SOLVED. '80s Adult Sword & Sorcery series, about Vali(?) son of Bors Skullcleaver of the Aesir tribe and a pseudo East Indian concubine, who's the chosen one to fight Babylonian demons. [s]

[Michael]

The '80s were a time of cheezy bad, but fun barbarian fantasy adventures with embarassing artwork that belong on the side of a van. Among these there was one duology where the first book features a near-naked girl lounging on a divan while a just as scantily clad bearded blonde barbarian is chopping an equally stripperific darker-skinned man with his mighty battle-axe.

The series is a mish-mash of different mythological analogues or precursors. The story starts off with a convoy from what would eventually be India that has gone far to the northwest when it's ambushed by tribal raiders of the Aesir clan. Led by the mighty Borrs Skullcleaver, these viking-like warriors slaughter everyone and take the treasure wagon. Turns out the treasure is a concubine who's supposed to go a western king as a gift, but Borrs takes the girl as his own as she's a master of the Kama Sutra.

She bears him a son named Vili or Vali (something like that - who features in Norse mythollogy - the former is Odin's older brother while the latter would be Odin's unborn son who'd eventually avenge him). Vili would befriend twin children of the chief of the Vanir tribe, a tribe living in the forests and protected by the "Valkyries" (these are just female archers skilled in woodcraft) and yes, the children are of course Frey and Freyja. Vili would fall for Freyja but it won't work out as she eventually marries a warrior named Odr(?). Bad things happen leading to war between the Aesir and Vanir.

Meanwhile an evil sorcerer in Babylon is conjuring up demons and making a mess of things, so Vili would be the Chosen One to eventually deal with him.

But before this happens, Vili's concubine mother (who's a follower of what would become to Buddhism) sends her old Chinese teacher to have him teach her son martial arts including an Escrima-like fighting technique using a pair of sticks.

So that ends the first novel and I never read the far rarer second concluding novel. Yes the story is very cringy but kudos to the writer for being more ambitious than usual in the Sword & Sorcery genre and creating a story that's more than a subpar Conan knock-off.

[Robert]

The First Name, by Dennis Schmidt. - (Twilight of the gods ; 1)?

"Blackhearted Surt lay dying on the battlefield, screaming to the dark gods for vengeance against Borr Skullcracker, the Aesir warlord who had left him behind for raven food. - And so the curse began ... - On that day, immortal Voden was conceived, born of Skullcracker and his captured bride, the warrior of Destiny, healer and destroyer in the confrontation with the evil Dark!"

[Michael]

Thanks, that's the one!! Consider this case solved!