Don Remo Lattanzi
"Business is business. Do you want more blood or are you finally full enough to talk?"
Age: 70
Appearance:Standing at 6’1”, a fairly slender build, Remo's a rather stark example of the image he's built across over five decades of honest work and management. Clean, concise, kept, his graying hair and beard mark him apart from both the Spire rabble who luxuriate in immature looks and the common soul who would never reach his age. Simple black suits and heavy coats accompany this image, the model of business unencumbered by the frantic tendencies of modern fashion or the vanities of indulgence.
Faction: Black Maria - Regia Maria
Background:Born into Black Maria, among that first generation who could solely lay claim to such heritage, Remo would grow up learning the tenets those before had lived and thrived by. He learned his moderation, his respect, his patience, and that cold justice which marked the organization well in those early days. Remo was educated in the business and more in the classics, as his parents never wanted their son to be embarrassed by his own ignorance. The young boy took to these things well, eagerly almost, seeing the wealth of others and how they came to it as a glorious thing. Soon after, he would gain a sister as well, Elaide, with whom Remo had great fun in tutoring.
As a young man, he would be placed as an accounting manager at one of the organization's earliest ventures, The Star. While there, Remo did well enough to find more than his fair share of siphoning schemes back to E Street and their ilk, enough to even bring suspicion down on his own head that the evidence was being fabricated. Of course, each siphoner confessed after their share of persuasion and disappeared quite naturally as would be the state of traitors. The Star would lose enough staff that other investigations would begin on the security, which was found lacking, and as part of the restructuring Remo found himself as manager for the establishment. Security would immediately be restructured, hand-picked by the young man for reliability and discretion, though with some advice given by his parents who found the endeavor to be good.
He continued in the natural order of things, as good a manager as any while developing the funds and permissions needed to open other locations. Some ventures would prove exceedingly profitable, others not so much, though none were enough to cast aspersions about Remo's capabilities. Eventually, the young Lattanzi would begin to merit special benefits afforded to the managers of Black Maria, half-measure restorative treatments and higher quality cybernetics both for his job and for his protection. The man would even get married, a sensible enough arrangement kept tight behind closed doors.
As Remo's power and influence grew, so too did his ambitions. He saw himself in better places, more of more, and worked hard enough towards that to make the bosses notice for better or worse. Expeditions into the foot of the Spire by Remo, small as they were, as well as defensive motions against E Street incursions into the red light, would spark off the longstanding conflict which continued even to the present. Soon finding himself with fewer allies than otherwise among the bosses, the young Lattanzi began to apply more drastic measures. Recruiting E Street victims, he began a string of comprehensive programs to turn individuals into weapons, stripping out muscle for metal, skin for optical plastics, personality for loyalty. Remo strove to and succeeded in producing the perfect killers, individuals who largely stemmed a slew of E Street successes at a grave cost to their numbers.
Such was that success, as well as the opening of a few more establishments by Remo's direct subordinates, which propelled the man to the heights of the bosses as a fellow Don to his parents. His activities since have largely served to keep the relative peace, keep all activities under the Black Maria roof, and keep all Black Maria operations hidden from prying eyes. Such has been his influence over portions of the organization that they are referred to in interior circles as “Regia Maria”, known for discretion in all public circles, a strict code of respects given and received, and deference to Remo in many of their further-reaching endeavors.
Cybernetics:Able Industries Optical Implants
Replacements to the eyes and colored to appear as natural as flesh, Remo's implants allow him to see a multitude of different light spectrums, enhanced clarity at all ranges, automatic light dim functions to prevent washing out the system, and a 8x zoom function.
Able Industries Subdermal Inserts
Inserted under the skin for all vital areas, these inserts generally protect against the most common handgun calibers at usual ranges, failing to protect against sustained fire at close ranges. The inserts provide some amount of shrapnel protection as well.
Keystone Link/GeoCut
Allowing for quick remote access of Black Maria operated drones through a client machine and firewall, as well as a cutoff system to the GEO-ID system as a simple failsafe.
Keystone Biochemical Fallback
A series of pumps, chemical producing systems, and injection points, the fallback system works to dull pain, speed up clotting, and potentially replace the heart in pumping blood throughout the body in a clear-cut goal of keeping the operator as alive as alive can be.
Weapons/Tools:Regime Arms Model 101
A semiautomatic pistol in heavy-hitting 12.7mm, the 101 fits five rounds in a magazine forward of the trigger. A number of muzzle vents keep the weapon as controllable as one could ever hope it to be. Remo has made few modifications or embellishments to his particular model, keeping the gunmetal gray look.
Likes:Espresso
Vintage wine
Proper employees
Dislikes:Crude liquor
Improper formalities
Managers lacking answers
Cruelty without cause
Quirks:Every morning must begin with a cup of espresso
No modern music - ever
Italia measures the worth of a fellow Regia Maria - speak it first to judge them
Places of Interest:Lattanzi Estate
A sectioned off area close in the red light district with 24/7 security and the crème de la crème of protection, the estate is home to three Dons of the Black Maria empire and several who are likewise expected to rise to that station. Remo visits, sometimes for family gatherings, often to speak to his ailing sister.
The Star
The original casino which Remo had control over, he yet maintains a room there as well as good relations with the owner - his son. While the casino staff are not his handpicked men anymore, a small contingent of his own stay to guard the place.
Meadows
A high-level Black Maria meeting place for Dons and those who are soon to rise to that level, it is among those which Remo ventures to fairly regularly. He of course is loath to stay there for any duration.