Assault Raider - Mercenary Ligurian Axe Warriors

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.

(Mercenary Ligurian Axe Warriors)
The Ligurians were an ancient Indo-European people from a region of northwestern Italy, to which they gave their name, south of the Alps. Strabo claims that they were different people to the Gauls, who also descended southward from the Alps, though many Ligurian customs resembled those of the marauding Celts. The expansions of Gallic tribes and Etruscan cities meant that Liguria's territory was heavily reduced, with some tribes even migrating to northern Corsica. Ligurians were viewed as a warlike people, and were highly valued as mercenaries, being employed on multiple occasions by Carthaginian generals and Greek tyrants alike. Ligurian pirates were also known to attack trade ships in the Tyrrhean and Ligurian seas, as stated by Diodorus Siculus and Strabo. Rome engaged in a long and drawn-out war against the Ligurians during the Republic's expansion, ultimately assimilating the native tribes into Roman culture during the 2nd century BC.

Unit Name Assault Raider - Mercenary Ligurian Axe Warriors

Main Unit Key inv_barbarian_raider_melee_mercenary_ligurian_axe_warriors

Land Unit Key inv_mercenary_ligurian_axe_warriors

Naval Unit Key barbarian_raider_melee

Soldiers 80

Category Medium Ship

Class Melee Ship

Custom Battle Cost 300

Recruitment Cost 300

Upkeep Cost 225

Ship Health

└ Ship barbarian_raider

Ship Speed

Melee Attack 50

Weapon Damage 26

├ Melee Weapon rome_celtic_axe

├ Melee Damage Base 16

├ Melee Damage Ap 10

├ Armour Piercing Yes

├ Bonus vs. Large 0

├ Bonus vs Elephants 0

└ Bonus vs Infantry 0

Charge Bonus 15

Melee Defence 60

├ Base Defence 30

├ Shield celtic

└ Shield Defence 30

Armour 65

├ Armour leather

├ Armour Defence 30

└ Shield Armour 35

Health 55

├ Man Entity rome_infantry_heavy

├ Man Health 40

└ Bonus Hit Points 15

Base Morale 45

Abilities

• Row Hard 10
  Increases speed for 10 strokes.
  Ship speed

• Frenzied Charge
  Increases the effectiveness of the unit's charge for an extended period. The unit will suffer a large fatigue penalty after the charge is over.
  Charge speed, charge damage, acceleration
  Melee defence, fatigue

Attributes

• Hide (forest)
  This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.

Strengths & Weaknesses

• Average hull strength
• Light crew
• Very fast speed
• Weak ramming
• Average boarding

• Good attack
• Average defence
• Low damage but good armour penetration
• Good morale

Rise of the Republic Mercenaries Pool