Annointing
Used whenever a Sanctified obtains a new rank or position, the Anointing, which must be conducted by a Priest or recognized covenant official, involves little more than a recited litany, a series of formal responses offered by the supplicant, and the drawing of any one of several religious symbols on the supplicant’s head. The drawing is done in blood, and the supplicant is forbidden from washing it off until the next night. (Recently Anointed Sanctified do not frequently go out among kine.) This ceremony is why many Lancea Sanctum officers, officials and agents are referred to, collectively, as the Anointed.
Among some young Sanctified, the Anointing assumes a more primal form. They celebrate such events not with a simple touch of blood but with what is called a Blood Bath. The Blood Bath serves the same purpose, but the subject (often along with the other participants) is literally drenched in blood. Those who do not enter frenzy are accorded great respect, while those who succumb are mocked for their lack of control. Elder Lancea Sanctum members consider the Blood Bath a corruption of an ancient tradition, but as long as young Priests do not conduct it in such a way as to threaten the Masquerade, critics bite back their distaste and “let the whelps play.”
An Anointing is a critical ritus for The Lancea Sanctum, offering a ceremony that marks a vampire as having accepted a new and esteemed role among the Sanctified. Whether it’s a neonate assuming the role of abecedarian or a Priest accepting the mantle of a Bishop, the act of Anointing is the same.
Anointing often takes place after Midnight Mass — usually the Mass after a covenant member accepts the proffered position. The congregation isn’t required to stay for an Anointing, though many do, and, indeed, some Anointings are held in private. The only Sanctified required to be present is the promoted vampire’s coterie and the Priest, Bishop or other ranking officiate, usually the one who presided over Midnight Mass. During the most common Anointing ceremony, the promoted vampire has symbolic Stigmata carved into each of her palms. Blood suppurates from these wounds and is mixed with scented olive oil, and this infusion is then drawn across the vampire’s forehead by the thumb of the appropriate Priest or Bishop. Once this is done, the attendants read from the Catechism and pray. Finally, the elevated vampire kisses a copy of the Testament, and that ends the ritual. She now officially assumes whatever role she was offered by The Lancea Sanctum.
Other types of Anointings certainly occur, but almost all leave some sort of distinguishing mark upon the recipient so that others can witness the acknowledgement of her achievements and Status.
Among some young Sanctified, the Anointing assumes a more primal form. They celebrate such events not with a simple touch of blood but with what is called a Blood Bath. The Blood Bath serves the same purpose, but the subject (often along with the other participants) is literally drenched in blood. Those who do not enter frenzy are accorded great respect, while those who succumb are mocked for their lack of control. Elder Lancea Sanctum members consider the Blood Bath a corruption of an ancient tradition, but as long as young Priests do not conduct it in such a way as to threaten the Masquerade, critics bite back their distaste and “let the whelps play.”
An Anointing is a critical ritus for The Lancea Sanctum, offering a ceremony that marks a vampire as having accepted a new and esteemed role among the Sanctified. Whether it’s a neonate assuming the role of abecedarian or a Priest accepting the mantle of a Bishop, the act of Anointing is the same.
Anointing often takes place after Midnight Mass — usually the Mass after a covenant member accepts the proffered position. The congregation isn’t required to stay for an Anointing, though many do, and, indeed, some Anointings are held in private. The only Sanctified required to be present is the promoted vampire’s coterie and the Priest, Bishop or other ranking officiate, usually the one who presided over Midnight Mass. During the most common Anointing ceremony, the promoted vampire has symbolic Stigmata carved into each of her palms. Blood suppurates from these wounds and is mixed with scented olive oil, and this infusion is then drawn across the vampire’s forehead by the thumb of the appropriate Priest or Bishop. Once this is done, the attendants read from the Catechism and pray. Finally, the elevated vampire kisses a copy of the Testament, and that ends the ritual. She now officially assumes whatever role she was offered by The Lancea Sanctum.
Other types of Anointings certainly occur, but almost all leave some sort of distinguishing mark upon the recipient so that others can witness the acknowledgement of her achievements and Status.
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