Unlit Halls

# Unlit Halls

Unlit Halls

of Note

When we have ceased to love the stench of the human animal, either in others or in ourselves, then are we condemned to misery, and clear thinking can begin.

— Cyril Connolly, The Unquiet Grave The Bible says that the first murderer disavowed responsibility for his victim, with the rhetorical question “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Lasombra accept the responsibility that their progenitor denied. Yes, they are indeed their brother’s (and sister’s) keeper. The Lasombra are not stewards, for they do not hold power on behalf of another. Nor are the Lasombra kings, for they need no formality of title or position, and they certainly accept no restraints on their power in the form of any human or divine sanction. The Lasombra simply are the rightful masters of everything in heaven and earth, whether their subjects accept the fact yet or not.

This self-image puts tremendous pressure on the clan’s neonates, whether Sabbat or antitribu. An accumulated glory burdens them, a standard of excellence to which sires expect their childer to hew. Few childer Chapter Two: The Keepers’ Unlit Halls can actually do it. In previous ages, the Lasombra elders tell each other, they could take the time to select each childe individually and cultivate him properly. Now everything must happen in a hurry, and sometimes inferior stock receives the Embrace. A Lasombra childe who actually excels can expect a combination of being taken for granted and regarded with suspicion, while childer who happen not to be the best in their field face a constant struggle to avoid destruction.

Lasombra with an eye for ironic comparisons sometimes refer to their clan’s younger members as the Kennedy grandchildren of the Sabbat. It’s not a bad comparison, as the newcomers try to find some way of distinguishing themselves while overshadowed by the legacy of Gratiano and the other founders.

The Gathering Shadows: