Conan the Barbarian #29 (1973)

Conan enters the turanian capital Aghrapur in time to see the delivery of the statue of Tarim from Prince Yezdigerd, who continues conquering hyrkanian cities. Conan mocks the procession saying the Turanians are silly to worship a tiny statue as their god and is quickly attacked by the religious zealots of the city. Conan is overwhelmed by numbers, battles his way out of the crowad and is rescued by a stranger who leads Conan via back alleys to a tavern. He introduces himself as Ormraxes, but some approaching guards call him Eithriall and attempt to bring him in. In the scuffle Conan is knocked unconscious and finds himself revived by a masked man who informs Conan where Ormraxes is being held. Conan, determined to repay his debt to Ormraxes, sneaks into the dungeon. Conan plows his way through the guards and rescues Ormraxes from the forces of King Yildiz. Upon his return, Conan discovers the masked man is, in fact, Eithriall, and Ormraxes (an archaic Turanian term for "ghost") is just a spiritual projection Eithriall was using as a spy. The man and spirit use a crystal to reunite themselves, but as Conan learns from Eithrialls followers that he will recover great magic might and use it to devastate Turan and more, Conan interrupts the ceremony with his sword and Eithriall/Ormraxes perishes in flames. The Turanian guards appear at that point and reveal they know what has happened. They offer Conan a choice - enlistment in the Turanian army, or imprisonment. Conan opts for enlistment.