Germanic Ghost Warrior: Nighttime horrors of northern Europe who relied upon camouflage, stealth, and brute strength rather than battle formations.
(A Ghost Warrior sneaks up on a Roman Legionary and clamps his hand over his mouth, slicing his throat with the seax.)
vs
Hashashin: The fiercely loyal killer noted for his daring daylight assassinations.
(A hashashin disguised as a monk creeps up on his target in a busy marketplace and discreetly stabs him in the back with his poisoned khanjar before disappearing back into the crowd.)
WHO IS DEADLIEST?
To find out, we've assembled a team of world class fighters to test history's most lethal weapons. Using 21stcentury science, we'll see what happens when two warriors go toe to toe.
No rules. No safety. No mercy. It's a duel to the death to decide who is…THE DEADLIEST WARRIOR!
Here in our elite fight club we have gathered doctors, medical scientists and weapons experts to test out the lethal arsenals wielded by each of our combatants to determine who would win a fight between two warriors who never met in a face to face duel:
Germanic Ghost Warrior
Circa: 400 A.D.
Height: 6'
Weight: 180 lbs.
Armor: Chainmail, Oak Shield
Hashashin
Circa: 1080 A.D.
Height: 5' 6"
Weight: 140 lbs.
Armor: None
"Today, we have a battle of two similar opponents. The Germanic Ghost Warrior and Hashashin both relied on hit and run guerilla tactics to get their jobs done. We couldn't have asked for a better match up." Mack began.
"I'm siding with the Ghost warrior." Biomedical engineer Geoff Desmoulin says. "They have the size and the better weapons for the job. They instilled fear into even the most hardened veterans of the Roman empire".
"I'm siding with the Hashashin." Trauma doctor Armand Dorian countered. "They were very sneaky devils and probably were even more sneaky than the ghost warriors were. He'll be able to hit the ghost warrior before he knows what happened."
Coming from the Germanic Harii tribe, the Ghost Warriors would gain fame as they clashed with the forces of the Roman Empire. Specializing in night raiding, they painted themselves and their shields black as a means of rendering themselves nearly invisible in the dark and to keep any metal weapons from catching light. Using said tactics, they were exceptionally effective at raiding Roman encampments and running them out of ancient Germany.
"They were able to strike fear into the hearts of even the most hardened Roman soldiers to the point they would never again venture into the German forests, truly believing ghosts roamed the woods," Mack concluded.
The nocturnal guerrilla warrior comes equipped with an assortment of lethal iron-based weaponry that terrified his Roman oppressors:
Short Range: Migration Period Sword
Mid Range: Framea
Long Range: Francisca Axe
Special: Langseax
Today, the Germanic ghost warrior goes up against an equally feared challenger who also struck fear into the hearts of his enemies.
The hashashins were a Persian order formed around the time of the First Crusade by Grandmaster Hassan-i-Sabbah, dedicated to the systematic elimination of opposing figures.
"Their military tactics were truly revolutionary for their time," Mack started, "They would assert themselves into the town or region of their target and over time stealthily move themselves into a strategic position. They would be trained from an early age in the arts of combat, disguises, horseback riding and the strict code of conduct that was the basis of their order."
Hashashins were fanatically loyal to their leader, carrying out his every order without question. They would become notorious for their daytime assassinations in front of public crowds for intimidation purposes, often going in with no plans of escape, willing to give their lives to eliminate their target.
"These guys were daring enough to go after a king without a single thought of questioning their superior, their threats always taken seriously, going as far as to convince Saladin to pull his forces out of Masyaf with just a threatening note alone. Their reputation was the fiercest of its day and their legacy lives on through the modern term 'assassin.'
The hashashin comes equipped with a light, yet deadly arsenal aimed for intimidating and eliminating their targets:
Short Range: Saif
Mid Range: Sappara
Long Range: Throwing Knives
Special: Khanjar
When things got up close and personal both warriors brought deadly bladed weapons to battle. The hashashin will be up first.
"The saif was the saber of the Muslim world before the rise of the Ottoman Empire," Dave started, "It possessed a shallow curved blade that broadened at the tip to give it more hacking power. It was 33 inches long and just under 2 pounds in weight."
Two ballistic gel torsos were set up which Hashashin expert Ali Ababwa would approach with the saif in hand.
"Alright Ali, we want to see what this can do against an opponent and an armored opponent in ghost warrior armor, so whenever you are ready," Geoff commented setting up his high speed camera.
