Welsh Levy Axemen

As the twelfth-century historian Gerald of Wales put it, the people of Welsh lands were ever-trained for war, from their leaders down to their peasantry. He described a people who, if the situation required it, would rush from their ploughs without hesitation to pick up weapons as quickly as the courtier from court. Their rough and hilly terrain resulted in earlier traditions of Celtic culture being reflected in more military terms – for example, a heavily armoured combatant such as a feudal horseman would have difficulty operating there, so Welsh warriors relied more on agility in war situations, rather than brute strength. Where rival armies who fought them relied on stubborn resistance, the Welsh relied on constant movement.

In broad terms, the organisation of Welsh troops was arranged between those in the essential household force known as the ‘teulu’, and the individuals of the expanded common army, the ‘llu’. 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 Welsh Levy Axemen

Main Unit Key wel_levy_axemen

Land Unit Key wel_levy_axemen

Naval Unit Key vik_ddraig

Soldiers 160

Category Melee Infantry

Class Melee Infantry

Custom Battle Cost 300

Recruitment Cost 300

Upkeep Cost 70

Melee Skill 22

Melee Damage 26

├ Melee Weapon vik_axe_levy

├ Melee Base Damage 11

├ Armour-piercing Damage 15

├ Armour Piercing No

├ Attack Against Cavalry 0

├ Attack Against Elephants 0

└ Attack Against Infantry 0

Charge Bonus 24

Melee Defence 47

├ Base Defence 22

├ Shield vik_medium_wood

└ Shield 25

Armour 5

├ Armour vik_cloth

├ Armour Defence 5

└ Shield Armour 0

Health 100

├ Man Entity vik_inf_light

├ Man Health 100

└ Bonus Hit Points 0

Morale 26

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]]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	Brechinauc Cerneu Cumbra Dewet Gliwissig Gwent Gwined Powis Welsh Rebels Seisilwig Gwined Usurpers Strat Clut Usurpers Welsh Usurpers Strat Clut

Faction Pool

Pool
No.	Pool	Faction	Initial Unit Count	Chance To Replenish	Max Replenish Per Turn	Max Count
1	welsh	Brechinauc Cerneu Cumbra Dewet Gliwissig Gwent Powis Welsh Rebels Seisilwig Welsh Usurpers	1	0.15	1	2
2	gwynedd	Gwined Gwined Usurpers	1	0.15	1	2
3	strathclyde	Strat Clut Usurpers Strat Clut	1	0.15	1	2