The Catechism
From LanceaSanctum
The Catechism
OOCly Written by: Nycci Daniels and Chris Sauter
Therefore, let it be known that what is written upon this paper shall be the foundation of all and none. These words have been handed down from Ancient to Neonate, from the lips of Elders to the hands of the un-blooded predator. Through this knowledge, we are granted affirmation that the Creator of Heaven and Earth was God, the Father Almighty. We are given the belief that Jesus Christ was His only Son, and that the Virgin Mary, in fulfillment of the prophecies, conceived him through the power of the Holy Spirit. His birth and His apparent death was Divine in conception and action and through it Mankind was granted redemption from their sins in exchange for His death and resurrection. Those that follow the words of Longinus and the witness of his blood, the Monachus, shall know that it was through the act committed by the Dark Prophet, the Damned Centurion of Rome, that by piercing the side of the Savior as He hung from the Cross did truly reveal the Divinity of Christ to all Mankind. The prophecies given unto Longinus by his mother and through visions of the Divine were thusly fulfilled, and the Centurion was rightly Damned for the murderous blasphemy which he had committed, a blasphemy which itself was a part of God's Holy Plan.
As the Holy Father laid upon the Centurion the mark of the Damned and cast him from the Lord's Sight, just as He had done to the first murderer of Man, He gave unto Longinus a Holy Purpose. This purpose, Divine in nature, was such that those who shunned the Lord Our God would fear the Damned Predator. Returning as a sheep to the flock, Man can then hope to regain the Divine favor of the Lord. Just as the Centurion must fulfill this purpose, all Damned must follow in his path.
Those that fail in their appointed task, those that falter or bow, shall find themselves cast unto the lakes of Gehenna as failures, doomed to an unbearable eternity within fire and brimstone. Those that succeed in their appointed task, driving wayward Man unto the Lord and bringing other Damned to a similar path, shall find the sacred knowledge of Divine favor even in Damnation, a succor and aide unto them denied to all others in Gehenna.
[edit] The First Canon: Regarding the Purpose of Our Damnation
Verily we are guided to the most sacred and venerable of the Kine texts, the documents relating God's relationship with Man. The first unveilings of our Holy Purpose lie hidden inside the mortal revelations. We are gifted with the knowledge of that most terrible and egregious war waged within the heavens, in which a third of the Host rebelled against the Lord Our God. In His great glory, the Lord presided over the heavens and the firmament, and the Hosts of Heaven served Him in His Divine Glory. Led by His perfect creation, Lucifer the Light-Bringer, nearly a third of the Hosts grew weary of their service to the Lord Our God, and resented the lack of Free Will that was denied to them. Knowledge was infinite in the Host, but choice was not, and The Heavenly Children looked with jealousy on Mankind, who had infinite choice. The song of existence turned discordant as war waged in Heaven and the Lord Our God, sensing a great schism in the harmonies of His perfect creation, threw the rebellious Host into the Void of Nothingness, which existed outside of the Wellspring of Creation. To keep the rebellious armies of Lucifer from returning to heaven through the Great Ladder, He placed the Void out of His Presence, naming it Gehenna, a Hell where only the Rebellious Host could flourish. Through this sacred knowledge, we are granted insight to the Heavenly War, and the wages of sin. The Lord Our God is the sole force separating the world from Chaos and Nothingness, and it is the service to Him that strengthens His Might.
The Lord God created the land, sky, day, night, water and all creatures found within the firmament, but his greatest was Man and Woman. He endowed Man with a gift so precious that all Creation shuddered in its might. He gave Man choice, and the knowledge to decipher their results. He placed Man in a place neither Heaven nor Hell, but a paradise named Eden.
In the night and day that He had created, he watched his creation explore the wonders that he had given unto them. He turned His upon them with love, and faith as He gave the knowledge of His wonders. Adam and Eve, Man and Woman, lacked for nothing in this paradise. Lucifer, the Adversary, saw God's eyes turned upon His creations as they were one turned upon him, and became envious. Seeing the beauty of the creation that was denied to him, he set forth two seeds to take root within Paradise, one a seed of knowledge, the other a seed of life. From these roots sprang forth trees, which blossomed into Paradise, bearing forth forbidden the forbidden fruits to tempt the hearts and minds of God's most precious creations. Thrice did Adam deny the temptation given unto him, even turning himself away from the temptress Lilith that the Adversary sent forth to drive the first man from the path of God.
Nay, it was not from Adam that the first temptation was given unto, but through Eve. It was she who was seduced by the Temptress, the Scarlet Woman, and she who consumed unto herself a seed taken from a pomegranate that rested heavy upon the Tree of Knowledge, and it was she who took the second pomegranate seed to the first man and convinced him to partake of the forbidden fruit. As they stood before the Wrath of God, exposed, naked, and shamed, it was she who begged for forgiveness for what she had done.
But the Wrath of God was resolute, and the souls of the first of men and the first of women were stained, and they were cast from the Garden of Eden into the Purgatory of Earth, their path to the gates of Paradise forever barred by the Heavenly Host.
The first man and the first woman wandered the Earth for many years before finding sanctuary to build a home, and bring unto the world the first children, two boys, whom were named Cain and Abel. The first and eldest worked hard, often toiling for hours in the sun. He was the first hunter, and tended the animals, weeding out the sick and infirm so that the others could survive and flourish. The second son was a poet and a dreamer who spent hours in the gardens tending to the vegetables and the flowers so that his family might have sustenance to last them through the harsh winters. He was the first Gatherer. Both were loved, though it was Abel who found the greater favor for his gentle nature - it was little secret to Cain, who envied the love his younger brother was shown. In quiet he toiled however, secretly enraged over the love of Abel - until the time came when the sacrifices to God were to be performed.
It was Custom, that each Spring, great Sacrifices would be given to God, that he might one day forgive the sins that had been given to them by the first man and woman. This season, Cain strode forward with the finest lamb as a sacrifice, and placed it upon the altar, giving unto God the sweet nectar of the blood of the lamb, and the succulent meat of the first kill of the season. God looked upon the sacrifice and was pleased, though he looked upon the gentle offering of vegetables and prayer by the younger brother as favored and loved. In rage, Cain picked upon the knife used to sacrifice the blood of the lamb, and slew his brother upon the same altar, angrily offering his body and blood as sacrifice. Enraged, God cast Cain from his sight, branding him with the first mark of the Damned, so that all might see his sin. He cursed Cain to wander for all eternity, and those who should follow him to share his same fate. In his wanderings, he would find himself unable to touch the children of the third son of Adam and Eve, the son that was called, Seth.
Thus it came to pass, as written in the Book of Eschaton, that those who followed the first man and first woman would be born with the stain of the first sin, and that each shall know damnation from the first breath they shall take. As all who follow the path of Longinus are of mortal stock, so shall it be that each are reborn without the stain of the Original Sin upon them...that each enter into their Damnation as equal in sin, for death is the only release for the sins of the mother and father. Verily we are taught that forbidden wisdom bears the price of separation from the Lord Our God. In remembering this, that we have the forbidden knowledge of life, that the true nature of our Damnation is revealed.
The true nature of our Damnation is further unveiled in the story of the first murderer, in which we see a similar punishment marked upon our souls. When the Centurion pierced the side of Jesus Christ, Son of God, the wages of sin and the aimless pursuit of the wanderer and soldier were set aside for the Holy Task. This two-fold task was to find all those with the Mark of the Damned and teach to them their most Sacred Purpose- to guide Mankind and to remind Man of the nature of their souls; that Salvation is attainable, a gift given by the death of His Son, Jesus Christ. Man must be prodded to remember that though the mortal chains are apparent everywhere, Heaven is imminent and eternal. The road to Gehenna is slippery and an unnaturally easy one. Thus, the Damned were given the knowledge of their Damnation by Longinus, and given insight into the purpose of that Damnation. All Damned hold the keys to both Heaven and Gehenna within their grasp, that through them Man may find the repercussions of Sin and the need to embrace the ever present Love of the Lord Our God into their sinful hearts. It is the Damned, the jailors and trustees of Man, which can be the conduit for the Salvation or the Damnation of every mortal man and woman.
It is taught that all in God's creation is alike in His image. It is not the Original Sin, however, that determines our Damnation, but the sin of the Sire's blood that marks the childe as both Damned and Blessed. From the moment of the first death and the second rebirth- itself a mockery of the sacrifice and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ- the veil is lifted from the eyes of the childe. Knowledge of the Tree of Life is both awakened and denied from him and he becomes the Divine Predator, tasked by the Heavens to walk among the children of God and to light the path unto Eternal Salvation.
So shall it be asked, how does one light the way for those who are blinded by the veil of ignorance and faithlessness? Through fear shall one open the eyes of the blind. Through love shall the veil be lifted and the first kiss of faith placed on ignorant lips. And thus shall the final veil be lifted through the sacred knowledge that each shall know their purpose in God's Holy Plan. And so, Longinus taught that each shall be as wolves to the goats, as shepherd to the sheep, as teachers to the young, each alike in our Damnation, each alike in our Sacred Knowledge that every man may attain salvation and every sinner shall know the anger of the God of Heaven and Earth.
It is only through this Divine Path might we know the succor and aide of the Lord Our God even as we suffer the frights and horror of Gehenna for, while in Hell, we shall know we have the favor of God even though we are denied His Glorious Presence. This favor, this slight but integral remuneration shall only be granted to us if we follow the role set forth by the Divine- to guide the flock back to Heaven and to fulfill the role of the Divine Predator and the unholy creation of the Lord of Hosts. Such was the decree of God, for without the Predators, Man becomes burdened with his ignorance and sink towards the Abyss, for without the examples of the Damned, Man would know no fear of the Lord Our God. Nor fear of the world around him.
Therefore, let it be known that we are likened to others with similar tasks in the Divine Plan. We are likened to that of Judas Iscariot, for without the betrayal, the ultimate sacrifice would not have occurred. We are likened to Caiphus and the Samhedrin, for without their pride and lack of faith, the keys of Heaven would forever have been denied to Man. We are likened to that of Pilate, who acted out of cynical knowledge and irresolute duty, for without his scourging of the Lord Man would not know of the need for sacrifice. And we are likened to that of our Dark Father, Gaius Longinus, for without him Mankind would not know of the true meaning of Hubris. We are likened to all these Damned souls, yet it is important to remember that we are not enemies of the Divine, but truly agents following His will. The love God has for Man caused the Great Sacrifice of His Only Son, but also His love for all Man allows us to sacrifice our own salvation for the salvation of Man.
Those who shall not know fear shall be cast forth as the Children of Seth, that they may be the devout and the faithful - that through they bear the Original Sin, they bear the Mark of the Faithful as well. They shall not known the fear of the Damned, but the Damned shall known the fear of them, for they shall find themselves unmarked by the sins for which God hath tasked the Damned to drive the mortals to redeem. They shall not know the pain of the Damned, for the Damned shall find them unable to feed from them. The Damned shall know fear of the Children of Seth, for as the Damned hold the keys to Heaven and Hell, the Children of Seth hold the keys to Life.
