Spear Hirdmen

Much like the Roman ‘comes’, in the Viking world there emerged a culture of heroic champions flanked by chosen companions. The ‘hirdman’ was the highest rank amongst such warriors, and in later times the rank carried with it a seat on the king’s council, enabling them to advise their rulers on non-military aspects of government. In Old Norse and Old English, the term translates to ‘household man’, originally referring to an armed retinue for a warlord but eventually morphing into ‘housecarl’ or ‘huscarl’, specifically referring to a royal guard. Following the ninth-century Danish settlement of England, huscarls also became an integral part of Anglo-Saxon armies, famously defeating their Norwegian counterparts at Stamford Bridge and protecting King Harold's body to the very last man at Hastings.

Hirdmen and huscarls were undoubtedly warriors of elite status, reflected in their superior weaponry and armour. Armed with spears, they were arguably wielding the oldest purpose-built weapon in existence. Given its comparative cheapness and ease of construction, the spear was one of the most commonly used weapons among all classes of fighting men before and throughout medieval times. Its notable advantage was the longer reach it afforded its bearer, enabling effective engagement with a larger or mounted enemy who might otherwise be out of reach. The Viking tendency to emblazon spears with ostentatious decorative carvings indicates that some were primarily used for thrusting rather than throwing, reducing the possibility of losing what were obviously prized weapons.

Unit Name Spear Hirdmen

Main Unit Key est_spear_hirdmen

Land Unit Key est_spear_hirdmen

Naval Unit Key vik_dreki

Soldiers 160

Category Melee Infantry

Class Spear Infantry

Custom Battle Cost 750

Recruitment Cost 750

Upkeep Cost 250

Melee Skill 44

Melee Damage 36

├ Melee Weapon vik_spear_elite

├ Melee Base Damage 24

├ Armour-piercing Damage 12

├ Armour Piercing No

├ Attack Against Cavalry 30

├ Attack Against Elephants 0

└ Attack Against Infantry 0

Charge Bonus 30

Melee Defence 74

├ Base Defence 44

├ Shield vik_medium

└ Shield 30

Armour 22

├ Armour vik_mail

├ Armour Defence 22

└ Shield Armour 0

Health 100

├ Man Entity vik_inf_heavy

├ Man Health 100

└ Bonus Hit Points 0

Morale 50

Abilities

• 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]]Encourage[[/col]]
  This unit provides a morale bonus to nearby allies.
• [[col:yellow]]Hide (forest)[[/col]]
  This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.

Strengths & Weaknesses

No Strengths and Weaknesses

Faction Availability
Thrones of Britannia	Dyflin Gallgoidel Hlymrekr Myrrborg Orkneyar Dyflin Usurpers Sudreyar Usurpers Sudreyar Vedrafjordr Veisafjordr

Faction Pool

Pool
No.	Pool	Faction	Initial Unit Count	Chance To Replenish	Max Replenish Per Turn	Max Count
1	eastmen	Gallgoidel Hlymrekr Myrrborg Orkneyar Vedrafjordr Veisafjordr Westernas	1	0.025	1	1
2	dublin	Dyflin Dyflin Usurpers	1	0.025	1	1
3	isles	Sudreyar Usurpers Sudreyar	1	0.025	1	1