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“My daughter... You know, I still remember catching little Abbie with a pack of candy pilfered from the convenience store. So clever. So stubborn! *laughs* I never thought she would, uh... Were we talking about somebody?”
He has apparently gone senile, having difficulty keeping a train of thought for more than two minutes.[1] Seemingly entirely detached from reality, Antonio spends his time upstairs in The Rose Room, isolated from the affairs of the family and leaving his eldest son Vin to try and jerry-rig a business and a family life together.[2]
In reality, Antonio is someone altogether different. He's actually the former protege of the head of the Atlantic City mafia, Don Quentino Lombardi. Antonio was taken under the patriarch's wings when he joined the Lombardi Family. Over the years, the two became very close, with Antonio becoming the son Quentino never knew he had. Eventually, he was lined up to succeed the godfather, setting up Russos for control over the crime family. This was in accordance with misogynistic mafia traditions, but skipped over a very important person: the Don's blood sister, Concerta Lombardi. She never liked Antonio, but couldn't make a move while he enjoyed his meteoric rise to power and influence.[3]
His good fortunes started well before the Great War, including meeting his future wife, Evelyn. Enamored with her during a show, he tried booking her a performance at The Neapolitan Casino's main stage. When she refused, he offered her enough money to change her mind, following it with private dressing rooms, better-paid gigs, and free concessions - all the while hardly looking her way. He stood in stark contrast to the usual bachelor courting Evelyn, displaying independence, authority and discipline. When it became clear he didn't know how to romance women like Evelyn wanted, she seized the initiative and the two married.[4] They had two children, Vincenzo and Abigail, while at the same time continuing their respective careers.[5] Antonio and Evelyn drifted apart after the beginning of their marriage, with Antonio preoccupied with his criminal pursuits as part of the mafia and children being either dependent on Antonio or self-sufficient or mature above their age. The Great War spared the family, though it didn't improve its health,[6] or Antonio's attitude. Beneath a calm, cultured exterior lurked a person who'd have someone's fingernails pried off for interrupting him.[7]
Post-War years[]
Abigail captured her father's heart, and he took her under his wing while she was still a toddler. He showered her with affection, gifts, and in a peculiar turn of events, started showing her what it was like to work for the mafia, including sitting in on meetings and[8] holding his gun after he killed a man. Antonio realized to his surprise that Abbie would have made an excellent made woman,[9] and made a fateful decision. When Abbie stopped being a child and became a teenager, gradually becoming a young woman,[10] he decided to prevent her from getting disappointed and pushed her away. The mafia would never accept a made woman like her, so he decided to distance himself and shut her off from his work. He never explained the reasons to her, and Abbie eventually gave up on trying to comment. Instead, she lashed out, getting into the one thing that she knew would annoy her dad: His money-maker for the mafia.[11] This state of affairs would last for twenty years.[12]
Discovering the Blood[]
Antonio was always cognizant of Concerta's efforts to sabotage him at every turn. Finally, he decided to check if the folk tales of the Jersey Devil existing were true and ventured into the Pine Barrens to trade away his soul for a guaranteed victory. He got his wish and tracked down a Devil. As it turned out, it was just an animal twisted and mutated by the Great War. After patiently waiting the creature out and killing it, he dragged the corpse off to Gene, a chemist he knew, to preserve the corpse and sell it off for a tidy sum.[13] However, Gene made a much more lucrative discovery: The blood of the Devil had properties similar to opiates, but amplified, and could be readily converted into an incredibly potent drug: The Devil's Blood.
