Belgae (Caesar in Gaul) Melee Ship

Heavy Raider - Oathsworn

Strong warships, constructed to withstand the worst the sea can throw at them.

Great and terrible oaths should be kept, in blood and by the sword.

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.

(Oathsworn)
The longsword was a weapon of high worth and status within the Celtic community. A warrior had to prove himself in battle many times before he was permitted to wield one. The two-handed longsword was first developed during the 8th century BC, but fell from favour before re-emerging around 450BC. It is possible that Celtic ironwork was significantly behind that of the Romans, as apparently their longswords bent very easily and had to be straightened against the ground. On the other hand, since Celtic ironworking was several centuries old, some believe that Roman accounts of this practice mistook this practise, and it was actually a ritual to 'decommission' defeated, dishonoured or damaged weapons.

Abilities

Heavy Raider

• Row Hard 20
  Increases speed for 20 strokes.
  Ship speed

Oathsworn

• Shieldwall
  The unit moves into a close formation and raises shields.
  Armour strength, bracing, melee defence, shield strength
  Limited speed
• Headhunt
  Gradual increase in effectiveness of the unit's attack.
  Melee attack, morale
  Melee defence

Attributes

• Encourage
  This unit provides a morale bonus to nearby allies.
• Hide (forest)
  This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Heavy Raider

• Very good hull strength
• Medium crew
• Average speed
• Average ramming
• Very good boarding

Oathsworn

• Very good attack
• Average defence
• Average damage but low armour penetration
• Good morale

Belgae (Caesar in Gaul) Units
General (2)
1.Noble Horse
2.Oathsworn
Melee Infantry (5)
3.Fierce Swords
4.Guerrilla Swordsmen
5.Naked Warriors
6.Oathsworn
7.Celtic Warriors
Missile Infantry (4)
8.Gallic Hunters
9.Celtic Skirmishers
10.Celtic Slingers
11.Celtic Youths
Spear Infantry (4)
12.Levy Freemen
13.Naked Spears
14.Celtic Tribesmen
15.Spear Brothers
Melee Cavalry (3)
16.Light Horse
17.Mighty Horse
18.Noble Horse
Fixed Artillery (3)
19.Celtic Giant Ballista
20.Celtic Bastion Scorpion
21.Celtic Scorpion (Fixed)
Field Artillery (6)
22.Celtic Bastion Ballista
23.Celtic Ballista
24.Celtic Scorpion
25.Celtic Heavy Onager
26.Celtic Bastion Onager
27.Celtic Onager
Admiral (2)
28.Heavy Raider - Oathsworn
29.Medium Missile Raider - Celtic Slingers
Melee Ship (4)
30.Persian Assault Teteres - Levy Freemen
31.Assault Raider - Levy Freemen
32.Heavy Raider - Oathsworn
33.Medium Assault Raider - Celtic Warriors
Missile Ship (3)
34.Greek Missile Penteres - Celtic Slingers
35.Medium Missile Raider - Celtic Slingers
36.Missile Raider - Celtic Slingers
Artillery Ship (2)
37.Roman Light Artillery Quinquereme - Celtic Ballista (Ship)
38.Roman Artillery Quinquereme - Celtic Onager (Ship)