Now, the Lasombra are free of their Antediluvian’s control, free to exercise their whims as they see fit and free to rule the Sabbat in its quest to liberate all other Cainites from the thrall of the elders. Naturally, their superior knowledge in this matter grants them the right to lead the other clans in this war. Among the clans of the Sabbat, the Lasombra are treated with respect and reverence; many positions of authority and influence are held by the Keepers. For destroying their Antediluvian, the Lasombra are accorded honor second only to the

Tzimisce. For serving the Sabbat loyally, they are granted service in turn. Though suspicion follows many Lasombra motives, the Lasombra deal with the  other clans through strength and cunning. Even inthe Camarilla, the Lasombra are considered urbane

and dangerous. A Cainite dealing with a Lasombra shows the utmost consideration, despite any thoughts of spite or treason — an attitude that the Keepers return in kind. After all, one can never tell who dances on the puppeteers’ strings. As befits their heritage, the Lasombra choose their potential childer from strong-willed mortals, selecting those with courage, cleverness and a talent for manipulation. Artistic skill, specialized knowledge and physical prowess are all secondary considerations compared to the will to power necessary to be a true

Lasombra. The Lasombra recruit must have the confidence and authority to master himself and others. Naturally, these conflicting inner drives lead to friction between sire and childe as the fledglings refuse to bow to the potent wills of their sires, but the Lasombra wouldn’t have it any other way — through conflict comes strength, and to the victor go the spoils.

 

Roleplaying Hints:

You shape the world to your desire. By leading those around you and influencing the keys of power, you can achieve your own goals,

whatever they are. When social acumen is required, you can be silver-tongued or threatening; your insight into motives allows you to discern what others want and how to use them. If force is necessary, though, you don’t hesitate to use it (though the necessity of force generally means that something went wrong along the way). Sophistication, confidence and knowledge are the means to power, but power in and of itself is not your end. Power is simply the means to achieve your true desires, the ends that you set for yourself.

 

 

Disciplines:

 

Dominate, Obtenebration, Potence

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advantage:

A long heritage of influence and manipulation makes the Lasombra puppeteers par excellence. During the Dark Ages, the Lasombra exercised subtle authority within the Church and over secular rulers; in the modern age, these old habits die hard, even among the more rebellious elements of the clan. All Lasombra gain one Trait of Church, Political or Underworld Influence. As founders of the Sabbat, the Lasombra are respected for their destruction of their Antediluvian, and they hold positions of leadership and power. All Lasombra automatically gain one free Status Trait.

 

Disadvantage:

Mirrors and reflective surfaces do not show any trace of the Lasombra. Some say that this oddity occurs because the Lasombra have no souls; others claim that it is part and parcel of their Obtenebration Discipline. Whatever the cause, Lasombra (and their clothes and carried possessions) do not show up in any sort of reflective surface, such as mirrors, pools of water, reflective windows, polished metals, photographs and black-and-white film (which uses a reflecting silver emulsifier).

Also, because of the Lasombra clan’s ties to darkness, all Lasombra suffer an additional level of damage from exposure to sunlight.

 

Bloodlines:

A small number of Lasombra — about a hundred — claim allegiance with the Camarilla, calling themselves Lasombra antitribu. Most of

these Lasombra are old and potent, from days before the formation of either sect. The few modern ones still have the backing of their powerful sires. These Lasombra are all accorded respect within the Camarilla, so they keep their usual clan advantages but within their sect. The Sabbat Lasombra denounce the existence of their wayward brethren, and they hunt the traitors mercilessly whenever the opportunity presents itself.

 

History:

Several thousand years ago B.C., a tribe of Masai were ordered by a pale spirit to produce a child for him. This child was trained to lead by having every member of the tribe obey him, and he was trained to be loyal by extensive gifts and rewards from theAntediluvian Lasombra. The experiment failed. Before rerunning the experiment, Lasombra was visited by his child's playmate, Ontai. This shaman in training offered his life to Lasombra (who had already punished the tribe by wiping out half of its population) - in life, death and beyond, with no price offered. Lasombra, disturbed by the offer and Ontai's already impeccable honor, tested the shaman's resolve by demanding he slaughter his tribe. Ontai obeyed, and a shaken Lasombra called off the execution and embraced Ontai, renaming him Montano and bringing him to the Mediterranean. To his grave, Lasombra was uncertain whether his childe's unswerving honor had gotten the better of him.