It is through the teachings of Longinus that each are given knowledge of the Divine Purpose upon which we were all created. We are to drive the Kine from the material world and into the eternal spiritual Kingdom of Heaven. We are the proof to others that the material world is fraught with hardship and horror, with pain and suffering, with fear and depravity so that they may shed this mortal coil and embrace the love of God. All Kine must awaken themselves to the knowledge of their Divinely appointed place and purpose. If we fail in this task eternal separation from the Lord, an immeasurable length in Gehenna, will be the wages of our wasted gifts. If we strive to bring Man to God, and to bring other Damned to do the same, know that though we be Damned, we will have His eternal favor to comfort us as a cooling salve comforts mortal flesh though it be burned.
[edit] The Second Canon: Regarding the Inalienable Wisdom of the Masquerade
God hath given knowledge to the most base of Damned of the Divine Mandate . Within this knowledge he gave great power to Longinus. Seeing this power as the cause of his hubris and blasphemy Longinus searched for deeper insight into his state. For many night he pondered on his hunger, marveling at the nature of blessing and curse he received from the man he murdered. Waking early from slumber he attempted to step into light and marveled as his skin caught unto flames and his eyes burnt simply from seeing the glory of God's creation. He recognized the consistencies in these afflictions and understood it as the obstacles set upon him for traversing his dark path. He wondered that he could only find solace in the night and not in the glory of God's first creation, the sun. Such were the tribulations, he discovered, of all the Damned. Yet the Damned were clearly different from the Kine upon which he fed. Man wallowed in their sins, as pigs in the mud. The Damned, he ascertained, were cleansed of their Original Sin for, though his soul was destined for Hell, his actions were driven by Divine Right and not the shame and illicit behavior of man. The power given by his Holy Purpose, however, must be countered by many trials and tribulation. These tribulations Longinus himself related to me.
'I hath prayed for neigh upon years for the Heavens to giveth me insight into mine existence. As Damned doth rule above Man, so too art Damned given Thine reins to Heaven. Upon receiving the reins, so too must we giveth a part of thyself to damn another most precious soul. Wherefore when one Damneth another, the Lord demands of us to give up a part of thine own will in exchange. Further, the fires of the firmament and the hearth art verily anathema to Damned souls. The Kine who art truly prey doth strengthen themselves with the fires that cleanse and burn. The fire, that Divine symbol of His Holy Spirit, is denied to us as it doth be holy and pure. The disc that burns in the Heavens, that perfect creation singular and oldest of the Lord's Majesty, doth burn thine Damned skin as well. The wood, such Holy material that Christ did expire upon, bringeth us forced slumber. The Divine Conscience that whispereth in all Man's ears and doth convey God's own wishes doth be silenced upon our Damnation and in exchange we doth have the beast luring us towards violence and blasphemy. All that be verily sacred- fire of the Holy Spirit, that Disc upon the firmament, sacred wood which Christ expired- doth be our enemy and downfall. We doth be tested in our Damnation, as it doth be the Lord Our God's gravest commandment and proof to us and amongst all others of who we doth truly be.”
To test each of the Dark Predators God, in His Infinite Wisdom, placed upon the brow of all Man the sacred insight, that those worthy will know the Damned for who they truly are. Though we might be able to hide our own visage, the truly blessed by the Lord can see through such trickery.
Many might question the Most Holy upon His wisdom to bring some Man to our enemy, to place such weaknesses as obstacles to our purpose. Surely, some question, it is so that Man might rise up and slay the Damned. This is truly a false thought. The Lord God, knowing His Damned Creations, wished us to prey upon the sinner, to hide in the shadows where truth and holiness rarely thrive. We are not meant to be rulers and kings of the Kine. Man is not meant to fear us, they are meant to fear the world around them, to fear the consequence of sin. Mortals should fear what they do not understand, and turn to God as a shield against the darkness which surrounds them, waiting to devour them. The Damned must remain as an enigma to the mortals, dark shadows that wait to punish them for their sins. That is what they must fear; not the individual, not the king, not the ruler, but the shadows that wait for them. To fail this mandate is to fail the role placed upon each of the dark angels. For the mortals fail to fear the world, and will seek to understand the nature of the Damned. Those who falter in their duty are found unworthy by God, and are considered failures in their divine roles as Predators.
I am God's holy monster, the drinker of mankind. For so long, I could not see the role I would play, because I looked for it with human, mortal eyes. So I put forth the truth in these pages, for you who seek as I have sought. I am not some godless beast who stalks beneath the dark grandeur of sanctity. I am the grandeur. I am sanctified.
[edit] The Third Canon: Regarding the Shameful Necessity of the Embrace
After running from the Face of the Lord, Longinus encountered years of hardship and loneliness. This Damned soul had little schooling and even less knowledge of the theology, which he had been thrust into. Stumbling through his eternal nights with a barely half-formed theology and a Divine Purpose, he searched to find a person who could impart unto him a grain of knowledge to act as yeast on bread.
He stumbled upon the Abby and found the man whom could enable him to build upon his foundation. After many long nights of heated discussion, the Monachus joined his side as student and scribe. Upon building the foundation of Faith, Knowledge and Purpose they encountered a problem.
The Lord God damns our souls for stealing knowledge of the Tree of Life. By his decree, though we serve His Purpose, our knowledge is forbidden and impure. Thus, we are truly Damned. Just as Christ descended into Hell and three days later rose again in fulfillment of the scriptures, so too does the Damned soul trace the path to Gehenna. Even though the soul might be cleansed by the act of unleashing it is the act of the embrace, the stealing of knowledge of the Tree of Life, that is so Damning that the Adversary imprints the soul, forever tainting it even in the Adversary's loss of dominion over the wayward soul. Upon awaking, it is obvious to the follower of the faith the true nature of the embrace. Though God gave the Damned an ability to create, its very act is so dark in nature, so full of sin, so in touch with the fall of Man that act itself is a divine mockery of the Creator's power. The Host of Hosts is not free with His gift of creation to His Damned servants, however. Just as He must suffer the loss of His loved soul, just as the mortal who is Damned by the embrace loses Heaven, so too must the sire lose a piece of his soul for an eternity. While the sire must strengthen the very soul he Damns so that it might descend into Hell and fight its way to rise again, so too must he give the soul strength by investing it with his own will. The sire is blackened by sin, but the childe is the one Damned.
Not only is the act itself an affront for the stealing of forbidden Knowledge of the Tree of Life, it is the act of Hubris that is also Damning. It is the place of the Lord Our God to Damn and Save the souls of mortal man. He is the Arbiter of Souls, and no one should have the ability to Damn a man's soul but the Lord. Further, sin weighs on the soul of the actor, not the victim. But here, the sin weighs on the son and not the father, a further mockery of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Hubris lies in the place of assuming the position of the Lord Our God. The mockery of Jesus lies in the removal of His covenant with Man.
However, with all this- the mockery, the stealing of forbidden knowledge, the Hubris and Damnation- it must become a necessity, a shameful one at best. Without the Embrace, the Damned would be unable to increase their numbers, and the Lancea Sanctum would fall to those apostates who claim to reject the Testament in favor of vice and immorality. Thus though we would encourage others to not partake of this sin, we must also acknowledge the importance of evangelism. In that manner while we cannot resist the need to ensure the words of God are spread, we can ensure this is done wisely.
When Longinus first chose to stain his soul with the knowledge of this sin, it was not an act done lightly. It was an act of great deliberation and preparation. It was also not an act done with emotion, or a facet of the Beast. It is done as a faithful man seeking to ensure that one spread the words of God who, in turn, was responsible and knowledgeable of the state of his Damnation. This lesson, he surmised, was one that was important for all damned to learn. It becomes the duty of the Sire to teach the childe of their new existence and the rules and laws, which now govern that existence. Thus though the Faithful as a whole may frown upon the Embrace, it is not the place of the Covenant to regulate or to disallow it. As an entity, the Faithful duty to the new childe becomes that of mentorship.
Having established the act of the Embrace as a necessary evil, it becomes important that such evil, like all acts which violate the will of God, be watched over carefully in order to ensure that such actions remain a necessary evil, and not be permitted to fall over the line into simply “evil”. The recognition of such action thus is met with several adherences that exist to ensure that those whom are Damned are done out of necessity, and not emotional responses. Damnation, Longinus surmised, is a sacred act between the Sire, the Childe, and God. As such, the rules set forth within each individual city by the wisest and most faithful will govern the act of the Embrace. The act itself must be a holy and sacred act, overseen by the spiritual leaders within a district or province. It thus becomes the duty of the spiritual leaders to not only oversee the choice for the Embrace, but also to ensure that their addition will not harm the Faithful within their domain, and that their addition will aid the Congregation as a whole in achieving its goals. Longinus realized that a member of the Faithful may be given temporal ability to damn someone, and the spiritual leader within a city may lack the temporal authority. It then becomes the right of the spiritual leader to perform the Creation Rites for the newly embraced and the sire, or to allow the sin to stain the soul of the sire permanently, and deny them the absolution for their great sin.
The second limitation that Longinus put forth upon the act of the Embrace is that each must chooses their damnation. He was not given a choice in his Damnation, but he accepted the burden of his sinful actions. Because the act of the Embrace is sacred, it is a burden not only upon the soul of the sire, but also the childe. It is the responsibility of the prospective sire, or the wisest of the parish to explain the nature of the burden they are to bear, that the mortal can enter into their damnation with open eyes. This is known as “the Choice”, in which the childe may choose to accept the burden of Damnation, or seek death and the Judgment of God.
To those that shun the burden, and embrace death, there is no loss of one’s standing in this action. Not all are strong enough to bear the burden of sin, either in weakness of faith, strength in their conviction, or ties to their humanity. Others lead a moral life and may choose to embrace death at the hands of their would-be sire, as they believe they will ascend to the Kingdom of Heaven. Those individuals are to be regarded not with disdain, but with honor for though their lives are not spared, they went into death with the knowledge of the strength of their faith, and the knowledge of the Damned upon their lips. In that very action, the purpose of the Faithful is fulfilled in those individuals, that they have rejected the material world for the world of the immaterial and the Divine.
The third limitation that was placed upon the necessary evil of the Embrace is that of the Creation Rite itself. Just as a mortal undergoes the Baptismal Rite to enter into the church and into the arms of the Lord, so too must the new childe undergo the act of purification that signifies their old life being stripped away from them, and the new life and path laid at their feet. The act is not for the childe alone but also for the Sire, for they must seek purification in an act of absolution for the sin of the Embrace. Such a ritual is often accompanied by customs as defied by the domain or province in which the sin occurs.
