Book I: The Malediction of Longinus

CHAPTER 11 I am God's holy monster, the drinker of mankind. 2 For so long, I could not see the role I would play, because I looked for it with human, mortal eyes. 3 So I put forth the truth in these pages, for you who seek as I have sought. 4 I am not some godless beast who stalks beneath the dark grandeur of sanctity. 5 I am the grandeur. 6 I am sanctified. [back cover]

7 Longinus is the soldier who pierced the side of Christ on the Cross with the Spear of Destiny[26]. 8 Longinus lived during the time of Christ and indulged in sin of every kind.[30] 9 The Malediction asserts Longinus violated in egregious ways the Seven Deadly Sins before he was Damned. 10 The Malediction implies that Longinus was predestined to strike Jesus due to an exceptionally debauched and sinful life.[50] 11 For his act on Golgotha, Longinus was damned by God to an eternity as a vampire.[26]

CHAPTER 21 The Malediction states that Longinus was born to a Roman harlot named Livia.[62] 2 Longinus was a bastard born in Jerusalem to a Roman prostitute.[30] 3 Longinus was born to a Roman prostitute named Livia.[50] 4 The Malediction talks about Livia at some length.[62] 5 Longinus' birth name is never revealed, because Longinus viewed his curse as a negation of his mortal nature. 6 Longinus is referred to as the bastard child, he who would become Longinus, the soldier, and the Devil's scion, among many other things.[50] 7 There is a verse in Malediction that some have interpreted to mean that Longinus did not have a mortal father.[62]

8 Longinus lived a life of debauchery and cruelty. While he was young, Longinus lost his mother's small earnings while gambling. 9 When Longinus' mother complained that he stole her earnings, Longinus struck her and declared in public that she was a dog fit only for mounting. 10 While drunk, Longinus raped his mother and boasted to his depraved companions.[30] 11 For who among you has had his pleasure with so comely a whore as my ripe mother?[30] 12 The Malediction states Longinus raped his mother, fulfilling the sin of Lust.[50]

CHAPTER 31 Longinus brawled with anyone who angered him. 2 Longinus crippled a shopkeeper who roused his ire. 3 Longinus cut off the hand of his cousin during a dispute. 4 There was nothing too wanton for Longinus' tastes. 5 The neighbors of Longinus held enmity for him.

6 Longinus came to the attention of a corrupt commander in the legion garrison. 7 The corrupt commander of the legion garrison offered Longinus a job as a soldier to pay off a lost bet.[30]

CHAPTER 41 Longinus was unfit to be a soldier. 2 As a soldier, Longinus was prone to violence and venality. 3 Longinus frequently disobeyed orders. 4 Longinus abused his power while doing his duties on the streets.

5 Longinus enjoyed the fear he instilled on the Roman citizens he was supposed to protect. 6 Longinus discovered, to his dismay, that he had to pay a price for his inappropriate behavior as a soldier. 7 Longinus received frequent reprimands as a soldier. 8 Longinus was given menial tasks most of the time to punish him for his behavior as a soldier and to keep him from influencing the other legionnaires. [30]

CHAPTER 51 Longinus was arrested and charged with murdering a supposed friend who had been promoted over him. 2 Longinus was brought before the Procurator of Jerusalem for the murder of his friend. 3 Longinus escaped a swift trial and likely death by the intervention of God, who dissuaded Pontius Pilate from condemning Longinus to death.[30] 4 The Malediction states Longinus murdered his friend for being promoted above him, being the sin of Envy.[50]

CHAPTER 61 Longinus was a key figure in finding a young man wanted for robbing and molesting the favored servant of Claudia, who was the wife of Pontius Pilate. 2 Claudia intervened with she heard Longinus had been arrested, and persuaded Pontius Pilate to dismiss the charges. 3 Claudia persuaded Pontius Pilate to reward Longinus by serving Pilate's household.

