A neat little character I made for the stonewalkers game my friend is hosting, here's the rough backstory
Malenavala Marnar was born in 1152 darkeyed to both lighteyed and darkeyed parents.
Her father Meritir Marnar is a Fifth Dahn who owns several properties and companies in the coastal Alethi city of Dumadari. He currently sits on Dumadari's financial council with ten or so other pro five Dahns advising the Bethab princedom on Dumadari's market, namely Mishinah Bethab.
Marnar Enterprise: - Trawling - Netting - Shipping - Storage
Her mother Jasannav was a Third Nahn who worked for Meritir's trawling business as a captain and engineer on one of his boats. She also worked with her fleet manager, Tordan Heldeas, and Thalen City's docks to manage trade relations and boat maintenance with Thaylenah.
Malen's existence was struck from any official record and she was raised predominately by her mother, who taught her parts of her trade as well as how to read and write. When the two would make visits to Malen's father he would teach her politics and trade, resulting in her deep understanding of Jah Keved. Vorinism naturally came with both of her parent's teachings. As Jasannav became more and more frequent to her visits with Meritir, Tordan became both suspicious and jealous of their relationship, and when Malen was eleven, she watched as her mother was killed by pirates. She later found out that these pirates were paid by Tordan to rob their ship and kill the officers.
After her mother died, Malen's hair was cut short and she was given board in her father's house as a serving boy to hide her identity. As she grew older, they grew closer behind closed doors. She requested to be trained as a grounds guard to her father when she was fourteen to maintain that closeness, and after two years of quiet pleading her wish was granted. Despite being as close to her father as she possibly could be without severely breaking taboo, Malen was very unhappy with her arrangement. Still, she bitterly worked her way up the short ranks of her fathers guard, leading the ground patrol, and eventually advising the head of the security force at age 20.
Early into her career as a guard for her father (1168), Dalinar took his army through Dumadari to reach the Shattered Plains. Recognizing this as a chance to earn a higher station through valor, Malen begged her father to be sent with the Bethab princedom's armies to fight in the war of reconning, but he refused. Over the years she slowly wore him down, and as the prospect of profit rose, so did Meritir's willingness to finally accept. Finally in 1172 her father relents and Malen is allowed to enlist with his name as Malen Marnar. It takes until 1173 for her to actually leave Dumadari, where she finds herself in the Kholin princedom, helping guide a supply caravan led by a woman named Ralanat.
So I might be getting into Stormlight just a little