Lygos
Being afraid of the dark isn't about being afraid of the absence of light. It's about being afraid of the things that hide in the dark. Like me.
Light is noise. Darkness is the absence of that noise.
At least, that’s how the Nosferatu of the Lygos lineage see it. To them, the darkness is pure. It envelops them. For lack of a better term, it embraces them. They are the pillbugs and maggots underneath a darkened log. They are ribbons of shadow deeper than the shades of night itself. Light is garish. It does not reveal: it only confuses. When light shines upon a vampire of the Lygos, he hisses and spits and retreats from the luminous intrusion.
That part isn’t all that hard to understand, really. The Nosferatu are aberrant either physically or spiritually (for some, it’s both), and the darkness is a place of hiding, of safety, and of advantage. Plus, they’re vampires. Light is anathema to all the Damned, at least to a degree.
But the Lygos? They worship the darkness. It is a living thing, to them. It has no name, and it has no face (for darkness is all-consuming, and one could not see its face regardless), but it is a real thing, an encompassing entity deserving of veneration. A Nosferatu of the Lygos whispers prayers and entreaties to the darkness to keep them safe if not sane. He begs the darkness to swallow his enemies. He might even leave little treats and baubles behind as gifts for the shadows, and none are surprised when those trifles go missing by moonrise the next night.
At least, that’s how the Nosferatu of the Lygos lineage see it. To them, the darkness is pure. It envelops them. For lack of a better term, it embraces them. They are the pillbugs and maggots underneath a darkened log. They are ribbons of shadow deeper than the shades of night itself. Light is garish. It does not reveal: it only confuses. When light shines upon a vampire of the Lygos, he hisses and spits and retreats from the luminous intrusion.
That part isn’t all that hard to understand, really. The Nosferatu are aberrant either physically or spiritually (for some, it’s both), and the darkness is a place of hiding, of safety, and of advantage. Plus, they’re vampires. Light is anathema to all the Damned, at least to a degree.
But the Lygos? They worship the darkness. It is a living thing, to them. It has no name, and it has no face (for darkness is all-consuming, and one could not see its face regardless), but it is a real thing, an encompassing entity deserving of veneration. A Nosferatu of the Lygos whispers prayers and entreaties to the darkness to keep them safe if not sane. He begs the darkness to swallow his enemies. He might even leave little treats and baubles behind as gifts for the shadows, and none are surprised when those trifles go missing by moonrise the next night.
Culture
Culture and cultural heritage
History and Culture: The Lygos won’t admit to this story, not ever. And it might not even be true (even though they fear that it is): once in the lands of Egypt there lurked a powerful Mekhet known as Nebt-Het Asenath. Asenath was said to be a childe of Longinus, the Dark Father, and was rebelling against him and hoping to stir awake old gods who might come to spite her sire. And so she walked to Ethiopia where there waited an old church buried beneath the ground, covered up because it had been made home to fallen gods, the Lord’s touch erased from the stone. In uncovering the church she discovered a nest of torpid vampires: wretched, pale Nosferatu who had dwelled too long in the dark. They awoke when she troubled their grave, and they swarmed her. It is said that it wasn’t one who performed the Diablerie, but all of them together in grim simultaneity. In consuming the Vitae and soul of this potent Shadow, this clutch of Worms suffered what some say was a terrible corruption and what others (those of the bloodline) claim to have been a powerful revelation. They became the Lygos, servants of the darkness, adherents of shadow.
For the most part, the Lygos in modern nights stay far the hell away from the tempests and incests of the Damned, preferring instead to remain in the darkest places the city presents, a hissing nest of monsters. They usually do “elect” a representative, though, a bridge between the world of the rest of the Damned and the darkness of the Lygos. This go-between communes with both sides, and ushers favors and requests where appropriate.
For the most part, the Lygos in modern nights stay far the hell away from the tempests and incests of the Damned, preferring instead to remain in the darkest places the city presents, a hissing nest of monsters. They usually do “elect” a representative, though, a bridge between the world of the rest of the Damned and the darkness of the Lygos. This go-between communes with both sides, and ushers favors and requests where appropriate.
Nickname: Creeps, Shades
Bloodline Disciplines: Auspex, Nightmare, Obfuscate, Vigor
Weakness: The light really fucks with a Lygos’ senses. The more intense the light, the greater the penalty one of these vampires suffers on Perception rolls. A flickering candle or a bright moon might incur a -1 penalty, moderate light (a bright flashlight) would force a -2 penalty, normal everyday houselights might incur a -3 penalty, floodlights or potent fluorescence causes a -4 penalty, and the light of the sun itself stirs a -5 penalty. Curiously, this penalty applies to all Perception rolls, even those that don’t involve sight. Light literally causes a kind of dissonance to the Lygos—for some, this manifests as a high piercing noise, for others an intense crawling of the skin (as if covered in biting ants).
Parent ethnicities
Weakness: The light really fucks with a Lygos’ senses. The more intense the light, the greater the penalty one of these vampires suffers on Perception rolls. A flickering candle or a bright moon might incur a -1 penalty, moderate light (a bright flashlight) would force a -2 penalty, normal everyday houselights might incur a -3 penalty, floodlights or potent fluorescence causes a -4 penalty, and the light of the sun itself stirs a -5 penalty. Curiously, this penalty applies to all Perception rolls, even those that don’t involve sight. Light literally causes a kind of dissonance to the Lygos—for some, this manifests as a high piercing noise, for others an intense crawling of the skin (as if covered in biting ants).