Lamia Monastica
From LanceaSanctum
(Latin: literally meaning Religious Vampire) Members are the overseers and confessors to the Word of Longinus among their fellow Damned. They act as an adversary in order to test the Faithful and to hunt those who fall from the grace of their Lord among the Canaille. They recognize that they are no longer what they were as a mortal. Damned among the darkness in service to God, yet to no mortal religion save to show what happens when one turns from the Light of the Divine.
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[edit] Quotes
"Evil flourishes when good men do nothing."
ZECHARIAH 3:1 "Then He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Hay-Shaytan standing at his right side to accuse him."
I PETER 5:8 "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the Devil prowls like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."
[edit] Membership
The Lamia Monastica are a collegiate of devout scholars and archivists who believe solely in the Testaments of Longinus. They do not associate themselves directly within any religions of the Canaille nor their doctrine, except to perhaps to test the conviction of the Kine to help direct them back to their God in whatever fashion the Legionnaires would deem as appropriate to that religion.
[edit] Organization
Any Vampire can petition for membership but must have sponsorship from one of the Members within the Order, who then become their Cognatus and accepts accountably for the actions of those they have sponsored.
Normally though a Cognatus would find a Proletarius among the Sanctified, or perhaps one who is ready to understand the way of the Legionnaire from those outside of the Covenant. If the Cognatus believes that this Proletarius has shown a certain wisdom and devotion to the Words of Longinus they are then engaged in conversation. Questioned over a period of weeks to even years, the student goes through mentorship, debate, and guidance from the Cognatus as they learn the Orthodoxy of the Proletarius. If confident in their choice, the Proletarius is invited to become an Ingressio of the Cognatus.
When a Cognatus is ready to initiate his Ingressio, the student swears the Vows of the Faction. This is done in the presence of their Cognatus and at least one witness from among the Lamia Monastica. Here, if the Ingressio understands the true meaning behind the Words of Longinus and is willing to leave behind their Canaille Doctrine, the Ingressio is taught the Tenets of the Faction and eventually goes through the Ordeal of the Viator.
If they pass they are sent out into the World to act as a Legate, leaving behind any and all mortal taint and trappings. Upon their return they are given the Mark of the Legionnaire, swear the Oaths once more and watched for any deception. Only then are they taught the Factions’ full mysteries. The Viator is then given a new Honorific denoting their place in the Faction and the Covenant as a whole.
The Cognatus is the final authority on when and how his Ingressio may join the Lamia Monastica. An Ingressio's actions (even after becoming a full member) are always considered to reflect on their Cognatus.
[edit] Philosophy/Creed
Human Religions require "Faith", an elusive belief system, a certainty in the uncertain in order to maintain their purpose. By their very nature Vampires have proven the existence of God, something far more powerful than any mortal Religion has ever done.
Predating any form of major organized religion, an individual Legionnaire would have traditionally searched out their own truths on faith, history, culture, the Vampiric condition, as well as their place and purpose in this world with only the words of Longinus to guide them.
Today they hold to what they believe Longinus would have deemed proper of how a Vampire should exist, beyond even the simple concepts found within the Canons of the Monachus. They strive towards spiritual enlightenment by studying knowledge found in various Apocrypha that would sometimes be unaccepted by others among the Covenant in favour of their more simplistic Doctrine.
Pioneers, Scholars and Archivists, the Lamia Monastica seek a time where a purer belief structure will be conceptualized among the Sanctified; a structure that completely denies any human influence in favor of Vampiric ideals, principles, and philosophies, creating a sublime religion for all those who number among the Damned.
Legionnaires see themselves as the Harbingers and the Philosophers of the Undead. They exchange ideals and ideas of what it means to be the Damned and yet still do God's Work. Antiquarians and Historians, they seek the lost knowledge of Longinus from among Texts found in the time after his Curse yet before the Monachus, in the hopes of discovering a clearer picture of the Dark Prophet and his ultimate goals.
Followers of the Spear, not the Cross, the Lamia Monastica differ from others among the Lancea Sanctum in that the Crucifixion still has meaning for them, but less so for the Divinity of Christ than for the revelations it gave to Longinus. In fact, the Symbol of the Cross holds less value to them than the Spear that made Longinus the Dark Prophet of the Undead.
Among the Lamia Monastica, it is much more important for them to understand the nature of the Curse. Some feel that being Damned is but a Title, much like that of the Hay-Shaytan, and that they are but Fallen Souls prevented from reaching Heaven for the Sins inherited from when they once walked as the Canaille.
Now, their Souls are held here in a state of undeath in order to atone by doing the Work of the Divine. Turned from the Light of God, they feed upon the living and eventually each other, all as a reminder of this absolution to not stray from their purpose.
Others believe that being Damned is much more than just an entitlement, it is a state of being. Longinus pierced the side of Christ and was damned for this act. Vampires by virtue of what they are, or have become, are also damned, and thus by their very nature beyond absolution or atonement. It is this acceptance, though, which can make the followers of this belief so dangerous. With no hope comes no fear. They accept their fate as the penultimate predator to nearly the same fervor as the Crones themselves, possibly making this group Monsters in every sense of the word, yet a Monster with an acceptance of Divine Will and Purpose.
