Lexicon, Lancea Sanctum

Vampire the Requiem - Covenant - Lancea Sanctum

Some of the following terms are central to the history and theology of the Lancea Sanctum in general. Strange, specialized and highly localized terms are not included here, as such terms may not be accepted in many domains (or chronicles). Many of these terms are used by Kindred in and out of the covenant. The more power the covenant holds in a domain, the more likely non-Sanctified are to be exposed to these terms. Though not every Kindred or every parish makes use of this vocabulary, many of these words and phrases can be used and appreciated even by vampires in faithless cities and domains.
Words and phrases that refer to the Lancea Sanctum, but are not likely to be accepted or approved of by the Sanctified, are not included here. This simple lexicon is a supplement to those found on p. 84-87 of Vampire: The Requiem.

• Abecedarian: An apprentice or student recently brought into the covenant and undergoing formal education.
• Amoniel: The angel who visited the Monachus and revealed the hiding places of the covenant’s first Theban Sorcery rituals. Amoniel has since been associated with other visions leading to the discovery or mastery of Theban Sorcery rituals.
• Anointed, the: Any titled Sanctified officer, with responsibilities and authorities in the covenant.
• Anointing: A ceremony in which a Sanctified vampire is granted title in the Lancea Sanctum and thereby joins “the Anointed.”
• Apostolica: Official covenant rites and ceremonies.
• Archbishop: A Sanctified Prince, generally. An Archbishop is often supported by a Bishop, as political responsibilities keep many Archbishops occupied.
• Bishop: The Sanctified authority in a parish or domain, which may or may not also be the region’s Prince.
• Black Abbey, the: A Christian monastery, located somewhere in Europe, converted to a Sanctified church. For a time, it was the home of the Spear of Destiny. The Monachus met Final Death there.
• Black Saints: Traditionally, the Five Martyrs. In practice, any Kindred granted sainthood by the covenant.
• Cardinal: A Sanctified Kindred who is both the Archbishop and the Bishop of a domain.
• Catechism, the: A small and simple booklet briefly explaining the teachings of Longinus and the beliefs of the Sanctified in a manner meant to be accessible to modern neonates. Not to be confused with The Sanguineous Catechism, written by the Monachus.
• Centurion, the: Another name for Longinus.
• congregation: Technically, the covenant’s membership in the domain. In practice, those Kindred with low or limited status and no title, who participate only in ceremonial covenant worship.
• crack: To reveal or identify the use and power of a Theban Sorcery ritual, as in “It took me three months to crack that miracle.” (slang; see free up and solve)
• Creation Rite, the: A ceremony ritually recognizing a recently Embraced vampire and punishing the sire. The specific rites of the ceremony vary from parish to parish.
• Creed: A sub-sect of the Lancea Sanctum, usually based on the teachings or writings of a Sanctified vampire with progressive or alternative interpretations of the Testament of Longinus. Many are small, limited to just one or two parishes.
• Crusader: An elite warrior of the covenant.
• Dammitic Creed: A major Creed of the covenant that interprets The Testament through the eyes of vampires who were Jewish in life.
• Dark Apostle: Any of the first missionaries of the covenant, dispatched from the Black Abbey to carry the teachings of Longinus to the Kindred of the world.
• Dark Messiah, the: Logninus, father of the Lancea Sanctum. (also Dark Prophet)
• Dark Prophet, the: Longinus, father of the Lancea Sanctum. (also Dark Messiah)
• deacon: A lay vampire given special authority by Sanctified leadership. Sometimes, also, Sanctified Primogen.
• Ecclesia: Unofficial rites, prayers, and ceremonies of Sanctified coteries or local parishes not widely adopted by the covenant at large.
• Five Martyrs: The five disciples of the Monachus. Each was martyred and became, collectively, the Black Saints.
• free up: To reveal or identify the use and power of a Theban Sorcery ritual, as in “I freed up the Sinner’s Blessing we found inscribed in Mexico City.” (slang; see crack and solve)
• Hardliner: Any member of a strictly traditionalist (often also literal or fundamentalist) faction of philosophically rigid Sanctified. Sometimes also the faction itself.
• Iblic Creed: A major Creed of the covenant that interprets The Testament through the eyes of vampires who were Muslims in life.
• Icarians: A bloodline of dynastic, Sanctified Ventrue once responsible for the so-called Icarian Heresy, a series of usurpations throughout European domains from the fourteenth and into the eighteenth century. The Icarians believe they have a divine right to rule Sanctified parishes.
• Inquisitor: An investigator and punisher of heresies, betrayal, disobedience, and crimes against the covenant. Though an Inquisitor may or may not be among the Anointed, these agents traditionally answer only to a Bishop or Archbishop.
• lay priests: Lay vampires who perform minor rites without formal anointment by the covenant. In most domains, there is no difference between this role and a Priest, however. In practice, a “lay priest” is simply a Priest who is not among the Anointed.
• Legate: An agent of the Bishop or Archbishop tasked with traveling on missions outside the safety of the city.
• Longinus: The Roman soldier who pierced the side of Christ on the Cross with the Spear of Destiny and was subsequently damned by God to an eternity of undeath as a vampire. Father and iconic figurehead of the Lancea Sanctum, who dictated the lessons, insight, and scripture that would become the Testament of Longinus.
• Mendicant: Any member of a very loose faction of religious wanderers and hermits seeking enlightenment through travel and worldly experiences. Sometimes also the faction itself. Many mendicants are not a part of a larger faction.
• Messengers: A faction of aggressive Sanctified proselytizers regarded as fanatical converters.
