The Rule of Golgotha
Vampire the Requiem - Covenant - Lancea Sanctum
The Rule contains laws and precepts intended to govern vampiric society and morality, to the extent that such a thing can ever truly govern the Damned. The Rule is the shortest of the five books, but also the most important to the covenant’s beliefs, as Monachus expanded upon this book in his later work, the Sanguineous Catechism. The Rule is also the section
of The Testament of Longinus most likely to be quoted by members of other covenants. In particular, certain members of The Invictus sometimes interpret sections of this book to support their “divine right” political theories.
The Rule of Golgotha
The Rule of
Gogothaa b
1. Incline your ears, O my children of the night, and let these humble words fly to your hearts. Know that the teachings of our father Longinus are a great burden upon us, and that the judgment of God is most justly severe. Recognize that these words are written not at the bidding of any man, nor any demon, but for and through the purpose of our God.Gogothaa b
Each one of us is but one starving wolf, culling sheep in the dead of night; through the fellowship of lance and of chapel are we brought together to serve a higher Purpose. Remember that one wolf may be bested by a single youth, but a pack of wolves strikes fear into even the strongest of warriors.
Together, therefore, learn the teachings of the Dark Father, and know that your unlife is holy:
That though you are Damned, your Damnation has purpose. It is the will of God that you are what you are, and the will of God is that the Damned exist to show the evils of turning from Him. The evil become Damned; God has taken those worthy of His love to His own side. It is the will of God that we yet walk, even after death, for we are his messengers to Kindred and men. We are the wolves of Heaven, and in our presence, only the faithful do not tremble. We are holy lightning, and when we strike, only the faithful do not burn. Where we walk, evil is destroyed. Where we walk, God takes those worthy of his love to his own side.
a The text of the Rule found in this volume will seem both unusual and strangely familiar to scholars of the Testament. The original manuscript was found as part of a cache of scrolls hidden in the catacombs of an early Christian settlement in the Middle East; indeed, it was that discovery that inspired this edition of the Testament. (You will of course forgive me if I do not give more specific information on the location, as I believe there may be more valuable artifacts there still.) I have spent the last fifty years verifying the physical artifact as well as the style of the work, and I believe it to be a genuine copy of the Rule inscribed by one of the earliest followers of the Monachus. It is well known that the Monachus revised the Rule many times in his lifetime, and this document clearly shows itself to be the origin of both the Rule as modern Kindred have come to know it and of large sections of the Catechism. I will not pander to your ignorance by indicating every passage that is known in the more modern, bastardized texts; this version is more pure and more orthodox. VB
b Because the Rule presented here is drastically different from the one in the Authorized Version, the committee could not come to agree on how to approach the numbering of verses. As such, attempts at traditional numbering have been abandoned. HM
That what you once were is not what you now are. As a mortal is a sheep, so are the Damned wolves among them. That role is defined by nature — wolves feed on their prey, but they are not cruel to them. The role of predator is natural, even if the predator himself is not. Accept your role, but seek not to taint it with your desires.
That an ordained hierarchy exists. As man is above beasts, so are the Damned above men. Our numbers are fewer so that our purpose is better effected. There are blades of grass beyond human measure. Sheep and cattle, which eat the grass, are fewer than grass yet more than the numbers of man. Man, who eats the animals, is yet fewer than these creatures, and we are still fewer than man. Each must have his place in God's plan. This is as orderly as the passage of stars in the heavens or the passage of years of a man's life.
That with the power of Damnation comes limitation. The Damned hide among those who still enjoy God's love, making themselves known only to exemplify fear and cull the unrepentant. The Damned shall make none of their own, for such is a judgment of soul that is the purview only of God. The Damned shall suffer yet more should they slay a fellow to take his soul from him.
That our bodies are not our own. Our purpose is to serve, and when we stray from that purpose, we are to be chastened through God's miracles. Our Damnation effects certain transformations: the light of the sun excoriates; the flames of a fire purify fleshly evil. The taste of all sustenance other than Vitae is as ash upon the tongue.
These things and more shall set us apart from the baser demons of the night. Brethren, let us rejoice always in our damnation and be ever humble in our purpose. Amen.
2. Though you are Damned, your Damnation has purpose. It is the will of God that you are what you are, and the will of God is that the Damned exist to show the evils of turning from Him.
We each have turned from the face of God in our sin. In wrath we have fed, in luxury we have indulged, and in pride we have despaired. As men we sinned, and in death we were Damned. Each Damnation is a whole and perfect act of God, done by his might and through his will.
The evil become Damned; God has taken those worthy of His love to His own side. In the scriptures of man we hear that God shall take to him the sheep, and turn aside the goats. Every child knows that the goat, through its superior intellect, can herd the sheep, to lead them to safety or to peril. Every neonate knows that the Kindred, through his superior prowess, can drive the kine to an existence of utility or to certain death. We are cast off from God's left hand, but His purpose encompasses all quarters of creation.
