Dreki - Axe Hersir
This transport ship is light and easy to manoeuvre, but almost defenceless if attacked.The brutal axes of these leaders of men often dictate the tide of battle.
For most of history the only way to move cargoes and people over long distances at any kind of reasonable speed was by water; this remained true until the invention of the railway. Trading vessels carried goods, following the coastlines for the most part, and up navigable rivers. The pattern of settlement and colonisation was almost entirely based on where ships could go. It was also considerably easier to move armies by sea than march them long distances. Trade ships were hired or requisitioned for such tasks, and this was an added incentive for generals to reach a quick conclusion to a campaign: war hurt trade, and used up ships needed for vital food supplies.
(Axe Hersir)
When the Vikings first set out to pillage the coasts of Europe in the eighth century, those who led the raiding parties were not kings, earls, or jarls, but a lesser rank of war leaders known as hersirs. They were superior warriors who commanded small bands of men, organising them into the shield walls used to defeat the armies that opposed their early incursions into places like Britain. In the Norse context, a hersir was typically an independent landowner or chieftain, but by the tenth century their role had changed into something much less autonomous with many becoming regional military servants of Scandinavian kings and nobles. Many also still gave their military services to earls and jarls as battlefield companions, making them the rough equivalent to the huscarls of the late Anglo-Saxon period.
Being military commanders, hersirs typically donned superior equipment to the men they led on their raids. For some, the one-handed axe would have been the weapon of choice, since swords were costly and axes would have been already widely available as domestic tools. Various adaptations of axes were used in battle, such as the smaller throwing francisca made famous by the Franks, and the slightly larger versions primarily used as part of axe-and-shield war getups. Axes granted a unique form of damage output – although swords were ideal for slashing and stabbing, an axe could hack and chop with relatively less effort, and in the right hands was particularly useful for piercing armour, decapitation, and dismemberment.
Unit Name Dreki - Axe Hersir |
Main Unit Key shp_vik_axe_hersir |
Land Unit Key vik_axe_hersir |
Naval Unit Key vik_dreki |
Soldiers 160 |
Category Heavy Ship |
Class Melee Ship |
Custom Battle Cost 700 |
Recruitment Cost 700 |
Upkeep Cost 200 |
└ Ship vik_dreki |
Speed |
Melee Skill 36 |
32 |
├ Melee Weapon vik_axe |
├ Melee Base Damage 13 |
├ Armour-piercing Damage 19 |
├ Armour Piercing No |
├ Attack Against Cavalry 0 |
├ Attack Against Elephants 0 |
└ Attack Against Infantry 0 |
Charge Bonus 38 |
66 |
├ Base Defence 36 |
├ Shield vik_medium |
└ Shield 30 |
22 |
├ Armour vik_mail |
├ Armour Defence 22 |
└ Shield Armour 0 |
100 |
├ Man Entity vik_inf_med |
├ Man Health 100 |
└ Bonus Hit Points 0 |
Morale 47 |
Abilities
Axe Hersir- Shield Castle
"Heads down, lads, things are about to get a little hairy around here!"
Units cannot move in this formation.
Attributes
- [[col:yellow]]Expert Charge Defence[[/col]]
This unit’s melee attack and damage are increased against charging enemies. - [[col:yellow]]Disciplined[[/col]]
This unit does not suffer a morale penalty when the general dies. It can also rally after routing more often. - [[col:yellow]]Hide (forest)[[/col]]
This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close. - [[col:yellow]]Raider[[/col]]
This unit may set buildings on fire, cause more fire damage with torches and capture faster than other units.
Strengths & Weaknesses
No Strengths and Weaknesses