Bio

Appearance: El Palo stands about 5’9” tall and weighs about 160 lbs. His frame is wiry and rangy, with hardly a millimeter of fat upon it. Palo favors baggy trench coats, heavy boots, and scarves, even in the heat of the summer. He is never seen outside without his military-issue particle mask and thick goggles. His black hair is generally kept shaved on the sides and back and slicked down on top. His pet fruit bat, Moco, is often to be seen draped lazily over a shoulder; over the other shoulder generally hangs a bandoleer of Slurm cans. If he’s expecting trouble, Palo will be seen holding his trademark Louisville Slugger baseball bat (“I keel you!”) in one hand, the other hand ready to go for his his piece in its shoulder holster. When out for blood, Palo packs a duffel bag with his heavy automatic, two SMGs, paired ceramite katanas, and, of course, his trusty bat.

When first meeting El Palo, aside from his outlandish appearance, one might be favorably impressed by his impeccable manners – Palo can put on a good show of appropriate etiquette whether in a back alley craps game or a debutante’s ball (not that he’d ever be invited to the latter). However, these well-groomed manners are simply a cover for a personality that is, at its heart, morose, thoughtless, and violent. In spite of these qualities, however, Palo still carries the examples of his sister and mentor and aspires to live a more virtuous life. Although he’d die before admitting it, Palo is a hopeless romantic and can always be swayed by a damsel in distress or poor urchin.

The fixer known as El Palo was born Orlando Ortiz on June 12, 2015 in the middle of a shootout. By age 17 Palo had become involved in gang life and organized crime, having joined a local crew of the Lopez Boys gang known as Los Locos. Palo specialized in extortion, pickpocketing, drug dealing, and petty vandalism, and he was quite good at what he did. Within months of being jumped in, Palo had risen to effective leadership of Los Locos, a position he still enjoys.

In his role as gang leader, Palo realized he needed an effective tool of intimidation and so he taught himself the fine art of beating the shit out of people with a baseball bat. Having cemented his position in Santa Fe’s criminal underworld, Palo began focusing more on enjoying the fruits of his labors, developing jaded tastes for exotic pleasures often to be found only the most secret and underground of the city’s clubs and backroom associations. As he became increasingly involved in the decadent nightlife, Palo began to run across members of the Gothicks, and in particular one of their rising stars, Lady Valentina. Lady V, as she was known, commanded the attention of everyone in the room, dressed as she was all in white petticoats and corsets, looking like a Victorian ghost. The look was complemented by pure white hair and cybernetic eyes of silver chrome. At first, Palo hated Valentina for her affected appearance and mannerisms, to say nothing of her control of the West Side narcotic trade, a market Palo was interested in moving into. His feelings for Lady V were more than mutual, and the two were bitter enemies for over a year before a chance conversation led them to discover what they thought was hatred was actually love.

In the ensuing six months, the two have embarked upon a love affair for the ages, burning their names across the Santa Fe underground and setting new standards for debauched abandon with their legendary parties.

Today, at the age of 21, El Palo is one of the Lopez Boys’ star lieutenants. His world doesn’t extend much beyond the boundaries of the city, his gang, or his love for Valentina, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.