Antonio kept the corpse as a taxidermied memento of his discovery,[14] while the mob exploited their newly found vein of gold. As the caps rolled in, Don Quentino was happy, the Wise Guys got rich, and Russo's position seemed unassailable for a while. The mob replicated the effect with synthetic materials, which were expensive, but readily available.[15] Abbie chose to indulge in the Devil's Blood, leveraging her family's wealth. Her father was disappointed, though decided it was her own, free decision,[16] completely ignoring the fact that it was his sudden abandonment of her that led her to lash out. He never thought of it, apparently believing she'd shrug it off and pick up an honest trade instead.[17] In fact, over the years, he built up an arsenal of excuses, including claiming it was to protect his family.[18][19]
Antonio basked in the glory of the heir for years until Don Quentino finally passed away. While Antonio was aware that was bound to happen, he underestimated the Don's sister,[20] who immediately declared her brother as bedridden and unable to meet and appearing as his mouthpiece. Realizing what was happening, Antonio and his family bolted it out of Atlantic City and made for Appalachia, with Antonio learning how to feign senility in order to show himself as harmless and deter would be attackers.[3] The irony is that Antonio never even wanted to be godfather and would have happily stepped down in Concerta's favor. He'd tell her this, in fact, if she would stop trying to rub him out for a whole two seconds.[21] Antonio as a whole isn't particularly attached to the mafia's traditional misogyny, especially since they had to loosen up after the Great War, when reliable soldiers were in short supply.[22]
Flight to Appalachia[]
Ironically, it was the disappointment of a son,[23] Vincenzo, that proved instrumental in realizing Antonio's plan of escaping to Appalachia. While Antonio despised his work for the Munis, considering it delusional at best,[24] Antonio left the Munis to leave Acee with his family. After Antonio started feigning senility, the whole burden of keeping The Rose Room running fell on him.[25]
However, Concerta would not relent. Even in faraway Appalachia, hundreds of miles away, she wants to tie up the loose ends and puts out a hit on Antonio and his family. This leaves Antonio in a difficult spot, as Abbie is on the verge of suffering brutal withdrawal that very nearly puts her life in danger.[26] At the same time, Antonio may yet find light at the end of his dark mobster path and mend the fences with his family brutalized by his love of money and wealth.[27]
Interactions with the player character[]
Interactions overview[]
Interactions
This character ignores combat and cannot be damaged.
Opportunity Knocking: Antonio is of little help in helping his beloved daughter.
All the World's a Stage: Vin asks the Vault dwellers to go and talk to Antonio to figure out if he remembers anything that can help with creating an antidote for the Devil's Blood.
Sins of the Father: However, there is more to Antonio than meets the eye. He reveals himself to be feigning senility, and agrees to help with crafting the antidote to save his favored daughter. Her decision is largely dependent on the player's choices and it's entirely possible to reunite father and daughter - or permanently drive them apart.
Other interactions[]
If Abbie stays in AC, Antonio does not really care, saying he believes she will be fine and make it on her own.
While taking the Devil's Blood, the player may choose more for Antonio's scheme. This later turns to be useless, as after all the quests are done, Antonio mentions selling it outside of AC yields no results, saying neither him or the Vault Dweller will make a profit.
↑Vault 76 dweller: "Seems like you do a lot of the heavy lifting around here." Vin Russo: "Yeah... tell me about it. Mom's obsessed with herself, and Dad can hardly remember what he did two minutes ago. With the two of them so preoccupied, it's no wonder Abbie keeps getting herself into trouble. That leaves me to jerryrig everything together with twine and duct tape." (Vin Russo's dialogue)
↑Vault 76 dweller: "Your daughter is addicted to something called Devil's Blood." Antonio Russo: "Blood of the Devil? Now that doesn't sound like something anybody should be drinking." (Antonio Russo's dialogue)
