Huskarls

Much like the Roman ‘comes’, in the Viking world there emerged a culture of heroic champions flanked by chosen companions. The ‘hirdman’ was the highest rank amongst such warriors, and in later times the rank carried with it a seat on the king’s council, enabling them to advise their rulers on non-military aspects of government. In Old Norse and Old English, the term translates to ‘household man’, originally referring to an armed retinue for a warlord but eventually morphing into ‘housecarl’ or ‘huscarl’, specifically referring to a royal guard. Following the ninth-century Danish settlement of England, huscarls also became an integral part of Anglo-Saxon armies, famously defeating their Norwegian counterparts at Stamford Bridge and protecting King Harold's body to the very last man at Hastings.

Hirdmen and huscarls were undoubtedly warriors of elite status, reflected in their superior weaponry and armour. 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 Huskarls

Main Unit Key vik_huskarls

Land Unit Key vik_huskarls

Naval Unit Key vik_dreki

Soldiers 160

Category Melee Infantry

Class Melee Infantry

Custom Battle Cost 900

Recruitment Cost 900

Upkeep Cost 275

Melee Skill 45

Melee Damage 65

├ Melee Weapon vik_dane_axe_elite

├ Melee Base Damage 25

├ Armour-piercing Damage 40

├ Armour Piercing No

├ Attack Against Cavalry 0

├ Attack Against Elephants 0

└ Attack Against Infantry 0

Charge Bonus 67

Melee Defence 45

├ Base Defence 45

├ Shield vik_none

└ Shield 0

Armour 22

├ Armour vik_mail

├ Armour Defence 22

└ Shield Armour 0

Health 100

├ Man Entity vik_inf_2h_heavy

├ Man Health 100

└ Bonus Hit Points 0

Morale 50

Abilities

• Wedge
  "Let's break their line!"

Attributes

• [[col:yellow]]Encourage[[/col]]
  This unit provides a morale bonus to nearby allies.
• [[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

Faction Availability
Thrones of Britannia	Dene Dubgaill Finngaill Haeden Jorvik Nordmann Norse Viking Rebels Viking Usurpers Wicing

Faction Pool

Pool
No.	Pool	Faction	Initial Unit Count	Chance To Replenish	Max Replenish Per Turn	Max Count
1	viking	Dene Dubgaill Finngaill Haeden Jorvik Nordmann Norse Viking Rebels Viking Usurpers Wicing	1	0.05	1	1