4 Longinus did not learn from his arrest and near execution. 5 While serving Pilate, Longinus conspired to have his superior accused of lusting after Pilate's wife. 6 Within two years of being saved by Claudia and Pilate, Longinus was promoted to centurion and made the head of Pilate's personal guard.[30]

CHAPTER 71 Longinus' rise in the service of Pilate was not luck. 2 Longinus' sin marked him for a preordained role. 3 Longinus was chosen as the agent of destiny necessary to reveal the divinity of Jesus. 4 Longinus would commit an act of blasphemy and portent when the time was right. 5 The act of Longinus would reveal the place of the Damned in God's Creation.[30]

CHAPTER 81 The Spear of Destiny was placed on Earth for the sole purpose of being the instrument to reveal the divinity of Jesus. 2 The Spear was made before the Great Flood by a smith to save the life of his son, who was found guilty of speaking against the wicked King Lamech. 3 The Spear was forged from a very hard stone that fell from the sky while the sun was black. 4 The greedy King Lamech accepted the Spear tip, and then used it to kill the smith. 5 King Lamech used the Spear to purge his city of his enemies and proclaim his dominion over all. 6 King Lamech was victorious against all he faced, until the Great Flood came, with forty days and forty nights of rain halting his conquests. 7 The Spear was lost during the Great Flood.[30]

CHAPTER 91 The Spear resurfaced in the hands of a merchant named Phaecus, who traded for it from a Tyrean ship captain. 2 Phaecus did not consider the Spear tip to be very valuable. 3 The Spear tip was not marred by the passage time, protected by the Hand of God.

4 Pilate charged Phaecus with tax evasion. 5 Phaecus paid a bribe to Pilate to avoid a larger fine, and sweetened the deal by giving Pilate several trinkets as gifts for Pilate's household, including the

tip of the Spear. 6 Phaecus told Pilate that the Spear tip had been the ancient weapon of a king, but Pilate did not believe him.

7 Pilate distributed the trinkets he received from Phaecus to his household during the next festival feast. 8 Pilate gave the spear tip to Longinus, saying only that it was an ancient weapon that once belonged to a king. 9 Longinus affixed the Spear tip to a wooden shaft out of pride, bearing it as a symbol of Pilate's esteem for him.[31]

CHAPTER 101 Longinus did not take part in the trial of Jesus of Nazareth. 2 Longinus' eye had swelled up and caused his vision to weaken. 3 Because of his illness, Longinus gave other soldiers the responsibility for punishing Jesus.

4 Longinus has little interest in Jesus. 5 Longinus had heard the tales regarding Jesus, but considered him another agitator and charlatan. 6 Longinus considered the preaching of Jesus to be absurd, particularly the message of eternal salvation.

7 While Jesus was being driven through the streets toward [Golgotha], bearing his cross, Longinus was eating expensive pork and grapes, drinking fine wines from Pilate's own cellars, and enjoying a serving girl.[31]

CHAPTER 111 Pilate ordered Longinus to take down the bodies of Jesus and the two thieves after sunset, to avoid having them still there when the sun rose on the Jewish Sabbath. 2 Pilate ordered Longinus to kill the men, if any of them were still alive.

3 When Longinus arrived, there were few onlookers watching the crucified, and those that remained were mostly family members and friends. 4 A single soldier on duty guarded the crucified. 5 Longinus ordered the soldier to break the legs of the crucified, so they would die more quickly, as he didn't want to wait. 6 The soldier killed the two thieves, but then said Jesus was already dead, and did not strike him.

7 Longinus rode his horse close to Jesus and listened at his mouth for breath. 8 Longinus was dismayed to hear Jesus still breathing. 9 Longinus prepared to order the soldier to finish the job when Jesus opened his eyes and looked at the soldier. 10 In the eyes of Jesus, Longinus saw compassion and understanding beyond mortal comprehension. 11 Longinus doubted his convictions and feared the stories of Jesus' divinity may have some truth in them. 12 Longinus was shocked and felt an almost irresistible urge to flee and hide from the painful truth he saw in the eyes of Jesus.

13 The mourners begged Longinus to show mercy to Jesus, while Longinus desired only to escape. 14 Longinus forgot about the other soldier, and was too prideful to show his cowardice to the onlookers. 15 With hands shaking, Longinus thrust the Spear into the side of Jesus, in an effort to extinguish the light that seemed to come from the Nazarene's eyes.[32] 16 The Malediction states Longinus was too lazy to get a ladder to see if Christ was dead, and this is why he stabbed Jesus with the Spear, being the sin of Sloth.[50]

CHAPTER 121 Seeing that Christ was dead, the soldiers did not break his legs. 2 One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water flowed out. 3 A drop of Christ's blood fell upon

the soldier's lips, and he wiped it away with his hand. 4 Yet the next day, he slept past the sunrise, and roused from his slumber only at nightfall. 5 After tasting Christ's blood, he thirsted for more. 6 I know. I know because I am that soldier. [29, VTR 19]

7 Blood splashed on Longinus' face, and Jesus exhaled his last breath.[32] 8 The Malediction states that the blood of Jesus dripped down the Spear onto the hands of Longinus. 9 Longinus became entranced with the sweetness and purity of the blood, and licked it off his hands to the horror of onlookers, being the sin of Gluttony.[50]

10 The blood of Jesus restored Longinus' sight, beyond the clarity of mortal men. 11 God wished Longinus to see things as they truly were, as Longinus' service was only beginning. 12 Clarity of vision was necessary for Longinus' mission. 13 Longinus felt as if he had been struck by thunder, understanding what he had done.

