Lancea Sanctum - Coteries
Is a faith without action a sincere faith? — Jean Racine, Athaliah
The deathless priests of the Damned, the members of the Lancea Sanctum represent the cult of Longinus, which stands as the preeminent religion of God’s secret race: the Kindred. Yet the varied and fickle domains of the undead make it all but impossible for a global institution to present a unified face. An unknowable World of Darkness separates the cities where the undead dwell as it has since the fall of Rome and the Camarilla. So the Damned emulate the practices of God’s mortal churches and divide the world geographically into parish domains responsible for the packs of predators in their keeping. Likewise, the Lancea Sanctum divides its membership into coteries responsible for specific rites, duties and operations. After all, it is easier for the Damned to memorize particular rites and specialize in particular practices, just as it is easier for a Priest to recognize the worshippers in his local parish.
In the Old World, coteries of faithful or loyal vampires are played like pieces on the chessboard of Kindred politics — and they know it. This isn’t necessarily a frustrating or embarrassing fact for coteries in service to the Lancea Sanctum. Membership in a Sanctified coterie is a chance to gain glory or enlightenment through association with fellow covenant members, and it’s an honor to be a part of the larger strategies of the church elders. Even when larger or more varied groups of vampires could be used for a given task, individual coteries can be employed to test the group for future tasks or reward it with recognition for previous assignments.
Although the short distances between cities in western Europe could allow for rapid reorganization of task-specific coteries, the covenant knows that vampires who foster reliable and familiar relationships with others of their kind find a stability that leads to faithfulness and a unity that leads to loyalty. The Damned can take a great span of time to become comfortable with one another. Without comfort, all discussions are shallow or halting. If a group of vampires is allowed to bond and develop trust, however, the members develop a rapport and delve deeper into discussions of faith and The Testament of Longinus. This philosophy has become a tradition over time. Therefore, the Lancea Sanctum uses organic or covenant-organized coteries for social or traditional reasons in Europe rather than logistical reasons.
In the Americas, coteries are seen as social constructs but are also logistically vital to the covenant. Vast distances between cities, greater rivalry from other covenants and a weaker historical foundation makes it somewhat difficult for the Lancea Sanctum to maintain a strong, unified identity in the New World. By breaking the covenant’s representation down into domain-sensitive coteries, the Lancea Sanctum uses its splintered identity to appeal to a wider array of the Damned. A coterie can identify, appeal to and serve the specific needs of a given parish, or it can direct neonates toward a nearby coterie or parish better suited to an individual’s particular needs or tastes. Coteries are personal enough to attract shy or frightened would-be converts and dynamic enough to chase down heretics without attracting too much attention.
The covenant can’t rely on historical momentum or common traditions to instill the same general acceptance of the gospel in American neonates that it can across the ocean. The Damned of Europe might not all accept or even tolerate the word of Longinus, but they can be counted on to hear of it within nights of their Embrace. In the Americas, the recently Damned too often survive those first precious nights without ever being exposed to the truth of a vampire’s place in Creation.
In those New World cities where the Lancea Sanctum’s foundations are weak or its membership low, small bands of devout vampires allow the covenant to maintain a spiritual presence without sparking unwanted political fires or threatening a Prince’s sense of lordship. If the covenant can’t yet influence an area with clear displays of righteous might or spiritual magnificence, it settles for a constant presence in the Requiems of the Damned who dwell there. In especially small, remote or hostile areas, a Sanctified coterie might be the sole presence of the Lancea Sanctum in the domain.
On both continents, specialized coteries and unique situations sometimes require multiple groups of the Damned to work in tandem. This experience is almost always cautious and uneasy for the vampires involved. Thankfully, ritualized behaviors and practiced formalities smooth the process, and the Lancea Sanctum has plenty of both for unacquainted Kindred to fall back on.
The righteous relationship that develops between unfamiliar vampires with a shared background in Sanctified traditions and routines is just one more advantage in the Lancea Sanctum’s favor. Shared references and the sureness of faith give disparate Kindred an ability to relate and work together that few other formalities of the society of the Damned can rival. Even vampires from opposite corners of the United States with different observances of Midnight Mass or the Creation Rite can find a common ground in The Testament of Longinus. As many Sanctified elders know, a mix of familiarity and strangeness sometimes yields the most prosperous coteries. Such groups have the trust necessary to work together smoothly, without the emotional baggage to distract from the priorities given to them by their leaders.
Both internal and external factors motivate the covenant to organize its members into coteries, but coteries also form organically as the result of circumstance or social connections between the Damned. The covenant recognizes any such organic coterie that is useful to the church as a whole. In time, however, an organic coterie can come to be seen as covenantorganized group and find itself assigned a new member, even though the coterie members thought of themselves as a social circle. In the same way, an organized coterie might bond (or become emotionally tangled) over time. A group that was intended to focus on the piety or loyalty of its predatory parishioners might instead find itself turned inward, concerned most with its own passion play.
Sanctified elders — and Inquisitors — keep a constant eye out for coteries whose interpersonal bonds could threaten the piety of its members or the group’s loyalty to the covenant. To be clear, the covenant does not discourage personal devotion among its members, but certain positions within the covenant demand its members to prioritize the covenant above the coterie. The first priority of any Sanctified must always be his role in God’s play.
The Invictus believes that the Lancea Sanctum holds the weaker position in the centuries-old rivalry, and many of the Sanctified elders are happy to let the Invictus think that way. The victory conditions for the Invictus involve the subordination of Sanctified power, but the Lancea Sanctum needs only to endure the trials of the alliance to maintain the partial victory it already enjoys. The Sanctified have little interest in seeing the Invictus destroyed. As long as that esteemed covenant continues to draw blame for the failures and strange anachronisms of Kindred society, the Lancea Sanctum can continue to take credit for the successes of organized spirituality and the precious traditions of Kindred society. The Invictus simply doesn’t stand in the way of what the Lancea Sanctum needs to achieve total victory. The two covenants are fighting different wars, but only the Sanctified seem to see that. The Invictus can claim dominion over the possessions and behavior of all vampires, but the Sanctified want to rule the thoughts and wills of their kind. The Invictus can impose formidable restrictions, but engaging in their power plays only diverts necessary attention from the Lancea Sanctum’s divine pursuits.
In a collective sense, all the Sanctified must do to maintain the covenant’s power and freedom is resist erosion by the Invictus. As long as the Invictus continues to pursue the ruination of the Lancea Sanctum, it plays the role the Sanctified want it to: the reliable aggressor. If the Invictus were to spend more time updating and modernizing itself, rather than halfmaintaining and half-undermining its alliances, it could break free of the calcified antiquity that binds the two covenants. In fact, it might leave the Lancea Sanctum vulnerable to serious losses in membership among modern-minded Kindred for whom religion is optional. The Sanctified depend on their ancient authority and customs to appear as a constant landmark on the social landscape. If the Invictus modernizes (or the Carthians develop substantial credibility) and tradition goes out of fashion — that is, if the Damned as a whole stop fearing a separation from the established ways — the Lancea Sanctum might not survive the cultural shift with its position of power intact.
So the Lancea Sanctum has worked for several decades to make itself attractive to modern Kindred without downplaying the fearsome romance of its old-fashioned ways. The idea is to build bridges that link godless modern vampires with a medieval faith in something larger, greater and more terrible than themselves — to translate a fascination with flat-screen TVs and the Internet into an appreciation for stained-glass windows and illuminated texts. That is, to convert contemporary vampires into devout Kindred and convince them that the philosophies of Longinus make up an undeniable part of the Requiem that’s not going away tonight or ever.
At the heart of the Lancea Sanctum, this mission is a sincere attempt to reach out to directionless, unaligned Kindred. The Lancea Sanctum believes it must bolster its reputation as a pillar of Kindred society not just to maintain power, but because Kindred society is genuinely better off with the guidance of Longinus’ words. While corrupt vampires seek out new devotees to swell their own egos or elevate their own status among the Sanctified, so too do devout Kindred carry out the covenant’s mission for the sake of those poor Damned souls who need faith to escape an existence of aimless monstrosity and become God’s predators.
Political games require the Sanctified to organize coteries that won’t appear threatening to dominant covenants in established domains, lest the First Estate demand more attention or the Sanctified find themselves at war with some paranoid Prince. Even when righteous violence seems justified, the Sanctified must sometimes send pilgrims in place of crusaders. This reputation for avoiding matters of political power makes it possible for the covenant to spread the word of Longinus in domains where conservatism would be unpopular or unwelcome. It also allows the Sanctified to guide influential vampires and impact local politics when it suits them.
The Lancea Sanctum’s oft-inherited status as the Second Estate requires the covenant to perform certain duties in support of the Invictus. Most of these duties are included in the roles of priest or paladin, however, and are no offense to the Sanctified. At the same time, at least a few of the Damned in each major city must be given the task of dancing with the scheming dilettantes of the First Estate to demonstrate respect or to watch for treachery.
So what happens when a coterie is given the freedom and authority to define what it means to be Sanctified in a given domain? Every vampire who encounters the coterie might believe that it represents the true and intended beliefs of the covenant. When a coterie’s sense of authority outweighs its sense of duty, what happens to loyalty? If an isolated coterie’s faith grows stronger than its ties to the covenant, does its allegiance slip? If so, in what direction?
Devout and charismatic Kindred become venerated cult leaders by design or by accident. Coteries turn inward and develop aberrant or heretical philosophies. Parishes mistake their own beliefs for those of the covenant at large. A coterie’s resemblance to its covenant can shift through carelessness and self-involvement or cavalier orthodoxy. Just how much can the coterie get away with when it has the run of the place?
The consequences for such coteries can be severe. Covenant representatives (themselves making subjective judgments based on their own experience with Sanctified practices) might either shepherd the group back in line or demand a sacrificial subject for a fiery demonstration.
The point is that, while the covenant upholds the idea that Sanctified coteries are centered on duty, some are all about faith and others are just a matter of geography. Coteries separated from large developments of the covenant by the rural dark and isolated from the surrounding vampire population by dogma seldom fit the Sanctified archetype. Some make use of Southern chapels and keep herds of mortal churchgoers for Vitae. Some handle snakes in ecstatic ceremonies. Others hide out in remote compounds and wage private crusades against the neighboring vampires. The word of Longinus has traveled far, but it’s spread by word of mouth, like a game of “telephone” played out over centuries. Not all coteries have heard the same message.
The covenant knows that not every vampire is suited to the most honorable jobs. There is no shame in performing an unglamorous job among the Sanctified. Authority and status are not accessible from every parish or every station, but any Kindred who dedicates himself to the service of the covenant and God, who strives to uphold the Traditions and exist as Longinus instructed, is respected and recognized for his faith. The root of faith is, after all, in the nightly demands on the Damned as the hunter and haunter of mortals.
The Lancea Sanctum does not accept sub-par work from vampires who feel they were meant for some other task. Longinus did not strive to become undead, but when the Requiem was thrust upon him, he met God’s challenge.
Unlike mortal religions, which can erect missions and temples in plain sight to inspire awe and attract converts, the Sanctified must evangelize in secret, preach in basements and ruins, hold Mass after hours where mortal eyes won’t find their devotions and sermonize in the dark. Without their own church steeples, bell towers, billboards or neon crucifixes to keep thoughts of religion in the minds of the masses, the Sanctified must constantly remind the populations of the Damned, constantly proselytize, and personally contact potential converts. While mortal missionaries can teach English, build chapels and leave behind Bibles, the Lancea Sanctum must revisit the same locations again and again or assume the roles of undead missionaries to spread the word to every neonate and childer created in recent nights. Each new vampire must be found and let in on the secrets of his own existence. Every childe brought into the Requiem must be given at least one chance to accept the word of Longinus before he is judged.
