Mayan Late Classical warrior Update :
First up are the Mayans. I decided to do them first as I feel they are much harder to research then the Egyptians, and I want to get them out of the way first . The Mayan warrior was perhaps the most advanced of all the Native American civilizations, and it’s advancements in science, astronomy, and architecture is well known to the world. However contrary to some of the beliefs put out about them, they were NOT peaceful. The wars between city states were exactly akin to their Greek contemporaries, i.e. it was happening all the time. At first it seemed to be just for getting captives for sacrifice (although not a crazy as the Aztecs in this, they did do it) and to avenge insults, it later became for conquest and eventually pure annihilation. The latter is the main tactic for the Mayans of the late classical age. Weapons evolved as time went on, from early weapons of obsidian clubs and stone axes, to later Atlatls and spears. The classical age for the Mayans lasted between 300 A.D. to 900 A.D. and the warriors that I will feature today will be in the late classical or 800 A. D. ish, when everything is beginning to fall apart. This period is characterized by civil wars, secession wars, wars of conquest and in extreme cases annihilation along with an increasing amount of commoners fighting over the decreasing amount of available land.
Weapons of the Maya:
Weapons that the Maya used include stone clubs, spears, axes throwing sticks, slings, bows, blwoguns, Atlatls and knives. Most of the melee weapons had obsidian or jade edges.
Long Range Category 1: Atlatl spear thrower: Jatz'om Haleb (white wheat spear throwers)
The Atlatl was a spear throwing stick about 2 feet long. One end was notched for a javelin or dart; the opposite end had two holes. Placing his middle or index fingers in the holes, he would then launch the dart/ javelin at an enemy as far away as 150 feet. The spear launcher has twice the accuracy, twice the range and twice the power as throwing it normally. Originally this was not a Mayan weapon and was introduced by the Mexican state of Teotihuacan (precursors of the Aztecs) in the late 400s. Once it was introduced it quickly became one of the dominant weapons in Mayan warfare.
It has been said that this was powerful enough to pierce the steel armor of the Spaniards. Long thin spears that were actually darts around the size of men were thrown at speeds of 80-100 mph! Truly a dart to be reckoned with.
Long Range Category 2: Blowgun
From what I have read the Atlatl was the main long range weapon of choice for the Maya. However commoners or the poorer Maya would have used this. The blowgun was very popular for hunting and was occasionally used in war as well. It is similar to the South American version. They are made by splitting a long piece of wood, then hollowing out on each side to make a chamber, then fitting it back together.
On the sling and the bow: The sling is proving is giving me a very difficult time right now. That thing is almost impossible to research. Unless I can get better information on it will not be included. And for the bow all my sources point out that it was not included till the post-classic period, so that won’t be included.
Mid Range: The short spear “xul”?
The Mayan spear was shortened for easy maneuverable fighting in the thick jungles, making its length around 4-6 feet. What this spear unique is that it has a 12inch obsidian point. Due to the length and shape this could be used equally well for stabbing and slashing. Obsidian, for those that don’t know, is an EXTREMLY sharp volcanic glass, so sharp that it was used as a scalpel in the past.
Bonus or Rare weapon: The Obsidian “sword”
Another controversial weapon. This is a very rare weapon among the Maya and admitably was not used very frequently. If I had not gotten this image from one of my best websites then I would not have included it.
The Mayan war club is a more primitive version of the Aztec
"And then Captain Tecún flew up, he came like an eagle full of real feathers, which were not artificial; he wore wings which also sprang from his body and he wore three crowns, one was of gold, another of pearls and another of diamonds and emeralds." Tecún Umán went forward with the intention of killing (conquistador) Alvarado and thus defeating the battle beasts and the way of the Spanish. He struck at the great man-beast with all his power, hitting Alvarado's horse and taking its head off in a single blow. According to the K'iche, his lance was not made of metal, but of shiny stone which had a magic spell on it. When Tecún realized he had killed only the battle beast and not the man, he flew upward and came at Alvarado. The Spaniard was ready and impaled the charging king on his lance. (Totonicapán Title)”l
Some images of the Paddle club here.
About 2 and half feet in length.
This weapon has many uses. You can cut of course, and with the many obsidian spikes on the club it will easily cut through any flesh, hell if it will even cut through your own flesh if you are not careful with it. Obsidian, as mentioned before, is one of the sharpest substances known to man and will be devastating against unguarded flesh. You can also use it as a regular club, hitting someone with the flat side, or hitting them with its end, like you would with a rifle butt. This could be used to incapacitate so you could bring them to the sacrificing temple. Clearly a weapon with many options.
Close Range 3:
In extreme close range situations something smaller may be needed. This knife was used quite often for sacrifice but its use has been documented in war. Its obsidian so it’s going to go through quite easily. This is a ten inch knife.
And
Now
The New and Special:
Animal Category!!!!! Hornets:
“Shortly before they were about to throw themselves at the entrance of the town, the four
gourds which were at the edge of the town were opened and the bumblebees and the wasps
came out of the gourds; like a great cloud of smoke they emerged from the gourds. And thus
the warriors perished because of the insects which stung the pupils of their eyes and fastened
themselves to their noses, their mouths, their legs, and their arms. "Where are they," they said,
"Those who went to get and bring in all the bumblebees and wasps that are here?"
They went straight to sting the pupils of their eyes, the little insects buzzing in swarms over
each one of the men; and the latter, stunned by the bumblebees and wasps, could no longer
grasp their bows and their shields, which were broken on the ground.”
-Popol Vuh
The Popul Vuh is a collection of Mayan myths and legends. All legends and myths have some historical basis and many sites I have gone talk about Mayan use of Hornets. This verse is the most descriptive information I can find on bees use in warfare. Also hornet nests were allegedly thrown into battle by men in mud, which apparently made them immune to bees. So in addition to hornet traps, Mayans will have the ability in my battle to directly throw the hornets at the Egyptians.
Armor: Cotton armor stuffed with rock salt, shield
While almost all Mayans had shields, the Mayan cotton armor was usually reserved more for the elites. These shields were usually rounded or square, around the medium size range (think Viking shield size, significantly smaller then scutum or hoplon). These were usually made of animal hide and carried various decorations as well as being feathered. The cotton armor was worn by the more veteran warriors, and consisted of short cotton jackets packed with rock salt--the equivalent of the modern "flack jacket" and tight bindings of leather or cloth on forearms and legs. This armor was apparently so effective that Spanish often shed their steel for this type of armor. Provides great protection against projectiles and some in protection for close quarters. . Warriors were also covered with war paint and tattoos.
Tactics, training and organization, rules and Motivations: Venus oriented, a society of constant warfare, Long range then short, Nobility led, Militia troops, Divine conflict, Glory and religiously driven, Conundrum of battle
The Mayans were famous for their astronomy and took their love of it to the battlefield. They deliberately timed all prominent military campaigns around to the appearance of Venus. Mayans have always fought. in the early days this was for sacrifices, labor or even occasionally conquest. In the 8th and 9thcenturies as the Mayans were both at their greatest height and on the verge of their greatest fall all this began to change. Foreign invasion, civil war, war of conquest and even the previously unthought-of war for annihilations occurred with increasing frequency. Land and resources were becoming increasingly scarce, and peasants would often wage low level warfare among themselves for land, as their overlords fought each other for the same cause. The Mayans would almost always fire of their long range before going into battle. The leaders of the battle were almost always nobility or kings, which although both were likely zealous would in most cases lack the training, discipline and experience that a professional soldier, like let’s say the centurion would have. Due to the logistics of the Maya homeland, it was extraordinarily difficult for the Mayan to field permanent armies. This would mean that militia would be called up, serve and then leave to go farm. Against a professional force this may hurt the Maya. As quoted from one of my sites “The Maya did not perceive combat as a clash of people and weapons alone, but rather as a complex confrontation of spiritual and material forces. When, for example, the Conqueror of Guatemala, Pedro de Alvarado, engaged the forces of theK'iche' Maya culture hero Tecún Umán in 1524, the Maya lord and his companions flew at him in the guise of eagles and lightening, according to native accounts, only to be defeated by the Spaniards superior spiritual forces in the form of "footless birds", holy ghosts, and a "floating maiden", the Virgin. “ The Mayans would at times seek single combat with prominent foes, for glory and to increase their favor to the gods who could receive such a sacrifice. Lastly they also liked to play a vast amount of instruments to go with the battle, like drums , conch shells and much shouting and screaming.
