Everything

For centuries, Italian mafia families have been infiltrated, used, and abused by the various factions of vampires – perhaps more so than any other single group in the underworld. Vampires have ghouled their brothers, used them as slaves or for fodder in meaningless vampire politics, and dominated their minds to the point of destruction. It’s rumored that entire families are controlled (or even related to) entire groups of vampires. Revenge drives many of these hunters; revenge and the desire to protect mi famigla from yet more abuse.

As to method, these hunters work in small, family-oriented groups of three or four, usually protecting the city in which they live, and training their sons and daughters to follow in their footsteps. Italian families are very tight-lipped with information, and in many cases, other members of the mafia may still be unaware of the

existence of vampires. They’re protected by the family, and they don’t need to know the details.

Most Mafioso hunters have a solid base of operations, a safe location from which to work. These may range from an anonymous warehouse hidden among thousands of others, to a luxury penthouse above the most prestigious casino in the area.

The most well-known criminal society in northern Europe is the Organizatsiya, an organization founded by a group of ex-military agents that banded together to form a new criminal conglomerate. However, the structure of this group is tenuous at best, shaken to the foundation by the various changes and upheavals in that region of the world. The Organizatsiya is comprised of small cells comprised of independent agents, and led by a coalition of the most powerful leaders. These groups work together, and consolidate often enough that most other mafia organizations tend to lump them under the same umbrella. Russian mafia syndicates are known worldwide for having a significant number of ex-military and ex-KGB members

in their number, making them one of the most formidable black-ops forces in the world.

The lone wolves of the Russian federation are the Bratva, a word which means “brotherhood.” Whereas the Organizatsiya are a collective of various organized crime syndicates, a Bratva is an independent agent who works with the Organizatsiya on occasion, but is not a member of any cell. These individuals are often too unpredictable (or uncontrollable) to take orders, and prefer to be hired as bounty hunters or black ops freelancers for specific missions and tasks. These mercenaries will work for anyone, so long as the pay is acceptable and the job is interesting, but their strongest ties are to the Russian underworld.

Russian organized crime activity in the United States has been expanding for the past 20 years, growing especially in the areas of weapons smuggling and extortion. Unlike Italian crime organizations, the Bratva do not have an elaborate hierarchy, but instead form networks of contacts, cellular groups, and solo agents who move from one area to another, relying on their contacts and associates for support.

The Odessa Mafia is the dominant branch of the Organizatsiya in the United States, operating from New York to San Francisco, and led by a group of powerful individuals based in Brighton Beach. Unlike standard Russian criminals, this organization is highly structured and well organized. They operate in incredible secrecy, and use only the Russian language in their higher echelons.

Members of the Bratva who hunt vampires often do it because a bounty has been placed on a Kindred’s head. These hunters are usually ex-military, well-trained and well-equipped, with some of the latest military grade weapons and technology and a personal “guidebook” of their experiences, discoveries, and strategies. These men and women are extremely dangerous, and many of them take a psychopathic joy in killing. The thrill of hunting a mortal has long since faded, and their skills are far above such a task. Hunting vampires is the only challenge left, and they so do with vigor — sometimes obsessively.

Although agents of the Bratva do not discuss it, some of these Russian hunters utilize the blood of vampires in order to increase their own skill and physical capacity. It is said that there is a laboratory in Romania staffed by ex-KGB scientists. This lab, called “Arca” by those in the know, maintain a morgue of captured vampires. Keeping them in torpor, the scientists sell injections of the blood as a stimulant to the wealthiest Bratva hunters.

The traditional code of conduct within Russian organized crime is called “vory v zakone,” translating to “thieves-in-law.” Members of these organizations are bound to live according to this code. If it is broken, the only punishment for transgression is death.

• Forsake your relatives. Have no family, no wife, and no children.

• Never work. Live only on your crime.

• Help other thieves, morally and materially. Teach the trade to beginners.

• Keep secret all information about accomplices, hideouts, etc.

• In unavoidable situations, take the blame for someone else’s crime rather than turning a brother in to the law.

• Disputes between members will be resolved by the vote of an informed convocation. Both sides will have the right to speak on their behalf. A member will participate in such convocations where necessary, and will accept and carry out punishments rendered by convocation. A member will not resist if found guilty.

• Have a good command of the thieves’ jargon (known as fehnay).

• Be sure your informants are also members of the Bratva.

• Do not gamble unless you can cover your losses. Do not overindulge in drugs or alcohol.

• Do not fraternize with the authorities, even though public activities or community organizations.

• Always keep your promises to other members of the Bratva.