Regardless of the need, the act of the Embrace is a terrible act – for not only the new childe is torn from the arms of God and sent into the darkness, but also part of the soul of the Sire is torn away in the act. This horrific act is not something that should be spontaneous. It must be an act of personal will upon both the sire and the childe. For this very reason, the act of Purification is a painful process that both must undergo. It should be noted however, that the new childe is often weakened and in an act of mercy. In this case, the sire may choose to take the place of the childe and bear the burden upon him. Such an act often indebts the new childe to the sire, but also serves as the childe’s first glance at the horror the act of the Embrace inflicts upon others.
Longinus set forth a specific distinction within the third Limitation, one that is spoken of again in the Sixth Canon. The Creation Rites serve a sacred purpose for the Damned. Those that embrace outside the act of the Creation Rites, or refuse to undergo the ceremony to purify themselves of their sins have not only sinned against God, but have turned from the traditions of the Faithful, and the precepts upon which the faith was founded. Both the sire and the childe stand to become as pariahs of the Damned, having turned their face from their Divine Purpose. The sins of the father stain the soul of the children, and thus the taint of the blood mars forever the childe, even in their innocence. The act itself is horrific, but the burden of the new childe’s damnation becomes the Sire and the sire’s alone. It is the Rite of Purification, and the Rite of Acceptance that becomes the duty of the priests and the congregation. In that way, the entire congregation takes on the duty of mentors to the new childe, and spiritual guidance to the sire – that their sin, while not forgiven, has been purified and absolved and that the evil committed has become a necessity for the survival and the stability of the Church.
The last, and final limitation given by Longinus, is that those of the Faithful are forbidden to embrace the pure of heart, those of weak mind, and those that are too young to make their choice in the Embrace. Those whom are pure have already rejected the sins of the material world, and are bound for Heaven – the act of Damnation would mar those souls that belong to God and God alone. Those of weak mind lack the capacity to make the decision for themselves. The act of embracing a youth is forbidden for several reasons. First, it is an endangerment to the Masquerade, which is an integral part of the Damned existence. The seconds is that a youth has the purity of soul that is untouched by true knowledge of mortal cruelty. Lastly, children lack the ability to make the choice of the embrace for themselves. Such an act is immoral, and further stains the soul of the Sire. Children are the beloved of God, and are not meant to be the wolves among the sheep that serve the purpose of God.
[edit] The Fourth Canon: Regarding the Abomination of the Amaranth
We have spoken of the importance of the Masquerade, and the shameful necessity of the Embrace. The final proscription is that of the absolute evil of the Amaranth, that which is known as Diablerie. When this occurs, the soul is taken from the vessel of the Damned and stolen into another, and with it, stolen power.
The death of any Damned soul is to be avoided. The denial of a Divine Tool is as a theft from the Lord Our God. Upon the death of the Damned, the soul goes directly to Gehenna and is forever denied the opportunity of Salvation. No soul, not even the Damned soul, is so lost that no Salvation is possible. The act of killing a Damned, however, pales in comparison to that of stealing and cannibalizing another soul. This base act not only removes a tool from the Lord, it removes the domain of the Lord to judge the Damned soul.
That creature which hath stolen the essence given to another by the Heavenly Father is a wretched creature. Their soul becomes fragmented and darkened with the sin of their theft. Piece by piece they cease to be able to function in a manner that is morally sound, for their Beast becomes stronger with the hunger for more power. In addition, the thief has stolen power which was not rightfully their own, but power that is attainable with time and concentration over thievery and murder.
The loss of one’s soul to the Beast and one’s morality to the sin which they have committed against their fellow Damned and God takes away one’s ability in which they can perform the Divine Task given unto them by God. Their action hastens their descent unto torpor and madness – leaving them as empty husks lost to the Fog of Eternity. Without that purpose to drive them forward, and without the morality upon which to guide others and to conduct oneself as the Testament of Longinus entreats us to, we become ravenous beasts wandering the streets in the darkness – creatures with no purpose, no direction, and no path upon which to walk.
However, there may be souls which are not faithful, and which are stained with the sins of hedonism and heresy. It is not our place to judge the souls of the Damned or Kine alike. Such is a Divine Role that shall be fulfilled by God and God alone.
To take this role into one’s own hands is to declare themselves a God, and is an act of both a sinful creature and a heretic.
To those who commit such an atrocious act, let them not feel the gentle whisper of death, for that will place their souls in Gehenna and a punishment likened to all those Damned who have died, and will deny that soul within it the opportunity for Redemption. No, let them feel the weight of the Long Sleep until he Night of Judgment when both souls shall face God upon the Great Field and be judged worthy or unworthy. Should one cast forth their sword against one who hath committed the Amaranth, that sin shall not burden the soul of the faithful, for it is the destruction of a corrupt soul that endangers the Damned, and their ability to give unto others the word of God.
Seeing that Christ was dead, the soldiers did not break his legs. One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water flowed out. A drop of Christ's blood fell upon the soldier's lips, and he wiped it away with his hand. Yet the next day, he slept past the sunrise, and roused from his slumber only at nightfall. After tasting Christ's blood, he thirsted for more. I know. I know because I am that soldier.
[edit] The Fifth Canon: Regarding the Revelation of the Testament of Longinus
In the oldest nights, the Damned did not know their place. Brought into the darkness seemingly without purpose, they were as nothing more than feral wretches, driven solely by a ravenous blood lust and a fear of those things that could bring a swift end to the cacophony that was their existence. Ignorant, bestial and truly alone, they could claim no semblance of community, no rules or laws to govern themselves and no understanding of their divine importance. Faith, if they knew it at all, was naught but a broken thing left with them from their mortal days, unsuited for such as they had become and unable to offer meaningful guidance to them through the emptiness of Damnation. Because God had not yet offered Salvation to the Canaille to illuminate their path to Heaven, He was unready to reveal to the Damned their special place in Creation. Until the time came for that revelation, there was no Requiem for our predecessors, only a loathsome and desolate dirge punctuated with violence and madness. Even as the Almighty graced them in their Damnation, they remained blind to their sacred place.
From the darkness of godless times emerged two men. One the son of a Roman whore who had wallowed in all sins, and the other a carpenter’s son. The son of mortal man yet also of Divine conception offered Salvation to all sinners and faithful. All that they had to do was turn to God and accept the gift of Divinity that was within each of them. Two paths diverged into one, and the hand of God guided the hand of the sinner to pierce the side of His Son, who hung upon the Cross. In the moment of death, when the eyes of the carpenter’s son should have shown pain and horror at His impending death, He opened His eyes to look upon the Legionnaire with compassion and forgiveness. In that very moment, the Legionnaire understood the true meaning of the Divine, and his eyes were opened.
Fleeing Golgotha, Longinus wandered in hopes of comprehending the nature of his Damnation. He was cast out from the other Damned within the city of Jerusalem, for he had no lineage to speak of and preyed in a city where one’s lineage determined one’s importance. Alone, he was forced to make his own way through the darkness as he watched all that once held meaning for him slip away. From the darkness, he watched the other Damned test the Kine, but it lacked purpose and direction.
He watched as they set themselves up as gods over the mortals, treating them as puppets and pawns. They used their gifts as forms of control to lead the mortals away from the Divine and into slavery and servitude. As he continued his wanderings, he stumbled across the Damned who rejected the lifeblood of the Kine in favor of the blood of animals in hopes of seeking a way to reject the Damned existence and return to the mortal coil. Even worse were those predators who chose to prey upon other Damned rather then the mortals – they were the worst, for they often lashed out in desire or need, destroying the vessel which could have served a higher purpose.
After many years, Longinus returned to the cave in which Christ had been buried, and was rumored to have risen from. So great was the guilt upon his soul, that he sought to relieve it – for if such was true, and he had not simply murdered, but had fulfilled a Divine Purpose, he knew that perhaps there was a way that his sins could be redeemed. Entering the chamber, he saw that it was indeed empty, and fell to his knees in prayer. As the last words of the prayer were whispered, a brilliant light filled the chamber that sent him to the darkest corners in fear of being burnt by the brilliant fire. When at last he could see into the light, an angel stood before him, one that declared itself the Archangel Vahishtael. From its lips, it revealed unto Longinus the Divine Purpose of the Damned. Although denied the Salvation of Man, and instead given the Damnation of a difficult existence, it was their place to show Mankind the price of sin. They were to make Man understand that the world was only a brief existence before the eternity of the glory of Heaven. It was for the Damned to take the blood of Man, just as Longinus had taken the blood of Jesus, to show the mortals the brief glimmer of their mortality and the Divine Salvation that awaited them in the next life. Also of grave importance, the Archangel Vahishtael stated, was the mission to pass on the message to all Damned, that they might know what God demanded of them.
With those final words, Longinus was left in the darkness, but no longer lost within the abyss. He had been shown the divine road set for the Damned and was determined to show others their Divine Purpose. His first task, was to set forth the words given unto him by the Archangel Vahishtael into several books, which are the true words of Longinus who stabbed the Savior’s side, so that all may know the Divine Purpose of the Damned in the many years to come, and for all eternity.
That the words written within the books are the true words of God given breath to the lips of Longinus who was then the earthly agent of the Divine sent forth to guide other Damned to their purpose and show them their role within the Holy plan set forth by the Almighty. And these words will be the true words given unto the Damned.
Thus it is written in the Testament of Longinus, that it is the duty of the Damned to spread the words written within the Testament, and to teach the Damned the correct and proper roles that each play within the Divine and Holy Plan of God. There is no way but this way. Those who choose not to listen, and those who choose to turn from this Divine and Holy Plan are cast out as heretics and apostates whom are godless, solitary beasts doomed to wander for all eternity within the darkness.
Those damned who shall fulfill their role in the Divine Plan shall find faith to sustain them through their new existence, and a purpose to walk through the darkness with. They shall know that in the even in adversity, one’s faith will always remain with them, even when sword and shield shall break, and allies betray them.
Further, not one enemy shall overcome the faithful – for though the Damned are solitary creatures, they become brothers and sisters in the blood. Let no man add or take away from this Word, for this Word is the Word of God given unto His earthly agent, that he might illuminate the path for those Damned who wander the Earth, that each might lead the Kine towards the spiritual world, and from there, to the Gates of Heaven.
It was then that I came upon that dark monastery and did secretly look on the monks inside. They who were meant to be servants of the Lord, who has sworn themselves to service for years numbering only as long as a man would live, had grown doubtful and idle and within them found sin.
So were they shown that the fearsome hunger of Death might creep out of the night and bite them through claims of piety. So were they all bled and slain and devoured by the lion of the Lord.
All save one.
