Albertine Order of Leibowitz (AOL)

The monastic order established by New Rome to preserve human history in the wake of the Simplification. Permission comes 12 years after Isaac Edward Leibowitz grows convinced his wife has perished in the Flame Deluge, joins the Cistercians, is ordained priest, and collects a band of followers. The order is named after Albert the Great, teacher of Thomas Aquinas and patron of men of science. Its first habit is burlap rags and bindlestiffs (bedrolls), matching the uniform of the simpleton mob. Brothers are divided into two groups, "Bookleggers" and "Memorizers," and spend centuries preserving any scrap of knowledge they can find, regardless of content, in hopes some day someone will want it and begin a renaissance. Featured abbots include Dom Arkos (26th century), Dom Paulo (32nd century), and Dom Zerchi (38th century.) In the 38th century, the Order heavily recruits space veterans in anticipation...