Lancea Sanctum - The Middle East
The Lancea Sanctum may have had its most important successes in Europe, but it is the cradle of civilization that remains for them the true Holy Land. It is here that Longinus lived and became one of the Damned, here that he came upon the Spear of Destiny and with it struck Christ, and here that the Archangel Vahishtael revealed to him the divine role of the Kindred. For those Sanctified who call this place home, the formal founding of the covenant and its later achievements and experiences pale in comparison to these fantastic occurrences, without which there would not only be no covenant, but the Damned would remain as ignorant brutes with no concept of their true importance.
Here, amidst enduring reminders of the ancient past, The Lancea Sanctum is strong, even if not always dominant. The covenant competes for control with The Invictus, the Circle of the Crone and other, less familiar covenants in the region, but where it has not gained the upper hand it is nonetheless irrefutably a significant player. Few Princes in the Levant would be so foolish as to deny The Lancea Sanctum’s leaders a place at the table, as it were, as doing so would only invite disaster. Even those Damned who do not belong to the covenant at least pay lip service to The Testament of Longinus and the spiritual authority it claims in order to avoid having the Sanctified seek revenge. While overt inquisitions are rare, harassment of blasphemers is not, and given its influence The Lancea Sanctum is able to make one’s Requiem a nightly hell if it so desires.
As might be expected, the unique religious atmosphere in the region has had a great effect upon the covenant. The Iblic and Dammatic Creeds — inspired by the Islamic and Jewish faiths, respectively — join the Monachal Creed as the primary denominations in the Middle East. In most domains, an uneasy peace exists among the three. In some places, the triumvirate agrees to allow the election of one Bishop from each covenant to share power equally with the others. Where this occurs, none of the three is also Prince, but defers that title to another.
An almost distinctly local phenomenon is that of the vampire hermit. Properly called Anchorites by older Sanctified, these individuals remove themselves from almost any figurative or literal association with others. In the fashion of St. Anthony, they most often make their havens in ancient caves far from the larger cities and often in places nearly devoid of human life. Such isolation is purportedly very conducive to greater spiritual enlightenment and closeness to God, but for most Damned, the risks are unthinkable. How the Anchorites survive the pangs of hunger that surely torment them every waking moment, and how they resist the worst ravages of madness being alone for so long, only the saints can know for sure. Many believe that these frightening ascetics have at least one companion — a ghoul that provides for them — or that they command special powers manifested through a true miracle of faith. Whatever the case, on the rarest of occasions when an Anchorite chooses to reenter society, even if only briefly, his appearance causes quite a stir.
Relics, veneration of saints, miracles and apocalyptic beliefs are woven deeply into the religious landscape of the Damned in the Middle East. Many of the Sanctified here also believe that Longinus remains in the area. Some believe that it is his presence or direct intervention that enables the hermits to survive as they do. Literally dozens of apocryphal tales circulate about his reappearance at this or that place and time, usually to strike against an enemy of the covenant or to provide help to one of the Sanctified. Astonishing miracles are, of course, a common element in these fabulous stories. Obviously, Longinus has not openly announced himself since he left the Monachus’ presence so long ago, but as no evidence exists to suggest he is gone forever, the stories continue to propagate. The majority of fables place the Dark Prophet in modern Turkey, Lebanon and Iraq, but they certainly have no monopoly on Longinus sightings. Nearly every place The Lancea Sanctum has a presence, at least one such legend enjoys popularity.
Here, amidst enduring reminders of the ancient past, The Lancea Sanctum is strong, even if not always dominant. The covenant competes for control with The Invictus, the Circle of the Crone and other, less familiar covenants in the region, but where it has not gained the upper hand it is nonetheless irrefutably a significant player. Few Princes in the Levant would be so foolish as to deny The Lancea Sanctum’s leaders a place at the table, as it were, as doing so would only invite disaster. Even those Damned who do not belong to the covenant at least pay lip service to The Testament of Longinus and the spiritual authority it claims in order to avoid having the Sanctified seek revenge. While overt inquisitions are rare, harassment of blasphemers is not, and given its influence The Lancea Sanctum is able to make one’s Requiem a nightly hell if it so desires.
As might be expected, the unique religious atmosphere in the region has had a great effect upon the covenant. The Iblic and Dammatic Creeds — inspired by the Islamic and Jewish faiths, respectively — join the Monachal Creed as the primary denominations in the Middle East. In most domains, an uneasy peace exists among the three. In some places, the triumvirate agrees to allow the election of one Bishop from each covenant to share power equally with the others. Where this occurs, none of the three is also Prince, but defers that title to another.
An almost distinctly local phenomenon is that of the vampire hermit. Properly called Anchorites by older Sanctified, these individuals remove themselves from almost any figurative or literal association with others. In the fashion of St. Anthony, they most often make their havens in ancient caves far from the larger cities and often in places nearly devoid of human life. Such isolation is purportedly very conducive to greater spiritual enlightenment and closeness to God, but for most Damned, the risks are unthinkable. How the Anchorites survive the pangs of hunger that surely torment them every waking moment, and how they resist the worst ravages of madness being alone for so long, only the saints can know for sure. Many believe that these frightening ascetics have at least one companion — a ghoul that provides for them — or that they command special powers manifested through a true miracle of faith. Whatever the case, on the rarest of occasions when an Anchorite chooses to reenter society, even if only briefly, his appearance causes quite a stir.
Relics, veneration of saints, miracles and apocalyptic beliefs are woven deeply into the religious landscape of the Damned in the Middle East. Many of the Sanctified here also believe that Longinus remains in the area. Some believe that it is his presence or direct intervention that enables the hermits to survive as they do. Literally dozens of apocryphal tales circulate about his reappearance at this or that place and time, usually to strike against an enemy of the covenant or to provide help to one of the Sanctified. Astonishing miracles are, of course, a common element in these fabulous stories. Obviously, Longinus has not openly announced himself since he left the Monachus’ presence so long ago, but as no evidence exists to suggest he is gone forever, the stories continue to propagate. The majority of fables place the Dark Prophet in modern Turkey, Lebanon and Iraq, but they certainly have no monopoly on Longinus sightings. Nearly every place The Lancea Sanctum has a presence, at least one such legend enjoys popularity.