Organized crime is on the rise in Central and Southern America, in some regions operating almost completely unrestrained by government agencies or law enforcement. Mexico, Columbia, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala are among the most noted areas affected by these crime groups, who grow opium and sell drugs worldwide. Groups like Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), the Mexican Mafia (la M), and the Sureños hold tremendous power through Central America and the southern continent. Other, more organized Cartel bosses operate like small nations, ruling their local area with an iron fist but losing a great deal of pull at a distance.

Local instability leads to an even greater predominance by these groups. A thirty-six year Guatemalan civil war and widespread corruption through multiple governments have given crime syndicates significant footholds. Still, the gangs are constantly at war, making such influence unstable. The preferred crimes of these organizations range through kidnapping, extortion, and drug dealing to international aid-stealing and massive governmental corruption.

Central American gangs have a hierarchy, a specific code of language, and a code of conduct. They are usually organized in cells, or “cliques,” without any overall leader. Leaders of the cells are called palabreros, loosely translated as “those who have the word.” Most cliques have a primera palabra and a segunda palabra, in reference to the clique’s first and second in command. Within the Cartels, things are a bit more organized; members known as “Falcons” (Halcones) are the eyes and ears of the group, while thugs known as Sicarios provide muscle to back up a Cartel leader’s commands.

Many of the hunters of the Central American gangs have seen the carnage wrought by the Sabbat through Mexico and Southern America. Some have relatives, family members, or loved ones who have suffered terribly at the hands of these psychopathic vampires. But more often, a member of these gangs becomes a hunter out of a sense of pride or one-upsmanship, a desire to be the toughest and baddest member of the group, or to show the local vampires that mortals can fight back and win. These hunters are often young, reckless, and over-eager – but they are dangerous, nevertheless.

These gang-members have ties to weapons smugglers, allowing them to have excellent guns and other weaponry, but with a hint of randomness. They have access to whatever could be smuggled in that month, and that may range from high-powered submachine guns to rocket launchers.

The word “tong” means “hall” or “gathering place,” and the symbology is literal; these organizations are as much secret brotherhoods or private societies as they are criminal groups. Tong Halls are often publically known, and used for mundane purposes by local citizenry. However, beneath that pleasant exterior lies one of the most dangerous groups in organized crime.

The organizational structure of Chinese-based organized crime is quite complex, and in no way monolithic. There is no chain of command, nor coordination between the cities – but there are some figures respected unilaterally, no matter whether they are members of a specific group or not. Major tongs include the New York gangs Fuk Ching and the Ghost Shadows, as well as California’s Wo Hop To and the Wah Ching.

One of the most unusual things about the Tongs is their relationship with standard society. A criminal gang might be affiliated with a perfectly legitimate Asian-American cultural society, and might even be considered a positive and supportive part of the culture. These gangs often operate gambling rings, drug distribution, and weapons smuggling.

Hunters from the Tong are not the stereotypical kung-fu expert. In modern times, they are often trained by private security firms, but turned from that employment to a more lucrative position in the Tong. Larger Tong groups often have enough money and resources to ensure that their protectors are well-equipped, and even those who are less profitable have the support of their communities. More than a few of them have Numina, followers of the old ways who use Chinese superstition and magic to best advantage against their foes. Numina is a fairly common power among the hunters of the Tong.

Retired Tong hunters, particularly those who have been permanently injured, disabled, or were former vampiric puppets, often become active resources for their Tong. Such experienced individuals become sages and guides for the next generation, and are hidden and protected by the rest of the members of the Tong. Because such hunters often have to deal with the strange Asian vampires in mainland China, this training can be absolutely critical to a hunter’s survival.

Known as Yazuka by their members and Boryokudan by the Japanese police, this criminal organization began as local, fragmented groups, but since World War II, the

Yazuka have consolidated, gained a hierarchy, and spread beyond Japan. The word itself comes from a Japanese card game called oicho-kabu, in which the worst possible hand was called a “ya-zu-ka.” Popular culture paints the Yazuka as tattooed street-thugs, riding Japanese motorcycles, eager for violence. Realistically, they are businessmen, who keep their tattoos covered by expensive suits. There are certainly younger, more gang-oriented members, but the Yazuka organization has expanded far beyond mere street thugs.

The various gangs that make up the Yazuka have different origins, but most claim descendancy from “Robin Hood”-like groups of ronin. Now, they specialize in gambling, protection rackets, and white-collar crime such as hacking, stock market scams, and business extortion.

Hunters among the Yazuka are often called “kabuki-mono,” or “crazy ones,” an appellation that originates with ancient gangs of Yazuka who carried long swords, intimidated entire villages, and used unconventional and baffling strategies and innovations to confuse their enemies.

