So I decided to do a collab with Utter Noob and basically it is a free-for-all tournament that comes in several stages - I will be doing the battles that are of a historical nature both real-life and fictional and then utter will be doing the same thing only with more modern warriors. So, I hope that's good enough for an explanation for you in DF-Land and without further ado, let's begin the battle.
Intro[]
The Hashashin, Arabic assassins that instilled fear into the hearts of many with their clever and deadly use of stealth...
The Aztec Eagle, Meso-American knights that provided a backbone for the Aztec Army...
An Athenian Marine, the ship-borne warriors of ancient Greece that crushed the Persians at every opportunity...
A Roman Centurion, the elite Roman officers that helped to build up a formidable Empire over the continent...
The Huskarl, the elite backbone of the Saxon military who kept an iron nerve against whatever adversaries faced him...
Who... is... DEADLIEST?
The Warriors[]
Now, as the title states, this is a 'spec-ops' battle. Now, I understand that spec-ops groups weren't around until the late 20th century, but the warriors I listed above have participated in activities and are given a special status in their armies that could make them seem like spec-ops warriors of the past. Without further ado, lets look at the cast of characters we have here. Firstly...
Athenian Marine[]
| Short Range | Kopis |
| Medium Range | Dory |
| Long Range | Composite Bow |
| Special | Hoplon Shield |
Hashashin[]
| Short Range | Scimitar |
| Medium Range | Throwing Poisoned Knives |
| Long Range | Arab Composite Bow |
| Special | Ceramic Incendiary Grenade |
Roman Centurion[]
| Short Range | Gladius |
| Medium Range | Pilum |
| Long Range | Arcus Composite Bow |
| Special | Scorpion |
Aztec Eagle[]
| Short Range | Macuahuitl |
| Medium Range | Tepoztōpīlli |
| Long Range | Tlahuitolli Bow & Yāōmītl |
| Special | Atlatl & Tlacochtli |
Huskarl[]
| Short Range | Saxon Longsword |
| Medium Range | Saxon Spear |
| Long Range | Francisca Throwing Axes |
| Special | Great Dane Axe |
All of these warriors have brought with them the weapons of their trade that has separated them from the others as the elite warriors of the historic world, but which one will come out on top?
Personal Edges from Me (BattleGames1)[]
Short: So we have swords and an obsidian chainsaw. While we see that the obsidian chainsaw is more devastating than the swords, each of the other swords are made of a more durable material. The scimitar is made with aerodynamics in mind and thus has a higher killing power than the straight-edged swords. The remaining three swords are straight and long but the longsword is way longer than the kopis or gladius.
EDGE: (in order of preference) Hashashin, Huskarl, Aztec Eagle, Athenian Marine, Roman Gladiator
Medium: Majority of weapons here are spears except for the Hashashin's throwing knives which turn things around. Most of the spears (save the Dory) are made mostly with throwing in mind, but some of them like the Saxon spear, Dory and the Tepoztōpīlli can also be thrusted with great effectiveness. With the same reasoning as before, the spears of the Huskarl, Athenian Marine and Centurion, and the throwing knives of the Hashashin are made of a more durable material. One thing to take into account in this battle is the number of weapons they will use and this is where the Hashashin might take the edge, being equipped with more knives than the others with their spears, but the spears have a greater range.
EDGE: Roman Gladiator, Huskarl, Aztec Eagle, Hashashin, Athenian Marine
Long: Four composite bows (although with the Tlahuitolli Bow & Yāōmītl there could be some debate) and some throwing axes (and you wonder why I put throwing knives in the medium range category; ain't it funny with these weapon categories that there is always going to be an outsider). Well the same argument for the throwing knives can be used for the axes but again, the bows have a greater range. What makes the Tlahuitolli Bow & Yāōmītl a special kind of bow is that it has barbed heads and perhaps (much like the Hashashin's throwing knives) may be poisoned as well. The three composite bows left are almost similar in appearance and performance but the Arab Composite RECURVE Bow (I forgot to mention that above) means that arrows are fired just that bit more efficiently.