Our Damnation is but one part of God's plan. It is perfect, eternal and predestined. For this reason we must pay close attention to what we have heard, so that each one of us may recognize his own part in the divine purpose. We must keep faith at all times in the all-encompassing rightness of God's plan and the part which Longinus came to play in it. We can be assured that what we believe is true and right, for the Angel Vahishtael was sent to guide Longinus in his new-found wisdom. We can know that the unlife we lead is Sanctified, for we have seen miracles with our own eyes and felt the presence of divinity in our predation.
And surely we are Sanctified! We know even now that these nights grow shorter and fewer with every passing year. Every season of fasting the question arises: Will this be the last? Surely the final judgment will be coming soon. And woe unto the man who leads a mortal life of sin and depravity, for surely he will be judged and removed from God's grace for all eternity. We as Damned are blessed, for we may taste of damnation before those final nights are upon us. He who is Damned and yet cannot see the truth of it will be torn asunder by the harsh reality of God's wrath. But we who live Damnation every night shall welcome the justice of his judgment.
The Dark Prophet himself has said that though our work is sinful, our mission is holy. Every night since the night your heart ceased its beating you have sinned. Even on nights you have done nothing but lie in your crypt or your cave you have sinned, for you are outside of God's grace. Your very existence, your urges, your hungers, your desires, are born of sin and infused with sin.
3. Thus the Dark Father spake: that what you once were is not what you now are. As a mortal is a sheep, so are the Damned wolves among them. That role is defined by nature — wolves feed on their prey, but they are not cruel to them. The role of predator is natural, even if the predator himself is not.
Remember, O childer, that though you yet bear the form of man, you are transformed by holy censure. No longer is it your purpose or your prerogative to live the three score years and ten of the children of Adam. No longer shall you sense your heart beating within your breast, feel the satisfaction of a day's toil, or enjoy the comfort of the marriage bed.
Now instead you shall feed upon mortal blood, a hunter and a scavenger of those whose souls may yet be saved. We are God's holy monsters, and as predators above predators we must use our prowess wisely. The wolf or lion will feed upon the aged, the young, the sick. The worms will feed upon the plagued and decrepit. We, who have been exalted by our Damnation, must show God's purpose to the kine and to our heathen brothers through our superior predation.
Man is like unto the angels with his faculties and compassion. As we were once men, we have these qualities at hand in every undertaking. We can show the rich their poverty, we can show the powerful their weakness, we can show the healthy their decay, and we can show the pious their hypocrisy. To all men we can show the misery and depredation of the physical world, so that their souls may yearn more intensely for the kingdom that may be theirs, through the grace of God.
The mandate of the Lord is such that the duty of each Damned Kindred to feed upon the mortal kine without regret or mercy, just as it is the duty of the mortal to feed us with his life-giving Vitae.
You shall not feed on children, for a child may sin but they are sins of ignorance, not of willful submission to evil. A child must be allowed to grow to the age of maturityc so that his sins will be his own and his responsibility shall be full.
You shall not feed on the simple or the mad who are unknowing of their own choices, for in such childlike souls no sin can truly take root. Even a murderer who genuinely knows not what he does will not be driven away from his sinful choices by your predation, and will not recognize God’s salvation even if it is given to him.
You shall not shy from feeding on noble or peasant, maiden or sage. There are some among the Damned who have in past nights chosen to feed only on criminals, or priests of heretical gods, or the weak or aged. This is anathema to our kind. We are justified and Sanctified in our feeding, and all men and women shall be as meat beneath our fangs.
You shall feed carefully, whether your sheep live in one flock or are scattered. Let your predation be effected carefully and with forethought. To show yourself shamelessly in your true form to the kine is a sin, for it endangers our holy purpose. Mortals are a skittish lot, like unto sheep, and will act as unsensibly as sheep do when affrighted.
You shall feed only enough to satisfy your hunger and fulfill God’s holy purpose. There is no need to slaughter your meal, for such is wasteful and impious.
Thank the Lord your God when you feed, and ask for his blessing on the Vitae claim to fulfill your anointed purpose.
Feed justly, and with discretion. Feed for hunger and feed for joy. Remember always you are the hunter and devourer of mankind.
4. It is known to you that an ordained hierarchy exists. As man is above beasts, so are the Damned above men. Our numbers are fewer so that our purpose is better effected.
We recognize a hierarchy of the natural world, from the lowest depths of the deepest hell to the highest heaven. We recognize a hierarchy of creatures, from the lowest fly to the greatest of the Damned. We acknowledge and are grateful for our position in the ordering of God's creation.
The numbers of man are many, for they are fruitful and multiply. The numbers of Kindred are fewer, for we grow our ranks only through Damnation and death; those who are without sin shall never enter our ranks. The number that come to the truth of our brotherhood are yet fewer, for few will raise themselves above their food to see the truth which stands before them. And still fewer can bear the heavy burden of leadership, to be held as an example for his brethren.
c Note that there is no indication of the chronological “age of maturity.” It most likely has no connection to the legal age of consent or adulthood for modern nations. I conjecture that this can most logically be designated as the 12-14 year old age of puberty celebrated in most ancient cultures. HM
We recognize also a hierarchy of the Damned. From the lowest of those who cannot see the truth of our Sanctification or the barest neonate, his sire's Vitae still fresh upon his lips, to the most perfect predator and the greatest student of the Dark Prophet, we too have a hierarchy that is part of God's plan.