The missionaries of the Damned have it rough. Whereas a mortal child can be taught slowly, childer are Embraced stubborn. Some vampires come into the night with one religion already close to their heart. All of them come wearing a forfeited mortal coil. The notion that a whole layer of God’s plan has been hidden in the shadows outside the cathedral walls can be difficult for a new vampire to accept. Worse, mortal doubt can swell to fill the vast emptiness of a looming eternity. Vampires, like mortals, can be slow to see the light, so Sanctified missionaries must have magnificent patience. True missionaries and evangelists alike learn that conversion of the undead is seldom quick and never easy.
On the other hand, the Embrace has a way of shaking one’s faith in atheism. The transformation from the living to the Damned demands a reevaluation of the self and the world. These early nights are the ideal time to expose a vampire to The Testament of Longinus. It has been the experience of the covenant that vampires who are contacted within their first year or so as Kindred are likely to accept the existence of God even if they did not before. Souls who convert early are more likely to become missionaries themselves.
True Missionaries
Tonight, few of the coteries in search of converts classify as true missionaries. Most missionary coteries don’t bother to categorize themselves more precisely, anyway. The difference between missionary coteries and evangelical coteries is a practical one, and most coteries of one type spend at least some time as the other.
The idea of finding fledgling or untapped vampires and showing them the truth of their place on Earth is thrilling to missionary coteries. Seeing a new vampire react to the tale of Longinus reminds many missionaries of their own first exposure and acceptance of the Testament. Sharing that epiphany with another of God’s chosen is the reason many Kindred converts become missionaries. The bond that comes from a shared epiphany drives some missionary coteries to welcome new converts directly into their own circle. It’s irrefutable that many of the Damned trust the priest who exposed them to The Testament of Longinus more than they trust their own sires.
The job of a true missionary coterie is also dangerous. Though a large number of Sanctified missionaries encounter vehement or even violent opposition to the word of Longinus, many more simply disappear into the darkness between cities. To the surprise of young vampires, such losses are common even in areas that are heavily populated and modernized by mortals. It’s assumed that as many missionary coteries are lost to hostile vampires as are lost to werewolves or the simple attrition of unlife away from a reliable domain.
True missionary coteries travel often — sometimes to areas new to the Lancea Sanctum, sometimes to areas new to the Danse Macabre. In unstable regions, especially throughout the Americas, missionary coteries must even visit cities where vampires have been successfully converted in the past. The fact that the previous converts and missionaries are missing or destroyed suggests that such coteries should expect trouble. Therefore, missionary coteries attract vampires who are willing or eager to face danger, as well as vampires who were worldly in life or wish they had been.
The isolation of vampire dominions is exaggerated for a missionary coterie. Herd, Contacts, Allies, Havens and even Status can become useless. Forces press against the coterie from all sides, either driving the members together or breaking them apart. The coterie must be self-reliant, well motivated and flexible. The Damned are inherently territorial, though, so it’s very difficult to survive as a coterie on the move.
Outside the established domains of the Lancea Sanctum, coteries find themselves tempted by freedom. In time, every missionary coterie is forced to choose between its own survival and its devotion to the covenant. Although help might never arrive if the coterie gets in trouble it can’t handle, word of misdeeds might likewise never make it back to superiors.
Evangelists
Evangelists are the local voice of the Lancea Sanctum, the patient homebodies whose missionary goal is to convert the neighbors. Evangelical coteries are usually longterm residents of a domain, often well known throughout the city, and they sometimes occupy positions of power. In cities where the Lancea Sanctum is the dominant covenant, an evangelical coterie could comprise Harpies, promoting the glory of faith and undermining the reputations of those Kindred who’ve already decided not to convert. In cities with little Sanctified influence but an acceptance of the covenant’s limited presence, evangelist coteries often perform odd jobs for the covenant or its allies while working full-time to get the word out. Evangelical coteries might make regular rounds, visiting Kindred who’ll listen but aren’t yet ready to convert or attending a Prince’s court to offer advice and share news.
Some evangelical coteries are dedicated to converting specific other coteries or in changing the mind (and religious affiliation) of some influential vampire. Evangelical coteries need social skills, creativity and connections. It’s not uncommon in large cities for the Lancea Sanctum to organize evangelical coteries from Damned of each clan, creating a public relations body that can communicate across lines of Blood and, hopefully, belief.
These Kindred are in it for the long haul. As fixtures of the community, an evangelical coterie can’t afford to make important enemies. The social standing of the covenant can hang on the actions of an evangelical coterie, even if the political or martial standing of the covenant doesn’t.
Although evangelical coteries aren’t typically considered a threat by other covenants, they are sometimes targeted for violence because of their visibility.
Cultivators
Officially, so-called cultivators are not authorized by the Lancea Sanctum. For centuries, the existence of such coteries was denied. The undead can’t even decide if they’re coteries, cults or cells of secret operatives. The Lancea Sanctum does not claim responsibility for acts of cultivation among its membership, but it cannot deny that some Sanctified coteries have been breaking the Traditions under the covenant’s nose.
Cultivators scour the mortal herds for souls ripe for recruitment into damnation. Candidates are subtly tested and prepared for the Embrace. If the cultivators are sure that the candidate would make a loyal and valuable member of the covenant, she is Embraced and brought before the Anointed for acceptance into the covenant. This sort of recruitment is forbidden — it’s a violation of the Traditions that Longinus exalted — but is not as uncommon as the covenant claims.
In some cases, cultivators have gone so far as to break the Masquerade before deciding whether to Embrace a candidate. If the candidate isn’t chosen, he is destroyed before he can share what he has learned. In extreme cases, cultivators secretly Embrace the mortals they choose without observing the covenant’s Creation Rite, then they point the neonate toward the Lancea Sanctum and skip town to avoid punishment.
Are these coteries some sort of fringe cult? Violations of the Traditions and interactions with mortals are blatant violations of Kindred physiology as well as The Testament of Longinus, but the covenant has received some valuable new recruits as a result of these transgressions. Such brazen coteries experience strange nights, meddling in the affairs of mortals, perhaps out of misguided faith or perhaps in search of a power trip.
Arbiters
As priests are consulted on matters both religious and secular by mortal men, so too are the Priests of the Lancea Sanctum consulted by the Kindred. From individual vampires to Princes and Prisci, the Damned seek out neutral arbiters from the ranks of the Sanctified to help settle disputes and clarify interpretations of the Traditions. The moral and religious lessons that accompany such mediations are considered a reasonable price to pay for a dose of fair and rational thought or an unbiased perspective.
Of course, not just any priest will do. Sanctified members of the Primogen and other politically biased individuals are seldom consulted for arbitration. In some communities, no such neutral Kindred exists. In others, however, whole coteries of consular Kindred stand between hostile factions, religious differences, and furious punks. Coteries in the business of being neutral have the benefit of being allowed almost everywhere in the city but are cursed with constant petitions for aid. An arbiter coterie has the ear of the Prince only as long as it can stay neutral in the face of temptation, bribery and threats of violence — or only so long as it tells her what she wants to hear. If such a coterie gains enough respect, it might also attract the jealous hatred of an unappreciated Primogen or Regent.
Cases for arbitration are sometimes made by quoting from The Testament of Longinus. Arbiters then engage the aggrieved parties in discussions about the meaning of recited passages. The arbiter’s analysis and interpretation of those passages reveals the proper course of action.
Arbiter coteries might instead maintain an Elysium in the city where the Damned can find sanctuary. Even if the site isn’t officially Elysium under the mandate of a Prince or Regent, wise Kindred think twice before provoking the retribution of the Lancea Sanctum. Consider the advantages and difficulties of a coterie whose haven is considered neutral ground. When would the time be right for such a coterie to use all the information it accumulates and make a power play to earn the covenant real power in the domain?
Advisors
Advisors are renowned for their insight rather than their neutrality, whether the advising coterie is in the service of the Prince of some other influential Kindred figure. Even Bishops retain advisors to keep them informed of happenings among the Damned at ground level and below. Priests who serve as messengers, confessors or spiritual advisors might also serve as political advisors to superiors in the covenant hierarchy.
The duties of advisory coteries often require investigation, fact-finding missions and the vetting of new converts or visitors to the domain. Therefore, many advisors either have aspirations of becoming Inquisitors, or they develop such aspirations while on the job. Advisors are frequently too involved in the matters of feudal politics to develop the reputation necessary within the covenant to achieve truly authoritative positions. Instead, Sanctified advisors often find themselves drawn out of the religious sector of society and into the political sector, sometimes without even leaving the covenant. Some Bishops earn posts this way.
Messengers
As arbiters are respected for their neutrality, Sanctified messengers are ignored for it. In domains where the Lancea Sanctum can be taken for granted, messengers from that covenant are sometimes used by other covenants or organizations to bear packages and correspondence through hostile territories. Since the wrath of the Sanctified is so feared, messengers bearing a sigil of the covenant (often just a ring, pin or patch) might be allowed through dangerous territory unmolested. A whole coterie of messengers is even more secure, as the odds increase that at least one member of the coterie will escape to bring back the punishers of the Sanctified.
Messenger coteries, like arbiter coteries, gain access to otherwise forbidden regions of the city. Like missionaries, messengers travel and experience all the danger that doing so entails. Few coteries serve the covenant as messengers for long, however. Eventually, the coterie is either promoted or the covenant elders in the city put its freedom to some other use. Then it’s only a matter of time until the coterie’s credibility as a trustworthy third party is ruined.
The spiritual matters to which such coteries attend resemble mortal religious services of antiquity. Priests of Longinus perform all the duties of Jewish rabbis, Catholic priests and Muslim clerics, often in a manner that references or incorporates customs from multiple Judeo-Christian religions. The Damned have transcended many inter-religious conflicts as they have risen above mortal existence. A Sanctified Priest might even offer a vampire familiar rites and ceremonies from mortal religions to smooth the transition into the religion of the Damned (or lure him into the covenant).
Advisory coteries are as likely to be dedicated to spiritual matters as to matters of custom, so circles of wise Kindred might form de facto coteries with the duty of counseling a pious Prince or advising a Bishop. In Sanctified cities, the Bishops of various domains might be a coterie themselves, ostensibly organized to advise the Archbishop.
Confessors
According to most prevailing Lancea Sanctum dogma, the sins for which the Damned must atone are sins against the Traditions and The Testament of Longinus. The lessons of Longinus are never mastered; they must be learned and exercised each night. Every vampire must forever strive to more fully fill the space that God has made for him on Earth. Therefore, confession for Sanctified vampires is sometimes little more than an admission of failure and an acknowledgement of the tenets at which the sinner must work harder. Confessions of sins against the Traditions, on the other hand, serve the practical purpose of alerting the covenant to possible threats stemming from those transgressions: suspicious mortals, unacknowledged neonates and so forth.
The Lancea Sanctum does not grant absolution, for there can be none for the Damned. Instead, the Lancea Sanctum demands penance to strengthen the sinner’s resolve and sometimes grants pardons from the punishment that must otherwise come from violating the Traditions. A Priest is not required to pardon the Damned, though, and sinners should not assume that confessions are secret unless the confessor specifically says so. Some confessors grant their parishioners the privilege of silence to encourage confession, but such privileges are the policy of the confessor and not the mandate of the covenant as a church.
Coteries of confessors either travel the city to tend the flock (as with an esteemed Priest or in the retinue of a pious Primogen, for example) or maintain a venue where sinners can come for guidance and penance. Confessor coteries are often well connected and might be owed favors by parishioners of multiple clans and covenants. Confessors are also respected, for the penance a confessor demands might require material donations to the Lancea Sanctum or payment in pain. All charges are collected by the confessor. Resistance only results in the return of the confessor coterie with the backing of Sanctified Hounds or armed paladins.