14 By his choice, Longinus had willingly removed himself from God's light, fleeing it and setting himself apart from those Jesus had come to save. 15 As Jesus died, so did Longinus, and he never drew another mortal breath. 16 Longinus was without hope of redemption and salvation. He was Damned for all eternity.

17 Longinus could not help but proclaim the truth, declaring Jesus' divinity. 18 Feeling the guilt and seeing the expressions of the onlookers, Longinus fled Golgotha on his horse.[32]

CHAPTER 131 According to some translations of the Testament, Longinus existed in a numb, hungry state for 40 nights after the embrace. 2 According to some translations of the Testament, during the first 40 nights after his damnation, Longinus wandered mad with starvation, having hallucinations.[84]

3 According to some translations of the Testament, during the first 40 nights after his damnation, Longinus had visions into the true nature of his Requiem, and found what it meant to be a fiend of the night.[84]

4 The mandate and the mission is in the Blood. 5 I saw the proof of my own power over the mortal sheep and the hungry wolves had been stirred into the cistern of my heart. 6 That miraculous mixture raises the Predator above the Prey. 7 Blood burns like oil and thunders like the storm. 8 It stains the earth eternal, as we only appear to. 9 I had to become its master or forever be its slave.[178]

10 Following the first 40 nights of his damnation, the Testament says Longinus exulted in the predatory Curse.[85]

CHAPTER 141 For a time, Longinus did not understand what had happened to him. 2 There were few vampires in Jerusalem at the time of Longinus' Damnation. 3 In the Camarilla, one's lineage was very important. 4 Longinus had no lineage, and was perceived as an uneducated bastard.

5 The Elders resented Longinus trying to feed from what they considered their herd. 6 Longinus struggled with his constant thirst for blood, and had to make his own way surviving in the shadow of humanity. 7 Longinus felt an emptiness that threatened his sanity, bereft of wine, women, food, money, and anything else that ever meant anything to him.

8 Longinus believed God wanted more of him, and this saved him from insanity. 9 Longinus believed if he could complete God's task, he might be allowed to die in the light of the sun or at the hands of his enemies. 10 Longinus believed he should be allowed to burn in the fires of Hell, removed from Earth forever, damned to be denied any pleasure from God's Creation.

11 Longinus started to discover his powers, and how they allowed him to prey upon man. 12 Longinus saw these powers as proof that he still had a divine task to fulfill.[32]

13 Though they slept and hunted and fed in the streets of the city, I saw that they were truly like wild animals. 14 The Damned who stalked within the walls snarled and behaved like predatory beasts, but they had no thoughts left above it all. 15 They thirsted without purpose. 16 I hoped I might find kindred spirits among that lot, but how could I know what to tell them until I had heard to tell myself? I thirsted for purpose.[95]

CHAPTER 151. The Malediction ends with Vahishtael confronting Longinus outside Jesus' tomb.[50] 2 Longinus visited the tomb of Christ 33 years after the crucifixion.[32]

3 Longinus had discovered he was unable to feed from those who had accepted Christ as their savior. 4 Longinus was seared by pain from the light emanating from those who held it strongest. 5 Because of his experience with the faithful, Longinus had not dared to previously go to Christ's tomb. 6 Curiosity and the strong desire to discover his purpose eventually drove Longinus to visit the tomb of Christ.

7 Longinus went to the tomb when none were present and heavy clouds obscured the moon, so he would not be seen. 8 Longinus had heard the stories that Jesus had risen from the dead three nights after the crucifixion, and ascended into Heaven, and he believed them to be true.

9 Longinus entered the tomb to see if the story was true, and felt a lack of any divine presence, making him believe the story of Jesus' ascent even more. 10 Longinus was disappointed that he found no additional knowledge in Jesus' tomb, and turned to go.

