The Order’s might comes from its knights, whose skills are unmatched by any in these lands. Hunting pagans has become almost a sport with so-called “Crusaders” flocking in from the West to kill their share. It is the pagans of Lithuania, however, that feel the full force of the Order’s zeal and the sting of their swords. The Holy Roman Empire watches the Order’s actions like a proud parent, but the knights are forging their own great empire. Denmark remains neutral, but grows wary of the Order’s presence in the Baltic and watchful of their increased interest in trade. The Orthodox people of Novgorod, always mindful of the atrocities they suffered during the Order’s failed attempt on their great city, stand strong and ready for further assaults. Poland looks on with fear, concerned where the fervent expansion of the Order will take them next and when they will turn their greedy gaze to Poland.
They war with many and are trusted by none. Their religious fervour comes at a great cost to the lives of their pagan and Orthodox neighbours, but even their fellow Catholics are not exempt. The Teutonic Order, fuelled by a need to redeem their souls through conquest, has grown into an unrivalled military power on the shores of the Baltic.
