Alani (Empire Divided) Melee Ship

Heavy Raider - Armoured Steppe Warriors

Strong warships, constructed to withstand the worst the sea can throw at them.

The most fearless warriors face death head on, but the sensible ones wear armour.

Most of the northern European tribes were not naval powers, but there were still able seafarers to be found amongst them. Shipbuilding techniques were well understood, so while many vessels were small leather-skinned boats for inland and inshore use, bigger sea-going vessels were also made. Shipwrights used heavy planking for hulls, stitched together and then fastened to a wooden skeleton to create sturdy craft able to cope with Atlantic conditions. Julius Caesar was surprised at the quality of the enemy ships when his fleet clashed with the Veneti from modern-day Brittany. The Veneti vessels had flat bottoms to cope with shallows, but were also of heavy oak construction to cope with rough seas. This made them tough opposition for Roman galleys, and capable of shrugging off a ramming attack. Caesar said that the enemy ships "...were constructed of planks a foot in breadth, fastened by iron spikes the thickness of a man's thumb; the anchors were secured fast by iron chains instead of cables”. When the Romans were forced to board, they faced fearsome warriors used to close-quarters fighting at sea.

(Armoured Steppe Warriors)
These nomadic tribesmen come from the vast steppes to the north of the Black and Caspian Seas, and were known variously as Scythians or Saka, and later the western Sarmatians. Light infantry, they were often armed with javelins or medium length spears and used shields covered in animal hide. Such shields could also be scaled with either horn or metal. This type of armour also extended to their clothing at times, with scaled versions of their tunics becoming widespread, especially amongst the nobility. These men also made extensive use of daggers, straight swords and the fearsome sagaris, a one-handed battle-axe, with both a bladed or hammer-like head and a pick-like point on the reverse for punching through armour. Complimenting their foot archers and horsemen, the role of such men was simply to protect the former from the latter. Far from barbarians, steppe culture, although nomadic, was a rich and diverse one.

Abilities

Heavy Raider

• Row Hard 20
  Increases speed for 20 strokes.
  Ship speed

Attributes

• Hide (forest)
  This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.
• Resistant to Cold
  This unit tires less quickly in snow.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Heavy Raider

• Very good hull strength
• Medium crew
• Average speed
• Average ramming
• Very good boarding

Armoured Steppe Warriors

• Good attack
• Average defence
• Average damage but low armour penetration
• Normal morale

Alani (Empire Divided) Units
General (3)
1.Alani Royal Horses
2.Noble Steppe Cataphracts Bodyguard
3.Steppe Cataphract Archers
Melee Infantry (5)
4.Alani Axemen
5.Alani Swordsmen
6.Armoured Axe Warriors
7.Armoured Steppe Warriors
8.Steppe Warband
Melee Cavalry (9)
9.Alani Axe Cavalry
10.Alani Horsemen
11.Alani Nobles
12.Alani Riders
13.Alani Royal Horses
14.Alani Royal Horses
15.Steppe Cavalry
16.Taifali Cavalry
17.Sarmatian Light Cavalry
Missile Cavalry (7)
18.Alani 'Amazonian' Archers
19.Alani Horse Skirmishers
20.Alani Noblewoman Archers
21.Steppe Cataphract Archers
22.Steppe Cataphract Archers
23.Steppe Horse Archers
24.Steppe Horse Skirmishers
Shock Cavalry (5)
25.Armoured Steppe Lancers
26.Noble Steppe Cataphracts
27.Noble Steppe Cataphracts Bodyguard
28.Noble Steppe Lancers
29.Steppe Lancers
Field Artillery (2)
30.Steppe Ballista
31.Steppe Bastion Ballista
Special (1)
32.Steppe War Dogs
Admiral (2)
33.Heavy Raider - Armoured Steppe Warriors
34.Medium Missile Raider - Steppe Slingers
Melee Ship (4)
35.Assault Raider - Steppe Warband
36.Heavy Raider - Armoured Steppe Warriors
37.Heavy Raider - Armoured Steppe Warriors
38.Medium Assault Raider - Alani Swordsmen
Missile Ship (3)
39.Medium Missile Raider - Steppe Slingers
40.Medium Missile Raider - Steppe Slingers
41.Missile Raider - Steppe Slingers