Ashniel was the daughter of Caenthras, a Prince of Nagarythe during the Elven civil war of the Sundering.[1a] She was betrothed to a young Alith Anar, who was smitten with her,[1b] but spurned him after leaving for Anlec to learn the arts of murder and sorcery as a handmaiden of Morathi.[1c]
Canon Conflict[]
In the War of Vengeance trilogy comprised of the novels The Great Betrayal by Nick Kyme, Master of Dragons by Chris Wraight and The Curse of the Phoenix Crown by C.L. Werner, Ashniel is of the three Dark Elf sorcerers sent to the Old World to inflame the relations between the Dwarfs and High Elves.[2a] After completing their task, the party attempted to make their way back to Naggaroth, but were ambushed by a Shadow Warrior, the abandoned son of Drutheira -- Ashniel's superior. Both Ashniel and her colleague, Malchior, were slain by the assassin.[3a]
However, in the Nagash Trilogy by Mike Lee, the trio were shipwrecked on the coast of Nehekhara,[4a] ending up as prisoners in the possession of a young Nagash. The would-be immortal forced the captured Druchii to instruct him in the ways of Dhar, and eventually used this knowledge to create the art of necromancy. Later, Ashniel and her companions attempted to escape captivity, and were slain by their former student in a magical duel.[4b]
When asked about this canon conflict the author, Mike Lee, responded that this inconsistency was possibly intentional, to show that these books talk about legends that are just that -- dimly remembered tales of a long-forgotten age. And that there was certainly no hidden outcome that might reconcile the two accounts that he was aware of.[5]