The Order of the Forsaken Soldiers of Longinus and the Temple of the Monachas

From LanceaSanctum

[edit] The Order of the Forsaken Soldiers of Longinus and the Temple of the Monachas

Nickname: The Order or The Order of the Forsaken Soldiers

The Orders Beliefs-

Literalism and the Testament of Longinus-

The Testament of Longinus must be taken literal however the meaning of literality to The Order is different from most.

How The Order defines literalism- When Longinus was given the Testament from the angel many of the things that he was told was in the form of metaphor. When reading into that metaphor it is important to remember the time, place, society, and culture of that time. We may believe that it means something because of what our own culture would say about an issue, yet that would be false as it is not taking in for account the culture that this was written in. Yet there are certain commandments that state we are to do certain things and not others when we come across these we must follow them to the letter, wavering from this is dangerous and heretical.

The Cannons- The Cannons though fallible (according to the Monachas who wrote them) are what we believe to be the closest to what Longinus wished for us. They tell us how to live our lives and direct ourselves. They must be followed, however it is important to remember to take into account the time and place that the cannons were written and to contemplate how best to follow them in this day.

Certain Councils-

There are certain councils that would wish for us to allow them to lead us, in several cases these kindred are not true predators and have not presented them as such. There are even those of these councils who do not follow the Monachal creed, we must be wary of them. Do not bow to them, if they speak then weigh their words as you would any other of our Covenant, first for heresy, second if no heresy is found then for wisdom.

Concerning other covenants-

God has servants in many different avenues some are of our covenant others are not. If there are those that would be of use to God and to The Order then they should be carefully screened and offered the chance to petition for membership as a Lay Brother.

The Believed History of The Order-

It is believed that The Order first arose amongst the Christian Soldiers in Thebes, they that found themselves to be embraced. Whether this is true, or whether there were even soldiers that were embraced is not known for certain. Regardless this is where a lot of the tradition for The Order comes from. The Order maintains the belief that the secret sorcery that was learned in this place is so holy that a heretic must be destroyed in case they use the sorcery that is intended only for the faithful. The memory of the massacre of the Theban Legion and the Miracle of St. Daniel is something that The Order keeps close to their heart, believing St. Daniel to have been the first Praetor of The Order. Again, whether this is actual fact or merely tradition does not seem to matter to The Order, which has based much of their beliefs and traditions off of the legends inherent within.

It was not till 1860 that The Order has their first recorded minutes. The Order does not believe this to be proof of its short life but rather proof that it has a long tradition of not recording their minutes. The reason that these particular minutes were recorded is that Father Alexander Baillean de la Fusille had decided to let his brothers and sisters know his intentions to enter a hundred year long torper. This was accepted with a severe chastisement and penance upon him however it was accepted that he would take up the position of Praetor after his coming out of torper and being reacquainted with the world. Sadly during that hundred year long torper The Order would suffer immensely and would be in all but shambles when Father Alexander awoke to take up his duties.

Publicly known aim- To encourage the following of the Testament of Longinus in a literalist interpretation. As well as encourage the following of the cannons.

The Order wants you! contact Praetor Father Alexander Baillean de la Fusille today! LionRampant.douglas@gmail.com

[edit] The Following is ooc knowledge only! Unless you are of The Order or have been informed by The Order of these things

True Aim of the Order: To root out all non-believers and bring back the lost, if it not possible then to resort to the destruction of those vampires. “God shall know his own.” - Pope Innocent the III

General Insignia of the Clergy- A spear with the skull of a vampire mounted on it, the spear wrapped in flames.

General Insignia of the Lay Brethren- A vampire skull wrapped in flames.

The structure of The Order-

Every member of the Lancea Sanctum that is a member of The Order is considered a member of the clergy. Members that are not of the Lancea Sanctum are considered to be Lay Brethren.

Structure on city level-

General members of the clergy of The Order are considered monks, this is true for every member of The Order, all are equal yet even amongst the clergy do the ones who best exemplify their damnation take positions of leadership.

The Monks-

Each monk must be able to take confession and give just chastisement. The Lay Brethren as well as others will look to the monks to be able to make such confession but should not be compelled to do so.

Follow and encourage the entirety of The Testament of Longinus as well as the “guide book” (the cannons).

Seek out all lost members of the sanctified and bring back to the fold or put down for the betterment of the sanctified.

The Abbots-

The Abbots are those who lead The Monks within their cloister (the city). An Abbot is similar to a Bishop in his responsibilities, yet if there is a Bishop of the Monachal creed within the city they should defer to them, if there is not a Bishop of the Monachal creed within the city they should work to become that Bishop.

The Duties of the Abbots-

  1. Take confession and deliver chastisement (penance).
  2. See to the welfare of the Monks and The Major (haven, feeding, etc.)
  3. Deal with the lost of the sanctified, in particular those of The Order
  4. Pass down decrees from the Praetor
  5. Hold mass and Give Blessings (especially important if there is no Monachal creed Bishop within the city)
  6. Oversee Monks and The Major of the city

There is officially only one position higher then that of the Abbot that of the Praetor. Unofficially it is believed that there is an unseen hand advising The Praetor.

The Praetor-

The Praetor is the visible leader of The Order, he is the one to whom all questions should be directed and has the official say upon whether a vampire must be destroyed. The Praetor officially directs The Order as a whole.

The Praetors Obligations-

  1. Take confession and give chastisement
  2. See to the welfare of Abbots and The General
  3. Deal with lost cloisters as well as the lost in general
  4. Pass down and grant decrees
  5. Hold mass for The Order
  6. Screen and Interview all those applying for membership or are interested in The Order
  7. Induct and Anoint

The Lay Brethren-

The Lay Brethren are those of The Order who are not of the sanctified. It is a necessity that the Lay Brethren believe in the teachings of Longinus even if they belong to another covenant. “It is far easier to see what is a foot away from you then what is an inch from your nose”

Rights and Responsibilities of The Lay Brothers-

Rights- though individual Lay Brothers do not have a vote in The Order as a whole they do have a voice through the General. They may vote on issues for the General to present to the Praetor as their representative. Furthermore they are independent of The Order in that they do not have to follow the directives of any within their city that is not either an Abbot or a Praetor.

Responsibilities-

  1. To find those who are not following the teachings of Longinus, using the wisdom of one not involved in the situation
  2. Follow the directives of their superior brother or the Abbot of their City or the Praetor of the order.
  3. Protect one another and The Order as a whole

Special duties for The Major of the City-

  1. Protect and see to the welfare of the lieutenants
  2. Pass down directives from the General and The Abbot of the City
  3. Lead lieutenants in their duties

Special duties for the General-

  1. Protect and see to the welfare of the Majors
  2. Pass down directives as well as assign them (create where need be)
  3. Lead lieutenants in their duties
  4. Hunt down False Lay Brothers (those who have taken the oaths but wish for the downfall of The Order)