Draca - Danelaw Huscarls
This transport ship is light and easy to manoeuvre, but almost defenceless if attacked.Only the bravest, the best, and the most loyal, may serve at the side of their lord.
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.
(Danelaw Huscarls)
The warriors of the Danelaw were part of the powerful Danish military aristocracy that dominated the areas of Britain in which the Vikings settled during the ninth century. There had been several confrontations between the fyrds of King Alfred the Great and Danish forces up until then, culminating in the agreement which saw the Danish warlord Guthrum withdraw his forces from Wessex in the autumn of AD 877. In doing so, a portion of his Great Heathen Army settled down in the eastern part of Mercia, laying the origins of the Danelaw, the region where distinctively Danish laws held prominence in the local courts. Legal traditions aside, Danish military customs were also well entrenched in the area as Guthrum, initially unsatisfied with his army’s unfulfillments, remained poised for potential renewed attacks on Wessex.
The settled Danes shared out the land for the purposes of agricultural subsistence, but still retained their strong Scandinavian warrior traditions. 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.
Unit Name Draca - Danelaw Huscarls |
Main Unit Key shp_dan_danelaw_huscarls |
Land Unit Key dan_danelaw_huscarls |
Naval Unit Key vik_draca |
Soldiers 160 |
Category Heavy Ship |
Class Melee Ship |
Custom Battle Cost 1100 |
Recruitment Cost 1100 |
Upkeep Cost 325 |
└ Ship vik_draca |
Speed |
Melee Skill 49 |
65 |
├ Melee Weapon vik_dane_axe_elite |
├ Melee Base Damage 25 |
├ Armour-piercing Damage 40 |
├ Armour Piercing No |
├ Attack Against Cavalry 0 |
├ Attack Against Elephants 0 |
└ Attack Against Infantry 0 |
Charge Bonus 74 |
49 |
├ Base Defence 49 |
├ Shield vik_none |
└ Shield 0 |
32 |
├ Armour vik_mail_heavy |
├ Armour Defence 32 |
└ Shield Armour 0 |
100 |
├ Man Entity vik_inf_2h_very_heavy |
├ Man Health 100 |
└ Bonus Hit Points 0 |
Morale 54 |
Abilities
Danelaw Huscarls- Wedge
"Let's break their line!"
Attributes
- [[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. - [[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