[edit] The Sixth Canon: Regarding the Effaciousness of the Sacred Rites
When Longinus set forth the Way and the Word upon which the Testament of Longinus was written, he understood that though it is our duty as Sanctified to spread the Word of God and to drive the mortals to accept the spiritual world, we are not without fault. As Mankind are creatures of sin and terror, so are each birthed in those flaws. Though we are raised above the Original Sin from which Mankind was granted Salvation by the death of Christ, we are no longer mortal and thus are denied that Salvation. Instead, we realize a more terrible sin discovered by Longinus - that each is created with the stain of sin upon their first taste of the darkness into which they are reborn.
There is a danger in forgetting we are without flaws – to believe that one exists in perfection is to take upon the mantle of Hubris and fall to one’s beast – for it is our own imperfections which drive us to show others the path to God. It was set forth that should we fail in our purpose or should we falter all is not lost. We can turn to our brothers and sisters for aid in discovering the footing and the faith, which was lost or weakened. Those actions are the connections between our Damned selves and the Divine and are offered so that we might pay tribute to that connection, and to offer ourselves through action, sacrifice and veneration to the words given unto us by the Prophet Longinus.
Longinus did set forth seven Apostolica that we might hold to as being right and true – that regardless of the mortal faith that one was born into, that each might seek out that which is Divine in nature – that one might find faith and understanding in the dark nights which each shall walk within.
Of the first and most often used, shall be that of the Mass. In the Year of Our Lord, Two-Hundred and Thirty-Two, the Monachus and the Scions of Longinus conducted the first Mass of the Damned near Jerusalem. Within the cavern in which it was conducted was the presence of many faiths, for the site was holy. To honor the first mass, this tradition was set forth as our Apostolica, that each might find within this the faith and understanding that was given to each present that night.
So then, with the order of Mass confirmed, each might use its essence in which to understand better the pageantry upon which many of the Apostolica is performed. That each whom attends the Mass shall sit in attendance during which the Officiate shall read from the Testament of Longinus. In tradition, this shall be Greek or Latin, though Turkish or Coptic may be permitted depending upon the liturgy. Adorning the location of faith shall be the scent of myrrh and vitae to remind of the sacrifice that each provides of themselves. The rite shall be familiar to many, with processions and displays of faith when such are called for. Those present expect rote memorandum of the Testament of Longinus, that which is traditionally known as the “call and response”. It is important that during the readings that shall follow, that each seeks to understand the spiritual impact of the words of the Officiates, and meditate upon the worlds, which are spoken.
Not all readings shall be directly from the Testament of Longinus, for though we are creatures whom are taught to read it, we are not rote in nature. Thus, it shall be the duty of the Officiate to exult the predatory instincts carried through the blood, and to indicate the purity of the teachings given unto us, and by extension, our adherence to them. The Officiates who use the Mass to teach may instead provide a lecture on the indiscretions of the congregation, or praise for deeds well done. Others may choose to simply read from passages that those young within the congregation could gain a better understanding of the Testament and the teachings within.
I am God's holy monster, the drinker of mankind. For so long, I could not see the role I would play, because I looked for it with human, mortal eyes. So I put forth the truth in these pages, for you who seek as I have sought. I am not some godless beast who stalks beneath the dark grandeur of sanctity. I am the grandeur. I am sanctified.
[edit] The Seventh Canon: Regarding the Miraculous Arts of Our Theban Brethren
Through time, there are great stories that are often told of where the ability to wield the Divine miracles originated. Stories abound of humanity receiving holy gifts – in Greek Mythology; Prometheus steals fire from Mt. Olympus to give it to humanity, and is subsequently tortured for his discretion. The light of God is given to King Arthur, that he might cast off the shackles of pagan beliefs, and rule his lands in the name of God, and even more distant, the story of Constantine bringing the light of God to the heathen lands that he ruled, and uniting an empire under the banner of God. These are the stories of how knowledge, and how beliefs were spread across the land. However, for the Sanctified, the stories of their origins are far different.
The story of how Theban Sorcery came to the Sanctified extends far beyond the hieroglyphs and murals that the Monachus and his disciples found within the hidden tomb in Thebes. History is written by the victors, and by the stories that the faithful want you to hear. They do not tell of those who have slipped into the darkness, but only the stories of those who have achieved greatness, or fallen into extreme disfavor. The story of the origins of Theban Sorcery is such a tale.
In the beginning, there was God, and he was the One, and the Word. Through him, the Hosts were created as bright spots of light and energy around him that slowly took form from the Void of Creation. These were the greatest angels – the first among the Heavenly Host. The Archangels were first, and they were the most glorious. When they took their place, it is believed that the Heavens shook with their power. They were few in number, but great in power. From them came the Dominions, the second race of Angels, lesser in power, but great in faith. They beget the Thrones that there might be a third generation. This would be the last generation to see Heaven in its entirety however, as theirs was a generation of strife and war. During this time, the Light bringer betrayed God, and he was cast from the Heavens with his army of angels. Lucifer argued that they should have free will that their lights might shine in the Heavens.
The war in Heaven raged however, and ended with the third generation in ruins, as many of all generations were cast into the lakes of Hell, banished forever from the glory of Heaven. Their banishment however, turned the rules of Heaven inside out, as Fallen Angel and Heavenly Host alike sent to challenge the rules, going so far as to create a fourth generation of Hosts, one of both human and angelic origins.
This new race was greatly flawed, created of both deception and human flaws. Some were cursed with the insanity that many of the Host experience, while others were blind to their divine origins, and lacked even the ability to perceive them, much lest manifest their blessings. The curse of the fourth generation manifested in the strangest of ways; stories abound of prophets, saints and sinners, and even those individual who sensed the presence of the divine and take temporal power, ruling over the lands as Kings and Queens of the flesh. More commonly, were those who simply faded into obscurity to be spoken of only in myths and legends.
In the lands of Kemet, long since had myths and legends gripped the red sands of the Nile, for it was both the holy lands of God’s people, and the land rife with pagan mysticism of the Egyptian pantheon. The story of Amoniel comes from this land – and the stories of the fourth generation of the Heaven Host. In the stories recorded for others, Amoniel was the name given to the offspring of a Heavenly Host, and an Egyptian Pharaoh – Amon for the name of the Egyptian God of the sun named “Amon”, and “El” for the Jewish name for God. It is said that through him, the divinity of the Host was manifested, as well as the will of the people through which he ruled. As he was so far removed from God and the First Generation, he was unable to walk into Heaven, as those of the other generations were able to. He hungered for their power and their ability. Unfortunately, only through death would his body be taken to the Heavens, and only after the final rites were formed, and his heart was weighed against the feather of Ma’at. Amoniel begged God, whom he had served faithfully to give unto the Fourth Generation the ability to ascend into the Heavens; however, his request went unheard.
Thus begins many different versions of the story, all of which were handed down through word of mouth.
One night, Amoniel poisoned himself that he might fall into a deathless sleep as one dead, sleeping peacefully as his family wept for his demise. He was carefully wrapped and placed in his tomb with his cartouche indicating his ascension into the role of Horus. When he ascended into the Heavens, believing he would take his rightful place, he sought out the knowledge that would strip the mortal coil from himself, and join him with what he felt was his rightful heritage. Securing several scrolls, he was eventually discovered and cast from Heaven back to the earth, a terrible curse laid upon him that he would never gain his true divinity for his crimes, that he would always be the God-King.
Furthermore, he would remain trapped in the soul of the mortal pharaoh, and only able to glimpse Heaven upon the death of the mortal, when its soul ascends to the Heavens in the form of the golden hawk – Horus. During this time, his own soul would remain trapped within the dark waters of the Nile, bound by the shadowy servants of the god of chaos and darkness.
Angered by this, Amoniel began to study the knowledge that he had taken from the Heavens. What he discovered was not the secret to complete his transition to the Divine, but instead, secrets of the ancient miracles that had been reserved for the most faithful of God’s creations. Seeing that the knowledge he desired was lost to him for all time, he instead turned to protecting the secrets he had taken from God. Away from the eyes of the divine, he began to hide his findings in ancient tombs and items, ensuring t hat they would be scattered across the globe,
On the final night of his mortal existence, he was visited by the holy figure of God, who sat beside him and spoke to him of the knowledge he had taken. Instead of anger, he praised his actions, and granted him the wish that he had once asked for. He spoke of events to come, that a man would walk the earth, also trapped between the mundane and the divine, that he must go to him as an angel, and reveal those gifts to the race of this man. Like each of the Fourth Generation he explained, this new race was tasked by the divine, but were even more removed from the Gates of Heavens, for their progenitor was a wicked man, and it was his sin that cursed those of his line. However, they were reborn from the mortal shells of humanity, and though he could not offer them the Salvation that He would offer humanity, he instead would give those men who would believe in him the gift and the touch of the divine. It was His hope that they might use those tools to place the feet of the lost upon the path to Salvation – that they would not herd them down the path, but simply show humanity the way.
As the mortal form of Amoniel crumbled away, an angel rose up from the very soul of the mortal individual, and spread its wings and flew upwards into the Heavens. As it departed Earth, it destroyed the curse that had once been placed upon the mortal pharaohs of the land of Kemet. No longer were those who had ascended caught between this world and the next. Instead, it rose into the Heavens and took its rightful place among the stars, waiting the night when God would call him to task.
From the Heavens, Amoniel watched a carpenter’s son spread the words of the divine among a crowd that was interested in hearing this. He saw twelve figures with him, and one stand out from the others. Of those twelve, only one had eyes that were opened to the Heavens. So great was his thirst for knowledge, he turned not to his brothers, but to the very stars to ask his questions. In curiosity, the Angels watched as the carpenter’s son whispered unto this man that his place was among the generation of men who sought out the stars. So great was his devotion to the carpenter’s son that the heavens wept at the task that was laid out before the man who was the favored disciple. They watched as in the darkness, the man slipped from the gardens and to the Romans, offering them the knowledge that the son of man was in prayer in the gardens within Gethsemane. They watched as the same soldiers gave unto this man thirty pieces of silver, a blood payment for the knowledge of where the carpenter’s son awaited them.
The Angels watched as the Passion unfolded, culminating in the death of the carpenter’s son, a man who at the moment of his death, unfolded his wings and revealed his divinity unto the world as the true Son of God. In that same moment that his lifeblood and water flowed from him, God did open the eyes of His son, and the eyes of his murderer. From that moment, both saw the divinity within each other – one as the son of God, the other as one blessed and cursed by the hand of God. The first of the Angels descended from the Heavens then, to guide the prophet Longinus in his divine tasks set forth for him. This angel was known as Vahishtael, the Archangel of light and purpose. It was he that first showed Longinus his purpose in his new existence, and from God himself, set his feet upon the path, that he might show others both their mortality, and the divine salvation that awaited them in the next life.
