V5 Chronicle - Faction Profile - The Circulatory System

During the course of the various stories of this chronicle the coterie has and will meet many characters so I'm therefore creating several profile pages for different groups within my version of kindred Los Angeles to help them keep track. I'll also amend these profiles as new information comes to light and old 'facts' turn out to be less factual than originally thought...

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The Circulatory System

'The Circulatory System'

The exploration of blood and its Resonances has spawned rings of Kindred eager for knowledge, power, and profit. The international human trafficking network known as the Circulatory System smuggle important vessels between domains and chronicle the powers of the blood vintages they move.

The System is at the forefront of kindred research in the area of analysis of blood and can refine and amplify taste, resonance and other more esoteric features of it. This has granted them a customer base consisting of the highest levels of kindred society, who either crave new experiences or whose particular blood requirements are normally in short supply. Many ancient Ventrue with particularly rare feeding requirements would find themselves slipping into torpor without access to The Circulatory System's resources.

They have also perfected the art of the Blood Sommelier and can bind blood to a liquid medium, usually wine, and offer a variety of vintages of such.

The Circulatory System uses armoured vans and armed ghoul drivers to transport vessels from location to location. These protected modes of transit are more than simple security vehicles as they bristle with concealed weapons.

The Circulatory System - Concealed Weapon Systems

Such precautions are necessary when these transports sometimes contain incredibly valuable vessels destined for important buyers.

'Farms'

Their primary bases of operations are known as 'farms' and contain valuable vessels with the most potent blood. These are something between clinic and prison and though some of their guests are willing participants, or believe themselves to be, the majority are not. The system also has contacts within the mundane human trafficking operations of mortal criminal networks which allow them to obtain a steady supply of new potential candidates. Of course, those who don't have blood of sufficient interest or quality find themselves either put back into the hell from which they were obtained, or quietly disposed of.

The Unfortunate Victims of 'The Circulatory System'

Operational control of a farm is only given to the most ruthlessly efficient of The Circulatory Systems senior representatives. Those given such an honour are also given authority over a veritable army of ghouls and blood bound mortals to protect each site as well as access to a fleet of heavily armed and armoured vehicles for transportation purposes. As long as the profits keep rolling in, each Farm Director is given free rein to run their facility as they please.

The Circulatory System - Haematology

Of course The Circulatory System care little for the long-term well-being of their vessels, beyond the dip in profits they suffer when such kine die prematurely. Though the occasional farm director runs their clinic with compassion and care, they are extremely rare, the majority see their charges as little better than cattle. Many Kindred can look past such minor issues to the pioneering studies the System makes possible by unlocking new and valuable features of the Blood.

Though the majority of it's customers are of the Camarilla, The System will supply to anyone who has the resources to pay their exorbitant fees, recognizing that even Anarch domains contain Ventrue Barons with identical issues to their Camarilla counterparts.

Membership level is indicated by a simple colouring system upon the membership cards themselves and the level of authority of the contact that the number upon the reverse gives you access too. These follow the traditional hierarchy of Bronze, Silver and Gold though the most important customers are rumoured to have a Platinum Card giving them direct access to a particular farm's director.

Certain individuals have let slip that a card of pure black also exists, though what services this gives access to is a matter of much conjecture.

Los Angeles 'Farm: An-LA-001'

The Farm in Los Angeles is based a few miles into the San Gabriel Mountains at the extreme point of a Anarch Barony known as 'The Wilds'. It's safety and security are ensured by hefty bribes, blackmail and blood bonded officials. It's area of responsibility covers Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and the newly acquired Camarilla domain of San Jose though it will operate further afield if necessary.

The 'Director' of this particular facility is named Marcelina Black.

Marcelina Black

Aliases and Nicknames

'Director'

Clan

8th Generation Ventrue

Haven(s)

Los Angeles 'Farm' (Haven 3: Armoury: Military Grade, Cell 5, Laboratory 5: Haematology, Library 5: Medicine, Luxury, Postern 5: Escape Tunnels, Security System 5+, Surgery, Watchmen 5, Warding 3)

Backgrounds 
Ally 4 (Catherine DuBois), Ally 4 (The Blossoms), Ally 3 (Leanna, Blood Sommelier), Ally 3 (The Coyotes, Gangrel Pack), Allies (Ghoul Security Teams: Effectiveness 5, Reliability 3), Contacts 1-5 (Various Useful Officials), Herd 5 (The Circulatory System's Vessels), Influence 4, Mask 2, Mawla 5 (Joshua Lang, Sire, the Shattered Spear), Resources 5, Retainer 5 (Arla Hartley, Ventrue), Status 5 (The Circulatory System), Status 4 (Camarilla), Status 3 (The Shattered Spear), Status 1 (Los Angeles), 

Merits

Linguistics 1 (French)

Flaws

Disliked, Ventrue Feeding Restriction (???)