Performers of Rites
Ritual coteries can be specialized in particular Sanctified ceremonies (such as the Creation Rite) or none at all. Some ritual coteries travel to private havens or Elysium to perform requested rites for secular vampires who are eager to keep the approval of the Lancea Sanctum. Others are simply the ritual experts for multiple Sanctified churches who tour an assigned circuit performing Midnight Masses on a regular schedule.
It’s the business of a ritual coterie to be familiar with (or create) as many of the various unique rites observed in the domain as possible. Ritual coteries might even take appointments to teach observances to local parishioners. A selected and honored few Sanctified coteries have the job of teaching the rites of Theban Sorcery. As a result, ritual coteries also become the covenant’s experts in the occult.
Hounds
The most common and least prestigious coteries of Sanctified combatants are Hounds. The name for these coteries comes from the name for a Prince’s enforcers, for the jobs of such coteries are identical. In some cases, Princes from other covenants even draw Hounds from the ranks of the Lancea Sanctum. Sanctified Hounds serve the church or the church and the Prince, but they usually answer to Bishops first and foremost. Those Bishops in turn balance the Prince’s wishes with the covenant’s own needs.
Hounds hunt, fight, punish and kill for the covenant. Hounds may be kept on a leash by confessors or Inquisitors, if so ordered by a Bishop. Hounds are rarely given long-term assignments, however, and almost never attain autonomy.
Paladins
Paladins, on the other hand, hunt, fight, punish and kill for God and Longinus. Paladins enjoy an autonomy born of unquestioned loyalty. Paladins are often given long-term goals by Sanctified elders and then let loose for years at a time to carry them out. A paladin coterie might be charged with the security of a Sanctified city, for example, or the elimination of an Acolyte cult. Some paladins find themselves at odds with allies even while they’re at war with the covenant’s enemies. Paladins are never put in the service of the Prince, however, even if they honor his position as preeminent Kindred of the domain. They obey a higher authority, and He speaks to the paladins of Longinus only through the covenant’s leaders.
The autonomy paladins require gives them the freedom to form more organic coteries and the flexibility to conscript vampires into the coterie as needed. Most paladins are crusaders, but some are extremely dedicated warriors out to better themselves. All, it seems, are violent zealots or armed fanatics.
Inquisitors Contrary to rumor, the Inquisitors of the Lancea Sanctum do organize into coteries. In practice, such coteries sometimes disguise themselves to appear as an Inquisitor backed by Hounds or paladins and maintain the reputation of the Sanctified Inquisitor who’s so clever and dangerous that he travels alone. In truth, most Inquisitors are too clever to travel alone.
Inquisitors organize into cells of peers and act by consensus when they are given the autonomy to do so. Inquisitors are a closed group, seemingly impenetrable to outsiders. The trust necessary for vampires to make such a fluid and powerful group is difficult to muster and harder to maintain. Inquisitors rarely let outsiders see them consult with one another. Newcomers can only be added to such a coterie at the order of a Bishop or his better. It is a formalized, almost professional relationship built on the foundations of the covenant itself.
Strategically, Sanctified coteries present a desirable appearance to the covenant’s enemies and those Damned yet to be converted. A coterie as a discrete unit can appear closed, incorruptible and impenetrable, inspiring fear and awe. On the other hand, a coterie can appear to be inclusive, supporting and inviting, making membership seem attractive. Coteries make it possible for individual vampires to relate to a global empire and allow the Sanctified to present two disparate representations of itself: the fearsome, mighty champion and the wise, benevolent guide.
The desire to see vampires congregate is rooted in the religion of the Lancea Sanctum, but the philosophy stems from monastic life rather than monogamy.
Longinus is sometimes described as becoming a hermit following his damnation, but the Lancea Sanctum believes that only the most devout and powerful of the Damned has the ability to exist as a lone predator. Most of the Damned, at least in these modern times, spend the entirety of their Requiems as pack hunters. Only revered elders manage to survive on their own for long, but only until the insatiable thirst that comes with age drives them into torpor. When they awaken, they are neither willing nor able to exist alone, at least until they regain a modicum of strength. Few vampires can become hermits as Longinus supposedly did.
The importance of Longinus’ hermitic existence isn’t in his isolation from other vampires, but his isolation from the mortal world. As medieval monks lived separate from the common folk, as wolves do not visit with sheep, so should the Damned dwell with their own kind and not make contact with mortals except as demanded by their station. Wolves that loiter in the vicinity of sheep become domesticated. God did not intend for the Damned to become the dogs of men.
A vampire requires social contact, and if that contact is not found among others of his kind, he finds it among mortals. Yet the temptation to fraternize with humans is a test of faith. The Damned are meant to hide from the mortal flocks, to wear the sheep’s clothing only when hunting. Anything else is a sin against God.
As the Sanctified see it, the primary interest of secular covenants is controlling the vertical axis of undead society — the realms of material power. This includes political, governmental, social and esoteric power. These facets of society lead to elitism and lordship and yield material wealth and social leverage. These things are always fleeting. The vertical axis soars like a skyscraper, from which everyone must eventually descend.
While it gladly accepts control over vertical elements of society when such control becomes available, the Lancea Sanctum’s true interests are in the sole rule of the horizontal facets of existence — the realms of spiritual power. This includes religious, spiritual and intuitive power. These facets lead to personal clarity and spiritual harmony, yielding wisdom and enlightenment. These things influence every aspect of material existence and carry over into Heaven and Hell after the Final Death. The horizontal axis is the foundation for all things, to which everyone must eventually return.
The Lancea Sanctum’s dirty secret is that it’s more difficult to maintain control of the horizontal facets of society. The Lancea Sanctum cannot and would not change its beliefs, but the teeming masses can and do. To maintain spiritual power over the populations of the Damned, the subjects of the Sanctified must understand, agree with and believe in the tenets of the covenant. They must belong. The Invictus, the Carthian Movement and even the Circle of the Crone can adapt and revise the stances they take in response to popular developments. They can pursue social trends. The subjects of such secular endeavors (and the Acolytes, where the model fits) must behave only according to the laws and customs of the domain to maintain the power and pleasure of their masters. They must merely obey.
So it is that the Sanctified must win new spiritual territory away from ever-more-popular competitors, such as the Ordo Dracul and the Circle of the Crone — territory kept in the dead hearts and eternal minds of the Damned. It can be won only through patience, persistence and education. Conversion is a delicate and tricky thing. A false convert can spread doubt like poison through the devout. A clear and defiant enemy is always better than a traitor.
So it is that the Sanctified must enforce a degree of hierarchy over its membership. A horrifying reputation and a legacy of fear surrounds the devout like a city wall, keeping the believers in and the heretics out. When in doubt, Inquisitors and paladins drive the uncertain one way or the other — into the city or out of it — to keep the covenant’s enemies clearly separated from its allies. Enemies can then be crushed when the time is right. An enemy is best defeated within sight of potential converts.
To make this complex balance between societal axes, between sentiment and punishment, work, the covenant needs to be able to exert precise amounts of influence in particular ways. It must present the fearsome, armored face of a doubtless crusader to its enemies and a wise and welcoming face to its potential allies. It must move into new spiritual territories without upsetting the vertical operations of its allies. It must keep either position on the scale from growing too heavy. Small, easily moveable weights — coteries — have proven to give the covenant the most precise control over its interests. Even while it promotes rumors of lone Inquisitors and armies of grim paladins, the Lancea Sanctum orchestrates the actions of its finite local coteries just like every other covenant does.
Each vampire has his own reasons for participating in a coterie or a covenant, of course. In the case of the Lancea Sanctum, however, the membership has a great deal in common even before it is broken down into coteries. So, while few of the Damned fit neatly into a category of motive, many can be better understood by comparing their reasons for participation to these broad descriptions. It’s important to note, though, that many of the undead fail to examine their own motives in this way. How well can one understand a being that doesn’t understand itself?
Many of the duties to which coteries dedicate themselves are practical as much as philosophical. Bishops must be skilled managers and leaders in addition to being experts of the evangel. Confessors draw out admissions of guilt not just for the betterment of the Damned, but to keep aware of what concerns face the domain.
Practically minded students of Longinus are concerned with excellence in work and the success of the covenant above all else.
Philosophical fulfillment can make otherwise frightening or intolerable duties seem bearable or even exciting. The covenant’s missionary ranks are filled by volunteers with philosophical reasons to strike out into the darkness. Its ranks swell with fearless zealots. Paladins brave the risk of Final Death because they truly believe that their destruction serves the Almighty.
Philosophically minded vampires are concerned with the significance of the work they do and the success of God’s plan above all else.
Some vampires pursue religion to make sense of their own predicament or make the Requiem easier for companions. Traveling to a revered Sanctified site might not benefit the covenant, but it does benefit the pilgrim. The exemption of a vampire might have no impact on the parish, but it might strengthen the faith of a single follower. Selfishness in such matters is not frowned on by the covenant either. Each of the Damned must strive to become the monster that God demands, and the Priests of the covenant cannot lead from behind.
Of course, a great many Sanctified vampires pursue personal benefits not out of faith, but out of greed, pride or worse. The Damned form coteries to survive hostile nights and achieve positions of power. They surround themselves with shields of flesh and make allies of those who are too dangerous to be enemies. The seat of Bishop attracts the undead for its security and status as much as for its responsibilities and respect.
Paladins of the Lancea Sanctum might hope to be absolved or revered in Final Death, but they know that the covenant will be served by the sacrifice regardless. Crusaders work for the recognition of Longinus, the promotion of the covenant and the glory of God. Lowly positions become bearable by replacing an interest in the self with a dedication to something larger. Coteries of crusaders defend cities, lay claim to territories and crush heretics so that all of the Damned are better able to hunt.
Sometimes, though, the “greater good” means “the four of us.” Some coteries are little more than temporary truces among vampires who are capable of tolerating one another. The Damned take on responsibilities that strengthen the domain to earn status among all those who see them do it. They want to impact the Requiems of many vampires to build a reputation for usefulness or to enter the ranks of the Harpies. It’s good to make the vampire race strong so it can win wars for you.
At the same time, new rites and practices are constantly developing out of tastes imported into the night by young vampires. Culture clashes and a search for local identity create even more variations on methodology. Whole coteries are dedicated to tracing, recording and understanding the many customs and tactics of the Damned.
The curse of undeath is terrifying, and the Sanctified bring relief from fear. The thirst for Vitae is overwhelming, and the Sanctified give it meaning. The eternity of night looms like an open pit, but the Sanctified know the way through.
Sanctified coteries attract the Damned who counted on religion in life as well as those who seek it out only in undeath. Pageants and shows draw the Damned in and make the unaligned (and even active rivals) want to belong. Within that membership are more select positions to attract elitists and powermongers and give them a purpose to benefit the covenant.
Sometimes referred to colloquially as the Show, the Lancea Sanctum’s methods of attracting attention are not just tradition. The Show is carefully designed to appeal to certain kinds of beings. Pageants draw in those who were devout in life, fiery rites entice those who revel in their monstrosity, and solemn ceremonies attract those who are terrified of themselves. Evangelical vampires wave oversized copies of The Testament of Longinus in the Bible Belt and host orgiastic raves of predatory lust in the Racks of major cities. Neither necessarily reflects the medieval heart of the covenant, but it gets Kindred in the door.
The Show also elevates morale and gives structure to the centuries. As the Damned become increasingly familiar with Midnight Masses, they feel more as though they belong to the covenant. When a coterie of on-the-fence vampires is blessed by a Sanctified priest and given permission to enter covenant-domain sanctuary, its members feel a safety otherwise unknown in the Danse Macabre. The Show doesn’t end when you sign up.
The patience and restraint of the covenant allows the Sanctified to operate even in regions where the word of Longinus is not popular, as long as it is not violently opposed. Even vampires who do not agree with the gospel might become allies over time if the covenant proves itself to be honorable and valuable to a domain. In time, membership will follow. If not, the covenant is willing to settle for obedience or respect. For now.