MArtial Arts: None
Additional comments: The Mayans are well trained in all thier weapons, even if they may not work in a proffesional unit. Also quite zealous.
Sources:
Warriors-History channel
Miscellaneous YouTube
Sources:
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Next up is The New Kingdom Egyptian soldiers
Introduction:
The Egyptian civilization is well known for its great feats of engineering and their beliefs of the afterlife (and burial procedures). However like all advanced civilizations, they were also advanced in war (really it seems to be a requirement that to be a truly great civilization, you must be advanced in war). They were at the peak of their military capability during the New Kingdom. The New kingdom was a time of a great revolution in warfare for the Egyptians. This change was so profound that the army of the New Kingdom is almost unrecognizable from the Old or middle kingdom armies. Chariots now dominated the scene, and without a doubt the Egyptian chariot is one of the most maneuverable of these vessels to ever exist. The Egyptians mass produced these to an extent that during the battle of Khadesh, there were more than 6000 of them on the field, without a doubt the largest chariot battle in history. The bow was upgraded from simple to compound and swords and bronze axes were being introduced into the army. In particular was the thoroughly unique Khopesh, the Egyptian curved sword. Looking more like a elongated sickle then a sword this soon became the trademark weapon of the Egyptians(along with the chariots). This is just some of weapons used by the armies of Ramses the great.Weapons: The weapons of the Egyptian are the composite bow, sling, spear, Sherden straight edged sword, bronze axe, khopesh, and straight edged dagger. They will also be showcasing Tahtib(ancinet Egyptian stickfighting) and Kuta(ancient Egyptian boxing).
Long range 1: The Egyptian composite bow:
The Composite bow was first introduced by the Hyskos who ruled over much of Egypt between 1600 to 1500 b.c. It is around 3 to 5 feet in length and is made of strong Buffalo horn bonded with wood and then bound with animal sinew. It is then glued together with fish glue and left to set for a whopping 18 months. Once made though it was many times more powerful then the simple bow Egyptians used previously. As a result it was quite prized by the Egyptians and was mostly given to their most important troops, the charioteers. Charioteers were excellent at what would later become known as Parthian shots and could shoot off more than ten arrows in less than a minute. The arrow shaft was made of reed, with three feathers and an arrowhead. The basic arrowhead was flint, with two trailing barbs, however other types of stone and even wooden arrowheads were used alongside these. By the second millennium BC, bronze arrowheads had been introduced, and these were effective when shot from a composite bow in piercing scale armor. Later, barbed iron arrowheads were not unknown, though iron remained a relatively rare and precious metal in Egypt. There were even blunt arrowheads for practice shooting, and bird-hunting. Archers also wore linen quivers on their back. The bad side is this bow was very difficult o maintain, didn’t react well to moisture, and need two people to sting it.
Long range 2: Sling and throwing stick:
The sling was second to the bow as Egypt’s most used weapon. Due to the fact that you can pick up ammo off the ground, this weapon rarely ran out of ammunition. However during the New Kingdom the Egyptians made sling bullets, which in addition to doing more damage also were faster. Often used as a distraction rather than a game winner.
The Throw stick was its namesake, a stick that you threw at the enemy. Although it wasn’t very effective (think Iwisa but without club at the end) it was still used by Egyptian commanders well into the New Kingdom. Could be a great distraction.
Mid range 1: Egyptian spear
The standard spear of Ancient Egypt, issued to soldiers, was shorter than other spears of the ancient world, being only five to six feet long, with a leaf-shaped blade. This type of blade could therefore slash and cut, as well as thrust. It was not meant to throw, but its design made it so it could be wielded easily in either one hand or two. For an infantryman you could thrust this over the shield or under the shield. For a charioteer this was used as an Auxiliary weapon, once the arrows ran out they could chase down and stab fleeing enemies. Very light.
Rare or Bonus weapon: Sherden straight edged sword
In 1100s the so called Sea Peoples wreaked havoc on the coastal Bronze Age societies of the time. They have been suggested as being responsible for the fall of Hittites, Mycenaean (think Trojan War era Greeks) and Mitanni Civilizations. No one knows where they came from originally but they came to all the above lands by sea. With the successful plundering of these great bronze empires they then came sailing toward Egypt, expecting another easy win. They were horribly wrong. After the massacre in various naval battles of the sea people, some sea people tribes were offered their lives in exchange for service. The Sherden is one of those tribes and they possessed the unique double sided straight edged sword. A favored battle tactic of the Egyptians was to send these guys in first followed by the native Egyptians with their curved swords. These were up to 30 inches long, and double edged. They were weighted towards the hilt, and tapered to a point, being almost a stretched triangle.This type of sword, similar to the Naue II type of sword, had been developed at the end of the Bronze Age, and was an ideal thrusting weapon, with a reasonable reach. Soldiers thus armed could stab an opponent armed with a cutting sword like a khopesh while remaining outside of his striking distance.
Close range 1: The Piercing axe.
The Length of this axe would be around 2-3 feet and was designed with armor in mind. The Egyptians used axes since pre-dynastic times, although this was in the cutting axe form. These were great against the lightly armored Nubians, who they usually fought, but they lost their effectiveness against the armored Hittites. This led to the creation of the Piercing axe. The piercing axe was designed to penetrate armor, above all helmets. The blade was cast with an eye through which the handle could be inserted. In Egypt on the other hand they continued to use the old method of fixing the blade to the handle in a mortise and tenon fashion.There are also rare accounts of it being duel weilded.
Close Range 2: Khopesh
Without a doubt the most famous Egyptian weapon. This weapon was originally adopted by the Cannites and then adopted by the Egyptians. This adopted son later became the favored son, replacing the axe. Its natural curve is designed for maximum cutting, yet you can still thrust with it due to the way the blade ends. In addition you could even use the curve of the blade to get behind his opponents shield and pull disarming them and leaving them open to a secondary thrust or slash. About 2-3 feet in length, with the curve itself being 50-60 cm.
Close Range 3: Egyptian “Khopesh” curved dagger
This shortened blade was called the Khopesh because of its curve. A quote from the site “This dagger's blade is only around eight to ten inches long, and curved like a claw. A vicious weapon, it was often the secondary weapon of soldiers armed with axes or spears. This popularity may be partly due to it being ideally-shaped for thrusting upwards under the individual segments of scale armor. It was also a frequent ritual dagger, and exquisite decorated versions, some made of gold, have been found in Pharonic tombs.”
Animal category: Chariots (horses)
Like so much military technology of Egypt, the Hyskos first brought the chariot to Egypt. To quote from here on construction and usage “The Egyptian chariot was a two-man vehicle, carrying a driver and archer. It was a D-shaped wooden platform - usually sycamore - with a waist-high railing around the front and sides. The back was left open. For sport and hunting, the rail was just that- a rail. For war, however, wooden walls were fitted, sometimes with laminated leather or gilded decoration. This would stop arrows or spears from getting through to the occupants.
