Cemira's mother, Erisna, was a moon elf and her father, Setanta, was a sylvan elf, both of the High Forest. Their pairing was looked down upon by their communities. The pair and later their child, Cemira, were ostracised by all but her brother, Faellon.

Moving around the fringes of the High Forest, Erisna schooled Cemira in wizardry until she was old enough to choose her own path. Setanta, a skilled fighter, was a hard taskmaster for Cemira through those years, driving her to learn martial arts and the skills of the forest. He died all too early in the Year of the Marching Moon (1330DR). Uncle Faellon, a bladesinger, supplemented Cemira's training when Setanta was away. The bladesinger training continued after Setanta's death and continued until he and his sister withdrew to Evereska in the Year of the Bridle (1349DR).

After half a decade playing the dilettante in Waterdeep Cemira joined up with Silver Spiders Adventuring Company and took to the high seas with their crew in their speedy ship the "Holy Moly". For several years the Holy Moly harried pirates the length of the Sword Coast. One chase too many lured the group into a mist bank where two more Luskan vessels waited. The Moly was sunk and few on board were seen again. Most drowned but some were captured and sold into slavery. Cemira was the sole member of the Silver Spiders to make it back to Waterdeep. Her parrot, "Duck", miraculously survived with her.