Written and compiled by Jamie Seidel (omicron@adelaide.dialix.oz.au)
The peoples of these lands were considered "fair," being tall and healthy -- though "somewhat uncouth and boozy" as contemporary commentators put it. They had their hair cropped and had a characteristic shriek and jeer when preparing to fight. While it sounds like an idyllic atmosphere the villagers were living close to starvation. They suffered from common menaces: bad weather, too many children, greedy landlords and a lack of freedom. Slavery and service bonds were rife. Further inland there were communities of free peasants who both ploughed for themselves and carried their own swords and spears for defence.
Christianity had not touched these people. They were still dominated by fighters brought up to kill or be killed, whether they lived as princes, landowners or swordsmen. Between the fighting classes and the rest was a barrier of breeding and attitude reinforced by tradition and law. They were experienced cavalrymen, wheeling and charging unexpectedly on small horses the size of modern ponies. While not heavily armoured, they relied on speed and surprise rather than sword or spear play in close combat. Raiding, ambushing and pillaging was their forte. Sustained battle was not. The soldiers of the warbands were clothed in linen or wool, protected by shields and helmets. The leaders wore more elaborate equipment -- though offering only the same degree of protection. The wealth of a dead man was competed for by horse races -- the winner taking a specific prize.
By the eleventh century a line of these communities lurked crab-like a few miles up every estuary from Denmark to the Vistula. The strongest of these had at their highest point a barracks, fort and residence (collectively called a grod or palatium), usually reinforced with a moat, earth wall and wooden towers. Below it was the urbs (town), originally intended as a refuge for civilians from the district in time of trouble. Later, these spaces became crammed with the artisans and merchants -- except for one or more patches of holy ground which held small timber temples. Outside this stockade were further groups of dwellings, each dedicated to fishermen, small traders, peasants and maybe a market. None of these towns were built directly on the coast. They were always on inlets, rivers and lagoons -- on top of cliffs or behind dense stands of ancient trees.
Military service was extracted from the warrior classes and taxes of material were taken from the peasants. The voivot provided hospitality to the district's prince (known as a knes) when he came on visits -- often involving prolonged feasting and shows of force. The prince (knes) was always a great landowner in the countryside, the lord of the largest retinue of mounted warriors in the region. He received taxes and commanded abject reverence with kneeling acclamation and foot-kissing. His blood was sacrosanct and was often inherited from long dynasties. His rule was mostly in name and by his presence. Each town had its own assembly which settled its own affairs. Comprised of magistrates, these leaders often led warbands to raid other tribes. But the common factor between coast and country, freemen and fringemen, swordsman and serfs, was an allegiance or respect to the mystical class of judges, warriors and bards which roamed their lands. These strange people were the stuff of legends -- possessing great strength and speed. While each community was essentially self governing all decisions were deferred when one of the "great ones" or "heroes" arrived.
The Wendish priesthood was able to exert great influence over their people, intensifying the worship of their gods by constructing images, cult objects and temples. Master cults were developed in the cities where special skills in augury and rituals made priests the leaders of their community. The priests became rich with luxurious temples dedicated to their gods. Out in the woods they lived more spartan and holy lives. One priest is reported to have lived solely off the fruit of a single sacred nut tree.
The arrival of Christianity drew a mixed response. Some princes received in readily while others opposed it violently. No city abandoned its gods easily -- whether the prince willed it or not. Some considered Christianity to represent the gods of the Germans -- an old foe for centuries. Others saw advantage in allying with the powerful new men moving into their districts.
The East Baltic tribes also followed cults of holy places, plants and animals. The cult of the dead (veles) and the cult of gods were the essential guarantees of health, security, success and identity to every family and village. Wise men and women who understood the rites were treated with the utmost respect. Priests and priesteses wandered the lands or devoted their lives to the tending of the sacred groves and holy places.
Festivals of fertility and funerals often involved sacrifices of horses and humans. These were considered the high-points of the religious year. Alone among the ancient religions of Europe, the Baltic religions would provide a strong and direct opposition to the challenge of medieval Catholicism. The religion was a wealthy mix of ancient Celtic lore and gods, Nordic and Germanic deities and goddesses drawn from vastly ancient Indian subcontinent origins. Women held a particular reverence among the priesthood and were given varying degrees of freedom in the villages.
As the terrain became colder and more marginalised to the north, society became less feudal and more religious. Above Estonia the word of the old men was law and the Shamans consulted with the spirits of the forests, seeking permission to forage for food. Sacrifice was the only assured means of obtaining health and success.
The Wagrians were settled on the Danish frontiers to the Trave and the Abotrites lived between the Trave to the Warnow. These two kindred peoples were loosely united with the Polabians of the Elbe basin under one dominant dynasty.