↑ 3.03.1Vault 76 dweller: "How is this even possible?" Antonio Russo: "Heh. How about I tell you a story, kid? Suppose you know by now I was a capo. Big one, too. Not a drop of Devil's Blood flowed in AC without my say in it. I only got where I was 'cause Quentino took me under his wing. He was the godfather when I joined up with the Family. Up until recently. We was thicker than thieves, blood brothers. He didn't have any sons of his own. He'd made it very clear that when it came time to kick the bucket, I'd become don. And then when I croak, Vin would take my place. 'Cept he has a demon of a little sister. Concerta. She never liked me. Wanted to be don herself. Yet she can't be. For...obvious reasons." Vault 76 dweller: "Why would Quentino make you godfather instead of his own sister?" Antonio Russo: "It's...why you gotta ask questions that don't have an easy answer, eh? Being don, you've gotta make a lot of tough decisions. You've gotta do a lot of bad things. And... there's certain traditions we have to follow. Some of these traditions are very outdated. But they're followed nevertheless. That's how Concerta got iced out. If that hadn't been the case, who knows? Maybe she wouldn't have ended up...the way that she did." Vault 76 dweller: "How has no one caught on that Quentino is dead?" Antonio Russo: "Concerta has it spun that he's just weak from old age and can't make public appearances no more. Truth is, she's probably gonna come out as don sooner or later, but is trying to ease into the process. That is, if the Family accepts her. She's going to face some opposition, even without my beautiful mug around." (Antonio Russo's dialogue)
↑Vault 76 dweller: "How did you and Antonio meet?" Evelyn Russo: "Oh, he was an utter fool. Sat in the audience for one show and tried to book me at the Neapolitan's main stage. I told him casinos weren't my scene, but the money he offered… Now, you've no idea how many young gentlemen I had to fend off during those days. The flirtations, the roses, the breaches of privacy. Endless! But Antonio? The fool got me a private dressing room, bigger paychecks, free concessions all over the establishment. And he would hardly look my way. It wasn't his money I wanted. It was his independence, the authority and discipline he exuded. But he had no idea how to romance a woman... I soon had to take matters into my own hands. The rest, as they say, is history." (Evelyn Russo's dialogue)
↑Vault 76 dweller: "Do you mind if I ask about your family?" Evelyn Russo: "I hope this isn't some attempt at counseling. Our American Dream didn't work out exactly as planned. Sue me for it." Vault 76 dweller: "I wasn't looking to counsel. Family is messy, I get it." Evelyn Russo: "They say it's life's most difficult and most rewarding endeavor. They are most certainly right on the former. But... I sometimes think about where I would be if I hadn't said yes. If I hadn't thrown caution to the wind. If I hadn't stuck around to raise little Vincenzo... and then Abigail. It feels like a string of reckless coincidences, but those were choices I made. Choices I wanted. In the end, life is much more vibrant with them around, don't you think?" (Evelyn Russo's dialogue)
↑Vault 76 dweller: "So this is the real reason you came here? Not for Abbie." Evelyn Russo: "You and Vin have that situation handled. This family has never needed me. Antonio was always busy, and Abbie followed him like a dog. Vin handled everything around the house. But the crowd... they always loved me. I gave them something. I still have more to give." (Evelyn Russo's dialogue)
↑Vault 76 dweller: "Who killed it?" Antonio Russo: "I took this fellow here out. Many, many years ago. He's been making me a pretty penny ever since." Vault 76 dweller: "How did you kill it?" Antonio Russo: "You'd be surprised at how much you can attract if you just stay quiet. Most other schmucks don't have the patience to wait a sucker like this out." Vault 76 dweller: "This still doesn't explain why you're on the run." Antonio Russo: "Yeah, I'm getting to that all right? You disrespect me with all this impatience, kid. In my heyday I'd have your fingernails pried off and strung into a luxury necklace for that. But, I digress." (Antonio Russo's dialogue)
