@4V29LN0n Yeah, that was my assumption as well. Although the folks talk about foreigners, but if we assume it's an empire, and the various countries under it are nominally separate entities, it wouldn't necessarily be out of the question. More importantly, they all seem to be able to talk the same language, even folks in the absolute boondocks. So, if it's indeed a German hegemony, it had to happen quite a while ago.
Edit: However, since then I've thought it's just a fantasy land borrowing heavily from real history, cultures, peoples, traditions, and such.