An unamalgamated group of tribes occupied the area from the Warnow to the Rugen, round the Oder mouths and up the Peene. These were given the collective name of the Liutuzians or Wilzians -- "terrible" or "wolf" people. The northernmost group of tribes were the Rugians or Rani, on the coast about the river Rugen.
The Pomeranians -- "dwellers on the shore" -- dwelled between the Oder to the Vistula, sharing the lands with Cassubian "shaggy-coat men" tribes.
The following is a catalogue of the most important Wendish cities, organised into the tribes which managed them. While they were not cities by the standards of the Germans or Europeans, they stood out from among the thinly settled Baltic region as they held a special influence on the communities in and around them.
Wagarians: Coastal district tribe which had several key towns, among them Stargard (Oldenberg to the Germans) which had been the beachhead from which a Saxon bishop had attempted to convert the community in the 10th century. The people had rejected his faith and the church was a ruin.
Abotrites: The great city of this clan was Mecklenburg (Veligrad), five miles upstream from Wismar Bay. This position dominated a wide network of lakes and rivulets. On the next inlet to the east was a community that would grow into the future city of Rostock -- then only a temple, anchorage and a merchant settlement seven miles upriver.
Rugians: lived among marshy and forested domains with few communities larger than villages and forts. But their island stronghold of Rugen held two remarkable townships: Arkona on the north-eastern tip and Karenz (now called Garz) on the lake's edge on the southern point of the island. Arkona stood upon cliffs on the sea's edge which were too steep for any raid. It needed no citadel due to the shape of the headland upon which it stood. The headland was cut off from the rest of the island by an earth and timber wall which rose about 100 feet. A curved sector of housing was held within this wall, then an open space. At the point of the headland was a temple of the four-headed god Svantovit -- a centre of pilgrimage and public worship. The harvest festival brought representatives from all over the Rugian nation, sacrificing cattle and responding to the high priest's calls for war or peace. The high priest had his own warband of 300 warriors and personal estates. Arkona was as close to a national capital that the region had: here Rugian warriors met in council and took orders from the high-priest and his miraculous horse upon which no man was allowed to ride. Karenz, in the south, was defended by lake, river and marshland, reinforced by a conventional ring-wall. It was developing from a refuge fort into a prosperous settlement by 1168. It was full of tightly packed housing, with three small spaces left clear for the temples on the higher portion of the town.
Polabains: The lake settlement of Ratzeburg was their chief city, connected to the Baltic sea by a tributary of the River Trave. This town -- no more than a fort , an anchorage and some huts -- was later to become the city of Lubeck.
Liutizians: this tribe which settled along the river Peene had several well-protected towns. The most important was the furthest upriver: Demmin (the smoke place). This was where three rivers met, a key stronghold of whoever conquered the region. It was a cult centre of the Redarri, the home of the god Radigost. The city consisted of a large citadel, earthen and timber walls and a prominent temple.
Pommeraneans: Szczecin (pronounced Shchetsin) was the "mother of the cities of the Pommeraneans." Its walls enclosed three temple-crowned hills and had a reputation for impregnability. It held a community of 900 families. The voivot of this city had a household of 500 family, servants and warriors. He had a fleet of six ships which frequently plied the rivers between the sister towns of Wolgast (Vologost), Usedom (Uznam), Lebbin (Liubin), Wollin (Wolin) and Cammin (Kamien). These towns lay on the reedy channels branching from between the Peene and Oder rivers and the Gulf of Stettin. All were defensible places with markets and forts, trading with others and defending themselves with fleets and armies.
Kolberg (Kolobrzeg) was a town of a particularly important status as it contained a salt works. The prince (knes) of the Pommeranians held residence in Belgard (Bialogard). To the south of this city the lands were mostly empty, with a single track leading to the port of Danzig (Gdanzk) which consisted mostly of a grod and urb.
These "nations" were associations of smaller tribes, unified under an effective political system of blood relationship. Each tribe was capable of mobilising a warband (karya to the Prussians, karias to the Lithuanians) and had an assembly called a wayde. Each tribe was responsible for its own forts and maintaining its own folklore.
These tribes never acted as one nation before the 12th century. While groups of one or two would fight together, the nation of Prussia for example never fought as one until the Crusades. What gave these "nations" their identity were their common language, the districts in which they lived and common religious cults.
The peasants of these nations were mostly occupied with clearing away the restricting forests by burn-beating and tree-cutting. They harvested with the sickle and the scythe, raised cattle and horses, grew flax and wove linen. They cropped wheat and sometimes barley and oats. Much food was gathered from the forests and coast. Honey, wax and furs were sought in the forests, while amber -- petrified tree-sap from ancient forests -- was washed up on the coast. Amber was a precious substance, coveted by artisans and princes.