↑Antonio Russo: "I know you're not supposed to have a favorite kid. But I did. And it wasn't Vin. When Abbie was real little, I took her under my wing. She was a total daddy's girl, showered with affection and gifts. I used to let her sit in on all of our meetings. I showed her the ropes. I hate to admit it, but she would've been a top tier made woman. But there's a reason they call La Cosa Nostra the Family. It's 'cause it replaces your real one. And you've gotta fuck over your real one to keep the Family happy." (Antonio Russo's dialogue)
↑Vault 76 dweller: "Starting them early on crime, I see." Antonio Russo: "Of course you're gonna look at it like a cynic. That wasn't the intent. It was, you know, father-daughter bonding. She'd watch me make a fella go cold and then get to hold the gun afterwards. Wholesome stuff." (Antonio Russo's dialogue)
↑Vault 76 dweller: "So what changed between you and her?" Antonio Russo: "What didn't change, is the real question. Abbie, she was...you know, getting older. Becoming more of a teenager and less of a little girl. She was slowly becoming a young woman. And that was the problem." (Antonio Russo's dialogue)
↑Antonio Russo: "I wasn't about to set Abbie up for disappointment. Train her all these years just to be rejected. I just distanced myself from her. Didn't let her sit in on my work anymore. I never told her why. Over time, she just got the hint. And that's when she started acting out. She knew I was the big player moving Devil's Blood around AC. Dunno if she knew I discovered it, but that doesn't really matter now, does it? There's tons of chems you can get hooked on in this shithole. But she got hooked on the one thing she knew would irritate me. Trouble is, Blood is highly addictive. She got in to spite me, but there's no getting out with that poison." Vault 76 dweller: "Is it an issue that she's a woman?" Antonio Russo: "For me personally? No. I wouldn't have let her get that far if I didn't think she could handle it. But it's not me that I'm talking about." (Antonio Russo's dialogue)
↑Abbie Russo: "*sighs* I want the antidote. I want to get better. Dad, trust is something you've gotta build up to and maintain. You've spent two decades showing me I can't trust you. It's not like one good experience can undo all the broken promises. I'm sorry, but it's too late to salvage this." (Abbie Russo's dialogue)
↑Vault 76 dweller: "What does this all have to do with the Jersey Devil?" Antonio Russo: "Espetta, kid, I'm getting there! Concerta wanted to sabotage me at every opportunity, and I had to get a leg up on her. I'd heard the legends my whole life about the Devil. Every tyke in AC did. So's I went to the Pine Barrens looking to strike a deal with him." Vault 76 dweller: "Then why did you kill it?" Antonio Russo: "Well, as it turns out, he's a fucking Devil when he's biting your ankles, but the thing's just a damn animal. No intelligence there. So I had no choice but to whack him. Figured I could get quite rich off of its corpse, so I took it to Gene to get it embalmed. And that, is where we learned of the potency of his blood. This is where Devil's Blood was born." (Antonio Russo's dialogue)
↑Vault 76 dweller: "How did you keep it so well-preserved?" Antonio Russo: "The body's extremely well embalmed. Gene kept it stored at an ideal temperature. 'Course, any blood we still got from it has long been removed. The body's all empty." (Antonio Russo's dialogue)
↑Vault 76 dweller: "Devil's Blood is made from the actual blood of the Jersey Devil?" Antonio Russo: "It was, initially. Nowadays it's just formulated with synthetic materials to achieve the same effect. Even the synthetic shit is expensive to get your hands on. Hence why it's so...exclusive." (Antonio Russo's dialogue)
↑Vault 76 dweller: "That doesn't explain how she became addicted to Devil's Blood." Antonio Russo: "It was a choice she made. But it was definitely influenced by this." (Antonio Russo's dialogue)
↑Vault 76 dweller: "You left her to fend for herself with no explanation. Of course you're responsible for her addiction!" Antonio Russo: "I never thought something like this would happen! I thought she'd take up an honest trade. I never wanted this. Not for Abbie."
