This page describes Elisabeth-Maria's relation to her faith

This is a list of actions Elisabeth-Maria undertakes as part of her faith which return with regularity

Elisabeth-Maria makes prayers at least once a day and usually every evening after bed and morning before going to sleep. This is in addition to any prayers for specific purposes (praying for someone, visits to church).

At the table: To save table time, Daily Prayers are included in the time to prepare for / get out of bed.

Elisabeth-Maria participates in the liturgy and receives communion every Sunday as well as during the 12 major feast days in the Orthodox Calendar. As a member of the church community, she also receives the Holy Unction during the Holy Week (after Orthodox Easter).

Beyond these days, Elisabeth-Maria also visits the church on other occasions such as the saint days of her loved ones, or when she feels in need of guidance.

At the table: on Sundays and any major feast days that do not fall on a Sunday (several always do), as well as on certain other occasions, Elisabeth-Maria will visit the church to attend service or pray. To save table time, this does not need to be played out.

At least once a year, preferably more often, Elisabeth-Maria gives confession to a spiritual guide. This can be a priest or a starets (such as Rasputin). In it she confesses her sins in word, deed and thought and asks for forgiveness.

Certain sins are easier to confess than others. The taking of blood for feeding is not something easily confessed, so a confessor with knowledge of

At the table: Elisabeth-Maria will attempt to find a confessor to confess her sins to, preferably without violating the masquerade. This can be problematic and requires roleplay. The actual confession itself is probably less important and can probably be summarized to save table time.

Elisabeth-Maria fasts (does not eat or feed) during the fast days of her religion. There are four longer periods of fasting, and Wednesdays and Fridays are also fast days throughout the year. Certain weeks are exempted from fasting, while certain other special days are extraordinary fast days.

Because Elisabeth-Maria cannot go for extended periods without blood, she does feed on weekends during longer fasting periods, when the rules are not as stringent, preferably only on Sunday.

As a special note, the rules for fasting make an exception for emergencies such as illness or injury. As such, Elisabeth-Maria may feed during a fast if an emergency calls for this.

At the table: Elisabeth-Maria won't feed or otherwise take blood on fast days. The exact days are marked in the campaign calendar.

Elisabeth-Maria tries her best to follow a certain moral code based on her faith. She is not perfect, and as such sometimes steps slightly over the line. When she does, she confesses her sins and makes penance for it later.

One source of her moral code is the Ten Commandments:

• 1) I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me.

Elisabeth-Maria does not worship deities other than God. Two details of special consideration in this are the positions of Jesus, the Holy Ghost, and the position of the Saints.

There is a mountain of theology concerning God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit and long debates can be had about the nature. Elisabeth-Maria does not engage in such debate and leaves that to the church, simply accepting that there is one God and that this one God is Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, perfectly united and never divided, yet not merged into one with no proper distinction.

In regards to Saints, the Saints are not worshipped, but rather are asked for mercy, prayer or intercession with God. As such, the veneration of Saints, again following the Orthodox Church doctrine, is not considered to be in violation of this.

At the table: Elisabeth-Maria will not participate in religious ceremonies of other belief systems, but has no problem visiting holy sites devoted to other religions, or handling “sacred” items from other faiths with respect. She has no issue participating in occult matters, so long as they are not based on other religions.

• 2) You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above. or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them: for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

In accordance with Church Doctrine, Elisabeth-Maria interprets this commandment as not being allowed to make idols for worship. The veneration and creation of relics or icons is not the same as worship and is therefore allowed.

At the table: this commandment has almost zero influence on Elisabeth-Maria, but for completeness, she won't make idols to worship.

• 3) You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

Elisabeth-Maria does not curse using the name of God, nor does she speak expletives based upon his name. This includes Jezus and the Holy Ghost.

More generally, when the name of God, Jesus or the Holy Ghost is spoken, Elisabeth-Maria is likely to cross herself out of respect.

At the table: Disclaimer - the player OOCly is not religious in this way and may accidentally use such a word inappropriately or forget a crossing motion. This should not be considered an act by Elisabeth-Maria unless explicitly stated as such, but rather an OOC error.

• 4) Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work: but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth. the sea. and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore, the LORD blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.

Elisabeth-Maria visits church on Sunday and generally does not engage in missions for personal benefit on Sundays, nor will she attend events of entertainment. However, performing acts of mercy and kindness for others on Sunday is most acceptable by Church doctrine, and Elisabeth-Maria may sometimes perform activities to help others on Sundays.

At the table: On Sundays, Elisabeth-Maria will somewhat limit her activities and won't hold social events nor will she do missions for her own personal gain.

• 5) Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

Elisabeth-Maria keeps to this commandment with reverence, and honours her father and mother on their birthdays, saint days and the day of their death.

She has not yet reconciled this commandment with the her embrace, but at least tries to honour her Sire to some level. Religious guidance on this may change her views on the matter, but as of yet she does not have an answer on this topic.

At the table: Barring emergencies, Elisabeth-Maria takes the day off on the mentioned days and take time to pray.

• 6) You shall not kill.

Elisabeth-Maria has not killed a person and takes extra effort never to do so, including taken special care when feeding and making sure her “meal” is safe before leaving.

At the table: Elisabeth-Maria will not take more than two points of blood and will take extraordinary effort to prevent killing someone, even if it would lead to her own death.

• 7) You shall not commit adultery.

Though her feeding method may - in cases where she has no other options - suggest otherwise, Elisabeth-Maria does not engage in sexual activities at all. This fully precludes any chance of committing adultery.

At the table: Elisabeth-Maria does not engage in sexuality.

• 8) You shall not steal.

Elisabeth-Maria does not steal. More generally she has a low understanding of the exact value of money, never having had to use it for survival - at most it represents a resource exchanged for trinkets and amusement.

At the table: See above

• 9) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Elisabeth-Maria sometimes sees things differently from others, but she will not openly lie about the guilt of someone. One example

TODO

• 10) You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his man servant, or his maidservant, or his ox. or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor’s.

TODO

TODO

Some things that would probably challenge Elisabeth-Maria's faith.

• Discovery that her priest / confessor is corrupt
• Facing Christianity-based vampire hunters
• The deeper consideration of the position of vampires, especially surrounding Cain and the biblical basis for vampire-hood in relation to sin, God and theology