Ali nodded and got into position.
"Ali, are you ready?"
"Hell yeah," Ali shouted back.
"On 3...2...1, hack 'em up!"
Ali brought the blade down onto the torso's right arm, slicing in until it was only held together by a miniscule strip, before bringing it down on the other arm, slicing deep into it and finally causing the right arm to fall to the floor. Taking a step backwards he again brought the blade down into his target's shoulder before slashing it across the throat and then bringing the blade down to split its skull open.
He then makes his way over to the armored torso and swings at it, only scratching a few links.
"Another brutal display, yet I notice you didn't attempt to stab your opponent," Mack noted.
"The saif was not meant for stabbing due to its machete-like blade," Ali replied.
Dr. Dorian made his way over to assess the damage, "Your first blow nearly severed this man's arm and he would instantly bleed out from that right there. The same can be said of the other arm," he said before addressing the shoulder wound, "Your blow to the shoulder got 6 inches in, enough to lacerate all the blood vessels and the lung, causing another rapid bleed out. You sliced that man's throat open for another instant kill and your last blow completely split the man's crown in half down to the roof of his mouth. 5 blows and 5 instant kills."
"For the armored target, your slash only chipped a few links and probably a fractured rib but nothing much."
"My sword will cut you in two and since you're not wearing armor, you're basically done." Ghost Warrior expert Alfred Wagner said.
Since the Migration Period Sword resembles the Viking Longsword in every aspect, the team reviews the clip from 'Viking vs Roman Centurion' and come to an easy conclusion.
"I have no problem deciding the edge for this one." Geoff started off. "The migration period sword has options and since the saif only slashes, its obvious in the test."
"Agreed, the Hashashin has a huge problem since he has not armor on. Edge migration period sword". Dorian says.
"I'm 110% with you guys, edge migration period sword." Mack concludes.
In short range weapons, the Germanic Ghost Warrior takes the edge with the Migration Period Sword.
Coming up, a fast, curved slasher goes against a nasty spear that spilled gallons of Roman blood.
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The time has now come for both warriors to break out their mid-ranged arsenal. Up first will be the ghost warrior.
"The Framea was an iron Germanic spear that could be used like a traditional thrusting spear, a projectile, or even as a long shafted sword thanks to the Germanic's unique way of using it. It was 6 feet long and weighed 2 pounds," weapons maker Dave Baker explained.
"Rather than straight forward thrusting, Germanic warriors would swing their spears in large circular motions, letting it spin around their head while slowly letting the spear slide further down their hand. It would give them the advantage of catching their enemy off guard by allowing the spear to strike further outward than expected," Alfred explained before demonstrating the technique for the panel.
To show off the Framea's capabilities, Alfred will be attacking a ballistic gel torso. He will be given both a projectile and slashing attack.
Alfred tossed the spear forward and it hits the torso and deeply embedded itself in its chest. He ran over to retrieve the spear and swung it around his head before slamming the sharpened edge into the torso's neck before swinging it around to the other side, decapitating the dummy.
Dr. Dorian made his way over to assess the damage, "Your first shot was into the dead center of the body, where you would hit the aorta for an instant kill. The second strike managed to slice into the target's neck by a few inches, deep enough to sever the carotid artery and jugulars for a quick, messy kill. Your last strike hacked into an already nearly severed neck for a decapitation and another would have been instant kill."
"What do you think?" Geoff asked looking over to Ali.
"He can do all the twirling he wants, my weapon may not be long but it will definitely hook his spear away and after that, I'll take his damn head off."
To counter the framea, the hashashin comes equipped with the sappara.
"The sappara was the Middle Eastern take on the khopesh, except it was made of iron and came with a thinner blade. It was 33 inches long and weighed 2 pounds." Dave explained.
To test the sappara's abilities, the team has set up a torso wearing ghost warrior armor and shield.
"On 3...2...1...go!" Geoff yelled out.
Ali uses the hook to take the shield away, he swings into the chainmail, the curved blade only leaving scratches. He then proceeds to swing at the neck, decapitating the torso.
Dorian walks up to inspect.
Aside from a few scratches, I'm not seeing enough trauma to the afflicted areas underneath other than cutting his head off the doctor concluded.
Both weapons have shown what they're capable of, which gets the edge?
