Lancea et Sanctum
The living and the dead have lost their way. It is not the first time. It will not be the last. The living shatter their painted windows and turn their monasteries to ruins; the newly dead deny that the Second Estate is — must be — the moral center of the Damned. Perhaps they do not even yet realize they are Damned. But they will come around, as they always do. And they will join in the scourging of the mortal faithful, and all will be set back on the path of righteousness.
So say the elders of the Lancea et Sanctum. But for all they claim that the flock has been lost before, this time is different. The Sanctified never bent knee to Rome, but their mortal charges did; and in faith and loyalty there was strength and redemption. Now, the power of God rests in the hands of the Queen, and nothing will ever be the same.
Schisms
In 380 AD, the Edict of Thessalonica was issued by Theodosius I, Valentinian II, and Gratian, making Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. The Roman Catholic church and, by extension, the pope, quickly became the most powerful religious organization in the world. That is, until Henry VIII, in one stroke of the pen, divorced Catherine of Aragon and appointed himself supreme head of the church.
This schism created deep fault lines in the church: Protestants plundered monasteries, shattered stained glass, and toppled statues. Catholics retaliated by calling forth the faithful, tearing families apart. Neighbors reported on each other for failing to cross themselves at mass. Mary I’s attempt to restore the strength of Catholicism resulted in the burning of thousands of heretics. Now it is Elizabeth’s choice, to navigate between the Scylla and Charybdis of Catholics and Protestants.
The Second Estate faces many conundrums. Does good behavior equal eternal salvation? Can a creature as cursed as a vampire save her immortal soul? Seeking salvation is heretical, but the gleam of temptation is always there. Is it possible to control the Hunger? When mortals execute their own brethren for false belief, is it the living or the dead who are doing the work of persecuting the faithful?
Many Kindred drawn to the Lancea et Sanctum were religious in their mortal lives. The covenant can bring comfort as well as the chill touch of judgment. Hell looms large in their imagination. Innocence is largely illusory. Religion is primarily about heavenly rewards. Vampirism is primarily about earthly rewards. Reconciling this seeming impossibility is at the heart of the Lancea et Sanctum.
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