11 A brilliant light appeared as Longinus started to leave Jesus' tomb, blinding him and sending him fleeing to the darkest corner.[33]

12 The Archangel Vahishtael stood in the light that kept Longinus from leaving the tomb.[33] 13 Vahishtael is the angel who visited Longinus and explained the place of the Damned in God's plan.[27] 14 Vahishtael told Longinus that he had come to reveal the divine purpose of the Damned.

15 Vahishtael said the Damned are denied salvation. 16 Vahishtael said the Damned are to show mankind the price of sin. 17 Vahishtael said the Damned are to make men understand that the world is only a brief, brutal, and pitiful presage to the glory of Heaven. 18 Vahishtael said the Damned are to take the blood of man, as Longinus took the blood of Jesus, in order to show man his mortality and that divine salvation would be theirs in the next life. 19 Vahishtael told Longinus that it was the soldier's mission to give this message to all of the Damned, and that God demanded this of them.

20 Vahishtael disappeared, and left Longinus in the darkness of the tomb. 21 Longinus realized he was no longer lost, and knew that God had set he and the other Damned on the Divine road.[33]

Book II: The Torments of Longinus

CHAPTER 11 Torments describes the unlife of Longinus, who took his name from a Latinization of the Greek word for "spear." 2 Torments tells of what happened to Longinus after he became a vampire. 3 Torments describes how Longinus discovered he could feed his hunger with the blood of mortals, except Christians. 4 Torments describes how Longinus struggled to come to grips with his new state.[51]

5 The vampires of the Camarilla were amused at first by Longinus' words. 6 Longinus was persistent in trying to spread the message. 7 The vampires of the Camarilla were no longer amused by Longinus, and repudiated him. 8 The vampires of the Camarilla threatened Longinus with destruction if he did not stop. 9 The vampires of the Camarilla assumed Longinus died during the Jewish revolt in Jerusalem.[33]

CHAPTER 21 Torments describes how Longinus later discovered in the 2nd century that he could feed from most Christians, except the truly devout, who repelled him with a miraculous aura of sanctity.

2 In Torments, Longinus attributed his ability to feed on Christians by the 2nd century as part of the growing apostasy of the Christian faith following the deaths of the Apostles.[51]

CHAPTER 31 Longinus did not abandon his mission to spread the word.

2 Longinus realized he did not have a classical education, making it difficult for him to convey his message to those who did have one. 3 Longinus realized that if tried to spread the word alone, it would be hard to convince anyone that his message was serious and deserved consideration.[33]

CHAPTER 41 Torments describes the eventual Embrace of the Monachus.[51] 2 Longinus took note of a particular scholar who wrote on topics concerning Christianity that were similar to some topics concerning Longinus' mission.

3 Longinus approached the scholar, pretending to be another curious believer. 4 Longinus held private conversations with the scholar, through which he bolstered his own comprehension of religion and learned more about the man.[33]

CHAPTER 51 The last few chapters of Torments deal with his discovery of a monastery whose monks had fallen to sin.[51]

2 It was then that I came upon that dark monastery and did secretly look on the monks inside. 3 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. 4 So were they shown that the fearsome hunger of Death might creep out of the night and bite through claims of piety.

5 So were they all bled and slain and devoured by the lion of the Lord. 6 All save one.[49] 7 Longinus slew the monks in ways appropriate to their sins. 8 Longinus saved one monk, an elderly scholar who had resisted the sinful urges.[51]

9 One night, Longinus told the scholar of all that had happened in his life and Damnation, including what God had revealed through Vahishtael. 10 The scholar listened and accepted Longinus' story as truth.[33] 11 The scholar acknowledged Longinus as a vampire, and said Longinus' slaughter of the monks was divine judgment.[51]

12 Longinus and the scholar spent many nights discussing the divinity of Jesus, the role of vampires in God's plan, and the true nature of good and evil. 13 Longinus believed the scholar was a worthy disciple and offered him the Embrace.[51] 14 Longinus offered the scholar a choice before the sun rose: die the death of a mortal, to be welcomed into Heaven, or be Damned and join Longinus in spreading the message.[33]

15 The scholar hesitated, but concluded Longinus' arrival was ordained by God. 16 The scholar chose Damnation, because to choose otherwise was too like suicide, a mortal sin. 17 The scholar reasoned that God would not let him turn away from salvation, and therefore undeath must have the possibility of redemption.[51] 18 At sunrise, Longinus and his childe found a haven and slept the sleep of the Damned.[33] 19 The Testament tells of the first prey of the Monachus.[103]

CHAPTER 61 After Longinus embraced the Monachus, they went out and collected the first Dark Apostles.[51] 2 The Monachus was a very capable orator and began to make converts. 3 A small group of five disciples joined the Monachus. 4 The five disciples swore to the tenets of their faith upon the Spear itself, and they were entrusted with keeping it safe.