A bar from the front was harnessed to two horses, but the most important change was to the positioning of the axle. Where other societies' chariots had an axle in the centre of the floor, the Egyptians put it directly under the rear edge of the floor. This meant that the body of the chariot wouldn't tip back and forward as it went over bumps, and would remain a perfect platform from which to shoot arrows. The ash-wood axle was also sheathed in metal to reduce wear and tear.
Originally the wheels, which were a metre across, had four spokes, but this proved occasionally brittle on stony ground, and so by the 19th Dynasty had been replaced by six spokes. There are some Egyptian illustrations showing chariot wheels with eight spokes, but no examples of these have survived, and these might have been a short-lived test variant, or simply a result of miscounting. The war chariot would have two quivers for arrows slung from the sides at the rear, and a sheath for bows and one for javelins slung from the sides nearer the front. Sacks of supplies could also be carried. As well as being stable for shooting from, the chariot was remarkably lightweight, weighing perhaps as little as 35kg. In fact it could be lifted by one man alone, for example to right the vehicle if it had been overturned. The Egyptians used chariots for two main purposes. Firstly they would protect the vital infantrymen by engaging enemy chariots. The lighter, faster Egyptian chariots would charge down the oncoming enemy chariots and pass between them. They could then loop round, and engage each enemy chariot from the rear, as the heavier enemy vehicles could neither outrun nor out-turn them.
Secondly, they were used as fast hit and run forces to stake out enemy units most dangerous to the infantry, such as archers. The typical strategy would be to send a stream of chariots towards the enemy group being targeted, and have the archers aboard shoot as rapidly as possible into the enemy while the driver wheeled the chariot in a tight turn before the enemy, in order to get out of the way of the next chariot in the stream behind him.
the enemy, in order to get out of the way of the next chariot in the stream behind him.
The chariots could then retreat, loop round and repeat the attack until they ran out of arrows, or turn back to make a similar attack on another part of the enemy force. Afterwards, the chariots could harry retreating forces with any remaining arrows, or with spears.”
A long quote yes, but it is hard to overestimate the value of this weapon. In fact it was a sign of great wealth and importance to own and operate this weapon. Given the fact that the nobles were the only ones rich enough to operate this that also means that the charioteer(most likely the archer, driver would have some leather protection not much) is the only one with scale armor.
Armor: Shield, wide bands of leather, Scale armor, Gauntlets, Helmets
For the basic guys they would have a large rectangular shield with wide bands of leather across their chest. This provided a little protection from reed arrows, but was more useful for fending off glancing cuts from knives (although obsidian could probably cut through this).
The elites would have scale armor which was introduced from Asia, eventually becoming more widespread as the New Kingdom went on. Scale armor was made from scales of hardened leather or bronze attached to a linen or soft leather tunic. One might have expected the King to wear the bronze version, but this was not always the case; it's a leather one that was found with Tutankhamen.This type of armor is effective against arrows and descending blows, but soldiers quickly learned to strike upwards with daggers or thrusting swords, to penetrate a line of scales.
In addition the elite and Sherden mercenary would have a helmet, which would have cushioned the head against fatal blows from weapons like the club. Finally the Charioteers had gauntlets. There were made of thick leather, and intended mostly to provide extra grip on the reins. Some surviving gauntlets, however, have a thick enough back to turn a knife blade, and possibly even a weak strike from a sword.
Tactics, Rules, Motivations: “Battle when ready”, Troops trained by the state, Beginnings of a professional army, Chariot oriented, Chariot Hit and run, organized into units, nationally and pay motivated
Egyptians were apparently gentlemen warriors in that, they almost never ambushed. In fact they would often arrange, with their opponents the best time to fight. Troops receive state training in how to effectively use weapons and fight in formation, so they aren’t going in blind (also likely to have some hunting experience). In addition to that, due to the need to occupy far off lands solider were recruited for longer and longer durations eventually becoming permanent. While professional mercenaries and conscripted men were still prominent the time of the professional was clearly beginning. They were also organized into units by weapon, aka archer division, spear division and were taught how to work with each other effectively. Perhaps more importantly they were taught how to work with chariots. The soldiers of the army were motivated by national desires to protect pharaoh and country, and the significant pay involved.
The Chariot was the crown jewel of New Egyptian armies. Light, fast and maneuverable seeing a whole division of these running across the sand, sending all kinds of dust up, must have been a truly horrific site for the enemy. However these were not like the scythed chariots of later times, they were designed for hit and run firing and finishing fleeing enemies. A trained charioteer could send 10 arrows at the enemy from any angle in a minute.
Martial Arts: Tahtib Stick Fighting, war sports, Some form of martial arts.
My source for Ancient Egyptian sticks fighting come from here. Considering the head was protected by the helmet with a chin strap, the contest was probably not to the death or to the first blood. It was probably a contest of skill; on how well one could protect and guard the targeted area from attack while at the same time delivering a blow to the target area on the opponent. Although considering the head is protected and not the rest of the body, the body could be the target area and competition could be a test of how much pain one could endure. It is for sure that injuries did happen. The head being protected, just in case a foul strike to the head was made and not to cause death. No protect was worn over the face. Therefore feints to the face were possible, causing openings to other areas of the body. Footwork was also improved on, allowing for tactical retreats, flanks or even parrying.
Many war sports were practiced by the Egyptians, including archery, knife throwing, marathon running, javelin throwing and early wrestling. These fun time activities could see wartime benefits.
I must apologize for my lack of information on the specific martial arts. The fact is that internet is full of various people all claiming that their martial art is based off of Egyptian ones. To avoid posting a wrong source or posting a million ones, we are just going to acknowledge that they had a martial art (other than universally agree wrestling and Tahtib) and that it utilized some primitive form of locks.
Additional comments: The Egyptians were a unified, centralized state rather than a collection of various city states. As such the diversity of such an army is greater than the city state.
Ancient discoveries:
4.
Battle of Meddigo
5. Rest of the series is one the side
Regular Sources:
3. (this whole site was good)
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Edges: Egyptian vs. Mayan
Long Range 1: The Egyptian composite bow vs. Atlatl spear launcher
This edge is harder then you may think. The Egyptian composite bow is quite powerful, but the Mayan elite’s cotton armor was referred to as a “flat jacket’ by later writers and was so effective that the Spanish shed their steel for it. It was designed to stop projectiles. The Atlatl was mentioned going through Spaniard steel and had a high probability of going through the scale armor of the elite and the shield of the foot soldiers. It is also more reliable then the bow. The bow will not go far through either the smaller shields of the Maya or the cotton armor. A downside to the Atlatl is it won’t have as much ammo as the bow (at least 2 linen quivers on chariots). Still it can be fired at a much greater rate than the Atlatl and can fired from a moving chariot at a very rapid rate. For those reasons alone it gets the edge, in a VERY close edge.
Long range 2: Sling and throwing stick vs. the Blowgun
Another hard one to give and edge to. The sling is as always a great disabler and even a killer in some situations. But the Mayan shield and cotton do help the nullify some of the damage that the bullets can do, even though they will still be quite powerful. The Throwing Stick is basically taking the leg of your dining room chair, taking it off and throwing it at someone, not very effective. Will get a few kills and only really good as a distracter. The blowgun is going to run into difficulties getting past scale armor, HUGE shields and helmets. Still it is better than the sling/ throwing stick combo because every hit is a kill, and is a great weapon to use in conjunction with the Mayan bees. So edge blowgun
Mid Range: Egyptian spear vs. Obsidian spear
These two spears are both around the same length and both can you hit kill depending on where you hit them. Both can be used to cut and stab. The Obsidian may have a larger blade, but other factors must be looked before judging solely on this. What this comes down to due to the similarity of the weapons is the armor of the enemy and the auxiliary uses of the weapon. The Egyptian spear is better in both of these categories. It will pierce the Mayan’s cotton and has a greater chance of getting past the shield then Mayan has with the Egyptians much bigger shield. Also it can be used from a fast moving chariot. This combines to give it another just barely edge.