↑Vault 76 dweller: "No one here is at fault. She was just a child, and you were under the thumb of the Family and didn't have a choice." Antonio Russo: "She was a child, only a teenager. Her brain was hardly, well...developed. Yeah, I was under their thumb. Maybe I could've done better. I could've kept her close. But it might've screwed us both over in the end. And I don't know if I could live with myself if it got to that point." (Antonio Russo's dialogue)
↑Vault 76 dweller: "What's your relationship with Antonio like?" Abbie Russo: "Pfft. What relationship? When I was a kid, he used to keep me by his side like a little leech. When I started getting into my teenage years, it just...stopped. He never told me why. I guess he just got bored of me." (Abbie Russo's dialogue)
↑Antonio Russo: "I became a rich man off of his blood. And so did every Wise Guy in AC, thanks to me. Quentino was over the moon. And that gavone Concerta couldn't do a thing about it. That is, until Quentino bit the dust. It was unavoidable. But, like the little viper she is, Concerta saw that as her chance to strike. No one knows he's dead, 'cept me and her. So she decided to rule in his place, and say that everything is coming from his mouth still. 'Cause of that, I never became godfather, and she painted a target on my sorry ass. So I tell Evelyn this nonsense about starting a club in Appalachia. Said it's a real happening place. Pfft. We pack it up and boot it. And yeah, that's around when the 'senility' act started up. I thought Concerta would let up if I looked all innocent. But she saw right through it. So now I'm here in this dump." (Antonio Russo's dialogue)
↑Vault 76 dweller: "So if the mafia accepted Concerta as their leader, you would step down?" Antonio Russo: "'Course I would. I never asked to be don. Don't want it, don't need it. So long as the caps are coming in, who cares who leads who? The woman's ruthless. She'd make a great tyrant if they just let her. I could almost admire it if she'd stop trying to murder me for two seconds." (Antonio Russo's dialogue)
↑Antonio Russo: "There ain't a 'law' saying women can't be in the Family, but there's always been opposition to letting them reach positions of power. Yet it's tradition. It's always been men who've done the killing, the stealing, the plotting. Is it outdated? Yes. But people tend to avoid change. I was next in line to be godfather. Do you really think they would've accept her as my heir, with no issues? They only started letting women in as soldiers after the bombs, when there weren't enough people left to be choosy. Just ask Concerta. Why do you think she has a target on my ass? If she could've been don, Quentino would've chosen her. She's his flesh and blood, after all." Vault 76 dweller: "That's very...old-fashioned." Antonio Russo: "Sometimes tradition is a good thing. Good habits stick. Sometimes it no longer serves you, and sticking to it ends up stabbing you in the back. Most people are stubborn. They'll stick to what's comfortable even if it doesn't make much sense." (Antonio Russo's dialogue)
↑Vault 76 dweller: "Why would he tell me if he won't tell you?" Vin Russo: "To put it simply, I'm a disappointment to him. Abbie had a better chance of knowing than me. And you... you're a third party. Uninvolved. He might let something slip if he thinks it's of no consequence to you."
↑Vault 76 dweller: "Does your family know about all this?"
Antonio Russo: "To a degree. Evelyn likes to stay out of it. So long as I'm bringing home dough for her to maintain her, uh, lifestyle, she doesn't care. Vin doesn't ask questions. I don't think he wants to know the answers. He's too busy frolicking in Muni land with imaginary unicorns and rainbows. As for Abbie? She might know the most. Ironic."
↑Vault 76 dweller: "Seems like you do a lot of the heavy lifting around here." Vin Russo: "Yeah... tell me about it. Mom's obsessed with herself, and Dad can hardly remember what he did two minutes ago. With the two of them so preoccupied, it's no wonder Abbie keeps getting herself into trouble. That leaves me to jerryrig everything together with twine and duct tape."
↑Vault 76 dweller: "You didn't stop to help Abbie all of these years. Why now?" Antonio Russo: "Listen, when you're handling the kind of high-pressure shit I was, you don't have time to babysit your kids. Abbie chose this path, and she has to face the consequences of it. I didn't step in because, well, I figured she'd always be able to afford it. Everyone's strung out on something in AC, kid. Most people can't afford to get out of it like she can." (Antonio Russo's dialogue)
↑Antonio Russo: "No, Abbie. You're right. I failed you. All these years, I put caps and the high life ahead of my family. Ahead of my own flesh and blood. I'm the one who owes you an apology. And yeah, I'm a coward for trying to walk away. I should've done better. But there's still time. If you take the antidote, I can be the father you always wanted from here on out." (Antonio Russo's dialogue)