5 The Lancea Sanctum celebrated its first midnight mass in a cavern near Jerusalem in 232.[34] 6 Longinus taught his progeny all he could for a score of years. 7 The childe educated Longinus in all he could during the same time. 8 Afterwards, Longinus released the childe from his patronage and told him to go forth and spread the word.

9 Longinus gave the childe the Spear when he left. 10 Longinus blessed and anointed his childe as his rightful heir and disciple. 11 Longinus left the city, and was never seen again, to walk the road of the Damned alone.[33]

CHAPTER 71 The vampires of the Camarilla were deeply concerned about the new faith and the fervor of the Sanctified. 2 The Camarilla in Jerusalem, as elsewhere, was very pro-Roman, viewing Christianity as something that should be stamped out as a danger to the empire.[34]

3 The Camarilla decided that the Lancea Sanctum was a vampiric perversion of Christianity, and therefore a direct threat. 4 In 241, the Lancea Sanctum was forced to flee Jerusalem or face destruction. 5 The words of Longinus forbade the wanton destruction of other Damned. 6 Longinus' warning against destroying other Damned left the Lancea Sanctum at a disadvantage against the Camarilla.

7 The eldest Camarilla vampire of Jerusalem, called Nephele, declared the Lancea Sanctum to be outlawed and called for the Monachus and his followers to be exiled or destroyed. 8 Two disciples, Adira and Gilad, went to ask for clemency from Nephele in Jerusalem and to preach to the Camarilla elders about their misguided ways. 9 The Camarilla vampires set Adira and Gilad on crosses to face the rising sun, a sign of the Camarilla's conviction. 10 Adira and Gilad became the first of the Five Martyrs.

11 The Lancea Sanctum did not have the numbers to face the Camarilla, and so left Jerusalem, beginning the covenant's exodus.[35]

CHAPTER 81 Three years after leaving the Holy Land, the surviving members of the Lancea Sanctum arrived in the abandoned ancient Egyptian city of Thebes. 2 In addition to ghosts, the city was inhabited by a small number of Christians that had fled persecution by Rome. 3 The Monachus and the three remaining disciples made their haven below an ancient underground temple. 4 The Monachus and the disciples fed on the blood of the Christians while concentrating on developing their rituals and ceremonies.[35]

5 The Lancea Sanctum achieved many things in Thebes, but nothing as great as the discovery of a hidden chamber in the temple. 6 The labyrinth beneath the temple was filled with traps that would surely kill a mortal man. 7 The Sanctified were able to get past the traps. 8 In the labyrinth, the angel Amoniel appeared before them.[35]

9 Amoniel is the angel who revealed the first Theban Sorcery rituals to the Monachus.[25] 10 Amoniel revealed the early secrets of Theban Sorcery to the Lancea Sanctum in a cavern beneath the Necropolis of Thebes.[186] 11 Amoniel led the Monachus and the three disciples down into the earth, and showed them a door that had been invisible to them before.[35] 12 The hidden door in the temple opened into a vast, beautiful cavern. 13 On the wall of the cavern were murals and hieroglyphics that described things meant only for the Lancea Sanctum. 14 The murals and hieroglyphs described dreadful miracles, secret knowledge of Damnation, and powers meant only for those who bore the Spear.

15 God had brought the Lancea Sanctum out of Jerusalem and to Thebes to make these secrets known to them. 16 God showed the Lancea Sanctum these secrets so that the covenant could protect itself from challenges to its faith.

17 Amoniel gave the Monachus and the disciples the key to understanding the murals and hieroglyphs. 18 Amoniel entrusted the Lancea Sanctum to keep the knowledge of the murals and hieroglyphs from all those who would deny God His place. 19 The Lancea Sanctum devoted themselves to this task and left only to feed.[35]

20 No Sanctified vampire was considered to have mastered Theban Sorcery until Daniel used them in 286, after receiving a vision from Amoniel.[186]

CHAPTER 91 With the Roman occupation of Thebes also came the Camarilla, which was bent on the destruction of the Lancea Sanctum. 2 The Lancea Sanctum was saved from destruction by its use of Theban Sorcery. 3 One of the disciples, Pazit, sacrificed himself to save the Spear from capture during the fighting in Thebes.

