Ceithernn

"They mixed their deathful spears: they raised the gleam of their arms."

— James Scott MacPherson, Ossian

Ceithernn: Vital statistics
Unit type	Light Infantry
Trained At	Barracks
Damage and weapon type	High; javelins
Armour	Good
Production cost	Pop Cost: 1 Resource cost: 60; 50 Ramp cost: 2; 2
Range	Melee Low LOS
Unit creation and movement speed	Movement Speed: Fast Creation speed: Fast
Unit HP	High
Technological Requirements/Upgrades	Military Level 1 at Library Upgrade of Hibernians
Available To	Scotland Wales

A tougher version of the Hibernian, Ceithernn are still solid providers of the same role that their Irish forbears provided: a cheaper albeit weaker version of the swordsman, which however has an enhanced anti-archer role, making them capable of standing up to almost anything but the toughest of foes. Ceithernn have the added advantage of being capable of running faster when in friendly territory, so they are ideal for sideline skirmishing. Use Ceithernn to pepper an enemy melee force, or to give his archers reasons to run away. For Scotland and Wales, Ceithernn are a welcome force as they can be used to screen the extremely weak Sciltron Infantry from archer attack, and they are also sufficiently cheap to be used in this manner.

As Ireland slowly fell to the Anglo-Norman colonists who were now increasing their stranglehold over the island, so too did the tactics and the training of the locals change to meet the new challenges posed by the newcomers. By the Hundred Years' War in France, we hear of Irish ceithernn being arrayed in professional bands of men armed with more conventional weapons, and even on horseback.

Unit summary

• Fast-running ranged light infantry, tougher than Hibernians.
• With some armour and good movement speed, Ceithernn are capable of standing up to almost anything but the toughest of foes.
• The best use for Ceithernn is to weaken enemy melee forces or archers, and so are ideal for Scotland and Wales which are highly dependent on the power of the weaker Sciltron Infantry.

CtW information

As with most Celtic nations, the Ceithernn can also be found in the service of various European powers, at home in Ireland and abroad in Continental Europe. However, as an infantry unit dependent on food, the number of units you are most likely to face when attacking would be pretty small. Even so, do not expect a cakewalk: Ceithernn can often be found in the company of more destructive characters such as bowmen and spearmen, and, if the threat is sufficiently large, the Irish may launch guerilla raids using peasant levy and Ceithernn as backup.