From the very beginning, the Lasombra have been tied to the sea. Sicily, where Lasombra had his lair, was the center of the Clan, from which they inserted themselves into various seafaring cultures that arose. It is said, that after the eruption of Thera, Lasombra began various lengthy travels, leaving his progeny free to discover the world around them. Reveling in piracy and the freedom of the sea, most Lasombra fought against both Greeks and Romans, refusing to accept the feeding rights of any Cainite overlords. Others traveled to Iberia and the lands of the Roman Republic. Some particular adventurous even traveled so far as China, where their broods still survive secluded and hidden away from the wrathful Cathayans. Together with the Ventrue andMalkavians, the Lasombra clan ruled over the Roman Empire until it dissolved. While the Ventrue left for the north and the Malkavians were seen with suspicion and fear now, the Lasombra remained.

Dark Age:

Motto: Morte Ascendō (Latin: "Death Ascends")

In medieval times, the Lasombra were centered around the mediterranean in the feudal realm of the Sea of Shadows as one of theHigh Clans, headed by their Antediluvian himself. The Lasombra were heavily involved with the religious constitutions of this age, particulary the Roman Catholic Church and with Islam, leading to an internal conflict between the two factions within the Clan that resulted in theShadow Reconquista in Spain, where both sides battled against each other for control over the peninsula. Most Lasombra had strong ties to the clerus and nobility and were able to utilize them to their own endings.

The Anarch Revolt

According to clan legend, Lasombras last childe, Gratiano de Veronese, was the one who slew the Antediluvian with the aid of a coterie of Assamites, instigating the Anarch Revolt and the resulting chaos (although many Tzimisce challenge that claim). Many Lasombra flocked behind Gratiano, hoping to overthrow their scheming sires and gain their power. Most among them refused theConvention of Thorns, seeing it as submission to the despised Ventrue and the kine without even proper negotiations.

Renaissance

In the early renaissance, the Lasombra had just became the leaders of the Sabbat. Their political and commercial power had weakened and they have turned to more brutal practices, such as piracy, even shifting their focuses from the dwindling Spanish kingdoms to Dutch pirates and opportunities in the New World. Their main focuses have been the eradication of the Camarilla, particularly their Antitribu clansmen.

Victorian Age:

During this time the influence of the Church upon people's lives declined. As a result, Lasombra influence became more indirect as the years progressed. Like many other clans, the Lasombra began to influence the bourgeoisie, where most of the world's finances now flowed from. Unlike other Clans who had previously infested religious organizations, the Lasombra did not turn away from churches - indeed, the Lasombra are infamous even in the modern nights for their powerful grasp in religious circles, particularly the Catholic Church.

During these Age, many Lasombra sat down to codify the ancient Roads and clan-specific traditions into proper Paths of Enlightenment to create substitutes to Humanity within the Black Monastery. In the New World, various Sabbat Civil Wars threatened the rule of the Clan over the Sabbat and forced them to restructure the sect several times. The Purchase Pact defined the enemies of the sect to end various infightings (Antediluvian catspaws, Infernalists and Camarilla pawns) while the revised version of the Code of Milan formalized a more structured approach to intern control. In both cases, the Clan were heavily involved into these revisions

Final Nights:

Whether they approve or not, Clan Lasombra has changed with the times. Where once the elitist ideals saw that only those of certain lineages, ethnicities or religions were Embraced, the Clan now recruits from all walks of life. Financial influence is now increasingly important to them due to the establishment of global economy, and the Lasombra are the clan mainly responsible for bankrolling much of the Sabbat's operations in modern nights.

The Lasombra still hunt their hated antitribu, although fewer and fewer exist each night. The fervour with which their brothers are hunted has brought about a Darwinism of it's own - thoseantitribu surviving are generally the oldest and wiliest Keepers to still walk the earth.

Perhaps most embarrassing for the Clan was the defection of Gian Galeazzo Visconti. A formerCardinal, he was a signatory on the Code of Milan, one of the Sabbat's most important documents. At the end of the 20th Century, Giangaleazzo gathered all of Milan's Cainites to his castle. From the balcony of his Haven, he announced that he would no longer be a part of the Sabbat. With that, he tore up the original Code of Milan and sealed the courtyard. Burning his former sect mates to death, he announced himself Prince of Milan and a member of the Camarilla. As a result, Gian Galeazzo is particularly hated throughout the Clan, but too well supported by the surrounding Italian Camarilla to destroy.