To insinuate itself into the Requiems of non-believers, the Lancea Sanctum makes itself ubiquitous and easily accessible. Where possible, it operates all-night chapels or tends Elysium. With a precise touch and calculated tone, the covenant then builds a reputation for being open-minded, cooperative, sometimes even casual. It gets out the message, “We’re here if you need us.”
A coterie with the job of creating or maintaining such standing in a city must be delicate, perceptive and cautious. Its job is to avoid making enemies and to be useful to as many of the Damned as it can. The coterie must lead by example, provide advice and assistance, but be careful not to sermonize or chastise where it’s unwelcome. The job is something like performing a hushed pageant in slow-motion. Very slowly, the attitudes of the local vampires change. They always do.
When another covenant stands in the way of Sanctified operations, the Lancea Sanctum fights to the end of every opponent. Only when the last of that covenant’s members are gone can newly Embraced vampires be free to convert without the fear of being targeted by their regime. Only without the distraction of blasphemy or temporal pleasures can neonates focus on The Testament of Longinus. The Sanctified know that the Damned cannot be terrorized into believing the word of Longinus, but they can be made afraid to join the ranks of another covenant.
Fear is difficult to manage, but it is often useful. Some vampires see a show of force and react with defiance, but some see a show of force and want immediately to enjoy its protection. Some see a way to become strong themselves. If nothing else, the zeal and skill of the covenant’s dark paladins makes loyal followers feel safe.
Coteries that must engage in violence are encouraged to choose their battles carefully. The Lancea Sanctum prides itself on fighting battles it can win and recognizing those battles in advance. And while the covenant recognizes that victory comes in many forms, it never accepts a Pyrrhic victory in public. Cycles of violence are undesirable. The Lancea Sanctum seeks to end conflicts, even when it starts them. If the consequences of force are uncertain, then force should follow meditation and patience. It is better to win absolutely than to win now.
Sanctified coteries are encouraged by the covenant to develop their own initiation rites to bestow a feeling of true belonging on new members. (For centuries, one longstanding European coterie prodded new members with spears.) Many coteries also develop exclusionary rites, unique punishments for transgressions against the coterie or the Traditions, and rituals for the Vinculum. For the most part, coterie-specific rites are inspired by ancient covenant traditions and centuries of prior custom. Even those coteries that invent whole new rites color them with references to the old ways.
If the covenant has a cordial relationship with the dominant covenant in a given city, this relationship creates opportunities for coteries to gain status in city politics and at court. Respected coteries might be given a domain by the Prince to turn into a Sanctified parish. Bishops are often named to the Primogen.
Coteries of note can also gain access to previously forbidden resources, be honored in formal ceremonies or be rewarded with knowledge of Theban Sorcery. If the covenant is in possession of territory within the city, it sometimes doles out havens, coterie parishes and parcels of territory to its members. Coteries of great status might even be allowed to sire childer.
Coteries directly below the most advantageous positions must be wary. Only a single Kindred can become the Archbishop. Even if the coterie works together to open the seat, only one of them gets to sit in it. It’s possible, of course, for one of the Damned to act as the face for a secret council. It’s happened before.
In the meantime, though, mercenary coteries enjoy the benefits of allegiance, such as freedom of movement throughout the city with a letter of release from the Bishop or permission to feed in Sanctified territory.
In the Old World, coteries of faithful or loyal vampires are played like pieces on the chessboard of Kindred politics — and they know it. This isn’t necessarily a frustrating or embarrassing fact for coteries in service to the Lancea Sanctum. Membership in a Sanctified coterie is a chance to gain glory or enlightenment through association with fellow covenant members, and it’s an honor to be a part of the larger strategies of the church elders. Even when larger or more varied groups of vampires could be used for a given task, individual coteries can be employed to test the group for future tasks or reward it with recognition for previous assignments.
Although the short distances between cities in western Europe could allow for rapid reorganization of task-specific coteries, the covenant knows that vampires who foster reliable and familiar relationships with others of their kind find a stability that leads to faithfulness and a unity that leads to loyalty. The Damned can take a great span of time to become comfortable with one another. Without comfort, all discussions are shallow or halting. If a group of vampires is allowed to bond and develop trust, however, the members develop a rapport and delve deeper into discussions of faith and The Testament of Longinus. This philosophy has become a tradition over time. Therefore, the Lancea Sanctum uses organic or covenant-organized coteries for social or traditional reasons in Europe rather than logistical reasons.
In the Americas, coteries are seen as social constructs but are also logistically vital to the covenant. Vast distances between cities, greater rivalry from other covenants and a weaker historical foundation makes it somewhat difficult for the Lancea Sanctum to maintain a strong, unified identity in the New World. By breaking the covenant’s representation down into domain-sensitive coteries, the Lancea Sanctum uses its splintered identity to appeal to a wider array of the Damned. A coterie can identify, appeal to and serve the specific needs of a given parish, or it can direct neonates toward a nearby coterie or parish better suited to an individual’s particular needs or tastes. Coteries are personal enough to attract shy or frightened would-be converts and dynamic enough to chase down heretics without attracting too much attention.
The covenant can’t rely on historical momentum or common traditions to instill the same general acceptance of the gospel in American neonates that it can across the ocean. The Damned of Europe might not all accept or even tolerate the word of Longinus, but they can be counted on to hear of it within nights of their Embrace. In the Americas, the recently Damned too often survive those first precious nights without ever being exposed to the truth of a vampire’s place in Creation.
In those New World cities where the Lancea Sanctum’s foundations are weak or its membership low, small bands of devout vampires allow the covenant to maintain a spiritual presence without sparking unwanted political fires or threatening a Prince’s sense of lordship. If the covenant can’t yet influence an area with clear displays of righteous might or spiritual magnificence, it settles for a constant presence in the Requiems of the Damned who dwell there. In especially small, remote or hostile areas, a Sanctified coterie might be the sole presence of the Lancea Sanctum in the domain.
On both continents, specialized coteries and unique situations sometimes require multiple groups of the Damned to work in tandem. This experience is almost always cautious and uneasy for the vampires involved. Thankfully, ritualized behaviors and practiced formalities smooth the process, and the Lancea Sanctum has plenty of both for unacquainted Kindred to fall back on.
The righteous relationship that develops between unfamiliar vampires with a shared background in Sanctified traditions and routines is just one more advantage in the Lancea Sanctum’s favor. Shared references and the sureness of faith give disparate Kindred an ability to relate and work together that few other formalities of the society of the Damned can rival. Even vampires from opposite corners of the United States with different observances of Midnight Mass or the Creation Rite can find a common ground in The Testament of Longinus. As many Sanctified elders know, a mix of familiarity and strangeness sometimes yields the most prosperous coteries. Such groups have the trust necessary to work together smoothly, without the emotional baggage to distract from the priorities given to them by their leaders.
Psychology
Sanctified coteries run the gamut from strictly ordered collections of Kindred in the loyal employ of the covenant to far-removed cults of fanatical maniacs acting out some harrowing interpretation of the Book of Revelation. Although the age and relative homogeneity of the Lancea Sanctum has left it with a lesser variety of coteries than the cultic and disorganized Circle of the Crone, the covenant’s plentiful members and widespread influence naturally forms coteries of many different styles and functions.Both internal and external factors motivate the covenant to organize its members into coteries, but coteries also form organically as the result of circumstance or social connections between the Damned. The covenant recognizes any such organic coterie that is useful to the church as a whole. In time, however, an organic coterie can come to be seen as covenantorganized group and find itself assigned a new member, even though the coterie members thought of themselves as a social circle. In the same way, an organized coterie might bond (or become emotionally tangled) over time. A group that was intended to focus on the piety or loyalty of its predatory parishioners might instead find itself turned inward, concerned most with its own passion play.
Sanctified elders — and Inquisitors — keep a constant eye out for coteries whose interpersonal bonds could threaten the piety of its members or the group’s loyalty to the covenant. To be clear, the covenant does not discourage personal devotion among its members, but certain positions within the covenant demand its members to prioritize the covenant above the coterie. The first priority of any Sanctified must always be his role in God’s play.
Rivalry for Rule
One external factor has been a constant in the formation of coteries among the Sanctified for hundreds of years: the covenant’s occasional ally and informal sparring partner, the Invictus.The Invictus believes that the Lancea Sanctum holds the weaker position in the centuries-old rivalry, and many of the Sanctified elders are happy to let the Invictus think that way. The victory conditions for the Invictus involve the subordination of Sanctified power, but the Lancea Sanctum needs only to endure the trials of the alliance to maintain the partial victory it already enjoys. The Sanctified have little interest in seeing the Invictus destroyed. As long as that esteemed covenant continues to draw blame for the failures and strange anachronisms of Kindred society, the Lancea Sanctum can continue to take credit for the successes of organized spirituality and the precious traditions of Kindred society. The Invictus simply doesn’t stand in the way of what the Lancea Sanctum needs to achieve total victory. The two covenants are fighting different wars, but only the Sanctified seem to see that. The Invictus can claim dominion over the possessions and behavior of all vampires, but the Sanctified want to rule the thoughts and wills of their kind. The Invictus can impose formidable restrictions, but engaging in their power plays only diverts necessary attention from the Lancea Sanctum’s divine pursuits.
In a collective sense, all the Sanctified must do to maintain the covenant’s power and freedom is resist erosion by the Invictus. As long as the Invictus continues to pursue the ruination of the Lancea Sanctum, it plays the role the Sanctified want it to: the reliable aggressor. If the Invictus were to spend more time updating and modernizing itself, rather than halfmaintaining and half-undermining its alliances, it could break free of the calcified antiquity that binds the two covenants. In fact, it might leave the Lancea Sanctum vulnerable to serious losses in membership among modern-minded Kindred for whom religion is optional. The Sanctified depend on their ancient authority and customs to appear as a constant landmark on the social landscape. If the Invictus modernizes (or the Carthians develop substantial credibility) and tradition goes out of fashion — that is, if the Damned as a whole stop fearing a separation from the established ways — the Lancea Sanctum might not survive the cultural shift with its position of power intact.
So the Lancea Sanctum has worked for several decades to make itself attractive to modern Kindred without downplaying the fearsome romance of its old-fashioned ways. The idea is to build bridges that link godless modern vampires with a medieval faith in something larger, greater and more terrible than themselves — to translate a fascination with flat-screen TVs and the Internet into an appreciation for stained-glass windows and illuminated texts. That is, to convert contemporary vampires into devout Kindred and convince them that the philosophies of Longinus make up an undeniable part of the Requiem that’s not going away tonight or ever.
At the heart of the Lancea Sanctum, this mission is a sincere attempt to reach out to directionless, unaligned Kindred. The Lancea Sanctum believes it must bolster its reputation as a pillar of Kindred society not just to maintain power, but because Kindred society is genuinely better off with the guidance of Longinus’ words. While corrupt vampires seek out new devotees to swell their own egos or elevate their own status among the Sanctified, so too do devout Kindred carry out the covenant’s mission for the sake of those poor Damned souls who need faith to escape an existence of aimless monstrosity and become God’s predators.
Political games require the Sanctified to organize coteries that won’t appear threatening to dominant covenants in established domains, lest the First Estate demand more attention or the Sanctified find themselves at war with some paranoid Prince. Even when righteous violence seems justified, the Sanctified must sometimes send pilgrims in place of crusaders. This reputation for avoiding matters of political power makes it possible for the covenant to spread the word of Longinus in domains where conservatism would be unpopular or unwelcome. It also allows the Sanctified to guide influential vampires and impact local politics when it suits them.
The Lancea Sanctum’s oft-inherited status as the Second Estate requires the covenant to perform certain duties in support of the Invictus. Most of these duties are included in the roles of priest or paladin, however, and are no offense to the Sanctified. At the same time, at least a few of the Damned in each major city must be given the task of dancing with the scheming dilettantes of the First Estate to demonstrate respect or to watch for treachery.