Though unnoticed by Longinus’s eyes, Vahishtael stayed beside the Dark Prophet, guiding his hand that he might understand the torments and the triumphs. When he wandered, so did the Archangel. When he thirsted for knowledge, so too did Vahishtael. When the burden of guilt became too great for Longinus, Vahishtael guided his charge back to the tomb in which Christ had been buried, where he waited for him. After the initial shock wore off, Vahishtael smiled and took a human form that they might speak together. His words were the same words that Christ spoke unto Judas, for they were the words of God. When Longinus questioned what his purpose was to be, Vahishtael spoke thus, that he would be cursed by the other generations, and in the last days of those generations, they would curse his ascension to the holy generation, the generation of the truly divine.
In confusion, Longinus questioned faith, for he was a man who had lacked faith, and his eyes had been closed until Christ opened them. Unto this, Vahishtael spoke that there existed two realms. One realm was that of Earth, a place where humanity suffered under the yoke of El and his luminaries Nebro and Saklas, and the second realm was the realm of the Divine, in which only those who possess a spark of the divine could enter into. This world, the material world, was filled with those who lacked the spark of the divine, or those who did not realize the potential within them. Those who posses that spark do not have a mortal soul, but rather, immortal souls trapped within a miserable existence of flesh and matter. The only way to escape this miserable existence is not through doing good deeds and prayer, but instead, by denying the material world and rejecting the body in which the soul is imprisoned. This is the one and true way that Salvation is possible. The rejection becomes the truth, for the mortal shackles are cast off, and the soul is turned upwards towards the Divine, that it might seek the spiritual realm, the realm from which all human souls originated.
Vahishtael looked upon the Roman soldier and gave unto him his task – that he was to be the emissary from the spiritual realm and spread the knowledge of the destination and the means to escape. Furthermore, the he must “take the blood of man”, just as he had taken the blood of Christ to show them both their mortality and the divine salvation that awaited them in the next life. This he explained, meant that it was his duty to act as the catalyst, the first step towards each individual’s salvation. Just as Judas fulfilled his role within the divine plan by handing Christ over to the soldiers to be executed so that the divine being within Christ could escape the mortal shackles, so must he show the path to Salvation through the rejection of the material existence.
He went on to explain that all mortal souls belong to the world of the divine. Each possess the potential for the divine spark within them. The body of Christ was a mortal body possessed by a divine creature, just as each human is. Thus, if Jesus is the son of the divine, then all who hold that form are children of the divine. To accept that divinity, all that each man has to do is seek out the knowledge of the divine and claim it as true, and follow it! Enlightenment is the source and the key to salvation. Through knowledge, each man becomes divine. His duty was to given that knowledge that all who listen could find that spark within them, and seek out the path through whatever way necessary for enlightenment to occur.
With those final words, Vahishtael disappeared, leaving Longinus alone in the tomb, questioning further his existence. His questioning led him away from the cave, and to a man who was called only “The Monachus”, whom he sat with for many nights and spoke on these topics. Finding this individual to be intelligent and enlightened, Longinus offered the individual the opportunity to continue to learn and seek out understanding, or to continue upon the path he was on, which was the incorrect path. The Monachus chose the first, and was thus gifted with both sacred purpose, eternal life, and a place at the side of Longinus as his first childe, and protected of the Spear of Destiny.
When it came time for the next generation to take their place in history, Vahishtael walked the newborn Covenant out of Jerusalem and into the red sands of Kemet.
For three years, they wandered before they discovered a land of magnificent temples and palaces, many of which were abandoned with the fall of the great Pharaoh’s of old. It was here that the first childe of the Prophet and three others were given sanctuary among the ancient Necropolis in Thebes. It is believed that in the ancient tomb within the catacombs, the next generation began, as Vahishtael ascended back into the Heavens, and in his place, the angel Amoniel appeared before the Monachus and his disciples, and he led them into the secret chamber, which he had written many of the notes that he had stolen from the Heavens itself. Scribed on the walls in hieroglyphs were the first of many secrets of the Lancea Sanctum: knowledge of the dreaded miracles, secret knowledge of damnation, and powers entrusted only to those who bore the Spear of Destiny. Unto the Monachus and his trusted disciples, Amoniel gave the key to understanding the divine glyphs and entrusted them to keep this knowledge from all who would deny God’s holy plan. Faith, he said, was the key. With faith, they would never walk alone as long as they bore the Spear of Destiny and fulfilled their role in the Divine Plan. He went on to explain the purpose of the miracles was more than just to have faith, but they also existed to show faith, and to challenge faith.
The first individual to test the strength of the miracles was St. Daniel, an individual who had been chosen for his faith and strength of body. When Amoniel give the Monachus and his disciples the keys to the Divine Miracles, St. Daniel found his faith weakened, for he was unable to wield even the smallest of miracles. He turned from his brothers in hopes of discovering the faith he felt was lost.
One night, Amoniel appeared to Daniel in his dreams, and advised him to join the army of Theban soldiers who were leaving to march on Gaul. Amoniel promised a great miracle would occur and erase any doubts that he may have had before.
On the first day of fighting, the tent in which he slumbered was nearly destroyed, and would have been, along with many of the Theban soldiers. In the depths of his sleep, Amoniel appeared to Daniel once again and asked him to trust his faith in himself and within God, and to awaken despite the heaviness of the daylight. Upon awakening, he discovered that the mysteries of the Divine Miracles were no longer hidden from him, and he was able to summon forth a great cloud of darkness to protect him from the sun’s rays. This amazing display of power renewed his Faith that he believed was lost, and with this newborn faith, he placed a blessing upon the spear of Mauritius, the captain of the Theban legion, and his ghoul. With this blessing, Mauritius was able to lead his forces to an impressive victory against the Gaul forces.
When the spoke had cleared from the battles, and the emperor learned of the victories, he demanded that all present make a sacrifice to the Roman gods for their aid in winning the battle against the Gauls. The Theban legion however, had experienced the true power of God through the miracles performed by Daniel. They refused to attend the sacrifice, and instead turned towards piety and faith. For their crimes against the empire, the Emperor had them all summarily executed during the daytime.
When Daniel awoke that night, the pull of his blood told him of the atrocities that had occurred at the hands of the Romans. Filled with a righteous anger, Daniel went among the soldiers that night and called upon the blessings of God to enact holy vengeance and retribution upon the Romans. To this night, what occurred upon the battlefield is spoken of in fearful whispers, though celebrated among the Lancea Sanctum each September 22 as the Miracle of St. Daniel.
From that point on, Theban Sorcery became extremely useful in aiding the Covenant as a whole. With its use, the Lancea Sanctum was able to avoid being wiped out by the Romans, or subsequent legions and forces determined to either steal the Spear of Destiny, or remove the Lancea Sanctum as a whole. In addition, the miracles of Theban Sorcery have been one of the main staying forces against the heathen magic of the Circle of Crone, known as Cruac.
The heathen magic of the Crone is an aberration against the divine miracles given to the Lancea Sanctum by the Archangel Amoniel. Unlike the miracles, which exalt the divine spark that still exists within each individual, Cruac attempts to dispel that spark by driving the user closer to the Beast through its use. The dark magic of Cruac also focuses a great deal on the torture and the torment of mortals, destroying those who posses within them the divine light of God to fuel their magic through its unholy use. It is because of this nature that Cruac is both unwholesome and unholy, for it destroys that which is God’s most precious creations, it prevents humanity from making the choice to reject the material world, and it prevents humanity from seeking out their bright star that they might find and follow the path to salvation.
The purpose of Theban Sorcery is to bring the user closer to God, and closer to the knowledge that within each user lays the divinity given unto them by God. Though no longer mortal, the user through their very will calls upon the blessings of God and the Divine to bless their actions, and the actions of those who would follow the divine plan. Unlike the dark magic of Cruac, it is not a manifestation of the vampiric condition hat fuels the miracles, but the very essence of God Himself.
In contrast, the use of the Crone’s magic is to call upon he infernal and pagan masters that each of them serve. Their magic is not born of the light of God, but instead the dark fires of Hell. With each use and application of the dark magic, the user moves closer to the darkness, until each are lost within it completely. It is witchcraft in its purest state, a denial of God, and a quelling of the spark of the divine in favor of the infernal investments of the servants of Satan. Those of the Circle of Crone have fallen victim to the trickery of the flesh and the mind, and in return, seek to tempt the mortals from the path of Heaven, that they might send their souls prematurely to Hell as servants of the dark Lords served by the Acolytes. Those of the Lancea Sanctum are divine, for each of them have turned from the trickery of the flesh, and taken unto them the role of the Dark Angels that they might join the generation of the Divine.
[edit] The Eigth Canon: Regarding our Congress with the Canaille
Upon arrival at the Black Abbey, the mortals living within its walls were unfortunate souls whom were weak in faith, and frail of body. After attempts to show them the fear of God they rejected it, claiming that their God would not show Divine Wrath upon their persons. God is merciful only to those whom have earned His mercy, and wrathful to those whom have earned His wrath.
We shall walk among the mortals not as equals, but as predators. Though we are of mortal stock, we have ceased to draw mortal breath. We walk now as the wolves to test the faith of the flock, and the mortals our prey. We should teach by fear that the wolves are the creatures of predation, constantly walking among those blind, while the sheep are lost and wandering, forever Damned to be weak creatures.
We are given the strength and the will of the Divine so that we may fulfill the purpose set forth by the Heavenly Father. The mortals are creatures of sin that have been offered Salvation – all they have to do is believe in God and reject this world and it’s material wealth for the world of God, as Jesus taught. He has not demanded their obedience, but offered them a path – but they are blind and wander the material world as lost souls within the darkness. Let us be the light to guide them through the darkness that they may stand before the Grace of God.
We shall feed upon the Children of God, and prey upon the weak, that they will know the fear of what lies in wait for those who fail or falter upon their path. The strong of faith shall be rewarded within the Kingdom of Heaven. He asks for nothing more and nothing less. When we are granted our Damnation and our purpose, we step from that Salvation that God has offered to Mankind, for we cease to be human. We stand apart from the human world of love and companionship for a higher and Divine Purpose.
The Kine shall not be friends, nor allies, nor companions, or lovers. Such are reserved for the Kine alone. WE shall be as wolves among them, to show them the fear, the grace, and the mercy of God. They shall be as our lost children to guide home – part of the flock of each province, each diocese and each city. Though we may prey upon their life essence, they are not toys or puppets – within each mortal is a potential vessel. Just as the Holy Spirit took the mortal form of a carpenter’s son, so too may the Divine exist among us once again.
We shall care for them so that they may flourish and learn. We shall ensure that those Kine within our diocese and provinces grow so that we might slake our thirst easily and without harm to the silence of our blood.