Those who shall serve you as abbotd shall be held to the highest standard, for they must show the faithful the proper conduct. Each abbot is merely a servant; he serves the community, the mission of the Dark Prophet, and the purpose of God. Let no Kindred be crowned as a king of the faithful; such things are better left to the patriarchs and emperors of the secular concern. Each abbot, like each brother, serves God’s purpose in his own way, and shall be garnered respect as first among equals, as he has earned through the perfection of his predation. There is none more worthy above you, excepting God.
Let not the blood of your brethren set him apart from you, nor his station before his Damnation. Keep foremost in your hearts always that no noble is above a slave, nor a prince before a worm, for we are all equally exalted and brought low in our Damnation. Yet also it must be remembered that we are not members of the mortals’ slave religions; we are set above and apart from mankind, and we need not grovel before any man or any Kindred. Beware also those who would remove themselves from the community of the faithful to claim superiority in isolation. The eremitic way of life is anathema to this body of faithful. Though it is recognized that isolation is sometimes needed to cleanse the soul, to reject the greater body of the Sanctified by refusing to recognize and welcome brothers and sisters in faith is to reject the faith as it has been given to us.
Those who serve their brethren of the Spear by wandering shall not, however, be cast out from the body of the faithful. As long as they acknowledge and bend to the hierarchy and the tenets of the community and do not fall into apostasy, they shall be welcomed and recognized by their brethren.
One who is recognized by his brothers shall be raised above them only in duty, and shall ask of his brethren their blessing on his leadership. Before assuming his role, he must confess his sins and the cause of his Damnation, and be given such penance as will make his unlife most pure.
He must remember always that his accounting before the dread judgment of God will be for not only his own teaching and conduct, but on that of his disciples. Let him be marked for this greater accounting, as Cain was marked by God for his deathly sin. For no mercy shall be shown him who counterfeits piety, or who uses his station to manipulate or extort his brethren. Such men are anathema before the Lord and shall be thrown down to the lowest station that the community can conceive of.
In the presence of any sin, all of the fathers of all the monasteries will be able and should reprimand and provide needed correction to any member of
d This is generally rendered as Aramaic “abba” throughout the text; I have translated this as “abbot” instead of the more literal “father” because of the common usage of this term in monastic traditions throughout the early years of the covenant. HM
the community of the faithful. Anyone who refuses the proper penance given by one superior to him shall be punished in the usual waye.
Thus do we acknowledge the first among us, and trust in our brethren in diverse communities to choose leaders wise and worshipful. Let us also aspire to that more perfect predation, and let those who have been chosen to be first among equals be magnanimous in their strictures, be forgiving in their dealings with other Damned, and let them be wise in their law-giving.
5. We know well that with the power of Damnation comes limitation. The Damned hide among those who still enjoy God's love, making themselves known only to exemplify fear. Though we are blessed by our Damnation, we are still denied for eternity the light of God's grace. These limitations are of God's design, and we are bound to them as surely as we are bound to the Vitae that gives us sustenance. Yet happy are we that we may recognize and celebrate our limitations as but one piece of the greater plan of almighty God, and follow them with piety and with good cheer.
The ordering of the cosmos lies with God, and he has given to us the dark places of the night and the fears in men's hearts. It is thus sinful to walk among the kine as if we were without fear, full of false pride. Though we feed upon them, our souls are forever stained and we shall never reach the salvation that is theirs to take. Thus each Damned is both above and below each man, for we are the devourer of Vitae but we beg at the table for scraps of God's favor. It is not for us to question his wisdom and walk among men as if our sin were not shameful, or our blessings not dark.
Those who show the sin of hubris and do not keep an unoffending facade when in the company of mortals shall surely bring doom upon themselves. For man is clever and when he finds an enemy he will find a way to destroy it. It is not the wolf's way to lie down with the sheep. Better it is that man should fear the night, the unknown and the predators therein. Punishment shall be great for he who brings the wrath of man down upon himself and his brethren. Be not prideful, lest your betters – be they Kindred or God – feel the need to correct you.
Likewise the Damned shall make none of their own, for such is a judgment of the soul that is the purview only of God. Who are you to damn a soul that may yet find salvation later? Though it may seem that an unrepentant murderer or a rapist or an adulterer shall surely be damned by God, bear in mind always that God's judgment is perfect and ineffable and we as beings of a finite existence shall never know it fully.
