Azande Warrior Profile

Azande Warrior Bio:

The Azande are an ethnic group in central Africa, primarily in what is now South Sudan, the DR of the Congo, and the Central African Republic. The word Azande means 'the people who possess much land' in their native language, which they call Pazande. Azande warriors often grow up hunting, although they have little formal military training, coming off of the tribal nature of the Zandes. This is crucial; the Azandes have hunting experience but no formal training. The Azande are a mix of agricultural and hunting; they mostly grow maize, rice, peanuts, sesame, cassava and sweet potatoes. They are warriors though; they are well known for raiding other tribes to gain resources. To give them a factor of psychological warfare, they would file their teeth and act like cannibals to scare the enemy. They also chant 'nyam-nyam', a phrase meaning 'great eaters'. Azande religion is a mix of Christianity and animism; they also follow the ideas of witchcraft and magic.


Long Range:
Botto & Pima

Pima on the left, Botto on right.

 The Botto is a bow. The Pima is an arrow. Together they formed the backbone of Azande long-range warfare. The Botto was made from polished 'yellowish' wood that was attached to a string made of tightly wrapped sinew. The bow is about 4 feet long, and a straight bow with no significant recurves. This limits the bows power; but the true strength lies with the arrows, not the bow. First of all, the Pima was made from cane shafts and around 2 feet long. They had iron arrowheads, against the obsidian used by Aztecs. However, the arrows were poisoned with Benge, a red powder made from a type of forest creeper. Benge contains strychnine, a lethal poison used today as a pesticide. The poison is lethal; about ten to twenty minutes after injection, the victim starts having spasms in the head and neck. Soon, the spasms spread to the rest of the body and death comes by asphyxiation from msucles needed to breath or get the breath to the brain. Oddly, the death will not be a quick one. Death usually comes in around 2-3 hours. The Aztecs may have already won the fight, but if you get hit with this thing and it hits you are a dead man.

Mid Range:
Makrigga

Makrigga.

This is a pretty special spear. A seven foot iron spear makes your fight already hard, but there is a twist. The spear is barbed; if you get stuck with it the hooks on it will catch your flesh and hook on. If you take the spear out, it will also pull out any organs, muscle, or flesh that it attaches to. That's nasty. Plus, the spear is a whopping 7 feet long which pretty much kills your chances of charging against it. It was also used in a sort of Phalanx formation, with shields covering you and the spear killing your enemies. It would be excruciatingly painful to pull out; that's why the Azande's were so feared. This weapon also was the one that killed the Aztec on the show. In all of it's gut-pulling glory.

If you got impaled with this and someone pulled it out...

Close Range:
Makraka

Makraka.

This is a sickle weapon. It is made of iron on the blade, with a wooden grip covered in hide. It curves along the middle, that catches your head and takes it off. Really, it is designed to cut off limbs and heads. However, the use of this in this exclusive purpose makes it more of a sacrificial weapon; but it was indeed used as a secondary weapon in combat. It's 2 feet long; which is better than the Cuauholilli. It is only sharpened on the inside; no chest shots unless you get it a complex stab with the heavier tip. Also, that same tip weights the blade so it has a third help to cut off limbs and your head. It also bears a resemblance to a certain...body part...

Yes, that was completely intended in the design. The Azande's prized their weapons as part of their manhood and symbolized that on their weapons. 

Special Weapon:

The Kpinga.

Kpinga
What? You thought I would leave out this, of anything? This is, also with the Makrigga, the iconic Azande weapon. This is a large thorwing knife; and it had 3 blades. If you dodged one, you had another 2 hitting you. The handle was mad eout of plant fiber, but could still kill you. The weapon could be thrown overhand to really kill the back or sideways to incapacitate. It was 21 inches long and weighed 3.5 pounds. It was regarded as pretty important in Azande culture; Kpingas were part of marriage prices given to men. Those are basically, I give you stuff and you marry my daughter. It also bears a resemblance to a... body part...

Zande armor.

Again, intended in the design. 

Body Armor:
Oh...So close. The Azande warriors have no body armor. They have a large loinclth, a nice pair of sandals, and a ceremonial headdress. Not exactly battle armor; they will get points for freedom of the senses, but that's it. Except the headdress; that looks like some form of a helmet. Then again, it is a ceremonial headdress for god's sake. This is the Azande's weak point.

Shields:
Ah. Here we go.

The Zande shield, the Kube.