"I admit, I was pulling for the Sappara but I'm more impressed by the framea, it has the length advantage and the hashashin doesn't wear armor." Geoff started.
"I disagree and will go with the Sappara." Mack countered. "Its one simple use that triumphs overly sophisticated methods. Edge Sappara."
The tie breaker fell down to Dorian.
"I'll go with the framea, as we saw, its much greater length will keep the hashashin at bay whereas the Sappara didn't do much against armor, edge framea."
In mid ranged weapons, the ghost warrior takes the edge with the framea.
Coming up, two lethal throwing weapons will go head to head and later, two guerilla fighters will fight to the death to see who is Deadliest!
The time has come for both warriors to attack from afar. Up first will be the Ghost Warrior with the Francisca Axe.
"The Francisca was a universal weapon among the Germanic people during late Roman and early Medieval Europe. It was angled on the head and shaft so that it was guaranteed to hit with the axe's head when thrown. It was just over a foot long and over a pound in weight," Dave explained.
The panel congregates at an outdoor range where Alfred stands before a table lined with axes.
"We want to see what kind of damage your axe can do and we've given you ten of them to test out against five Hashashin" Geoff said motioning to where 5 foam targets had been set up, "They've each been set up 20 yards downrange. Again, you've got 5 tries."
Alfred nodded and picked up an axe, getting into position.
He aims at the first target and tosses his axe, the axe becomes embedded in the face with blood trickling down the neck. Then he takes his second one and chucks it and it finds its way into the torso's arm with a sickening crack. The third axe finds its way into the target's sternum while the fourth slashes into the arm of the fourth target and the last is a headshot.
Dr. Dorian walks over to assess the damage.
"All your shots were great, the first one of course is dead because it lodges deep into his skull and it actually got into the brain partially. The second one is only a crippling injury but he will bleed quite a bit. The third one has a shattered sternum sending bone fragments into his heart for instant death. The fourth one is like the second except you severed the brachial artery, he'll bleed out quickly, and the last is another headshot. All together have three dead and one seriously injured and a delayed kill."
"I like it, but my long range weapon has better concealability and I can carry much more." Ali says walking up.
The Hashashin responds with his throwing knives.
"The throwing knives hashashins used were made from steel and typically 5 to 7 inches long and weighed roughly 4 ounces each," Dave explained, "Another common characteristic would be that the hashashin were trained to throw three knives at the same time."
Ali stood before four block targets positioned 15 feet away from him, six knives laid out on the table before him.
"Alright Ali, we have 4 targets set up for you and want to see just how accurate those knives can be from a distance, also one is wearing armor of the ghost warrior." Geoff spoke.
"You got it," Ali replied scooping up the knives.
Getting into position Ali took his first knife and chucked it straight into the center of the first target before taking aim for the second target and again striking it in the chest. Taking aim at the third target he went a little higher and struck it in the throat. Readying three knives at once he three them simultaneously, striking it in the throat, collarbone and center of the chest penetrating the armor.
"Impressive," Geoff said clapping as Dr. Dorian went over to assess the damage.
"Your first target you struck the man right in the heart for an instant kill," he said before moving over to the second, "Your second target you struck him a little more to the right and will be striking a lung for another quick kill. Your third target you are striking him directly in the windpipe for another instant kill." He then made his way over to check up on the last target, "With this guy you managed to strike him with all three blades at once. Your first knife was again another strike directly to the throat, your second strikes him in the collarbone and breaks the bone in addition to severing the blood vessels for a quick bleed out and your last strikes him in the heart, instant kill. Altogether you have 6 direct hits and 4 kills."
Both sides have shown impressive skill with their throwing projectiles, which gets the edge?
"I was actually going to call this even but I find myself more impressed with the throwing knives." Geoff started off. "Better conceal ability and he can carry more."
"I agree, the axe requires much greater strength to use than the knives which require little energy." Edge throwing knives." Dorian says.
"Agreed, given the hashashin's skill, he can drop the ghost warrior before he knows what hit him, edge throwing knives." Mack concludes.
In long range weapons, the Hashashin takes the edge with the throwing knives.
Coming up, a deadly machete like blade goes up against a poisoned dagger.
XXXX
The time has now come for both warriors to unleash their special weapons upon their adversaries. Up first will be the Hashashin with the khanjar.
