Kartli Missile Ship

Pursuit Trihemiolia - Eastern Javelinmen

Fast, relatively powerful pursuit ships, well able to hunt down pirates and other seagoing scum.

These skirmishers harass an enemy line with javelins, screening their comrades in the process.

It is thought that the Rhodians, a significant naval power in the eastern Mediterranean, developed the 'trihemiolia' or 'two-and-a-half' as a vessel for pirate hunting. Given that Rhodes is an island entirely reliant on the sea and shipping this is a believable theory. Pirates used the hemiola, a handy little vessel developed from the dieres or bireme, a ship with two rows of oars; it makes sense that pirate hunters would think of taking a trieres, or trireme, with three rows of oars and modifying it in a similar fashion. A trihemiolia still had three rows of oars on each side, but the top row was reduced to only half the number of oars, positioned midships. The result was a faster, handier vessel that provided a height advantage over a hemiola for any archers on board. There was also a strategic benefit to the Rhodians, who could only draw on the manpower of one island: they could have six trieres warships with full complements of rowers, or seven trihemiolias for the same number of men. The useful design was soon adopted by other maritime powers around the Mediterranean.

(Eastern Javelinmen)
The javelin is among the oldest weapons in the world. Equipped with javelins and little else, skirmishers harried their opposite numbers and peppered hoplite phalanxes before quickly retreating. This was the typical tactic of all unarmoured, javelin-armed troops: to engage at range and then fall back behind more heavily-armoured infantry, or continue attacks while trying to stay just out of reach of the enemy. Such harassment could be highly effective, in 391BC at the Battle of Lechaeum, a force of Spartans, lacking the support of skirmishers or cavalry, were severely punished by javelin-armed Athenians who refused to meet them at close quarters. Over time, shields became common, such as those used by Thracian and Greek peltasts, but in turn these were rendered obsolescent by the Hellenic thureophoroi. Nevertheless, javelinmen and other irregulars continued to play a part in many armies throughout antiquity.

Abilities

Pursuit Trihemiolia

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

Attributes

• Resistant to Fatigue
  Fatigue has less of an effect on this unit.
• Hide (scrub & forest)
  This unit can hide in scrub and forest until enemy units get too close.
• Resistant to Heat
  This unit tires less quickly in the desert.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Pursuit Trihemiolia

• Poor hull strength
• Medium crew
• Uncatchable
• Weak ramming
• Poor boarding
• Average missile combat

Eastern Javelinmen

• Short range
• Fast rate of fire
• Very good damage and armour penetration
• Very weak in melee
• Very poor morale

Kartli Units
General (2)
1.Kartli Axemen
2.Noble Blood Cavalry
Melee Infantry (4)
3.Axemen
4.Hillmen
5.Kartli Axemen
6.Mob
Missile Infantry (3)
7.Eastern Archers
8.Eastern Javelinmen
9.Eastern Slingers
Spear Infantry (2)
10.Noble Spearmen
11.Eastern Spearmen
Melee Cavalry (1)
12.Noble Blood Cavalry
Missile Cavalry (2)
13.Horse Archers
14.Horse Skirmishers
Fixed Artillery (3)
15.Eastern Giant Ballista
16.Eastern Bastion Scorpion
17.Eastern Scorpion (Fixed)
Field Artillery (6)
18.Eastern Bastion Ballista
19.Eastern Ballista
20.Eastern Scorpion
21.Eastern Large Onager
22.Eastern Bastion Onager
23.Eastern Onager
Admiral (2)
24.Scorpion Penteres - Eastern Archers
25.Light Artillery Penteres - Eastern Ballista (Ship)
Melee Ship (3)
26.Assault Tetreres - Kartli Axemen
27.Fire Pot Dieres - Eastern Spearmen
28.Assault Dieres - Eastern Spearmen
Missile Ship (7)
29.Scorpion Penteres - Eastern Archers
30.Tower Penteres - Eastern Archers
31.Missile Penteres - Eastern Archers
32.Raiding Hemiolia - Eastern Javelinmen
33.Pursuit Trihemiolia - Eastern Javelinmen
34.Scorpion Trieres - Eastern Slingers
35.Missile Trieres - Eastern Slingers
Artillery Ship (2)
36.Light Artillery Penteres - Eastern Ballista (Ship)
37.Artillery Penteres - Eastern Onager (Ship)