EDGE: Aztec Eagle, Hashashin, Roman Gladiator, Athenian Marine, Huskarl
Special: Now the weapons here are all different: we have a shield, an axe, a long-rang-type dart, a portable one-man siege weapon/sniper-rifle-type weapon and a grenade. Now in terms of killing potential I would give it to the grenade IF AND ONLY IF the Hashashin could be able to close the gap between him and the Centurion/Eagle (at which point, it will burn the Eagel's armour and the Centurion's scorpion). The scorpion takes a heck amount of time to load but it has a great range but I'm not so sure about it given the setting but either way it's a powerful weapon. The same can be said of the Atlatl & Tlacochtli save for the loading time. When it gets up close though, the Dane Axe might not be able to get past the Hoplon shield and as you see on DW, the shield can also be used offensively.
EDGE: Athenian Marine, Hashashin, Huskarl, Roman Centurion, Aztec Eagle
Overall Edges: 1. Athenian Marine, 2. Tied between the Huskarl, the Centurion and the Hashashin, 3. Aztec Eagle
Utter Noob's Edges[]
Let us begin. Short range-1st-Gladius and kopius tie since they can be pared well the two warrior's respective shields. 2nd the saxon longsword and the schmiter tie since they are both long and lethal for slashing and thrusting. 3rd the Macuahuitl wont do well aginst armor at all. Not to mention its refered to as an chainsaw, which is not a good weapon at all. Edge Tied between roman and Athenian. Mid range-The pilum gets first due to its throwablility. 2nd goes to the dory and saxon tied since both are great thrusting weapons. 3rd goes to the Tepoztōpīlli, its a nice spear but not as tough as the dory and saxon spears. 4th goes to the throing knives due to their complete uselessness in short range, and likely wont pierce armor. Long-All the bows tie since they are all bows and are just different sizes, which will be good and bad depending on the user. 2nd to the axes since they wont have the range and piercing power of the bows. Special-1st scorpian due to best range, and give the roman his Scutum shield. 2nd tematal and atlatal launcher, since it has 2nd best range on it. 3rd hoplon shield for its amazing defense. 4th dane axe for better range over the Khanjar, thus 5th goes to the Khanjar. Winner-5th Huskarl due to bad ranged weapons. 4th Aztec due to his weapons being made of weaker matierial. 3rd the hasashin due to not having a bad mid range weapon. and 2nd would be the atheinian marine, who barely loses to the roman since his weapons and armor are weaker. The roman also has the range advantage, which is gonna be key to his victory. 1st The roman due to his better armor and ranged weaponry.
Battle[]
It is in the late afternoon at the peninsula and atop a cliff overlooking the expanse of forest that lay near the shoreline of the peninsula stands an Aztec Eagle, admiring the sun set in a spectacular array of colours over the sea. Whilst looking down upon the sea, he notices something that catches his attention. A strange-looking ship has docked itself upon the shoreline and a man in shining gold armour has touched down onto the beach, seemingly searching for something. A close scrutinising (surprising for a person who is actually some distance away from their target) from the Eagle registers this individual as a threat, perhaps a scout for an invasion force. The Eagle then draws out a Yāōmītl arrow and loads it onto his Tlahuitolli. Taking his time, the Eagle - with a clear vantage point from atop the cliff - tries to aim for an accurate shot at the armoured man down below. A smile appears on the Eagle's face once he has laid his sights on the perfect opportunity. Unbeknownst to the Eagle, a Huskarl is walking across the grassy plain behind him - throwing axes in one hand, his Dane axe in the other, longsword sheathed away in his belt and the spear and shield tucked to his back. He, like the Marine on the shore, is looking around and checking his surroundings. The huskarl then spots a strange sight before him - something round and full of colours and feathers lay before him. Thinking this is some shield that a threat of his is cowering behind, the huskarl sets his Dane axe carefully on the ground and prepares to throw one of the throwing axes. As the huskarl tries to get a good aim, he sees the shield shake and hears the sound of an arrow being fired. Down on the shoreline, the Marine continuing to walk along the shore with his spear in one hand, shield in the other and the other weapons behind his back dodges out of the way just in time as an arrow almost hits him in the foot. Looking to see where the shot came from, the Marine looks up and notices an oddly-shaped figure standing high above him. Before the Marine can draw out his bow, the Eagle fires another arrow at him. This time the arrow hits and is deflected off the Marine's hoplon. Annoyed at this, the Eagle prepares another Yāōmītl arrow. Before he could load it onto his Tlahuitolli, the Eagle is startled when he hears metal attaching itself to wood. Looking behind his shoulder, the