Memento Vivere

❖ The Basics ❖
❖ Name : Dominic Caresini
❖ Nickname : Dom; Marangoni;
❖ Age : thirty-five
❖ Gender : Male
❖ Sexuality : Heterosexual
❖ Describe your character in 140 characters or less: Marangoni; Genius; Inventor; Introverted; Disorganized; charming; honest; loyal to the Republic.

❖ Appearance ❖
In appearance, Dominic is a handsome man, and he does not project an ominous presence, standing 178 cm (5' 10") tall and weighs in at 77 kg (170 lbs). He has dark hair and light brown eyes. Although he is physically strong; and though sufficient in wealth, he chooses to wear odd clothing, and that hides well-earned muscles. He usually wears his hair a bit long but upon occasion, trims the sides more than the top, and normally bears a scruffy, unshaven face.

❖ Personality ❖
Dominic is odd and his introverted, yet positive, presence brings comfort to the most troubled soul. Being aloof, having a short attention span, frustrated at a short temper, and often confused by his ambidextrous abilities, all in all, forgiving his oddities, Dominic is a charming sort of introvert, and a shy conversationalist. He is generally kind, selfless, aware, humble, generous, and appreciated by both peers and people in general. Plus, he is quick to apologize for the short temper. Being a realist, coupled with his personality; he is persuasive in that he can sway other people’s views. And he is a fair equestrian and an excellent self-taught swordsman. Dabbling as a humanist, and really hating the water, he loved the myth of Icarus and subsequently researched flight. He did sketch birds of all sorts… and even an assortment of gliders, vowing one day to try each one.

❖ Likes ❖
❖ Birds in flight,
❖ strong winds,
❖ lightning,
❖ the functionality of numbers,
❖ geometry;

❖ Dislikes ❖
❖ Boats,
❖ sinking in water,
❖ liars,
❖ his father
❖ arrogance;

❖ Hopes ❖
❖ to one day fly…
❖ to be notable for an invention...

❖ Skills ❖
❖ mathematics;
❖ mechanics;
❖ exceptional swordsman;

❖ Abilities ❖
❖ to cipher just about any code;
❖ analytics;
❖ ability to see what others fail to see;
❖ ambidextrous;

❖ Strengths ❖
❖ Genius;
❖ charming;
❖ loyal to the Republic;
❖ inventions;

❖ Weaknesses ❖
❖ Introverted
❖ disorganized;
❖ inventions;
❖ birds;

❖ Spouse ❖ --- None yet;
❖ Lovers ❖ --- Very few, but the intelligent ones is the best; at least until he met Aurelia...
❖ Children ❖ --- None he is aware of;

❖ Allies ❖
❖ None yet;
❖

❖ Enemies ❖
❖ None yet;

Dominic Caresini is a direct descendent of two great families… the Dandolo and Caresini families of Venezia.

Born in April 22nd, 1539, in Ca’Caresini, a small palazzo in Sestieri Castello to Roberto Caresini and V’lara Linago, a direct descendent of Zilia Dandolo. Using his skills as a Master Marangoni, he is employed with the L’Officina delle Meraviglie (The Factory of Marvels), as it is often called… l’Arsenale is an enormous manufacturing complex and Dominic is working to enhance the process of the facility thru his inventive works. A simple man, with a virtuoso mind, even his home is simple and not far away, living at the intersection of Calle dei Forna and Fondamenta Forni on the Rio de l’Arsenale.

The familia name Caresini in Venezia dates back to Rafaino Caresini as far back as 1334. Rafaino was born in Cremona in Lombardy, circa 1314, the son of Henry Alberto, notary and landlord, Cremona de vicinia Fabiani to the Doge, circa 1324…. Tied to the fortunes of Enrico Scrovegni and his family, Rafaino and his father followed their patron also in exile in 1334 which in fact was Venice, where they lived under protection of the Scrovegnis. Apparently, he was trained in the notarial arts, because Caresini first appears as a public notary in Venice in 1334. This devotion for opponents of Carrara explained the hostility against the new lords of Padua, to which the Rafaino onstantly informed his activity as a politician and his work as historian. In March 1336, Enrico Scrovegni and his two sons departed Venice for a return to Padua, but Rafaino stayed, settling permanently in Venice, entering the offices of the ducal chancellery, and thus beginning a career which involved significant commitments of diplomatic nature and close relations with representatives of the most powerful aristocratic cliques of the lagoon city. Soon finding work in the Venetian chancery, Rafaino served as notary of the Council of Forty in 1343, and rose through the ranks to become the grand chancellor of the Venetian Republic (Doge of the Venetian Republic from 1365-1390) following the death of Benintendi Ravignani in 1365. While among his many commitments of diplomat and politician, Rafaino found a way, like many other notaries and diplomatic Italian contemporaries, to compose a history of Venice in his time into historical writings. It appears that his political commitment, in fact appears as a continuation of the Chronica brevis of Doge Andrea Dandolo.

