Post by Iota on Jun 4, 2010 16:36:04 GMT -5
The Lasombra, as a rule, loathe ghouls with a passion. To them, a mortal in the world of Cainites is as absurd as a poodle putting on a tutu and walking around on it's hind legs. Due to their command of Potence and Dominate, mortals are laughably easy to control, both physically and mentally - how could the Lasombra possibly respect or value such a pathetically weak and frail thing? As a consequence, the ghoul of a Lasombra is typically a snivelling and timid wretch, living in terror of a single mistake which could end their lives.
Lasombra ghouls fall into two broad categories. The first are the raft of accountants, lawyers and bankers that the Lasombra need to keep the finances rolling in, and perhaps these are the luckier of the two groups - as long as the books balance at the end of the day, they'll live to see another one. The second group cater to the Lasombra's difficulty with their own image. Some Lasombra keep an army of personal attendants - scores of ghouls to brush the mistress' hair, do her makeup and dress her. Such attendants are punished severely for infractions. If the hair is not brushed with exactly one hundred strokes, the ghoul might find themselves on the wrong side of the hairbrush, a Potence fuelled hand wielding it. Also due to the Lasombra's curse, ghouls of either stripe might have their faces reduced to identical spider-webs of scar tissue, or be forced to wear featureless white masks.
The Embrace: Lasombra may come from any background, but are typically professionals, politically inclined or well-educated. Lasombra tend to be aggressive both physically and socially; the clan has little interest in weaklings and does not hesitate to cull unworthy vampires from its ranks. Lasombra are universally skilled at social discourse and pulling the strings of others--coarse manners are viewed poorly, for the Lasombra are refined monsters.
When a candidate is identified, the sire will usually "test" the candidate. Testing, in this case, generally means totally destroying the target's life and seeing how the target reacts. If the candidate falls apart, then he was obviously unworthy of the embrace. If he can continue to survive and even overcome the challenges, then these challenges tend to become more extreme, until the Sire decides that the candidate has demonstrated enough merit and is taken into the night.
Appearance: Many Lasombra of elder generation hail from Spanish or Italian stock, and some still show their Moorish or Berber heritage. Lasombra neonates and ancillae, however, run the gamut of cultures and ethnicities. Almost all Lasombra are reasonably attractive, with well-bred, aristocratic features--blue-collar Lasombra are rare, and one hardly see the callused hands or broken noses of the working class among the Keepers.
Havens: Many young Lasombra disdain private havens, sleeping with the pack and maintaining communal lairs "for the good of the sect." Old habits die hard among the Keepers though; certain elders maintain ancestral manses or other ostentatious havens.
Weaknesses: Lasombra vampires cast no reflections. They cannot be seen in mirrors, bodies of water, reflective windows, polished metals, photographs and security cameras, etc. This curious anomaly even extends to the clothes they wear and objects they carry. Many Kindred believe that the Lasombra have been cursed in this manner for their vanity. Additionally, due to their penchant for darkness, Lasombra take an extra level of damage from sunlight.
The Embrace: There are two distinct types of Lasombra antitribu. The majority (though still small in number) are older than the Camarilla itself; they are the Lasombra who joined with Montano in turning their backs on the nascent Sabbat. Some of them are still bitter about Lasombra’s death; others simply disliked Gratiano and his choice of allies. In either case, these aged defectors are powerful, dignified and in most cases bitter. They have little use for the younger generations of vampires, and less for the Sabbat. Given a chance and a receptive audience, a Lasombra antitribu will talk endlessly about the old days, giving his listener a fascinating portrait of times, kings and customs now long gone but precious little about the Lasombra himself. (Note: Almost all Lasombra of this vintage are male; the custom of Embracing women didn’t catch on among the Lasombra antitribu until quite recently).
The other sort of Lasombra antitribu are young, angry and of remarkably low generation for Cainites so new to the Blood. The newer Lasombra antitribu are the childer of the aged and vengeful ones, plucked from mortality in accordance with the ancient customs of Lasombra himself. Most often, these mortals are in line to be snatched up by the local Sabbat particularly Sabbat Lasombra or remind the elder Lasombra irresistibly of someone from centuries past.
