presents...
Of all of the Donati brothers, Cristoforo is the least clever. He knows this and resents it somewhat, but is also content to let the others do the heavy thinking and scheming. Unless they try to take advantage of him; then he gets downright angry. Cris isn't stupid; he just looks that way compared to the schemer, the lawyer, the priest and the scholar. Cristoforo, therefore, undertook developing a fast sword. That's worked out pretty well for him. Which is good, because his temper involves him in frequent fights and duels. He wins many of them (partly because, a natural bully, he tends to pick fights he knows he can win). Although he greatly enjoys female company, Cristoforo does not have a regular courtesan - or indeed, any courtesan at all. His coarse and often violent behavior have gotten him turned out of all of the courtesan houses in Monfalcone. Instead, he takes on common genne (jennies) and calls them courtesans, dueling anyone who would make an issue of it. Cristoforo is the captain of the Donati family guard; he unexpectedly backed out of Tomasso's plot against Antonio three years ago without giving a reason. He never revealed the details or extent of the plot to Antonio, but threatened to if the brothers continued. Tomasso has sworn to revenge himself for his brother's betrayal of the family honor. Cristoforo managed to show a few redeeming traits in the last week; he undertook very seriously the protection of his sister's honor from her would-be fiance and has shown no love for Tigran Mondavi at all. Despite what Tomasso thought of him, he was more than ready to kill Antonio when he learned of his oldest brother's death; only Angelo's interference stopped him. And that was with Cristoforo already knowing the family secret! It turns out that Teodora told him about the Lorenzo blood three years ago, to keep the brothers' plot from progressing; she picked him out as the most influential and influence-able. (That is, the plot couldn't easily proceed without him and he'd do what Teodora wanted.) Now he's got delusions of becoming a general in the great Lorenzo tradition, marching at the head of these hypothetical Eisen armies. The family capo had a quiet season after Tigran left and he could relax the guard around Anna. He spent his off-hours in Le Tende, trying to make some contacts there. While he did make a few acquaintances and got to know who the leaders were, the Eisen did not immediately acclaim him as their new captain, which he'd kind of hoped for. Cristoforo put his best foot forward when he met Elsa Schuman, Lady Donati's new bodyguard. Unfortunately, Cristoforo's best foot was still heavy, awkward and offensive, and the pair dueled, with Elsa winning. Cristoforo did not take it especially well. Teodora's unexpected and violent death is going to upset him; forget Denial and go straight to Anger...
Cristoforo's most important Sorte strand was a Cups strand to his mother. After her death, it will decay away and be replaced by something else.
Photo Credit: "Cosimo I de' Medici," Agnolo Bronzino, c.1545.
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