 

Organization:

Lasombra naturally seek positions of power and authority, as a result they form the bulk of the Sabbat's administrative offices - ducti, prisci and the like. Tzimisce are more likely to be pack priests, while the Lasombra focus on the practical matters of administration and leadership. The Lasombra operate under the metaphor of "shadows". They do not stand in the limelight, preferring to manipulate others to their own ends while doing as little as possible to make themselves a target. This is not done soley out of fear, but because many Lasombra have domineering and superior personalities that neccessitates having someone beneath them. This role is usually filled by mortals; though they are not quite as adept at manipulating the living world as the Ventrue are, those cultures that still revere the Catholic Church often have several generations of Lasombra pulling their strings. Those who find themselves under the control of a Lasombra can expect a demanding and unrewarding experience. Their domitor will use any and all tools available to ensure loyalty, such as the Blood Bond, coercion, physical intimidation, and unapologetic use of Dominate. The wise Lasombra will judge just how much of this force is neccessary; too little, and the servant is untrustworthy - too much, and the servant is spineless and afraid to act when they need to act.

Separate from Sabbat organization, the Lasombra maintain a clan-specific organization, theFriends of the Night, usually called les amies noires (amici noctis during the Dark Ages). While a Lasombra can be in the clan and not a Friend of the Night, all Lasombra who matter are part of the organization. The Friends are something of a formalized favor network within the Lasombra - they grant prestige and prestation, but the most notable feature of the friends are the Courts of Blood, which regulate diablerie.

The Lasombra are a clan driven by ambition, and consequently they accept diablerie as a necessary facet of their existence; from the Lasombra perspective, the only tragedy in diablerie is that such an unworthy vampire as the vessel was sired in the first place. The courts regulate diablerie by accepting petitions to diablerize other Lasombra and authorize hunts - these hunts usually have conditions attached because the target must be guilty of something before the hunt is authorized. The court system ensures that diablerie is managed - Lasombra are allowed, if not flat-out encouraged to cannibalize appropriate targets, but those targets must be judged worthy of this attention by a court before the attack can take place.

Factions

Lasombra consensus holds that overly rigid structures turn on their creators. Thus the institutions within the clan operate flexibly and with substantial local autonomy. These informal distinctions are just as deadly earnest as anything chartered and codified, but they are much more lethal for being open to interpretation like any Court of Blood can prove. Most of the Lasombra subcultures have no organization or even a well-known name. They're outlooks rather than institutions. A group that became organized enough to challenge the courts would be co-opted and folded into the Friends themselves or destroyed, depending upon how well the group's leaders pled their case.

• Corsairs – The Corsairs are Lasombra that have answered the call of the sea that seems to be inherent to their blood. They spendt most of their time on the waves, often masquerading as pirates, and some never come on dry land

• Crusaders - The Crusaders view the Sabbat as a religious and military organization almost to the exclusion of the Sabbat as an ideology of freedom. They have often strong ties with the Ultra-Conservatives within the Sabbat.

• Faithful - The Faithful draw their traditions from the once strong hold of the Lasombra within the Catholic Church. Ardents followers of God and believers in their own damnation alike, these individuals seek to fulfill the will of God in this world.

• Kings of Shadow- The Kings (and Queens) of Shadow take part in mortal institutions, exerting influence, gathering resources and in general keeping the mortal population unaware of the vampires among them. Most have distanced themselves from regular Sabbat activities to maintain their Humanity.

• Children of the Abyss – The Children of the Abyss follow the ancient traditions of Abyss mysticism, paying often only lip services to the Sabbat, but staying in line, as the sect provides them with the means to pursue their arcane art.

• Transhumanists- Transhumanists revel in their predatory nature and seek to perfect their undead state. Transhumanists quantify their various powers, work out taxonomies and otherwise seek to reduce vampirism to data. Many have a keen interest in mortal technology, particular in those that augment the human body, while others seek a perfect state without reliance on external tools.

• Fatalists- Fatalists are those Lasombra that have stopped to believe in the freedom of Will. Many claim that their blood ties them directly to the Elders and Methuselahs of their Clan and these beings are in charge of the destinies of their progeny.

