Baltica

United Federation of Baltica Jungtinė Baltijos Federacija
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: “If god is with us, who is against us ?”
Anthem: “The New Republic”
Capital	Kauni (administrative) Sveaja (economic)
Largest city	Goja, Kauni, Kretia
Official languages	Ras Dolch
Ethnic groups	Ras Gintarian Dolch
Demonym(s)	Baltican
Government	Federation
• President	Algridas Banis
Legislature	Central Baltican Government
• Upper house	State Seim
• Lower house	Territorial Council
Independent
• Establishment of the Baltican Federation	2022 CE
Population
• 2022 estimate	14,653,254
• 2022 census	14,690,325
• Density	38/km2 (98.4/sq mi)
GDP (nominal)	2018 estimate
• Total	89,809,793,766
• Per capita	6,129
HDI (0.57)	0.47 low
Currency	Baltican Zedas
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+252
Internet TLD	.ba

The United Federation of Baltica, or simply Baltica, is a sovereign state within the continent of Argis. The country is a Federation composed of four Republics (Raskia, Kauni, Liplan-Kretin and Dokestva) and three Sister Republics (Myask, Govir and Belgorta). The United Federation of Baltica is a product of the Second Baltican Civil War, having formed during the conflict. It is a very loose Federation, for the large part still suffering from the cultural divide between Dolch and Ras that led to the war that created it. Currently Baltica has two capitals: the administrative capital in Kauni is home to the Central Government, and Sveaja remains the economic capital of the nation. 14.6 Million people call Baltica home. The majority reside in the largest republic of Liplan-Kretin, home to 5.7 million people or about 40% of the total population.

Baltica is home to many swamps, bogs and wetlands that litter the Baltican east and south. Central Baltica remains home to the Grand Kretian Highlands, a collective of hills and mountains that are the source of many rivers that drain into the Pellucid Sea. The far west of Baltica is fairly temperate, covered in thick forests and many lakes. Three main rivers flow through Baltica, this being the Visagris in the south, the Liplan in the Highlands, and the great Balandeli that runs through Raskia, and splits the Baltican West from the East. Baltica it self is devoid of many natural materials, but what it does posses is one of the most fertile lands in Southern Argis. The Kauni river basin is one of the most fertile regions in the wurld, and has remained Balticas largest bread basket.

Baltica is still recovering from the civil war and as such its economy remains considerably smaller than it was before the war. The current GDP per capita is only 6,129 Zedas, and its total GDP is only 89.8 Billion Zedas. The HDI is a pitiful 0.47, although efforts are being done to fix both the Baltican Economy and bring it back to its former heights.

History

Southern Gentarian Tribes

Recently excavated pottery, found in modern day Weva.

The first so-called “Balticans' ' were a Southern branch of the Gentarian peoples group. It is believed that a part of the Gentarians had migrated Southwards into Baltica in pursuit of better farmland, eventually settling the warmer coast of the Pellucid Sea. It is believed that around this time the Southern Gentarians split into multiple different culture groups, all sharing some but not all cultural and linguistic features. Primarily this included the Raskians, who inhabited much of the Eastern regions along the Balendeli river, the Kretina who settled the lands just North of the Litauisch peninsula, the Highlanders or Aukshtaitis in the North and finally the Hermaitai who lived directly within the Litauisch peninsula. Despite being somewhat unique from one another, they all spoke mainly two distinct dialects, this being Kretian and Raskian, which both had their “Low” and “High” variations. Additionally all shared common deities and to some extent a faith, although regional differences were seen throughout the entirety of Baltica.

During this early period in Baltican History, the Liplan river was one of the most populated and Important regions within Baltica. It is believed that it was an epicentre of trade and was almost always contested by various smaller clans and chiefdoms. Early coinage, Idols and early weaponry have all been discovered throughout the greater Liplan Basin. It is also believed that the fabled city of “Juralia” rested along the Liplan, mentioned quite frequently throughout the Oral histories of the South Eastern Gentarians. Juralia is often described as “The Home of the Baltican Gentarians”, and the birthplace of the Baltican pagan faith “Takija”. What would happen to Juralia remains a mystery, if it ever existed in the first place that is, but its place at the core of at the time the Baltican heartland explains why it rose to such large prominence during the ancient period.

The most prominent event of this early tribal period is believed to have been a large war, that sprung up from a sudden cold spike resulting in large scale famine in North Eastern Baltica or modern day Ramutia and Kretia region. This war most likely resulted in the large-scale displacement of multiple people within the North, shifting much of the then population away from the Liplan and into other regions of Baltica. Most notably, it is believed that multiple of the Aukshtaitis would migrate southwards into the bay of Goja, eventually going on to establish the city of Goja during the late mediaeval period in Baltica.

