| Vampire series |
|---|
| Vampire Settings |
| Old World of Darkness |
| Vampire: The Masquerade Clans & Bloodlines |
| New World of Darkness |
| Vampire: The Requiem |
| Other |
| Vampire: The Eternal Struggle |
The Lasombra are a clan of vampires, associated with the Sabbat, from White Wolf Game Studio's Vampire: The Masquerade books and role-playing games.
The Lasombra are in many ways the Sabbat's answer to the Ventrue Clan. They are invariably talented and have a commanding air about them; even when they are not selected from aristocratic stock, they are skilled manipulators, tempters and plotters. They have the ability to create and control shadows (appropriate, given that their name is Spanish for "the shadow"). Unlike other vampires, the Lasombra do not cast reflections in mirrors or other surfaces, and are even more susceptible to sunlight than any other Cainites (with the exception of the Followers of Set).
The Lasombra clan's unique discipline is Obtenebration, which allows them to manipulate shadows and even the unformed substance of the primordial void, known as the Abyss. The effects they can create range from causing flittering shadows which have actual substance, transforming their own bodies into an expression of darkness and emptiness, and even the ability to temporarily submerge a small area of the immediate environment into the Abyss itself.
Some Lasombra share their clan founder's affinity for the ocean, often staring at the ocean or taking long sea voyages. Many Lasombra antitribu even live at sea, as pirates along waterways historically dominated by Spanish, Italian, or Portuguese colonialism and trade. The European capital of clan Lasombra is Mdina, on the island of Malta.
| Clan | Progenitor | Faction | Disciplines | Nicknames | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lasombra | [Lasombra] (Possibly named: Laza Omri Bara) | Sabbat | Obtenebration, Dominate, Potence | Keepers, Shadows | 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. |
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During the Dark Ages Clan Lasombra was associated with the High Clans, the equivalent of Cainites nobility. After the Anarch Revolt, and the forming of the Camarilla, the Clan played a major role in the formation of the Sabbat as the difference between High and Low Clans faded and new divisions occurred.
The Lasombra are one of two major clans forming the majority of the Sabbat, along with the Tzimisce. These were the only two clans to achieve any major success during the Anarch Revolt, and are even rumoured to have destroyed their clan founders, called Antediluvians. The Lasombra tend to occupy posts of responsibility in the Sabbat, which is not surprising considering their interest for politics and power. They see themselves as rivals of the Ventrue, leading their own organisation. The sabbatic titles and rites of Catholic inspiration come from the Lasombra and in particular from the prominent Monçada.
The clan's rare antitribu are affiliated with the Camarilla. They are usually powerful individuals, both in age and influence, and even the neonates of the bloodline are of high generations, taking advantage of the potent blood of their sires. One archon belongs to the Lasombra.
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
The Lasombra antitribu have existed as long as the Sabbat has, which is to say that more than one clan member agreed with Montano's choice to turn his back on his clanmates. The Sabbat Lasombra have always done their best to deny even the existence of any antitribu; such vampires by their very existence give the lie to claims about Sabbat and Lasombra hegemony. As a result, Lasombra antitribu are the first target of any Sabbat packs in a given city. The mere rumor of an antitribu's presence is enough to whip the local Sabbat Lasombra into a homicidal frenzy.
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.
| Bloodline | Founder | Parent Clan | Faction | Disciplines | Nicknames | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lasombra antitribu | Montano | Lasombra | Camarilla | Obtenebration, Dominate, Potence | Traitors | 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. 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. |
The Kiasyd are a fictional bloodline of vampires in White Wolf Game Studio's Vampire: The Masquerade books and role-playing games, sometimes also appearing in Changeling: The Dreaming as a bridge between the two games.
The Kiasyd symbol is a black-backgrounded stylized moth. It is theorized that this symbol was chosen due to the shimmering effect of the tiny scales on a moth's wing being similar to the glow that Kiasyd seem to emit when under the moonlight.[1]
The Kiasyd trace their lineage to a Lasombra vampire named Marconius who had himself infused with fae blood. For this reason, Marconius, and those embraced by him and his followers, are often thought to be a combination of vampire and fae.[2] Because of a long-standing love-hate relationship with the Lasombra, Kiasyd are most often associated with the Sabbat. This is not always the case, however, as often they are used as independent NPCs in order to help the players along by dropping hints.[3]
One of the clan drawbacks is their odd appearances consisting of chalk-white skin which seems to glow blue in the moonlight, solid black eyes, and exceptional height with heights of over seven feet not being unusual. This strange visual impression may account for the clan nickname "Weirdlings." and generally marks them very quickly as vampires unless the player uses the obfuscate ability to hide this.[4] The Obfuscate ability is particularly useful to this clan as by using it the player can mask the Kiasyd's strange appearance or make them temporarily invisible.
The bloodline's clan discipline is Mytherceria, which encompasses a heightened talent for acquiring arcane knowledge as well as causing the unique ability to be able to detect other supernatural creatures such as fae and werewolves. The discipline also makes them experts at creating and solving riddles. Not too surprisingly, librarians, museum curators, and students are among those most frequently embraced by the Kiasyd. However, the bloodline itself is quite small in number, and very few kindred are even aware that the Kiasyd exist.[5]
Their other hallmark ability is Obtenebration, an ability carried over from their Lasombra forebearers. This ability allows them to warp, shape and control the darkness around them and, as some say, within themselves.[1]
Besides their strange appearances, the Kiasyd have another unusual clan flaw: they, much like the fae, are vulnerable to Cold Iron. Cold Iron (unwrought and pure) causes all Frenzy difficulties to be increased by one and fear frenzy difficulties increase by two. Touching Cold Iron causes an immediate Rotschreck roll, and also causes 1 health level of damage per turn (preventable only by the ability Fortitude, as it is not aggravated). Actually being damaged by a cold iron weapon causes Kiasyd aggravated wounds.[3]
The Kiasyd also appear as a bloodline in the card game Vampire: The Eternal Struggle.[6] They mix well with the Lasombra and, to a lesser extent, with the Tremere and Malkavians. Given their capacities, they could be played on their own (doubling up on copies in the crypt), but are strongest when mixed with other clans.[7]
| Bloodline | Founder | Parent Clan | Faction | Disciplines | Nicknames | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiasyd | Marconius | Lasombra | Sabbat | Mytherceria, Obtenebration, Dominate | Weirdlings, Scarlets | Wounds caused by iron weapons inflict aggravated damage, being in the presence of iron (within a number of yards equal to the Kiasyd's Stamina) raises the frenzy's difficulties by one, and touching iron causes an immediate frenzy roll. |
Laibon Legacy of Clan Lasombra.
| Legacy | Parent Clan | Disciplines | Nicknames | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xi Dundu | Lasombra | Dominate, Obtenebration, Potence | Shadows | Xi Dundu vampires cast no shadows. When the Xi Dundu rest, they must not be touched by their native soil or their strength is halved for 24 hours. |
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