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HomeHome / Total War SAGA: Thrones of Britannia / Mierce / Units / Draca - Ceorl Spearmen
Draca - Ceorl Spearmen MierceMierce Melee Ship

Draca - Ceorl Spearmen

This transport ship is light and easy to manoeuvre, but almost defenceless if attacked.

Brandishing their spears with fury, these men proudly exercise their right to bear arms.

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.

(Ceorl Spearmen)
An individual known as a ‘ceorl’ or ‘churl’ had a very particular place in the stratified society of Anglo-Saxon England. Forming the basis of the free populace, they were neither noblemen nor slaves, ranking above the servile classes but below the nobility. A ceorl’s free status was marked by several factors, such as his attendance at local courts, his payment of dues directly to his lord or king, and perhaps most notably for the era, his right to bear arms. In fact, since many ceorls would have been tenants or even landowners, under Anglo-Saxon law they would have been liable for military duty in the fyrd, as was the case in Wessex.

Being freemen, ceorls would have had to provide their own weaponry. Armed with spears, they were arguably wielding the oldest purpose-built weapon in existence. Given its comparative cheapness and ease of construction, the spear was one of the most commonly used weapons among all classes of fighting men before and throughout medieval times. Its notable advantage was the longer reach it afforded its bearer, enabling effective engagement with a larger or mounted enemy who might otherwise be out of reach. The Viking tendency to emblazon spears with ostentatious decorative carvings indicates that some were primarily used for thrusting rather than throwing, reducing the possibility of losing what were obviously prized weapons.

Draca - Ceorl Spearmen

Unit Name

Draca - Ceorl Spearmen

Main Unit Key

shp_eng_ceorl_spearmen

Land Unit Key

eng_ceorl_spearmen

Naval Unit Key

vik_draca

Soldiers

160

Category

Heavy Ship

Class

Melee Ship

Custom Battle Cost

100

Recruitment Cost

100

Upkeep Cost

40

Hull Strength

└ Ship

vik_draca

Speed

Melee Skill

22

Melee Damage

28

├ Melee Weapon

vik_spear_levy

├ Melee Base Damage

20

├ Armour-piercing Damage

8

├ Armour Piercing

No

├ Attack Against Cavalry

20

├ Attack Against Elephants

0

└ Attack Against Infantry

0

Charge Bonus

15

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_med

├ Man Health

100

└ Bonus Hit Points

0

Morale

26

Abilities

Ceorl Spearmen
  • 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