4 Only by virtue of faith did the Monachus and the remaining disciple, Maron, escape Thebes. 5 For 50 years, the Monachus and Maron traveled from city to city in North Africa and Southern Europe.

6 The Monachus and Maron were looking for a place where they would not be hounded by the Camarilla. 7 Maron was nearly killed while preaching in Alexandria. 8 Maron was killed by barbarians, including a Lupine witch, in the Italian foothills in 329.[36]

CHAPTER 101 Torments describes the establishment of the Black Abbey.[51] 2 The Monachus found a simple monastery in 335, in a desolate land with heavy snow and rain. 3 Hunger set the Monachus on the inhabitants like a ravenous demon, and they were unable to fend off his attacks because their faith was not strong enough.

4 The Monachus feasted on the monastery for 12 nights. 5 On the 13th night, the Monachus revealed himself to the last monk, telling him that he was the heir to Longinus, proclaiming the Testament and holding aloft the Spear. 6 The last monk became the ghoul of the Monachus. 7 The last monk became the Vicar of the covenant.

8 The Monachus consecrated the monastery to the Lancea Sanctum, by using the Spear to spill the blood of three mortals and reading the Testament in its entirety, establishing the Black Abbey.

9 After a time living alone, the Monachus and the former monk were joined by other Damned, who wished to see the childe of Longinus, touch the Spear, and hear the truth of the Testament. 10 The others came to the monastery by Providence alone, led by signs and drawn by the Monachus and the Spear.[36]

11 The Dark Apostles founded the Black Abbey as their base of operations to spread the faith.[51]

12 A reference to the seven vows of the Nepheshim is made in the Testament in the Book of Torments, but the text of the vows is in the apocryphal Book of the Nepheshim.[158]

Book III: The Rule of Golgotha

CHAPTER 11 The Rule of Golgotha contains the laws and precepts needed to govern vampiric society and morality.[52] 2 The Rule of Golgotha defines the precise manner in which the Sanctified conduct themselves as the Damned servants of God.[36]

CHAPTER 21 One: That though you are Damned, your Damnation has purpose. 2 It is the will of God that you are what you are, and the will of God is that the Damned exist to show the evils of turning from Him. 3 The evil become Damned; God has taken those worthy of His love to His own side.

4 Two: That what you once were is not what you now are. 5 As a mortal is a sheep, so are the Damned wolves among them. 6 That role is defined by nature — wolves feed on their prey, but they are not cruel to them. 7 The role of predator is natural, even if the predator himself is not.

8 Three: That an ordained hierarchy exists. 9 As man is above beasts, so are the Damned above men. 10 Our numbers are fewer so that our purpose is better effected.

11 Four: That with the power of Damnation comes limitation. 12 The Damned hide among those who still enjoy God's love, making themselves known only to exemplify fear. 13 The Damned shall make none of their own, for such is a judgment of soul that is the purview only of God. 14 The Damned shall suffer yet more should they slay a fellow to take his soul from him.

15 Five: That our bodies are not our own. Our purpose is to serve, and when we stray from that purpose, we are to be chastened. 16 The light of the sun excoriates; the flames of a fire purify fleshy evil. 17 The taste of all sustenance other than Vitae is as ash upon the tongue.[METR 66, VTR 58]

CHAPTER 31 The Rule of Golgotha contains a number of canons that address the specifics of the Requiem.[36]

2 The Rule of Golgotha sets the Lancea Sanctum apart from those Damned who will not accept the covenant's dogma. 3 The Rule of Golgotha states that the Lancea Sanctum is not just a faith, but a community of vampires dedicated to holy works.

