Bishop
Status: Lancea Sanctum (•••+)
While an Archbishop tends to be the central authority in a given city, the Bishops really have a greater level of personal power. While the Archbishop may be responsible for the overarching scheme of the covenant in a domain, this duty more commonly falls to the Bishop (due to the relative rarity of Archbishops), who also deals directly with the Priests and those participating in the ritae. Bishops, responsible for the spiritual strength of the covenant, spend time at street level far more than any Archbishop. A Bishop is the frontispiece — the true face — of Sanctified authority. Indeed, Bishops are the Sanctified who make and carry out critical decisions for the covenant. Moreover, when rituals are held, especially the important Apostolica, a Bishop is the arbiter of such ceremonies, shepherding the congregation through the sacred rites of The Lancea Sanctum.
The number of Bishops in a city sometimes depends on the size of that city. Most cities warrant only a single Bishop, where large congregations of Sanctified see perhaps five (usually operating beneath an Archbishop). Generally speaking, the number of Bishops varies between one and three, with one being the most typical.
Numerous Bishops in a single domain under an Archbishop sit in council (called a Synod) and advise the Archbishop on matters that, in their minds, require attention. They have no direct power over the Archbishop — their words of advice are unenforceable. Some Bishops, however, manage a degree of leverage over their superior if they can earn the ear of the Cardinal or uncover something in the Archbishop’s past worthy of blackmail. A wise Archbishop pays attention to what the Synod tells him: Being closer to the Priests and local Sanctified, the Bishops see where the weaknesses in the covenant lie. They know whose faith is waning, what enemies wait just outside the gates, and what political machinations erode the covenant’s foundation.
Much of this presupposes that the Bishops consistently agree, which they do not — and that’s something that a shrewd Archbishop strives for, not against. On the practical side, it’s important to have Bishops of varying strengths to complement one another’s weaknesses. One Bishop may be a sharp-tongued politico, another may be a vigilant military hawk, and yet another could be a sanctimonious spiritual leader. It’s rare to find one Bishop with all those supposed qualities, and so several Bishops are chosen whose assets cover the spectrum. An Archbishop has a secondary, and less publicized reason to have a Synod of disparate Bishops, as well. If all Bishops in a city are cut from the same cloth, they are likely to agree on more issues than not. Agreeable Bishops make a unified force. Such a unified force can damage an Archbishop’s reputation, undermining his authority from within. The Bishops in this way can collect aggregate power over their superior by virtue of the Archbishop’s general ignorance. The Bishops are his connection to the vampire polis. Without them, he is lost. Hence, creating some dissention among the Synod actually helps the Archbishop. Not only does it create an atmosphere of competing ideas, but it also guarantees that the decisions of the Synod do not overpower those of the Archbishop.
Further, not every Synod answers to a single Archbishop. In those domains that have enough Sanctified to warrant a Synod, it may well be that no Archbishop exists. A member of another covenant may well have claimed the city’s praxis, or the Synod may serve the role of the domain’s ultimate authority. In these cases, one or more of the standing Bishops may have their hearts set on claiming the domain as an Archbishopric, but by no means does the existence of multiple Bishops guarantee the presence of an Archbishop.
Most Bishops are ancillae or elders, again based upon the given domain’s application of those titles. They are directly responsible for the Priests of a city, and are almost certainly Anointed (which becomes more likely based on their proximity to the local covenant’s top tiers of hierarchy).
The religious leader of the Lancea Sanctum in a domainis called the Bishop. The Prince may rule the city, but the Bishop is the highest authority where the Lancea Sanctum is concerned. Many Bishops hold other positions in the city power structure (such as Regent, Seneschal or Primogen), even if that power structure is not Sanctified-dominated, as most Princes are wise enough to recognize the substantial power a Bishop holds.
Bishop duties include all those of a Priest, but he is also responsible for managing the local activities of the covenant as a whole.
The number of Bishops in a city sometimes depends on the size of that city. Most cities warrant only a single Bishop, where large congregations of Sanctified see perhaps five (usually operating beneath an Archbishop). Generally speaking, the number of Bishops varies between one and three, with one being the most typical.
Numerous Bishops in a single domain under an Archbishop sit in council (called a Synod) and advise the Archbishop on matters that, in their minds, require attention. They have no direct power over the Archbishop — their words of advice are unenforceable. Some Bishops, however, manage a degree of leverage over their superior if they can earn the ear of the Cardinal or uncover something in the Archbishop’s past worthy of blackmail. A wise Archbishop pays attention to what the Synod tells him: Being closer to the Priests and local Sanctified, the Bishops see where the weaknesses in the covenant lie. They know whose faith is waning, what enemies wait just outside the gates, and what political machinations erode the covenant’s foundation.
Much of this presupposes that the Bishops consistently agree, which they do not — and that’s something that a shrewd Archbishop strives for, not against. On the practical side, it’s important to have Bishops of varying strengths to complement one another’s weaknesses. One Bishop may be a sharp-tongued politico, another may be a vigilant military hawk, and yet another could be a sanctimonious spiritual leader. It’s rare to find one Bishop with all those supposed qualities, and so several Bishops are chosen whose assets cover the spectrum. An Archbishop has a secondary, and less publicized reason to have a Synod of disparate Bishops, as well. If all Bishops in a city are cut from the same cloth, they are likely to agree on more issues than not. Agreeable Bishops make a unified force. Such a unified force can damage an Archbishop’s reputation, undermining his authority from within. The Bishops in this way can collect aggregate power over their superior by virtue of the Archbishop’s general ignorance. The Bishops are his connection to the vampire polis. Without them, he is lost. Hence, creating some dissention among the Synod actually helps the Archbishop. Not only does it create an atmosphere of competing ideas, but it also guarantees that the decisions of the Synod do not overpower those of the Archbishop.
Further, not every Synod answers to a single Archbishop. In those domains that have enough Sanctified to warrant a Synod, it may well be that no Archbishop exists. A member of another covenant may well have claimed the city’s praxis, or the Synod may serve the role of the domain’s ultimate authority. In these cases, one or more of the standing Bishops may have their hearts set on claiming the domain as an Archbishopric, but by no means does the existence of multiple Bishops guarantee the presence of an Archbishop.
Most Bishops are ancillae or elders, again based upon the given domain’s application of those titles. They are directly responsible for the Priests of a city, and are almost certainly Anointed (which becomes more likely based on their proximity to the local covenant’s top tiers of hierarchy).
The religious leader of the Lancea Sanctum in a domainis called the Bishop. The Prince may rule the city, but the Bishop is the highest authority where the Lancea Sanctum is concerned. Many Bishops hold other positions in the city power structure (such as Regent, Seneschal or Primogen), even if that power structure is not Sanctified-dominated, as most Princes are wise enough to recognize the substantial power a Bishop holds.
Bishop duties include all those of a Priest, but he is also responsible for managing the local activities of the covenant as a whole.
Type
Religious, Political
Alternative Naming
Presbyter, Monsignor, Shepherd
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