Order of the Thorn
| Order of the Thorn Ordo Spini (Latin) | |
|---|---|
| Type | Order of merit |
| Established | 14 August 1699 |
| Country | Sanctaria |
| Ribbon |  |
| Motto | Acta fortium |
| Criteria | Meritorious conduct in military service of Sanctaria or in the defence and security of the realm |
| Status | Currently constituted |
| Grand Master | President of Sanctaria |
| Secretary General | Secretary for Homeland Security |
| Grades |
|
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Order of the Dove |
| Next (lower) | None |
The Order of the Thorn (Latin: Ordo Spini) is a Sanctarian order of merit founded on 14 August 1699 by Paul VIII, Patriarch of the Church of Sanctaria to honour Sanctarians who proved themselves in battle while in service of the Patriarch. Although it is Sanctaria's oldest order of merit, it is the lowest ranking of the three, with the Order of the Dove and Order of Sanctaria ranking higher.
The Order's motto is Acta fortium, which translates to "Acts of the Brave" and, since November 1974 and the transfer of power from the Church of Sanctaria to a secular independent government, the Order's Grand Master has been the President of Sanctaria. The Secretary of Homeland Security is nominally the Secretary General of the Order, but in reality civil servants in the Department of Homeland Security carry out this duty.
Appointees to the Order typically are those who have given long service, or shown valour in battle, in the Sanctarian Defence Forces, however members of the Sanctarian Federal Police, Sanctarian Intelligence Service, or Federal Intelligence Agency who are killed in the line of duty are also eligible to be posthumously appointed.
Grades[edit | edit source]
The five grades of appointed to the Order are, in descending order of precedence:
Officially the full names of the grades are "GRADE NAME of the Order of the Thorn", but the full titles have fallen out of use, with only the actual grades themselves used in common parlance.
Description[edit | edit source]
History[edit | edit source]
Notes[edit | edit source]
- ↑ This is the only grade in the entirety of the Sanctarian honours system that allows for individuals to be appointed posthumously. Only those who are killed in the line of duty while in the service of the Sanctarian military, police, or intelligence forces are eligible to be appointed to this rank.
- ↑ Individuals in the Sanctarian Defence Forces who reach flag officer level (that is, who are promoted to general/admiral rank or above) are appointed to this rank as a matter of form, should they not have already been appointed to it already.