Background: Nino d'Amore
Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2018 6:11 pm
Background: True Identity 1 (Angelino Cavazza di Poficiare Vestini)
Justina Cavazza is a name no one knows. She's a nobody, completely forgotten by society save for in fond memories of former lovers and distant admirers. Once she had been one of the bioccolo, the courtesans of Fontaine, bedecked in her opalescent plumage. It was her signature. A bountiful riot of color, from her feathered fan, to a majestic crest that swept back from behind her ear. Black tresses fell in soft curls contrasted off of powdered skin. Lips a different shade each evening to match her mood, all complimented by a flourished style that was Vodacce with that brazen hint of the Montaigne style du mode. Master courtesan, she was as skilled with the stiletto (throwing knife) as in the courtly arts. Beautiful and deadly, she was everything a Vodacce should be.
But those days are behind her now, ever since she caught the eye of one of the handsome cousins of the Vestini, Tranquilo Poficiare Vestini. He was drawn to her and he gifted her with a small fortune in silks, accoutrements, and even a small palazzo. And in return she gave him a child, something Tranquilo had no interest in. Though he was willing to let her keep what he had given her, he disappeared into the web of the Vestini family never to be heard from. He was a ghost to her, and shortly thereafter she found herself bereft of her clients. It were as though the fates turned against her and nothing in her power could let her keep any of those who had formerly professed so much admiration.
So, with her infant son she retired to her palazzo. With her considerable savings and the wealth of ornate gifts she offered her child, Angelino, the chance to return them to high society. She taught him early about art, literature, manners, and philosophy. His education was as good as any of his betters, and when he had grown he was, with the last of her savings, sent to university. But unlike other students who were focused on their studies, Angelino ingratiated himself to his fellow students.
He drew many eyes among the nobility and literati. He was invited to friends' palazzo, on their family trips, and to balls and galas far above his station. There, among the elite he shined. Known for his handsome features, the mysterious young Nino, as he had begun to call himself, inspired noted sculptor Francesco Ambrosius Vaccaro, and his nude now graces the famous Pilastri, though few know he was the inspiration. He became the inamorato of Vodacce cultural elite, artists, composers, poets, and swordsmen. He considered himself successful, but his mother longed for more, and these simple connections were well and good, but it would take a more....cosmopolitan locale to truly spread her web of influence. And so, he was, without explanation, sent to Altamira where he would ply his charms among the swordsmen and women, merchants, scholars, and nobles from across Theah that resided there. Through her children, Justina Cavazza would rise not just in Vodacce, but among all the nations of Theah.
As for Angelino (Nino), he often says he's from the mainland, son of a wealthy vintner, but he speaks with the sophistication and skill of the island elite. Some say he's incognito, hiding from jealous cousins. Others say he's the bastard child of one of the Seven Princes. Still other suggest (correctly) he's a courtesan's son. It matters not, it is his mystique that is fun to speculate upon for the nobles as much as his rhetoric. Skilled in the arts, literature, and fashion he's been a compelling addition to the party circuit. Gifted with his mother's talent for the stiletto, he has inherited both her beauty and her lethality, and in return he has given her everything he can. He prays one day it will be enough.
Justina Cavazza is a name no one knows. She's a nobody, completely forgotten by society save for in fond memories of former lovers and distant admirers. Once she had been one of the bioccolo, the courtesans of Fontaine, bedecked in her opalescent plumage. It was her signature. A bountiful riot of color, from her feathered fan, to a majestic crest that swept back from behind her ear. Black tresses fell in soft curls contrasted off of powdered skin. Lips a different shade each evening to match her mood, all complimented by a flourished style that was Vodacce with that brazen hint of the Montaigne style du mode. Master courtesan, she was as skilled with the stiletto (throwing knife) as in the courtly arts. Beautiful and deadly, she was everything a Vodacce should be.
But those days are behind her now, ever since she caught the eye of one of the handsome cousins of the Vestini, Tranquilo Poficiare Vestini. He was drawn to her and he gifted her with a small fortune in silks, accoutrements, and even a small palazzo. And in return she gave him a child, something Tranquilo had no interest in. Though he was willing to let her keep what he had given her, he disappeared into the web of the Vestini family never to be heard from. He was a ghost to her, and shortly thereafter she found herself bereft of her clients. It were as though the fates turned against her and nothing in her power could let her keep any of those who had formerly professed so much admiration.
So, with her infant son she retired to her palazzo. With her considerable savings and the wealth of ornate gifts she offered her child, Angelino, the chance to return them to high society. She taught him early about art, literature, manners, and philosophy. His education was as good as any of his betters, and when he had grown he was, with the last of her savings, sent to university. But unlike other students who were focused on their studies, Angelino ingratiated himself to his fellow students.
He drew many eyes among the nobility and literati. He was invited to friends' palazzo, on their family trips, and to balls and galas far above his station. There, among the elite he shined. Known for his handsome features, the mysterious young Nino, as he had begun to call himself, inspired noted sculptor Francesco Ambrosius Vaccaro, and his nude now graces the famous Pilastri, though few know he was the inspiration. He became the inamorato of Vodacce cultural elite, artists, composers, poets, and swordsmen. He considered himself successful, but his mother longed for more, and these simple connections were well and good, but it would take a more....cosmopolitan locale to truly spread her web of influence. And so, he was, without explanation, sent to Altamira where he would ply his charms among the swordsmen and women, merchants, scholars, and nobles from across Theah that resided there. Through her children, Justina Cavazza would rise not just in Vodacce, but among all the nations of Theah.
As for Angelino (Nino), he often says he's from the mainland, son of a wealthy vintner, but he speaks with the sophistication and skill of the island elite. Some say he's incognito, hiding from jealous cousins. Others say he's the bastard child of one of the Seven Princes. Still other suggest (correctly) he's a courtesan's son. It matters not, it is his mystique that is fun to speculate upon for the nobles as much as his rhetoric. Skilled in the arts, literature, and fashion he's been a compelling addition to the party circuit. Gifted with his mother's talent for the stiletto, he has inherited both her beauty and her lethality, and in return he has given her everything he can. He prays one day it will be enough.