4 The Rule of Golgotha states that the Sanctified must be obedient to the most pious among their number. 5 The Rule of Golgotha states that it is the responsibility of the Abbot to watch over his fellow Damned and counsel them with the words of Longinus.[36] 6 The Rule has always made plain that the highest spiritual authority among the Damned lay with the Bishop of the domain, not with the Monachus.[38]

7 According to the Rule, the Damned must look those who waste their time in the eye, and show them what purpose is.[148] 8 Proselytizing is one of the Sanctified duties described in the Testament.[162] 9 The law of the covenant prohibits the Sanctified from refusing any petition from any vampire of any affiliation who seeks aid or advice on religious matters.[VTR 60]

CHAPTER 41 The Testament of Longinus commands that the Lancea Sanctum pursue evangelism. 2 The Testament states that the purpose of evangelism is to assert the proper role of the vampire to all who will listen.[55] 3 The Testament states that the Lancea Sanctum should bring Final Death to the heretics and apostates who will not listen to evangelizing.[55]

CHAPTER 51 The origin of each of the seven traditional Apostolica comes in some part from the Testament. 2 Some of the Apostolica grow out of a single line in the Testament, while others are outlined specifically step by step.[78]

CHAPTER 61 Liturgical readings of the Testament during the Midnight Mass speak little of salvation. 2 Liturgical readings of the Testament during the Midnight Mass focus on the exultation of the

predatory instincts carried through the Blood.[79] 3 The concept of Golconda appears only briefly in the Testament.[VTR 74]

CHAPTER 71 According to The Catechism, the Testament says it is the Damned’s duty to feed upon the kine without regret or mercy, for the Curse is a mandate from Heaven, but the Damned are not ordered to slaughter their meals.[98] 2 The predatory style set forth in the Testament is one of being innocuous.[148]

3 It is in keeping with the Testament that it is not a vampire’s role to nourish the souls of mortals; it is the mortals’ role to nourish the bodies of the vampires.[163]

Book IV: The Sanguinaria

CHAPTER 11 The Sanguinaria states that the Dark Apostles were trained by Longinus and the Monachus and sent out into the world as missionaries.[52] 2 Each of the Dark Apostles was Embraced for their violation of various sins.[51]

3 The Sanguinaria states that the Dark Apostles rarely found listeners. 4 The first five Dark Apostles identified in the Sanguinaria were martyred and posthumously became known as the Black Saints.[52]

5 The number of Dark Apostles is unclear, and the Torments of Longinus itself is contradictory. 6 At least a third of the Dark Apostles were women. 7 Each of the Dark Apostles was given a choice between death and damnation.[51]

CHAPTER 21 In the Sanguinaria, interspersed between the accounts of the various Dark Apostles and their ultimate fates are completely unrelated sections which appear to be philosophical treatises on the nature of vampirism and damnation.[52]

2 The Monachus explained that while forever denied the Light of God, the Damned are also Sanctified by virtue of having a fixed place in Creation, and by accepting that place. 3 The Monachus explained that it is God's will that the Damned willfully acknowledge their fate and carry themselves accordingly.[34]

CHAPTER 31 Two disciples, Adira and Gilad, went to ask for clemency from Nephele in Jerusalem and to preach to the Camarilla elders about their misguided ways. 2 The Camarilla vampires set Adira and Gilad on crosses to face the rising sun, a sign of the Camarilla's conviction.

3 Adira and Gilad became the first of the Five Martyrs.[35]

CHAPTER 4

1 The Monachus explained that the concerns of mortals are no longer the concerns of the Damned. 2 The Monachus explained that the Damned are dark angels, glorifying God by their acts as they terrify the living.[34] 3 Though my work is sinful, my mission is divine.[215]

CHAPTER 51 The all-Christian Roman legion garrisoned at Thebes was ordered to Gaul in 286, at the order of Emperor Maximilian.

2 Daniel, one of the disciples, had been having doubts about his faith, and felt compelled to join the Theban Legion in its campaign, despite the obvious dangers. 3 Daniel had been struggling to master Theban Sorcery. 4 Amoniel came to Daniel and told him that if he went with the legion, a miracle would occur and erase his doubts. 5 Daniel traveled with the legion, protected by his ghoul, Mauritius, the Coptic commander.

6 When the Theban Legion arrived in Gaul, it engaged in a terrible battle with the rebellious Burgundians. 7 On the first day of the battle, the Burgundians overran Mauritius' tent. 8 Daniel would have been destroyed but Amoniel appeared to him in his dreams and told him to awaken and trust in his faith. 8 Daniel would have been destroyed by the Burgundians. 9 Daniel did so, and found he had full command of Theban Sorcery.[35]

10 No Sanctified vampire was considered to have mastered Theban Sorcery until Daniel used it in 286, after receiving a vision from Amoniel. 11 Daniel is said to have awakened at will, driven off a host of mortal soldiers, blessed the weapons of a faithful ghoul, and withstood the light of day, all through his sudden mastery of Theban Sorcery.[186] 12 Daniel summoned a great cloud of darkness to protect himself from the sun and then drove back the Burgundian assault using a miracle. 13 Daniel laid a blessing on the spear of Mauritius, giving it the power of the Spear itself, and the captain led his forces to victory.