North of the Dvina pine became the predominant tree, supplanting the oak and the elm. The land was very moist, with Estonia being noted for its bogs and rocky coasts. East of Lake Chud (Peipus Peipsi) lay a great coniferous forest, drained by wide rivers and threaded by a complicated pattern of bogs, lakes and streams. North of Estonia the land became less habitable. Many Estonian and Finnish tribes came and went -- the true natives living hand-to mouth, struggling against land too cold to till and forests only sparsely populated by elk.
Prussians: These people lived between the Lower Vistula, the Narew, the Niemen and the Baltic coast. Among its tribes were the Galindians, Sudovians, Pomesanians, Pogesanians. A church was established in the land of the Prussians in 997, though St Adalbert of Prague was martyred.
Lithuanians: A people that lived north and east of the Niemen, within the watershed of its tributaries the Nivezis and the Viliya. Some of the tribe names were Zemaiciai, Aukstaiciai.
Latvian States: This loose association of tribes consisted of the Lettgallians north of the lower River Dvina and the Semigallans and Selonians (also called Letts) who lived to the south. Towns protected by large earthworks were established at Lielupe, Tervette, Daugmale and Jersika.
Curonians: Called Kurir by the Scandinavians, these people lived on the peninsula between the Baltic and the Gulf of Riga. One of their chief settlements was at Impiltis, where the defensive earthworks enclosed an area of 12.5 acres. Another large city was Apuole.
Fennic: A group of tribes to the far north-east of the Baltic Sea. Included the tribes called the Ves, Eastern Chud, Pechera, Perm, Cheremis, Merya, Mordva and others. All lived on the tributaries of the Novgorod, along with the Vods, Estonians and Karelians in the west. These peoples worshiped the trees, ancestors and an army of spirits which peopled the woods. Their only government was the wise-man of each extended family and the shamans which held the gates of the invisible world.
Another advantage and innovation was the stone tower. The Teutonic Knights learned the art of stone masonry in Palestine. While stone was hard to come by, the knights initially had to makedto with wooden blockhouses ringed by palisades. As the Teutones became more established in an area, resources were put into finding stone or manufacturing bricks to build towers of a strength previously unseen in the Baltic lands. The importance of these structures was vital: they were able to keep small garrisons alive when they would otherwise have been overwhelmed. They were also virtually impervious to their pagan enemy's favourite weapon -- fire.
One of the most important advantages was artillery -- particularly the crossbow. It was not a knightly instrument and it was not the Teutones that used it. But the Germanic settlers used the weapon to great effect. Its accuracy and penetrating power shortened the odds in the battle between many and few. Larger ballista or catapults and mounted on towers became weapons that could fell large sections of a warbands in a single round.
The advantage of heavy cavalry was rarely realised in the Baltic lands. The numerous bogs, springs, streams, forests and sand-dunes made charges impossible to mount. Heavy armour slowed knights down, making them more vulnerable to the ambush -- a favourite form of attack among the tribes. But it was the Teutone's staying power that surprised the tribes -- never before had an invader resolutely held onto land through cold winters and survived.
Children of Gaia: These are the peaceful of the Lycanthropes. The others see them as tree hugging peacenicks. It was the Children of Gaia's support for less violent means to turning the Teutonic Crusade that helped tip the scale of the Wolf Council to intrigue. But like all lycanthropes, they can be demonic fighters when pushed too far. More modern offspring of this tribe are becoming increasingly radical, more and more prepared to fight rather than out-wit their opponents. They also gather in sacred groves, often focusing on a single sacred tree. Their worship varies from quiet contemplation to frantic orgies.
Gangrel: This nomadic tribe appears to have had a long association with the Baltic wilderness, drawn by its isolation and natural beauty. Ties between the Gangrel and the Shapechangers are much more cordial than that of other vampiric clans -- explaining much about their presence in this were-creature dominated land. Throughout history the Gangrel have been relatively well informed as to the happenings of the world, with news of far-off places often being brought by their friends and associates among the Gypsies.
Ventrue: The growth of Germany as an Imperial and an Industrial power saw the arrival of clan Ventrue in the region. This scheming clan has long sought to exert its dominance over the region -- a mission which at times matched that of the Teutonic Knights. Their power has been increasing recently, with the unification of the two Germany's and the loosening grip of Russia upon the Baltic and Polish states. Always city dwellers, they are rarely found outside the safe confines of concrete and glass.
