Dyflin Melee Infantry

Eastmen Fighters

In the centuries following the eighth-century appearance of the first recorded Viking raiders in the Irish Sea, those of the Norse who chose to settle in the region came to be known as the ‘Ostmenn’, or more literally, ‘the men of the east’. This was how the settled Norse-Gaels contrasted themselves from the native Gaels, who they referred to as ‘Vestmen’, unsurprisingly, ‘the men of the west’. Combining local traditions with their own, the Norse-Gaels were culturally distinct from both the Gaels and their Scandinavian forefathers. Their hybridisation of traditions took place against the setting of their coastal defensive strongholds, many of which were the nuclei of the powerful independent kingdoms of later years. Norse-Gaelic powerbases would eventually be established in places like Dublin, Galloway, and Mann, amongst other places.

As with many facets of their culture, the martial traditions of the Norse-Gaels retained both Viking and Gaelic elements. 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 Eastmen Fighters

Main Unit Key est_fighters

Land Unit Key est_fighters

Naval Unit Key vik_dreki

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.

Strengths & Weaknesses

No Strengths and Weaknesses

Upgrade
Required Technology Cost 150 Upgrade To

Garrison Buildings

x 1

Long Hall (vik_great_hall_1) Level 0 Ship Camp (vik_longphort_1) Level 0 Trading Post (vik_market_1) Level 0 Monastic Community (vik_monastery_1) Level 0 Long Hall of the Mountain (vik_mountain_hall_1) Level 0 Offa's Hall (vik_offas_hall_1) Level 0 Rock of Caisil (vik_rock_caisil_1) Level 0 Church of St Ciaran (vik_st_ciaran_1) Level 0 Church of St Columbe (vik_st_columbe_1) Level 0 Church of St Patraic (vik_st_patraic_1) Level 0

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	2	0.15	1	3
2	dublin	Dyflin Dyflin Usurpers	2	0.15	1	3
3	isles	Sudreyar Usurpers Sudreyar	2	0.15	1	3