Initial Baltican Settlement

The estimated location of the Battle of three rivers, just outside modern day Janakis.

Baltica would first be discovered by the Dolch in 1331, after some Dolch merchants were swept away by the strong Westerly winds of the Kezanoi Sea, eventually landing on the Litauisch Peninsula in Southern Baltica. They would remark on the quite warm climate and abundance of trees and berry bushes, specifically grapes. Hence, these first merchants would call this unknown land Traubenland. Upon their return back to Dolchland, the rumours of Traubenland would spread among fellow Dolch merchants, eventually coming into the attention of the church, who organised an expedition into Traubenland, led by the then Bishop Kasimir. Bishop Kasimir and his entourage of 2,000 men would settle the Southern Bank of the Bay of Austen. This first settlement was known as Niden, and grew quite quickly as the locals began cultivating the land, especially for its grapes, which would be fermented into wine and exported back to Dolchland. By 1344, the small town began to grow quite quickly, attracting many people from Dolchland in pursuit of a better life and opportunity.

However, this time of relative peace would come to an end, as in 1348 the Dolch settlers would discover the Hermaitai peoples within the peninsula. At first, the interactions between the Dolch and Hermaitai were peaceful, with the two groups sometimes engaging in trade. This would quickly come to an end once the Dolch began to spread Southwards, as shortly after the construction of the town of Randerwel it would be raided and burned down by a large force of Hermaitai. Bishop Kasimir (who had been bedridden for quite some time) signed one of his last degrees, this being the “Vacation Armajan”, calling for both warriors and men to aid the Dolch in Niden in their fight against the perceived heathen tribes of Traubenland. This decree would attract many to Niden, with one of said groups being the Holy Knights of Lubberlin who dedicated all of their fighting forces to Niden.

Shortly after the arrival of the Knights of Lubberlin, the Dolch launched many raids into Hermaitai lands, especially as Niden had become highly overpopulated and the city was on the brink of starvation. Luckily for the Dolch, the raids provided a temporary food source for the settlers, but it quickly attracted the attention of larger tribes. In 1361, the Dolch would engage in the largest battle of the settlement period, this being “The Battle of Three Rivers”. This saw the Dolch come out on top and expand entirely around the Bay of Austen. The newly conquered lands would be divided between the Holy Knights of Lubberlin (who shortly thereafter would go on to adopt the new name of “Holy Knights of Baltishtin”, with their new patriarch being the then recently passed Saint Kasimir), and the church in the form of Bishoprics, the largest of which remained the Archbishopric of Niden.

Order of Baltishtin

The Order of Baltishtin would officially come into power in 1370, with its first official Lord Commander being Lord Austen the Wise (1343-1391), after whom the Bay of Austen was named after. He was not born within the lands of the Order, but nonetheless took a very much active role in the governance of the newly gained lands. He would organise yet another degree, asking for more men and supplies to officially make the state self-efficient from Dolch Merchants, and was able to establish a small but trained standing army in order to protect Dolch from native Gintarian raids. In 1378, Austen along with various mercenaries from Dolchland would organise a grgreateate raid Southwards, steadily taking more land from the locals and pushing up to the Central Litauisch mountains. Austen would also go on to establish many new cities, such as Osterrulter and Tunyev. One of his final campaigns was a Northern offensive, during which Austen and his cousin Bertolf (1357-1410) were able to successfully conquer land along the Jorlingijan river. Austen would go on to honor his cousin for his efforts by naming him Lord of the Jorglands, after which the now Lord Bertolf would go on to establish the city of Janakis along the Jorlingijan. This final campaign would be the last of Austen's great efforts, as in 1390 he would develop a severe form of leprosy and would die the next year. After his death, his cousin Bertolf would ascend to the role of Lord Commander, becoming Lord Bertolf of Baltishtin in 1393.

An early drawing of what is suspected to be Visagris Castle.

Bertolf would continue much of the efforts of his predecessor, going on to expand the Order further in all directions. One of his most crowning achievements was the so-called “Great Conversion”, during which the many pagans that had still been within the Orders land were largely converted to Catholicism. The faith as a whole would become a much more noticeable presence within not only the Order but natives themselves as many missionary efforts had finally been able to bear fruit. The Dolch language would also become more established as Bertolf would sponsor many efforts to “educate” natives. These efforts would go on to see a large revival of trade in the area and would provide a great opportunity for the Dolch to expand their influence North and South in a much more peaceful manner. In 1402, a group of knights, traders and priests would go on their own expedition towards Northern Baltica to establish a proto-colony. Their efforts would be successful, as they would go on to form the Order of Belgorta along the coast of the Kazanoi Sea. However, Bertolf would only have a short reign compared to his cousin, dying in 1410 of fever. His death without an obvious replacement meant that for the first time, the Order was left temporarily without leadership. This would allow for a fairly minor, but aspiring Lord; one Lord Arnold (1389-1448) of Visagris to be elected as Lord Commander of the Order of Baltishtin in 1416.