Lasombra antitribu tend to prefer exceptional specimens for the Embrace, but regard a quick wit and self-possession as the essential elements of a Lasombra. Generation is perhaps the most important background for a Lasombra antitribu; they are either old, or the childer of ancient vampires.
Appearance: Lasombra antitribu always find a way to look formal, regardless of circumstances. Most are of Iberian or Moorish descent, though a handful of the very newest Embracees are of mixed heritage. The elder Lasombra antitribu choose, whenever possible, to wear clothing suitable to the days of their youth; in many cases that means anything from half-armor to the robes of one of the poet-kings of the Andalusian taifas.
Young Lasombra antitribu go more for sharp suits with a hint of Latin style, understated jewelry and sleek black cars that hint at their owners’ affluence and power. While all Lasombra antitribu understand viscerally the need to keep a low profile (those who don’t end up as ashes), they still insist on taking on the world according to their terms. Giving up so small a piece of identity as preferred modes of dress is, in some sense, to submit to another’s will and these Kindred would rather die than submit.
Havens: The majority of Lasombra antitribu are constantly on the move, the better to avoid being pinned down by their erstwhile brethren in the Sabbat. Many have an apartment or two preferably in ritzy downtown tower complexes that come complete with extensive security systems and off-street, secure parking garages. Older antitribu prefer to dwell outside the cities on large estates, willing to risk the potential depredations of Lupines in exchange for privacy and some separation from nightly struggle.
Weaknesses: Like their cousins in the Sabbat, Lasombra antitribu have a slight problem with mirrors and other reflective surfaces. Lasombra antitribu do not have reflections in the normal sense; they don’t show up in mirrors, windowpanes, pools of water or black-and-white photographs. Such a handicap makes Lasombra antitribu easy to identify for those who are looking for such, but the wise vampire has long since learned to avoid situations wherein he’d be compromised thus. In addition, since Lasombra are so heavily attuned to shadow, they take an extra level of damage from exposure to sunlight. The final handicap facing Lasombra antitribu (beside the vestigial distrust of the rest of the Camarilla) is the intense hatred that Sabbat Lasombra bear for their straying brethren. A Lasombra antitribu is always the first target of a Sabbat pack, and supposedly entire Camarilla cities have been besieged just to get a particularly durable straggler.
Lasombra ghouls fall into two broad categories. The first are the raft of accountants, lawyers and bankers that the Lasombra need to keep the finances rolling in, and perhaps these are the luckier of the two groups - as long as the books balance at the end of the day, they'll live to see another one. The second group cater to the Lasombra's difficulty with their own image. Some Lasombra keep an army of personal attendants - scores of ghouls to brush the mistress' hair, do her makeup and dress her. Such attendants are punished severely for infractions. If the hair is not brushed with exactly one hundred strokes, the ghoul might find themselves on the wrong side of the hairbrush, a Potence fuelled hand wielding it. Also due to the Lasombra's curse, ghouls of either stripe might have their faces reduced to identical spider-webs of scar tissue, or be forced to wear featureless white masks.
The Embrace: Lasombra may come from any background, but are typically professionals, politically inclined or well-educated. Lasombra tend to be aggressive both physically and socially; the clan has little interest in weaklings and does not hesitate to cull unworthy vampires from its ranks. Lasombra are universally skilled at social discourse and pulling the strings of others--coarse manners are viewed poorly, for the Lasombra are refined monsters.
When a candidate is identified, the sire will usually "test" the candidate. Testing, in this case, generally means totally destroying the target's life and seeing how the target reacts. If the candidate falls apart, then he was obviously unworthy of the embrace. If he can continue to survive and even overcome the challenges, then these challenges tend to become more extreme, until the Sire decides that the candidate has demonstrated enough merit and is taken into the night.
Appearance: Many Lasombra of elder generation hail from Spanish or Italian stock, and some still show their Moorish or Berber heritage. Lasombra neonates and ancillae, however, run the gamut of cultures and ethnicities. Almost all Lasombra are reasonably attractive, with well-bred, aristocratic features--blue-collar Lasombra are rare, and one hardly see the callused hands or broken noses of the working class among the Keepers.