"The khanjar was a slightly curved double-edged dagger with two small quillons on each side that could pierce through chainmail like it was nothing," Dave explained, "It was common for hashashins to have their blade dipped in poison so that even if you did manage to escape, you would still die. Their type of blade was 19 inches long and weighed over 1 ½ pounds."
Ali stood with the khanjar in hand before an armored ballistic gel torso.
"Alright Ali, we want to see a stab and a slash from this blade," Geoff said.
Ali nodded and got into position.
Creeping up behind the target he jumped it from behind planting his blade into the side of its neck, a geyser of stage blood gushing from the wound before pulling it out and slicimg the into the back but only scratching the mail before walking off.
"Your stab severed this man's jugular and actually hit the spine, that is a kill," Dr. Dorian said before moving to check the back. "The slash did nothing, only scratching a few links, unless you stab into the armor, your poison will help you."
The Ghost Warrior answers the challenge with the langseax.
"The langseax was similar to the modern day machete, only with a straight blade opposite of a curving back to give it a sharp point. It was 24 inches long and weighed 2 pounds," Dave explained.
To test the amount of damage the langseax can inflict, a ballistic gel torso has been set up and Alfred will be given 15 seconds to inflict as much damage possible.
"Alfred, are you ready?" Geoff called out.
"Yeah!" Alfred called back standing with his langseax at the ready.
"On 3...2...1, attack!"
Alfred launched himself forward stabbing into the target's stomach and going all the way through. He pulled it out and then stabbed into the chest, the blade stopping at the shoulder blade. He pulled out again and brought it down onto the dummy's collarbone. Still not finished, he brings the blade down and cuts diagonally into the skull making its way down to the left eye. Drawing back for one final strike he strikes the target in the neck, cutting all the way into the spine before Geoff calls out "Time!"
Dr. Dorian made his way over for the final assessment, "Your first strike is cutting all the way through to the kidney; a very nasty kill at its finest. Your second strike manages to hit the heart and left lung in one blow for another instant kill. Next you cut his collarbone in two for a rapid bleed out and another kill. After that you delivered a shot to the skull that generated over 300 psi for an instant skull fracture, followed by cutting into his brain and that was followed by a near decapitation, both are instant kills."
After a display of both weapons, which one gets the edge?
"I think this goes to the langseax." Geoff starts. "Superior reach and once again, the hashashin is unarmored."
"Agreed, even with the added poison on the khanjar, the hashashin needs to get past all the ghost warrior's weapons and especially the framea. Edge langseax." Dorian says.
"I'm with you guys, its greater length and superior killing ability gains the edge over the khanjar's two in one punch with the poison. Edge langseax." Mack concludes.
Coming up, our panelists gauge the warriors' X-factors and then for the first time ever, two titans of guerrilla warfare clash on the battlefield for the right to be called 'The Deadliest Warrior.'
XXXXXX
And now Mack will gauge the x-factors of each warrior.
"First up, we will do training as usual. Both were trained at a young age to become warriors, but we gave it to the hashashin because of the greater emphasis in his training in the arts of combat and disguises. He gets an 88 to the ghost warrior's 84."
"Secondly is physicality. The Germanic is a huge guy who were believed to have great strength, he scored an 89 to the hashashin's 77."
"Next is ferocity. The Hashashin takes it barely because of how he would give his life to kill his intended target. He gets an 89 to the ghost warrior's 88.
"Up next is killer instinct. Both utilized guerilla warfare so well and fought more powerful enemies. Both men are given a 97 each."
"Lastly is intimidation The Germanic fought in the darkness painted all black and the hashashin even convinced Saladin to withdraw his forces with a single note alone. Both are given a 94."
Our scientists and weapons experts are done testing the results and the time has come to decide who will be the victor. To ensure the battle won't be decided by a single lucky blow, the battle will be simulated one thousand times in a duel to the death.
Who will prevail in a battle between two fierce guerrilla warriors?
"In the end, only one will remain standing." Mack says flipping the switch.
XXXX
The battle begins in a forest in Central Germany. A ghost warrior is seen creeping towards a camp where a Roman legionary has set up camp for the night. He is frustrated with the constant presence on Roman soldiers in the area and is glad he came across one to spill his blood.
He is about to sneak up to slit his throat until another legionary walks up behind him.
He is annoyed now that there are two but, to his surprise, the second legionary grabs the first one covering his mouth and slits his throat.
