East Engle Melee Ship

Draca - Long Axemen

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.

(Long Axemen)
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. Perhaps the most emblematic and imposing of all weapons they used was the two-handed broad axe, also known as the Dane Axe. As was the case for many who took axes into battle, it was often chosen for being a readily-available domestic tool, and it is certainly feasible that larger adaptations existed for chopping the bulkiest bits of wood. The shield-less warriors who wielded two-handed battle axes had a specialised place on the battlefield, entering the fray as part of a later wave to strike when enemy defences were down, causing skull-splitting damage to the opposition’s breached battle lines.

Unit Name Draca - Long Axemen

Main Unit Key shp_dan_long_axemen

Land Unit Key dan_long_axemen

Naval Unit Key vik_draca

Soldiers 160

Category Heavy Ship

Class Melee Ship

Custom Battle Cost 400

Recruitment Cost 400

Upkeep Cost 125

Hull Strength

└ Ship vik_draca

Speed

Melee Skill 22

Melee Damage 35

├ Melee Weapon vik_dane_axe_levy

├ Melee Base Damage 15

├ Armour-piercing Damage 20

├ Armour Piercing No

├ Attack Against Cavalry 0

├ Attack Against Elephants 0

└ Attack Against Infantry 0

Charge Bonus 35

Melee Defence 22

├ Base Defence 22

├ Shield vik_none

└ Shield 0

Armour 12

├ Armour vik_leather

├ Armour Defence 12

└ Shield Armour 0

Health 100

├ Man Entity vik_inf_2h_med

├ Man Health 100

└ Bonus Hit Points 0

Morale 26

Abilities

• Wedge
  "Let's break their line!"

Attributes

• [[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