Rare or Bonus Weapon: Sherden Straight edged sword vs. The Obsidian sword
This is a category between two weapons that, although they belong in the same category, are worlds apart. One is a superb slashing weapon, the other is a one handing thrusting. The Obsidian sword defiantly has greater reach then Sherden sword. It will also be better at cutting. While it probably can be wielded with one hand, it can wield much more power with the sword with one hand. The thrusting sword is capable of being used with one hand, and is meant to be used with the shield, thus making it a combo weapon. IT is capable of piercing the Mayans armor and allows for protection of the user at the same time. So edge Sherden
Close range 1: Egyptian piercing axe vs. Mayan Bronze axe:
The name is a little misleading; both of these axes are bronze. The Piercing axe is designed to pierce through thick helmets of the Hittites, although in making to perform this function, they lessened its value as a cutting weapon. While pretty good at piercing heads, it won’t be as good as the Mayan axe at cutting. Nor will it be able to adequately deal with the Mayan’s shield or elites cotton armor, which will absorb a lot of the impact. While the Mayan axe will likewise not do well against the Egyptian elite’s scale armor, he will have a easier time cutting at the exposed limbs of the Egyptian then the Egyptian will have with the Mayan. So another barely edge Mayan
Close range 2: Khopesh vs. Obsidian Paddle Club:
Although the Paddle club is a very sharp , dangerous and multi use weapon(club, slash and punch) it does not compete with the Khopesh. The Khopesh in addition to being made of a more reliable material(bronze) is designed to get the maximum amount of cutting power possible and can also be used to stab(albeit not as well the straight edged sword) and disarm an enemies shield. The edge in my mind goes to the Egyptian’s signature sword.
Extremely close range: “Khopesh” curved dagger vs. Etznab sacrificial knife
(just call the former curved dagger)
Please Google khopesh dagger or khopesh knife to see a picture of it, as my armory won’t let me link it.
Let’s get this out of the way first. Both warriors are EXTREMLY screwed if they are forced to rely on this weapon. But if they are forced to rely on these there are some advantages to both. The Etznab is basically like holding a scalpel in your hand and will easily stab through flesh and even can be landed underneath the scales, thus being the first Mayan weapon capable of directly taking on the Egyptian elite’s armor besides the Atlatl. The Khopesh dagger is like its namesake great at cutting and decent at stabbing. It will also be able to get through the Mayans armor, with enough effort. So who gets the edge between these two last resort weapons? Neither, neither are particularly more effective and both ill advised to use unless no other options or sneak attack.
Animal category: Horse (chariot) vs. Hornets:
To the best of my knowledge, no one has yet pitted two animals against each other to decide which is better. I shall talk about the horse first. This animal gives its user significant speed and mobility and, in the case of the chariot, a mobile shooting platform. The horse themselves can also trample enemies. Its disadvantages are in the case of the chariot it will not be extremely adept at fighting in a closed, crowded terrain (like a jungle). Also horses can be spooked and become out of the drivers control (angry hornets will likely accomplish this). The Mayan hornets were used in two forms in Mayan combat. First it was placed in a gourd or a vase and then let out remotely once the enemy was near. Second its whole entire nest can be THROWN in battle by Mayan “mud men” unleashing a very angry swarm on the Mayans enemies. Not even the most trained, pain resistant and hardened soldier, be he Egyptian or even Spetnaz or Spartan, will be able to ignore a 1000 hornets biting at them from every possible body part, like the eyes , nose, mouth ears ect which will cause kills. The hornets will also crawl down armor and wreak havoc there. A unit suffering from a hornet attack is also vulnerable to the Mayans missile fire (no way a Mayan soldier getting near them to engage them in melee). The disadvantages of the Hornets are A. unless in a closed jungle environment the carrier of the Hornets’ nest is extremely vulnerable and B. The insects have no master and will just as readily attack the Mayans as the Egyptians (except apparently the mud men). In my mind they are both even and both full tens as their advantages severely outweigh their disadvantages
Armor: Regular: Egyptian shield, bands of leather vs. Mayan shield.
Okay first of all I am splitting this up between armor the Regulars wear (out of 12 points) and that the more experienced and better armored elites wear (out of 8).
Regular: The Egyptians without question get the edge here. Not only is their shield much bigger, but the double leather bands provides some protection against glancing cuts (although again obsidian can probably cut through this). Also the Sherden sea person will get a helmet which his people used and the chariot driver gets gauntlets (see next part for both). The only disadvantage here is that the Atlatl will go right through the shield and possibly the leather band. The Mayan shield with help him, but it is nowhere near as encompassing as the Egyptian, putting them at a disadvantage. So edge Egyptian.
Armor: Elite: Egyptian scale armor, gauntlets, shield, helmet vs. Mayan shield and cotton armor with rock salt
This category is much harder to judge. The Egyptian has protection on the head, hands, chest plus shield. The Mayan has protection on the forearms, legs, chest plus shield. The only weapons that can take on the scale armor of the Egyptian directly is ironically both the weapon with the most and least amount of range, the Atlatl and Etznab knife (the latter by going underneath the scales). I suppose you could also maneuver the spear underneath the scales, but that would be really difficult to do with Egyptian shield and length of the spear. The gauntlets protect the Egyptians hands from cuts and low level stabs, while the helmet protects the head. Likewise the Mayan cotton armor is only directly threatened by spear, straight sword, possibly khopesh, and knife. So who gets the edge here? The Egyptian gets it barely due to his larger shield, and the fact that only two weapons are really directly effective against his armor (although one of them can be thrown at great distances). However it is worth noting that the Egyptians best long range weapon will have little effect against the elite. Close edge
Tactics, Training and Organization, Rules and Motivation (TTORM):
Warfare has evolved since the tribal warriors of the Hauorani and the Fiji and due to its evolution a new category must be created. A new category has been created, one that combines the amount of training and organization a warrior unit has. Increased to 25 points.
Tactics: “Battle when ready”, Chariot oriented, Chariot hit and run vs. Venus oriented, Long range then short, Single combat oriented , Bees, Conundrum of battle
First off the policy of waiting till Venus is active in the sky may be effective, if they could communicate with the Egyptians about what time they want to fight. Likewise the Egyptians may not be fully ready either for a fight, being unable to talk to the Mayans to arrange a correct time. Once the battle does start the Mayans will immediately expel most or all of their long range before going in for the kill. This will undoubtedly soften the Egyptians up but the Egyptians will also be shooting off their ammo to. In a battle of Long ranges it is unclear who would win so this tactic is dubious at best. Mayans may try to engage in heroic single combat with the Egyptians, but again due to the language barrier , even though the Egyptians may allow this tactic if they could understand the Mayans (Egyptians did have duels occasionally) , they don’t and will likely gang up on any Mayan who tries this tactic, forcing them to abandon it. Mayan use of Bee trap and Egyptian use of chariot is quite even as talked about earlier, and will depend on the terrain. The policy of chariot hit and run will be foreign to the Mayan though, and is without a doubt the best Egyptian tactic. The ability to fire off many arrows without stopping will undoubtedly be a plus for the Egyptian allowing him to take out many enemy warriors. The Mayan policy of using noise to make the battlefield as chaotic and confusing as possible fails as A. it is unlikely they will scare the trained Egyptian soldiers with all that noise (unless they can make the Egyptians think that there is more Mayans there then they think) and B. you can’t really use this when the battle as while you’re playing the drums the Egyptians will just shoot you. So who gets the edge? Egyptians as they have the most effective tactic (chariot drive-by) .
