| Denotation | Valentin del Eden’d (Latin: valiant, strong; all Goliath emanations have the surname del Eden’d, Skarsian: of Eden.) |
| Numeration | 29th emanation of Ashtara; 4th branch of Goliath; 78 in the correspondence chart. |
| Age | 30 |
| Hotness | 8/10 |
| Vital Statistics | 1.770 meters tall, cock size 16.01 cm when erect. |
| Description | Lean, perceptive features. Resembles Mickey somewhat, but no one would ever underestimate Valentin’s intelligence. Leanly muscled, physically adept in combat, has light brown hair, worn efficiently close-cropped. Prefers casual, unpretentious clothing that provides for free and easy movement. |
| Skills | Strategist: intelligence gathering, observation and analysis. Plays the piano. As a musician, capable of keeping time inside of the pleroma. |
| Sexual Prowess and Kinks | Knows as many sexual positions as Mickey knows combat styles. |
| Average Duration of Play | 14 minutes, 33 seconds. |
| Totem Tree | Citrus medica, citron. |
| Fixed Star | Hadar (β Cen), the grounded or civilized place, also called Agena, the knees. |
| Color |  |
| Esoteric Symbol | The Minchiate trump La Prudanza, prudence. |
| Function | Adjusting release. |
| Official Title | Ipsissimal Quality Controller. |
| His Prophecy | Devotion makes him meticulous. |
| Dessert | Eden blue popcorn crème brûlée with cinnamon caramel nau’gsh sauce. |
Biography:
First featured in Eden Blues, Davy creates Valentin’s branch from Mickey and Evan to have “Mickey’s tactical strength, but the heart of a poet.” He emanates during the difficult period when Atlas and Goliath are not yet in communication, thus are in conflict with each other. Since Tara’s flagship is drawing closer to Goliath than Atlas, it is predicted that the emanation will change into one of the ones from Goliath, but Valentin is a surprise. They expected a previous emanation, but since Mickey was present, it forced the emanation of one of his brothers from Goliath.
Valentin finds himself in the bathroom and discovers his name by looking in the mirror on the medicine cabinet. Mickey has left a datapad with the information he needs. Valentin converses with the other Goliath emanations and discovers that Ari intends to stay on Dalgherdia so that the Goliath branches can stay in control of their human body. Valentin is shocked, Aran has misgivings, but it is Manasseh who most strenuously objects. He has met his brother, Chase, and does not want to betray him.
The conversation is interrupted by Clive Rivers, who actually has to use the bathroom. Tara is surprised, then flirtatious. Part of it is an angry defiance of the Cantor – she has decided that her marriage applies to any of Ash’s emanations, not just Atlas.
Tara invites Valentin to dinner in her stateroom. It becomes clear that Valentin possesses an unusual degree of sensory acuity and discrimination – he can identify, for example, the origin of the grapes in the wine from their chemical composition. He is also emotionally sensitive – he realizes that the wine is the same one Tara drank on her honeymoon with Ailann, and hypothesizes that she is symbolically indicating that she accepts Valentin as her husband. Tara reveals that her intent is to seduce Valentin so that Ash won’t consider him expendable – a plan to which Valentin enthusiastically acquiesces.
When Tara fights with Ari on Dalgherdia, it is Valentin who advises him, telling him that he has to let Tara go, but at the same time, that he needs to win her back. He is a voice of reason while Ari hovers at the edge of madness and despair.
When the new emanations are revealed to the public, Valentine is interviewed by the media. He takes the opportunity to call them out for producing an entertaining fluff-piece rather than asking serious questions about the K’ntasari and Terran incursions. He ends by delivering a serious message – Ash has a thousand-year plan, and it won’t be easy – but if he succeeds, humanity will become immortal.
Valentin is in the background of The Poison Garden, occasionally called upon to analyze the chemical composition of an object, but not directly involved in the action.
In The Perpetual Rose, Valentin is one of the first of the old emanations to awaken when Yggdrasil connects to the root system. When the emanations discover the buildings beyond Daniel’s flat, it is Valentin who suggests that they can be used to compartmentalize their activities.
When they return to the Domha’vei, Valentin is chosen to emanate due to his impeccable palate. He is needed to evaluate the taste and mouthfeel of the plankton they intend to sell the Floatfish. Even though he samples Chef Yuric’s best, he finds the culinary experience less than ideal.
He returns with Tara to Court Emmere. She reminds him of his prior promise to learn to play the piano – he’s half Evan, so he must have the talent. He sits at the piano and finds that he can, but his experience is very different than Evan’s. Rather than using music as an expression of emotion, he finds that he can use the acoustics as an alternative means of perceiving his surroundings. He also makes the discovery that his musical ability is linked to timekeeping – the ability to perceive the atomic resonances which mark position along the temporal axis.
Valentin is surprised that he remains emanated to arrange the deal with the Floatfish – he thinks that Ross would be better as a business negotiator. Ross coaches him through it, and he trades the Plankton Power and glowkrill for the teleportation device. Davy advises him to smell it – this is the reason Valentin had to be present. His senses are acute enough that he can convey the chemical composition of the teleportation device, allowing Cüinn to reverse engineer it.
After Tara and Valentin return to the palace, he jumps out the picture window in the music room, becoming the mothman. For the rest of the story, he stays in the background, assisting Mickey and Cillian with strategy.