Coterie Cults
A coterie might represent the sum of the covenant’s presence in a city. In the case of a religious covenant, a small circle of religious zealots might be seen as a foreign church or as a cult. Therefore, local coteries are trusted to be self-reliant, expected to be faithful and true to The Testament of Longinus and brutally punished for deviations from the scriptures or the mandates of the covenant. In practice, however, it’s impractical for the Lancea Sanctum to know what’s happening in every parish. No hierarchy exists outside the local, so policing would be impossible, even if someone knew where to look.So what happens when a coterie is given the freedom and authority to define what it means to be Sanctified in a given domain? Every vampire who encounters the coterie might believe that it represents the true and intended beliefs of the covenant. When a coterie’s sense of authority outweighs its sense of duty, what happens to loyalty? If an isolated coterie’s faith grows stronger than its ties to the covenant, does its allegiance slip? If so, in what direction?
Devout and charismatic Kindred become venerated cult leaders by design or by accident. Coteries turn inward and develop aberrant or heretical philosophies. Parishes mistake their own beliefs for those of the covenant at large. A coterie’s resemblance to its covenant can shift through carelessness and self-involvement or cavalier orthodoxy. Just how much can the coterie get away with when it has the run of the place?
The consequences for such coteries can be severe. Covenant representatives (themselves making subjective judgments based on their own experience with Sanctified practices) might either shepherd the group back in line or demand a sacrificial subject for a fiery demonstration.
The point is that, while the covenant upholds the idea that Sanctified coteries are centered on duty, some are all about faith and others are just a matter of geography. Coteries separated from large developments of the covenant by the rural dark and isolated from the surrounding vampire population by dogma seldom fit the Sanctified archetype. Some make use of Southern chapels and keep herds of mortal churchgoers for Vitae. Some handle snakes in ecstatic ceremonies. Others hide out in remote compounds and wage private crusades against the neighboring vampires. The word of Longinus has traveled far, but it’s spread by word of mouth, like a game of “telephone” played out over centuries. Not all coteries have heard the same message.
In the Service of God
The maintenance, expansion and promotion of a religious organization in a domain requires a lot of work. Although the evangel of Longinus demands that the Damned all behave as pious predators and serve the will of God, a vampire can serve Him in many different ways. Many, perhaps most, Sanctified coteries are labeled with or recognized by the job they do. There is no finite list of coterie “occupations,” because coteries are identified by vague reputations as often as formal duties. Not all coteries come with a job description.The covenant knows that not every vampire is suited to the most honorable jobs. There is no shame in performing an unglamorous job among the Sanctified. Authority and status are not accessible from every parish or every station, but any Kindred who dedicates himself to the service of the covenant and God, who strives to uphold the Traditions and exist as Longinus instructed, is respected and recognized for his faith. The root of faith is, after all, in the nightly demands on the Damned as the hunter and haunter of mortals.
The Lancea Sanctum does not accept sub-par work from vampires who feel they were meant for some other task. Longinus did not strive to become undead, but when the Requiem was thrust upon him, he met God’s challenge.
Missionaries
All Sanctified vampires are expected to share the evangel of Longinus with their fellow Damned, but missionaries for the Lancea Sanctum take up the honorable task of actively converting the undead for years, even decades at a time. When Christian missionaries ventured out into the darkest, brightest and strangest corners of the world, they were followed by the Lancea Sanctum. When Jews and Muslims first immigrated to the Americas, the Lancea Sanctum shadowed them. As the curse of the Embrace spreads further across the globe, the Lancea Sanctum spreads with it.Unlike mortal religions, which can erect missions and temples in plain sight to inspire awe and attract converts, the Sanctified must evangelize in secret, preach in basements and ruins, hold Mass after hours where mortal eyes won’t find their devotions and sermonize in the dark. Without their own church steeples, bell towers, billboards or neon crucifixes to keep thoughts of religion in the minds of the masses, the Sanctified must constantly remind the populations of the Damned, constantly proselytize, and personally contact potential converts. While mortal missionaries can teach English, build chapels and leave behind Bibles, the Lancea Sanctum must revisit the same locations again and again or assume the roles of undead missionaries to spread the word to every neonate and childer created in recent nights. Each new vampire must be found and let in on the secrets of his own existence. Every childe brought into the Requiem must be given at least one chance to accept the word of Longinus before he is judged.
The missionaries of the Damned have it rough. Whereas a mortal child can be taught slowly, childer are Embraced stubborn. Some vampires come into the night with one religion already close to their heart. All of them come wearing a forfeited mortal coil. The notion that a whole layer of God’s plan has been hidden in the shadows outside the cathedral walls can be difficult for a new vampire to accept. Worse, mortal doubt can swell to fill the vast emptiness of a looming eternity. Vampires, like mortals, can be slow to see the light, so Sanctified missionaries must have magnificent patience. True missionaries and evangelists alike learn that conversion of the undead is seldom quick and never easy.
On the other hand, the Embrace has a way of shaking one’s faith in atheism. The transformation from the living to the Damned demands a reevaluation of the self and the world. These early nights are the ideal time to expose a vampire to The Testament of Longinus. It has been the experience of the covenant that vampires who are contacted within their first year or so as Kindred are likely to accept the existence of God even if they did not before. Souls who convert early are more likely to become missionaries themselves.
True Missionaries
Tonight, few of the coteries in search of converts classify as true missionaries. Most missionary coteries don’t bother to categorize themselves more precisely, anyway. The difference between missionary coteries and evangelical coteries is a practical one, and most coteries of one type spend at least some time as the other.
The idea of finding fledgling or untapped vampires and showing them the truth of their place on Earth is thrilling to missionary coteries. Seeing a new vampire react to the tale of Longinus reminds many missionaries of their own first exposure and acceptance of the Testament. Sharing that epiphany with another of God’s chosen is the reason many Kindred converts become missionaries. The bond that comes from a shared epiphany drives some missionary coteries to welcome new converts directly into their own circle. It’s irrefutable that many of the Damned trust the priest who exposed them to The Testament of Longinus more than they trust their own sires.
The job of a true missionary coterie is also dangerous. Though a large number of Sanctified missionaries encounter vehement or even violent opposition to the word of Longinus, many more simply disappear into the darkness between cities. To the surprise of young vampires, such losses are common even in areas that are heavily populated and modernized by mortals. It’s assumed that as many missionary coteries are lost to hostile vampires as are lost to werewolves or the simple attrition of unlife away from a reliable domain.
True missionary coteries travel often — sometimes to areas new to the Lancea Sanctum, sometimes to areas new to the Danse Macabre. In unstable regions, especially throughout the Americas, missionary coteries must even visit cities where vampires have been successfully converted in the past. The fact that the previous converts and missionaries are missing or destroyed suggests that such coteries should expect trouble. Therefore, missionary coteries attract vampires who are willing or eager to face danger, as well as vampires who were worldly in life or wish they had been.
The isolation of vampire dominions is exaggerated for a missionary coterie. Herd, Contacts, Allies, Havens and even Status can become useless. Forces press against the coterie from all sides, either driving the members together or breaking them apart. The coterie must be self-reliant, well motivated and flexible. The Damned are inherently territorial, though, so it’s very difficult to survive as a coterie on the move.
Outside the established domains of the Lancea Sanctum, coteries find themselves tempted by freedom. In time, every missionary coterie is forced to choose between its own survival and its devotion to the covenant. Although help might never arrive if the coterie gets in trouble it can’t handle, word of misdeeds might likewise never make it back to superiors.
Evangelists
Evangelists are the local voice of the Lancea Sanctum, the patient homebodies whose missionary goal is to convert the neighbors. Evangelical coteries are usually longterm residents of a domain, often well known throughout the city, and they sometimes occupy positions of power. In cities where the Lancea Sanctum is the dominant covenant, an evangelical coterie could comprise Harpies, promoting the glory of faith and undermining the reputations of those Kindred who’ve already decided not to convert. In cities with little Sanctified influence but an acceptance of the covenant’s limited presence, evangelist coteries often perform odd jobs for the covenant or its allies while working full-time to get the word out. Evangelical coteries might make regular rounds, visiting Kindred who’ll listen but aren’t yet ready to convert or attending a Prince’s court to offer advice and share news.
Some evangelical coteries are dedicated to converting specific other coteries or in changing the mind (and religious affiliation) of some influential vampire. Evangelical coteries need social skills, creativity and connections. It’s not uncommon in large cities for the Lancea Sanctum to organize evangelical coteries from Damned of each clan, creating a public relations body that can communicate across lines of Blood and, hopefully, belief.
These Kindred are in it for the long haul. As fixtures of the community, an evangelical coterie can’t afford to make important enemies. The social standing of the covenant can hang on the actions of an evangelical coterie, even if the political or martial standing of the covenant doesn’t.
Although evangelical coteries aren’t typically considered a threat by other covenants, they are sometimes targeted for violence because of their visibility.
Cultivators
Officially, so-called cultivators are not authorized by the Lancea Sanctum. For centuries, the existence of such coteries was denied. The undead can’t even decide if they’re coteries, cults or cells of secret operatives. The Lancea Sanctum does not claim responsibility for acts of cultivation among its membership, but it cannot deny that some Sanctified coteries have been breaking the Traditions under the covenant’s nose.
Cultivators scour the mortal herds for souls ripe for recruitment into damnation. Candidates are subtly tested and prepared for the Embrace. If the cultivators are sure that the candidate would make a loyal and valuable member of the covenant, she is Embraced and brought before the Anointed for acceptance into the covenant. This sort of recruitment is forbidden — it’s a violation of the Traditions that Longinus exalted — but is not as uncommon as the covenant claims.
In some cases, cultivators have gone so far as to break the Masquerade before deciding whether to Embrace a candidate. If the candidate isn’t chosen, he is destroyed before he can share what he has learned. In extreme cases, cultivators secretly Embrace the mortals they choose without observing the covenant’s Creation Rite, then they point the neonate toward the Lancea Sanctum and skip town to avoid punishment.
Are these coteries some sort of fringe cult? Violations of the Traditions and interactions with mortals are blatant violations of Kindred physiology as well as The Testament of Longinus, but the covenant has received some valuable new recruits as a result of these transgressions. Such brazen coteries experience strange nights, meddling in the affairs of mortals, perhaps out of misguided faith or perhaps in search of a power trip.
Societal Support
The Lancea Sanctum has been a reliable and familiar feature of the Danse Macabre for centuries, arguably even millennia. The roots of Sanctified philosophy and mythology are buried deep beneath the foundations of the modern society of the Damned. Even Kindred who do not revere the religion of the Lancea Sanctum respect the wisdom and judgment of its Priests. As the prevailing and most unified theological denomination familiar to the Kindred world, the Lancea Sanctum has a responsibility to the communities of the Damned. When the neutrality or temperament of a domain’s social construct cannot be counted on, the Sanctified provide mediation, guidance and avenues of communication.Arbiters
As priests are consulted on matters both religious and secular by mortal men, so too are the Priests of the Lancea Sanctum consulted by the Kindred. From individual vampires to Princes and Prisci, the Damned seek out neutral arbiters from the ranks of the Sanctified to help settle disputes and clarify interpretations of the Traditions. The moral and religious lessons that accompany such mediations are considered a reasonable price to pay for a dose of fair and rational thought or an unbiased perspective.
Of course, not just any priest will do. Sanctified members of the Primogen and other politically biased individuals are seldom consulted for arbitration. In some communities, no such neutral Kindred exists. In others, however, whole coteries of consular Kindred stand between hostile factions, religious differences, and furious punks. Coteries in the business of being neutral have the benefit of being allowed almost everywhere in the city but are cursed with constant petitions for aid. An arbiter coterie has the ear of the Prince only as long as it can stay neutral in the face of temptation, bribery and threats of violence — or only so long as it tells her what she wants to hear. If such a coterie gains enough respect, it might also attract the jealous hatred of an unappreciated Primogen or Regent.
