Obtenebration

Disciplines / Discipline Techniques

It cannot be seen, cannot be felt,
Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt.
It lies behind stars and under hills,
And empty holes it fills.
It comes first and follows after,
Ends life, kills laughter.

Description: "And the Earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep," says the Book of Genesis. "And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." God created the heavens and the earth before anything else. But before the accursed Sun, before Eden, and well before Caine, there was darkness. It is this darkness that the eldest Lasombra revere, and this ancient, unknowable darkness whose depths they plumb with the Discipline of Obtenebration. With it, the Magisters can coax filaments of the shadowy void out into the physical world. Here those filaments can take on solid form and obey the commands of those who summoned them.

The source and inhabitants of the ancient darkness are unknown. Many Lasombra claim that the darkness predates God himself and is the home to a more powerful entity kept at bay only by the power of the Sun. In that, they see themselves reflected. Many Lasombra strive to master this ancient being and its minions. Many of those who fail to fully master the shadow find themselves haunted by phantoms in the darkness. Other Lasombra suggest that the darkness comes from a corner of Hell, cut off from the shining firmament of Heaven or from some pre-Christian pagan Underworld. The most common name given to the darkness is Ahriman, the dark half of Zoroastrian dualism - a faith that has had a long association with the Lasombra, most recently as one of the spiritual underpinnings of the Cainite Heresy.

Obtenebration frightens normal mortal creatures and animals. Most Cainite scholars believe this is because Obtenebration is part of God's curse on Caine. By gaining power through calling forth the forces of Hell, or whatever the outer darkness represents, the character pulls himself further from the gaze of God and closer to eternal damnation. Characters with a mystical bent, philosophers and those who consider themselves to be damned souls favor Obtenebration.

Main Sequence

1 - Shadow Play

2 - Nocturne

3 - Arms of Ahriman

4 - Nightshades

5 - Tenebrous Avatar

Alternate Powers Levels 1-5

4 - Black Metamorphosis (VTM3 169)

Advanced Obtenebration

Level 6

Aegis of Shadow (PGHC 156-157)

The Darkness Within / Kiss of the Lamprey / Darksome Embrace (GtS3 111)

Eyes of the Night (SSG2 66)

Walk the Abyss / Shadowstep (DA2 201-202)

Level 7

Death Shroud (DAC 87)

Fortify Against Ahura Mazda (PGHC 157)

Shadow Twin / Shadow Slave (GS 112)

Level 8

Inner Darkness (PGHC157-158)

Night Shades (DAC 87-88)

Oubliette / Entombment(GS 112)

Level 9

Enter the Abyss (PGHC 158)

Ahriman's Demesne (GS 112)

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Proposed Obtenebration Powers

Bibliography