We are forbidden from lying among the Kine, for to do such makes us weak, for the wolves should not lie down with the sheep. To become attached to the flock means that we become blind to the faults of those who should watch over. A wolf does not lie down with the sheep, for he is a predator, and the sheep the prey. He does not owe the sheep its existence, for its purpose is to prey upon the sheep. WE do not owe the Kine their existence upon this plane of material existence – it is our duty to ensure that they will flourish in order to provide us food safely, but ultimately it is our duty to guide them back to God. If we fail our flock, we fail our Divine Purpose. We are Divine predators sent to remind God’s children of the Divine spark within each of them. While we hold the same Divine spark, ours is not meant for the next world as theirs is. To risk both the Masquerade as well as the Divine Retribution that God shall show for the failure of the purpose granted to us is foolish for without that purpose, we are as feral wretches driven solely by a ravenous bloodlust and a fear of those things that could bring a swift end to the cacophony that is Damned existence. Damned can become ignorant, bestial and truly alone in a world that is no longer yours. There is no Requiem for those who choose to lie among the sheep, only a loathsome and desolate dirge punctuated with violence and madness. As the Almighty graced us with our Damnation, we become blind to our sacred place.
[edit] The Ninth Canon: Regarding the Wisdom Within Our Ranks
In the nights after the departure of our dark Father, the Damned were lost without a guide to lead through the dark night eternal. The Spear looked upon the Kine and saw that they had the Rock of Peter to build upon, and grew envious. The Damned saw the innate sanctity of the mortal soul grow in strength and Faith, and saw the Divine Spark in all humanity recognize the truth. They felt comfortable in following the Appointed of Christ.
For the Damned, lacking in the sanctity of offered salvation, we were leaderless. No Damned might be so blessed that all might follow him with impunity and absolute faith. Small in number amongst the Heathen Damned, the Faithful could not allow a blunder of one to ruin all. For the Spear to continue in perpetuity, as it must according to the Divine Plan, each province and monastery must have its own shepherd. Each must be free to follow the Divinity, to know the flock and to see the truth that is offered to him.
For the shepherd of the flock knows who falters, the wolf knows who to punish. To go above the shepherd, to denigrate him and place upon him the yoke of a leader who doesn’t know the flaws and blood of every man and every nation is to bring us all to the place where we might perish.
Such is not the place of the guide to lead, for if that guide is weak, the flock shall be led astray within the darkness. As a shepherd must tend to his flock as he leads them through the mountains into greener pastures, so should the wisest and he who best manifests his damnation lead their flocks. It shall not be through countries or areas, but through the cities themselves that leadership shall come. That those cities shall be overseen by the shepherds, regardless of title, so that the flock within can flourish and grow strong in their damnation.
There shall be no single ruler. There is one who already sits above all, and that is God. The Sanctified are not rulers upon the mortal realm, but spiritual guides within the darkness, to lead the flock to the Heavenly Father. It is not for the Sanctified to unite under the banner of an earthly vessel, for such is material, and will fall to ash within our hands – no, our banner shall be that of faith, as written by the Dark Father unto the Testament of Longinus.”
For many nights the Damned spoke on the Divinity of the church and the state – of the necessity of both, and the importance of agreement and mutual benefit. The Damned should guide their brethren, for the material world is necessary to prepare those mortal vessels for the transition into the spiritual. The First Estate shall exist as that first step upon the path to God. The Sanctified should stand as the Second Estate, for from the mortal existence; those within this world will walk among buildings that reach to the heavens, statues that shall hold the likeness of great men and pictures, which shall hold memories. Allow the leaders of the mortal coil to lead, and the spiritual leaders to guide them.
However, those things shall fade away, and when that material world has slipped away, it shall be the second step that shall be taken – that the path from the material will lead to the spiritual, and us as their guides to God. Let us revel in this unity that we may conquer the hearts and minds of those who would turn from the true knowledge of Faith, and those who fear to believe in something greater and divine.
[edit] The Tenth Canon: Transubstantiation of the Blood
So it was written in the Holy Book of God that the Divine did give unto the carpenter’s son certain gifts upon which he could use to show those doubters the true influence of the Divine. Christ did use his own blood, the blood of Man, to turn that into wine and bread that He might feed the hungry and the weak. So too, did the Divine provide the Sanctified with gifts that they may show others the Divinity within each.
Though we shall feed from the life of Mankind, this act is divine in nature. Their life fuels ours so that we might continue the divine task given unto us by the Holy Father. Those chosen for this task are set upon the path of the Divine at that moment, for they now play a role in the Divine Purpose. When their life crosses our lips that which is the blood of Man becomes the blood of the Holy. When the Sanctified drink the life of Man, it shall be as a sacred ritual where the unclean blood of the sinner shall be changed into the pure and holy force of life – that is Divine in nature.
The nature of the blood is such that it is the product of the vessel in which it resides. If the vessel is sinful and unclean, so is the sustenance that fuels the still flesh of the mortal coil in which we reside. Through prayer and confession, one may seek to cleanse the body of the sins and taint which makes the blood unclean. As the Sanctified are creatures of Divine Purpose, our touch upon them shall cleanse the vessel and when their existence shall pass our lips, they shall be cleansed with the Purpose of God.
A vessel cleansed of sin and taint becomes a cup of prayer with both wine and water. As the Holy Spirit touches the vessel, it becomes now the taintless Man. When sustenance is taken from the cup of prayer, we shall receive for ourselves the unflawed vitae of the Divine. The living water is a body, it is necessary that we put upon us the living man that we might continue our sacred duty and purpose.
Thus is the mystery of the transubstantiation – that what was once impure or flawed becomes perfect and Divine. That even as Christ changed mortal wine into His blood to feed the hungry, so shall that gift be ours to grasp. We shall take the blood and turn it into our wine so that we may not go hungry.
[edit] The Eleventh Canon: Upon the Monastery and the Masquerade
Like the prophets of old, I was awakened by the Lord and His angels. I heard His call for three days and each time I spoke to Him, saying I was there. For three days I threw the slumber of the Damned and awakened amidst the heat of living Man.
Finally, upon the third day, the Lord and the Host spoke to me. Verily I have placed upon the parchment His wishes for how we are to live. The Spirit moved me and the words are mine, but the will is His.
Upon our Damnation, we are placed apart from the flock. Man is a communal being, and their souls are strengthened in service to each other. The Damned, however, are brought low. We are solitary beings who meet in fear and anger, in hatred and shame.
The beast grows ever stronger in our souls, as the Adversary calls to us. We are thrice more likely to be drawn unto Hell. Let us, saith the Lord, be a balm unto each other. Let us sever the chaos of the beast in an orderly living that gives no place for it to dwell.
The beast thrives, firstly, on our Damned hunger. In order to chain it completely, let us feed only at appointed times when the beast is strongest. Like feeding a dog when it is hungriest, feed the beast in the Dusk and Dawn, when it is ashamed and howling out of hunger and pain. Let the blood see the light of the dying and birthing sun, as it is His glory that we may feed. Feed only the minimum, in chaste thought and mind. Do not glutton the beast, give it what it requires and no more. It is in this the Damned might grow in control.
Like the saints of Man, we must drive each soul to God. In order to know sin, each Damned must be separated completely from it. Live apart from Man, as the wolf sleeps apart from the sheep. Watch them from the outside, so that sin might call to you, so that it might bare its horrid face. In living apart from Man, and thus sin, we are freed from its yoke and remain untainted.
The Lord is a jealous one, and as such, He must rightly be praised. Allow no less than one hour after feeding in the Dusk, one hour at midnight, and one hour before dusk to sing Him glory and Praise. These times are to be sacred and righteous. Read from the trials of our Dark Father. Speak the words of righteous Man.
The Song of the Dying Sun must be a time for remembrance. It is a time to remember the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the loss of our own personal Salvation. The Song of Total Night is a period to think upon our own Damned state. Remember the teachings of the Centurion and follow his wishes. The Song of the Morning Sun is a time to rejoice, as we have a Divine Plan. Just as the sun lights the way for Man, our knowledge of our Divine Plan is a light to guide our way. Praise the Lord for His love despite our Damned Self, and think upon the glory of the hunt.
Each night, too, shall be dominated with at least an hour of menial but important work. Cleaning the cells, gardening and raising foods for the Kine, and tending to the needs of the eldest are all good work and needing in chastising that beast within your soul.
Aside from separated and chaste living, planned and precise feeding, and praising the Lord, each Damned must follow three important and integral rules. First is the Vow of Silence. The Beast demands voice, and our pride allows it. Silence both the beast and the Man. In the silence, think upon the Lord and His Creation. Use the silence to seek the Lord and His Divine Plan. Speak only in praise or in the hunt. Speak in turning the heathen to the Lord. Speak when guiding other Damned or in punishing the Sinner. All else is unimportant. Throw the wasteful words to the beast.
As we seek to bring Man to the Kingdom of Heaven, so too must we throw off the yoke of the material world. In this, take the Vow of Poverty into your soul. The material world, though we be Damned, is a siren call to be avoided and mocked. Live simply, live quietly, and live with only the blood of the living, the shelter from the sun and the Testament of the Dark Centurion at your side. All else is a waste. Appoint your cell in sparse fashion. Avoid the trappings of wealth and the mortal world.
Finally, the Vow of Obedience is integral in denying the beast the freedom it wrongly demands. Each should listen to the words of the wisest in the Monastery. He is appointed by the Lord and thusly knows how to limit the demands of the beast and of the self. His wishes should be central to the nightly life of each Damned. Forsake his laws only if he departs from the Laws of the Faithful, if he regularly succumbs to the Beast, or if his demands challenge a Damned’s continuing existence.
Each vow, each manner of feeding and prayer is such that continued existence is free from the demands of the beast and self. However, the Damned that denies the beast entirely allows the beast strength to overcome the Divine spark in us all. On the day of rest for Man, forsake the strict demands of living the Lord requires. Feed upon the Man who eschews Church. Glutton the beast on this night so that it is weakened for the other nights.
Such the Lord requires, and so must all the Damned follow.
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of Heaven and Earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary to redeem Man from Sin through his death and resurrection. I believe the Longinus, by piercing the Savior’s side as he hung from the Cross, did reveal the divinity of Christ through fulfillment of the prophecies and that, while Longinus was rightly Damned for his blasphemy, his damnation was itself part of God’s Holy Plan. I believe that those so Damned are the agents of God’s will, chosen to receive the Embrace that we may test the faithful and reveal the divinity within each of them. I believe that for my sins I am damned to Hell and yet through damnation I may find my purpose in God’s Holy Plan.
Amen.
[edit] The Twelvth Canon: Upon the Nature of Martydom
So it is written, that in the early nights of the Covenant, I, along with five followers forged a great union among ourselves, that we would uphold the words given unto us through the prophecies and the words of Longinus. Upon the Spear of Destiny, a new organization was born, one that would be known as the "Sacred Lance", the Lancea Sanctum. In a cave similar to the one that the body of Christ laid for 40 nights, five disciples and I held the first Mass in the Year of Our Lord, Two-Hundred and thirty-two. There, the new Covenant was born as the Scions of Longinus dedicated themselves tot he road of damnation and sought to bring the Testament of Longinus to all Kindred.