Cases for arbitration are sometimes made by quoting from The Testament of Longinus. Arbiters then engage the aggrieved parties in discussions about the meaning of recited passages. The arbiter’s analysis and interpretation of those passages reveals the proper course of action.
Arbiter coteries might instead maintain an Elysium in the city where the Damned can find sanctuary. Even if the site isn’t officially Elysium under the mandate of a Prince or Regent, wise Kindred think twice before provoking the retribution of the Lancea Sanctum. Consider the advantages and difficulties of a coterie whose haven is considered neutral ground. When would the time be right for such a coterie to use all the information it accumulates and make a power play to earn the covenant real power in the domain?
Advisors
Advisors are renowned for their insight rather than their neutrality, whether the advising coterie is in the service of the Prince of some other influential Kindred figure. Even Bishops retain advisors to keep them informed of happenings among the Damned at ground level and below. Priests who serve as messengers, confessors or spiritual advisors might also serve as political advisors to superiors in the covenant hierarchy.
The duties of advisory coteries often require investigation, fact-finding missions and the vetting of new converts or visitors to the domain. Therefore, many advisors either have aspirations of becoming Inquisitors, or they develop such aspirations while on the job. Advisors are frequently too involved in the matters of feudal politics to develop the reputation necessary within the covenant to achieve truly authoritative positions. Instead, Sanctified advisors often find themselves drawn out of the religious sector of society and into the political sector, sometimes without even leaving the covenant. Some Bishops earn posts this way.
Messengers
As arbiters are respected for their neutrality, Sanctified messengers are ignored for it. In domains where the Lancea Sanctum can be taken for granted, messengers from that covenant are sometimes used by other covenants or organizations to bear packages and correspondence through hostile territories. Since the wrath of the Sanctified is so feared, messengers bearing a sigil of the covenant (often just a ring, pin or patch) might be allowed through dangerous territory unmolested. A whole coterie of messengers is even more secure, as the odds increase that at least one member of the coterie will escape to bring back the punishers of the Sanctified.
Messenger coteries, like arbiter coteries, gain access to otherwise forbidden regions of the city. Like missionaries, messengers travel and experience all the danger that doing so entails. Few coteries serve the covenant as messengers for long, however. Eventually, the coterie is either promoted or the covenant elders in the city put its freedom to some other use. Then it’s only a matter of time until the coterie’s credibility as a trustworthy third party is ruined.
Spiritual Support
The role that secular Kindred assume a Sanctified coterie takes is one of spiritual support. The stereotype of the Damned of the Lancea Sanctum usually puts the vampire into a role of priest or paladin; the priest stereotype falls into this generalized category. In practice, all Sanctified coteries perform the following duties to one extent or another, but a few are so respected as to be considered experts at these tasks.The spiritual matters to which such coteries attend resemble mortal religious services of antiquity. Priests of Longinus perform all the duties of Jewish rabbis, Catholic priests and Muslim clerics, often in a manner that references or incorporates customs from multiple Judeo-Christian religions. The Damned have transcended many inter-religious conflicts as they have risen above mortal existence. A Sanctified Priest might even offer a vampire familiar rites and ceremonies from mortal religions to smooth the transition into the religion of the Damned (or lure him into the covenant).
Advisory coteries are as likely to be dedicated to spiritual matters as to matters of custom, so circles of wise Kindred might form de facto coteries with the duty of counseling a pious Prince or advising a Bishop. In Sanctified cities, the Bishops of various domains might be a coterie themselves, ostensibly organized to advise the Archbishop.
Confessors
According to most prevailing Lancea Sanctum dogma, the sins for which the Damned must atone are sins against the Traditions and The Testament of Longinus. The lessons of Longinus are never mastered; they must be learned and exercised each night. Every vampire must forever strive to more fully fill the space that God has made for him on Earth. Therefore, confession for Sanctified vampires is sometimes little more than an admission of failure and an acknowledgement of the tenets at which the sinner must work harder. Confessions of sins against the Traditions, on the other hand, serve the practical purpose of alerting the covenant to possible threats stemming from those transgressions: suspicious mortals, unacknowledged neonates and so forth.
The Lancea Sanctum does not grant absolution, for there can be none for the Damned. Instead, the Lancea Sanctum demands penance to strengthen the sinner’s resolve and sometimes grants pardons from the punishment that must otherwise come from violating the Traditions. A Priest is not required to pardon the Damned, though, and sinners should not assume that confessions are secret unless the confessor specifically says so. Some confessors grant their parishioners the privilege of silence to encourage confession, but such privileges are the policy of the confessor and not the mandate of the covenant as a church.
Coteries of confessors either travel the city to tend the flock (as with an esteemed Priest or in the retinue of a pious Primogen, for example) or maintain a venue where sinners can come for guidance and penance. Confessor coteries are often well connected and might be owed favors by parishioners of multiple clans and covenants. Confessors are also respected, for the penance a confessor demands might require material donations to the Lancea Sanctum or payment in pain. All charges are collected by the confessor. Resistance only results in the return of the confessor coterie with the backing of Sanctified Hounds or armed paladins.
Performers of Rites
Ritual coteries can be specialized in particular Sanctified ceremonies (such as the Creation Rite) or none at all. Some ritual coteries travel to private havens or Elysium to perform requested rites for secular vampires who are eager to keep the approval of the Lancea Sanctum. Others are simply the ritual experts for multiple Sanctified churches who tour an assigned circuit performing Midnight Masses on a regular schedule.
It’s the business of a ritual coterie to be familiar with (or create) as many of the various unique rites observed in the domain as possible. Ritual coteries might even take appointments to teach observances to local parishioners. A selected and honored few Sanctified coteries have the job of teaching the rites of Theban Sorcery. As a result, ritual coteries also become the covenant’s experts in the occult.
Enforcement and Judgement
The Lancea Sanctum’s reputation for fearsome retribution and unwavering justice straddles the divide between the covenant’s social and spiritual roles. The covenant occasionally sponsors individual Damned to serve as sword-arms for churches and Princes alike. The loyalty of such coteries must be to the scriptures of the Lancea Sanctum (or the covenant itself…) first. Coteries formed through social contact are very rarely given martial authority by the covenant; personal biases won’t be allowed to affect the coterie’s efficacy.Hounds
The most common and least prestigious coteries of Sanctified combatants are Hounds. The name for these coteries comes from the name for a Prince’s enforcers, for the jobs of such coteries are identical. In some cases, Princes from other covenants even draw Hounds from the ranks of the Lancea Sanctum. Sanctified Hounds serve the church or the church and the Prince, but they usually answer to Bishops first and foremost. Those Bishops in turn balance the Prince’s wishes with the covenant’s own needs.
Hounds hunt, fight, punish and kill for the covenant. Hounds may be kept on a leash by confessors or Inquisitors, if so ordered by a Bishop. Hounds are rarely given long-term assignments, however, and almost never attain autonomy.
Paladins
Paladins, on the other hand, hunt, fight, punish and kill for God and Longinus. Paladins enjoy an autonomy born of unquestioned loyalty. Paladins are often given long-term goals by Sanctified elders and then let loose for years at a time to carry them out. A paladin coterie might be charged with the security of a Sanctified city, for example, or the elimination of an Acolyte cult. Some paladins find themselves at odds with allies even while they’re at war with the covenant’s enemies. Paladins are never put in the service of the Prince, however, even if they honor his position as preeminent Kindred of the domain. They obey a higher authority, and He speaks to the paladins of Longinus only through the covenant’s leaders.
The autonomy paladins require gives them the freedom to form more organic coteries and the flexibility to conscript vampires into the coterie as needed. Most paladins are crusaders, but some are extremely dedicated warriors out to better themselves. All, it seems, are violent zealots or armed fanatics.
Inquisitors Contrary to rumor, the Inquisitors of the Lancea Sanctum do organize into coteries. In practice, such coteries sometimes disguise themselves to appear as an Inquisitor backed by Hounds or paladins and maintain the reputation of the Sanctified Inquisitor who’s so clever and dangerous that he travels alone. In truth, most Inquisitors are too clever to travel alone.
Inquisitors organize into cells of peers and act by consensus when they are given the autonomy to do so. Inquisitors are a closed group, seemingly impenetrable to outsiders. The trust necessary for vampires to make such a fluid and powerful group is difficult to muster and harder to maintain. Inquisitors rarely let outsiders see them consult with one another. Newcomers can only be added to such a coterie at the order of a Bishop or his better. It is a formalized, almost professional relationship built on the foundations of the covenant itself.
Philosophy
Coteries make natural and strategic sense for the Lancea Sanctum. The Sanctified believe themselves to be exalted through their devotion to God and the gospel of Longinus, and that exaltation makes them different from non-believers. Therefore, a follower of Longinus naturally congregates with people who share his reverence. A Sanctified vampire in a group of non-believers might evangelize, but a group of Sanctified vampires has the freedom to explore their shared faith together. Though many Sanctified vampires find adequate places serving as the priest or confessor for a group of less-than-devout companions, others find themselves unable to let their guard down around non-believers.Strategically, Sanctified coteries present a desirable appearance to the covenant’s enemies and those Damned yet to be converted. A coterie as a discrete unit can appear closed, incorruptible and impenetrable, inspiring fear and awe. On the other hand, a coterie can appear to be inclusive, supporting and inviting, making membership seem attractive. Coteries make it possible for individual vampires to relate to a global empire and allow the Sanctified to present two disparate representations of itself: the fearsome, mighty champion and the wise, benevolent guide.
Coteries as Monasteries
Among vampires of other faiths (or no faiths), adherents to the Testament do their best to bring the Damned together and form coteries, even if the members of the pack appear unlikely to convert. Such a vampire might attempt to gather others around himself or even play matchmaker and fix up other lone Kindred with suitable coteries. Other vampires sometimes joke that this practice descends from a religious obsession with fidelity and marriage.The desire to see vampires congregate is rooted in the religion of the Lancea Sanctum, but the philosophy stems from monastic life rather than monogamy.
Longinus is sometimes described as becoming a hermit following his damnation, but the Lancea Sanctum believes that only the most devout and powerful of the Damned has the ability to exist as a lone predator. Most of the Damned, at least in these modern times, spend the entirety of their Requiems as pack hunters. Only revered elders manage to survive on their own for long, but only until the insatiable thirst that comes with age drives them into torpor. When they awaken, they are neither willing nor able to exist alone, at least until they regain a modicum of strength. Few vampires can become hermits as Longinus supposedly did.
The importance of Longinus’ hermitic existence isn’t in his isolation from other vampires, but his isolation from the mortal world. As medieval monks lived separate from the common folk, as wolves do not visit with sheep, so should the Damned dwell with their own kind and not make contact with mortals except as demanded by their station. Wolves that loiter in the vicinity of sheep become domesticated. God did not intend for the Damned to become the dogs of men.
A vampire requires social contact, and if that contact is not found among others of his kind, he finds it among mortals. Yet the temptation to fraternize with humans is a test of faith. The Damned are meant to hide from the mortal flocks, to wear the sheep’s clothing only when hunting. Anything else is a sin against God.
the Horizontal and the Vertical
Another way of looking at the division of power between secular covenants and the Lancea Sanctum, the philosophical way, is to divide the concepts of societal control into two axes, a horizontal and a vertical. Elders within the Lancea Sanctum sometimes refer to these axes in discussions of strategy or politics, but this is not a formal way of looking at the responsibilities between two (or more, in certain domains) covenants. The Sanctified avoid using this language with other covenants, even though the concept is familiar in many feudal systems.As the Sanctified see it, the primary interest of secular covenants is controlling the vertical axis of undead society — the realms of material power. This includes political, governmental, social and esoteric power. These facets of society lead to elitism and lordship and yield material wealth and social leverage. These things are always fleeting. The vertical axis soars like a skyscraper, from which everyone must eventually descend.
