Sakaya Parathubara (Sakan Axemen)

Sakaya Parathubara (Sakan Axemen)
Sakaya Parathubara (Sakan Axemen)
Primary Weapon	Type: javelin Attack: 7 Charge: 0 Lethality: 1 Range: 60 Ammo: 1 Attributes: throw before charge, thrown missile
Secondary Weapon	Type: axe Attack: 5 Charge: 2 Lethality: 1 Attributes: armor piercing
Defence	Armour: 2 Shield: 4 Skill: 6
Recruitment	Soldiers: 64 Cost: 440 Upkeep: 110 Turns: 1
Mental	Morale: 4 Discipline: low Training: trained
Other	Hit Points: 1 Mass: 1 Attributes: Can board ships, Can hide in forests, Hardy, Peasant, Free upkeep, Cannot skirmish Formation: square Side/Back spacing: 1.16/1.92 Ownership: Baktria, Saka

These men come armed with Sagaris axes, a weapon fully capable of penetrating even an armoured warriors shield and breastplate, and in addition thereto, a number of fire-hardened javelins to be flung at the foe.

Description

A Saka tribesman's most prized possession, second to his horse, is his bow. However, the bow is not the only weapon used by these fierce people. These men come armed with Sagaris axes, a weapon fully capable of penetrating even an armoured warriors shield and breastplate, and in addition thereto, a number of fire-hardened javelins to be flung at the foe. Although armed with pure weapons of war, unlike the bow and arrow which can also be used for hunting or sports, these men are no professional fighters, but merely tribesmen who have joined a horde in search of wealth, or been levied into service by a powerful chief. Although fierce, these men are no professional soldiers, and cannot be expected to hold a line in battle. They are best used for flanking already engaged foes or as lightly armoured shock troops, but if tied up in a lengthy melee against more organised or professional enemy warriors, they will soon break and flee.

They dress in their every day clothes, which consists of a traditional nomad jacket, or Kurta, with a v-shaped cut. The Kurtas are made of felt, cloth or leather, depending on the time of year, and the wealth of the wearer. They wear pants of cloth, felt or leather. Unlike the mounted Sakas of the high steppes, these men wear leather boots more suited to the often rough and mountainous terrain of Central Asia. There is a multitude of hat designs known among the Saka, and a selection is seen on these men. Most prominent is the felt pointed hat, worn particularly by the Saka Tigrakhauda, or Pointed-Hat Scythians, as they were known. The hat is held up by leather straps around the wearers head, keeping the soft point upright even in windy or wet conditions. In addition to their Sagaris axes, made of bronze of iron with wooden handles, they carry fire hardened javelins, and an Akinakes dagger, useful for taking the scalp of a fallen enemy. Herodotos describes how Scythian warriors would make a triangular incision into a fallen enemy's head, and then take them by the hair and shake until the scalp came off. They would then clear away any residual flesh with a rib bone, and rub the scalp to soften it. It would then be carried as a trophy on the riders saddle, clothes or weapon. For protection, they carry square reed shields reinforced with leather, which albeit light are very resistant to missiles.

Historically, there were a number of different peoples known by outside observers as "Saka", with different political and cultural inclinations. Although many, such as the Saka Rauka, originated on the steppe and were part of the Eurasian nomadic cultural continuum, stretching from the Hungarian Pushta to the plains of Manchuria, other groups had moved south towards the more agricultural areas of Central Asia, and adapted to a lifestyle more similar to those peoples already inhabiting these lands. This semi-nomadic, transhumant lifestyle, with people moving between semi-permanent settlements and their herds in the more remote mountainous regions had existed in the high steppes as well, but not to the same degree as were the case in southern Central Asia. Although many of these Saka still retained an affinity for horses and horse riding, they would not use horses in their daily business as would their kin on the steppe, and many would hence fight on foot. It is described by Herodotos that the Massagetae army fielded by queen Tomyris contained large quantities of infantry, and although it may be that some of these were levies from subjugated settled populations, a large part no doubt were Saka tribesmen who fought on foot, either as archers or as melee infantry.