Germanic Order

Baltic Languages

The **Germanic Order** is a religious order and nation that occupies north Germany, Poland and parts of the Baltics.

## Culture and Language

About 60% of the population in the lands that the Germanic Order holds are Slavs and Baltics. The rest of the 40% is from Germanic descent and moved in with the holy order to help and profit from their operations. The Slavs and Baltics each speak their own language, but the languages themselves are very different from each other because of dialects. The Germanic people speak Old High German and variations of German, their German language has evolved differently because of the influence from the Slavic languages and the distance from the German people. A group of Franks who moved in as a part of an agreement with Francia retain their identity, living in separate villages. A village called Terzidere is the home to a Kabar minority.

## Administration

The 40% of Germans are settled in crucial military outposts and major trading cities that have either been founded by the Germanic Order as a base for their operations or captured from the Slavic and Baltic populations. These cities and outposts are commanded by the knights and grandmasters of the Germanic Order. The Slavs and Baltic population are settled in villages that vary in size. These villages are demanded to pay tribute to the Germanic Order and their knights, if they refuse to pay this tribute of gold and supplies they will be raided and in the worst case razed to the ground.

## Military

The army of the Germanic Order consists of highly professional knights and soldiers that have spent their life raiding and fighting the Slavic tribes. The Order is dependent on its military to survive so it has greatly invested in the army's structure and size. A part of the army consists of mercenary companies that have settled in the area and has become loyal to the grandmasters. This army is very expensive to maintain so the army has to frequently go out on raiding expeditions to pay for themselves and to keep the economy going. The navy on the other hand is almost nonexistent as the Order has no experience nor need of to embark on raiding expeditions. The only official ship in the navy is a captured war galley renamed ”Saint George''. There are however trading and fishing vessels that could be drafted in times of war though their effectiveness  in battle is questionable.

## Religion

Religion in the Germanic Order is very important. The official goal of the Germanic Order was to christen the Slavic pagans though the real motive is less about religion and more about power and money. Nevertheless religion is seen as very important in the nation. The Slavic and Baltics vary in their religious practices, some of them have converted to Christendom while others have decided to remain pagan.

## Economy

The economy is mainly trade and taxation but a significant amount of wealth is sourced from tribute from Slavic and Baltic villages. Around the German cities skilled laborers and artisans toil away and produce wares that are sold throughout the Baltic Sea. The Vistula and the Oder are important rivers for trading.

Raiding used to be an important source of income but the order has since moved away from such practices.