Tzimisce: The Baltic states have long been the "heartland" of clan Tzimisce. Maintaining its strongholds against all comers -- including the Roman Empire -- this fearsome clan has been in the forefront of the struggle against the Teutonic Knights. Their altered ghouls serve as the vanguard of many an uprising -- either as horribly deformed creatures or as fearsome examples of the best pagan hero-warriors. Tzimisce has puppet leaders in Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Wallachia, Bavaria, Austria, Serbia and Kievan Russia. They are particularly strong in Lithuania where they maintain the worship of the old Slavic gods. The clan has also had some success in infiltrating the Russian Orthodox church. But their power is waning. Many of their subjects actually welcome the advance of the Teutonic Knights, and the war with the Tremere is absorbing more and more resources.
Star Gazers: Enraptured by Eastern Mysticism and the occult, this tribe holds the Middle East as the heart of its activities. Generally treated with disdain as "wise-guys" by shapechanger society. They wander most of the world, helping to protect lands sacred to the lycanthrope. Members of this tribe rarely gather together. When they do, it appears more to be a friendly exchange of news and information.
Setite: Though the Teutonic Knights never made it into Egypt, roving bands of these vampires (often associated with invading armies) frequently made their way into the Holy Land. Their support has dwindled with the death of their ancient religions, but their corrupting influence does much to destabilise many governments and organisations. It was this clan's spread through Europe that helped prompt the excesses of the Inquisition. Now, Setites manipulate society through the depravity of the drug trade instead of their pagan religion. With the lifting of the military state that was the USSR, members of this clan are already moving in to establish their "dominion" over the Baltic states.
Assamite: Doubly the enemy of the Teutonic Knights because of its Vampiric and Saracen background, the Assamites are among the most fearful of foes. Their perfection of the art of assassination has caused the loss of several key Teutonic personnel over the centuries and in recent times. It is also rumoured that the clan is not popular among Vampiric organisations, with allegations that several later Crusades were sparked simply to cover a blood-hunt against the Assamites. However, this clan unknowingly helps the Militant Order's cause. Assassins single-mindedly hunt down other vampires as tools of political intrigue.
Not all knights missed the significance of this act. It was a brave defiance of the all-conquering Christian culture. It was also a requiem to the harper's dead tribe. But it was to be 600 years before the lessons of this occurance was to be learned by the Order as a whole -- and even then only after it was rubbed in its nose. The very aristocratic pride in which the Order vested so much importance was wrong. The Nazi embodiment of Teutonic beliefs and attitudes through the Waffen SS brought this message home. Arrogance, blind obedience, excessive pride and inflated self-importance had diverted the Teutonic Knights hand from doing good to doing harm. Pride and prejudice have no place within the Christian ethos of Faith, Hope and Charity.
A postulant was normally received into the Order in one of the houses in the twelve bailiwicks in the Empire. While the Grand Master and General Chapter reserved the right to receive postulants, this was usually carried out by the Provincial Commanders. The social and moral status of the postulant were exhaustively examined. A postulant had to submit a letter from a patron who would vouch for his ancestry and moral worth. Postulants also had to bring three horses, armour, weaponry and the fare for their trip to Prussia. Candidates of illegitimate birth could only be accepted into the Order through direct intervention from the Grand Master.
Novices are still required to take the vow of Obedience though those of Poverty and Chastity are not required. Many novices have attained Faith and training above that required to become a knight -- though choose to remain a novice because of a wife or business responsibilities. Rank within a novitiate is not by title. It is by seniority. A novice of one year is at the bottom of the ladder (5th class). A novice in his fifth year (1st class) is close to being a knight. Any holding status of more than 5 years, and is not a knight, is called a Sergeant (without the knight prefix).
"I, (postulant's name), do profess and promise chastity, renunciation of property, and obedience, to God and to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and to you, Brother (Grand Master) and your successors, according to the Rule and Institutions of the Order, and I will be obedient to you, and to your successors, even unto death."
A Teutonic Knight dedicated himself to a monastic way of life that revolved around the three fundamental vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. These vows, and the tenets of the Teutonic Rule, were designed to suppress individuality and promote a collective lifestyle. The Rule stated: "brethren should be humbly obedient and should in all things break their own wills." The Rule of the Teutonic Knights was approved by Cardinal William of Sabina before 1245.
Also governing the life of a knight was the Consuetudines maires (constitutional rules) which was inspired by the Rules of the Templars and Hospitallers (one stipulating the monastic life expected of a brother-knight, emphasising the tenets of chastity, obedience and poverty, while the other bound a knight to a life of service and charity), the Dominican Order and the Order of the Holy Spirit. Further ordinances were added by Grand Masters, such that the entire collection formed a large book -- copies of which had to be kept in every commandery, read out in full tree times and year and in sections on every sunday.
