{"id":"vampire/faction/clan/lasombra","type":"faction","system":"clan","line":"vampire","name":"Lasombra","sources":[{"source":"V20","page":66,"folio":58},{"source":"V20","page":67,"folio":59}],"entries":[{"type":"quote","text":"Wielding the shadows is an extension of controlling the darkness into which we are all Embraced."},"To the mind of a Lasombra, it is better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven. Fear, frenzy, the power to determine whether another lives or dies: these are at the root of the power that the Lasombra hold dear. Whereas other vampires try vainly to hold the Beast at bay or give themselves wholly to it, the Lasombra beat the Beast into submission, invoking it when it suits them but leaving it trapped inside when they wish to govern themselves.","It is with these predilections that the Lasombra style themselves a “dark nobility,” an aristocracy of the night that chose the supremacy of the Cainites over veneration of the Masquerade.","Their regard for such ideas as redemption and salvation are cynical at best, and much of the pomp that shaped the Clan’s pre-{@sect The Sabbat|V20|Sabbat} outlook remains only with a sense of blackest irony or open mockery. The grandeur and rituals of the Church and aristocracy remain dear to the Lasombra, however, and the Clan was instrumental not only in establishing many of the rituals of the Sabbat, but in the institutions that keep it from descending into chaos each night.","Whether they see themselves as God’s instruments or as outcasts from His creation, the Lasombra believe they have a duty (whether to Sect, Clan, pack, or even just themselves), and obligation to their responsibilities gives them a wicked sense of purpose. Even a Lasombra shovelhead may consider himself a cut above the rest; a surprising number of Lasombra mass Embraces survive, perhaps owing to the intervention of their sires.","While the night belongs to all Kindred, the Lasombra are truly born to darkness, to the degree that their very Clan name reveals their tie to shadow. Theirs is the Discipline of {@discipline Obtenebration|V20}, and it allows them to wield the stuff of shadow and darkness, and even reach beyond the darkness of the physical world into the abyss that lies beyond.",{"type":"header","level":3,"text":"Appearance"},"The Lasombra are frequently attractive. Whether through the Spanish, Italian, and Moorish stock associated with the Clan, or due to more cosmopolitan modern backgrounds, the Keepers cut a striking figure. Their dress is often conservative or religious, drawing on years of ceremony and faithful ritual. Rare is the Lasombra who cannot at least manipulate shadows to affect a dramatic entrance or enigmatic pose.",{"type":"header","level":3,"text":"Haven"},"The obligation of their leadership leads many young Lasombra to maintain communal havens with other members of their pack. Wealthier Keepers and those who predate the Sect often maintain their own havens, whether sinister penthouse suites or sprawling Old World villas.",{"type":"header","level":3,"text":"Background"},"Prospective sires of Clan Lasombra seek both erudition and ambition in their potential childer. As such, many Lasombra come from professional backgrounds, and display outgoing and even aggressive personalities. Merit in their sires’ eyes takes fledgling Lasombra far, and the Keepers do not hesitate to cull their ranks of flawed, lazy, or boorish childer.",{"type":"header","level":3,"text":"Character Creation"},"Lasombra often have disparate Natures and Demeanors. Mental or Social Attributes are equally likely to be primary. Attributes tend to be narrow and specialized, showing individual expertise. Keepers cultivate Backgrounds of all types similarly in (initially) low quantities, to better diversify themselves.",{"type":"header","level":3,"text":"Clan Disciplines"},"{@discipline Dominate|V20}, {@discipline Obtenebration|V20}, {@discipline Potence|V20}",{"type":"header","level":3,"text":"Weaknesses"},"Lasombra vampires cast no reflections. Whether in a mirror, in a body of water, on a polished surface, or in the rear-view of a taxicab, the image of the Keeper does not reflect.",{"type":"header","level":3,"text":"Organization"},"For the Lasombra, the nights of high aristocracy never faded, and the titles and offices a modern onlooker might associate with history still carry great weight among the Keepers. A complex system of patronage, mentorship, and lineage characterizes the Clan, similar to the courts and churches of centuries gone by. Childer benefit greatly from esteemed sires and vice versa, while acts that confer Sect or Clan status