While it gladly accepts control over vertical elements of society when such control becomes available, the Lancea Sanctum’s true interests are in the sole rule of the horizontal facets of existence — the realms of spiritual power. This includes religious, spiritual and intuitive power. These facets lead to personal clarity and spiritual harmony, yielding wisdom and enlightenment. These things influence every aspect of material existence and carry over into Heaven and Hell after the Final Death. The horizontal axis is the foundation for all things, to which everyone must eventually return.
The Lancea Sanctum’s dirty secret is that it’s more difficult to maintain control of the horizontal facets of society. The Lancea Sanctum cannot and would not change its beliefs, but the teeming masses can and do. To maintain spiritual power over the populations of the Damned, the subjects of the Sanctified must understand, agree with and believe in the tenets of the covenant. They must belong. The Invictus, the Carthian Movement and even the Circle of the Crone can adapt and revise the stances they take in response to popular developments. They can pursue social trends. The subjects of such secular endeavors (and the Acolytes, where the model fits) must behave only according to the laws and customs of the domain to maintain the power and pleasure of their masters. They must merely obey.
So it is that the Sanctified must win new spiritual territory away from ever-more-popular competitors, such as the Ordo Dracul and the Circle of the Crone — territory kept in the dead hearts and eternal minds of the Damned. It can be won only through patience, persistence and education. Conversion is a delicate and tricky thing. A false convert can spread doubt like poison through the devout. A clear and defiant enemy is always better than a traitor.
So it is that the Sanctified must enforce a degree of hierarchy over its membership. A horrifying reputation and a legacy of fear surrounds the devout like a city wall, keeping the believers in and the heretics out. When in doubt, Inquisitors and paladins drive the uncertain one way or the other — into the city or out of it — to keep the covenant’s enemies clearly separated from its allies. Enemies can then be crushed when the time is right. An enemy is best defeated within sight of potential converts.
To make this complex balance between societal axes, between sentiment and punishment, work, the covenant needs to be able to exert precise amounts of influence in particular ways. It must present the fearsome, armored face of a doubtless crusader to its enemies and a wise and welcoming face to its potential allies. It must move into new spiritual territories without upsetting the vertical operations of its allies. It must keep either position on the scale from growing too heavy. Small, easily moveable weights — coteries — have proven to give the covenant the most precise control over its interests. Even while it promotes rumors of lone Inquisitors and armies of grim paladins, the Lancea Sanctum orchestrates the actions of its finite local coteries just like every other covenant does.
Damned in Servitude
Identify a coterie’s function and you’ve identified only half the coterie. Sanctified coteries are combinations of duties and motives held together by faith. To understand why the Damned commit to an eternity of servitude, you must identify what it is that motivates them.Each vampire has his own reasons for participating in a coterie or a covenant, of course. In the case of the Lancea Sanctum, however, the membership has a great deal in common even before it is broken down into coteries. So, while few of the Damned fit neatly into a category of motive, many can be better understood by comparing their reasons for participation to these broad descriptions. It’s important to note, though, that many of the undead fail to examine their own motives in this way. How well can one understand a being that doesn’t understand itself?
Practical Reasons
While faith attracts the Damned to the Lancea Sanctum, many of the covenant’s most valuable and influential leaders are personally motivated by practical concerns. This is not to say that the church of Longinus is riddled with pretenders, only that zealotry can obstruct strategy, and the leaders of the Sanctified know this. Faith might bring a Bishop into the fold, but rational thought, careful planning and wise choices carry him into power. Practical Kindred concern themselves with the successful operation of the covenant as an organization, either to secure personal power or to perpetuate the organization itself. Neither precludes faith.Many of the duties to which coteries dedicate themselves are practical as much as philosophical. Bishops must be skilled managers and leaders in addition to being experts of the evangel. Confessors draw out admissions of guilt not just for the betterment of the Damned, but to keep aware of what concerns face the domain.
Practically minded students of Longinus are concerned with excellence in work and the success of the covenant above all else.
Philosophical Reasons
The Lancea Sanctum has more than its share of zealots and fanatics. Enthusiastic members of the covenant comprise a vital part of the image projected to enemies and allies. Without academics, the covenant would stray from the Testament and God’s design. Without vigilance, the covenant would be poisoned by liars and cowards. Honesty and courage grow from faith, and the covenant needs both. Only with trust can an organization the size of the Lancea Sanctum endure; only with sacrifice can it be protected.Philosophical fulfillment can make otherwise frightening or intolerable duties seem bearable or even exciting. The covenant’s missionary ranks are filled by volunteers with philosophical reasons to strike out into the darkness. Its ranks swell with fearless zealots. Paladins brave the risk of Final Death because they truly believe that their destruction serves the Almighty.
Philosophically minded vampires are concerned with the significance of the work they do and the success of God’s plan above all else.
Improvement Through Servitude
The Lancea Sanctum is dedicated to the betterment and exaltation of all the Damned. It is not a fundamentally destructive organization. Most members of the covenant can be said to participate either for the benefit of individual vampires or for the greater good of all vampires. These concepts are not necessarily opposed in spirit, but they often are in practice.Personal Good
Vampires concerned with personal growth are pilgrims or powermongers.Some vampires pursue religion to make sense of their own predicament or make the Requiem easier for companions. Traveling to a revered Sanctified site might not benefit the covenant, but it does benefit the pilgrim. The exemption of a vampire might have no impact on the parish, but it might strengthen the faith of a single follower. Selfishness in such matters is not frowned on by the covenant either. Each of the Damned must strive to become the monster that God demands, and the Priests of the covenant cannot lead from behind.
Of course, a great many Sanctified vampires pursue personal benefits not out of faith, but out of greed, pride or worse. The Damned form coteries to survive hostile nights and achieve positions of power. They surround themselves with shields of flesh and make allies of those who are too dangerous to be enemies. The seat of Bishop attracts the undead for its security and status as much as for its responsibilities and respect.
Greater Good
The Damned concerned with the betterment of the Kindred world are crusaders or politicians.Paladins of the Lancea Sanctum might hope to be absolved or revered in Final Death, but they know that the covenant will be served by the sacrifice regardless. Crusaders work for the recognition of Longinus, the promotion of the covenant and the glory of God. Lowly positions become bearable by replacing an interest in the self with a dedication to something larger. Coteries of crusaders defend cities, lay claim to territories and crush heretics so that all of the Damned are better able to hunt.
Sometimes, though, the “greater good” means “the four of us.” Some coteries are little more than temporary truces among vampires who are capable of tolerating one another. The Damned take on responsibilities that strengthen the domain to earn status among all those who see them do it. They want to impact the Requiems of many vampires to build a reputation for usefulness or to enter the ranks of the Harpies. It’s good to make the vampire race strong so it can win wars for you.
Methodology
Customs and traditions passed down over centuries color everything the Lancea Sanctum does. Remarkably, many of these medieval and even classical practices have escaped substantial errors in translation or revision. Even with lines of custom broken by sleeping elders and splintered coteries, many of the covenant’s methods are the same tonight as they were in the 16th century or before.At the same time, new rites and practices are constantly developing out of tastes imported into the night by young vampires. Culture clashes and a search for local identity create even more variations on methodology. Whole coteries are dedicated to tracing, recording and understanding the many customs and tactics of the Damned.
Specific Tactics
As a coterie’s duties can be paired with different motives, so can they be attempted using many different methods. While some tactics do not benefit certain duties — sinners might seek out a church to confess, but heretics never come to be burned — no one method is necessarily right for every situation. The covenant knows that context can be the key to conversion — what makes allies in Europe might make trouble in Mexico.Pageantry and Performance
The Sanctified appeal to their brethren as medieval churches appealed to peasants, with elaborate ceremonies, awe-inspiring rites, moving sermons and grand holiday festivals. From the outside looking in, the Damned who participate in formal ceremonies and enjoy covenant-sponsored celebrations seem fulfilled. Vampires, like mortals, desire to be a part of something larger than themselves. The Lancea Sanctum gives them something larger, something impressive, something sacred to belong to.The curse of undeath is terrifying, and the Sanctified bring relief from fear. The thirst for Vitae is overwhelming, and the Sanctified give it meaning. The eternity of night looms like an open pit, but the Sanctified know the way through.
Sanctified coteries attract the Damned who counted on religion in life as well as those who seek it out only in undeath. Pageants and shows draw the Damned in and make the unaligned (and even active rivals) want to belong. Within that membership are more select positions to attract elitists and powermongers and give them a purpose to benefit the covenant.
Sometimes referred to colloquially as the Show, the Lancea Sanctum’s methods of attracting attention are not just tradition. The Show is carefully designed to appeal to certain kinds of beings. Pageants draw in those who were devout in life, fiery rites entice those who revel in their monstrosity, and solemn ceremonies attract those who are terrified of themselves. Evangelical vampires wave oversized copies of The Testament of Longinus in the Bible Belt and host orgiastic raves of predatory lust in the Racks of major cities. Neither necessarily reflects the medieval heart of the covenant, but it gets Kindred in the door.
The Show also elevates morale and gives structure to the centuries. As the Damned become increasingly familiar with Midnight Masses, they feel more as though they belong to the covenant. When a coterie of on-the-fence vampires is blessed by a Sanctified priest and given permission to enter covenant-domain sanctuary, its members feel a safety otherwise unknown in the Danse Macabre. The Show doesn’t end when you sign up.
Patience and Insinuation
Some people just refuse to have their minds changed. Fortunately, the Lancea Sanctum has eternity to try. Not everyone responds to pressure or performances, and the Sanctified understand that.The patience and restraint of the covenant allows the Sanctified to operate even in regions where the word of Longinus is not popular, as long as it is not violently opposed. Even vampires who do not agree with the gospel might become allies over time if the covenant proves itself to be honorable and valuable to a domain. In time, membership will follow. If not, the covenant is willing to settle for obedience or respect. For now.
To insinuate itself into the Requiems of non-believers, the Lancea Sanctum makes itself ubiquitous and easily accessible. Where possible, it operates all-night chapels or tends Elysium. With a precise touch and calculated tone, the covenant then builds a reputation for being open-minded, cooperative, sometimes even casual. It gets out the message, “We’re here if you need us.”
A coterie with the job of creating or maintaining such standing in a city must be delicate, perceptive and cautious. Its job is to avoid making enemies and to be useful to as many of the Damned as it can. The coterie must lead by example, provide advice and assistance, but be careful not to sermonize or chastise where it’s unwelcome. The job is something like performing a hushed pageant in slow-motion. Very slowly, the attitudes of the local vampires change. They always do.
Force
When the covenant must operate in a region where the word of Longinus is violently opposed, the Sanctified act with confidence and power. When the locals refuse to tolerate the presence of the “Second Estate” or make it clear that they’ll never open their minds, the Sanctified react with awesome force. The Lancea Sanctum, for all its supportive endeavors, all its kind pilgrims and counseling priests, is known everywhere for the hellish might of its religious warriors.When another covenant stands in the way of Sanctified operations, the Lancea Sanctum fights to the end of every opponent. Only when the last of that covenant’s members are gone can newly Embraced vampires be free to convert without the fear of being targeted by their regime. Only without the distraction of blasphemy or temporal pleasures can neonates focus on The Testament of Longinus. The Sanctified know that the Damned cannot be terrorized into believing the word of Longinus, but they can be made afraid to join the ranks of another covenant.
Fear is difficult to manage, but it is often useful. Some vampires see a show of force and react with defiance, but some see a show of force and want immediately to enjoy its protection. Some see a way to become strong themselves. If nothing else, the zeal and skill of the covenant’s dark paladins makes loyal followers feel safe.
