The Writings of Brother Lucian of the Order of St. Lazarus.
“ Reckoning of the Southwork”.

Written in 1213, the Reckoning is supposedly the oldest record of Vampiric presence in Southwark. Originally a single hand-written document, it has been copied and distributed by unknown parties over the years. This is the current version of the Reckoning- the language has been updated say some; the entire thing is a fake say others. The current notes attached to it are attributed to a member of the Order of Dracul, but even that is not certain.

There are many who argue that that there is more evidence to suggest the entire thing is fake; when compared to the language of Sister Elizabeth (see ‘Diverse Matters’) it is clearly heavily edited if it is real; it also reads too much like a ‘This is why we rule’ propaganda for the Order.

The Great Fire of 1212 is not to be mistaken for the Great Fire of Southwark in the 17th Century. Southwark, like London, has suffered many ‘Great Fires’ in its time. There is the suggestion that the Fire of 1212, like the Fire of 1676 did kill many Vampires and start a whole new cycle of Vampire life. Whatever the case, just to confuse matters the opening lines refer to a THIRD Great Fire (this one refers to the Great Fire of 1077 across the River in the City of London).

“The first of the Damned to walk the streets of Southwark was Brother Odo of the Sanctified ; upon the eleventh year of the reign of the Bastard of Normandy just after the Great Fire had burned the city north, within a month oft the cuevrefu had made the kiss so difficult, Odo came from Pisa to see what lands the Sanctified could hold. For five years he lived here, alone, til full reckoning of the area south was granted unto him and the Brother moved to live beside the shadow of the Abbey of Bermondsey.

By Our Dark Father, from that night until now, the Sanctified have made Southwark their domain; yea, though we are but small, the Lord God has sought to grant us this land to provide guidance over our flock; wherein the Damned are blind, we give sight; wherein the Damned are lost, we provide shelter. No land beyond the Bridge is to be ours, for that is the walks of the Guilds and the Aldermen. Long Southwark was ours, and the road to Bermondsey and the fields of St. George, yea, even unto Lambeth. And Odo did invite the Sanctified to cometh to this land and therein bring wisdom and light, guidance and strength unto the Damned.

We did have no Bishop or Archbishop; such things were against us; we sought only to bring light unto our Damned ones. But there was confusion in the Sanctified; for as is the way with lost sheep, they required a Shepard. Much they bleated and mewed; much did the faithless seek for the Sanctified to provide them with a ruler, one to show them the way to the light.

It was in the year of the crowning of King Henry, the first to hold such title, that the Sanctified came together to give those mewing children their guide. And the great orders of the River, the Diocese of Bermondsey (whose territory began downriver of the great Bridge), the Diocese of Lambeth, located midst the fields of St. George and sometimes hard pressed, and the Diocese of St. Mary Overie, who mastered Long Southwark, did come together and seek to find one who would lead them.

But the teachings of the Dark Father are hard and wisdom can be lost by the faithless and they did not find accord. It took discussions and debate to find a solution as to who would have ascendancy off the three orders.

It was finally with the visit of Heraclis of Jerusalem, that the Lancea Sanctum cometh together at the Conclave of Westminster; and with His inspiration did seek and establish the diocesan boundaries across London and other diverse matters . And Southwark and all lands south of the River and the Bridge and the City, were to be granted for perpetuity to the stewardship of the Order of St. Lazarus . For no Bishop should lead where an Abbot should be; for the Order was wise and just.

And they did rule wisely and well, with wisdom and prudence, beyond the Great Fire which did kill four Damned and ended the Second Order of Southwark.

Any trace we have of which Vampires lived in Southwark before 1212 was destroyed in the Great Fire of Southwark , which destroyed much of Long Southwark and was claimed to have killed 4 Vampires. And therein much of the history of our kind was taken by the flames; hence I submit this for recording, so that what was is not lost.”