Super Warriors of Fantasy

As I listen to the second book of The Kingkiller Chronicle and read the Wheel of Time at the same time, I realized something.  There are plenty of unstoppable warrior cultures in fantasy novels.  I would imagine these societies draw inspiration from the ancient Spartans and a variety of others in the past.  I am sure that many fantasy fans could think of more examples than I could, but I want to focus on two:  the Aiel and the Adem.

Aiel
Back before the Breaking of the World, the Aiel actually served the Aes Sedai.  They would not raise their hands to defend themselves or harm another person.  They were given secret treasures to guard for the Aes Sedai and as they traveled looking for a land to settle in, they broke into two groups.  The one that ended up becoming the Tinkers actually kept their peaceful ways.  The Aiel decided to defend themselves and eventually settled in a harsh desert land.

The Aiel are known as fierce warriors.  They do not use swords, instead using a spear.  They are usually pretty big.  Women and men are both incredible fighters.  An army of them could not be stopped during the Aiel War.

Adem

The Adem also live in a harsh, very windy land.  They moved to a land that pretty much no one else wanted and decided to train themselves to be great warriors.  It is part of their moral philosophy.  They are divided into schools and teach variations of their philosophy.

In order to pay for the school, graduates leave Ademre and go into the uncivilized world and become mercenaries.  They say they are the equal of four or five normal soldiers.  They use a sword and a hand-to-hand fighting style.

The question is though, who would win in a battle between the two groups?  I imagine that an army full of Adem would be pretty formidable, but since they do not seem to fight in wars this way, they might not be as skilled as the Aiel, who know how to fight together as a large unit.

In a one-on-one fight though, I think the Adem might be superior.  Their sword play would make short work of the Aiel spear.  Both fighters would be quick and strong, but it seems that the Adem rely more on balance and footwork and in my opinion that would lead to a quick victory.

Interesting, both societies make no distinction in men and women as warriors.  The Aiel have the Maidens of the Spear, and the Adem consider women to be better fighters since they are not full of anger.

Actually this question of who would win is probably moot, since the Unsullied would show up and kill them both…

Author: Ngewo

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