The familial lineage seemed to become vague, almost dropping from historical writings until a document revealing that Niccolò Massa’s third sister, Paula, married Antonio Caresini, circa 1531, who became a war hero running the Turkish naval blockade of Nauplia in 1538; forcing his way through the Turkish fleet with a cargo of food and munitions eleven times... but eventually his luck ran out and he died of wounds sustained from one of the attacks on his ship. Antonio’s death left Niccolò with the tutelage of a nephew, Lorenzo Caresini, only about seven years old (1538), who would later to take his uncle's name circa, as Lorenzo Massa. It would be wrong to turn to the golden eggs of Massa's wealth without first considering the goose which laid them, his career and his writings; as Lorenzo Massa, embarked on a career in the Venetian civil service circa 1553. For Niccolò Massa was a self-made man who died in 1569. Lorenzo Massa (Caresini) grew even more famous when he went to Rome as Secretary to the Venetian embassy, and in April 1561, he had charge of the mission after the ambassador, Da Mula, had accepted a cardinalate. By 1563, Lorenzo had become Secretary of the Senate. Lorenzo never reclaimed his Caresini heritage nor returned to Venezia.

Again, the familial lineage seemed to become vague then altogether drop from the historical writings, until one Salvatore Caresini left Naples and returned to Venezia circa 1515... often presumed that Salvatore Caresini was either a father, or uncle, to the war hero Antonio Caresini (and grandfather or grand-uncle to Lorenzo). Upon arrival in Venezia, he applied and accepted an apprenticeship at l’Arsenale di Venezia to become a member of the Arsenalotti. Working first as a remeri (oarmaker), then moving to the calafati (caulkers), and finally coming under tutelage of men in the Marangori.

Again, the annals of Venezia revealed that a Roberto Caresini (b.1510) married V’lara Linago (b. 1520), a direct descendent of Zilia Dandolo, in 1536; finally birthing a son on April 22nd, 1539, after 5 miscarriages… V’lara died six months, from complications, after Dominic was born. Roberto was strong and energetic, his fine linens and velvets could not hide firm muscles and sharp, decisive movements. He had black eyes and hair, and handsomely rugged features. It would be foolish to deny the man was physically attractive. He seemed to rule the Calafati (Caulkers of the Arsenalotti) firmly but fairly, he absorbed information and made swift, planned judgements, not unusual in a man of military background, certainly not in one who made the leap to lordship. No, the thing that that overturned all his assumptions was Caresini’s sharp, eager mind which seemed only to leap faster when considering things which had no obvious or immediate connection to either government or commerce.

Dominic Caresini, was not abandoned by his father, but Roberto held no favor to the boy because he felt that the son was the reason his wife, V’lara, died.

Dominic grew up in a fine palazzo, but he felt closer to the servants rather his father and his numerous lady friends. Never receiving any kind of formal education, however, he did receive instruction at home in subjects such as reading, writing, art, geology, and mathematics. He would have been very proficient in his early lessons, if he had not been so volatile and flexible; always rebelling against his master. But when he was forced into the study of sums and calculations, he realized a niche he had never realized before.

Dominic, aggravating his tutor, would escape outside into the gardens, where he spent much of his time. Having never left Venezia, his tutor would follow him to the gardens and watch the boy, who found an interest in birds… avian of all sorts… and he would make rough sketches of the birds, using mathematics to mark their shapes according the span and movement of their wings. Within a few months, his progress baffled his instructor with the questions and problems that he raised... geometry quickly became his favorite.

As it was, Marangoni (shipwrights) serve an apprenticeship which could last up to ten years; involved at every stage of a ship's construction, from the drawing up of plans to the final fitting out. Shipwrights might also go to sea. But in the centuries of l’Arsenale di Venevia history, the Arsenalotti never became a worker class, they were the masters of the Marangoni (shipwrights), Calafati (caulkers), and the Remeri (oarmakers)… but they became integrated into the patrician order of the Republic… Though the grudge remained, Roberto, having been approached upon a regular basis by Pietro, Dominic’s master, finally realized that his son had a talent. Pietro, with Roberto’s approval, was able to get Dominic into a Marangoni apprenticeship, despite only being twelve years old and hating water.

Despite his bouts of attention deficit, Dominic displayed an unconventional intellect in mathematics and geometry. Pietro pushed the lad through an accelerated apprenticeship, despite the struggle to deal with inner demons and disorderly imagination. Owing his pay to his Master during the apprenticeship until he was at least seven years into a 10-year program, his father did support him financially, though never visiting him at the Arsenale.

Dominic was able to control his challenges and fears, most of the time, and despite those trials of life, he completed his apprenticeship by age 21, earn himself master status, by age 25… and even finally learned to swim… and personally, now age 35, he remains kind, generous, and generally appreciated by his peers. For example, at times, he will make a recommendation to modification in the shipbuilding art and give claim to another instead of himself.

Dominic still works at the L’Officina delle Meraviglie (The Factory of Marvels), as it is often called… and regardless that it is now living on the Republic’s past imperial glories, nonetheless l’Arsenale is still an enormous manufacturing complex. Even his home is simple and not far away, living at the intersection of Calle dei Forna and Fondamenta Forni on the Rio de l’Arsenale.