Yazuka hunters are trained assassins, skilled in stealth, silent operation, and single-target eliminations. They work in pairs, with a mentor (oyabun) and a student (kobun), and the two agents give one another absolutely loyalty (and in the kobun’s case, unquestioning obedience). Some are agents of counterintelligence, using technology and hacking to track a vampire’s activity and plague them from afar. The best of these agents never have to get within a hundred miles of their target in order to trap them in an area that will soon be ignited with sunlight, or to bring them to the attention of local law enforcement – and ensure that the police have all the information (and every advantage) necessary to destroy the Yazuka’s target.

Most criminal agencies have thugs; individuals whose specialty is causing damage, or even killing, in the name of their organization. It is a fallacy to think that such experienced organizations can be easily infiltrated or manipulated, even by a vampire. More than one young Kindred has attempted to take over as the Capo of an area, only to discover themselves faced with a group of knowledgeable, capable hunters who plan to free their fellows from supernatural influence.

It’s no exaggeration to say that criminal organizations are sinister, bloody, and ruthless. In many ways, their willingness to break the law, cause harm, and torture their enemies is the equal of any vampire. These criminals aren’t

afraid to get their hands dirty, and they are well aware that they have no one to rely upon except themselves. A member of an organized crime family can’t exactly call the police to help them when someone murders one of their made men, lest the authorities discover the organization’s many other crimes while they’re tracking down what happened to Timmy. Therefore, battles between Kindred and hunters from crime organizations usually occur beneath the radar of the authorities.

In organized groups, the most superlative of these individuals are taken in by their leaders, given information and training, and used to devastate vampires who encroach on the organization’s turf. These men and women are trained to recognize a vampire when they see one, as well as the signs of vampiric influence. They can often discover that someone in the organization has been ghouled, and sometimes even when a power has been used to influence a member of the organization.

These thugs do not usually operate alone. Instead, they work in small cells of two to five individuals, trained and educated to work together, with access to their group’s information resources and records – even through oral tale-telling – of other such situations. Many of these cells specialize in fighting Giovanni opponents, researching fetters and destroying them in order to rob the necromancers of their most powerful weapons. Such made men are known among the Sicilian mafia as “Absolvers,” those who fight to keep human souls free of vampiric influence both before and after death.

Among the Tong and the Yazuka, individuals chosen for this duty are respected and revered much like kamikaze pilots or suicide bombers. It is expected that anyone who fights vampires will likely die on one of their missions, and thus, these members are given a great deal of respect. As with most organized groups, the hunters among the Italian mafia, the Tong and the Yazuka benefit from the fact that their organization is hierarchical. Information, weapons, backup and support from their non-hunter allies give them a definite edge.

In other organizations, members are more independent, operating either in small gangs or as individuals. These hunters don’t have the backup of the larger, more hierarchical organizations, but they can respond more quickly, and they are usually better trained and have more direct experience handling supernatural threats.

Russian Bratva agents often have specialized military training, and potentially even specific combat knowledge

of vampires (reflected with Specialties). These are among the most dangerous hunters among organized crime, and may even have old contacts or allies that can provide military-grade equipment.

Among the gangs of Central America, vampires had made significant footholds before hunters began to arise and fight back. However, constant abuse by the Sabbat throughout Mexico quickly taught these hardy people about the creatures they were fighting, and the gangs from Central America know more about vampires than any other group among the hunters of organized crime. After a kill, these individual hitters are more easily hidden among casual society, and can quickly lose any trail they might have picked up while on-task of killing a vampire.

For generations, vampires have been a powerful force, manipulating and dominating the movements of underworld organizations. During the Renaissance, when such organizations were spread out and communication was difficult, Kindred had a massive amount of control. It was easy for the Giovanni to hide themselves among the goombahs, using the discipline of Dominate to cover their tracks. It was just as simple for Brujah or Setites to “befriend” the Central American gang cells with Presence and leave behind very little trace. Yet as technology has advanced, allowing both the spread of information and the retention of knowledge, vampiric control has begun to slip. Small slips of the Masquerade shared and compiled over time has allowed these groups to see more of the big picture, and to understand their enemies and the powers that vampires wield – and recently, the underworld has begun fighting back.

Notably, they’ve done so with assistance. Carefully-chosen midlevel thugs, from Mafia capos to Bratva mercenaries, from Cartel bosses to Tong spiritualists, have been demonstrating a higher-than-normal amount of information about vampires. They have used this information to plumb weaknesses, devise strategies, and attack power structures within the Kindred world with devastating effectiveness, breaking down vampiric dominance within the underworld.