A full calendar of religious observances were insisted upon. A knight was expected to recite the offices (specified prayers) throughout the day, both inside the convent and on active duty. The first mass was conducted just before dawn while on campaign because the days were short in northern winters and the knights needed to be on the move at dawn to make the most of the light. The hallowing of the sacrament was timed to coincide with the first emerging rays of the sun. On campaign the master's or the marshal's tent became the army's church. A portable field-altar was its centrepiece. Teutones had to receive the holy sacrament (communion) seven times a year: a process which involved a fast -- unlike the Templars.
Military and monastic discipline went together. Knights were expected to perform their duties and were allowed few privileges. Their equipment and armour were uniform and each man was issued with a pair of shirts, a pair of breeches, two pairs of boots, one surcoat, one sleeping bag, one blanket and one knife. He was allowed to wear fur, because of the cold temperatures, but it could only be goatskin or sheepskin. He could be assigned two or four mounts but they belonged to the convent. A knight had to sleep in his clothes and boots and had to remain silent at meals and while in the dormitory, on the march or in the latrine. He could not display his own coat of arms -- the Teutonic cross being good enough for all. He was not allowed to joust or join in on the hunt, though he could kill wolves and bears with the stipulated assistance of hounds. He was allowed to wear a beard though his hair must be kept short.
The whole objective of the Rule was military efficiency. Mobilisation, parades, route-marches, pitching camp, guard-duty and conduct in the field were all regulated by an undeviating routine and carried out in silence. But there were some benefits in being a Teutone. While a knight could not own his own horse or sword, he was allowed to trade for the profit of his house and commandery -- a provision that helped the establishment of the empire.
A particularly severe form of punishment for breaching the Rule was the Iarbusse: a year's hard labour, eating meals off the floor without cutlery, dietary restrictions, removal of the cross from the habit and corporal punishment on Sundays.
The Grosskomtur (Great Commander) was given his own suite of offices in Marienburg Castle equal in opulence and size to the Grand Master. As second in command of the Order, his role was often that of foreign minister. He also acted on the Grand Master's behalf during his absence and led the Marienberg Commandery continents during war.
Before the fall of the Holy Land, the Marshal (Ordensmarschall) had sole responsibility for military operations against the Infidel. Later, as Marienberg eventually receded into the safe heart of the Teutonic State, the Marshal was generally assigned the task of military overseer of the frontier provinces.
The position of Oberste Spittler (Hospitaller) was initially quite important as the Order maintained a hospital in Acre. Later, the title became honourific as the Order conducted few nursing missions in Europe. The same applies to the position of Oberste Trapier (Draper). While there was a centralised system for the distribution of clothing and equipment in Palestine, this responsibility was later taken over by Provincial Commanders. The role became that of an advisor and ranking officer.
The Tressler administered the revenues contributed by the provinces and at times conducted audits on those provinces suspected of holding back their contributions. He managed the expenses for the Grand Master's court and official activities as well as major expenditures such as fortifications.
Provincial Commanders (Landkomtur) were responsible for law and order within their designated areas. Under them were the Hauskomtur (Preceptor). Each Hauskomtur was responsible for a Komtur (chapter) of 12 knights and their associated sergeants. Civilians could approach the Commander to act as judge for murder and other major cases. Individual knights were allowed to administer justice on minor matters -- so long as they submitted a full report to their House Commander afterwards. Teutonic Knights acted as a police force in the traditional meaning of the word -- deterring criminals, serving summonses and conducting arrests. Beneath the House Commanders were Vogts, associate-members of the Order who acted as caretakers of a farm or an estate. Commanders led the knights from their Chapter during battle and were responsible for the security of their estates. Internal matters were conducted at the discretion of the Provincial Commander, with assistance available from senior officers if the need arose.
Standard: In the early days of the Order the Teutones battle standard was simply a black cross on a white field. But, as they successfully established a principality in the Baltic States, the cross was dressed up. By 1330 the Order had adopted the yellow cross of Jerusalem bordered in black for their standard, with the German royal eagle at its heart. This was placed on a white field. Shields mostly held a simple black cross on white though officers would adorn it with yellow inside the black cross and the Imperial eagle at the junction.
Only a few isolated outposts of the Teutonic Order survived the collapse of their once great empire. A chapter in Vienna and the Bailiwick of Utrecht in Amsterdam remain mainly through concentrating on the roles of nursing and charity work. Other chapters were forced to operate "underground" -- first to avoid the Reformationists and then to hide from the Communists. Ironically, it was the supernatural forces behind the emergence of Stalinist Russia that finally saw the destruction of the Wolf Council. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Gangrel, Children of Gaia and Black Furies have returned to fill the vacuum left by their vanished oppressors. Now, it appears it is their turn to be dispossessed.
