Many dark rituals were rumored to occur in the cold and dark woods of the hostile north; at least, that's what the ancient scholars claimed. Nobody believed them, especially not the proud and greedy Emperor and his advisors. They only saw the resources they could gain from an invasion and occupation of the rich lands in the north. The invasion was doomed to fail, as the scholars did not even know half of the truth. The few soldiers of the Empire who survived and returned home told frightening stories of the gruesome carnage the northern tribes' warriors, especially their shamans, had wreaked upon them. Many a legion was destroyed alone by one of those eerily beautiful women adorned in war paint and blood-covered faces unleashing the wrath of nature on the battlefields while commanding horrible beasts tearing through steel, leather, flesh, and bone. --- Rendered in Iray with DAZ 4.14. Postwork in Photoshop.