East Engle Melee Ship

Draca - Danelaw Mailed Swordsmen

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 Mailed Swordsmen)
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. Many of them strove to master the broadsword, given its unique ability to maim and kill in the right hands. Sword fighting was generally practised by men of status who could afford the costly weapon, with blades commonly passed between generations as symbols of family honour. The dominant types of swords in north-western Europe were the broad-bladed two-edged forms that were up to 90 centimetres long. Most included a pommel on the hilt to keep the sword from slipping out of the hand when used from horseback, and also handy to dish out blunt-force trauma when the situation required it.

Unit Name Draca - Danelaw Mailed Swordsmen

Main Unit Key shp_dan_mailed_swordsmen

Land Unit Key dan_mailed_swordsmen

Naval Unit Key vik_draca

Soldiers 160

Category Heavy Ship

Class Melee Ship

Custom Battle Cost 800

Recruitment Cost 800

Upkeep Cost 250

Hull Strength

└ Ship vik_draca

Speed

Melee Skill 38

Melee Damage 38

├ Melee Weapon vik_sword

├ Melee Base Damage 32

├ Armour-piercing Damage 6

├ Armour Piercing No

├ Attack Against Cavalry 0

├ Attack Against Elephants 0

└ Attack Against Infantry 0

Charge Bonus 26

Melee Defence 68

├ Base Defence 38

├ Shield vik_medium

└ Shield 30

Armour 32

├ Armour vik_mail_heavy

├ Armour Defence 32

└ Shield Armour 0

Health 100

├ Man Entity vik_inf_heavy

├ Man Health 100

└ Bonus Hit Points 0

Morale 49

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.

Strengths & Weaknesses

No Strengths and Weaknesses