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Varangian Guard - Elite Axe Unit

The duties and purpose of the Varangian Guard were similar—if not identical—to the services provided by the Kievan druzhina, the Norwegian hird, and the Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon housecarls. The Varangians served as the personal bodyguard of the emperor, swearing an oath of loyalty to him; they had ceremonial duties as retainers and acclaimers and performed some police duties, especially in cases of treason and conspiracy. They were headed by a separate officer, the akolouthos, who was usually a native Byzantine.

The Varangian Guard was only used in battle during critical moments, or where the battle was most fierce.Contemporary Byzantine chroniclers note with a mix of terror and fascination that the "Scandinavians were frightening both in appearance and in equipment, they attacked with reckless rage and neither cared about losing blood nor their wounds"

This mod adds the Varangian Guard to the Roman Empire, this elite Axe unit has one function....to break the lines of the enemy. When the battle gets desperate they are sent in to wreak havoc and cause as much destruction as they can, breaking the morale of the enemy and sending them fleeing.

This unit is expensive, but it is worth it to see their attack skills decimate the enemy, however as they use a 2 handed axe, they lack protection even with their heavy armour and won't last in a prolonged fight against veteran troops.

They are recruitable from level 4 barracks and available for custom games.

There is a known issue where the shield on the back disappears, this is an engine issue and cannot be avioded. If this bothers you a cloaked version can be found here:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=458265734

Enjoy and leave feedback below :)

Now available to recruit and use in the 'Last Roman' Belasarius campaign