Sacred Order of the Ancestral Shrine
I swear upon my requiem to stand as one of the ujigami,
to defend the Invictus and the mortal realm from evil and corrupting influence.
I swear upon my sword to defend honourable conduct and justice
and by carrying this blade I acknowledge my ultimate commitment to that task.
I swear upon the Shrine to stand as mediator between the mortal realm and the kami.
The Sacred Order
Eschewing many Western Invictus notions, the Sacred Order of the Ancestral Shrine is a Shinto Invictus knighthood predicated on the notion that vampires are embodied ancestor spirits and thus have a right to enter the spirit world and a duty to intercede on behalf of the mortal realm.
In kindred society, members of the Order act as Senator-Knights; operating as militant defenders of the Invictus as well as advisors on matters of occult and spiritual importance. Members are also expected to act as Advocates to the spirits themselves under the banner of advancing the covenant's philosophy of "Order Above All Things".
In mortal society, the Order acts to encourage mortal reverence for the deceased. Individual members of the Sacred Order are encouraged to act as spiritual benefactors to a temple or shrine, or simply of a local community, to help aid in maintaining the spiritual devotion of mortals. This often means acting as the conduit through which mortal needs are conveyed to spirits and vice versa.
Members are expected to, at a minimum, be competent with a sword (almost always a katana) which they are required to carry at all times, however they are strongly encouraged to learn other combat methods as well. Additionally, the Order teaches its members secret methods by which they are capable of seeing and negotiating with spirits while in the mortal realm and also crossing over wholly into the spirit world.
Titles and Terms
The Sacred Order officially uses the title Kensei (meaning holy or noble sword) in place of the usual Western title Knight, however Sir and Dame are still considered acceptable replacement titles of esteem for a Kensei. All members are considered Kensei upon taking the undying oath (either in the presence of an existing Kensei or a Notary).
The head of the Sacred Order is the Kensei-General; a position currently held by Benjamin Kirkson, the first Kensei sworn to the Order and vassal to the Order's late founder His Excellency, Alder Shogun Fujita Kazuhiko.