Mind's Eye Theatre - Vampire The Requiem.pdf - RoseRed

the lancea sanctum
New members of the covenant are required to make many gestures of commitment to
Longinus, to God and to the goals of the faction. They engage in many rites and rituals, and
undergo trials to test their fortitude and faith. These tests consist of everything from torture to
theological debate. Trials aren’t necessarily used to determine whether a recruit may join the
Lancea Sanctum, but those who make a good showing earn the respect of their new fellows.
Those who do poorly face months, if not years, of derision and mockery, often suffi cient to
drive a new member away.
Philosophy
The Lancea Sanctum believes that its members are the chosen of God. Sanctifi ed are not
inherently superior to other vampires, but they exalt themselves by accepting the teachings
of Longinus wholeheartedly. One night, all vampires will come to worship God and venerate
Longinus as the Sanctifi ed do. The Lancea Sanctum maintains that it is the duty of all
good and faithful Sanctifi ed to hurry that night along. Thus do they constantly proselytize,
seeking converts to their way of thinking long past the time that other covenants might give
up and move on.
Longinus himself occupies the position of Dark Messiah. While he is not the “fi rst of the
undead” according to sect beliefs, he was certainly one of the fi rst to be something other
than a self-motivated monster, little more than an animal. With Longinus arose a code of
ethics. His act of prodding Christ with the spear is more important than the man or vampire
— Longinus’ import follows that act, not vice versa. He is a “sin eater,” representing the evils
that man commits in the absence of faith, and his punishment is its just repayment.
This philosophy leads to a strange dichotomy of beliefs that rivals the most extremist and
even bizarre of mortal faiths. The philosophical precepts governing members of the Lancea
Sanctum seem almost mutually exclusive, yet the covenant has managed to hold them together
for what might be centuries or even millennia.
Commandments and Traditions
The fi rst and foremost rule the Lancea Sanctum observes is that the Traditions are absolute
and inviolate — mostly. The covenant seeks to encourage all vampire society to adhere strictly
to those precepts, for only by doing so can the Lancea Sanctum honor its progenitor and
bring the rest of the undead closer to understanding him.
At the same time, however, most Sanctifi ed are pragmatic, and their leaders know that the
covenant will never succeed at its divinely appointed task if they allow themselves to become
weak. Therefore, Sanctifi ed Embrace childer, although it fl ies in the face of the Traditions.
They prefer to convert other vampires where possible, but they know that the covenant would
atrophy without the occasional infusion of new blood. Similarly, the Lancea Sanctum does not
hesitate to kill those who threaten its objectives (though again, Sanctifi ed would often prefer
to convert or circumvent such enemies where possible). Murder, too, is permitted because
the covenant could not survive otherwise. True believers among the Lancea Sanctum do not
claim that they are exempt from the Traditions they break, though. Rather, they maintain that
they willingly risk God’s displeasure for the sake of the larger community, much as Longinus
himself was cursed for making the mark on Christ that proved his divine nature. They accept
whatever judgment is fi nally levied upon them for doing so.
The Lancea Sanctum will not choose to violate the Tradition of Secrecy, however, at least
not in the sense that it lets mortals know exactly what vampires are. Members of the covenant
understand how vital the Masquerade is for the survival of the race, and thus the satisfaction
of their divine charge. Of course, having taken philosophical lessons of superiority over the
kine to heart, violent members consider killing witnesses to vampiric acts an acceptable means
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