Draca - Danelaw Spearmen
This transport ship is light and easy to manoeuvre, but almost defenceless if attacked.The spears of the Danelaw are held with confidence drawn from strong warrior traditions.
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 Spearmen)
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. 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.
Unit Name Draca - Danelaw Spearmen |
Main Unit Key shp_dan_spearmen |
Land Unit Key dan_spearmen |
Naval Unit Key vik_draca |
Soldiers 160 |
Category Heavy Ship |
Class Melee Ship |
Custom Battle Cost 200 |
Recruitment Cost 200 |
Upkeep Cost 60 |
└ Ship vik_draca |
Speed |
Melee Skill 26 |
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 18 |
56 |
├ Base Defence 26 |
├ Shield vik_medium |
└ Shield 30 |
12 |
├ Armour vik_leather |
├ Armour Defence 12 |
└ Shield Armour 0 |
100 |
├ Man Entity vik_inf_heavy |
├ Man Health 100 |
└ Bonus Hit Points 0 |
Morale 30 |
Abilities
Danelaw 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