In the extraordinary circumstance of the Embrace, a mortal must always be given the choice between Damnation or death. Woe be unto him who must choose suicide or the lake of fire! For suicide is as prideful a sin as murder, setting the time of one’s own death instead of the time of God's
e It is unclear from the context what “the usual way” is. Secondary documents from the fourth century indicate that various methods of extreme instructional penance included exsanguination to the point of near starvation, removal of various limbs, staking and imprisonment, et cetera. The text seems to assume that readers will know what is customary for the covenant. VB
choosing. Be wary of setting such a choice before a mortal, and remember always that God's will is all-powerful, and shall always come to fruition.
For those Damned who are yet foolish enough to bestow the Embrace upon a sinful mortal, bear in mind that what you do is no base function of the physical body. It is a sacred thing, for was not the Dark Father given his unlife by the divinity of the Christ himself? Your eternal soul shall be held accountable for it, as shall the soul of your childe, and neither shall escape the harsh and perfect judgment of God.
The Damned shall suffer yet more should they slay a fellow to take his soul from him. Your own soul shall become yet blacker in the eyes of God, for he shall not look kindly on one who would take a soul from the judgment of heaven. The call of Kindred Vitae is an insidious and enticing one. To take into one's own body the strengths of another, whether body, mind or soul, is a temptation to all but the most pious. To take a soul must therefore be nearly irresistible. To make oneself more potent, more brilliant, more charismatic, with no effort from yourself seems heavenly in its effortlessness. Know, however, that such things can be seen by eye of God and other Kindred, who will surely turn their hatred upon your sloth and pride.
Live humbly, then, my children, within the strictures that have been set for you, by the tenets of the plan that God has laid for you, and rejoice in the blessings of your Damnation.
6. We know that as the Damned we are preordained to sin, both venal and mortal. How blessed are we, then, that our mortality is guaranteed through our Damnation! For we are not only doomed to die, but are dead already. We have died and we will die and our death shall be everlasting. Let hymns of praise be sung to God and his almighty Damnation!
It is difficult for many of the faithful to truly understand that our bodies are not our own. Our purpose is to serve, and when we stray from that purpose, we are to be chastened. The light of the sun excoriates; the flames of a fire purify fleshly evil. The taste of all sustenance other than Vitae is as ash upon the tongue.
Our will must be subsumed beneath the will of God. He has a divine purpose for each of us which we must follow without fear and without doubt.
Happy is he that may be called to give up his life so that the faith or the unlives of his brothers and sisters may yet survive! Did not those Dark Apostles who were martyred for their faith give a superior example for us to follow? Was not the sacrifice of their unlives glorious?
Who among us has not approached a member of the kine in order that we might feed upon him, only to be driven back by the purity of his soul and its faith? By this we may see that our hunger is subservient to God’s natural order.
It is anathema to feed among the pure and righteous, for it is the clear wish of the Lord that such persons must be left unmolested in their goodness. The Lord wishes to gather close to him those of spotless heart and perfect soul, and as such they are not ours to take or to prey upon.
7. The following are the precepts we order you living in the monastery to observe. As a community of the blessed, it behooves you to conduct yourselves in an orderly and regimented way.
The unlife of a community of the Sanctified is far superior to that of a solitary soul, but keep in mind always that fasting, rituals and austerities must never interfere with prayer or your holy predation.
At the setting of the sun, the abbot shall make some sign to the community that a prayerful night shall commence. By bell or by call or by shriek of evening's sustenancef, the brethren shall be gathered together. The abbot will lead them in prayer and the brethren shall ask God for a blessing on their evening’s doings.
For those that can be nourished by beasts, let them be fed. For those that must receive sustenance from brethren, let them avail themselves of such arrangements as are proper. For all others of God’s wolves that require nourishment, let the abbot invoke a blessing upon them and send them out into the flock.
Those who have no abbot may say to God: Heavenly Father, guide my aim as I serve your Holy Spear, spilling the blood of the wicked in your name. Amen.
Those who do not feed on a particular night should contribute in some way to the orderly doings of the house. Let those who are strong of will provide the fires to light the chapel and the scriptorium. Let those who are strong of body tend to the beasts and provide defense against such enemies as all righteous Kindred have. Let those who are strong of mind manage the necessary finances and whatever dealings with the political world – however distasteful – the fellowship may require. Let those who are strong of spirit and foremost in their Damnation tend to the spiritual needs of the community, through confession, punishment and guidance.
After the evening prayer, a designated Kindred will ask the father of the monastery about all the things that he considers necessary and about the moment in which the brothers should go to work in the world. According to the order that he had received, he will speak to each Sanctified and teach each one what they have to do.
In the mid-night on preordained evenings, whether to celebrate a holy day or every night if the resources of the community shall allow it, the abbot shall celebrate a dark communion of the brethren. All members shall be gathered together unless they previously obtain dispensation for absence, and they shall celebrate the teachings of the Dark Father and revel in the blessing of their Damnation.g
Sustenance shall be shared communally and our Father’s words shall be read. An abbot who has words of guidance for his brethren may find it prudent
f I can find no evidence that this method was ever actually used in practice, which probably led to its absence from every other extant copy of the Rule. HM
g This is commonly used to punish individuals who do not attend mass, but clearly an abbot or bishop may excuse a member of the congregation for reasons he deems appropriate. HM
to share these words while all are gathered, but these things should at all times be secondary to the words of the Dark Father. A righteous community should celebrate these things no less than once a week, at the sabbath.