The Order reached its low-point in 1923 when its Grand Master resigned after the fall of the Austrian Empire -- the last bastion of support for the dwindling Order. The next blow came in 1929 when Pope Pius XI ratified a new constitution -- stripping the Order of its Chivalric status. The surviving chapterhouses -- including the Sisters of the German Hospital of St. Mary in Jerusalem -- reverted to a normal monastic order under the control of Sacred Congregation for the Religious in Rome. Only a few ranks referred to the Order's Militant past.
The new Brotherhood of the German Hospital in Jerusalem suffered badly under the Third Reich -- the persecution of the Teutonic Order coinciding with the glorification of the ancient Knights of Prussia which was used as a propaganda tool shortly before Hitler came to power. The Nazis established an order of Merit called the "Teutonic Order" which still causes detrimental associations even today. A new mythology involving the old Order was fabricated, claiming the "glorious" knights to be the forerunners of the Third Reich. Even after the war, once the Order had its lands restored by a new Austrian government, the effects of Nazi propaganda still hinder the Teutones charitable work -- despite the fact it was among the first religious organisations suppressed by Hitler.
But the Teutonic Order was deeply shocked by the reflection held up to its face in the form of the Waffen SS. The SS were a band of devoted "knights," fighting furiously to perpetuate what they believed. Many older knights recognised this as the fatal flaw within the Order itself -- arrogant pride and uncompromising belief in itself. Since then the most senior of the Order's knights have striven for greater humility -- and their on-going reforms reflect this.
The Teutonic Order was able to save much face in Eastern Europe through the hardships and deprivations imposed by Communist Russia. Remnants and descendants of the Order established a secret Christian network to avoid the suppressions and discrimination of Stalinist USSR. Though limited in numbers, the Order also continued its work of harassing known supernaturals.
The monastic German Brothers managed to grow after the war in parish work, hospitals, old-people's homes, schools and training colleges. The organisation remains as a public front to the Order -- comprising 30 Clerical and 10 lay Brothers, 500 religious Sisters and 350 Familiars -- 12 of which are ranked as Knights of Honour.
The new Knights of the Cross emerged from this cauldron of fire during the early 1990s as a well forged alloy. The tearing down of the Berlin Wall marked the return to freedom for the knights and the Christian community, but the tyranny of Communism had served only to strengthen the faith of many and break down the barriers between Catholic and Reformationist. The make-up of the modern Order reflects this. Many of its knights were Lutherans, others were Russian Orthodox. The new knighthood represents the full spectrum of Christian denominations. Once again recognised by the Papacy and international community, the Teutonic Knights are gaining public support through charitable works mainly focussed on reuniting east and west Germany. Much is also being done in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia where many now view the Teutonic knights as being a firm but fair portion of their history. This work includes using influence among major German corporations to set up manufacturing and distribution facilities in these areas, the building of hospitals and community facilities, repairing public utilities -- and the more covert "cleansing" of supernatural influences.
Although the Teutonic Knights were not present at the Malta Synod of the mid 1980s, the re-established and strengthened Templar and Hospitallers were surprisingly willing to welcome them back into the fold of Militant Orders. Still subject to the status of "junior" order, the Teutones are proving their maturity in charitable and cleansing work.
Russia has become a major concern to the Teutonic Knights. Something "big" is happening there. A purge on the scale of the Inquisition is happening among the supernaturals of Russia -- but the Inquisition claims to know nothing about it. Several knights have discovered a vampire's lair, only to find someone had beaten them to it. Werewolf caerns have been left untended and the nodes of mages are left unexploited. Several knights sent deep into Russia in search of clues to this mystery have simply vanished. One thing is certain: "The enemy of mine enemy is no friend of mine."
The single greatest contributor toward the demise of the Teutonic Knights was the break-up of the Catholic Church. The reformation sparked by the teachings of Martin Luther had a profound effect on German society, eventually spreading like wildfire throughout Europe. Many knights, disillusioned with the corruption of the established church, gave up their oaths and became Lutheran. Even high-ranking officers announced their dissent and left their posts. Combined with the increasing "christianisation" of the surrounding nations to which the Teutones had been opposed to so long, the Order lost its sense of purpose and the all-important concept of religious unity. With the re-establishment of the Order in the 1990s, the Gebistigerrat (governing council) has attempted to remove this source of dissent. Instead, they hope theological diversity can be turned into a strength.
