Valentinos

> ***Tomemos como ejemplo los Valentino. Siguen a Dios y a la Santa Madre. El honor significa algo para ellos. No son exactamente la pandilla con la que quieres meterte.***
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The Valentinos are a Central and South American gang found in Neo-Tokyo.

## Overview

A mysterious gang from Santo Domingo with a dark reputation for their netrunning skills and mystical flavor of Santeria. Supposed to be made up entirely of members with Latino blood, the Valentinos are exclusive, reserved, and wary of outsiders. The gang was originally made up of priests and priestesses and are one of the largest gangs in Neo-Tokyo with around 6,000 members and are bound by a strong moral code and centuries-old traditions. They tend to be benign or outright violent and, in all cases, strictly territorial, controlling strips of predominantly Latino areas where local communities are strongly rooted. They are representatives of the Central and South American culture of Neo-Tokyo and have cultivated those traditions for more than a century, defend the independence of the district and act as community leaders.

The Valentinos openly display their gang tattoos and religious gold jewelry, with Santa Muerte and Jesús Malverde being the most popular and recognizable. They also like colorful clothing and silver and gold weapons, along with bones and skulls of birds and other animals.

## History

The Valentinos are one of the largest cartels in Neo-Tokyo and are bound by a strong moral code and centuries-old traditions with their own protection. This protection does not cover any specific ethnic or religious group, just those who arose alongside them in Santo Domingo. The Valentinos control predominantly Latino areas and treat values such as honor, justice and brotherhood with the utmost seriousness.

The Valentinos started out as a terrorist gang of drug dealers. They engaged in magical rituals and trafficked in non-synthetic drugs. Sadistic and ruthless, they will kill, torture and rape for any reason in order to protect their community. Victims were sometimes warned with chicken blood and feathers on their front door. His motives and practices were fickle. Mutilating victims was common, as was dissecting parts of their bodies to perform rituals or inspire terror. Over the decades, however, the gang underwent major changes, as Latinos and other refugees from the decimated Dominican Republic and South American countries began moving to Neo-Tokyo. The gang came to be composed of priests and priestesses.

## Philosophy and Structure

The Valentinos have altered the gang structure by becoming a majority Latino gang, as most of the members are Latino, making them reserved and wary of outsiders. Between parties, parades, drag races and lots and lots of drinking, the Valentinos hang around the neighborhood under the watchful eye of corporations. The gang became the self-appointed guardians of the interests and safety of Latino refugees.

This sense of common heritage or at least of shared customs unites the gang with the local people to form one big family. Community loyalty protects gang members, making NTPD and corporate infiltrations of the gang nearly impossible. In return, the Valentinos protect the entire neighborhood. It is for these reasons that betraying one's gang is the most heinous crime a Valentino can commit, and is usually punishable by a particularly gruesome death. That's why they say that the friendship of the Valentinos is priceless and will follow you to the grave. So you might want to think twice before riding with them.

On the other hand, Valentinos who die fighting other gangs, police or corporations are often remembered. These people are commemorated as in a song and represented in giant murals. This commemorative street art functions as iconography, complete with written descriptions of the person's glorious deeds.

## Sources of Income

The Valentinos run completely legal businesses like restaurants, nightclubs, and auto shops, but they are all fronts for their other, dirtier business of money laundering, smuggling stolen vehicles or weapons, trafficking, and gang warfare. Any of these could be used as a setting for criminal activity.

The gang's main source of income consists of hacking into data banks and accounts within various corporations in search of top-secret and restricted data. They persistently break NetWatch laws and regulations, especially regarding contact with the Deep Network. The Valentinos also hire themselves as mercenary netrunners for private contractors who are interested in netrunning execution operations or in explore anywhere on the Net. Other sources of income are hard to verify, but virtual currency theft and information brokering are likely among them.

## Notable Members

 Guadalupe Alejandra Martínez
 Jackie Martínez
 Camila Martinez
 José Luis

## Trivia

* The majority of Valentino members are of Mexican and Latino heritage. Members tend to integrate quickly, adopting Chicano culture and celebrating various Mexican holidays and customs like Dia de Los Muertos, Quinceañeras, Samana Santa, or Dia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe.

## Gallery

Valentino's iconCartas de TarotSanta Muerte symbol