Lancea et Sanctum
The Lancea et Sanctum are meant to be the rod that prevents the lone wandering sheep from leaving its flock. In Montreal however, the rod is broken, each splinter stuck on an island, surrounded by a sea of secularism and debauchery. God's will for man and kindred however has not changed and so the Sanctified find themselves stuck between the anvil of duty and the hammer held in the hateful hands of their enemies.
Structure
The Second Estate may have suffered these past few decades and lost many to the cause and to outside threats, but they are ever regimented by the traditions that have bound them together. The following are all that remain of the Lance since the Quiet Revolution happened:
- Bishop Elisa Sabbatini
- Priests: Sister Abi Valdez Montero, Brother Elijah Williamson, Brother Arthur Fernandes Sousa
Culture
The Church Eternal established in Montreal is of Roman Catholic roots but has not born Roman Catholic branches in many decades. The Quiet Revolution has pushed every proclaimed Sanctified into fight or flight which has allowed for a unification of various creeds, all with the same intent. So as to avoid needless disagreements which could lead to unnecessary blood shed, Bishop Elisa Sabbatini has simplified the creed to the person and role of Longinius at Christ's Crucifixion, God's intent in this miracle and the role of those of the Church during these trying nights.
Public Agenda
To save one sheep, the Christ left the ninety nine behind. Brothers and Sisters, we are now in the land and times of the ninety nine. Find your sheep, bring him to God's light and keep them away from the darkness of Hell. And if you must, use your damnation as well.The salvation and keeping of righteous souls still remains the Lance's main goal, even as they fend off Final Death during these dark times. They were chosen and will remain true to their calling in the face of the sun itself. Being tiny lights in a sea of darkness, they have focused there attentions towards the unit as opposed to the whole that often is the focus of the Second Estate in other cities. Humans, Ghouls and fellow Kindred are all on the hearts and minds of the Sanctified, as they preach and pray for a day when it is safe again for them to walk the streets of Ville Marie without any fear of the secular wolf hiding in each alley or just beyond the light of the Church. Suffice to say, survival is also key to keeping the word of Longinius alive. A weakened First Estate can no longer be solely trusted and so the Lancea et Sanctum will turn to the Carthians , Unaligned ed or even the secretive Ordo Dracul , knowing full well that every favor received demands a favor given in return.Bishop Elisa Sabbatini
Assets
The Sanctified have very little. Only two purely Sanctified Coteries remain, each dependent on a historical church on the island for protection but also as a base of operations for there hope and message. They are the Notre-Dame Basilica Coterie and the Saint Joseph's Oratory Coterie. The members of the Laity not part of one of these two coteries have formed coteries of there own with members of other covenants. They also find refuge in local Churches and seek to grow their influence in a hope to push back the waters of the secular tsunami that has been flooding Montreal for these past decades.
History
The First and Second Estates arrived in Montreal in 1642. The Eternal Church came to support and aid the Conspiracy of Silence establish its hold in the New World as it had in the Old World. This foothold could later be turned into a Sanctified City is they so chose.
It was the Lance that had original encounters with the savages. Thinking them simply uneducated and lacking guidance, they took it upon themselves to try and turn them into holy monsters. But the monsters wished to be anything but holy. This began the everlasting war between the Sanctified and the soon to be Circle of the Crone . The Estates experienced losses during this ongoing warfare and each found ways to replenish there ranks in this precarious foothold. The Lancea et Sanctum did so by financing the bringing over of les filles du Roy
. These homeless women of France came to the New World seeking a husband and a new life, but among them were kindred hidden to turn some men into damned monsters.
In 1754 the Invictus Prince, George de Launay, vouched for the Wytches and had them included in Montreal's young court. Incensed, members of the Lance wished to overthrow the Invictus then and there. Wisdom prevailed however as the losses of such a war would be so great, they would be handing this young foothold right into the waiting fangs of the Crones. Patience was preached by the Bishop and Priests and so the Sanctified waited.
A new prince arrived shortly after. A good catholic who was strongly backed, and secretly aided, by the Sanctified. They welcomed Prince O'Donnell with open arms and willing hearts and he did repay there confidence and assistance. In 1824 the famous Notre-Dame Basilica was constructed and became the home of the most influential Lancea et Sanctum Coterie. Linguistic politics seemed to enter and shape the Invictus in the following decades and soon John O'Donnell was replaced by Prince Raymond Boisclair
. Prince Boisclair kept the Eternal Church on his side by assisting and financing the construction of Saint-Joseph's Oratory. He was of no assistance for what came next however.
The Lancea et Sanctum's prosperity became a wool over their eyes. They were ignorant of the Carthians plan and blind to the Circle of the Crone 's growth. So when the Quiet Revolution began, they were unprepared.
"Be wary of the Winter Brothers & Sisters. For our Fathers and Mothers danced during the Spring, feasted during the Summer and scoffed at the Fall. Their ashes now mingle with the snow."Through the 1970s, the Church went from prosperity to rapid mediocrity. The 1980s brought it to impotence. The 1990s forced it into irrelevance. In the new millennia, one of the two original members of the Dusk to Dawn Affair in the City of Festivals, is at the brink of complete destruction.Montreal Sanctified Proverb
Territories
The Lancea et Sanctum lay claim to the following districts in the Greater Montreal Metropolitan area:
- Notre-Dame-de-Grace(NDG)
- Cote-des-Neiges
- Vieux-Port/Vieux-Montreal[Loaned from the Invictus]
Tenets of Faith
Much of the teachings that the Sanctified abide by are those presented by the Testament of Longinus. However, the current situation in Montreal has forced the Second Estate to focus on the following Tenets:
- Be not Spiritual Pyrite, but God's True Gold
- Seek the Diamond, not the Quartz
- Be Wary of the Winter
Founding Date
1642
Type
Political, Faction / Party
Alternative Names
The Second Estate, The Sanctified, The Church Eternal, The Judges(derogatory)
Demonym
Brother or Sister
Leader
Government System
Theocracy
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Traditional
Parent Organization
Location
Notable Members
Friendly/Symbiotic Relationship
The First and Second Estates work well together, but in Montreal the Lance has taken heavy casualties and now depends on the Invictus for its very survival. The Invictus will support and protect its allies provided it does not have to over exert itself to do so.
Desperate Allies
The Quiet Revolution crippled the Invictus and forced the Sanctified to seek other allies in the Dusk to Dawn Affair. They require many favors of the Carthians and know that they will someday have to repay in full.
Open Aggression
The Quiet Revolution may have been a Carthian and Acolyte ploy, but it was the Circle of the Crone that most benefited from the change in scenery. They have decimated the Lancea et Sanctum and left them on islands waiting for Final Death.
The Second Estate however is so depleted that they cannot refuse help offered, even if it comes from the hands of a Wytch.
The Second Estate however is so depleted that they cannot refuse help offered, even if it comes from the hands of a Wytch.
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