Nena was born in Mouldtown, the second-eldest of brothel-owner Iasmin el Sabine's thirteen children and one of only three of them to survive into adulthood (her surviving siblings being PRU assassin Magri and adventurer turned innkeeper Ashraiah.) Upon her mother's death when she was seventeen, she was handed over to Crocodilid mob boss Hayk-ebasa-ged'wen in order to upkeep a deal about drug debt, and was forced to endure both physical and psychological torment and hardship as his slave; of the three surviving siblings, Nena was the one who endured the harshest treatment, being constantly abused by Hayk and his men, which drove her to contemplate suicide on multiple occasions.
With the help of her brother and his friend Kadar Rachid, Nena managed to escape Ādīsi Geneti and flee to the Rachid's family farm in Caballus, but were tailed by Hayk's enforcers and during the ensuing struggle Kadar's Wife was killed and Nenet was struck in the face with Alchemist's Fire, which left her permanently blind and with heavy scarring on her arms as she had attempted to defend herself. Kadar hid his children with his brother and took Nenet to Síocháin where she would be safe.
Though she was now finally safe from Hayk, Nena became increasingly depressed, unable to cope with the trauma of not only her past but also of losing her eyesight and getting her friend killed, and a few months after arriving in Síocháin she found herself standing on one of the city's bridges, preparing to jump to her death. She was rescued, however, by a woman who talked her down from the edge and led her to a local convent of the Church of Amaryllis to be looked after. The woman's words had a profound effect on Nena, and the events that night combined with the kindness shown by the nuns at the convent rekindled her will to live and caused her to become an active follower of the Church, even being ordained as a priestess.
Nena still lives in Síocháin, and currently runs a charity hospital and sanctuary for individuals who have been the victims of people trafficking, torture and abuse as she wishes for nobody else to go through the same things that she has.