Angantyr Eriksson was born in Eretejva as the first son to the tribal chieftain Erik Orvarsson. After a noble upbringing which included going through the rites of passage and unlocking his Svalen at the age of 17, Angantyr is expected to inherit his father's mantle when he dies.

A dispute over a horse-fighting game with another local tribe ends with Angantyr being shamed when one of their whips, intended for the horse, lands on him. When the local refused to apologize, Angantyr, enraged, goes home, procures an axe, returns and splits the skull of the man who hit him. In revenge, the man's family enlist the powers of their tribal shaman to lay a hex on Angantyr, causing him to lose the ability to access his Svalen. Rather than face the shame of living amongst his kinsmen without his Svalen, Angantyr chooses self-imposed exile. He has not since returned to Eretejva.

He wanders the world, enlisting as a mercenary and sailor-for-hire to any crew that will take him, and makes a vow of revenge against the sorcerer and his tribe. To this end, he enlists the help of Dwarves to craft a magical blade known as Kveldssang, a sword of near peerless sharpness that is fated to kill Angantyr's oath-sworn enemies. However, due to the black magic used to craft Kveldssang, it is cursed to kill a man every time it is drawn, and it is fated to be the cause of three great evils.