Dorsaete Melee Infantry

Long Axemen

The Saxons were not only warriors by nature, but also by name. The term ‘Saxon’ was thought to have been used by the Romans to describe the West Germanic tribe from which the Anglo-Saxons descended – the ‘Seaxe’ in Old English, also simply meaning ‘knife’. By extension, Saxon quite literally means ‘warrior with knives’. In the third century, pressure on the Roman Empire's northern frontier due to alarmingly frequent Saxon raids led to dedicated defence of the 'Saxon Shore' on both sides of the English Channel. Following the collapse of the Western Empire in the fifth century, several branches of Saxons, along with their neighbours the Angles and Jutes, migrated to the former Roman province of Britannia. Over the ensuing years, the settled Saxon peoples founded powerful kingdoms there and eventually became known as the Anglo-Saxons.

As the etymology of their name suggests, the Saxons were a people defined by battle and conquest. Perhaps the most emblematic and imposing of all weapons they used was the two-handed broad axe, also known as the Dane Axe. As was the case for many who took axes into battle, it was often chosen for being a readily-available domestic tool, and it is certainly feasible that larger adaptations existed for chopping the bulkiest bits of wood. The shield-less warriors who wielded two-handed battle axes had a specialised place on the battlefield, entering the fray as part of a later wave to strike when enemy defences were down, causing skull-splitting damage to the opposition’s breached battle lines.

Unit Name Long Axemen

Main Unit Key eng_long_axemen

Land Unit Key eng_long_axemen

Naval Unit Key vik_draca

Soldiers 160

Category Melee Infantry

Class Melee Infantry

Custom Battle Cost 400

Recruitment Cost 400

Upkeep Cost 125

Melee Skill 22

Melee Damage 35

├ Melee Weapon vik_dane_axe_levy

├ Melee Base Damage 15

├ Armour-piercing Damage 20

├ Armour Piercing No

├ Attack Against Cavalry 0

├ Attack Against Elephants 0

└ Attack Against Infantry 0

Charge Bonus 35

Melee Defence 22

├ Base Defence 22

├ Shield vik_none

└ Shield 0

Armour 12

├ Armour vik_leather

├ Armour Defence 12

└ Shield Armour 0

Health 100

├ Man Entity vik_inf_2h_med

├ Man Health 100

└ Bonus Hit Points 0

Morale 26

Abilities

• Wedge
  "Let's break their line!"

Attributes

• [[col:yellow]]Hide (forest)[[/col]]
  This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.
• [[col:yellow]]Raider[[/col]]
  This unit may set buildings on fire, cause more fire damage with torches and capture faster than other units.

Strengths & Weaknesses

No Strengths and Weaknesses

Upgrade
Required Technology Cost 150 Upgrade To

Faction Availability
Thrones of Britannia	Cent Defena Dorsaete East Seaxe Hwicce Mierce Northleode English Rebels English Usurpers Mierce Usurpers West Seaxe Usurpers Suth Seaxe West Seaxe Westernas Westmoringas

Faction Pool

Pool
No.	Pool	Faction	Initial Unit Count	Chance To Replenish	Max Replenish Per Turn	Max Count
1	mercia	Mierce Mierce Usurpers	1	0.15	1	2
2	anglo_saxon	Cent Defena Dorsaete East Seaxe Hwicce Northleode English Rebels English Usurpers Suth Seaxe	1	0.15	1	2
3	wessex	West Seaxe Usurpers West Seaxe	1	0.15	1	2