The Federation Navy is well prepared for battle, but it is outnumbered and outgunned. With the help of Merlin and his various guises providing key information, the Reformists gain the upper hand throughout Siddarmark. The humans on Safehold avoid detection by reverting to a pre-electrical, … Simultaneously, frustration against the Inquisition for years of butchery and corruption boils over as rebel mobs rally behind Vicar Rhobair Duchairn. During the terraforming process, Shan-Wei hid an android, with the personality and memories of Nimue Alban, a Terran Federation Navy tactical officer, deep within a secret mountain base. The loss in battle of HMS Dreadnought, a state-of-the-art oceangoing ironclad, and delays in the introduction of the King Haarahld class of battleship set back the plan to regain total control of the seas. Off Armageddon Reef 2. Aware for some time that Merlin is superhuman, King Cayleb is allowed to join this "Inner Circle". Earl Thirsk is forced to turn over Admiral Manthyr and his men to the Inquisition. Charisian warships enjoy uncontested control of the seas as Charisian privateers shut down unfriendly trade. The prisoners are conveyed to Zion, where most die at the hands of Clyntahn's torturers. An Inquisition-led massacre ensues in Ferayd, Kingdom of Delferahk. She becomes the first female member of the Imperial Guard, eroding gender barriers throughout the empire by example. He performs a minor public penance to control the outrage over the Ferayd massacre. When they awakened on the surface for the first time, these "Adams and Eves" believed a God to have created them on Safehold, to live according to the teachings of the archangels – demigod identities assumed by the control staff under Administrator Eric Langhorne. A hopeless defense delays the end for several decades. The two prove to be a mental asset to an increasingly weary Merlin. And, he is currently planning for the humans of Safehold to run back into the Gbaba at some point...but that's all the details I could squeeze out of him!". Staynair takes Merlin to the secret Brethren of Saint Zherneau. The Inner Circle decides that in the short term, peace is more important than overthrowing Mother Church and its doctrine. Another group of administrators, however, opposed the "Archangel Langhorne" and his followers, believing that it was vital to keep humanity's knowledge of technology, of its own history, and – most importantly – the memory of the Gbaba threat alive. Father Paityr Wylsynn is inducted into the Inner Circle. The surviving royal family of Corisande travel home with Archbishop Staynair, where Princess Irys falls in love with her rescuer Duke Hektor Aplyn-Ahrmahk. With Merlin's guidance, Charis finds a way around it and forces his surrender. I think the war will wrap up next book, and we'll get book 1 type time jumps after that. The secret of who and what he is has been closely held. The Earl of Thirsk, the Dohlaran admiral who Cayleb defeated in Off Armageddon Reef, rebuilds his fleet from what he learned. Back in Charis, Emperor Cayleb retaliates by ordering the summary execution of captured Inquisition agents. In Siddarmark, Clyntahn deploys his "Sword of Schueler", a coup stoked by Temple Loyalist propaganda. The Temple kills or deports Siddarmarkian "heretics" to date held in concentration camps. Charis hangs the priests responsible, an unprecedented action. After the Gbaba attack the Solar System, a final colony fleet escapes after tricking the Gbaba into believing it had been destroyed. An emergency force of Charisian ships forever ends the Navy of God's threat to Charis in a daring night attack, at great cost. Mother Superior Nynian Rychtair—the savior of the Siddarmarkian state at the start of the "Jihad"—is admitted to the Inner Circle. Langhorne's "Church of God Awaiting" eventually prevails and sets up a militantly technophobic global theocracy, which deifies and worships Langhorne and demonizes Shan-Wei. Safehold Series 1. Clyntahn is visited by a fearful member of a secret faction of his political opponents, The Circle, who tells the Inquisition everything. There, he warily accepts the fealty of its governor, who is known for treachery. In Corisande, a popular reformist priest denounces the Temple's corruption, helping to quell the resistance. The series is good and well worth reading, however later books suffer from real time syndrome, where the time between the books being released is nearly the same as the time taking place in the book.. This possible event constitutes a danger to the development of the human race on Safehold since it was the so-called archangels that set up the Church of God Awaiting specifically to keep the human race wallowing in Middle Ages technology. In the north, the Harchongese Mighty Host of God and the Archangels is outmaneuvered by the use of Charisian non-rigid Zeppelin-style observation balloons for directing troop movements and indirect fire. A Terran fleet takes several enemy systems but is quickly overwhelmed when the vast Gbaba main force arrives. Charis deploys technology equivalent to the late 19th/early 20th century. Thirsk wins the first Temple Loyalist naval victory, forcing Admiral Gwylym Manthyr's fleet near Dohlar to surrender. Over time, Charis integrates Corisande as a constituent kingdom of its empire with Irys' brother Daivyn on the throne. A terrible winter sets in as the Temple's vast Army of God prepares to march, leaving the future in doubt. The Charisians prepare for a difficult occupation. Charisian prisoners from Dreadnought are rescued from Gwylym Manthyr's