The ghost warrior is mortally confused about why a legionary would turn on his fellow soldier. The second legionary them removes his armor revealing that he isn't a Roman, but a smaller man dressed in clothing the ghost warrior has never seen. It is an Hashashin. The Germanic warrior, angered at this strange man taking his kill, takes a francisca axe, aims and lobs it at the Arabian.
The Arabian turns just in time to see the axe coming his way and ducks. As soon as he gets back up, another axe flies his way but he effortlessly dodge this one as well. He then retreats into the trees and the ghost warrior silently pursues him. The hashashin runs for a bit before stopping to rest at a tree, he peeks out behind the tree. He scans the area and as he does that, he feels a warm breath bearing down upon and turns around to see a sword being swung at his head. He ducks and takes a good look at his challenger.
A very larger man with messy hair and painted entirely black. The hashashin decides to stand up and fight. He withdraws his saif and swings at the German. The German blocks with his shield and swings his migration sword at the arabian's legs. The hashashin jumps just in time and responds by grabbing the German's sword arm and swinging at his head.
The German leans back to narrowly avoid having the saif slice into his face and shoves the smaller man away. The hashashin then runs off. The German knows that this warrior also does hit and run attacks and walks slowly forward. When suddenly a knife embeds into his side, going through his armor but only cutting skin.
He yanks it out and sees another knife get thrown and blocks with his oak shield. The wind picks up and all he can hear is the branches swaying in the wind. Suddenly, he feels a liquid drop on his scalp and looks up to see the hashashin leaping down onto him. He lifts his shield above his head and the hashashin falls on top, he then throws him away with the shield and the hashashin falls onto his back. The German draws his framea and attempts to stab the hashashin while he is down.
The hashashin rolls aside and draws his Sappara. Both are getting very serious about killing the other and hold their weapons in front of them protectively.
The germanic begins spinning and progressively untightens his grip to create more distance between him and the Arabian warrior. The hashashin suddenly rushes forward and ducks under the framea and with his Sappara, swings at the the German's side and hits his side. The ghost warrior yells at the force of the hit and uses his oak shield to swat the hashashin away.
The hashashin had managed to take the framea away and breaks it with his foot. The Arabian and German eye each other.
The ghost warrior then draws his langseax and yells in his native language at the hashashin. They begin circling each other in hopes of finding an opening in their opponent's defense. The hashashin would strike first with his sappara's hook end and hooks the oak shield. Both grab at each other and begin a fight to push the other down. The germanic's larger size helping him and once again, pushes the Arabian down onto the ground. The hashashun quickly gets up and swings at the Germanic warrior before running off again.
The ghost warrior, knowing he will attempt to strike from above waits, he hears rustling above and rolls over to avoid having his head cut off by the Sappara. The hashashin recovers from the attempt assassination and both eye each other again. Both give a mighty yell and charge each other.
The Germanic has his langseax pointed out and thanks to the weapon being painted black, the hashashin underestimated its length and the langseax stabs him through the chest.
He falls down on one knee and looks up at the Germanic. A maniacal gleam in his eyes and a wicked smile on his face.
He swings his langseax and decapitates the Arabian warrior.
The ghost warrior picks the head up and yells a loud victory roar.
XXXX
Winner: Germanic Ghost Warrior
Germanic Ghost Warrior: 603
Migrating Period Sword: 154
Framea: 249
Francisca Axe: 36
Langseax: 164
Hashashin: 397
Saif: 128
Sappara: 100
Throwing Knife: 37
Khanjar: 132
In a rather lopsided battle, the Germanic ghost warrior prevailed largely thanks to his superior weaponry which were better in handling direct combat, his greater strength and size helped him win in the end.
"The ghost warrior won because even though both were amazing hit and run fighters, the hashashin was better off doing assassinations and his weapons were perfect for it. The ghost warrior however can handle direct combat, plus his weapons are better at direct combat and were superior killing tools." Geoff explained.
(Morning has come and several legionary's have come across the dreaded aftermath of the battle. They see the hashashin's headless corpse and the head nailed to a tree with the Sappara laid underneath it. Even though this was a foreign warrior that was defeated, they do know a ghost warrior was responsible and retreat out of the woods.)
XXXX
Next time on Deadliest Warrior, two famed warriors of the black powder era do battle.
Landsknecht: Brutal butchers of Germany who's ferocity was only matched by their greed.
vs
French Musketeer: The king's ruthless personal guards who defended France's borders.
Who is deadliest?