Of the Principia Draconis
From Ordo Dracul
Revision as of 01:10, 19 July 2006
From: Roland le Moissonneur, nerevarine@comcast.net
To: His assembled peerage amongst the Order of the Dragon
Concerning: The presentation of a treatise upon the Principia Draconis
I have spent many a night lately in contemplation of the three tenets
of our fellowship known as the Principia Draconis. What do they really
mean? How can one honor each in turn, without violating either of the
other two in the doing? Are they still relevant in tonight's incarnation of the Requiem? How to best match word with deed, philosophy with action? It was a subject that I returned to, again and again, as the decades passed... and on this night, as the nature of my ponderings grew more and more frequent, I would share my thoughts.
I recall the Principia being the first lesson that the one who inducted me into this Order charged me to learn.
"Know this," she whispered, "and know that there is no greater assistance that I can offer you in your quest for transcendence. Make of these tenets a bedrock, and your construction of the Great Work will never crumble."
Though that night has long since joined countless others in my past, her words still ring true to my ears.
I have no loyalty above my studies.
In the first tenet, one finds a supposed contradiction, one that has tripped up many a promising student of the Coils. How can one say this? When all have sworn to the Covenant, and when many have Sworn to one of the three fellowships of the Brides? Throw in the complications of Sire, of Childer, of others in your Clan, of Princes, of Primogen, of religion, of mortal family, of... a great many things. And yet, we are expected to hold our studies first?
Yes.
In many ways, this is the necessary companion to the final tenet. The primary philosophy of the Ordo Dracul is much the same as that which is found within both the Lancea Sanctum and the Circle of the Crone... all of us seek to be more than what we are. While the Lance do this in submission to that which they see as Divine, and curse us for our heretical nature, and the Crone seek to bring creation to the world, and in doing, bring creation inside their own selves, we seek to bring creation to our own selves, and in doing, bring it to the world. Though we may bestow loyalties as we see fit... to be a proper Dragon, nothing must come before our studies, whether the ties of Clan, or the orders of a superior. However, if you place yourself within a situation in which loyalties can become torn... it is yours to resolve, in much the same fashion that any who make the mistake of forcing you into such a resolution must accept the consequences that follow the invocation of this tenet. A wise Dragon is careful, in the choices that they would have another face, lest the price of such a choice become higher than that which they are willing to pay. For there is no higher calling, to one of us, than to engage (if not indulge) in the study of our own transcendence, of planting the seeds of what we may become in the fertile ground of our own being... and seeing what of ourselves we can grow into.
I must understand, accept, and embrace purposeful change.
In the second tenet, one finds a warning. We are not told to "like" the catalyst for change, or the results of the change. But we are to comprehend both the motivations and the results of change. We must find it within ourselves to understand that the imposition of one's will causes a necessary reaction, and only by action, reaction, contemplation, and resulting subsequent action will the limitations of our undeath be grasped... and then surpassed. I understand that the Covenant has changed, as it has grown. Evolved, one can say, in precisely the organic fashion denied you and I and all who uphold the Principia. I accept that these changes were done with a purpose. I make no value judgement as to whose purpose this served. And as the Order changes... it changes those that call it home. Including myself.
(Yes, there are those who would count ever-increasing mastery of the Coils as "evolution". Being undead, I believe such a term is imprecise, if anything, we stay the vampires we are... merely better vampires. And even that is a value judgement... "more efficient vampires" may be a more accurate statement.Thus, I prefer "refinement", but I fear that this will be a debate I leave for future scholars, as it leads us away from the topic of this treatise, though I remain available for private discourse along this subject.)
But to change simply because the Covenant does is not purposeful. It is reflexive. Should I submit to this... reflex, should I passively accept this sinister destiny, I would carve a bloody swath against those who would stand against me, until none dared ponder standing between myself and that which I desired. One day, the title of Grandmaster would be achieved. Only to Mara would I bow my head, only to the Founder would I kneel. An inspiration to my fellow Crimson, a peer unto the Azure, a perfect weapon in the subtle arsenal of the Sable. All of this and more could be mine, had I the will to seize it, the wit to keep it... and the ability to blind myself to the fact that I had traded my pursuit of transcendence for a place of prominence within the Order, a self-promotion upon the board of our damned Requiem, a simple pawn no longer. A change I could understand, having once been a horror who existed for the thought of slaying his own kind, but neither accept nor embrace, as it was not my will be done, but that of my Beast, of the bloodthirsty warrior I used to be... and I will sooner be Damned before I submit to being less than what I have since become.
Thus, I do not accept sinister. Rather, I choose dexter. And will be Damned anyway, if my suspicions as to how this treatise will be accepted by some prove correct. So be it.
I am responsible for all that I am, and all that I do.
In the third tenet, one gains the final component in the act of self-mastery: the knowledge that one can not escape responsibility for one's actions. Neither blessings nor sins can ever truly be escaped from... not even the fog that clouds the minds of myself and my peers of the ages can smooth away the scars to our intellect, can lift the stains from our blighted souls. Whether it is hours spent in apologetic prayer, or simply carrying a silver coin from the body of each you have struck down, responsibility remains yours, whether you accept it or flee from it.
It is thus that, just as the Founder placed the three afflictions of undeath against each other, and by doing so created a path for us to follow, so may true understanding of loyalty, of change, and of responsibility free us from doubt, and cast a light upon that very path. I was bid welcome to this house that the Founder built, invited to enter freely, and of my own free will. With the Coils in one hand, and the Principia in the other, I have learned much, and traveled far. But I have seen what lies before me. I have seen in the actions of the Grandmasters, both public and private, what I would in turn become. And though many would argue that the destination is more important than the journey, that the ends justify the means, and that transcendence is worth any price... I will not accomplish all that I desire at the price of all that I hold dear. To do this, to walk this path, would not merely be a betrayal of them... it would be a betrayal of self.
I have no loyalty above my studies. I understand, accept, and embrace the purposeful change that I am about to create. In doing so, I publicly submit to the Ordo Dracul that I am responsible for all that I am, and all that I do. Even this.... the only option that would allow me the ability, should either worthy still walk these nights and our paths cross, to meet the gaze of Mara, or her Sire, with head held high. Look them in the eye, confident that I have acted precisely as they should have, knowing they could very well strike me down if my daring does not please them. Knowing that others may very well try to act in their stead, and regretting the harm done to the Order as I react accordingly.
Only thus may I be true to the Principia.
True to the vitae in my veins.
And lastly, true to myself.
I abjure my Oaths to the Ordo Dracul.
