Laibon

The Laibon Clan originated in Africa many millennia ago among the tribal people south of the Sahara. A powerful shaman, the founder was able to use the power of his vampiric blood to connect to animal and earth spirits as well as maintain a greater connection to his own spiritual nature. Over the years, the ancient learned mastery over the spirits, at the expense of the potency of his own blood. From Africa, eventually the Laibon would spread out across the world, seeking out remote places where mortals felt a connection to the spirit world. The Laibon were able to extend their influence significantly when Africa slaves were taken to the New World, taking the Laibon with them to spread among a whole continent full of tribal people who respect the spirits.

Since that time, the Laibon have wandered the wild places of the world, interacting with beast spirits and the people who still believe in them. They value their independence and join no Sect, nor do they allow Sect boundaries to limit their travel of their behavior. Because of this, they are often disliked by both Sects who see them as dangerous loose cannons. The Laibon prefer regions of the world that the other vampires have less desire for - jungles, deep forests, third world nations and villages, and other places where people still believe in spirits. Since the age of colonialism of the Laibon Clan has come into conflict more frequently with other Clans as traditional cultures have been displaced or pressured into assimilation and the Laibon lose ground to the combined might of civilization and western kindred. The regions with the largest Laibon presence are sub-Saharan Africa and the villages and jungles of South America.

Nickname: primitives, shamans, natives.

Disciplines: Animalism, Auspex, Spiritus

Weakness: Laibon have a more powerful spirit than do other vampires, which allows them to commune with the spirits of beasts and gives them their powers. The downside to this is that their blood becomes weaker. They cannot create a blood bond nor will their blood create ghouls, it has no effect on vampires or humans that drink it. Because of their spiritual connection to animals, a Laibon's blood can still create the blood bond in beasts as well as turning them into ghouls.

Advantages: Laibon have a different spiritual nature than vampires. Their aura is not pale as are those of other vampires and they do not naturally repel animals. They cannot be detected as being unnatural by spirits or by creatures that use spirit powers such as werewolves. Increase the difficulty of reading the aura of an Laibon or using similar powers by 2.

Appearance: The Laibon are drawn almost exclusively from tribal peoples from South America, Africa, or Australia. So they are almost always racially black or brown, white Laibon are almost unheard of, as are Asians. Though there are no particular trends in terms of age or gender. Their clothing often reflects that of the culture they were raised in, traditional tribal clothing, loin clothes, or simple shorts and t-shirt. Some Laibon have wandered the jungles and wildernesses so long that they eschew the use of clothing entirely.

Haven: The Laibon seldom have any permanent havens. They wander the jungles and savannah, finding haven in the earth or in what ever dwellings they might happen across. In the rare cases that the Laibon decide to enter an urban area, they will likely sleep in a vehicle or perhaps in the home of a slain mortal. They never stay in towns or cities for long though, so they don’t put much effort into securing or selecting such havens.  

Background: Laibon almost always select their childer from among humans living a tribal exist or close to it. The main regions of influence for the Laibon are Africa and Latin America - where they look for potential childer in poor villages and deep jungles, in search of people who still follow the old traditions and believe in or venerate spirits. For the most part, Laibon don't have that much interest in embracing childer and creating competition, though they feel highly motivated to do so when they encounter a individual with a true connection to spirits. Sometimes such individuals are shamans or witch doctors in little villages, other times they are mad hermits living on their own in the deep wilderness, sometimes they are just random villagers with untapped potential. Virtually all Laibon are of African, Australian aboriginal, or Native American ethnicity as well, very few whites are embraced into the Clan. Occasionally, an urban dweller has some special quality that attracted the attention of the Laibon, but it is rare and even city dwellers with such spiritual potential are seldom seen by a Laibon - though it is becoming more common as traditional tribal lifestyles disappear. Laibon childer seldom have any substantial wealth or education, most are illiterate and have only the skills they will have learned in their villages such as hunting, weaving, primitive farming, etc. Some childer stay with their people, others abandon them and become nomadic hunters in the forests and jungles.

Organization: Laibon have virtually no Clan organization, they reject such notions and their lifestyle of frequent travel and subsisting from animals make organization largely unneeded. When two unfamiliar Laibon cross paths, they either politely greet each other and share a night of telling stories, or the two fight for dominance before the loser flees or is killed. In most cases Laibon are solitary, though the sire of a childe will often stay with the childe for a few years to show him the ropes. In some instances, a Laibon will attach itself to a tribe of humans, helping to protect them and feeding off of them as well. In such cases, a childe is allowed to stay as long as it doesn't strain the tribe, though other vampires are driven off or killed. As Laibon territory is being reduced by the expansion of other Clans, some groups of Laibon have begun to form rough alliances to fight off the invaders. These alliances seldom last longer than the external threat does. In many places in the world since colonialism, the threat of "civilized" Clans is so great that it is creating regional and long term organizations of Laibon.

Stereotypes

Ahrimanes: Why should they demand to rule over us?
Baali: They are corrupt and evil, using the most despicable methods to torture and exploit our mortal kin.   
Blood Brothers: Fearsome warriors, but they fear wild places and the sun’s rays, so they trouble us very little.  
Children of Osiris: Why should an eagle seek to instead be a mouse? 
Gargoyles: They should never have been created. Now that they exist they seek oblivion in endless conflict.   
Kiasyd: These villains seek to enslave the world in chains of steel and glass, making them the gravest threat to our people and traditions.  
Lamia: Any man is wise to fear a serpent’s strike.   
Lhiannan: Shamans like us, they see value in wild places and the people there. It is a tragedy that they would conquer the spirits instead of befriending them.   
Nagaraja: Foul predators who kill and destroy not only for sustenance but for pleasure. We cross their paths but rarely and destroy them when we can.
Salubri: They see more deeply than others of our kind, why then can’t they act upon their insight?  
Samedi: Unholy abominations or misguided fools, they should not meddle with spirits of the dead. 
Sybarites: In pursuing undying pleasure they blind themselves to the suffering their pleasures cause.   
Caitiff: Why should any judge the weak blooded? They suffer enough from their state. 
Camarilla: These ancient evil doers desire power and control above all other things. They have taken our lands and destroyed our people, a time will come when we shall make a stand and bring down this threat. 
Sabbat: They have lost their way, but still oppose those who would destroy us. 
Anarchs: Why do these vampires not take a stand against the evil in their midst? 

Laibon