Lance Sanctum - Asia
Evidence suggests that The Testament of Longinus did not pass to the Damned beyond Persia any earlier than the fourteenth century, when St. Odoric embarked upon a missionary journey to bring the Sanctified faith to the East. Little is known of his precise travels or the degree of success he encountered, but stories of his visit and a folio attributed to his hand were revealed to Patriarch Paulus upon his arrival in Singapore during the missionary efforts of the eighteenth century. Stories also continue to circulate that a trio of elders of European extraction have been in the Eastern Himalayas for more than five centuries, ensconced in an ancient monastery and practicing rites too similar to Theban Sorcery to be dismissed as simple coincidence. Truly, the revelations of Longinus know no borders, and even the most inaccessible reaches of the globe cannot remain untouched by the righteous truth.
Where European colonial powers had the greatest influence — India, coastal China, Japan, and Southeast Asia — so too has The Lancea Sanctum. A mix of creeds competed for the Eastern Damned, but despite their efforts none survived the experience. Instead, wherever the covenant did take root it sacrificed a great deal to do so. The tenets and practices were for the most part preserved, but the strong cultural and religious influences of the region permeated nearly every other aspect of the faith. The emphasis on personal discipline, moral rectitude and philosophical introspection overshadowed the traditional focus on penance, submission, and evangelism as well as the West’s strong reliance upon ceremony. Of course, not every domain adopted precisely the same creed as others in Asia. A dozen prominent flavors of Lancea Sanctum faith now Dominate, each mirroring the local values or traditions. Attempts at enforcing stricter orthodoxy failed repeatedly, and tonight only a few Bishops of the East ascribe to a decidedly Western creed.
The most notable schism between the covenant in the West and the East is the adoption in the East of a third important angelic visitation. According to scripture, the angel Marael appeared to many of the Princes of the region, sometime between the 2nd and 6th centuries. The angel wielded the Spear of Destiny, fresh with blood, and told his startled listeners they would see the Spear again, dark with the blood of God the next time, and that they were to heed the words of those who bore it for it would “open the heavens and bring down a storm of blood and enlightenment on those who are lost in the darkness.” The appearance of the angel varies, but his words are always the same. Some Western Sanctified speculate that Marael may have simply been Vahishtael, but others discount that, either refuting the stories in their entirety or suggesting that the Almighty may have indeed sent one of his other servants to prepare the way for the Testament in so foreign a land.
The Lancea Sanctum tends to have the greatest political power and social influence in the large coastal cities. Many cities further inland have never boasted a significant Lancea Sanctum presence. In these places the covenant, when it does exist, is more often only one of a handful of religiously oriented covenants, and rarely the dominant one.
In almost no domain does the covenant take an aggressive approach to power, however. Instead, it prefers to ally itself with at least one other traditionally formidable covenant — whether one of Western origins, like The Invictus, or one of local manufacture. Its members act as advisors on moral and spiritual as well as political and even martial matters, a role accepted given the generally more holistic view of governance common among the Damned here. In some cities, The Lancea Sanctum is actually subsumed into another covenant, sacrificing some of its independent authority, but in turn giving it far greater power in areas it typically does not tread. For this reason, Sanctified visiting from the West may have a very difficult time distinguishing whether The Lancea Sanctum even exists in an Eastern city on cursory investigation.
Asceticism is common here, and membership in The Lancea Sanctum can be far more difficult to accomplish than in the West. Prospective initiates may be required to fast, overcome an opponent or personal weakness, or master a certain precept or Discipline before being acknowledged into the covenant and allowed to participate in its often closed ceremonies. Theban Sorcery is particularly guarded, and its use is ordinarily forbidden except in those instances deemed appropriate by Sanctified teachers. To do otherwise is considered sinful and a misuse of sacred power.
Outside of India, Inquisitors are rare. Heresy does exist, but it is usually isolated and is most often ignored rather than actively quashed. It is the axiom of many Sanctified here that even The Testament of Longinus contains only a grain of knowledge and that it is not their place to decide who and who does not truly understand God’s Will. The best they can do is strive to follow the example of Longinus and hope that they do not stray too far.
Where European colonial powers had the greatest influence — India, coastal China, Japan, and Southeast Asia — so too has The Lancea Sanctum. A mix of creeds competed for the Eastern Damned, but despite their efforts none survived the experience. Instead, wherever the covenant did take root it sacrificed a great deal to do so. The tenets and practices were for the most part preserved, but the strong cultural and religious influences of the region permeated nearly every other aspect of the faith. The emphasis on personal discipline, moral rectitude and philosophical introspection overshadowed the traditional focus on penance, submission, and evangelism as well as the West’s strong reliance upon ceremony. Of course, not every domain adopted precisely the same creed as others in Asia. A dozen prominent flavors of Lancea Sanctum faith now Dominate, each mirroring the local values or traditions. Attempts at enforcing stricter orthodoxy failed repeatedly, and tonight only a few Bishops of the East ascribe to a decidedly Western creed.
The most notable schism between the covenant in the West and the East is the adoption in the East of a third important angelic visitation. According to scripture, the angel Marael appeared to many of the Princes of the region, sometime between the 2nd and 6th centuries. The angel wielded the Spear of Destiny, fresh with blood, and told his startled listeners they would see the Spear again, dark with the blood of God the next time, and that they were to heed the words of those who bore it for it would “open the heavens and bring down a storm of blood and enlightenment on those who are lost in the darkness.” The appearance of the angel varies, but his words are always the same. Some Western Sanctified speculate that Marael may have simply been Vahishtael, but others discount that, either refuting the stories in their entirety or suggesting that the Almighty may have indeed sent one of his other servants to prepare the way for the Testament in so foreign a land.
The Lancea Sanctum tends to have the greatest political power and social influence in the large coastal cities. Many cities further inland have never boasted a significant Lancea Sanctum presence. In these places the covenant, when it does exist, is more often only one of a handful of religiously oriented covenants, and rarely the dominant one.
In almost no domain does the covenant take an aggressive approach to power, however. Instead, it prefers to ally itself with at least one other traditionally formidable covenant — whether one of Western origins, like The Invictus, or one of local manufacture. Its members act as advisors on moral and spiritual as well as political and even martial matters, a role accepted given the generally more holistic view of governance common among the Damned here. In some cities, The Lancea Sanctum is actually subsumed into another covenant, sacrificing some of its independent authority, but in turn giving it far greater power in areas it typically does not tread. For this reason, Sanctified visiting from the West may have a very difficult time distinguishing whether The Lancea Sanctum even exists in an Eastern city on cursory investigation.
Asceticism is common here, and membership in The Lancea Sanctum can be far more difficult to accomplish than in the West. Prospective initiates may be required to fast, overcome an opponent or personal weakness, or master a certain precept or Discipline before being acknowledged into the covenant and allowed to participate in its often closed ceremonies. Theban Sorcery is particularly guarded, and its use is ordinarily forbidden except in those instances deemed appropriate by Sanctified teachers. To do otherwise is considered sinful and a misuse of sacred power.
Outside of India, Inquisitors are rare. Heresy does exist, but it is usually isolated and is most often ignored rather than actively quashed. It is the axiom of many Sanctified here that even The Testament of Longinus contains only a grain of knowledge and that it is not their place to decide who and who does not truly understand God’s Will. The best they can do is strive to follow the example of Longinus and hope that they do not stray too far.