Training and Organization: Troops trained by a state, Beginnings of a professional army, organized into units vs. a society of constant warfare, Militia troops, Nobility led
The Egyptians were one of the first states who were trained and equipped by the state, and were often called on to serve in long term engagements or even garrisoning lands occupied by the Egyptians. They were organized into units based on weapon and taught how to cooperate with other units, including the chariot. Their officers were most likely nobility (especially higher up positions) but officers who rose through merit are not unheard of. The Mayan society, while having a few professional warriors, relied mostly on militia and was led by the nobility, often the king. The constant state of warfare in the Mayan lands caused them to call up Militia often. As a result the Mayan militia would have had great knowledge of combat. Still this pales to actual military training and organization.
Edge Egyptians
Rules:” Battle when ready” vs. Venus Oriented
For reasons just explained neither of the first two is convenient to have. Edge Neither
Motivations: Nationally and pay motivated vs. Glory and religiously driven, divine conflict
While money and nationalism are both great motivators, they pale in comparison to how far the Mayans go in their pursuit of glory and religion. They have successfully incorporated it into religion and are extremely fanatical in their devotion to these war tenants. War is a core part of their religion and as such they are constantly at war. This far outpaces the Egyptian motivations IMO. Edge Mayans
But in total for this 4 part category edge goes to the Egyptians
Martial Arts: Tahtib stick fighting, War sports, some form of Martial arts vs. Some form of war sports
Self explanatory really, but I’ll go further in depth. Stick fighting will teach the Egyptians better footwork, feigning attacks, parrying and how to better block an opponent’s blow. War sports which include javelin throwing, archery and wrestling can lead to an increase in military skill. Lastly the Egyptians used a form of blocks, and locks that could can constructed as a early martial art. The Mayans had some training possibly from their own sports but nowhere near enough to compete with the Egyptians in this area. Edge Egyptians
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Venus was bright in the night sky, Jaguar Paw noted. “It is time to find our people some new land to live on”. Five months ago he and his four warriors had left to find a new home for his fellow Mayans of Tikal. Their own land was collapsing; every man from the lowest peasant to highest lord could see that. Their land could no longer support enough crops; Warfare objectives had changed from sacrifice to complete destruction and the gods themselves were angry at the Maya. The last reason was a good enough one for creating an expedition to brave the “never-ending water”. The name wasn’t exactly true; it did end, just about two months after he wanted it originally to end. The time at sea had been hell as they had braved storms to which the largest jungle monsoon couldn’t compare to, fish twice the size of his longest spear, constant sun to which they had to destroy one of their canoes to build a makeshift shade and even a many tentacle creature that attacked them on their last day at sea. It had gazed into their very souls with eyes the size of their shields and then left. Apparently Jaguar Paw and his force weren’t who the beast was looking for. “Whoever he is looking for, that man will be in trouble” Jaguar Paw thought to himself. After that he and his forces had arrived in a strange land, one devoid of any trees. The only reason he and his forces had survived was because of Ix Chel. Goddess of the moon, decided to pour water down from the sky. They had collected as much as they could in vases and saved it, continuing along the desert, hoping to find a jungle. Unbelievably, on the 4th day their prayers were answered when they came across a jungle in the middle of the desert. This jungle was beautiful, what the homelands might have looked like before the constant warfare plagued the lands. It was small though. There was a giant pool of water in the middle, and about 20 acres of forest surrounding that pool, then back to the desert. The forest contained many animals like dear, boar, hornets and even fish in the lake. While scouting the easternmost edge though he noticed a strange building, one made of stone. It seemed like a tomb and reminded him of the buildings that his grandfather said he used to build, the ruins of which he came across all the time as he was traveling to fight, or that his city was struggling to keep operational. He hoped whoever built these monuments didn’t come back as he planned to move his family here once he figured out how to get back to his lands. Right now it was time for some Rest and Relaxation. Before he left he observed what his men were doing. Chaob, who was a famous hunter back in his home city of Tical, carried his favorite blowgun and his paddle club. He was also the man who would, during those rare ambushes, cover himself in mud and pick up a hornets’ nest and throw it at the enemies. Jaguar Paw considered him the bravest man in the group for doing that. Hunab Ku, whose face was always dressed in blue and green war paint, preferred the spear and axe and lived for the brawl. Kucumatz, the spear man, carried the groups Atlatl and another spear. He was the most buff of the group and could throw the darts long distances. Naum also carried a paddle club and a blowgun. Finally Jaguar Paw himself carried the obsidian sword, rare and fascinating weapon that he was starting to love, and the Etznab sacrificial dagger, along with his legendary grandpa’s(of the same name) unique cotton armor. All of them had shields. But that was enough description for now. Jaguar Paw lied down to rest and think about if this place would sustain his people. As a precaution though he had Chaob go to the strange ruins, to scout and see if anyone showed up.
Daytime:
Achenaten meanwhile, was busy traveling on his grim yearly voyage on his chariot. It had been two years since his brother had died fighting the Nubians, and every year he, and a group of soldiers loyal to his family and whose homes had built at the noble’s great expense, traveled with him for protection. His family had honored the pharaohs for many generations, fighting with him to drive the Hyskos out, and even taking part in the battle of Khadesh. The pharaoh, whoever it was at the time, honored his loyal subjects with land grants, tax exemptions, and in the case of his brother, an expensive tomb built in the beautiful oasis that his brother used to frequent as a child. The noble prince (for he was around 21, so rather young in his life, but fought with his brother against the Nubians since 14) was dressed in his family’s prized scale armor, given to them by Ramses the Great himself, along with leather gauntlets and a metal helmet. He was a superb archer, winner of many awards in the local province and even in the Pharaohs’ personal games, and as such he carried his prized composite bow, meticulously maintained and cared for since childhood. Achenaten looks to his left at his driver, Henenu. Henenu was an old servant who had served not only his brother and father, but his grandfather as well. Despite his age, he was a steady driver, and maneuvered with his gauntlet covered hands like a professional. Between the two of them they also had a spear for chasing down enemies, and a Khopesh should they be forced to dismount. The young aristocrat also carried a curved dagger on a sheath on his belt. Three men followed them on foot. Shikala was the closest and he was a sea people mercenary, relic of the people that once destroyed all civilizations around the Levanant. He carried his culture’s straight sword and shield, along with a helmet. Trailing behind were Unas and Teti, twin brothers who had fought in his brothers army, and were helping safeguard Achenaten during this journey. Unas carried a sling and piercing axe, while Teti carried a spear and a stick that he liked to throw at his enemies before charging in. Beautifully decorated, still it wasn’t Achenaten first choice as a weapon.
The oasis was getting closer now, and could taste the lush forest in the air, so different from the try sand wind. “I understood why my brother asked to be buried here it is so-Who is that?!?!?” Achenaten suddenly saw a dark tan stranger lying on the stones of his brother’s tomb. Angry at this apparent desecration, he fired off a warning shot, deliberately missing him by 5 feet. The stranger was visibly unnerved and ran off into the forest. Achenaten couldn’t shake off the feeling that the native wasn’t alone and he warned his fellow travelers. ____________________________________________________________________________________
15 minutes later:
Jaguar Paw had finished applying his war paint. The strangers had attacked, fired at one of his men, and now they will pay. Looking around him, he saw that his men were ready. Making sure that a trap had been laid at their camp to prevent anyone else from taking it, he led his men onward to fight the invaders.