He who abandons the celebration without the permission of his superior will be rebuked instantly. Anyone who is late to prayers and anyone who had whispered with his neighbor or laughed secretly will do penance according to the established way, during the rest of the prayers.
On nights when the community is not amassed, gatherings of brethren to pray among themselves shall be encouraged by the abbot. Those who are yet unschooled in their Damnation shall be guided by those with greater wisdom, so that all may hear the truth.
If any of the brethren be injured by fire or battle or claw of wolf in the acquittal of God’s holy purpose, let other brethren care for him in the community so that his vigor be renewed and he may be again a useful tool of God’s plan. If his unlife be taken, let him be mourned as if he were the closest confidant or blood-kin.
If anyone who comes to the door of the monastery with the purpose of joining the community, he will not have the freedom to enter. The candidate will stay some days in an antechamber provided for visitors and for supplicants. Brethren will teach him the simplest teachings of the Dark Father and he will recite them faithfully to show that his will motivates him to join. They will teach him all of the disciplines of the monastery, and what he should carry on and what he has to accept. This is to make sure that he is not a spy or a troublemaker intent on causing harm to the Sanctified.
Once the brethren and the abbot are satisfied as to his earnestness, they shall allow him to join the prayers and celebrations and join him to the community in the accepted way. If he is illiterate, he will go, after prayers and after the communal celebration, to be taught to read the holy scriptures. In general, no one in the community will be allowed to stay without being able to read or memorize something from scripture.
If any come to the monastery as visitor or envoy, they shall be granted entrance but shall be watched and guarded for their own safety and the safety of the brethren. Sanctuary shall be given to all that require it, but it does not then follow that the community must lay itself defenseless.
Any one who has taken on the cloak of our faith and yet is still compelled to wander shall show due reverence to those who maintain communities of brethren and shall not be turned away through fear or ignorance. The wanderers who minister to the far-flung paths shall not be cast off.
Any one who has abandoned the community of the brothers and then had come back will not return to his place, after having made penance, without the order of the superior. Until such time as penance shall be made, he will be treated as a postulant and shall be put through all required tests.
Any one who finds it necessary through wrestling with his baser instincts or some other weakness to be removed from the community that they might find greater self-control through isolation shall be released into such only with the blessing of the abbot. If he is faithful, he shall lose no standing among his Damned brothers but shall be welcomed back once he has expelled his demons of sin.
If any community shall be found to be in practice of heretical faith, they shall be expelled from the body of the faithful. Yet if they and their abbot shall make penance and recant all heresies, they shall be welcomed back to the community of brethren.
If a member of the monastery gives his worldly possessions to the community, his death shall not release their claim upon it. No heirs of mortal or Kindred line shall have claim upon it, nor shall they have right to petition the community for recompense or fee.
If the abbot of the monastery is absent for a short period of time, they will wait for him, but if they see that his absence is prolonged for some more time, then they will confer amongst themselves and, through prayer and fasting discern who is the most perfect among them. Let no ill will be caused by such discernment, but let all brethren recognize God’s work in their leadership.
If the chief of the househ violates one of these precepts, he will be repaid according to his deeds. Those who are first shall be punished sevenfold in their transgressions so that they may be a more perfect example of the righteous way of the Damned.
If any of the community by mishap or by intent participate in the Damnation of a mortal, let him be punished for it body and soul. Let every effort be made to bring the new Kindred into the body of the faithful and let his Damnation be fully expressed to him.
Our required predation must be done carefully and wholly, not merely for sustenance, but for its own blessed sake and in order that we may be more perfect monsters for the Lord. For this reason, it is always prudent for the founders of such a community of Kindred to draw themselves towards cities of men, where corruption makes men weak and the dark places are more riddled with sin.
8. These words I have written shall tell you your duties, your limitations and the proper conduct of a community of the Sanctified, but what then shall each of you do to grow in your piety and Damnation?
The good works of a Damned monster must be strange indeed, I hear my brethren say. For we are not poor mortal sheep who do such simple works of charity and kindness that may yet earn them the glorious salvation of the Lord! Yet prayer and reason and the works of our Dark Father shall ever show us the way in which we shall comport ourselves. Herein I shall write such things as I hope may guide the youngest neonate and the most pious abbot, the basest supplicant and the strongest predator.i
h It is unclear precisely what modern position this would be akin to. HM
i Much of this chapter, in later years, was heavily edited and refined to become what the basis of what would become the Catechism. This copy already began to show signs of editing, which I have indicated where applicable. HM
You shall pray to the Lord your God each night, whether at dusk of night, at mid-night or at first hint of dawn. The Lord cares not what time your prayer shall be, only that it be heartfelt and pious, for all times are alike before his omnipotence. Raise your voice to the Lord or say quietly within your soul: thank you my God for your holy Damnation and thank you for showing me my place in your ineffable plan. May my prayers and predations be always acceptable in your sight and may my actions this night drive Kindred and man alike to a more perfect understanding of your will. Amen.