may also elevate a Lasombra’s peers, so long as she associates her success with her fellows.",{"type":"header","level":3,"text":"Stereotypes"},{"type":"list","items":["{@clan Assamite|V20}: They believe themselves lions but possess only the ways of jackals.","{@clan Brujah|V20}: Petulant whelps in a rage over their own loss of rule from a self-fulfilling prophecy.","{@clan Followers of Set|V20}: Peer too deeply into the darkness, serpent, and you shall find that it has the means to smite.","{@clan Gangrel|V20}: Every society needs its beasts of burden.","{@clan Giovanni|V20}: Their inner foulness manifests in their every action.","{@clan Malkavian|V20}: The fool does not dine at the table with the lords.","{@clan Nosferatu|V20}: They are martyrs, not monsters, and their faces are the stigmata they must bear.","{@clan Ravnos|V20}: Filth, suitable only from which to make an example.","{@clan Toreador|V20}: A rose plucked from its garden remains lovely for only so long before it crumbles to dust.","{@clan Tremere|V20}: They revere only themselves, and they will reap a just reward for the sacrilege they practice.","{@clan Tzimisce|V20}: Although we may share a common goal, a murder of crows is always an ill omen.","{@clan Ventrue|V20}: Such a misguided effort, to use the scepter of kings only to hide oneself from his lessers.","Caitiff: Lords have ever sired bastards, and have ever hidden them as their marks of shame.","{@sect The Camarilla|V20|Camarilla}: Who would wish to dwell in a castle that closes its gates for fear of unruly peasants?","{@sect The Sabbat|V20|Sabbat}: Imperfect, and thus in need of ever more investment.","Anarchs: They must never be equals — it is enough that they think they are."]}],"section_id":"V20-0030","nickname":"Keepers (as in “my brother’s…”)","vampire":{"sect":"The Sabbat would be very different without the influence of the Lasombra, and they remain its most prominent Clan. Young Lasombra often make auspicious starts as Sabbat Ducti or Priests, leading their fellows by charging into the fray or demonstrating mastery of the Beast.","weakness":"Lasombra vampires cast no reflections. Whether in a mirror, in a body of water, on a polished surface, or in the rear-view of a taxicab, the image of the Keeper does not reflect."},"background":"Prospective sires of Clan Lasombra seek both erudition and ambition in their potential childer. As such, many Lasombra come from professional backgrounds, and display outgoing and even aggressive personalities. Merit in their sires’ eyes takes fledgling Lasombra far, and the Keepers do not hesitate to cull their ranks of flawed, lazy, or boorish childer.","organization":"For the Lasombra, the nights of high aristocracy never faded, and the titles and offices a modern onlooker might associate with history still carry great weight among the Keepers. A complex system of patronage, mentorship, and lineage characterizes the Clan, similar to the courts and churches of centuries gone by. Childer benefit greatly from esteemed sires and vice versa, while acts that confer Sect or Clan status may also elevate a Lasombra’s peers, so long as she associates her success with her fellows.","_qa":{"flags":[],"parser":"section_entries","confidence":0.9,"extracted":"2026-10-12","job":"v20-clans"},"faction_type":"clan","_links":{"self":"/api/v1/records/vampire/faction/clan/lasombra","html":"/records/vampire/faction/clan/lasombra","parent":null,"children":"/api/v1/records/vampire/faction/clan/lasombra/children","sources":[{"abbr":"V20","page":66,"folio":66,"title":"Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition"},{"abbr":"V20","page":67,"folio":67,"title":"Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition"}]},"_db":{"title":"Lasombra","props":[["Nickname","Keepers (as in “my brother’s…”)"],["Sect","The Sabbat would be very different without the influence of the Lasombra, and they remain its most prominent Clan. Young Lasombra often make auspicious starts as Sabbat Ducti or Priests, leading their fellows by charging into the fray or demonstrating mastery of the Beast."],["Disciplines","Dominate, Obtenebration, Potence"],["Weakness","Lasombra vampires cast no reflections. Whether in a mirror, in a body of water, on a polished surface, or in the rear-view of a taxicab, the image of the Keeper does not reflect."]],"parent_id":null,"level":null,"category":null,"summary":"To the mind of a Lasombra, it is better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven. Fear, frenzy, the power to determine whether another lives or dies: these are at the root of the power that the Lasombra hold dear.","tags":[],"children":[]}}