At the Sign of Triumph
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The Order of Pasquale is another powerful and influential order of the Church. Like the Order of Bédard, the Pasqualates are a teaching order, but their area of specialization is healing and medicine. They turn out very well-trained surgeons, but they are blinkered against pursuing any germ theory of medicine because of their religious teachings. All licensed healers on Safehold must be examined and approved by the Order of Pasquale, and the order is deeply involved in public hygiene policies and (less deeply) in caring for the poor and indigent. The majority of Safeholdian hospitals are associated, to at least some degree, with the Order of Pasquale. The head of the Order of Pasquale is normally, but not always, a member of the Council of Vicars. The order’s color is green, and its symbol is a caduceus.
The Order of Sóndheim and the Order of Truscott are generally considered “brother orders” and are similar to the Order of Pasquale, but deal with agronomy and animal husbandry respectively. Both are teaching orders and they are jointly and deeply involved in Safehold’s agriculture and food production. The teachings of the Archangel Sóndheim and Archangel Truscott incorporated into the Holy Writ were key elements in the ongoing terraforming of Safehold following the general abandonment of advanced technology. Both of these orders lost their mandatory seats on the Council of Vicars over two hundred years ago, however. The Order of Sóndheim’s color is brown and its symbol is a sheaf of grain; the Order of Truscott’s color is brown trimmed in green, and its symbol is a horse.
The Order of Hastings is the most junior (and least powerful) of the current great orders. The order is a teaching order, like the Orders of Sondheim and Truscott, and produces the vast majority of Safehold’s cartographers, and surveyors. Hastingites also provide most of Safehold’s officially sanctioned astronomers, although they are firmly within what might be considered the Ptolemaic theory of the universe. The order’s “color” is actually a checkered pattern of green, brown, and blue, representing vegetation, earth, and water. Its symbol is a compass.
The Order of Jwo-jeng, once one of the four greatest orders of the Church, was absorbed into the Order of Schueler in Year of God 650, at the same time the Grand Inquisitorship was vested in the Schuelerites. Since that time, the Order of Jwo-jeng has had no independent existence.
The Order of Andropov occupies a sort of middle ground or gray area between the great orders of the Church and the minor orders. According to the Holy Writ, Andropov was one of the leading Archangels during the war against Shan-wei and the Fallen, but he was always more lighthearted (one hesitates to say frivolous) than his companions. His order has definite epicurean tendencies, which have traditionally been accepted by the Church because its raffles, casinos, horse and/or lizard races, etc., raise a great deal of money for charitable causes. Virtually every bookie on Safehold is either a member of Andropov’s order or at least regards the Archangel as his patron. Needless to say, the Order of Andropov is not guaranteed a seat on the Council of Vicars. The order’s color is red, and its symbol is a pair of dice.
* * *
In addition to the above ecclesiastical orders, there are a great many minor orders: mendicant orders, nursing orders (usually but not always associated with the Order of Pasquale), charitable orders (usually but not always associated with the Order of Bédard or the Order of Pasquale), ascetic orders, etc. All of the great orders maintain numerous monasteries and convents, as do many of the lesser orders. Members of minor orders may not become vicars unless they are also members of one of the great orders.
TOR BOOKS BY DAVID WEBER
The Safehold Series
Off Armageddon Reef
By Schism Rent Asunder
By Heresies Distressed
A Mighty Fortress
How Firm a Foundation
Midst Toil and Tribulation
Like a Mighty Army
Hell’s Foundations Quiver
At the Sign of Triumph
Out of the Dark
About the Author
David Weber is the author of the New York Times bestselling Honor Harrington series, the most recent book of which was A Rising Thunder. He lives in South Carolina. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Map
October/Year of God 897
Chapter I
November/Year of God 897
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter VII
Chapter VIII
February/Year of God 898
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter VII
Chapter VIII
Chapter IX
Chapter X
Chapter XI
Chapter XII
Chapter XIII
Chapter XIV
April/Year of God 898
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter VII
Chapter VIII
Chapter IX
Chapter X
Chapter XI
Chapter XII
May/Year of God 898
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
June/Year of God 898
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter VII
Chapter VIII
Chapter IX
Chapter X
Chapter XI
Chapter XII
July/Year of God 898
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
August/Year of God 898
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter VII
Chapter VIII
February/Year of God 899
Chapter I
Author’s Note
Glossary
Tor Books by David Weber
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
AT THE SIGN OF TRIUMPH
Copyright © 2016 by David Weber
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Stephen Youll
Map by Ellisa Mitchell
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates
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First Edition: November 2016