You shall honor the Dark Father and give thanks for the perfection of his sinfulness and the miracle of his transformation. Say to the Lord: My God, all praise is due to you for the miracle of transformation that you bestowed upon the centurion. Blessed are we who know the truth of divinity in the world because of the blood of the Christ that gave the centurion sight and life! May we ever walk in his ways and follow his example, by your power and will. Amen.
You shall venerate and give thanks for the example of those of your brethren who have given their lives to protect your faith and your unlife. Many holy men and women have laid down their lives to fire and to fang so that we may continue to spread the good news to Kindred everywhere that their unlives are still meaningful in the eyes of God. Pray to the Lord and say: My Lord and God, thank you for the example you have given us of the saints and martyrs who walk in the ways of Longinus. May they through their selfless devotion to you and your will find some forgiveness in your almighty goodness. Amen.
You shall celebrate your Damnation and Sanctification together with your brethren at the appointed times and in the appointed ways. You shall together hear the teachings of the Dark Father and shall thank the Lord for his wisdom in showing us our Damnation. These things shall be done for regular gatherings, for the anointing of new Sanctified and for other celebratory occasions. You shall say to the Lord: All praise be to you, most high, for the shadow of your divine grace which you have allowed to fall upon us! Blessings be upon you and may our nights always venerate your holy ways. Amen.
You shall in every year follow the example of our Dark Father Longinus and fast from sustenance at certain times. You shall undergo a period of reflection and of deep prayer while the wolf of hunger begins to gnaw at you, so that your holy hunger for Vitae may become more completely a part of your soul. Let this be a time for predation to be lessened so that when you again feed you shall do so, rejoicing in your holy thirst. You shall say to the Lord: Most wise God, who has given us undiminishing hunger for the blood of man, give us strength and cunning to feed swiftly and feed well, and give us wisdom to feed upon those who most deserve the divine fear. Let our predations be always fitting in your sight. Amen.
You shall aid your brethren who are too weak from injury or infirmity to feed upon the kine as is their duty. You shall obtain for them blessed Vitae and help them to regain their strength so that they may yet acquit their duty before the Lord. Be not merciful to the slothful or the idle, but only those who have proven their strength previously and are now found to be lacking in bodily strength. Say to the Lord: Let this Vitae bring strength to your Damned child so that he may go forth in coming nights to feed upon the mortals which you have given us. Amen. j
You shall bring the word of the Dark Prophet to your brothers and sisters who have not yet found their place in God’s plan. You shall do every reasonable thing in your power to bring them to the path of wisdom so that they may find solace and joy in the knowledge of their Damnation. Let them be humbled by the mighty breadth of God’s plan and let them be exalted by their place as the predators of mankind. As you bring the word to them, say to the Lord: Almighty God, whose wisdom surpasses all understanding, give to this Kindred the knowledge of your plan. Let him partake of the blessing of his Damnation and let him find direction in your plan. Amen.
You shall bring wisdom to doubters who have heard the teachings of the Dark Prophet but who have not yet taken it into their souls. You must assert to them their proper role in God’s creation and the hierarchy that places them above man yet always beneath God and his angels. Say to the Lord: God who has set all things in creation in their proper place, show to us our place in your cosmos and let us always be mindful of it. Amen.
You shall bring humility to those who are wasters of their time on earth and who fritter away their nights in petty and trivial things. Show unto them their place in God’s plan and bring their talents and gifts to the greater purpose for which all Damned are made. Let them not be wallowers in filth who cannot see for the ordure in their eyes. Say to the Lord: God, who by the holy blood of the Christ made clear the vision of the centurion, grant to us clarity of vision that we may see and accept our place in your almighty plan. Amen.
You shall give counsel to any Kindred who asks for spiritual guidance from you. No request for prayer or guidance shall be denied, even though you know it to be false, for by showing your magnanimity and piety you shall affect not only the petitioner but also all who hear of your good graces. Say to the Lord: Heavenly God who knows all things and sees all things, let not the heart of this Kindred be hardened, but grant me wisdom to give good counsel and bring him ever closer to your eternal plan. Amen.
If in all your good efforts a Kindred persists in apostasy or heresy and not be swayed by prayer or reason, but rejects your teachings with bile and hatred, Final Death shall be given to him. Do not undertake this lightly, for all Kindred shall if possible be given the chance to make accounting for themselves when the final judgment is at hand. Yet prayerfully and in conference with the greatest among your brethren shall you undertake this
j There is a lengthy paragraph here which has been erased. Most of the following paragraph was inscribed over the redacted paragraph, so the missing text is unfortunately lost to us. VB
heaviest of burdens when it is deemed fully necessary. You shall undergo great penance and full confession for the ending of an unlife, yet truly such things are also of God’s plan. You shall say to the Lord: My God, I am truly sinful for the taking of a life which you had given Damnation. I acknowledge and bewail my manifold sins and wickedness and ask not for your forgiveness but only for your understanding, and I pray that what was done was done in accordance with your will. Have mercy on me in your everlasting judgment. Amen.
