Being of noble birth Jet'laya's "uncle" went out into the world seeking adventure. Upon his journey he meets and had his life saved a few times by Jet'laya's future father, Torvin. After traveling together for some time and becoming to be close friends, her father and "uncle" returned to Cormanthor. Once in the city, Lennan (Le*non) introduced Torvin to his father, a wealthy and powerful noble. Being quite impressed with Torvin and being thankful for his saving his son's life, he fought to get Torvin, accepted into the city. He won. Torvin quickly became liked by most, and fell in love with Jet'laya's mother, who was one of Cormanthor's healers. Their marriage was looked down upon by several members in the society, forcing them to live near the edge of the forest.
When Jet'laya and her twin brother were six, Cormanthor was attacked by a group of undead, led by a young, brash Vampire. She, her brother and older sister, were hidden in safety, while the elves defended the city. The entire group of attackers was killed except for their leader; he managed to escape and has not been heard from since. However, the elves incurred several casualties, including Jet'laya's parents. Her older sister was wounded and was never able to recover fully from the attack. She suffered for many years. Seeing her parents killed was a constant source of nightmares for Jet'laya, and she vowed revenge for her parent’s death upon all undead. Despite the best efforts of her uncle and her twin, who seemed less effected by his parents' death, she could not be swayed from her path and left as soon as her training, as she called it, was complete.