Montano, originally known as "Ontai" from North Africa, is a Masai and master of known and unknown Obtenebration powers.
Embraced by the Lasombra Antediluvian before the birth of Christ, a favored childe of the Antediluvian since that time. They traveled the world together and moved the Lasombra Clan from the Iberian Peninsula to Imperial Rome. Montano was known for assembling an elite legion of powerful warriors called the Victory Corps and led skirmishes and political maneuvers against other vampire clans, shaping European history even amongst the mortals. They were so successful that they received the reputation of being fearsome "night-dark troops", spreading a far reaching spy network across the Roman Empire.
As time wore on, Lasombra needed a fixed location to go into torpor. Sicily was the perfect place, far removed from Italy's wars and the Ventrue-dominated Holy Roman Empire. Montano and his sire, built a great castle, not only for the Antediluvian's resting but also to provide a central court to settle wars with the Germans.
During the First Anarch Revolt, Montano was sympathetic to the cause since many neonates were being eradicated during the Inquisition. However, when anarch ideology began to creep into the Lasombra Clan, Montano and his men were quick to crush it.[2] It wasn't until his "brother", Gratiano betrayed the family by joining the Anarchs, that Montanto had a burning hatred for them. The betrayal ran deep when Gratiano aligned with Assamites to bring an anarch raid right to their Lasombra castle. The Lasombra Clan elders were killed and clansman converted to the anarch insurgency... Montano being the only one to escape, he then joining the newly founded Camarilla as one of their few Lasombra Antitribu.
As far as his view on Lasombra's supposed diablerie, he didn't stick around to verify his sire's "death", and whatever memories he had of that fateful day, had been "tampered" with. Only an Antediluvian or a Methuselah like himself, could have done this, which may be one of the reasons why he suspects that Lasombra might still be alive.
References
- VTM: CotI is Who's Who Among Vampires: Children Of The Inquisition, p. 46-49