9. We know that we are yet imperfect in our understanding of our Damnation and its precepts. We know as creatures born to sin that we are weak and prone to superstition. Yet arm yourselves against the baser habits of the witches and peddlers of offal and filth.
Hear these words, O my brethren, and keep yourselves wary!
Leave behind such trappings of heathen belief and dedicate yourself to the worship of God. For through the teachings of the Dark Father we are given new insight into his all-powerful Purpose and should conduct ourselves according to that blessed plan.
Apostasy shall be rejected by all faithful. Those who have known and accepted the true faith and then subsequently come to reject it as untrue shall face the greatest punishment.
Yet also he who spurns the penance of his brother shall face great punishment. Those who have come to know their error shall not be rejected from the body of the faithful, for who are we to deny the Damnation of our fellow Kindred?
Put not your faith in witchcraft and the exaltation of mortal or Kindred power. All power comes from God and is granted us by our Damnation.
Do not put your faith in base rituals, hoping for miraculous doings. Such gifts as we are given are given by God alone, not through formulae and blasphemous incantations.k Trust in the Lord your God to give you such strength of faith and divine blessing that you too may perform miracles.
Do not lower yourself to pawing through the entrails of man or beast, searching for sign of wisdom where none may be found. Leave such filth to the witches and heathens.
Likewise do not stoop to consulting paths of blood on carved bone, or carvings of wood, or fecund she-animals, for there too no wisdom can be found.
Do not venerate heart of man, or beast, or Kindred. It is merely an organ of base flesh, useful to us only inasmuch as it provides food. I have seen with my own eyes hearts in ornate chambers of gem and gold, held forth for Kindred to worship and grovel before. Do not let your soul be thus debased.
Let no Kindred undertake such activities as are calculated to discovering the mortal name of our Dark Father. To question his wisdom in abandoning his mortal identity upon finding his damned purpose is anathema. For
k This sentence has been crossed out in the original. VB
was it not in the divine wisdom of God, transmitted by the angel messenger Vahishtael that was brought to us? What care we for the low birth of the vessel that received the undying ambrosia of Damnation?
Yet do not liken the Dark Father unto a devil, or the serpent, or a demon who can possess a mortal body. Longinus was a mortal man exalted and Sanctified by his Damnation, and we should rejoice in this simple truth.
Nor shall you liken the Dark Father to a black mirror of the Christ, imparting wrongly to him divinity as the son of a dark god. Longinus was mortal man, though exceptional in his sinfulness, and was Damned through the power of God. Any and all powers and wisdom given to him were by act and will of the almighty God.
Let therefore also no Kindred venerate the mortal mother of our Dark Father as a person close to God or close to pure Damnation. Though we acknowledge that Longinus was born of mortal loins, his birth is of no consequence, just as our births are of no consequence. Though Livia was whore enough to spawn the Dark Father of our sins, there are and were many more of her kind in Rome.
Let not doubt grow in your soul regarding the role of the holy Spear in our Damnation. The Spear was not made holy by the piercing of the Nazarene but was a holy object become manifest in Longinus’ hands in that moment.
Thou shalt not deny the divinity of the Nazarene, by whose blood the Dark Prophet was given clarity of vision and a glimpse of God’s holy plan. Though the mystery of divinity is beyond us, we are more than capable of understanding and accepting the teachings of Longinus on this matter.
Denial of the damned nature of Longinus is anathema. Though he was first fed on the blood of the Christ, it is against all rightness to believe that he was sustained on that blood in perpetuity. Just as we are predators on the flock of man, so was Longinus the first to engage in holy predation on ordinary mortals, in accordance with God’s holy purpose.
Do not taste of the Vitae of your brother without his consent, for to do so is to invite reproach and punishment. The gift of Vitae is given only by God to the care of each of us. Let not that gift be demeaned by your greed.
Do not partake of the joys of mortal flesh, neither man nor woman nor comely boy, unless it be a path to your predation.
Resist the temptation to wallow in your baser instincts, for such is the way of the ravening beast.
Do not let yourself be fooled by deviants, gluttons and sensualists to believe that God’s purpose is for us to feed on the flesh of man. The Dark Father was given Damnation through the blood of the divine Christ and so our Damnation is fed with blood.
Woe unto you if you should speak prophecy untrue or where no divine wisdom has been heard! True prophets are always to be revered, but a false prophet must be hunted down and punished.
Likewise none shall reject the teachings of the Dark Father and aspire or lay claim to wisdom above his teachings and the teachings of Vahishtael. Wisdom is imparted to God through the Dark Father and he has shared it with us. Do not be so prideful that you do not acknowledge his supreme Damnation!