20 minutes later:
Achenaten was waiting outside the jungle, in the desert. He was reluctant to go into the forest, as the chariot couldn’t be maneuvered at all in the jungle. The men were ready in battle formation, behind the chariot. The noble was getting restless when, five strange men in colorful garments came out of the forest. These men had some sort of mud on their face and looked dressed for war, all with shields. Achenaten didn’t really want to engage in battle here, on top of his brother’s grave, and yelled out his intentions to the strangers. Their response: a spear thrown at an insanely long range at him, barely missing him and Henenu. The Egyptian noble ordered his men to advance and for his driver to charge. The game was on.
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Kucumatz unfortunately missed the golden enemy (remember scales are gold). He reloaded as the strange beasts that the enemy had with them thundered toward him. Jaguar Paw was about to order a second strike when he suddenly felt a huge “thud” against his chest followed by a sharp pain. He crumpled to his knees as Naum rushed to help him up. There was a foot and a half piece of wood sticking out of his chest, and as he pulled it out he saw that only the tip had gotten through his armor, only a small flesh wound in his chest as a result. He pulled it out as another arrow flew by, hitting the shield of Hunab Ku, thankfully not piercing it. Brushing off Naum, the elite warrior got up on his own as yet another arrow sped past him, barely missing Chaob. “Does the barrage ever end ?“, Jaguar Paw wondered, “He’s expended so much that-“once again his though was interrupted, this time by a stone hitting his chest full on, knocking him on his ass. The blow sucked all the air out of him, but once again the cotton armor had done its job, absorbing most of the impact. Jaguar Paw lay gasping for breath on the floor, as predictably another arrow tore past, this time hitting Chaob’s shield. Naum again rushed to help him up, and this time Jaguar Paw let him. The chariot was now within 50 feet, and the Mayans braced for combat. But then the chariot turned, seemingly running away. Naum in anger bellowed “These strangers are nothing but cowards, unworthy of being sacrificed to even the lowliest of gods,” turning back to his lord he said “if we stay out here we will just get-‘Nuam was interrupted by an arrow piercing the back of his head. The Mayan was dead before he hit the ground.
Mayan Late Classical Warriors: 4
Egyptian New Kingdom soldiers: 5
Achenaten was overjoyed that that shot was a hit. Evidently the strangers had never dealt with Egyptian chariot hit and run tactics before. He guessed they wouldn’t make the same mistake again. Looking at the ground portion of his squad he observed that they were marching steadily closer, even Unas who every couple of yards would pelt them with rocks thrown from his sling. It seemed that either the enemy didn’t have a long range, or he hasn’t had time to use it thanks to being under constant fire. Having Henenu turn the chariot back around, he prepped his bow to keep up the fire.
Jaguar Paw had a plan to extinguish that annoying deer driven cart. Having Kucumatz stay hidden behind a rock, he and the rest of his men took up defensive formations. One arrow flew straight past his head.
“Way to far, let them get closer” he said aloud to his warriors.
A second arrow hit his shield and soon a third arrow flew at his jaguar pelt covered head, which he narrowly dodged. Showing that the infantry of the enemy were not idle during this one sided exchange a rock soon flew right between the legs of Hunab Ku, causing the trained infantry man to yelp in fear. A fourth arrow hit his shield at the same time, causing the Mayans to think that the enemies were directing their fire specifically at him (possibly because he was also the largest of the group).
“Almost there” the elite warrior stated.
The enemy archer adapting to their upper body defense and shield placements, shot his fifth arrow at the knees of Hunab Ku, hitting him successfully just below that in the calf. As Hunab fell to the floor, dropping his shield and trying to remove the arrow from his now bleeding leg. “It’s now or never Kucumatz!” Jaguar Paw yelled, and Kucumatz jumped out of his hiding place., Atlatl in hand. The enemy archer was too busy drawing to finish off the downed Mayan to notice, and the driver was too focused on his duty to look, but the ground contingent did. They yelled a warning just as Kucumatz pulled his arm back and asked the gods to guide his strike, and at that same moment the driver began to turn right. He threw just as the golden man looked up eyes wide in horror.
Yet here fate, or perhaps the king god of the Egyptians Horus himself, intervened. If Henenu had delayed turning by a single second, if Achenaten had not been standing to the right of the driver, if the Mayan had thrown a moment earlier, then Mesoamerican dart would have found-and ran through- Egyptian scale, and this battle would have needed a new character to follow. Yet by the strange circumstances of war the dart found not noble blood, but servant blood, going straight through Henenu’s leather banded chest.
Achenaten struggled to hold both the reins and his wheezing servant to prevent him from falling off. Realizing that it was a losing battle, the noble prince kicked his spear, bow and Khopesh off the chariot, and jumped off with Henenu in hand. Resting him down for a sec he quickly gathered his spear and Khopesh up, and noticed with sadness that his prized bow was damaged from the impact on the ground, and it would be long before he could repair it. Remembering who he was with, Achenaten rushed back to his servant, whose last hour was clearly almost up. The noble tried to think of how he could pull out the dart without making things worse, but the old man dismissed it, he had seen enough battles under his dad and granddad to know that a javelin wound like this was fatal. He tried to tell the boy once last thing but alas his old chest could no longer deal with the strain and finally gave out. Having been alongside his brother when he died, Achenaten knew that his most loyal servant had passed, and closed his eyes. Now the chariot driver would serve his family forever in the kingdom of Osiris.
Mayan Late Classical Warriors: 4
Egyptian New Kingdom soldiers: 4
The enemy infantry was charging and no longer bothered to fire their projectiles. Kucumatz, disappointed at not killing, had time to fire a one more dart at his enemy, going straight through the wooden shield and piercing deep into the arm of the one with metal on his head. That man yelled in pain, and Chaob stepped forward with his blowgun, aiming to finish him off. He fired- but the man beside him moved his shield to cover the metal head enemy, successfully stopping the dart. The strangers had amazingly never ceased running during this exchange, as if they had done this before.
“Now it is time for the melee part of this fight,” Jaguar Paw commanded of his men and they quickly switched over to their primary weapons and shields. “3 on 3 is about fair,” Jaguar Paw thought, seeing as Hunab Ku was still on the ground tenderly removing the serrated arrow and the golden scaled enemy was nowhere to be seen. The metal headed opponent moved to engage him, Jaguar Paw, as the axe man moved to engage Kucumatz, leaving Chaob to fight the spear wielder.
Before he could engage him in combat however, the spear wielder threw a club at him, which bounced off the shield that the Mayan only just managed to put up in time. His foe however took advantage of this by sweeping Chaob off his feet with his spear. Jaguar Paw wished he could have helped, but it was against both tradition of 1v1 combat and he now had his own enemy to worry about. …
His adversary crashed into him, almost sending him to the ground again; luckily Jaguar Paw had prepared and pushed back against his weakened shield arm. Suddenly he saw a glint of bronze at his side; the man was getting ready to stab. Jaguar Paw pushed him back, and realizing that he couldn’t use his giant obsidian club well with his shield he threw it to the floor; after all he didn’t plan on letting the enemy hit him anyway. His opponent stabbed forward aiming right for the Mayans gut, but the more agile Mayan sidestepped and delivered a resounding blow on the Sherden’s shield arm with the obsidian sword. Due to the dart going far into it this was now the Sherdens weak spot.
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Meanwhile Chaob had managed to block what would have been a finishing blow by Teti. Now Teti was engaged in a stalemate with the Mayan, neither being able to get in a decisive blow without putting themselves at great risk. His twin was engaged in a similar battle with the spear carrying Kucumatz, who was determined not to let Unas get in range to attempt an overhand axe swing, and was trying to keep him back with a spear. This was harder to do thanks to the Egyptians vastly superior tower shield.
