The Mordinos were a powerful crime family in 2241, however they had lost much of their fortune by 2280.
Background[edit]
Fallout 2[edit]
The origins of the Mordino crime family are 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.[1]
In the early days, the family's main income came from farming peyote cacti and selling them to tourists as the "Reno experience."[2] 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.[3]
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).[4]
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.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6] When the drug hit the streets of Reno, it practically turned the city around, for the worse.[7]
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.[8] Big Jesus took the defeat personally and swore vengeance.[9]
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 broke their strength and the family began fading into obscurity, their properties ceased and their members absorbed as enforcers or slaves by other families.[10][11][12]
Royal Flush[edit]
After the collapse of the Mordinos fortunes in 2241,[13] the family was driven out of New Reno by Mr. Bishop.[14][15] When the majority of the Family faded into obscurity,[11] a "jumped-up thug" and last "true" Mordino named Casper[16] led a small group of "loyal killers" to the town of Silver Springs to continue the family there.[17] While the recipe for the Mordino Family's Jet was lost with the death of Myron,[13] a half-remembered version was produced by Casper[18][19] as part of a plan to supply local raiders with it so they will join the Mordinos in attacking New Reno and the Bishops.[20][21] Upon arriving in Silver Springs, Casper used a combination of addiction and violence to take control of the town in the name of his romanticized view of the Mordinos, however the town's substantial Mormon population were not receptive to either, leading the two factions to be locked in a stalemate.[22]
This changes with the arrival of the player characters, who either stumble upon the town and its problem or are sent there on behalf of Mr. Bishop, concerned the family may soon become a problem and believing they may have some connection to the mysterious supplier of weapons to the Jaggers and other local raiders.[23] The player characters can choose to either kill Casper and return his head to Mr. Bishop for a reward,[24] or side with the Mordinos in eliminating the Mormons and securing their control of Silver Springs.[25]
If the Mordinos take control of Silver Springs, the town becomes a haven for Jet addicts and the family's power continues to build as it prepares to strike New Reno.[26] If Casper is killed however, the Mordino family enters a leadership crisis and the raiders fight amongst themselves,[27] the other inhabitants of Silver Springs dying in the crossfire until the group disbands once Jet production halts and the family scatters to the Wasteland, leaving Silver Springs a ruin.[28][29] Though if the player characters first convinced Bishop Ash to take action against the Mordinos, the Mormons drive the broken Mordino family out of Silver Springs and retake the town.[30]
Gameplay[edit]
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.[1]
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.[31][32] Even if one is accepted, they have to tread carefully, as it's easy to offend Big Jesus with apparent weakness.[33] 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.[34]
As ruthless as the Mordinos are, they do not kill children.[35] 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.[9]
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.[1] Factories making Jet are scattered throughout the city, pumping new batches day and night.[36] 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.[37] Of course, Redding is a strategic export market for Mordino drugs.[4]
However, the Mordinos have their fingers in more than one venture. The crime family is the largest buyer of slaves in New Reno.[38] They also have an extensive network of pimps and prostitutes selling themselves on the streets.[39][40] They also control the Golden Globes porn studio, extracting a percentage of their operations.[41]
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.[42][43][44]
Appearances[edit]
The Mordinos appear in Fallout 2 and in the Fallout: The Roleplaying Game expansion Royal Flush, as well as being mentioned in Fallout: New Vegas.
References[edit]
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