| “ | What are they like? Let's see... That outfit's just like a kingdom. A guy named Bartolo Runorata built it from the ground up in just one generation. The syndicate's got a huge variety of people, and Bartolo's leadership is what keeps 'em all together. If we're just comparing the strength of your organizations, you fellas are cats in front of their lion. Or, no, maybe mice. | ” |
–Vino on the Runoratas to Luck Gandor, 1932 Drug & The Dominos | ||
The Runorata Family is a Mafia family based in Newark, New Jersey and New York.
Founded in the first half of the twentieth century by Italian immigrant Bartolo Runorata, the organization boasts over a thousand members by 1931. Its sheer size, coupled with its connections to the police, the press, and select government officials make it one of the most influential mafia organizations of the East Coast in the early 1930s.
In the 1920s, the Runoratas enjoy a working relationship with the Genoard Family in which they buy and distribute cocaine and cannabis that the Genoards refine in their factories. When Raymond and Jeffrey Genoard take over the business following the first-generation head's death in October 1930, disagreements over finances lead Runorata-Genoard relations to deteriorate over the ensuing year.
Tensions reach their peak in December 1931, and Runorata capo Gustavo Bagetta murders Raymond and Jeffrey without Bartolo's sanction. With their deaths covered up as an accident, the Runoratas are free to take over the Genoards' factories and public businesses. The same month, Gustavo is tasked with obtaining a Runorata foothold in Manhattan – the one place where the Runoratas' influence in New York has been rendered impotent. Gustavo oversees the surreptitious distribution of Runorata drugs in already occupied Manhattan territories, including the Gandor Family and the Martillo Family (despite Bartolo ruling them off-limits due to his shared heritage with Molsa Martillo).
With the Gandors and the Runoratas already on bad terms due to the Gandors' anti-drug policy, the Gandor-Runorata feud reaches its apex as Gustavo wages all-out war against the Gandors. He orders hits on Luck Gandor and Berga Gandor, arranges drive-by shootings of Gandor-owned properties, and when Runorata apothecary Begg Garott informs him that he has bought explosives from an old friend, plans on using the explosives to win the turf war. His plans fall through when the explosives are stolen in transit from the Flying Pussyfoot at the end of the month.
Another complication follows when a drug addict steals a case of Begg's powerful new drug prototype from a Runorata convoy, and Gustavo hires a freelance killer to find both the addict and the stolen case. The feud eventually reaches its climax when the Runoratas raid the Daily Days on January 02, 1932, where Gustavo faces off against Luck and Eve Genoard. At the same time, Begg discovers the drug addict and forces him to inject a fatal dose of the drug prototype. The addict attempts suicide as soon as he injects himself, and Begg shoots himself in the head so that the addict and his girlfriend can escape.
Gustavo survives his near fatal injuries, but his newfound status as a suspect in the Genoard murders is enough for the Runoratas to sever their ties; in paying off various politicos, they ensure that Gustavo will be the only fallout from the incident. Having already cooperated with the Gandors to manipulate Gustavo's downfall during the raid, they officially establish a nonaggression pact with the Gandor Family.
In December 1934, Bartolo, Begg, and a sizable group of Runorata subordinates travel to Nebula's headquarters in Chicago on business. There, several Runoratas kidnap Miria Harvent, Nice Holystone, and Rail and bring them to Nebula, where Bartolo interrogates Rail on their explosives – the same explosives that the Czeslaw Meyer was originally going to sell to the Runoratas back in 1931. He cannot allow the use of the explosives in the ongoing terror attacks plaguing Chicago, and requests that Rail surrender all the explosives in their possession. When Rail refuses, Bartolo implies that he knows what Rail really is.
Nebula chairman Karl Muybridge interrupts the meeting and expresses his surprise at Bartolo's unexpected visit, and Bartolo – after vaguely alluding to Manfred Beriam – remarks on his own surprise when he learned that 'something' was on the same floor as him. Shortly after Karl frees Rail from their bonds, Rail and their friends set off a bomb and escape when Renee Paramedes Branvillier enters the room. Bartolo's men shield him from the impact, and Begg confirms to Bartolo that 'those people' were probably either complete or incomplete immortals. The Runoratas leave before the police arrive.
In the aftermath of the showdown on the Nebula rooftop, Bartolo and Begg meet with Huey Laforet outside the skyscraper. Bartolo has no interest in Huey's immortality, having merely wanted to meet the terrorist Beriam is obsessed with, and concludes that Huey is a 'kid.' He lunches with Huey, Gustav St. Germain, and Carol, and others before he returns to the East Coast.
Sometime that year, the Runoratas announce their intentions to back the construction of a multipurpose skyscraper near Manhattan Island, a difficult endeavor considering that the land they want to develop is owned by Beriam and sandwiched between large local mafia families. Eventually a Runorata-owned business acquires a piece of the land, and the skyscraper's construction proceeds at an impressive pace. Upon its completion in February 1935, it is nicknamed Ra's Lance.
The skyscraper's construction cuts into a turf war between some of the local families, earning the Runoratas several local enemies as a consequence. They respond by increasing security whenever they travel in New York. In the meantime, they invite all the mafia families in the area to the grand opening of the illegal casino they have built underneath the restaurant located in Ra's Lance's basement. The casino party is expected to last three days.
Bartolo has ties to House Dormentaire, Manfred Beriam, and Huey, and hosts Huey as his guest over the course of the three day party. It is clear that he and Huey made some sort of arrangement in regards to the events of February 1935 back in 1934, but the nature of their deal has yet to be revealed in full. Huey has arranged for the Larva to work for the Runoratas during the party.
When Bartolo passes away around 1972 from old age, he is succeeded by his grandson Carzelio Runorata. Carzelio is said to be particularly feared by the gangs of the East, known as the 'pure-hearted dictator' who tames 'savage beasts.' According to Izaya Orihara, the Runoratas remain a powerful Family in the early 2000s.
Members
| Member | Position | Immortal Status |
|---|---|---|
| Bartolo Runorata | Don (19XX-1972) | Mortal |
| Carzelio Runorata | Don (1972- ) | Mortal |
| Gabriel and Juliano | Bodyguards; hunters | Both Mortal |
| Carlotta | Casino Dealer | Mortal |
| Charkie | Housepet | Mortal |
| Sam Buscetta | Driver | Mortal |
| Anselmo Jonell | Driver | Mortal |
| Former Member | Position | Immortal Status |
| Begg Garott | Apothecary | Complete Immortal |
| Gustavo Bagetta | Capo | Mortal |
| Rubik | Unknown | Mortal |
| Affiliates | Actual Affiliation | Immortal Status |
| Huey Laforet | Himself | Complete Immortal |
| The Larva | Huey | Immortal Homunculi |
| Melvi Dormentaire | House Dormentaire; Huey | Immortal Homunculus |
Trivia
- The Runoratas usually use thompsons when dealing with their enemies.
- In the 1930s, Bartolo has a team of twelve bodyguards divided into three groups of four. The three groups rotate through protecting Bartolo's family, so one group is off-duty while the other two are on the clock. Due a rule sanctioned by Bartolo, no one can force an off-duty group to work.