Eagle is stunned to see an axe embedded onto the shield. A complete turnaround reveals the Eagle to Huskarl who throws another axe at him. The Eagle counters the throw with another block from his shield. A third axe throw from the huskarl manages to slash the Eagle in the thigh but the blow is not big enough to injure the Eagle. Before the Huskarl can throw another axe, the Eagle fires his Tlahuitolli and manages to hit the Huskarl on the side causing the Saxon to fall down in pain. Using this distraction wisely, the Aztec Eagle prepares his Atlatl & Tlacochtli and aims it ready to finish killing off his opponent. Down below on the shoreline, the Marine sets down his spear in the sand and prepares his bow and arrow ready for firing, aiming for the silhouette atop the cliff. Taking his time, the Marine aims for the Eagle's head. However, his aim soon becomes disoriented when from out of the trees, a throwing knife whizzes by, causing the arrow to instead hit the rock. Just as the arrow from the Greek composite bow hits its target, the Eagle fires off his dart at the Saxon. Unfortunately for the Eagle, the Saxon manages to get up and the tlacochtli dart just hits the huskarl's helmet, dazing the Saxon as he pulls out the arrow out from his side. Not having enough time to load another tlacochtli dart, the Eagle grabs his shield and jumps to the side, managing to roll onto the grassy slope. As the huskarl readies his spear, he scouts around, looking for where the Eagle had gone. Taking a few steps backwards, he sees some feathers rustling down the incline - it is the Eagle and he is heading for the forest. The huskarl, wanting to hunt down the coward, chases down after him into the forest. At the same time, the Marine is taken aback when the knife came out from nowhere in the forest. He fires an arrow towards the trees, hoping to take down the assailant. But there was no cry that came out - he missed again. Taking his sword out of the sand, the Athenian Marine cautiously sneaks his way into the woods, hunting down his enemies.
The eagle rushed through the forest, jumping over fallen logs. The Huskarl pursues the Aztec, with his spear and shield ready. The eagle, hearing the Huskarl behind him, grabs a Tepoztōpīlli leaning against a tree. He turns and thrusts into the Huskarl’s shield, the Huskarl thrusts his own spear into the eagle’s side. The Huskarl rams his shield into the eagle, causing him and his spear to fall to the ground, slamming into a log. The Huskarl thrusts his spear at the eagles head, but the attack misses and the eagle manages to scramble to his feet. He reunites with his spear but the two quickly separate when he throws his spear at the Huskarl. The spear hits with enough force to knock the shield away from thw Huskarl. The jaguar sprints for his Macuahuitl, which lies in a bush. The Huskarl doesn’t allow this and throws his spear, which dug into the Aztec’s leg. He fell slamming his head onto the Macuahuitl. The Huskarl approaches the eagle but quickly turns his attention to an object emerging from the bush. He steps back lifting his great axe. Emerging from the bush was a man encased in gold, at least that’s what the Huskarl thought. He decided that by killing the man he could sell the armor but his mind quickly shifted its attention to a bolt that slams into a nearby log. Suddenly as the marine left the bush the roman centurion was yelling at the top of his lungs, charging armed with his pilum and scutum (shield). The three warriors formed a triangle of armor and flesh, each daring the other to make a move.
FIRST OUT: Aztec Eagle
Expert Opinion[]
The majority of votes placed the Eagle in last place and it is no surprise why the Eagle loses out this easily - the other warriors had weapons made a of a more durable material (in this case metal over wood and obsidian), and despite the shield, not much protection was offered by the Eagle's cotton armour.
From up above in the trees, the Hashashin espies the stand-off and waits for one of the men to make his move. After a couple of seconds, the huskarl charges at the Marine holding his Dane axe high into the air for a swing. Before he could get a chance, the Hashashin throws one of his knives, slashing the huskarl in the lower leg. The three combatants look up to see who threw the weapon and see the Hashashin, perched upon a branch getting ready to throw another knife. The Roman attempts to fire his pilum but the Hashashin manages to dodge it easily. The Hashashin counters with another knife throw but the Centurion blocks it with his scutum. Taking the opportunity, the Marine charges at the Centurion with his hoplon but the Centurion runs away into the forest before the Marine could have a chance. The Hashashin too runs off in pursuit of the Centurion. The Marine now looks towards the Huskarl who has just gotten up and is still wielding his Great Axe. Staring at him coldly, the Athenian again charges at him with the shield. The huskarl runs in and out of the trees while the Marine continues hitting his hoplon at nothing but trees.
