Vedrafjordr Melee Cavalry

Eastmen Horsemen

In the centuries following the eighth-century appearance of the first recorded Viking raiders in the Irish Sea, those of the Norse who chose to settle in the region came to be known as the ‘Ostmenn’, or more literally, ‘the men of the east’. This was how the settled Norse-Gaels contrasted themselves from the native Gaels, who they referred to as ‘Vestmen’, unsurprisingly, ‘the men of the west’. Combining local traditions with their own, the Norse-Gaels were culturally distinct from both the Gaels and their Scandinavian forefathers. Their hybridisation of traditions took place against the setting of their coastal defensive strongholds, many of which were the nuclei of the powerful independent kingdoms of later years. Norse-Gaelic powerbases would eventually be established in places like Dublin, Galloway, and Mann, amongst other places.

As with many facets of their culture, the martial traditions of the Norse-Gaels retained both Viking and Gaelic elements. Their use of spears from horseback had been seen in a similar form around Britain before, with the Roman use of lance-bearing cavalry regiments. Advancements in horse training techniques and more significantly, the adoption of the stirrup into Western Europe, meant that horses were no longer primarily just a means to get to the battlefield. Mounted warriors previously ran a considerable risk of being unhorsed by the slightest impacts, nor could they carry out any significant blows without becoming unbalanced and vulnerable. Stirrups ensured stability, so that what had formerly been impossible on horseback in the cut and thrust of battle then became easy.

Unit Name Eastmen Horsemen

Main Unit Key est_horsemen

Land Unit Key est_horsemen

Naval Unit Key vik_byrdingr

Soldiers 60

Category Cavalry

Class Melee Cavalry

Custom Battle Cost 600

Recruitment Cost 600

Upkeep Cost 250

Melee Skill 33

Melee Damage 32

├ Melee Weapon vik_spear_cav

├ Melee Base Damage 22

├ Armour-piercing Damage 10

├ Armour Piercing No

├ Attack Against Cavalry 15

├ Attack Against Elephants 0

└ Attack Against Infantry 0

Charge Bonus 23

Melee Defence 63

├ Base Defence 33

├ Shield vik_medium

└ Shield 30

Armour 15

├ Armour vik_leather_helmet

├ Armour Defence 15

└ Shield Armour 0

Health 150

├ Man Entity vik_inf_med

├ Man Health 100

├ Bonus Hit Points 0

├ Mount vik_horse_spear_med

├ Mount Entity vik_horse_medium

└ Mount Health 50

Morale 45

Abilities

• Wedge
  "Let's break their line!"

Attributes

• [[col:yellow]]Disciplined[[/col]]
  This unit does not suffer a morale penalty when the general dies. It can also rally after routing more often.
• [[col:yellow]]Hide (forest)[[/col]]
  This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.

Strengths & Weaknesses

No Strengths and Weaknesses

Upgrade
Required Technology Cost 150 Upgrade To

Faction Availability
Thrones of Britannia	Dyflin Gallgoidel Hlymrekr Myrrborg Orkneyar Dyflin Usurpers Sudreyar Usurpers Sudreyar Vedrafjordr Veisafjordr

Faction Pool

Pool
No.	Pool	Faction	Initial Unit Count	Chance To Replenish	Max Replenish Per Turn	Max Count
1	eastmen	Gallgoidel Hlymrekr Myrrborg Orkneyar Vedrafjordr Veisafjordr Westernas	1	0.05	1	1
2	dublin	Dyflin Dyflin Usurpers	1	0.05	1	1
3	isles	Sudreyar Usurpers Sudreyar	1	0.05	1	1