair, a mighty king of Asgard – but forces are moving in the north beyond the petty rivalries of mortal men. A foe, terrible and ancient, sleeps in the cold wastes beyond the north wind. Across the frozen tundra and towering mountains, the men of Asgard battle the Vanir, unaware that their true foe stirs in his sleep and plots to bring all the world to ruin. He is able to do this because one of the Aesir has turned on their kin and allied with the enemy – Asgard has been betrayed, and doom is coming!