Lord Arnold was the first Lord to have within the lands of the Order itself, his father Lord Gurt (1358-1401) having been Lord of Visagris before him. His ambition was much greater than either Austen or Bertolf, and he wished to see the whole of Baltica united under his rule. Similarly to Lord Austen, he would call upon fellow Dolch, this time, not settlers but warriors and Knights, promising land and riches from his conquered territories. Many would answer the call, and Lord Arnold was able to launch his first successful campaign along the coast of the Litauisch peninsula. Lucky for Arnold and his army, the tribes within the mountains and hills of Central Litauisch chose to instead swear fealty to the Order, seeing as much of their local economy had become dependent on Dolch merchants and river trade routes. These territories would be split between the natives, church and army, becoming the Lordship and Bishopric of Siela. This acquisition would mean that the Dolch had uncontested access to the rest of Litauisch, and the peninsula would be fully under Dolch control by 1427.

Geography

Climate

The climate of Baltica varies wildly depending on region. Much of the East consists of a Mediterranean climate, with high average tempertures and low huminidty year round. The Litauisch Paninsula to the South of Baltica also rests within the Mediterranean zone, but sees much lower huminidity than even nearby Vikija Region. Much of the West however, is quite humid and temperate experiencing warm summers and cold winters. This climate divide is largely caused by the Kretin Mountains, that cut off the Mediterranean east from the more humid West. Temperatures throughout Baltica typically average at the mid 30-35 °C in the summer, whilst during winters temperatures can reach as low as -27 °C in the Western Territories. Snow is common and rivers often freeze up in the west, although in the south, the warmer temperatures often mean that freezing or snow is rare, although possible as seen in 2011, when the Goja River froze.

Climate data for Baltica
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	10.9 (51.6)	11.8 (53.2)	17.5 (63.5)	25.5 (77.9)	31.0 (87.8)	31.3 (88.3)	35.2 (95.4)	30.9 (87.6)	28.8 (83.8)	21.1 (70.0)	16.6 (61.9)	11.3 (52.3)	37.2 (99.0)
Record low °C (°F)	−32.2 (−26.0)	−38.6 (−37.5)	−36.4 (−33.5)	−26.4 (−15.5)	−18.2 (−0.8)	−7.0 (19.4)	−5.0 (23.0)	−10.8 (12.6)	−16.1 (3.0)	−26.4 (−15.5)	−34.2 (−29.6)	−40.6 (−41.1)	−51.5 (−60.7)
Source: Baltican Weather Administration

Environment

The primary territory of Baltica lies in Southern Argis, with much of the Nations North being comprised of the Kunijan Mountains, whilst the far south is home to the large Litauisch Paninsula. The physical geography of Baltica varies considerably depending on how far East or West one is. Most of the East consists of Hills and occasional flatland, with some prevlant revers such as the Liplan and Goja. However, Western Baltica is a lot more flat, and consits of many more bogs, wetlands, marshes and bogs. Before the Industralisation of Baltica in the 1960s, these features made up over 40% of Western Baltica, but now only makes up less than 25% of all land in Western Baltica. Besides wetlands, forests are also quite abandon through Baltica, especially in the West, constituting most of the territory. The largest natural forest remains the Draigai Forest, which at one point used to be much larger but due to logging in the recent decades has greatly diminished in size. However, most of these forests can only be found in western or northern Baltica, as areas like Visagris had undergone large deforestation and land transformation during the 1970s. Although new legislation exists to prevent the type of deforestation Baltica experienced during the late 20th century, logging and land transformation remains rapid in some regions, and the yearly loss of both forests and wetlands is still quite common.

Flatlands near the city of Kauni.

Rivers are quite abandoned in Baltica, with over 300 rivers flowing all over the nation, the largest of which are the Liplan River and the Balandeli Rivers. Historically rivers acted as economic and Industrial centres of Baltica and many of its modern cities still reside along historically vital rivers. Although rivers in Baltica are typically quite fresh and not contaminated, due to the recent Civil War many of them have been contaminated due to oil and chemical spills. This was seen in the Kauni river, which experienced a large oil spin due to conflict around Kauni oil refineries.