Let not seeds of wisdom be sown where no garden can flourish. The wisdom of the Dark Father is destined for the ears of Kindred, and that is the charge by which we must testify. It is not the duty of the Sanctified to nourish the souls of mortals, but only to be nourished by their Vitae.
Do not let yourself be lulled into complacency by faith in the Purpose and the teachings of the Dark Prophet. For serving the Purpose cannot be accomplished by mere mouthing of doctrines and groveling to one’s betters. No, God’s Purpose is a burden and a charge, and he who claims to exemplify Damnation without effort or proper works is not in communion with the faithful.
10. We have come to draw ourselves apart from the workings of the Camarilla and have thus founded these monasteries and communities, within which we put forth every effort to keep our brethren safe and whole in body and soul. We know, however, of the insidious nature of politics, which even within the walls of these sanctuaries pits brother against brother and postulant against abbot. In these dark times when the years yet allotted to us must surely be short, it behooves us each to understand the nature of these things in order that we may be prepared for the painful melding of church and court, if we are so unlucky as to live to see that pass.
We are not so innocent as mortal man, who professes that none shall be crowned except he who has striven lawfully. Man is hypocritical in his quest for a noble ruler; he will scheme and murder and bribe to gain what little earthly power he can, and then expects his comrades to hail him as a just and forthright man. The political mind is squirming and complex, twisting reason beyond recognition and pandering in all corners for the slightest advantage, both corporeal and spiritual. We need look only to the great cities of Rome to see and know that the governance of creatures of rational mind is a complex and bewildering undertaking.
The pagan cities of Greece and of Persia and of the Far East have in their folly concocted mad stories of divine founding to justify the reign of one man over another. We know that there is only one divine city, the city of God which lies beyond death and is the eternal paradise. As sojourners in death we know that we shall not be given the death of the mortal, who may even with his last breath recognize the truth of God's presence on earth and embrace true faith. The city of God is not for us, and all mortal cities and courts are nothing more than dirt and despair. Thus, how much greater folly is it for us to say this unholy creature is more fit to rule than that unholy creature by virtue of his blood, or his sire, or his allegiances?
Let us instead be peculiarl in our dealings with the rulers of the courts of the night and say instead that he who is best suited to rule and most willing and able to undertake its burdens should do so. We know that it is unlike-
l From the Latin peculiaris “of one’s own (property),” from peculium “private property.” HM
ly for us to hold sway in any court save that which recognizes our brotherhood as a spiritual good and a proper participant in the dominate.
Yet we are inextricably tied to our flocks, and the more the teachings of the Dark Father are learned and accepted, the larger our communities will grow. We shall inevitably be drawn to larger and larger communities until the hunting grounds of a large town or city will be required for our daily blood.
Though each one of us would be blessed to give up his dark unlife to save his brethren or confess the faith of the Sanctified, for an abbot to let his community be slaughtered because he would not acquiesce to the rulers of the courts in banal, earthly matters would be a great sin for him and a great tragedy for the faith.
In the writings on the Nazarene’s life there is a passage where the Christ is said to say “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and render unto God the things that are God’s.” (It may be that he said such a thing; we shall never know. Regardless, it is a wise thing.)
It is of benefit to us, therefore, to cooperate with the rulers who do not ask us to abandon our faith, who do not punish our brethren for their piety and who will not commit usury or extortion for such leniency. Someone shall always rule or claim to rule. The furthering of our purpose requires that we be canny and cunning in our interplay with such rulers.
It is wise for us to pray for such beneficent politicians and to ask God’s guidance for them when as they rule. Yet it is also right for us to continue to pray for their acceptance of the divine purpose and their place in it, as surely the followers of the Christ prayed for the mortal ruler Constantine. Let us hope that we shall be so blessed that the most powerful and effective of rulers of the courts of the night will, as Constantine has, find within themselves the wisdom to accept the truth that comes from God.
11. We know that not every one of the Damned is of equal gift or similar vocation. Just as mortal man may be a soldier, or a cowherd, or a scribe, so may a Kindred be a prince, or a philosopher, or a councilor. Though the Dark Father was a soldier and a wanderer, it does not then follow that each Kindred who follows in his path must be the same. Let then each Kindred who feels in himself a calling to greater understanding and a deeper knowledge of God's plan submit himself to a life of study and prayer.
He shall be guided by two things: the teachings of the Dark Father and the prayerful spirit of his own heart. Let not a prideful spirit overtake good sense and guide such a scholar to believe that what he may discern in his study is a great truth or a secret of God's heart. Let him instead be careful and honest in his scholarship and share such things as he may find with other individuals like himself. Thus will our understanding be deepened and our knowledge increased.
Each scholar should commit himself to learn the skills of reading and of writing, of rhetoric and theology. For if by prayer great things are learned, how sinful it would be for a scholar to be unable to properly share such wisdom as he has learned?
Type
Text, Religious
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