The city of Detroit is a ravaged and abandoned landscape, with once-magnificent buildings falling apart under the weight of urban decay. It was here, in 2005, that a reckless Kindred attempted to gain control of the local Columbian drug posse – and instead ended up captured and tortured by them into revealing the secrets of the Kindred world.

The leader of that cartel, Miguel “Santos” de Sanza, spread word through his allies and the local Columbian gangs, and they decided to take action. Santos led the fight against Kindred influence in Detroit, killing several members of the Giovanni Clan and destroying a Setite temple. Afterwards, Detroit’s underworld was forever changed.

The violence spread through Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston, as information about these vampiric parasites was made available to various gangs and cartels. Santos de Sanza’s cartel, a group known as the Sapa Inca, rapidly grew in power and control throughout the United States. Today, Sapa Inca’s influence (and reputation) has spread through the darkest parts of the underworld and organized crime. They can be found in most major American cities, and parts of Mexico.

The Camarilla’s Justicars have declared Detroit a “danger zone,” and strongly encourage Kindred not settle in the area. The withdrawal of Kindred resources and influence has led to the further degradation and impoverishment of the city, but to those mortals “in the know,” this is preferable to slavery at Kindred hands.

Only the highest echelons of these mortal hunters realize that they aren’t winning their battles entirely on their own. They have assistance; a group of Caitiff calling themselves “Kerberos” has allied with Santos, giving him information about the vampiric condition, access to Kindred society, and the location of targets known to be exercising influence over various underworld groups. Sometimes they pass along this knowledge in the guise of paid informants, but on other occasions they fool the superstitious and uneducated by pretending to be “angels” trying to redeem gangsters’ immortal souls. Certainly, in dealing with la Cosa Nostra, the Catholic culture of the Latin American gangs, and a variety of superstitions common in the criminal element, this ploy has shown merit. The “Dark Word,” as it is called, is spreading.

Very few members of the underworld know that de Sanza’s organization is working with Kerberos, and only a handful of those know that Kerberos is comprised of vampires. If that information became public, it might cause the members of Sapa Inca to riot, questioning whether Santos had merely exchanged one devil for another. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Kerberos has no control over Sapa Inca, nor Santos, and simply passes useful information to him through various and constantly-changing means.

The coterie known as Kerberos consists of only five vampires; four of whom are young, ostracized Caitiff

still deeply invested in the mortal world. Embraced in the last six years, they have living family and friends, and make every attempt to lead “normal” lives despite their new state. They reject the vampiric ideal that one should give up such things after the Embrace. Three of these vampires are too thin-blooded to create childer of their own, and do not know the identity of their Sire, giving them every reason to maintain ties with the mortal world. The fourth can Embrace, but does so only when told to by their leader.

The fifth of this group is their leader, a Kindred named Zek. Her real name is Nevesa Zekistraya, and she is a Tzimisce claiming to be Caitiff. To be specific, she descends not from the modern metamorphs of the Sabbat, but from the Old Clan, those who did not acquire Vicissitude (see V20, p. 439). She can trace her lineage back to Lambach Ruthven, though she is only a little over fifty years Embraced. Nevesa is a powerful creature, despite her high Generation (9th), and unknown to the others in Kerberos, she is their Sire. She deliberately botched their Embraces to ensuring that they would become Caitiff, and Dominated the details of the Embrace out of their minds so they would not recognize her. Thereafter, she gathered them up, played on personality traits she already knew they had, and began Kerberos.

In her mortal life, Zek was deeply entrenched in the underworld of the USSR; she was a member of the Russian KGB for nearly 10 years before her Embrace, and operated undercover among the various cells of the Organizatsiya. After her embrace, Zek fixated on the underworld and the various ways that Kindred society controlled it. She convinced her Sire that if she was allowed to take action, she could loosen those controls and potentially even cause them to backlash. At worst, nothing will come of her efforts; at best, the Sabbat, the Giovanni, and many others will be destroyed by their own pawns while the Old Clan never has to leave their Slavic fastnesses.

Using Animalism, Auspex, and Dominate, Zek ensures that no mortal has ever seen her true form. She possesses bodies and manifests her spirit from the astral plane, while her slumbering vampiric body remains safe. In this way, she makes sure that any contact she’s had with Santos is completely anonymous and ever-changing. She educates her Caitiff brood in similar tactics, making them incredibly hard to track down or identify. The others have additional skills in electrical engineering, espionage, and theology (to play on the various organizations’ religious leanings). One of them has even mastered the Thaumaturgical power of Technomancy, making the Kerberos coterie extremely versatile.