Meanwhile….
Achenaten was running, spear and Khopesh in his hand, to the battlefield. It was about 80 yards, not far for a champion distance runner, but this battle was progressing fast and he just hoped he could get there in time to save his loyal soldiers.
Pound! Pound! Pound!
Jaguar Paw mercilessly kept on hitting his adversaries shield arm, not letting him get one ounce of rest. The man was barely holding on, and tried one last ditch effort. Just as Jaguar Paw raised his arms in a final strike, the Sherden thrust forward, glancing him on his side. Jaguar Paw now enraged in pain, brought his massive club down on a new target, his opponents outstretched arm. The obsidian showed its unnatural cutting power, severing it from the body. The stranger roared in pain-but Jaguar Paw was not yet finished. He forcibly pulled the shield away from the man’s weakened remaining arm, and launched one last downward slice at the enemy’s shoulder. It went in many inches deep before getting stuck. Needing the weapon in case another opponent came to fight him (the golden warrior maybe?); he began pulling at his club. Still stuck the Mayan then used his leg to kick him away while simultaneously still pulling. The club came out as the opponent fell backwards to the floor. Jaguar Paw examined it, and while some of the obsidian had been chipped, it was defiantly still usable. He turned to see how his comrades were doing as the light left the Sherden’s eyes…
Mayan Late Classical Warriors: 4
Egyptian New Kingdom soldiers: 3
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It was too late for Shikala, Achenaten could see that now. Still he had almost reached the battle and it wasn’t too late for the others.
Kucumatz was winning, Jaguar Paw noted. He now had his enemy in a precarious position, and was keeping constant pressure on him with his longer spear. Behind him Hunab Ku finally stirred having finally taken out the arrow, albeit at great pain. “With the gods behind us, we will when this battle, even now the enemy falters” Jaguar Paw gleefully thought as he watched Kucumatz knock the Egyptians shield to the side with his spear. The next scene happened almost superhumanly fast. Kucumatz brought his arm forward for a final blow as Jaguar Paw briefly noted a golden glare, then Kucumatz stopped his assault, shocked and in unbelievable pain. A bronze spear tip poked out of one side of his chest, the shaft coming out the other. The warrior who had carried the spear, the same golden warrior who caused them so much trouble as an archer, threw his impaled enemy to the ground and turned to them with a sickle looking sword. Angered at this intrusion on a single combat battle, Jaguar Paw and Hunab Ku moved to intercept him, but the young stranger was having none of it. He turned to engage Chaob who was already fighting someone and it was that moment Jaguar Paw realized that if your enemy was willing to change the rules of combat, then you must do so as well. The elite warrior ordered a retreat to the jungle, reluctantly leaving Kucumatz’s corpse lying on the sand.
Mayan Late Classical Warriors: 3
Egyptian New Kingdom soldiers: 3
The brightly colored savages were in full retreat, Achenaten noted. His men pressed on, but the noble doubled back and closed the eyes of the Sherden, and picking up that man’s sword. “It will be helpful once we catch up to them,” he thought.
He then ran to catch up to his men, who seemed to have caught one of the tomb raiders (“what else would they be doing around my brother’s tomb”).
Hunab Ku knew that with his mangled leg he would never be able to outrun the intruders. So he chose to stay and fight to give Chaob enough time to pull off his plan. Twirling himself around the thrust his spear into the direction of the oncoming enemy, who managed to stop in time. That man thrust his own spear forward, which Hunab blocked with his shield. Dropping his spear quickly and bringing out his axe, he quickly chopped at the wooden part of the stuck spear, separating tip from staff. Advancing on the now disarmed Egyptian he prepared to grab his shield and reach over with his axe for a fatal blow to the head when the man’s twin moved up to slam him back with his own shield. As the now disarmed spearmen struggled to find a suitable weapon, the two opposing axmen battled it out, both trying and failing to land blows, neither risking letting their guard down for a reckless maneuver. To the side, Hunab saw a far off glint and knew that the Golden One was coming. Knowing he had to end this fight soon or else risk being two teamed the Mayan then reluctantly committed one last desperate . Taking a step back he threw the axe at the enemy, predictably hitting his shield and stunning him for a second. Quick as the wind, the Mayan ducked to the floor, picking up his spear that he dropped earlier, then committing the same move he had watched the enemy spearman to he swept the Egyptian’s leg out from under him. Grinning in his success he prepared to finish the fight. He lifted the spear up in the air to execute his opponent, only for a large stick to hit him in the chest, staggering him back and no doubt breaking many ribs. He wheeled around to deal with this new threat, momentarily forgetting about his aborted conquest. This would prove to be a mistake, as the opportunistic Egyptian swung his axe into the Mayans side, causing him to roar in pain. His twin who had thrown the stick ran up to him, and disarmed his spear using techniques taught to him in army training. Then he wrestled the still shocked Mesoamerican down to the ground. Taking out the axe in the Mans side he swung the axe a second time at the Mayans now exposed back, sinking in deep. Pulling it out the now victorious Egyptian and his brother left to pursue the Mayans in the forest, giving his brother the axe back and taking the Mayan spear, leaving Hunab Ku to bleed out on the sand. “Well at least I slowed them down” he thought as he lay their bleeding out, “Now Chaob will have enough time to unleash the anger of insect spirits on those dishonorable men”. Suddenly he felt his head wrenched back and a small curved blade was positioned across it. The blade was then slid across his neck opening up his jugular. The man, whose golden form could be seen in the reflection of the Mayan’s own spewing blood, callously left his opponent to bleed out on sand, seeking his fellows. Little did he know that there was already little to seek….
Mayan Late Classical Warrior: 2
Egyptian New Kingdom soldiers: 3
Chaob had run off to cover himself in mud, leaving the Mayan warrior chief to hold them off till he came back. They had just run a couple hundred yards into the forest before stopping. He mentally prepared himself, praying to the gods for guidance. Hearing Hunab Ku’s scream he wondered if they were even listening, this day had not gone well for the Mayans. The now mud covered Chaob signaled from the right hidden, he carried a big leaf, which the war chief could see, had a huge hive of hornets in it.
Now all they had to do was wait….not long it turned out.
The twin warriors bounded into view within mere moments. One carried a bloody axe and the other a stolen spear, Hunab’s spear. “So he’s dead then “Jaguar Paw somberly reflected, “Now it’s time for them to regret being born”. They were now close enough, as they charged to the elite Mayan, the man gave forth a long wolf whistle and Chaob threw it….landing right on top of the twins causing them to stumble to the ground. The angry insect poured out, attacking the humans in a manner that only the most sociopathic or deranged humans could. Not part of the body was spared, eyes, ears, lips, testicles, stomach, legs, arms- the hornets attacked wherever and whenever they could incessantly. They were running and flailing about as if they were having fits, trying desperately to rid their bodies of the insect. In this fit of desperation they paid no heed to their enemies, and due to this Chaob had perfect shots with his blowgun, and easily made them since he had a lifetime of hunting behind them. First the axe carrying one got two darts in the neck, and then the spear one got three in the chest, one in his neck. It was easy and merciful as it allowed the unfortunate fellows to escape the insect swarm, and go to a land where hopefully there would be no insect.
Mayan Late Classical Warrior: 2
Egyptian New Kingdom soldiers: 1
Achenaten saw with horror the deaths of his two companions, just as the enemy saw him. He didn’t know what to do; he couldn’t get to the enemy while they could shoot at him through the bee swarm, when suddenly he had incredibly idea, he may not have a workable long range weapon, but the enemy doesn’t know that! He made to string his broken bow and then once finished he pointed the arrow at the enemy, who just as he planned ran away! “Apparently they are quite ignorant on the subject of bows,” he thought as he followed them on.