• Miracle of Saint Daniel, the: The venerated revenge of Saint Daniel, who massacred the Romans responsible for the butchery of the Theban Legion. Celebrated on September 22nd.
• Monachal Creed: A sub-sect of the Lancea Sanctum traditionalists who revere the old ways and the writings of the Monachus contained in The Sanguineous Catechism.
• Monachus, the: The “first childe” of Longinus (though the actual means of his Embrace are unclear). The scribe who took the dictation that would become the Testament of Longinus, the Monachus was also a theologian and writer himself.
• Mortifiers of the Flesh: The mystical manifestation of a flagellant religious movement begun the Middle Ages. The Mortifiers of the Flesh believe in spiritual betterment and penitence through physical pain.
• Neo-Reformist: Any member of a progressive, revisionist faction of Sanctified intent on changing or “updating” the Lancea Sanctum. Sometimes also the faction itself.
• Nepheshim: A faction (and possibly a bloodline) of Sanctified mendicants that travels the world in search of worldly inspirations and spiritual insight.
• Osites: A very old bloodline of Sanctified death-scholars known for interacting with corpses in pursuit of spiritual enlightenment.
• Ostiary: “Keeper of the Door.” A typically secular position with the duty of monitoring vampiric traffic into and out of the domain or parish. The Ostiary reports to the Lancea Sanctum.
• pagan: In general, any Kindred who practices a religion not derived from The Testament of Longinus. In practice, this often means specifically members of the Circle of the Crone.
• paladin: A combatant or crusader who fights in the name of the covenant, whether officially or not. Also, a warrior who swears loyalty to one of the Anointed.
• parish: A Sanctified unit of territory and the region of authority of a Bishop, Priest, or other covenant leader. A parish may or may not correspond to secular political or cultural boundaries in the domain.
• Priest: A Sanctified vampire responsible for the spiritual teaching and guidance of other Kindred. Individual Priests may have many additional responsibilities, as well. This is a broad and widely varied title, often informally applied to Sanctified vampires. Many Priests are not anointed by the covenant.
• Proselyte: A revered and celebrated vampire, typically a neonate, demonstrating the grace of the covenant and tasked with converting local Kindred.
• Proselytizer: Any member of an extroverted or missionary faction dedicated to the expansion and promotion of the covenant above all else. Sometimes also the faction itself. Not to be confused with a Proselyte, which is only coincidentally related.
• ritualist: A Kindred who performs the miraculous rituals of Theban Sorcery. More generally, any practitioner of occult rites.
• Rule of Golgotha, the: The name for the rules of behavior described in the book of the Testament with the same name. (Also called “The Rule”)
• Rule, the: The Rule of Golgotha, as recorded in the book of The Testament of Longinus of the same name.
• Saint Adira: A Sanctified martyr and disciple of the Monachus crucified and burned by the Camarilla in ancient Rome.
• Saint Daniel: A Sanctified vampire who traveled with the Theban Legion. Also considered the first master of Theban Sorcery. (see Miracle of Saint Daniel)
• Saint Gilad: A Sanctified martyr and disciple of the Monachus crucified and burned by the Camarilla in ancient Rome.
• Saint Maron: A Sanctified martyr and the last of the five disciples of the Monachus. Destroyed by barbarians and, purportedly, a werewolf witch.
• Saint Pazit: A Sanctified martyr and disciple of the Monachus, she sacrificed herself to secure the safe escape of the Spear of Destiny.
• Saint: An ancient vampire of great renown and respect who is held up as a hero of the covenant. In the Lancea Sanctum, undead Saints may achieve the position without meeting Final Death and, so, may or may not be martyrs.
• Sanguineous Catechism, the: A text written by the Monachus, containing the canons of the Lancea Sanctum.
• Second Estate, the: The Lancea Sanctum. From the “three estates” of medieval Europe. In vampire society, the Invictus is the First Estate (the aristocracy) and the Lancea Sanctum is considered the Second Estate (the church). All other vampires, presumably, are the Third Estate.
• solve: To reveal or identify the use and power of a Theban Sorcery ritual, as in “We have yet to solve the miracle found in that Italian tomb.” (traditional; see crack and free up)
• Spear of Destiny, the: A holy and ancient weapon passed down since the early days of the world. It eventually found it way into the hands of the Roman centurion who prodded Christ on the Cross and was subsequently damned to exist as a vampire. Also known as the Holy Lance and the Sacred Spear. (see Longinus)
• Testament of Longinus, the: The collection of meditations, lessons, and scripture that tells the tale of the life and Requiem of Longinus. The bible of the Lancea Sanctum.
• Theban Legion, the: A Roman legion made up entirely of Christians from the region of Thebias and martyred when Emperor Maximian ordered the legion first decimated, and then destroyed, for refusing to make a sacrifice to the Roman gods.
• Theban Sorcery: The dark, miraculous magic of the Lancea Sanctum, revealed to the Sanctified by the angel Amoniel.
• Thebes: The city of Egypt where the Theban Legion of the Romans originated, also known as Thebias. It was here that the Monachus was visited by Amoniel and shown the rites of Theban Sorcery in a cavern beneath the city’s necropolis.
• Traitor, the: Leader of a group of conspiratorial vampire Satanists, formed of Sanctified traitors, who stormed and burned the Black Abbey in August of 947 AD and destroyed the Monachus.
• Unifier: Any member of a faction that seeks to unite or solidify the disparate sub-groups of the covenant to form a stronger, more tolerant whole. Sometimes also the faction itself.
• Vahishtael: The angel who visited Longinus and explained the role of the Kindred in God’s plan.

Covenant: The Lancea Sanctum