Mide Melee Ship

Oll-pheist - Kern 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.

(Kern Swordsmen)
The Middle Irish word ‘ceithern’, pronounced ‘kern’, refers to a group of fighters who were one of two essential components of medieval Irish armies, the other being gallowglasses. Often found fighting as light infantry and occasionally light cavalry, the role of a kern was to provide skirmishing support to their heavy infantry counterparts. However, the training afforded them and the eventual roles they filled very much depended on the needs of their clan, which did not exclude them from the cut and thrust of melee warfare. Kerns would frequently be the first or last to launch attacks – their mobility meant that they were well-suited to initiate swift ambushes, after which they would melt back behind the gallowglasses, while later in battles they could also easily run down any fleeing routers.

On the battlefield, kerns wore a light leather coat which ensured unrestricted movement and agility. 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 Oll-pheist - Kern Swordsmen

Main Unit Key shp_iri_kern_swordsmen

Land Unit Key iri_kern_swordsmen

Naval Unit Key vik_oll_pheist

Soldiers 160

Category Heavy Ship

Class Melee Ship

Custom Battle Cost 300

Recruitment Cost 300

Upkeep Cost 70

Hull Strength

└ Ship vik_oll_pheist

Speed

Melee Skill 23

Melee Damage 29

├ Melee Weapon vik_sword_levy

├ Melee Base Damage 23

├ Armour-piercing Damage 6

├ Armour Piercing No

├ Attack Against Cavalry 0

├ Attack Against Elephants 0

└ Attack Against Infantry 0

Charge Bonus 15

Melee Defence 38

├ Base Defence 23

├ Shield vik_small

└ Shield 15

Armour 7

├ Armour vik_cloth_helmet

├ Armour Defence 7

└ 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]]Ignore Terrain[[/col]]
  Speed penalties caused by the terrain are ignored by this unit.
• [[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