The Azande shield is a wicker shield. It is called the Kube, as that is the shield of the warriors, not the dignitaries. It is highly decorated, to the point that people are distinguished by the wickerwork on their shield. The shield also served as a dispenser, as it held 4 Kpinga in an iron disk in the center of the shield. The shield is mostly used to cover the body, because it is too light to serve as adequate protection for heavy weapons; the wicker will block javelins and swords just fine. It is a nice source of defense, and 

Variables:
Mobility: Azande weapons are rather light, and they are not hindered by armor. However, they are somewhat limited by the Kube. They will be about as fast as the Aztec.

Loyalty: Not as good. While tribesmen are naturally loyal, people can rebel against a lack of central government. It won't happen often though; the situation does not really assist disloyalty. Also. they are bound by religion in the case of some instancesChristianity, so that helps.

Experience: Not bad here. From a lifetime of hunting to a adulthood of warfare they Azande are very experienced. The only thing limiting them is a lack of experience against military professionals.

Training: This is crucial; the Azandes have extremely little formal training. They could be taught by an elder or parent, but they are not organized and therefore have no system of official training. If nothing else, this will hurt them.

Tactics: Most of the time, Azande warriors fought in a way of throwing the knife, and then charging with the spear and shield. It worked; but it's not very adaptable. The two are rather even, but the Aztecs have a big advantage of training.

Psycological Warfare: Azande's are masters of this. First, they sharpened their teeth to look like cannibals. Second, they yelled a battle-cry that scared their opponent, although it is lost on the language barrier. Third, they, when out of formation just charged their opponent head on. This will scare them.

Aztec Jaguar Knight Profile

The greatest extenct of the Aztec Empire. Will the Aztec's greatest warrior beat the tribesman of Africa?

Aztec Jaguar Knight Profile:

Aztec Jaguar. Picture is not mine.

The Aztec Empire was not really an empire. It was more of a confederation; it is officially the Aztec Triple Alliance of the cities of Texcoco, Tlacopan, and Tenochtitlan. It spread to an 'empire' status through conquest of Mesoamerican peoples. These were spearheaded by the elite warrior societies; the Eagles and the Jaguars. Both worshiped specific Aztec gods, (the Jaguars themselves worshipped Tezcatlpoca, the god of the night sky) both were built towards skilled noblemen (although they were more skill based than people of noble birth) and they were the most feared Aztec warriors to both Mesoamerican peoples and the feared Spanish Conquistadors. Children naturally learned about warfare and weapons by the sheer fact that warfare was all around them and then they attended military schools. Nobles started military school between the ages of 6 and 13. It was not brutal military training like Spartans, (they learned about other aspects of life, like poetry and astronomy) but it was hard. They were given rigorious duties that were meant to bully the students into becoming mentally and physically strong. Punishments were severe, and outright disobedience was punished by death. They were taught how to live in the Aztec society, but nobles destined to become warriors were taught how to become warriors. Further training was given in the military societies; the Eagles and Jaguars. While commoners formed the backbone of the Aztec army, the nobles would go into battle with the best equipment and under the best and most costly warriors. This later tutelage and care received on the battlefield allowed them to quickly progress through the ranks of the Aztec military. The best of the best became part of the Aztec military societies; the Eagles and Jaguars.


Long Range:
Atlatl & Tlecochtli

A dude throwing an atlatl. Picture is not mine.

The atlatl was a spear thrower. It added force and accuracy to the javelin, making it the primary long range weapon of the Aztecs. The atlatl was a stick with a hook or socket in it to propell the javelin much farther than by hand. It 'flips' the dart, so it it not hindered by human motion of releasing. While it may seem in accurate, darts thrown with atlatls are accurate. What it really give is power; the dart would probably not penetrate plate armor, it would indeed penetrate light chain mail, leather, or padded cotton. This made a shot from it pretty much lethal in their time no matter what you were wearing. Range is alright; one has a maximum range of 45 meters, while a 10 cm accuracy can be acheived at 37 meters! Range is not as good as the bow & arrow or sling, but its power and penetrating capabilities made it the arquebus of the ancient world. This weapon is used by the elite forces, while commeners would use the bow or sling. 




Mid Range:
Tepoztopilli

Tepoztopilli. Picture is not mine.