The senior knights have taken a valiant stand, declaring that all christians are equal. Faith is what is important. The "fiddly bits" can be worried about later. This stance has not gone down well with the "old guard" Teutones. Especially in light of the more specific reforms that have followed -- such as allowing women to hold militant and priest status. The outcome has not yet become what the Gebistigerrat had hoped. The Order is becoming factionalised, with interest groups forming around conflicting ideals and interpretations. Only the Hochmeister's strength of character has prevented this from developing into a schism far worse than that experienced several centuries ago. In time the Hochmeister hopes these factions will learn to tolerate and accommodate each other in a spirit of compromise. This, he believes, is the only way the Order -- and the Church at large -- has any chance of surviving through the next millennia.
Poverty is also no longer enforced among Novices. The rank, instead of relating to experience, has taken on an association with a degree of commitment to the Order. Again, knights are required to take this extra step toward total commitment.
Obedience is the one element of the Rule that has in no way been diminished. In fact, it is only through the Rule that the above reformations will have any chance of being accepted by the rank and file.
Instead, many groups -- particularly among the old German nobility and Catholic members -- firmly believe that women are unsuited, both physically and morally, to God's work. These knights comply with the letter of the Gebistigerrat rulings, but not the spirit. Some nuns have applied for, and been granted, militant status. Surprisingly, numerous new female recruits have been gained through the more lenient congregations associated with the Order. These women often have a purpose: they have experienced Corruption's influence on this world and want to contribute toward a better future. Not even the most hard-line anti-assimilation Teutones can criticise the devotion and commitment demonstrated by these recruits. Careful training programs are even reducing physical strength differences, and in the firing ranges their averages are no different to that of male novices.
But prejudice blinds even the best minds.
Most female knights know they have to perform twice as well to be considered half as effective as their male counterparts. But it is a challenge that has daunted few, to this point. The Order places great faith in any novice or knights commitment to their vows and allows men and women to work side-by-side. But the female knights are billeted separately from the males, though they are given similar spartan conditions. Few women have risen to high positions of rank at this point. The most senior is an ex-nun who holds the rank of Hauskomtur (Captain) -- representing female considerations on general councils and chapter meetings. Several other women have recently completed their command courses, technically allowing them to be given the rank of Captain. Their promotion is currently dependent upon gaining sufficient active service experience -- something many commanders are unwilling to commit the women to.
This was the most elaborate of the Teutonic Knight's strongholds which ranged from timber blockhouses, fortified towers to full castles. Marienburg served as a palace, a monastery, a parliament-house, a government office, an arsenal and a holy city. This all-purpose structure was an elaboration of a design and purpose found all over Prussia and Livonia on a much smaller scale -- generally a tower and a fortified quadrangle. Marienburg castle was originally constructed in 1276 under Grand Master Winrich von Kniprode as frontier fortress. As the empire grew, it central position increased its strategic importance. By 1309 it became the headquarters of the Teutones.
Marienburg was intended to stun the senses and awe the mind. Four convents of knights and priest-brothers sang continual masses in each of the four chapels, while the grand master conducted the duties of prince of an empire and the grand-commander and treasurer conducted the business of the Order in their own suites. The innter citadel (the Mittel) and the Chapter house (Hochschloss) covered five acres of land by 1400, and at either end lay an outer castle and a sizeable town.
From the outside the people saw only the plainest brick structures -- smooth cliffs of brick, soaring up from the leveled terraces to the battlements. Towers surrounded the gateways, defying entry. Fortified latrines (dansker) projected from the top of the walls The immense vaulted chambers of the major buildings suggested rooms fit for giants, and the complexity of the roofline suggested a city built on a hill. While the Teutones used architecture to intimidate, they used interior design to please themselves and their guests. Elaborate painting, carving and tile-work were added to the rooms, while renovations often involved the addition of carved panels, images, friezes and ornamented column capitals. But the artwork was honest and earthy, with little of the fanciful filigree found in the castles of France and Italy. It was a pious reflection of glory and power -- defensible but homely and approachable. The centrepiece of this decoration was an eight-foot tall outdoor mosaic on the apse (arched recess) of the Hochschloss chapel, watching over the countryside. This was destroyed by bombs in 1945.
Restored to the height of its grandeur during the 19th century, Allied bombing reduced it to ruins in the last year of World War II as it had been used by the German Army as a command post.
A massive sell-off of castles after the collapse of the Iron Curtain saw the Polish Government return the partially repaired castle to the Teutones as a means of restoring and maintaining the historic site.
As the Teutonic Knights influence over a region grew, so did their forts. The need to preserve their wealth and authority led to much rebuilding -- diversifying the parts by raising towers and roofs, duplicating quadrangles and adding fine residences. The forts along the frontier were much simpler in plan: brick keeps in Prussia and stone towers in Livonia. The square keep, or Stock, contained the bare essentials of militaristic and monastic life: a chapel, a refectory (Remter), a dormitory and the commander's chamber. The central quadrangle was a fortified yard containing a kitchen, workshop, stables, and sometimes a parish church. Brick and stone craftsmanship was a major advantage for the Teutonic Knights: the pagans of the forests were used to earthen mounds, timber stockades and the protection of waterways. The knight's forts were impervious to their major assault tactic: fire. The stone and brick walls of a commandery was often what kept its knights alive until relief arrived.
