Lasombra, the shadow, this Sabbat clan of Kindred are masters of the dark. More manipulative than the Ventrue they have a trait that becomes dangerous in the hands of the clan, pride in heritage. Perfectionists, they become obsessed with many aspects of their lives, continually striving to be their best or better. To these vampires image is everything, the loss of their reflection has created a perversion of the soul, leaving them more vain than the Toreador and more obsessive than the worst Malkavian. Politics and history have removed much of the Lasombra line, the few that remain out of the Sabbat hide from those who retain their membership, and as for those who are members...perhaps you'd best leave them alone yourself. Lasombra having been killed himself by those of his own clan, they are with out a true leader, however rumours of an orginisation of Lasombra elders Les amies noir circulate amongst the young. A clan ruthless enough to destroy its own antediluvian truly must have no mercy, as such the Lasombra have little pity for the weak, killing them rather than having the imperfect survive.

The Lasombra are not merely Sabbat Ventrue, they have much more to prove to the world and a deeper sense of vindication to do so. The Lasombra are by nature aristocratic, not merely of the upper class as the likes of the Ventrue or Tremere. For they, unlike many of the other kindred clans hold true to the attitudes and opinions of the nobles of aeons ago. That is to say that they have been stubborn and forthright enough to hold true to beliefs that went out of vogue six centuries ago.

As such there are many practices within the Lasombra that are somewhat old worldly. For instance "old boys networks" of the likes of the aforementioned Les amies noire, are somewhat common, with such groups discussing politics and history, instructing the more promising of a generation of worthy Lasombra and indulging in the delights of tactical games such as Chess.

The Lasombra also believe in the concept of honour and worth, as such many conflicts are resolved by way of Challenges, a reflection of the duel so fashionable in the 18th and 19th centuries. Challenges of this type may be in the fielf of mental, physical or preternatural combat, generically this is the choice of the challenger who is of greater honour at the outset of the duel.

While not often taking retainers Lasombra very much hold to the Noblesse Obligé , for Lasombra often take positions of power within the Sabbat and thus have a need to please the Sabbat masses by tempting them with seemingly sweet titbits of favour, which usually leave a bitter taste to the mouth. The Lasombra however seem to have perfected this artform and time and time again they win out against the lackeys to crawl to the top of a sorry and bleeding pyramid of Sabbat hierarchy.

It is this point however that consolidated the Lasombra's position in modern Kindred society. For throughout the foundation of the Camarilla the Lasombra stood firm in their opinions. Used to being the noble leaders of kindred and kine alike the Lasombra were too prideful and too stubborn to willfully bend to the wishes of the Ventrue and Tremere, and certainly not willing to hide for the good of humanity. Besides were the Lasombra not closely tied to the Catholic Church, the establishment majorly responsible for the Inquisition?

And so the Lasombra lost their greater hold of power over much of the Kindred. However with the formation of the Sabbat and the gradual growth in power of the much afeared Black Hand the Lasombra grew ever stronger in their goal of autonomy. The Lasombra are truly power obsessed, hierarchies constructed about them with intention and trademarked perfection, and with even a religious path, Power and the Inner Voice, being devoted to this hunt for glory.

The Lasombra have the power to call upon the shadows themselves, and yet they do not truly command them. The discipline of Obenebration, unique to this clan, has mysteries yet to be solved by even its masters. Given life by the Kindred shadows are no longer the static patterns of light they once were, are no longer so. For truly the Lasombra cannot ascertain the exact effect of her preternatural call. Indeed those who have spent time using their discipline often find their own shadows taking on personalities of their own. Unfortunate incidents have arisen surrounding shadows that took hindrence to their Kindred masters. Obtenebration through its rarity has proved a dangerous advantage to its user. At first it's user gains the ability to manipulate shadows, causing others in the vicinity to becomeunnerved and off edge. The Lasombra then can learn to remove light and create pockets of pure darkness, this power is rumoured to remove all sources of light including fire, however the act of using one's own supernatural abilities to put out fires has not been observed entirely and may lead to adverse reactions. Lasombra have been noted to create arms of shadow, becoming dense and pliable this shadow is then used to grasp opponents and objects. At this stage the mastery of shadows has become great and the vampire may now create entire illusions of shadow, unlike the lower levels of Chimerstry however such illusions can move and certain Lasombra have been capable of allowing their voices to emminate from such illusions. These images of darkness are apt at confusing opponents and reducing their capability of sight. The ability to transform into shadow is now available to the student of Obtenebration and slinking across surfaces these shadows move like voids of darkness. Higher levels of obtenebration have been achieved by elders of the clan however, rumours of such talents are jaded at best.

There should be more to come, and I'll eventually work it into the text but otherwise, here's the Lasombra Character sheet