Meanwhile, the Hashashin continues to follow the centurion as he makes his way back to the scorpion. Watching as the Centurion load another arrow bolt into the machine, the Hashashin readies his recurve bow. The Centurion aims at the tree tops hoping to get a quick fix at the silent assassin. Taking aim with the bow, the Hashashin aims for the Centurion's stomach. The leaves behind him begin to rustle, to which the Centurion responds by firing his bolt at the Hashashin. The bolt barely misses the assassin as he fires his recurve bow, managing to scrape the leg of the Centurion. The Centurion unsheathes his gladius, hoping that the assassin would drop from the trees ready to fight. But what came out of the trees was a few more arrows, to which the Centurion barely manages to dodge and block with his scutum. The centurion, thinking he can fight fire with fire, takes out his arcus and fires a few shots into the trees, missing the hashashin every time. The next arrow the Centurion fires is a lucky one because it barely missed the Hashashin but it caused a fuse on a ceramic grenade to ignite. Next thing he knows, the centurion sees the incendiary grenade being thrown, hitting the scorpion and setting it as well as the surrounding area on fire. By now it was dark and the blast from the incendiary grenade was bright enough to give the Centurion and the Hashashin a clear view of where each other was. The hashashin finally jumps down from the trees and unsheathes his scimitar. Eyeing down his opponent, the Centurion charges at him with his sword. The hashashin gets the first swing though, but it is blocked again by the scutum. The Centurion counters with another swing but the Hashashin dodges it. After a few more moments of dodging, swinging and blocking, the Hashashin gets the upper hand. Even though he could not slash through the tough armour of the Centurion, the Hashashin managed to kill the Centurion with a stab to the neck. The centurion, reeling from the immense pain, stumbles back onto the fire - eventually burning away like a microwave oven thanks to the armour. Looking at his fallen opponent and his burning (now almost wrecked machine), the Hashashin puts away his sword. The fire and fighting he has started would have certainly attracted the attention of the huskarl and the Marine so the Hashashin climbs up to the top of a tree that hasn't been burnt yet and draws his bow, lying in wait for his next victim.
SECOND OUT: Roman Centurion
Expert Opinion[]
The votes placed the Centurion somewhat close to last (either last or second-to-last) because despite the iron weapons he possessed, the Centurion (as also shown on DW) was more a formation fighter than a solo fighter and without his fellow legionaries to help him out, the Centurion just wasn't able to hold out against the other warriors.
Some miles away from the fight between the hashashin and the centurion, the Huskarl keeps running, trying to get away from the Marine who was chasing him. At any given moment, the huskarl would throw one of his axes at the Marine, but in the dark, it was hard to tell where the axes landed. Eventually, the huskarl reaches an open alcove - and a dead end. He drops the Axe and unsheathes his spear and shield in anticipation. Sure enough, the Athenian Marine jumps out from the trees - hoplon in one hand still intact and his dory spear in the other. Like before, the two warriors stare each other down trying to intimidate each other to strike. And like before, the Huskarl with his huge axe charges at the Marine. This time, the huskarl successfully swings his axe at the Marine. However, this blow is blocked by the shield. Before the Marine can swing the dory and pierce the side of the huskarl through his armour, the Huskarl dives and rolls to the side. The Marine then charges in again, this time holding out the dory. Agile to get on his feet, the huskarl draws out his longsword and slashes the dory in two. Put in a bad position, the Marine stumbles back and unsheathes his kopis. The two warriors begin to clash swords, each blocking each others blows (sometimes also using the shields). After a fierce duel where the most the two swordsmen could do was wound each other, the Marine has an idea. As the huskarl prepares another thrust with the longsword, the Marine swings his hoplon fast enough to not only block the strike but, after a few milliseconds of struggling, send him flying back to the ground with a huge thud. The huskarl, regaining his senses, sees the Marine running away back into the trees. Seeing this as a sign of cowardice, the huskarl gets back on his feet and picks up his great axe. With a loud yell, the Saxon charges in the Marine's directions. Suddenly from out of the trees, an arrow strikes the huskarl in the knee. The huskarl kneels in pain and drops his axe; before he knew, another arrow came flying out, this time fatally hitting the huskarl in the neck and killing him instantly.
