Mordinos

The Mordinos are one of the most powerful crime families in New Reno.

Closer to a drug cartel than any other family, the Mordinos make the bulk of income from the selling of narcotics and other mind-altering substances to the inhabitants of New Reno and the greater Northern California area. The two keys to their drug trade were the boy genius Myron and his "invention" of Jet.

Background
The origins of the Mordino crime family are as dark as the souls of its two leaders: Señor Jesus Mordino and his son, Lil' Jesus. Both were originally slaves in New Reno, but liberated themselves years before, becoming two of the most ruthless and tenacious gangsters in Reno.

In the early days, the family's main income came from farming peyote cacti and selling them to tourists as the "Reno experience." They methodically built up their strength and by 2241, they and the Bishops were the most influential families in the city. The rapid, almost meteoric rise to power by the Mordinos was thanks to them finding a boy genius: Myron.

It is with his help that Mordinos that New Reno became a key player in the struggle for control over the territory of Northern California. The geopolitical struggle centered around the town of Redding, the primary supplier of gold ore in the region. When the New California Republic switched to dollars as currency, backing them with gold, the mining city became key to the trade networks throughout the former American Southwest. Whoever controls the supply of gold, controls the currency. Redding was lucky enough to remain far away enough to make a military takeover uneconomic. The three powers instead decided to make the city align with one of them through agents operating in the city, either planted ones (Painless Doc Johnson from Vault City) or voluntary supporters (Marge LeBarge was for the NCR and Dan McGrew opted for Reno).The Chosen One: "{138}{}{Hear any interesting rumors?}" Modjeska: "{145}{}{All I hear about are politics. That always seems to be the big stir in discussion.}" The Chosen One: "{146}{}{Politics? What do you mean?}" Modjeska: "{158}{}{Have you ever seen a greased brahmin contest?}" The Chosen One: "{160}{}{Nope, never heard of anything like that. Tell me about them.}" Modjeska: "{165}{}{What they do is grease up a brahmin calf, and then everyone in the crowd tries to catch the calf. If you can't catch it yourself, you make damn sure nobody else can, either.}" The Chosen One: "{166}{}{I don't see what that has to do with politics.}" Modjeska: "{168}{}{In this game, Redding is the greased brahmin - and a golden one at that. New Reno, the New California Republic, and Vault City are all trying to catch us...or at least keep the others from catching us.}" The Chosen One: "{169}{}{What do you mean?}" Modjeska: "{171}{}{Here in Redding we mine gold. Then we ship it to New Reno, the NCR, and Vault City in return for goods. Each of those places would like to have the gold - and the trade - all to themselves.}" The Chosen One: "{172}{}{Why don't they just attack you and take it, then?}" Modjeska: "{174}{}{We're big enough, and far enough away, to make a take-over expensive as well as dangerous. Much more efficient to have us join willingly.}" The Chosen One: "{175}{}{What do you mean?}" Modjeska: "{177}{}{The three powers are trying to get Redding to choose which side to ally themselves with. They've all got powerful allies in town, and it looks like things are coming to a head. Soon, Redding's going to have to make a choice.}" The Chosen One: "{178}{}{A choice?}" Modjeska: "{181}{}{The grease on this Brahmin calf is getting a bit thin. Soon, one of the powers is going to have to make a major play to take Redding before the others do. When that happens, people are going to get hurt. A lot of people.}" The Chosen One: "{183}{}{Why are people going to get hurt?}" Modjeska: "{192}{}{People are going to get hurt because this kind of change doesn't come easy. Those that think they're not going to get the prize get it in their mind to not let anyone else get it, either. The only way to avoid that is if we decide to go with one of the powers and make a quick alliance before the others catch on.}" (RCMODJES.MSG)

The Mordinos, wanting to establish themselves as an independent power, decided to take advantage of this political situation by attempting to gain control over all trade in Northern California. Their plan involved enslaving the Redding miners by proxy, with the use of highly addictive drugs. And Myron was able to provide the means. After evaluating the Mordinos' drug products, he created a completely new, highly addictive drug: Jet. It had an extremely high addiction rate and severe withdrawals, perfect for enslaving large populations without them knowing about it. By January 2241, the first samples began arriving in Redding, leading to widespread addiction and bringing the town a step closer to Reno. When the drug hit the streets of Reno, it practically turned the city around, for the worse.

However, Mordinos' expansion met resistance. When they attempted to expand into Salvatores' turf in West Side in early 2241, the other family retaliated with freshly obtained laser pistols. Two of Salvatore's men executed a group of Bishop's Men and a larger number of Mordinos. The shock of losing men to superior armaments resulted in the families giving them a wide berth. Big Jesus took the defeat personally and swore vengeance.

The struggle was ultimately resolved, but not in the Mordinos' favor. The discovery of a cure for Jet addiction and the death of their boy genius in 2242 broke their strength and the family faded into obscurity over the next couple of decades, their properties ceased and their members absorbed as enforcers or slaves by other families.

Organization
Like other crime families in New Reno, the Mordinos have a strict, hierarchical organization. The organization is controlled by the two Jesuses, with the father responsible for long term strategy and less physically demanding affairs and Little Jesus taking care of the day-to-day operations.

The Mordinos are picky when it comes to taking on new footmen, as a result of Big Jesus' sexism and conviction about gender roles. Women and men deemed not strong enough rarely find work with the crime family. Even if one is accepted, they have to tread carefully, as it's easy to offend Big Jesus with apparent weakness. Obviously, failure has severe consequences as well, including death. Such was the fate of Ramirez, who let four slaves escape and was treated to a dose of poisoned Jet.

As ruthless as the Mordinos are, they do not kill children. This may be a side effect of the great emphasis the Mordinos put on personal honor. A lack of respect earns their scorn, while outright insults can (and often do) have disastrous consequences.

Outside relations
The Mordinos are one of the primary drivers of New Reno's economy, with their key asset being their control over the Jet supply. They are the largest producer of this highly addictive drug in New Reno, owning the main factories, the creator, and an extensive distribution network. Factories making Jet are scattered throughout the city, pumping new batches day and night. The typical recipient is the junkie and/or visitor to New Reno, though large quantities of the drug are trafficked elsewhere, particularly in the less developed north. Of course, Redding is a strategic export market for Mordino drugs.

However, the Mordinos have their fingers in more than one venture. The crime family is the largest buyer of slaves in New Reno. They also have an extensive network of pimps and prostitutes selling themselves on the streets. They also control the Golden Globes porn studio, extracting a percentage of their operations.

Of course, their size and power make others envious or outright hostile. Unbeknownst to Big Jesus, Louis Salvatore, his arch-enemy, has been creating circumstances for a gang war between the Mordinos and Wrights, to weaken them both so that the Salvatores can seize power.

Technology
The Mordinos are easily recognizable by their black leather and automatic weapons, mostly submachine guns. This puts them on more or less equal footing with other crime families, with the sole exception of Salvatores. Their low-tech equipment is reliable and easy to maintain and replace. However, their biggest asset is extensive manufacturing facilities allowing for industrial-scale manufacture of Jet and excellent scientific labs (as far as the wasteland is concerned) where they refine their drugs.

Appearances
The Mordinos appear only in Fallout 2 and are mentioned