Lore

Descendant of Hardestadt (1: Voice of Hardestadt, 2: Supreme Leader), High Clan (1: Peacock), Plagues of Gehenna (1: Blister Marks), Pure Ventrue Lineage (1: Sire of Renown, 2: A Lineage of Title, 3: Recitation), Spear of Orthia (1: Tip of the Spear, 3: The Enduring Faith), The Circulatory System (1: Tap Into the System, 2: Little Black Book, 3: Farm Upstate, 4: Secure Transit, 5: Blood Sommelier),

Derangements

Empathy Deficit Disorder (Severe), Intermittent Explosive Disorder (Severe), Megalomania (Severe) 

Though the Anarch domains are considered a much less lucrative market, The Circulatory System is making subtle inroads due to the influx into these domains of displaced kindred from clans that have now left the Camarilla. The Los Angeles farm is very much a test case in the viability of maintaining such a facility under the rule of Barons rather than Princes.

Control of this facility has been given to one of their most ruthless up and coming operatives, one Marcelina Black. If anyone can make this new direction a success then it's going to be her. Aided by her assistant, she has already established contact with the areas human traffickers, created trade routes for her important cargoes and has lined up a surprisingly lucrative, if currently relatively small, customer base within all four domains allocated to her.

Marcelina comes from a long line of renowned Ventrue and can trace her lineage all the way back to Hardestadt the Elder. A fact she will be more than happy to relay to anyone who questions her suitability for any role. Though many of her clan have a tendency towards arrogance, Miss Black takes this to new extremes. She has complete and utter confidence that every decision she makes is the correct one, and woe betide any who question her or fail to obey her dictates instantly and enthusiastically.

The unfortunate kindred who is required to assist Marcelina Black in this venture, is Arla Hartley.

Arla Hartley

Clan

9th Generation Ventrue

Haven(s)

Los Angeles 'Farm' (Haven 3: Armoury: Military Grade, Cell 5, Laboratory 5: Haematology, Library 5: Medicine, Luxury, Postern 5: Escape Tunnels, Security System 5+, Surgery, Watchmen 5, Warding 3)

Backgrounds 
Allies (Ghoul Security Teams: Effectiveness 5, Reliability 3), Contacts 1-3 (Various Useful Officials), Herd 3 (The Circulatory System's Vessels), Influence 1, Mask 2, Mawla 4 (Marcelina Black), Resources 3, Status 3 (The Circulatory System)

Flaws

Bond Junkie, Long Bond, Ventrue Feeding Restriction (???)

Lore

The Circulatory System (1: Tap Into the System, 2: Little Black Book, 3: Farm Upstate, 4: Secure Transit, 5: Blood Sommelier)

Derangements

Dependent Personality Disorder (Marcelina Black), Paranoia (Mild) 

Arla has been at the beck and call of Marcelina in one role or another for just under a century. She is the only long-term associate of Miss Black who seems able to tolerate her complete lack of empathy and utter indifference to her underlings. How she has tolerated ninety-five years in her service is a mystery to all.

The truth is that Arla has an unfortunate susceptibility to the Blood Bond that once discovered by Marcelina was exploited to it's upmost. The Bond feels so much sweeter to Arla than is the norm and takes far longer to fade, making it's upkeep simple. In short, Arla is as much a slave of Marcelina's as the vessels in which The Circulatory System trades.

On the rare occasions she is allowed to act for herself she is an ambitious and efficient individual who has demonstrated that she would have little trouble advancing herself within the organisation. Unfortunately, this is something that her superior is never going to allow. Any individual responsible for removing this impediment to her ambitions would find themselves with an eternally grateful ally. An ally, in fact, who would be sure to inherit control of the L.A. Farm.

Storytellers Note - Stories featuring 'The Circulatory System' can be found HERE and HERE

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Should you be interested in the chronicles and stories associated with these pages then links to them all can be found HERE.

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Acknowledgements
I've used pictures of real people to represent some of the characters and art for others so in no particular order Marcelina Black is Carrie Anne Moss and Arla Hartley is Claudia Black.

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