Economy

Energy

The Krugiti Coal Power Plant, shortly before the great fire in 2001.

Energy mix in Baltica.

  Coal (46%)

  Oil (18%)

  Hydro (11%)

  Biofuel (8.7%)

  Solar (8.2%)

  Wind (5.1%)

  Geothermal (3%)

Baltica has historically had a track record of poor energy production. Due to the very high instability and consistent fighting between the German Balts and the Regular Balts, multiple so-called “mega projects” have been abandoned due to the government's failure to secure both funding and materials to construct them. As such, Baltica had to mainly rely on coal, and eventually oil, for most of its energy production. The Krugiti Coal Power Plant was the largest coal power plant in Baltica. For a while it was the main energy production site, supplying over 19% of all energy needs in Baltica.

However, following a large fire in 2001, the power plant had to be closed and Baltica had to begin expanding its energy variety. Currently, multiple of the “mega projects” have been pushed into the limelight. In particular, the large Ugadi Nuclear Power Plant, planned to be constructed in the city of Ugadi, and the Kretia Hydroelectric Power Station, a planned hydroelectric dam to be constructed on the Balandi river. Although currently these projects are only in the planning stages, if they were to be constructed they have the potential to turn Baltica into an energy exporter, and possible key player in middle Argis.

For now, about 46% of all energy in Baltica comes from coal, with 18% from oil, and 11% with Hydro. The rest make up a small minority, including: Biofuel (8.7%), Solar (8.2%), Wind (5.1%), and geothermal (3%).

Industry

A logging camp in Sveaja.

For most of its existence, Baltica had been an agrarian state. To fuel its economy, the country mostly relies on its southern territories, which have a strangely fertile soil. Today it still remains Baltica's largest Industry, making up over 21% of all total GDP, and employing over a million people. It's mostly known for its cheese, known as Dzugi, which almost makes up 2% of the whole economy. Dairy as a whole remains a big part of the Agricultural Sector. Strawberries, potatoes, wheat, and rye make up most of the crops produced by Baltica, rye especially, due to its use in alcohol and bread making.

Although Baltica's industry is comparably small, over the recent years it has begun to specialize in manufacturing, specifically furniture. Baltica has developed a taste for constructing mostly wood made items, relying on its abundance in forested areas in the North to fuel this recent expansion. Notably, the company Uklea has created a monopoly of wood manufacturing and harvesting, and is leading Baltica to an age of economic growth. Other companies have been opened in the mostly rural undeveloped North, leading to the northern economic boom.

Although Baltica doesn't produce many luxury goods, the nation has been renown for its alcohol, which some consider the best in Argis. It also led to Baltica becoming one of the highest consumers of alcohol in the world. Cigarettes also remain a very sought after commodity in Baltica, with local brand Uki being the favorite in Baltica by far; manly due to its low cost and availability. Although the fur trade is not as prevalent in Baltica as it once used to be, areas of the north are still regarded as producing some of the finest traditional fur clothing in the entirety of Argis.

Infrastructure

AT 53, the most common train in Baltica.

Most of Baltica is quite interconnected, with almost all settlements over 100 people having a main road going in and out. Despite this, much of the Northern Woodlands remain quite isolated from the rest of the nation, partly due to a lack of population, but also the large wood coverage making it difficult to build and maintain roads and train tracks. The “National Spine” or R1, is the main road spanning much of the nation. It connects the capital, Goja to the large settlements of Kauni, Sveaja, Kretia and Visagana. It's by far the most used road network, and subsequently the most maintained. Other road networks include the RA1, a road network made for connecting the region of greater Kretia, as well as the R15, a road network connecting the southern region of Jounikis.

Rail remains the most popular form of transport in Baltica, mainly due to its availability and the fact that it's much cheaper than owning cars (Which are heavily taxed). Most of Baltica uses electric trains, although some parts of the underdeveloped North still continue to run on coal or even oil powered trains due to a lack of funds. The main rail track (A1) goes from Sveaja, Kauni and into Bazinas. This rail line continues to be the most popular by far, mainly due to it being around the industrial and agricultural hubs of the Kauni region.

The Goja track (A11), which connects Goja to Kretia and Eleania remains an important track for industry, as it connects the larger ports of Kretia and Eleania to the nation's industrial capital, Goja. In recent decades, there has been a large push to create new rail lines along the National Spine. Even today, many large cities are still not connected to one another. This forces people to use the underdeveloped bus transport to get to large cities in order to access the trains. As such, the government has responded with the announcement of the creation of the A30. This train line will connect the previously mentioned A11 and A1, as well as connect the cities of Visagana and Jounikis to the wider train line system.