2014 - Lasombra - Andrew Maetke

I think I’ve covered all the basics at this point so I’d like to talk about why I’m running and what I think I can bring to Lasombra genre, and why I’m running for this particular position instead of any other.

The Lasombra are one of the most interesting and nuanced clans in the Classic World of Darkness.  They are the only clan whose antitribu are in the Camarilla.  They have a tremendously rich history as, alongside the Ventrue, they have always comprised the vampiric royalty.   They contact with the semisentient malevolence that is the Abyss—and Abyssal Mysticism (as a mystic devotion, not just cool powers) itself has a number of different traditions and subschools. They have god damn pirates.  Then there are the two sets of conspriacies that maybe best characterize Clan Lasombra: the ever complex Les Amis Noir and the maybe even more complex relationship between the Lasombra and the Catholic Church.

A clan this rich needs a team of people who are dedicated and knowledgeable to keep it focused.  It’s very easy for a clan that can go in so many directions to end up paralyzed by choice.  Furthermore there is endless internal conflict just under the surface (or, occasionally, in plain view).  Imposed over all of that is a fantastic order and organization.  It’s the clan I’ve seen best suited to PCs making their way into meaningful and influential positions and getting to stare nose to nose with some of the legendary canon NPCs.  It’s the clan where I see the most potential to make subtle and quiet use of NPCs to drive PCs to create plot.  There is virtually limitless opportunity to tell good stories with clan Lasombra.

There is also a lot of need for restraint.  Abyssal Mysticism is very cool, and I’m very grateful for the packet put out last year by Joan.  It’s very useful to have all of that codified for OwBN and put in one place, but that also is likely to meet with an increased demand.  And I’m not against people learning all of the cool powers they want, but it needs to be organic.  There needs to be story and there needs to be roleplay, and I’m more than capable of insisting on that.

It’s more than just the magic stuff.  Even walking the various paths should be challenging.  There are few if any paths more difficult to walk than the various Paths of Night.  It doesn’t always mesh nicely with the pack mentality of the Sabbat, and it’s difficult for PCs to raise themselves above their peers in such a way that they can comfortably play a high rating on these paths.  That struggle is amazing and one of the best parts of playing a path, and all too often it is left by the wayside.   There is tremendous opportunity for moral introspection and character development, and I think that the Lasombra Coord office can and should drive that.  Ideally, this can be done by working with Storytellers to personalize the struggles of PCs, to find ways to make them make difficult decisions.

I want to be very sure not to make the Lasombra Antitribu feel left out here.  I started the org playing Sabbat and there is often, justified or not, a feeling that coords just don’t care as much about their Antitribu.  I want to make clear that I would not be neglectful.  Though they are few in number, the Lasombra Antitribu by their mere existence make the rest of the clan cringe and howl.  Within the Camarilla, they have an amazing combination of rarity, mistrust, power, and respect that makes them extremely compelling as both PCs and NPCs.  And we haven’t really seen much meaningful reaction from the Lasombra Anti as the Children of Haqim have begun to normalize themselves in the Camarilla and quietly stolen the LAT’s “model minority” (forgive the term) status.  I think there is room for some movement here if the players want it, and the Lasombra Coordinator’s office is well positioned to provide guidance and impetus.

Now we also have a brand new faction in the Sabbat, one that is in a position of extreme interest relative to the Lasombra dominated Order of St. Blaise.  A lot of development has to happen to capitalize on what could be a very intricate and story rich wrinkle in Sabbat genre—and what is undoubtedly one of the biggest developments in that genre in some time.  I’m certain I can work with the Sabbat Coordinator to make this new faction settle in and find its place in the Sabbat, and develop a cogent sense of where the main body of Clan Lasombra stands regarding it.

I’ll try not to go on forever.  There is just such a wealth of opportunity within Clan Lasombra to do really great things.  One last thing I need to talk about is the long running struggle to maintain primacy in the Sabbat.  The longstanding assumption that the Lasombra are the natural leaders of the Sect, and the Tzimisce left to be the “spiritual” leaders is a tricky gambit in a sect that is ultimately a theocracy.  The current regent is a Toreador Antitribu, and before him Galbraith was also a Toreador Anti.  In between them, Guarant was a credit to no one.  The Lasombra have not had a Regent to call their own in ages.  That means now, even with Carboni doing by all accounts a passable job, now is the time to begin the dealing and conspiring to ensure that next time, whenever it may be, the right clan takes the helm of the Sabbat once more.

It’s extremely exciting, and I hope to be able to bring the best out of it.