• Doomed- The Doomed are an exhibitionistic lot among the Clan that don’t believe in the value of secrecy and aim to gain inmediate and direct control of their environment, often without concerns to the kine. Many Lasombra kill those Clan mates on sight.

• Black Angels- Also called Angellis Ater (possibly in rememberance from a bloodlineoriginating from the Dark Ages), these Lasombra revel in their state as servants of Satan and enemies of God, practicing Satanism and other socially repulsive things.

• Factionless- The Factionless are those Lasombra that have not yet found an overlying purpose within the history of the Clan and give more regards to their sect than their heritage.

 

Cultures:

It is said that while the Ventrue are the mind of the Camarilla, the Toreador are its soul. It was one of their number, Rafael de Corazon, who was instrumental in its formation. The Toreador are the greatest supporters of many of the Camarilla's traditions, most notably that of Elysium. This is where the Toreador are in their element, showcasing their latest pieces and practicing their highly effective (and sometimes deadly) form of social manouevreing. From the outside, most other Clans think of one face of the Toreador, but see another. When speaking of them to another, most envision Toreador as the Artistes - billowy shirted, frock-coated fops who crow about the beauty of the ages and lamenting their lost humanity. In reality, outsiders are less likely to meet such characters, given as they are to sequestering themselves away to work on their latest masterpiece. Far more often encountered are those Toreador whose unlives have become dedicated to the Kindred social scene - Toreador are often a large contingent of the city's Harpies, and having spent years with their bitchy and conniving clan-mates they are more than capable of ruining someone's reputation with a pithy comeback or a damning piece of gossip whispered in just the right ear.

The Toreador portray themselves as the vampires closest to the living, breathing pulse of the humans around them (though this honour might be shared with the Brujah). They claim that this is what keeps them so vital and modern. Indeed, Clan members are often the first ones to be aware of what mortals are wearing, eating, buying and sleeping with. While a Malkavian elder might be found in his 1800's finery, the Toreador is much more likely to be wearing something from this year's Paris catwalks. Many Toreador are fond of having mortal "families" or assuming mortal identities, in order to capture the breath of life that is denied to them. The constant pressure that the proximity to mortals can elicit, however, can cause a Toreador to break down, losing all of their creativity and motivation in the process, resulting in a debauched individual that desperately searches for the next kick to experience the feeling of being mortal again, eventually turning to mortal vices like drugs in order to feel just this one aspect. The older a Toreador gets and the more mortal associates he has watches dying, the more likely a "burnout" is to occur. Other vampires have to deal with it, too, but no Clan suffers so uniformly under this aspect of their existence than the Toreador.

 

Lasombra - Antitribu

There are no Lasombra antitribu, at least, not according to the Lasombra themselves. The Sabbat Lasombra deny that “traitors” exist, while the so-called antitribu see themselves as Lasombra — nothing more, nothing less. Not all Lasombra who disagree with the clan’s stance within the Sabbat join the Camarilla -- a significant percentage of this relatively small number simply go independent and absent themselves from vampiric politics entirely. The remainder, however, seize for themselves positions of respect and authority — if not prominence — in the Camarilla.

Philosophically, Camarilla Lasombra differ little from their Sabbat compatriots on a basic level. The antitribu still fully expect to win the Jyhad; they just see the Camarilla as a more efficient and effective tool for doing so than the Sabbat is. Distaste for the rabble the Sabbat is encased in shows clearly in Camarilla Lasombra’s attitudes, as they regard the Sabbat tactic of mass Embraces as wasteful and insulting. Indeed, even the supporters of antitribu inclusion in the Camarilla see these vampires as haughty, arrogant and impatient. Few suffer fools or incompetent underlings to live, and the penalty for failing an assignment set by a Lasombra antitribu is often death. The position occupied by these few self-exiled Kindred is an ambiguous one. On one hand, these vampires are Lasombra, the core of the dreaded Sabbat, and no Camarilla vampire is ever completely certain than the defection is a real one. On the other hand, essentially all Lasombra antitribu are creatures of undeniable power and presence, and are devoted to the destruction of the Sabbat in a way that few other Kindred are. The Camarilla cannot afford to waste these Cainites’ talents, powers and knowledge of the enemy but cannot afford to trust them entirely, either.