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(created 2013-05-09 16:12):
352 CE. A Roman century was sent on a punitive mission to map out northernmost Scandinavian regions and scout for trading routes. They thought they had prepared for the journey. The hot summer, the rainy autumn and even the first snowfalls and colds provided no problem to the men, so they had lulled themselves into a false sense of security. They were invincible
But as the winter progressed and the norther the men pushed, the shorter the days grew. Snow piled up more than knee high and the cold shadows of the forests slid their grasp further and further as the sun continuously lowered. Every breath felt like needles piercing the insides of their lungs and the distances between villages grew longer, making travel painfully slow. Men started to succumb to diseases and the cold on their way up north, and food was running scarce. Reaching a breaking point, the centurion gave the order to retreat, but by then, it was too late.
In just mere weeks, less men were on their return trip than the number of men who perished on the journey. Some had deserted, some were driven insane by the dread. Weakened, some of the men died in their sleep. When the group noticed someone's death, their aversion of eating human flesh was overdriven by their hunger. As much as the remaining men wanted to just leave the century, alone they'd face a certain death. As a group they might suffer, but they just might live to see another day.
One day, as the century was hunting for food, they came across a shaman. The shaman, surprised to see such an exotic group so far up north, offered the men shelter in a cave he resided in. He quickly saw that these men were at a loss, completely unprepared to face the challenges of the northern wilderness. He promised to reveal the shamanic knowledge and secrets needed to survive in the cold wilderness, to which the men begrudgingly agreed to.
But before any lessons, they'd begin with a feast. To the surprise of the soldiers, the shaman was able to produce a whole table filled to the brim with bread, meat, wine and even some fine delicacies not native to the north. The group cared not about where the food came from, so they ate until they couldn't eat any more. But little did the Romans know that the food wasn't to nourish them - it was to paralyze them.
Suddenly, the men started to feel dizzy, desperately clinging to the walls and grabbing their swords, but inevitably falling to the floor. With the men incapacitated, the shaman dragged the men to a secret portion of the cave. The men were placed into a circle engraved with ancient runes, and the shaman began a sinister incantation. The runes started glowing, and an ominous hum filled the cave. With a blinding flash, a portal ripped open, and the souls of the men were sucked into the afterlife, but their bodies remained in the mortal realm. The portal closed and the now soulless Romans rose on their feet to hear the will of their master. The remaining soldiers had become the shaman's undying, eternal servants. Soon, stories of brutal butcherings in remote homes and farms started to appear. While the news were unnerving, nobody believed the unfathomable stories of undead men with helmets encased in ice attacking the living mindlessly. But the stories spread and became known as a folk legend - The Faceless Legion.
(Aaaand popular reel'd less than an hour after posting. Holy moly people, massive thanks to everyone!)
(Position in competition: 9th. So close! Still pretty amazing :D )