The fervor of the newly born Covenant was enticing to many who were displeased by the treatment of the Roman Camarilla. Under the Testament of Longinus and the tenets of the Lancea Sanctum, all who would follow the path of Longinus and thus, the path of the true God would be welcome into the Damnation. History it seems tends to repeat itself, as the sins of the past became fresh wounds as Jewish Kindred began to turn on their Roman Masters. Though Christianity among the mortals was a struggling religious movement in Rome, among the Damned, it had yet to become a pervasive force among the self-proclaimed Emperors of the Night. In return for the disobedience by the Jewish Kindred, the Romans declared the Lancea Sanctum a perversion of Christianity, and banished it from the ancient city, attempting to wipe it, and the followers from the city of Rome. Those found following the "uprising" were exiled at best, or outright destroyed at worst. Under the tyrannical rule of Nephele, and others among the eldest of the city's Damned, the Sanctified were forced to retreat from Jerusalem in fear of destruction. Though the Sanctified held to the tenets written in the Testament of Longinus to protect the sanctity of life and unlife, the Roman Elders did not, and the Sanctified numbers were too small to force their hand.
In an effort to quell the uprisings, and show the elders their misguided ways, two of the apostles set forth into the city of Jerusalem, asking for clemency that they might show the errors of the Camarilla and the Roman rulers. In response, Adira and Gilad were set upon crosses and left to face the rising sun. Seeing this destruction I, along with the remaining three Apostles fled to the West, unable to face the Camarilla with so few numbers against such daunting opposition.
When the Sanctified ceased their retreat, we found ourselves in the ancient city once known as Thebes. History books recorded the ancient Egyptian city as "glorious" and filled with a deep-set mysticism of the ancient Egyptian Sorcerers. Now however, it lay forgotten save for a small community of Christian soldiers who had retreated from the Roman soldiers and set up a small, but well-preserved commune. I, along with Daniel, Patzil and Maron began to build a new and similar community beneath the city above. The ancient Necropolis of the Egyptians was transformed into the sacred church of the Lancea Sanctum. Within this sacred temple, we were able to study the words that I had carefully recorded of Longinus, and through it, knowledge was revealed to us that we might learn more of our purpose. Of all knowledge that we were to learn however, the greatest was that which was discovered within the ancient temple, which we now called home.
The angel Amoniel appeared before myself and led the way for us deep within the temple into a well-guarded and ancient room that was decorated with ancient hieroglyphs. Written upon the wall was the first knowledge of the Dark Miracles that God had led the Covenant to Thebes to uncover – that they might have tools to protect them from those who might challenge their faith. Amoniel blessed the four with the key to understanding the divine script and left them within the temple, that they might study and learn the knowledge given unto them by the Almighty.
The new Covenant would remain in silent study until the Year of Our Lord, Two-Hundred and Eighty Six, when the mortal inhabitants of Thebes were ordered to march upon the land of Gaul by the Roman Emperor Maximillian. Daniel, the third of my disciples was given a vision which revealed that he must go forth with this army, that he might find a solution to his waning faith. With a heavy heart, I let him go. Unto him, he Angel Amoniel appeared once again, and gave him hope and a prophecy that a miracle would be given unto him that would show him the way to faith. With him traveled a Coptic captain known as Mauritius, who was made a ghoul to Daniel. Together, the two traveled to Gaul with the Emperor’s army to lay siege to the rebellions Burgundians, in a battle that would be…historically memorable, and a pivotal part of the Lancea Sanctum for many nights to come.
In the pursuant nights of combat, the enemy forces began to overcome the Emperor’s army, destroying tents and ranks of soldiers with swift tactics and sharp swords. One morning, the enemy approached the tents of the Theban legion with the intent to destroy them, but Daniel was once again visited by the Angel, who told him that he should awaken and trust his faith to guide him and others to victory against their enemies. With the Divine Touch of Amoniel upon him, Daniel found himself able to finally master the magic that had been denied to him previously. He summoned forth a great, dark cloud to hide the sun, and rose from the day-sleep and walked forward, summoning forth the wrath of God against the enemy forces. Turning to the captain, Daniel blessed the spear wielded by Mauritius, which was carried forth as a banner and a weapon that would lead the army to victory.
Seeing the victory of the Theban legion, the Emperor demanded that the legionnaires pay tribute to the Roman gods with a pagan sacrifice. Seeing the nature of the miracles wielded by St. Daniel, the legionnaires did refuse this order, standing firm that they would no longer recognize the pagan gods as the divine power. In response to their disobedience, the Emperor summarily executed several of the Theban legionnaires as an example of the consequences of their disobedience. Though saddened, the soldiers remained firm in their conviction. They too, met with a similar fate as their brothers.
On the night of the Twenty-second of September, when Daniel awoke the next night, he sensed the sadness and the blood, which now stained the hands of the Roman soldiers. Seeing the death of those who had found the truth of God through his piety and his actions, he fell into a deep frenzy and went among the Romans that very night, calling upon the Divine Retribution of God to show both the fury of the Christian God, and the power of the Lancea Sanctum and their Divine Miracles. It was not whispers, but trembling stories which were told by the Kindred Survivors of the massacre by St. Daniel. It was the first of many steps that would be put forth to show the true power and Divine Wrath of the Lancea Sanctum. From that moment forward, the Lancea Sanctum was no longer considered to be an uprising, but was now perceived as an actual threat by the pagan Damned who refused to seek the wisdom of the Lancea Sanctum.
The same year that St. Daniel fell into the deep sleep, the remaining Disciples and myself were attacked while journeying within Egypt, spreading forth the word of the Lancea Sanctum. of Longinus without the heavy yoke of the oppressive Camarilla impeding us.
In Southern Europe, we were met with the ancient traditions of the Roman, Greek, Sumerian and Celtic gods and goddesses, while in Northern Africa, we were confronted with the customs and traditions of the Sumerian, Middle Eastern and Egyptian pantheons.
Several times, we were attacked and thrown out of cities, nearly meeting our final death in the city of Alexandria, where the prevalence of the Egyptian pantheon was still the strongest. Our mission was one given to us by God however, and we were able to escape with our unlives and journey into Italy. It was there however, that the last of the first Disciples met final death as Maron was slain at the hands of a Lupine witch in the Year of Our Lord, Three-Hundred and Twenty-Nine.
For nearly six years I grieved for my lost disciples. I wandered as my Father had once done, seeking out a place to relieve my hunger and find a shred of faith that I could hold onto. It was in the Year of Our Lord, Three Hundred and Thirty-Five that I came upon a simple monastery, sitting alone in a field of ice and frozen grass. The scent of the lack of faith was so strong, it was nearly overwhelming…but it was the scent of blood that was far stronger. I believe I fell into a ravenous rage and set upon the House of God, satiating my thirst upon the blood of the Monks. The gentle men had never encountered a Demon such as I was then, and they were helpless against me, for they lacked both the will, and the faith to stand before the wrath of God. For twelve nights I feasted upon these unfaithful, until I stood before the very last man, who looked upon me and simply inquired why I had done such, rather then show the unfaithful the way back to God.
I puzzled over this answer for many nights until I presented the most learned Monk with the Testament of Longinus. It was then that I revealed myself unto him, as the bearer of the Spear of Destiny, and the true heir of Longinus. The monk knelt before me then, and I let him taste of my Damnation for his faith. In reward, I named him the first vicar of the Lancea Sanctum.
From that night forward, the Abbey was dedicated to the Lancea Sanctum, and although we would live alone within the ancient monastery, it was through divine intervention and signs that others would seek out the Monastery on their own accord to touch the Sacred Lance and hear the truth of the Testament of Longinus. Many arrived doubted upon a faithless path, but left as apostles and messengers of the Lancea Sanctum. Through the Divine intervention of God, and the acts of Faith of so many, the Lancea Sanctum became firmly implanted into the lands of Europe, and from there, it spread unto the rest of the world.
In the centuries following the introduction of what was known as the Black Abbey, I, and other Sanctified scholars set forth with a task
to rework and expand the five books of the Testament of Longinus. Our goal was to refine the books, so that they were more concise and set forth with guidelines or canons upon how the Damned should present themselves. Ultimately, it would become the Sanguineous Catechism, which I hope will one day replace the need for five books. In the nights to follow, the Catechism would also become the defining line between those Damned who did and did not accept the dogma of the Covenant. The most basic tenet, taken from the mortal Saint known as Benedict was revised to fit the Lancea Sanctum and establish the Sanctified as more than just a faith among the Damned, but also as a community of individuals dedicated to holy works. Under the newest tenets, the Sanctified would turn to the wisest among themselves, who would in turn watch over the flock as children of their own. From these tenets came the formation of the First Creed which was termed the Monachal Creed. This creation was the most prominent method of quelling the confusion of faith and identifying those beliefs and views which were unorthodox to the purpose of the Lancea Sanctum.
In the nights following the formation of the first Creed, the Lancea Sanctum saw both strife and prosperity. An alliance with the Invictus Covenant granted the Sanctified the role of the Second Estate as they provided spiritual advice to the Invictus who were then establishing themselves as the undisputed rulers of the night. In exchange, the Invictus provided the Sanctified with the political aid needed to fight off the other sects which sought to disquiet the Damned and lead them away from the teachings of the Testament of Longinus. During those nights, I was looked to as a leader of the Sanctified, though I never claimed such. To do that, would be to place myself above my brothers and sisters. I sought unity among the Covenant, knowing full well that with unity came the backlash of the other sects disapproval of the Covenant of the Sacred Lance and the alliance with the First Estate.
So it has been asked, “Why is it important that we celebrate and honor those who were proclaimed Martyrs?” The answer to that is that it is important for those of the Sacred Lance to remember the past, and honor it. Without our past, we are without a present, or a future. The sacrifices of those who have given their unlives for the Lancea Sanctum paved the way for the future which we now hold as our own. Throughout history, there will always be those who shall stand out – to which I give the following advice – “remember them, respect those who have fulfilled a great purpose.
God works in the most mysterious of ways, and it is not for us to decide when death should come to us – that is reserved for the Heavenly Father alone. When he shall call for us, it is our duty to go to him. Such is part of His Divine Plan, that we shall do His work upon Earth, in hopes of one night achieving Heaven.”
As I write this, I know that there shall come a time when I shall pass from this existence and many others with me. Among those close to me even as I write upon this paper, there lies traitors and snakes waiting for the moment to strike. I ask only this – remember those who will fall, for their death shall not be in vain, it shall serve the purpose of the Divine Plan, so that others can step forward and claim the Grandeur of His Divine Will.