Jaguar Paw and Chaob ran back to the camp, so that they can get their spare Atlatl and engage that archer in honest long range combat. From where they were at they would just get torn up by him and his strange weapon (which they knew of from some southern tribes using it, but didn’t know much about how they worked or anything).
Jaguar Paw could tell that he was being followed, but remembered that they had a surprise back at their camp, so he gleefully allowed him to follow. So intent was he on this thought that he forgot that it was beginning to rain. Normally this wouldn’t have matter but this small change in the weather would change the outcome of this skirmish….
Achenaten had reached the enemy camp. The enemies however were no wear to be seen. The Egyptian pulled out his throwing club, picked up from where he slit the largest Mayans throat, and waited, ready to throw it at the first savage to enter hi line of sight. Suddenly a large vase of some sorts exploded at his feet. He was confused at first until he heard a familiar buzzing and stinging on his legs. “Set himself could not think of a more heinous weapon”, he almost said aloud, and began running as far as he could from the bees. A spear sailed by his back as he did so. Then as the noble was running he saw him, the man who was throwing the hornets, the one who already had another vase above his head. Almost by reflex and with support of adrenaline he threw the club while running. It must have been divine guided as it hit the vase above its head, spilling its contents on the man below. …
Under normal circumstances the bees would have not attacked the mud covered man. The problem was that at the heat of battle he forgot that he was no longer mud covered. The rain had washed it away. So when the angry hornets spilled onto his head, they automatically began attacking his face. Eyes, Ears, nose, mouth, neck even the inside of his nose and ears were under merciless attack. He couldn’t see where to go to jump into water, hell he doubted he would see again at all after this. In pain, in desperation to get the bees off and in a state of depression following the realization that he would be blind the rest of his life, he did the only option he had left, he slit his throat with his own paddle club. Thus ended the life of one of the greatest Mayan hunters.
Mayan Late Classical Warrior: 1
Egyptian New Kingdom soldiers: 1
Jaguar Paw watched the death of his last remaining warrior with horror, and then rising anger. It was the foreigner who had done this, the foreigner who had attacked them and started all this fighting. Enraged he charged at the man, aiming to disembowel him. Noticing his state of inattention, he was obviously happy at finally escaping the hornets; he launched a strike at the golden man’s head with his obsidian sword.
The first strike stunned him, rocking his dome and leaving him open to a second strike, which the Mayan obliged, aiming for his stomach. That strike hit his scale armor, breaking the obsidian off and causing the Egyptian to stumble back, but failing to pierce. He tried a third blow, but Achenaten was now prepared and blocked the blade with his Sherden sword in his right hand. Remembering Tahtib stick fighting games, he then took advantage of his opponent’s situation, aiming a blow with Khopesh in his other hand at the man’s head. The man pushed him before he could do that, and dropped the club and took out a knife. Again the Tahtib training helped him here, as he was able to remain upright and not fall from the footwork he learned in those sessions. The Mayan strolled forward and with his all strength stabbed underneath the scales, upwards. Achenaten hissed in pain, the blade went deep, but not deep enough. The Egyptian head butted with his helmet, sending him back then stabbed the Sherden sword forward, impaling him on it. The blade went all the way through his chest, but he wasn’t finished. Knocking out his opponent’s knees , he grasped his khopesh in both hands, and swung horizontally. Dropping his Khopesh on the ground, Achenaten left this grizzly scene to pay respects to his brother, and to bury his old friend. Moments later the Mayans head rolled next to the Khopesh.
Egyptian New kingdom soldier wins!
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Category: | Egyptian: | Mayan: |
Long Range 1: | 8.5 | 8 |
Long Range 2: | 6 | 8 |
Mid range: | 8 | 7.5 |
Rare or Bonus: | 9 | 8 |
Close Range 1: | 8 | 8.5 |
Close range 2: | 9 | 7 |
Extremely Close Range: | 4 | 4 |
Animal: | 10 | 10 |
Armor: | 18 | 13 |
Tactics: | 15 | 14 |
Martial Arts: | 5 | 1 |
Results: | 100.5 | 89 |
I believe that this result shows that the more proffessional, better equipped warriors will more likely win against those warriors that rely on levy milita and disorganized tactics . Hit and run GREATLY improved archer kills, and the Khopesh and Sherden swords dominated their perspective ranges, due in part to the superior martial training of the Egyptians(both state sponsored and competition events).
If we were going by deadliest warrior standard I believe it would be something like
Category | Egyptian | Mayan |
Long Range 1: | Composite Bow: 231 | Atlatl: 145 |
Long Range 2: | Throwing Stick: 15 Sling: 34 | Blowgun: 58 |
Mid Range: | Egyptian spear: 105 | Obsidian: 87 |
Rare: | Sherden sword: 54 | Obsidian sword: 39 |
Close range 1: | Piercing axe: 34 | Mayan: 38 |
Close Range 2: | Khopesh: 60 | Paddle club: 33 |
Extremely close range: | Curved Dagger: 12 | Etznab: 18 |
Animal: | Chariot: 7 | Angry Hornets: 30 |
Results: | 552 | 448 |
Egyptians:
Due to the hit and run tactics, archery bonus from war sports, ability to fire 10 shots per minute and overall speed and piecing power of the bow it got a whopping 242 kills.
Throwing stick busted 15 heads. Mainly served as a distracting and maiming tool.
Rocks hurled from slings got 23 kills, most of those came from neck and head shots. Again mainly a maiming tool.
The Egyptian spear ability to be used from chariot and reach got it 105 kills.
The Sherden stabbing sword got 54 kills, due in part to its one handed stabbing ability.
The piercing axe wasn’t that great and the swords were clearly preferred, but it still got 34 kills.
Egyptians signature multipurpose Khopesh got it 60 kills as it was the most favored close range weapon of the Egyptians.
Curved dagger got 12 mostly sneak attack or finishing kills. To close range to be extremely effective.
Chariot horse directly trampled 7 people.
Armor lowered many of the Mayan blowgun kills, and helped reduce the effectiveness of obsidian weaponry.
Shields reduced the effectiveness of almost all Mayan weaponry
Chariot enabled many arrows to be launched in quick succession, and could be used to lance some enemies.
Martial Arts and Tahtib directly impacted close range skill, and war sports helped archery and close range a lot.
Training helped the Egyptians a lot obviously
Tactics(hit and run) helped arrow kills A lot!
Mayan :
Atlatl’s penetrative power got it 145 kills.
The blowgun got 58 kills, the Egyptian shield and armor proving good stoppers. Often used in conjunction with bees.
Obsidian spear was a great at reach, getting 87 kills.
The two handed obsidian sword sacrificed protection for power and as such got 39 kills
Mayan axe’s limb hacking abilities got it 38 kills, when it could be used to limb hack.
Paddle club wasn’t all that good due to its short range and got only 33 kills.
Etznab emergency knife got 18 kills, and was often slid underneath scale armor.
Hornets stung 30 people to death. Yes mass hornets can kill even if you’re not allergic. Also assisted in blowgun and atlatl kills.
Armor Helped reduce sling and bow kills, obviously not by enough though.
Shields likewise helped reduce but there were simply so many arrows…
Martial Arts hunting gave the blowgun some more kills.
Tactics were a mixed bag of help.
Next time we have a battle of wills. As the greatest general that Rome ever produced takes on the l general from China, the man "born out of chaos" Cao Cao. This battle will be without a doubt the most detailed yet, see next post for further details.
You sure are a fan!
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