A Covenant in Vampire: The Requiem, is an organization or religious establishment consisting mostly of Vampires, though Mortal Retainers (Human Servants) and Ghouls are often present at Covenant meetings and sometimes even members themselves. There are five major covenants, however several other smaller covenants exist. The largest being Belial's Brood and VII, about both of which very little is known.
Unlike Clans, which may be thought of as families, a Covenant is chosen by the vampire according to his/her beliefs. The Vampire's Sire (the Vampire that embraced him or her) nearly always plays a large role in what covenant the neonate chooses.
A Brief Overview of the Five Major Covenants
Carthian Movement
- See main article: Carthian Movement
The Carthian Movement is revolutionary in subscribing to the concept of democracy; the "One vampire, one vote" ideal and is the newest major Covenant. The vast majority of its members are neonates (newly embraced and inexperienced Vampires) and it is the only Covenant which elects leaders. Members frequently argue over the best form of government and the Covenant is almost completely secular in outlook and character.
Circle of the Crone
The Circle of the Crone is considered the vampiric equivalent of neo-paganism and witchcraft. It follows the belief that a goddess (the Crone) was cast out from the other Gods and Goddesses for uncertain reasons. They celebrate most of the major Wiccan holidays and practice the Blood Magic known as Crúac. There are many differences in belief and opinion between various circles and cities of the Covenant but all generally dislike the Lancea Sanctum.
Invictus
The Invictus (also known as the First Estate) is mostly concerned with material gain and power and therefore heavily involved in city politics and business. The members of this covenant are the most common users of the Blood Bond for subordination and punishment although new members are attracted by the promise of rank and status, if they serve well. In reality, the Elders of the Inner Circle use neonates for their own games and few will ever receive proper recognition of service rendered or acts performed.
Lancea Sanctum
The Lancea Sanctum (pronounced lan-KAY-ah SANC-tum) (also known as the Sanctified) is a vampiric organization which grew parallel to Christianity, therefore commonly being mistaken for a vampiric equivalent of it. They believe Kindred have a role in the Divine Providence: that of the ultimate predators. As vampires, they're to prey upon humans, thus unleashing God's Wrath upon the unworthy and representing tests for the pious.
They follow The Testament of Longinus, a cryptic document narrating their Dark Prophet's history. According to it, Longinus was a wretched man who, by tasting Christ's blood as a drop of it flew on his lips, became a vampire. They don't necessarily claim him as the first vampire, but say that, before him, Kindred were barbarian beast-like creatures who wandered aimlessly upon the Earth. Longinus, then, lived a long time in exile. As he returned to the cave where Christ resurrected, though, an angel, some say Raziel, appeared before him and informed his part in God's plan. Thenceforth, Longinus lived as a sort of monk, upholding the angel's dictates and striving to spread His words. His disciples formed the embryo of what is nowadays the Lancea Sanctum (Lancea et Sanctum in ancient Rome)
The Sanctum's structure resembles greatly that of the Catholic church. Albeit many claim that's because they "copy" it, that's not true. It is contemporaneous to the Church, and both organisations developed at the same time, together, thus having many common features, but they're by no means "the same thing" nor do they have the same objectives.
Philosophy
While the Catholic Church preaches sermons about redemption and salvation, the Sanctified are not so optimistic. They truly believe themselves to be, once and forever, damned. That is why, at least theoretically, Embraces are forbidden. They do not focus on thickening their ranks by creating new Kindred; they would rather convert the ones already existent. According to their core beliefs, their role as vampires is to become the "ultimate predator." Their approach is not aggressive. The Sanctified know it's much more effective to talk and persuade than to strike and attack, though they will not hesitate to be violent if needed.
As a weapon, they hold the secrets of "Theban Sorcery", a sort of witchcraft allegedly founded in Egypt which, via a small sacrifice, works real wonders.
Ordo Dracul
The Ordo Dracul (also known as Order of the Dragon or just Dragons or occasionally "Draculas") is focused on understanding the vampiric condition, improving upon it and ultimately transcending the limitations of their condition. They practice Blood Magic known as The Coils of the Dragon and believe their line was started by Dracula.
The Ordo Dracul was founded by the legendary vampire Dracula, and its members practice an esoteric discipline known as the Coils of the Dragon in order to master their vampire weaknesses. The Ordo itself follows the tenets supposedly laid down by Dracula in his book Rites of the Dragon. By following Dracula's example and emulating both his transmutative journey and the work of his three brides (Mara, Anoushka, and Lisette), the members of the Ordo hope to overcome the weaknesses that plague the vampiric state. In this fashion they attempt to move forward in the Ordo's Great Work - the transformation from a vampire into some other, as-yet unknown but greater entity.
In order to promote study of the transformative Coils of the Dragon, the Ordo Dracul insists on a fairly rigid hierarchy. Members of the Ordo identify themselves by an array of titles that signify their capabilities and ranks to other members - a skillful student of several Coils might call himself a Renewed Adept of the Sanguine Terror, for example; other members of the Ordo familiar with the appropriate watchwords can then quickly determine the individual's relative rank and specialties. Combined with the three Great Oaths used to divide the covenant into its martial (Sworn of the Axe), studious (Sworn of the Dying Light), and political (Sworn of Mysteries) arms, this provides a straightforward means of determining relative authority, based both on one's mastery of Coils and whether one has sworn a Great Oath to support the covenant in its works.
In contrast to some of the other covenants, the Ordo Dracul is a relatively modern group. Dracula himself did not exist until the 15th century, and it was not until after his "death" that he and his three brides (Mara, Anoushka, and Lisette) codified the structure and aims of the Ordo. Due to strife with the other covenants, the Ordo remained a secret society even among vampires until three hundred years after its rudimentary foundations in the 1600s. Many of the other covenants also accuse the Ordo of stealing their secrets; it is widely believed that Dracula had interactions with members of the Invictus, the Lancea Sanctum, and the Circle of the Crone in his time.