A Legacy is what the Laibon call a clan or bloodline. It should be noted that simply because a given Legacy has descended from a parent clan, it may not necessarily fulfill the same societal niche.
Major Legacies[]
Akunanse[]
- Main article: Akunanse
The Akunanse are the nomads and storytellers of the Laibon, named after the wise spider-god of the Ashanti tribes. The Akunanse are the most well-travelled of the legacies and are probably the Laibon who made contact with Europeans during the Middle Ages; this theory is borne out by their signature Discipline Abombwe and their resistance to the Beast, both noted in Laibon by the European Kindred of the Dark Ages period. As they acquire animal features as they age, and Abombwe is either an offshoot or progenitor Discipline to Protean, the Akunanse are almost certainly descended from the Gangrel.
Followers of Set[]
- Main article: Followers of Set
The Followers of Set are much like their Egyptian cousins: cunning, devious and obsessed with corruption. However, their long residence in Africa has changed them culturally, and they have little in common with their Egyptian brethren religion-wise. Still, they are as distrusted as any other Setite, and they fanatically work to hasten the resurrection of their dark lord.
Guruhi[]
- Main article: Guruhi
The Guruhi, named after a Gambian god, are the leaders and aristocrats of Laibon society. They are mercurial in appearance, sometimes looking angelically beautiful, while other times being hideous to behold. The Guruhi are the most ambiguous of the Laibon when it comes to their clan origin; their predilection towards leadership seems to indicate they are an offshoot of the Ventrue, while their sometimes horrifying appearance and preferred Disciplines suggest Nosferatu descent. Amongst the Nosferatu, however, there are legends of kingdoms in Africa ruled by the clan, so the latter theory is generally considered more likely.
Ishtarri[]
- Main article: Ishtarri
The Ishtarri are hedonists and social butterflies named after Ishtar, warrior goddess and patron of prostitutes; the Ishtarri likewise indulge both in the warrior arts and the pleasures of the flesh. Their addiction to human pleasures is shown in their appearance: unlike other vampires whose bodies remain unchanging through the centuries, an Ishtarri's body changes to reflect their preferred vice: the pallor of a drug addict, the obesity of the glutton, and so forth. While their love for human interaction likely proves the Ishtarri are descended from the Toreador (whose Antediluvian ancestor is sometimes named as Ishtar), their need to indulge in a vice may indicate a connection to the Ravnos.
Kinyonyi[]
- Main article: Kinyonyi
The Kinyonyi, named after the Luganda word for "bird", are mercenaries and nomads, selling their services to the highest bidder and constantly travelling from one place to the other. They are also famed as magicians who can conjure things out of thin air, though these are actually chimerical illusions. Their mastery of such illusions, along with reports of them going insane and genocidal a few years ago, clearly points to their origin as descendants of the Ravnos clan.
Nagloper[]
- Main article: Nagloper
Taking their name from the Khoikhoin word for an evil sorcerer or night-walker, the Naglopers are the most bestial and foul of the Laibon. Indulging in slaughter and mutilation, the Naglopers are generally hated and feared by the other Legacies - not least for their feral, powerful version of the Vicissitude Discipline. Their signature Discipline and their need to bury themselves under the earth each day marks them as descendants of the Tzimisce.
Osebo[]
- Main article: Osebo
The Osebo are warriors and enforcers among the Laibon. Quick to anger and strong as hell to boot, the Osebo fight for strong leaders who fulfil their desire for causes to fight. Their quick tempers indicate the Osebo are probably descended from the Brujah.
Shango[]
- Main article: Shango (VTM)
The Shango, named after the Yoruba god of storms, are the sorcerers, judges and assassins of the Laibon. They are the Guruhi's right hand men, providing them with counsel and magic. They also are easily addicted to the blood of Kindred, and so are probably descended from the Assamites.
Xi Dundu[]
- Main article: Xi Dundu
Presumably originating from the black Congo, the Xi Dundu are the Guruhi's main rivals (among the Laibon at least) for control of the Ebony Kingdom. Ruthless and ambitious, they can command living shadows, yet lack a shadow themselves. Their signature power and strange curse clearly indicate they are descended from the Lasombra.
Minor Legacies[]
There are also minor Legacies which have a less important role in the Ebony Kingdom, as well as vampires from the mainstream clans of Caine:
- The Malkavians are even more loathed in Africa than elsewhere, since madness is seen as possession from evil spirits by the superstitious Laibon. Malkavians in Africa are few and are constantly at risk of destruction.
- The Mla Watu are necromancers who prefer their privacy, keeping to themselves and their studies and avoiding the Jyhad. Other Laibon prefer it this way, since necromancy is seen as an evil skill in the Ebony Kingdom. Their cadaverous appearance and fascination with the worlds of the dead identify the Mla Watu as descendants of the Cappadocians.
- The Nkulu Zao are the descendants of Saulot, but their paranoia and fear of destruction have led to them becoming the soul-eaters the Tremere once claimed them to be. They are fearful and distrusting of other vampires, even those of their own kind, and left the search for Golconda long ago, more preoccupied with survival than transcendence.
- The Ventrue are the same as those of their mother clan: aristocratic, vain, and obsessed with obtaining and maintaining leadership. However, they reside in Africa, looking for opportunities not found elsewhere, where other European kindred constantly fight for dominance. They see Africa as a barbaric continent, but one filled with endless possibilities.
Vampire: The Dark Ages 20th Anniversary Edition[]
Vampire: The Dark Ages 20th Anniversary Edition adds three additional legacies without clear corresponding Western counterparts. The state of these Legacies in the Modern Nights is unknown.
- The Bonsam are territorial and vicious hunters that claim to originate from the darkness before creation.
- The Impundulu are descended from a necromancer slain by a spirit who returned as one of the undead. They live in a sort of symbiosis with the Bomkazi witches, their living siblings, since their blood is the only type that provides nourishment for them. Like the Mla Wutu, the Impundulu are accomplished necromancers.
- The Ramanga are the creation of contact between a mortal princess and a dark spirit who taught lessons of shadows and manipulation. They are often the secret masters of a domain, posing as simple advisors while holding all major threads in their own hands.
References[]