 The Tepoztolpilli was a spear used in the frontlines. It was really a spear/halbrid hybrid, that was equally useful for cutting and thrusting. It was a stick with an arrowhead shape on the end, but much large than an arrow. It was as long as a man and as thick as two hands by some sources.  Sharp obsidian blades peppered the end of the blade, and glued in by bitumen or plant resin. It was somewhat fragile, but it is not really easy to destory it. You must chop off theblade at a distance where the Jaguar cannot simply use it again; not exactly easy. The weapon is not weak at all; Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castello says that his plate armor was penetrated by an Aztec lance, and only his padding underneth saved his life. Truly a fine lance to work with.

Quahholilli card. Picture is not mine.

Close Range:
Cuauhololli
The Cuauholilli is a club. It is a wooden club with a ball at the end, for crushing only. Sometimes other clubs were use din Aztec warfare, but I will limit it to this, for the sake of convienence. Besides, other clubs are mentioned less freqeutnly than the Cuauholilli, and listing all clubs would just be too time-consuming and not as benefitial to the Aztecs. Balls could be made of wood or stone, although Wikipedia saying that copper was an option is not mentioned in other sources. It had a curved handle and was most useful at the range of around a nunchuck, but oddly sources are limited on the Cuauholilli. It is also spelled the Quauholilli.

Special Weapon:
Macuahuitl 

Macuahuitl. Picture is not mine.

 The most well known Aztec weapon. This weapon was a club of wood 3-4 feet long, and embedded with razor-sharp shards of obsidian. The weapon was extremly effective; it was sharp enough to decapitate a man, and from Bernal Diaz it could decapitate a horse. It cannot in one swing, but it can certainly kill a man by severe neck injuries or bleeding. It was 3 inches across. What makes this weapon so effecetive? The obsidian. Obsidian is a very, very sharp volcanic glass and well sharpened obsidian can be 4x as sharp as high-quality steel. Plus, the blades are lodged in very tight so when the blades meet something they cut the thing and do not shatter. Macuahuitls are very lethal to soft areas like the neck, groin, and limbs. Even if you do not die of bleeding or the wound itself, very small obsidian fragments can be lodged in your body, and that will seriously hinder your game with pieces of obsidian in your arm. Or, it could straight-out cut your arm off.

Chimalli. Picture is not mine.

Shields:
Chimalli
The chimalli is a round shield made from different materials, but most of the time it was wood. Most of the time nobles used the chimalli; it was used to signify rank that the commeners knew who was in charge. Often the shields were decorated fancily, and the designs also signified nobility. I cannot find how big these shields are, but it can be presumed they are around a foot in diameter.

Armor:
Cotton

Aztec Cotton Armor. Picture is not mine.

Now why would a professional warrior, a trained, elite warrior of an elite warrior society, wear cotton armor? Simple. Quilted cotton was the best armor in Aztec times, for a reason. The quilted cotton would be soaked in salty brine water, and let it sit in the sun. The salt would crystallize, forming a serious barrier an inch or two thick that would resist obsidian and atlatl darts, although it would not stop darts. They are too powerful. What is so good about this is the other factors; mobility and weight. Cotton armor would stop mobility as much as a light coat would today. It would allow for almost uninhibited movement, which combined with the armor's strength makes it a formidable piece of equipment.   

Variables:

Mobility: First of all, cotton armor restricts little movement. Second of all, training left them very agile to fight off attackers. Third of all, the forests of the Aztec Empire is a naturally hundering terrain and they were fast; when let loose they will be very fast on their feet.

Tactics: The Aztec strategy was to pepper the enemy with spears, arrows, and stones before chargin right into the opponent. While they will have undoubtaby changed their tactics for a small skirmish, they are trained for a single method of combat. I don't really see the Jaguars getting much in the way of tactics, although training helps with creative thinking.

Loyalty: When one is trained from childhood to fight for the Aztec Empire one becomes very loyal to the Aztec Empire. When Cortes conquered the Aztec Empire, elite warriors were serious problems for the Conquistador, although he had quite a bit of help. But that is a story for another time.

Experience: Aztecs were almost always at war. In the days of the Aztec Empire, warfare was everywhere. Rival tribes or confederations fought the Aztecs without provoction, and Jaguars and Eagles spearheaded this assualt.

Training: Aztec Jaguars were very well trained; after at a minimum 7 and maximum 13 years in military school from childhood, they got tutelage from veterans on the battlefield. Warrior societies gave even more training; Jaguars were professional warriors, a sharp contrast to their Zande opponents. 

Psychological Warfare: The jaguar skin helps, but really the Aztecs aren't that scary, unless you get a priest with a knife. Then you will have fear.