Coteries that must engage in violence are encouraged to choose their battles carefully. The Lancea Sanctum prides itself on fighting battles it can win and recognizing those battles in advance. And while the covenant recognizes that victory comes in many forms, it never accepts a Pyrrhic victory in public. Cycles of violence are undesirable. The Lancea Sanctum seeks to end conflicts, even when it starts them. If the consequences of force are uncertain, then force should follow meditation and patience. It is better to win absolutely than to win now.
Coterie-Specific Rites
Every coterie in the covenant has its own rites and rituals. Some are simply altered versions of common rites, such as the Blood Prayer recited in French instead of Latin. Others are unique, meant to inspire the coterie or define its boundaries. Some coteries write their own sermons and celebrate their own holidays. Some coteries hunt only on certain nights or feed only from subjects approved by the group as a whole. Coteries with shared religious traditions from life observe variations of Jewish or Muslim services, such as fasting or praying in the direction of Longinus’ damnation.Sanctified coteries are encouraged by the covenant to develop their own initiation rites to bestow a feeling of true belonging on new members. (For centuries, one longstanding European coterie prodded new members with spears.) Many coteries also develop exclusionary rites, unique punishments for transgressions against the coterie or the Traditions, and rituals for the Vinculum. For the most part, coterie-specific rites are inspired by ancient covenant traditions and centuries of prior custom. Even those coteries that invent whole new rites color them with references to the old ways.
Status
The strict and often confusing hierarchy of the Lancea Sanctum creates rigid paths of promotion for successful coteries. Still, the paths to power do branch. To achieve greater standing, to earn a more prestigious place in the covenant, a coterie must complete the jobs it is given while also attracting the attention of Bishops and other higher-ups. It must exhibit respect for the task it has been given while demonstrating an aptitude for the position it seeks.If the covenant has a cordial relationship with the dominant covenant in a given city, this relationship creates opportunities for coteries to gain status in city politics and at court. Respected coteries might be given a domain by the Prince to turn into a Sanctified parish. Bishops are often named to the Primogen.
Coteries of note can also gain access to previously forbidden resources, be honored in formal ceremonies or be rewarded with knowledge of Theban Sorcery. If the covenant is in possession of territory within the city, it sometimes doles out havens, coterie parishes and parcels of territory to its members. Coteries of great status might even be allowed to sire childer.
Coteries directly below the most advantageous positions must be wary. Only a single Kindred can become the Archbishop. Even if the coterie works together to open the seat, only one of them gets to sit in it. It’s possible, of course, for one of the Damned to act as the face for a secret council. It’s happened before.
Working with the Sanctified
Vampires who do not formally belong to the covenant, especially unaligned vampires, might find themselves working for the Lancea Sanctum all the same. In cities where the Sanctified are dominant, this is common when tasks to be accomplished exceed the capacity of the Sanctified to perform them. Coteries that work with the covenant but are not actually a part of the covenant are politely thanked, and sometimes pitied, by members of the church. Outsiders regard such arrangements with suspicion or derision, even if the Lancea Sanctum is respected in the domain. Mercenary coteries are thought to be setting themselves up for conversion in the best situations. More likely, the covenant just has a job it needs done that’s too menial or too dangerous to waste even Sanctified neonates on.In the meantime, though, mercenary coteries enjoy the benefits of allegiance, such as freedom of movement throughout the city with a letter of release from the Bishop or permission to feed in Sanctified territory.
Promotion
The best an allied outsider coterie can hope for is more responsibility without the benefits of membership. Some coteries try to milk the Sanctified for favors and grants while feigning an interest in joining the covenant, but the Sanctified routinely see through such ploys. If a coterie works with the Lancea Sanctum but refuses to convert, it’ll eventually tire of the limits on advancement and the mockery from other coteries.Blessed be God.
Blessed be His holy name.
Yet Cursed be Longinus.
Cursed be the Children of the Night.
Cursed be those who seek men for their blood.
And in their curse remember them to the Will and Word of God.
— From a Lancea Sanctum Benediction
Blessed be His holy name.
Yet Cursed be Longinus.
Cursed be the Children of the Night.
Cursed be those who seek men for their blood.
And in their curse remember them to the Will and Word of God.
— From a Lancea Sanctum Benediction
Type
Alliance, Generic
Of Princes and Parishes
Like all matters of domain and the Danse Macabre, no generalizations of Sanctified parishes can be truly universal. In some cities, parishes are determined geographically, with respect to feudal or municipal borders. In other cities, parishes are defined by the size of their membership, regardless of geographical territory. A parish might be an official region (as counties in Louisiana are called “parishes”) or it could simply be a reference to the Sanctified vampires of the area. In many cities, no proper parishes exist at all. In certain rural areas, several small cities could fall under a single parish.Parishes might correspond to feudal or tenurial domains granted by a Prince or Archbishop, and they often do in regions where the Lancea Sanctum is strong. In some cities, Bishops formally dole out parishes as territories to followers like a Prince grants domains, but unless these parishes are also endowed with authority by the Prince, the parish has no weight or value in city politics. In some cities, vampires outside the covenant have no idea where a parish’s boundaries are. They might not even be aware of the parishes at all.
Depending on the number of devout vampires in the area, a parish could include many different coteries or a single coterie. Therefore, coteries in some parishes are given specific tasks to perform, while the Damned of a one-coterie parish are responsible for all covenant operations in the area. It’s not unusual for the covenant to send specialized or experienced coteries from one parish to another as necessary within the domain. Parishes are a spatial unit; coteries are a social unit.
Flight from Sanctuaty
It’s happened before. A coterie exploring its faith wanders outside the “canon” claimed by the covenant and finds itself cutting new paths through doubt or uncertainty. When a coterie goes outside the bounds of the covenant’s strict interpretations, it risks alienating itself from the mother parish. Some coteries see it as growing above the safe strictures of a stale belief, which is a natural growth of the religion — a positive thing.Most regional representatives of the covenant don’t. The Lancea Sanctum proscribes such notions and those coteries that don’t hurry back to the landscaping from the brambles. Characters who go off and explore new dogma in the spirit of the evangel might be pitied or missed, and even forgiven when they return, but those who do so while wearing the habit of the Sanctified or claiming to represent the covenant are worse than pagans. They’re heretics. The covenant views coteries that confuse The Testament of Longinus as a great threat to the laity. The confusion and arrogance that corrupts one Sanctified coterie cannot be allowed to spread into other faithful coteries.
In practice, of course, locality is everything. Lancea Sanctum dogma in one domain might be heresy in the next. While the institution of the Sanctified has remained intact over the centuries, its individual cells have mirrored the Christian church, which has splintered over its history.
Therefore, characters bound by faith might find themselves on the run, in the dark between a cathedral of disapproving clerics and a city of unsympathetic pagans. Such coteries have a unity of faith stronger than their loyalty to the covenant, and loyalty to the coterie becomes essential for such groups. Though they might still consider themselves the faithful of Longinus, they become pilgrims without a Mecca, a parish with no pope, a religion of four or five. And the Hounds of Longinus are after them.
Long-Term Coteries with Short-Term Duties
Throughout his Requiem, a Sanctified Kindred is likely to wear many costumes and play many parts. The Lancea Sanctum encourages its members to hone many skills and experience many trials in their nights on Earth. Although a coterie might exist chiefly to carry out one duty, it could inherit any task required by the covenant. The duties around which a coterie resolves are not to be confused with professions. All the Sanctified are tradesmen, but the trade they ply is that of a servant to the Almighty, and He could demand anything on any night. Only the most proficient vampires — Inquisitors, Bishops and experienced paladins — equate themselves with their work so utterly. Even they do whatever is asked of them by God.A coterie organized by Lancea Sanctum luminaries should expect to be given responsibilities related to the expertise of its members, but the covenant might demand special actions from time to time. A coterie formed through social or circumstantial connections should expect more varied assignments as the covenant learns the coterie’s strengths. Still, as a Benedictine considers himself a monk, he might also consider himself a scrivener, and the covenant rarely asks its members to carry out tasks for which they are ill-suited. Reputation and renown do matter.
Unusual assignments can be given for a variety of reasons, the most common of which is happenstance. If the coterie is the only collection of Sanctified vampires in the domain with reliable sway at a university, it might be given a research task to resolve. Sometimes, however, and perhaps more often than is speculated, elders pass down assignments as tests of mettle or faith. The quality of success in such cases is often of less interest to the coterie’s superiors than the manner in which success (or failure) is achieved… and the price it exacts from the coterie.
Sanctified Confessors
The word confessor is used here as well as within the Ordo Dracul (see p. 57). This overlap is intention.al Not only is the role of relieving the soul’s burden similar in both covenants, but the blurring between the position of confessor occurs between covenants as well as the mortal institution of confession. Storytellers, when the troupe hears the word “confessor,” they shouldn’t necessarily know immediately what covenant the purported “confessor” hails from, or even if it’s a function of his covenant at all. Make use of this blur and overlap to highlight the air of the unknown that Kindred domains should possess in addition to the significance of religion and spirituality to many vampires’ outlooks.Coteries of Virtue or Vice
Although the philosophies of Longinus don’t direct the Damned to better themselves as JudeoChristian religions do, they do push a vampire to master his own damnation. To do so requires the Kindred to be acutely aware of his strengths and weaknesses while recognizing that what makes a human strong or weak does not apply to him anymore. A vampire who is a slave to his own behavior is nothing but a beast who dishonors the message sent to Earth by God in the form of the undead. The separation of the soul from the corpse is what puts the Damned above mortals, driven by animal instincts and tempered with human thought. The undead body provokes only one instinctual need: the need for Vitae. The Testament of Longinus demonstrates that actions are more important than essence, and the actions of a predator should not be anchored by mortal concepts of morality.Sanctified elders sometimes organize neonates into coteries of similar morality. The idea is that a group of the Damned with many of the same lessons to learn benefits from learning together. A sympathetic Priest might even guide pious Kindred from other covenants into a coterie based on their personal morals. In practice, such a coterie might start off as a kind of support group and grow later into a more traditional coterie. Perhaps the group has been put together as a probationary measure. When the characters demonstrate an ability to look past human morality and see the relationship between the Damned and humanity, the group might be allowed access to the first rites of Theban Sorcery.
Of course, Kindred of similar morality naturally gravitate toward each other. Gluttonous or wrathful vampires fall into routines of frenzied feeding or arbitrary violence before they choose to pursue a Requiem in the footsteps of the Dark Prophet. Kindred concerned with charity might attempt to deny the horror of their curse by working together to help people, before being relieved of their mortal worldview by their growing understanding of The Testament of Longinus.
The Pageant of the Predator
The Sanctified exalt and honor the Traditions as Longinus did. So, too, does the covenant identify itself and all the Damned in relation to mortals. The Testament of Longinus holds that the Damned exist to show mortals the penalty for impiety. How are the Damned to do so if the Tradition of the Masquerade is never to be breached?Some coteries take it upon themselves to break the First Tradition and perpetuate the vampire myth among mortals in the slightest ways. The trend began in the United States, where the isolation of mortal settlements made it possible for bloody evidence and eye-witness accounts to dilute into campfire tales and urban myth, where provincial attitudes obstruct serious investigations. The coteries select remote and vulnerable mortals for attack, then feed and murder in sight of just one or two witnesses. The fanatical attackers work at the smallest scale possible — killing one of a pair of humans, for example — and strive to create a scene that the locals will remember for decades. In many cases, these errant zealots go so far as to proselytize about the risks of defying the Lord and the penalties for sin.
These misguided fanatics see themselves as martyrs, damning themselves to the wrath of the covenant as Longinus damned himself to the wrath of God. And while the covenant is aware of these forbidden displays, the behavior of some coteries has been ignored… in case the covenant can think of a good use for them. In the meantime, such groups never turn themselves in, but they also never recant their actions when they are finally caught by the covenant.