Masters Chambers: This large suite occupies several floors above the Summer Refectory, and spills over into part of the nearby Chapter House. The private chambers are large and well equipped, and suitably decorated for the private entertainment of a visiting Papal legate or government official. The suite includes a private library, study, sitting room, a personal kitchenette, and conference room. A doorway leads into a nearby structure which is part of the Chapter House, opposite the halls of the Tressler and Great Commander. This is a long hall divided into various offices and apartments for the Master's personal assistants and secretaries.
Great Refectory and Summer Refectory: These are the communal dining rooms for the warrior-monks. The Great Refectory is where all gather and eat, while the Summer Refectory is reserved as a formal dining room for entertainment of guests.
Infirmary: This huge vaulted hall -- once where nursing brothers tended to the sick, is now a modern hospital with three complete surgical theatres and a burns unit. Upper floors are recovery wards, and the Infirmary tower contains the doctors offices.
Guest Rooms: While Marienburg Castle once served as a virtual hotel for visiting nobles and knights; this is no longer the case. Instead, these extensive suites have been turned into a large and modern library. Computerised systems keep track of the movement and availability of books, as well as the humidity and temperature of areas containing the oldest works. The Teutonic Knights contain the largest known library relating to Lycanthrope Lore anywhere in the world.
The Reliquary: The Reliquary contains many precious objects brought back from the Holy Lands during the Crusades, and numerous items drawn from the Order's long history. The most precious artifact is a lock of hair said to belong to Mary -- Christ's mother. Pagan artifacts are also kept here on display, along with weapons and armour.
Priests tower: This is where the priests assigned to the Order reside and study. It includes the local parish priest for the town below.
Tressler & Commander Offices: This large hall is even larger than that devoted to the Grand Master. Here work the staff of the Treasurer and Grand Commander of the Order. Each end of the hall contains residential apartments for these officers, who are rarely far removed from their staff.
Church: This long room is astoundingly tall -- held up by huge sweeping arches that impose a feeling of smallness upon those below. Knights and novices, even now, constantly sing from the choirs -- the sound of their worship echoing through the halls.
Dormitories: This series of plain open rooms provide sleeping accommodation for knights and novices. Alongside is a hall with several stories of classrooms above it, devoted to the training and indoctrination of novices of the Order.
Garderobe Tower: This is, in essence, the "war room" of the Order. Behind its thick stone walls is a high tech communications and operations centre which enables senior officers to obtain immediate "big pictures" from large multi-functional screens of where the Order's knights are dispersed, down to relayed individual telemetry information from a specific raid. Much of the world's media is monitored here, and the movements of suspects tracked around the globe. All computer systems here are completely self contained, unattached to the outside world in any way.
Foundry: This is now the armoury of the Order, holding a wide variety of personal heavy weapons, assault rifles, grenades, explosives, ammunition etc. There is enough equipment in and underneath this structure to frighten the Polish government.
Brewery, Bakery and Maltings: These are service rooms for the storage and preparation of food, linen and equipment.
Octagonal Tower: This is a jail devised to the best of the Order's ability to hold any supernatural which may be captured. It is air-tight with recirculating, oxygen recharged, atmosphere. There are no reflective surfaces and is surrounded by a strong containment ward. It has held several captured Lycanthropes in the past, and has yet to be subject to a successful escape attempt.
Saddlery: Converted into a modern garage.
St Lawrence Tower: This is the site of the Teutonic Order's forensic and general research facilities. A medical lab, biological sciences lab and forensic analysis wing are seeking new understanding of supernatural abilities and traits in order to devise new ways to oppose them.
The Long Granary: Originally a sprawling series of interlocking warehouses, this structure has been extensively upgraded in recent times into a false streetscape representing different style residences, offices and workshops. Similar in concept to the "killing house" of SAS training programmes, the Cleansing Row is a complete streetscape full of booby traps, targets and scoring equipment. The interior of many buildings are advanced projection theatres -- displaying realistic images of various types of known supernatural creatures under various conditions. Others use surprisingly realistic robotics to emulate attackers with skills such as celerity etc. The overall effect is to be as realistic as possible in a training environment, while ensuring the safety of all participants. At worst, novices and knights would come out of a training run with a few bruises from tennis-ball guns. Training tasks include: entry, scaling, surveillance, hostage rescue, sniping and building assault.
The following is a brief introduction to the Order's current senior officers and most noted personalities.