14 Emperor Maximilian ordered his legions to make a sacrifice to the Roman gods as thanks for the victory. 15 The Theban Legion refused to give the offering, because they witnessed the divine fury of Mauritius and the miracles of Daniel, and were committed to the Almighty. 16 Emperor Maximilian summarily executed some of the Theban Legion before their comrades, but the legionnaires refused to make pagan sacrifices. 17 Emperor Maximilian then killed every man in the Theban Legion.

18 Daniel discovered the emperor's atrocities when he woke up that evening. 19 Daniel was filled with frenzy and went among the Romans, using the full power of Theban Sorcery and the wrath of the Lancea Sanctum to sew death and destruction. 20 Other vampires were among the legions, and told the story to other Damned, trembling in fear at the telling.[35]

CHAPTER 61 In addition, the Sanguinaria has proverbs and sayings attributed to Longinus and the Monachus.[52]

2 Caesar has his due, yet even Caesar is but king among Men.[VTR 17]

3 Ipse Longinus Id Dixit.[21]

CHAPTER 7

1 One of the disciples, Pazit, sacrificed himself to save the Spear from capture during the fighting in Thebes.[36]

CHAPTER 81 The Blood of Christ gave sight to my blind eyes. 2 Though Octavian cleft my tongue and pulled my teeth, I still bade him to abandon his idols.

3 I have been buried and returned, I have been stricken down yet returned to my feet. 4 If these are not miracles, what are they? 5 Yet if they are miracles, why does the Lord grant them to me, a vessel of sin?[VTR 69]

CHAPTER 91 Maron was killed by barbarians, including a Lupine witch, in the Italian foothills in 329.[36]

CHAPTER 101 As Christ had his Golgotha, so do I have mine: 2 Night and hunger and the voice of the adversary tempting me toward greater evils. 3 These are the mount on which I dwell, the walls of the house in which I sleep.[VTR 231]

CHAPTER 111 In the Sanguinaria, one of these martyrs is identified as the Ventrue Icarius.[52] 2 Icarius was a pilgrim to the Black Abbey and anointed by the hand of the Monachus.[167]

CHAPTER 121 Teach your progeny to heed my word, and tell them likewise to teach their own. 2 When my line can no longer contain the blood it spills--the night the broods of your broods can no longer hear their brothers' hearts’ blood cry unto them from the ground -- that is the night when all hope is lost.[VTR 77-8]

3 The passage where Longinus speaks about containing the blood refers to diablerie.[VTR 77]

Book V: The Book of Eschaton

CHAPTER 11 The Book of Eschaton contains a number of prophecies spoken by Longinus to guide his descendants and prepare them for the judgment of God.[52]

CHAPTER 21 The Eschaton states that vampires could potentially endure until the Day of Judgment. 2 The final chapters of the Eschaton suggest that a vampire who fulfills the role God gave to him and who survives until the End of Days may seek absolution for his sins.[52]

CHAPTER 31 The Eschaton states that a vampire who lives until the End of Days and who is truly contrite will be granted absolution by God, proving God’s infinite grace is available to even the most corrupt and debased. 2 The Eschaton states that a vampire given absolution by God will ascend to Heaven as the reward for accepting the burden of vampirism.[52]

3 “We are ageless,” said the disciple to the Centurion. “Since we are ageless, I can conceive of existing until the Day of Judgment when God will take an accounting of everything. What will come of me, of the Damned on that day?”

4 The centurion stood and moved to a window. He opened it to reveal a steady rain descending from the sky. He cupped his hand and extended it into the rain. “God’s grace is infinite. But a part of His grace could fill all of the waterways in the world.”

5 “Then we might receive his forgiveness,” inquired the Discipline. “We will find redemption?”

6 The Centurion turned to face the disciple, his cupped hand now filled with water. He slowly closed his hand, pushing the water to empty onto the ground.[ICC 2006]

CHAPTER 41 The Eschaton cautions that absolution will not be given to those who deny their vampiric natures. 2 The Eschaton states that those who believe that Humanity can be retained through personal willpower alone are guilty of the sin of Pride and will not be welcomed into Heaven.[52]