The Capitalist
The bastard of a prostitute the man known only as the capitalist grew up alone on the hard streets of New Reno. He saw the blood of many men seep into the dusty concrete, glistening in the light from the Desperado's neon sign. He watched and he learned. The real powers in that city were never the men holding the guns, it was the men holding the caps. Thugs and lackeys came and went but the rich men kept the city alive. When the mordino family caught him cheating in the casino they were impressed by the complexity of his system and offered him a job, keeping their books or death. He accepted and worked there for years, watching the family grow and the rise of "big" jesus mordino all while skimming caps from the casino. He fell in love with a girl half his age with a sharp wit and a beautiful body and tried hard to keep her out of the mordinos employ. One night during an attempt at robbing the casino he took advantage of the confusion to escape, taking the caps and disappearing into the night with no time to warn his darling. After he left with no warning she had lost her support and turned to prostitution, eventually becoming the madame of the cat's paw. He fled south to find the followers of the apocalypse and bought himself an education in business and pre-war history. He knew that it was possible to restore humanity to it's previous glory but it must be done by providing people with a stable existance free from raiders and thugs. He then left to build his empire, investing what he had left in a caravan and spending years travelling the wastes. He became wealthy from his shrewd trading and the mordinos caught wind that he was still alive. They leaned on one of his workers and set up a raider ambush, the caravan was slaughtered but the capitalist was taken captive. The raiders had heard of his wealth and knew it was locked up in ncr, much more than what the mordinos had promised. Life under the raiders destroyed his illusions about creating real change and hardened his heart, he took the situation as an advantage and started advising them to the routes of his competitors and shared his knowledge of ncr patrols. He convinced them that since they couldn't get into ncr they would have to work out a deal. He would pay them to send to the Den the slaves they would have otherwise killed at half the rate while hitting all the caravans but his. Now based out of the hub, he lives as a ghost, never seen but holding all the purse strings. Men kill in his name having never met him and die the same way, all for a taste of prosperity. Now an old man, he has sits and remembers the names of his foes, the love he left behind. His time is soon coming, but not before theirs.