From behind some bushes, the Marine stands up, satisfied he has earned his kill. Suddenly a bright light flashed in his direction... the light source was a fire ignited inexplicably (to the Marine that is) from where he was earlier. Then a loud scream rang throughout the air (the one of the Roman Centurion as he is stabbed in the neck). Sensing trouble, and where his last enemy lay in wait, the Marine put away his bow, unsheathed his sword, and cautiously walked towards the fire.
THIRD OUT: Huskarl
Expert Opinion[]
The huskarl was a very formidable opponent with weapons and armour that are of a superior metallurgy over the others (save the hashashin) but he wasn't that great a match over the Marine and Hashashin. The Dane Axe held by the Saxon in this battle was very effective but his lack of an effective long-ranged weapon and his longsword not being able to get past a shield like the hoplon are what caught this warrior out.
Moving towards the source of light, the Athenian looked around, hoping to espy his target. He looks further in and sees the Centurion's burning corpse in the mix. Not knowing what caused this madness, he suddenly jumps out of the way as an arrow flies out from the trees. Rolling on the ground, more arrows come flying out from the trees. The Marine sees where this battle is going when his cape gets caught amongst the flames. Quickly taking it off, the Marine rushes away from the Hashashin's POV and heads into the forest, quickly retreating to the trireme on the shore. The hashashin, annoyed at this turn of events, hops from tree to tree hoping he can catch up. As the Marine kept running closer and closer to the shoreline, the Hashashin was hopping from tree to tree flicking his throwing knives the Marine - and they either end up hitting the Marine's armour or a tree - until he has no more. Finally, both combatants reach the shoreline. Turning back towards the forest, he waits in patience for the Hashashin to come out ready to play. Sure enough, the Arab assassin reveals himself, scimitar at the ready in one hand, a ceramic grenade in another. The Marine draws his bow and shoots the ceramic grenade before the hashashin could have a chance to light it up. Filled with a raging fury, the Hashashin runs forward and wails his sword about. A strike from the scimitar would have been deadly but the Marine, just in time, blocks it with his kopis. The Marine then flings the Hashashin away with his hoplon, sending the Arab rolling across the sand. Quick on his feet, the Hashashin gets up on his feet and again charges at the Marine, which then leads the two to engage in a fierce sword duel. Some of the the marine gets the upper hand and at others, it is the Hashashin who does - and on both occasions, their opponent slammed them into the ship's hull.
Eventually, after countless attempts at trying to kill each other, the Hashashin and Marine tire out, but the Hashashin, determined as he can be, swings his scimitar at the Marine's head hoping to get a clean sweep. Unfortunately, the helmet manages to provide more than adequate protection that allows for the Marine to do the same neck slash movement the Hashashin tried to use, only this time, the Hashashin's head is cleanly cut off.
As his opponent's head gets washed away into the ocean, the Marine stares up into the moonlight and yells "For Athens" as he raises his kopis in victory.
LAST OUT: Hashashin
WINNER: Athenian Marine
Expert Opinion[]
The hashashin was a very formidable opponent and he was the most technologically sophisticated of all the warriors and had a sword that matched the kopis but what made the Athenian Marine win this battle is the combination of effectively good weapons and his durable armour and shield; the Marine was also trained for both formation and one-on0one fighting on the front lines of combat whereas the hashashin was basically a mastered and skilful assassin - once the Athenian drew him out of hiding, the hashashin's advantage was gone. If this battle is unfair in any way, shape or form, then you can go ahead and do a rematch.
Battle Notes[]
The battle will be 1 v 1 v 1 v 1 v 1. Setting: there will be a wooded forest where the Centurion with his scorpion and the Hashashin will lie in wait, near that will be a steppe leading up to a cliff and down a hill which overlooks the forest where the Eagle and the Huskarl will be wandering, and a shoreline upon which an Athenian Marine will be stationed after having gotten off a trireme.
Voting will be done through comments, I don't know how the battle is going to progress but I'm sure it'll be fine. My edges and Noob's will only count if there is a draw. When you do your votes, make sure you take into account the amount and type of armour the warriors will be wearing. Voting ends... whenever Noob and I want it to end.