fate by a daring nighttime raid, but Dreadnought is captured almost intact for study by the enemy. Charisian success causes divisions among the Temple Loyalist forces, allowing the Reformists to begin routing them in detail; one battle with the army of the Empire of Desnair causes 90 percent enemy casualties. Safehold Series 10 primary works • 23 total works German: Nimue Alban In this bestselling science fiction series, humans have fled from Earth, which their enemies, the Gbaba, have left in smoldering ruins. Bolt-action rifles, grenades, land mines, massed artillery and corps-level tactics prove decisive against Temple forces. Lieutenant Hektor Aplyn-Ahrmahk, Duke of Darcos, and his men meet up with the fugitives after defeating their pursuers. Cayleb assembles his forces and embarks for the first target, Corisande. A Temple Loyalist tries to assassinate her in court. A decoy force of Charisian merchant ships tricks the Desnairian Empire's fleet into remaining in port. In Ferayd, Kingdom of Delferahk, the Imperial Charisian Navy proves that the Inquisition murdered innocents. They worship Langhorne as the leader of God's "Archangels", charged with guiding a permanent pretechnical society. The inevitable confrontation arrives 10 years later. Shan-Wei tries to defy this plan but is labeled a traitor and killed, along with most of her followers, by the orbital bombardment of their Alexandria settlement. Safehold Wiki is a FANDOM Books Community. One by one, each colony world is annihilated. In Delferahk, Earl Coris and the children of the late Prince Hektor escape Inquisition custody with Merlin's help. In order to keep this group from interfearing with their plans, the "archangels" destroyed the "techies"' compound with an orbital bombardment, only to be destroyed themselves by the vengeful husband of the "techie" leader, Commodore Pei Kau-yung, a short time later. [16], This article is about the David Weber post-apocalyptic science fiction novel series. He fails only because of high-tech clothing provided by Merlin. The introduction to Through Fiery Trials mentions the Alphanes, an alien species previously mentioned in Weber's own Honor Harrington universe. This status is enforced by a religious belief system discouraging scientific curiosity and forbidding any higher technological innovation on penalty of death. Clyntahn becomes the dominant member of the Group of Four. Yet the coup does great damage to the republic's resources. Charis deploys new steam-powered ironclads, shutting down the Army of God's supply lines, but not in time to save a forward-deployed force of Imperial Marines who are surrounded and killed to a man. However, in order to keep this last colony from attracting the Gbaba's attention with emissions of any kind, the administrators of the colonization project Operation Ark had the memory of the Safeholdians altered. Merlin barely saves Staynair's life from assassins. Like a Mighty Army debuted at #5 on the New York Times hardcover fiction best seller list. Zion orders its own rebuilt fleet to join with the rebuilt fleet of the Desnairian Empire and attack Charis. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Secretly trained and equipped militia in her service save Lord Protector Greyghor Stohnar. Groups of "Temple Loyalists" resist the new order, some violently. Nimue vows not to repeat the mistakes of the "Archangels", who used technology to perform "divine" acts. This forces him to reveal his "impossible" presence to Sharleyan. Efforts by Merlin (as "Dialydd Mab") rescue many, but the offensive cannot continue while they are cared for. The Empire of Harchong's massive serf army becomes modernized and remains a grave threat, but Charisian commanders express confidence that total victory is within reach. Hektor's children are smuggled to Delferahk. The Temple's brutal tactics start to backfire as its forces lose popular support in the Republic. In the 24th century, the Terran Federation—Earth and its colonies—discovers the ruins of a nearby alien civilization, the victim of an enemy they name the Gbaba. The lightning pace of innovation, while not directly heretical, causes longstanding Temple suspicions about Charis to boil over. Even so, he nearly fails. But a new player has arrived, one who knows many secrets-including Merlyn's own. Cayleb marries Queen Sharleyan of Chisholm, creating the Empire of Charis. Decades pass. Merlin breaks up a vast conspiracy that includes Temple Loyalist prelates, Corisandian nobles and the Grand Duke of Zebediah. Victory seems inevitable, but the Inquisition assassinates Prince Hektor to smear Cayleb and stir disorder. A terraforming team led by Pei Shan-Wei arrives first on a new world ahead of 8 million colonists. Frustrated Temple Loyalists abduct and torture him to death. Yet, amid the tragedy, success in the war becomes possible. The tenth book in the Safehold series, was released on January 8, 2019.[1]. Although the Charisians have not violated the proscriptions against technology, they have come fairly close with such things as steam engines and dirigibles. With the Jihad over at last, Duchairn becomes the new Grand Vicar and promulgates reform, but the Temple fractures into several national branches akin to the Church of Charis. Merlin earns the trust of the ruling Ahrmahk Dynasty and inspires several new "inventions" by Charis' military, science, and economic leaders. They name it Safehold. His residual memories of life during the last days of the Terran Federation caused him to seek answers from the "Archangels", who tried to erase him from history.