The Circulatory System is an international human trafficking network and criminal empire that smuggles important vessels between domains and chronicles the powers of the blood vintages they move. They are led by powerful Ventrue.
Overview[]
History[]
The Circulatory System is a fairly new syndicate, operating on a global scale as a network of human traffickers, smugglers, and would-be profiteers. But above them all, at the top of the logistics chain, are a handful of the most influential Kindred in the world. Publicly, they market “vintages” to affluent Kindred clientele. In truth, the network's Board of Trust rakes in millions by supplying mortal victims to all factions embroiled in the Gehenna War.
However, more than one of the Kindred at the top has recently fallen under the thrall of other factions and perhaps even the methuselahs involved in the Gehenna War. Because of this, sometimes the System makes victims available surprisingly generously, for those whose Humanity won’t stand in the way of murdering people to get back on their feet quickly.
The leading Board of Trust is using the organization to exploit the Gehenna War, expanding their own network.
Operations[]
Vampires take advantage of the Circulatory System illegal services to obtain blood with a specific resonance from selected vessels. The Circulatory System is an exploitive network and cares little for the long-term well-being of their vessels, beyond the dip in profits the traffickers suffer when such kine die prematurely. Many Kindred, especially the System's clients in the redworking scene, can look past such minor issues to the pioneering studies the System makes possible by unlocking new and valuable features of the Blood.
Although Kindred in many domains know of the Circulatory System, it’s a highly opaque organization. Few know who leads it and its leaders prefer it like that. Their theory goes that the less Kindred know, the harder it is for them to compromise the System and divert its resources away from what its directors want it to do.
Loresheet[]
A character with a connection to the Circulatory System (as a client, trafficker, or former mortal vessel turned vampire) can unlock the following abilities:
Tap into the System: Once per story, the character can request a specific vessel from the Circulatory System.- Little Black Book: The character is in possession of a book containing records of blood experiments and theories on the power of select vessels’ blood. This can provide an extra die to Investigation, Alchemy, Medicine, or Science tests related to track down a specific kind of blood. It also cuts the time to research a new two-dot or three-dot Thin-Blood Alchemy formula in half.
- Farm Upstate: The character knows the location of a blood farm controlled by the Circulatory System and can access it. These vessels are equivalent to four dots of Herd, but can only be fed from once per week, unless the entire farm is taken over.
- Secure Transit: The Circulatory System uses armored vans and armed ghoul drivers to transport vessels from A to B. These protected modes of transit are more than simple security vans; they bristle with weapons and sometimes contain incredibly valuable vessels destined for important buyers. The character has access to one of those vans and may arrange secure travel for one or more Kindred with little effort.
- Blood Sommelier: The character knows the Circulatory System’s secret methods for taste, analysis, and refinement, and can replicate them. The player can add two dice to any test to discover the Resonance of blood, and can select three dots of Contacts, Allies, or Haven Merits to explain their knowledge.
References[]
VTM: 5th Edition Corebook, p. 386
VTM: Gehenna War
VTM: Reckoning of New York