Rinaldo Gandolfi was an alchemist who lived in the forest ruled by vampires--the Forest of Eternal Darkness where Walter Bernhard ruled from his castle. Sometime before Lament's tale, Walter had killed his daughter to try to goad him into a duel. Rinaldo showed remarkable restraint, knowing well his limitations. Since none could ever leave the forest after entering, the grieving Rinaldo had to make the best of it by building a cottage and from there continuing his practice. He was allowed to live here, unharmed, because Walter thought it more fun to have someone who could assist foolhardy hunters with his magical items--to make his game of cat and mouse more entertaining. When Leon came into his cottage, Rinaldo did what Walter had hoped: He supplied Leon with the Whip of Alchemy and used his powers to enchant the young warrior's gauntlet for the purpose of wielding magical power; he further assisted by supplying potions and other goods.

When Leon much later learned of the death of Rinaldo's daughter, his new ally's pain became part of the impetus behind his quest.

Soon, Leon returned to his cottage with the vampirized Sara, and it was Rinaldo who knew what had to be done: If Leon wanted to defeat Walter, he'd have to use something of the vampire's against him--mainly the part of him that now infected Sara. She would have to die by Leon's hands to create the ultimate weapon, which could be used to effectively deal with the threat where all other weapons fell short. Sara, of course, volunteered to become one with the Whip of Alchemy in order to create the Vampire Killer whip that could defeat Walter. Rinaldo's hunch proved to be correct: When he saw sunlight beam through the windows of his ordinarily bleak shack, he knew that the deed was done; from that moment on, he was able to find the peace that had so eluded him.