Colin Moriarty

Colin Moriarty is Megaton's Irish crime boss and the owner of Moriarty's Saloon in Fallout 3.

Background
Colin Moriarty was born in 2227 and has lived in Megaton almost his entire life. According to Herbert Dashwood, he came to the former United States as a child. Once there, his father amassed his wealth using the nearby trade routes, and helped secure Megaton as a trading hub in the area. Colin's father died during a raider attack in 2241 and his son inherited his wealth, including the saloon.

He is a very proactive businessman and a staunch supporter of the "just business" approach to economics; if someone wants something from him, it had better be worth his while. Aside from providing alcohol and prostitutes for the town in exchange for a more than satisfactory amount of bottle caps, and extorting even more caps from whomever he can, he deals in information much more than the aforementioned worldly pleasures: he is very knowledgeable regarding the townspeople of Megaton, and is always keeping tabs on them in case he needs to blackmail them later. He has even done this enough to gain an unsavory reputation: according to Nova, his call girl, "he sells information so much, you'd think the bar was just a hobby."

Moriarty is also adamantly self-assured that Megaton is his town and Sheriff Lucas Simms is only "a facade" and "an illusion of order that [Moriary] allows to exist." Still, there is some truth to this statement, as Simms is acutely aware that the town needs Moriarty's support and resources to survive. Other townspeople think similarly of him, weary of how many pies he has his fingers in and how deceitful the man is. Regardless of his interactions with the townspeople, he treats his employees even worse, locking up their earning for himself out of paranoia. He treats Gob, the ghoul he bought from slavers fifteen years ago, especially poorly. If slavery was not bad enough, Moriarty even forces Gob to pay for his room and board while also having to reimburse Moriarty for the caps used to buy him.

As it turns out, the Lone Wanderer met Moriarty even before their father left Vault 101. On their way to the vault to ensure the infant Lone Wanderer's safety, James and Star Paladin Cross stayed in Moriarty's Saloon shortly after the Lone Wanderer's birth. Moriarty even proposed a toast to the James and his child, hoping their "future be safe, bright, and boring as hell."

Daily schedule
He spends most of his time in the saloon, but occasionally goes outside to smoke, leaning on the rail out in front of the bar.

Quests

 * Following in His Footsteps: Moriarty can tell the player where James went and states that he remembers when the player's character, the Lone Wanderer, came to Megaton with dad as a wee baby.
 * 300 Pieces of Silver: Information isn't free and can find Silver to retrieve Moriarty's money.

Effects of player actions

 * If the player kills Moriarty, Gob takes over the saloon and changes the name on the sign to Gob's. Killing Moriarty causes the player to lose karma, as he's coded as a neutral character.
 * Once Moriarty is killed, Nova can no longer be hired.

Other interactions

 * Moriarty will react to the player wearing Simms' sheriff's duster, remarking "Who do you think you are wearing that badge in here?"
 * The player was originally supposed to carry a key to the pay stash, though the key was never properly placed in his inventory. Jericho still mentions it, though it's a red herring.

Appearances
Colin Moriarty appears only in Fallout 3.