Shield wall is a rank of the kingdom's ordinary folk, drilled to lock large shields edge to edge and fight from behind them. Recruiting them costs geld and draws on the kingdom's people, and the Barracks organise the work. Like every drilled soldier, a Shield wall is Plain and carries no affinity.
A Sealborn's wards consume mana, and when mana runs short they drop. The folk remember what happened to Ysme of Lumen, whose wards were starved by her own relic's thirst until Flint D. Rook found them thin. So the folk have a saying: a shield wall is a ward that needs no mana. When the Wellsprings fail, the shields still stand.
What the shields do in battle is shown on the card. Upkeep is paid in geld, and unpaid soldiers desert. A Shield wall can be sent home like any ordinary recruit.
Player-visible facts
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack | 90 |
| Counter attack (defensive strike) | 30 |
| Hit points | 100 |
| Recruitment cost per unit | 38 geld, 0 mana, 1 population |
| Ordinary upkeep per unit per spent turn | 0.8 geld, 0 mana, 0 population |
| Can be dismissed | Yes |
These are base unit values. Battle reports show effective attack and hit points after current effects. Defence uses resistance; no single defence score is exposed.