Originally from Tethyr, Valentino arrived suddenly in Freehold; while not necessarily forthcoming about the story behind his arrival, he has yet to do Freehold any known ill and seems able to make friends—and detractors—swiftly.

Far from being bashful about his calling as a priest of Sune, Valentino appears to follow a near-Sharessan doctrine of hedonism, putting flirtation and casual intimacy in the same category as art, to be enjoyed freely by everyone. He is also a skilled chef, and pays for his room and board at the Homely Hearth Inn in part by contributing that ability to Brandt Timmons's kitchen.

When Saldashune's caravan first came to Freehold on 23 Nightal, 1373DR, it was Valentino who discovered that the master merchant dealt in slaves, among other things. It was thanks to the groundwork laid by the cleric in his first dealing with her caravan that the First Freehold Council was able to eventually convince her to alter her contracts and free her slaves, since slavery is illegal in Freehold. Because of his charity, Jama the farmer, Mera the scribe, air genasi courier Rajaput, gnomish sculptor Rondell Blimth, and young runaway Silkenray were able to settle in Freehold as free citizens on 24 Nightal, 1373DR.

That same day also saw Valentino take a probationary position as Dardlara Ashhart's cook at the Black Orchid, in which occupation he currently remains. It was as her representative that he accompanied the first Caravan to Assur, where he visited the temples of Lucha and Curna to conduct research relevant to the region surrounding Freehold. After a brief fling with a local cordwainer, the cleric gave a memorable accounting of himself on the journey home, when the wagon train was attacked by hill giant raiders under cover of invisibility. While defending the center of the caravan with Thea Sorrowchild and Gheric Nailo, Valentino's sacred ally dispatched an enemy spellcaster with a single blow, impressing even the skilled Trollslayer mercenaries who had been retained by Lord Aram Lazard to guard the Freeholders.

After making it back to the settlement, Valentino devoted his time and magic to literally carving out a place for himself, stone shaping a sizable boulder along the western riverfront into a rustic cottage made much more livable by the talents of his freedman friends, and by tokens like the magical stained-glass lamp made by Raj, an aasimar encountered in Assur.