Vala was born in the city of Atheon during its initial interregnum period, between the initial battle with the lizard folk and the city's magical civil war. Her father was a minor knight who was granted a manor in the city as a reward for valour while conquering the city. Her mother was a minor lady who did not wish to be so far from the capital, but did what she was told. The result was a loveless marriage, and a strange childhood for Vala. Vala's primary caregiver was her governess, a woman who appeared to be a no-nonsense functionary to those around her - but secretly was a worshipper of the spirits of nature, and had been maintaining the Lizard Folk shrines in the wild places. And it was this witch who noticed potential within Vala.
The witch brought her to the shrines, taught her the names of the spirits, brought her to the shrines, and taught her the secrets of plants. Vala learned to brew potions and draw magical circles, hungrily devouring the secrets her mentor taught her. As she grew older her parents noticed one of the tattoos she'd given herself under the New Moon, and the scars from candle wax dripped on her arm to see. Panicking they banished the governess and had her chased from the walls of Atheon. None of those who were sent to hound her returned. Shortly after this, the lord and lady both fell ill and died. The grumbling that it was the witch who did it served Vala well, as her poisoned had worked perfectly, but she only received sympathy.
After this murder, Vala went to a sacred Shrine and called upon the spirits of the forest to give her power. She bargained for eternal service in exchange for power. Returning to the city, she began to plot her ascension to rule Atheon, and then, hopefully, the kingdom. Knowing that her bargain made her a sorcerer and a pariah, she knew she'd need to gather power in secret, or else the Wizard's Guild would come to recruit or kill her. What she did not bargain on was others discovering the leftover knowledge in the remnants of the Lizard Folk and building their own power bases.
This kicked off the Atheon civil war. What was once a thriving city with a power base of hundreds of farms coming to its market and a few outlying mines, was suddenly involved in a prolonged street war. Vala began gathering allies, paying off criminals, and sending those willing to recover things from the Lizard Folk ruins. Kay, the son of the Duke who was granted the city, is Vala's primary rival. It is only because Kay doesn't wish the Wizard's Guild to find his own magic that he spends so much time keeping them away. The werewolf, Tristan Rooke, is the final member of the clandestine civil war, using his own connection to the darkness to keep the other two at bay. The three of them all have their own household guard, their own thieves collective, and their own secret magic, and one day one of them will slip up and die, and then no one knows what will happen to their secret war.
During the civil war, Vala has stayed within her father's manor house, maintaining his assets, and hiding behind the guards who are still loyal. She is not hated by those who work for her since her taxes are relatively light, she cares for money only as a tool to hire others, and she is wise enough to keep her power base safe. She has a small thieves guild that works for her, run nominally by Hollie Birdwell before her death, which she is hoping to bring into her fold more deeply, and she believes that the forest outside the walls is her ally. She knows that one day the witch who taught her all she knows will return, but she does not know what that means, and so is attempting to be strong enough to handle any danger.
Belief: Kay and Tristan are obstacles I will overcome on my way to power.
Belief: My father taught me that only power will keep me safe, I will gather as much as I can.
Belief: The Old Blood is the secret to eternal life, I will obey.
Instinct: Give myself a new tattoo every New Moon (instinct maintaining her Gift)
Instinct: Always keep an eye out for magical plants or herbs
Instinct: Assume everyone is looking to kill me
The Bargain: Vala is only Gifted as long as she maintains her relationship with the spirit of the forest. She must constantly draw new marks upon her skin, and must protect the forest at all costs. She might be like the forest for its own sake - but must protect it.
A Burning Wheel Monster Every Week