Recently Cleaned Up Some Oc Portraits So That I Could Update Their Lore Post For The Few People That

Recently cleaned up some oc portraits so that I could update their lore post for the few people that are interested <3 I'll give the same disclaimer as before that I'm not a master worldbuilder or even a very good writer tbh. these are just my dolls I play with for fun.

anyways long post ahead here is your introductory guide to the characters of fitaly (fake italy) in the early 16th century.

Antonia de' Vespini Antonia is the eldest child of the Vespini family. Though they interact infrequently, she has a tense relationship with Andrea Bernardi, her formal sister's betrothed. When she is wed, she brings Lucia with her to her husband's villa. The marriage lasts roughly 5 years until her husband passes (I haven't worked out from what yet, but it's not particularly integral to the story.) Seeing as they have no children, her husband's family contests her right to retain his properties and she returns to her father's palazzo, Lucia in tow. She is largely reclusive as a widow and prefers to remain in her apartments, despite having more relative freedom than her sisters. Though the two were already on poor terms before her absence, after her marriage and widowhood she and Andrea become openly hostile towards one another. She finds him dismissive and condescending and is suspicious of his behavior around her maid, Lucia. Despite this, there is a brief attempt by her father to offer her hand in marriage to Andrea after the death of her sister Isabella. She wholly refuses to comply and begins spreading nasty (but not entirely untrue, nor undeserved) rumors about Andrea throughout court to deter further pursuits.

Isabella de' Vespini She has been betrothed to Andrea Bernardi since they were both children. She finds him less objectionable than her sister Antonia does, but she is certainly not enamored with him. Isabella is a vivacious and charming girl, but Andrea seems entirely unimpressed by her (though he never says as much.) She dies abruptly at the age of 16 (allegedly after suffering an acute illness, but circumstances are suspect) before she and Andrea are ever wed.

Maddelena de' Vespini Rather meek but sweet. She's not particularly pivotal to the story, but it IS important to note that she too has already been betrothed, hence why Marietta resorts to trying to marry Andrea to her widowed sister.

Paulo de' Vespini Paulo is also not particularly relevant, but he's currently his father's only surviving male heir (thus far), so he's very doted on.

Lorenzo de' Silvis Lorenzo was instrumental in arranging a marriage between his young nephew Andrea and Isabella de' Vespini with the intent that they would wed when they reached maturity. He hosts Andrea more and more frequently as he gets older.

Andrea Bernardi Second son, betrothed to Isabella as a child to secure business ties between their families. Andrea is educated and ambitious but somewhat dour for his age. He largely resides with his uncle Lorenzo as he grows older. He coerces Antonia's maid, Lucia, whom he is infatuated with into entering a relationship with him while at court, but shortly thereafter Antonia is wed and takes Lucia with her. During this time, he is taken under the wing of his future father-in-law Niccolò, who sees his younger self in Andrea's ambition. Several years later, when Lucia returns to the palazzo after the death of Antonia’s husband, he resumes their relationship while Antonia grows ever more resentful of him. Isabella dies before she and Andrea can fulfill their marriage contract. He is in no hurry to find a new match, but his mother proposes that he marry Antonio, the dead Isabella’s older, widowed sister. Niccolò is inclined to agree, but Antonia causes such a fuss about the matter that it's quickly abandoned. Andrea leaves court abruptly, and takes Lucia with him, much to Antonia's dismay. Meanwhile, his mother secures the daughter of a Spanish ambassador to be his wife. The two have a very brief betrothal period before they're wed and Ysabel goes to live with him away from prying eyes.

Ysabel de Torres y Mendoza Ysabel is the daughter of a Spanish ambassador and overall a very reserved and passive girl. She finds herself somewhat isolated outside of Spain. Initially, she is tentatively pleased by her marriage to Andrea— she assumes he is keeping a respectful distance to allow her to acclimate— but it becomes clear over time that he is genuinely disinterested in her, and she has to fight for any scraps of attention from him. He makes no secret of Lucia as their marriage progresses, and young Ysabel chooses to make Lucia the object of her loathing rather than confront her unfaithful husband. Overall, it is an unhappy marriage from the outset. Despite this, she and Andrea have several children together, whom he is similarly uninterested in, except for their sons.

Lucia my most favorite oc... She is Antonia's servant and a notorious flirt and gossip. Though several years older than Andrea, she unwittingly gets his attention and is pressured into a relationship with him when he first arrives at court. Having been particularly unlucky in love thus far, she finds the easy attention she’s able to get from Andrea a refreshing (and deserved) change of pace. However, by the time of Antonia's marriage only a few months later, she's begun to find him immature and temperamental, and is relieved to be out from under his thumb when Antonia takes her away. Her reprieve last roughly 5 years before Antonia's husband dies. Upon their return, Lucia is surprised to find that Andrea even remembers her— even more so that he again pursues her— but she believes he's matured and acquiesces to further relations with him. After Isabella's death and the disastrous marriage negotiations with Antonia, Andrea offers to offers to take Lucia with him away from the palazzo. She accepts, and briefly experiences a honeymoon period where he freely showers her with affection. Unfortunately, the arrival of his new wife complicates matters.

Bartolomea Lucia's mother (and only known relative) and also a servant in the employ of the Vespinis. She claims that Lucia's father was a craftsman who died shortly before Lucia's birth, forcing Bartolomea to find work in the palazzo to support herself and the expected child. The story about her father is 100% not true, but Lucia believes it. Neither she nor her daughter are literate.

I think that’s all for now.. it is hard for me to figure out how to introduce them bc I have a lot of lore backlogged but hopefully everything here makes sense <3