Axe 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. 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 Axe Hirdmen

Main Unit Key vik_axe_hirdmen

Land Unit Key vik_axe_hirdmen

Naval Unit Key vik_dreki

Soldiers 160

Category Melee Infantry

Class Melee Infantry

Custom Battle Cost 600

Recruitment Cost 600

Upkeep Cost 175

Melee Skill 34

Melee Damage 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 36

Melee Defence 64

├ Base Defence 34

├ Shield vik_medium

└ Shield 30

Armour 15

├ Armour vik_leather_helmet

├ Armour Defence 15

└ Shield Armour 0

Health 100

├ Man Entity vik_inf_med

├ Man Health 100

└ Bonus Hit Points 0

Morale 45

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]]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

Faction Availability
Thrones of Britannia	Dene Dubgaill Finngaill Haeden Jorvik Nordmann Norse Viking Rebels Viking Usurpers Wicing

Faction Pool

Pool
No.	Pool	Faction	Initial Unit Count	Chance To Replenish	Max Replenish Per Turn	Max Count
1	viking	Dene Dubgaill Finngaill Haeden Jorvik Nordmann Norse Viking Rebels Viking Usurpers Wicing	1	0.1	1	2