Such was the last of that information that was provided by the Monachus, for what happened next would render him unable to tell his story. So it shall be told by an unknown hand, that others may learn the lesson that others learned on the fateful night.
In the eight month of the year Nine-Hundred and Forty-Seven, the greatest tragedy and lesson was laid upon the Lancea Sanctum. In an attempt to destroy the Lancea Sanctum and steal the Spear of Destiny, one of the closest apostles to the Monachus and vile traitors rejected the mantle of God and Longinus and declared their loyalty to the Adversary. Though the Sanctified fought bravely against the Luciferians, they were no match for the twisted righteousness that the traitors showed. As the Black Abbey burned with the flames of the traitors, a great battle ensued within as brother fought against twisted brother. In a moment of victory for the traitors, the Monachus was brought low by the infernal magic, and the foul Amaranth committed upon him. Filled with the stolen power of the heir of Longinus, he betrayers locked the remaining Sanctified within the Abbey. After they were unable to find or retrieve the Sacred Spear of Destiny, they watched as the last of the monastery fell unto ash, and left, believing they had wiped out the Lancea Sanctum once and for all.
Such was not the case however. In the great aftermath of what was known as the Night of One Hundred Martyrs, word spread through the world of the tragic death of the Monachus at the hands of the betrayers. Those who had once traveled to the Abbey as nonbelievers saw their faith renewed as they looked to the Testament for answers to their shaken faith and realized that it was not Monachus to whom they should look, but rather to those within their own domains or parishes.
As such, each city and town in which Sanctified resided within became their own version of the Black Abbey, with the most pious of each parish taking up the mantle of Bishop or Abbot. Though the traitors had destroyed an icon of the Lancea Sanctum, they had failed to destroy the faith of the masses…just as they had failed to steal the sacred spear of Longinus.'
[edit] The Thirteenth Canon: Regarding Undeath
For many nights, I hath studied many avenues to discern the meaning and nature of the second death. The Dark Father was not embraced as others were, but cursed by the hand of the Divine. Longinus was given the Divine role through his act of Hubris, that he would serve as the individual to open the Gates of Heaven. Through his action, when he stabbed Christ in the side with the Spear, blood and water did flow forth from the sacred wounds unto his eyes. Longinus was blind before – the veil of riches and powers covered his eyes, though lifted when the life of the Son of Man spilled forth unto him. From that moment, he drew no further mortal breath, for he was no longer mortal. He was neither alive as one perceives a human to be, nor dead, for his body was not rendered unto ash upon the winds. He was however, a servant unto the Divine and Holy Plan. They shall be known as the First Damned, for through the actions of another, those who shall follow those Damned by the act of a Divine Creator are actors and actresses upon the stage of their existences.
From studies, there are other methods, rumors upon which the state of Undeath can be achieved. One such manner is the nature of the Suicide. Those who commit such a Judas act are cast forth from the Kingdom of Heaven to wait for their place within the realms of Hell. We see however, that not all who choose to take their life upon themselves are successful. Those who return are marked upon their soul, a mark of the Damned by the Hand of God and the gravity of their actions. Whereupon, the Suicide casts their souls into the Lakes of Hell, it is rejected from the Divine and returned to its mortal host changed and blemished. Upon that moment, the soul is damned as any creature known as Kindred, for thou art cast from the glory of Heaven and condemned to wander the land knowing the price of failure and Damnation. They shall be known as the Twice Damned, for through their own, or another’s hand, they hath brought about their own act of Damnation. Mortals are taught that life is sacred, and they hath cast out their own life as unsacred. They art damned once for the act of destroying the mortal body, and damned again for the act of destroying the mortal body, and damned again for the act of destroying their soul. Those whom are among the Twice Damned are forever denied the Grace of Heaven through their own actions, regardless of the virtuous life that one may have led.
The third manner in which one may achieve the manner of the Undeath is that of the great Punishment. The soul is intangible, weighed against the weight of a feather upon the ancient scales of Peter. A mortal who hath committed such atrocious acts burden his soul, weighing it down with the weight of one’s sins upon it. A truly stained soul will not rise unto Heaven upon the death of the mortal body, but instead will sink into the depths of Hell. The Sinner is awakened from the state of slumber when the soul returned, and his eyes are awakened into his new sinful existence. From the moment one’s eyes are opened, they exist in a state of Undeath – a state in which one may choose to continue their path of sin, or choose to follow a different path in hopes of lightening the soul. They are known as the Self Damned, for through their own actions and hand they hath caused their own damnation, and through their hand and their actions, they experience the opportunity to reach the fates of Heaven.
The fourth manner upon which one may attain the condition known as the Undeath is through the Curse of Blessing of another. The Cursed Damned are not given a Holy Purpose as the First Damned – they are simply individuals or lines of individuals upon which a sorcerer has placed a cursed upon, that they might be denied the blessing of the sun, and the nourishment of the meals. For the Cursed Damned, many seek methods upon which to overcome the curse – it is not uncommon for many individuals within a generation to seek out a means or a way to undo the curse lay upon them. Many believe such a state may double as a blessing, for though they are cursed from many things, they are at times also granted the blessing of eternal existence. Those individuals whom are the Cursed Damned are pathetic creatures often forced to hide their affliction from the world, constantly attempting to attain the perfection of the body and soul that they were given before the Curse.
The final method upon which another may be damned is passed from sire to child. The child is selected from the mortals, and its lifeblood drained, fueling the strength and power of the murderer. When the last of the lifeblood has been taken, the soul is cast forth from this world to journey to Heaven or Hell. Should the Murderer cast forth the mortal body; the soul will descend or ascend to await Judgment. Should the Murderer give part of him unto the mortal coil, the soul is grabbed back from Heaven or Hell and returned to the body and trapped inside by the vitae of the Murderer. The victim goes through a process known as “The Embrace”, upon which the Murderer passes the weakness of their clan unto the victim, now known as the “Childe”. The new Childe experiences the second death then – the first death being the death of the Soul, the second being the death of the Body – a time known as the “Changing”. During this change, the new childe is wracked with pain of the death of their body, and the first curses touch upon them – that of fear, anger, hunger and pain. At the end of the traumatizing experience, the childe is awakened anew, into the existence of the Undeath. These are known as the Marked Damned, for they hath been marked by the blood and the sins of their Fathers.
So it hath been inquired, what is the state of the soul for the Self Damned, the Twice Damned, the Cursed Damned, the First Damned and the Marked Damned? For those souls which journey beyond the mortal coil, they are entered into a state of suspension – neither in Heaven nor in Hell. This is the first death of the soul. The soul transcends the mortal body, and the road of the damnation of the soul then determines the path upon which the soul travels. For those whom are the Self Damned, the soul undergoes the first death, and is stripped bare; the sins upon which the soul is darkened by are laid out for all to see. Each sin is then answered for as the soul becomes branded with the badges of those sin, and the imprint of each victim’s nightmares are woven into the very fabric of the soul. When the soul returns back to the stilled flesh, it is changed forever – the cries of the victims and the sins of the Self Damned flow through the blood ad the soul. Such is the state of Undeath for those whom are Self Damned, that they should exist in the new form as a product of the old, and as a product of their victims.
The Twice Damned are unfortunate souls. When they forsake the gift of Life given unto them by the Heavenly Father, their souls are cast forth from them into the Lake of Fire. There, they undergo a process of inversion, whereas the soul is turned inside out, and burnt with the Lake of Final Judgment, branded with the sigil of the Twice Damned. Those souls that bear this sigil are forbidden from entering the Kingdom of Heaven – instead they are sent to the far depths of Hell, guided by Judas Iscariot, whom oversees those souls newly damned in this fashion. When the souls are returned to the mortal coil, they are burnt, ripped, and branded for the great sin that has been committed against the essence of God and Mankind united. Even those souls that are considered demonic in nature are not subjected to the same torment that those Twice Damned are given, for they hold within them the very essence of betrayal…not of one’s principles or morals, but of the ultimate betrayal of the Divine Gift.
The souls of the First Damned are different…they bear the mark of the Divine Hand, and through them, the ties of purpose and devotion. They are not damned with the blood of the sire, nor are they damned by their own hand (in most instances). Instead, they are given a task upon which they may accomplish in hopes of achieving a Divine Goal. While in service to the Divine, they are extended the existence of the Undead that they might not perish in their attempts to complete ht task given unto them. Such was once written in the Gospel of John – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whomsoever shall believe in him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16. Such was the existence of the Dark Father – for until the blood and the water of Christ opened his eyes, he did not believe. When the veil was lifted, he believed and as such was granted the everlasting life to pursue the Divine Purpose granted to him by the Heavenly Father. Their souls are carefully concealed in Purgatory awaiting their final judgment at the End of Days. Their souls are damned for their sins in mortal life, but Purgatory Is not a permanent existence. It has been rumored that should an individual fulfill the purpose set before them by God, that Purgatory shall release their souls unto the Heavens that they may stand before the Heavenly Gates to Paradise.
The next category is those souls that are considered the Marked Damned. These souls are the remnants of the human soul that has been trapped in a body that no longer breathes or lives, but are in a semi-permanent state of stasis. Such are the embraces that are given, when the blood sins of the father become passed onto the child. Such souls are cast outwards as tainted souls sent to wander the world alone. Through such, the soul no longer seeks to rise of fall, but instead chooses to move aimlessly through the nights. In return, the new Kindred learn the lessons of the solitary creatures – that as the soul wanders with no purpose, so does its flesh hose. It is an act of will that the soul seeks to raise for fall further. Without that direction, the soul remains in the Purgatory that is neither life, nor death, but Undeath. In this state, the soul may become more burdened with the sins of the host, or the soul may seek to cleanse itself, and rise unto the Heavens and await the Judgment of the End of Days.
The final category of those Damned are those known as the Cursed Damned. These are the souls that have been cursed by a powerful existence that defies the mandate of the Heavens, and is not the direct action of oneself. These souls are not truly damned, for they do not sink to Heaven or Hell, but instead are marked with the sigil of the curse, and its owner. It is truly only those souls that may seek a method to overcome the weaknesses of their curse, though they are just as bound by the laws of morality that other souls are – to commit a sin still burdens the soul towards Hell. It is only when the curse has been broken or overcome that the mark of the Cursed is removed from the soul completely, and the soul may seek its eternal rest. Until then, they are placed in the same form and host as given unto them by the power that placed the curse upon that soul.
Thus, we are given the knowledge of the state of Undeath, that which is neither life, nor death, neither warm flesh, nor cold ashes. Through this, we are granted knowledge of the Spiritual, so that we as Damned may give unto others the realization of the great truths, that those Damned may seek redemption through the rejection of the world that is material – for the flesh may be stilled, but the soul may still wander unburdened. With purpose, the wandering soul may find a path upon which to walk, and no longer wander. With that path, the soul may find the Gates unto Heaven, or the gilded Road unto Hell.
