Explorations into the limits of the void from which the Lasombra draw their power have resulted in an entirely separate realm of occult belief. Abyssal Occultists attempt to gain knowledge of the true nature, and thus the true power, of the shadow realms.
Abyssal Occultism is a fairly obscure knowledge. Only those Lasombra deemed worthy are allowed to explore the nature and limits of their Obtenebration abilities.
Standards: Lasombra should first have at least an Occult ability rating of 3, and an Obtenebration rating of 3, before they can begin learning Abyssal Occultism.
* The Lasombra knows that the darkness they control is something 'other' than mere shadows.
** The Lasombra haw an understanding that the summoned darkness comes from some sort of alternate plane of reality, and that when they summon some shadow construct, it is actually a portion of that reality entering our own.
*** The Lasombra knows that, despite their apparent ability to "control" it, the Abyss itself has some sort of sentience of its own.
**** The Lasombra knows of (and might have encountered) the dark spirits that roam the Abyssal dimension, and that it is really lesser aspects of these that are called forth with Obtenebration. However, their true motivations are still a mystery.
***** The Lasombra believes they understand the true nature of the Abyss and its inhabitants, and their explorations may lead them to suspect that some ritual or pact must have once been enacted to bind the Lasombra blood to the dark dimension, though who might have done it, and why, are things still to be discovered.