Havens: Many young Lasombra disdain private havens, sleeping with the pack and maintaining communal lairs "for the good of the sect." Old habits die hard among the Keepers though; certain elders maintain ancestral manses or other ostentatious havens.
Weaknesses: Lasombra vampires cast no reflections. They cannot be seen in mirrors, bodies of water, reflective windows, polished metals, photographs and security cameras, etc. This curious anomaly even extends to the clothes they wear and objects they carry. Many Kindred believe that the Lasombra have been cursed in this manner for their vanity. Additionally, due to their penchant for darkness, Lasombra take an extra level of damage from sunlight.
Antitribu
The Embrace: There are two distinct types of Lasombra antitribu. The majority (though still small in number) are older than the Camarilla itself; they are the Lasombra who joined with Montano in turning their backs on the nascent Sabbat. Some of them are still bitter about Lasombra’s death; others simply disliked Gratiano and his choice of allies. In either case, these aged defectors are powerful, dignified and in most cases bitter. They have little use for the younger generations of vampires, and less for the Sabbat. Given a chance and a receptive audience, a Lasombra antitribu will talk endlessly about the old days, giving his listener a fascinating portrait of times, kings and customs now long gone but precious little about the Lasombra himself. (Note: Almost all Lasombra of this vintage are male; the custom of Embracing women didn’t catch on among the Lasombra antitribu until quite recently).
The other sort of Lasombra antitribu are young, angry and of remarkably low generation for Cainites so new to the Blood. The newer Lasombra antitribu are the childer of the aged and vengeful ones, plucked from mortality in accordance with the ancient customs of Lasombra himself. Most often, these mortals are in line to be snatched up by the local Sabbat particularly Sabbat Lasombra or remind the elder Lasombra irresistibly of someone from centuries past.
Lasombra antitribu tend to prefer exceptional specimens for the Embrace, but regard a quick wit and self-possession as the essential elements of a Lasombra. Generation is perhaps the most important background for a Lasombra antitribu; they are either old, or the childer of ancient vampires.
Appearance: Lasombra antitribu always find a way to look formal, regardless of circumstances. Most are of Iberian or Moorish descent, though a handful of the very newest Embracees are of mixed heritage. The elder Lasombra antitribu choose, whenever possible, to wear clothing suitable to the days of their youth; in many cases that means anything from half-armor to the robes of one of the poet-kings of the Andalusian taifas.
Young Lasombra antitribu go more for sharp suits with a hint of Latin style, understated jewelry and sleek black cars that hint at their owners’ affluence and power. While all Lasombra antitribu understand viscerally the need to keep a low profile (those who don’t end up as ashes), they still insist on taking on the world according to their terms. Giving up so small a piece of identity as preferred modes of dress is, in some sense, to submit to another’s will and these Kindred would rather die than submit.
Havens: The majority of Lasombra antitribu are constantly on the move, the better to avoid being pinned down by their erstwhile brethren in the Sabbat. Many have an apartment or two preferably in ritzy downtown tower complexes that come complete with extensive security systems and off-street, secure parking garages. Older antitribu prefer to dwell outside the cities on large estates, willing to risk the potential depredations of Lupines in exchange for privacy and some separation from nightly struggle.
Weaknesses: Like their cousins in the Sabbat, Lasombra antitribu have a slight problem with mirrors and other reflective surfaces. Lasombra antitribu do not have reflections in the normal sense; they don’t show up in mirrors, windowpanes, pools of water or black-and-white photographs. Such a handicap makes Lasombra antitribu easy to identify for those who are looking for such, but the wise vampire has long since learned to avoid situations wherein he’d be compromised thus. In addition, since Lasombra are so heavily attuned to shadow, they take an extra level of damage from exposure to sunlight. The final handicap facing Lasombra antitribu (beside the vestigial distrust of the rest of the Camarilla) is the intense hatred that Sabbat Lasombra bear for their straying brethren. A Lasombra antitribu is always the first target of a Sabbat pack, and supposedly entire Camarilla cities have been besieged just to get a particularly durable straggler.
