A is for Artesia

Artesia is the creation of Mark Smylie, who is both author and artist of the Artesia comics and graphic novels, and the Artesia role-playing game: Artesia: Adventures in the Known World.

Artesia is the heroine of the stories - referred to as an "epic military fantasy" - and is both warrior and witch, equally dangerous whether wielding sword or magic. 

There are at four graphic novels: Artesia, Artesia Afield, Artesia Afire and Artesia Besieged. Sadly, I have not yet been able to locate a copy of the last. :-(

There is also the role-playing game, which provides a lot of detail for the Known World in which Artesia wages her wars. All are superbly illustrated by Mark.

I am slowly working up to wargaming in the Known World. The Assault Group, a manufacturer of 28mm wargaming miniatures recently ran a kickstarter to generate funds to expand their renaissance ranges - specifically with a Tudor English range. The drive came up short unfortunately but there is still the opportunity to pick up the kickstarter goodies on their site. 

One of the options was to pledge for a custom command pack - sculpted to your specifications. I went for that option, requesting an "Elizabeth I" figure, mounted and in armour, with a mounted and armoured "lady-in-waiting" and a dismounted male courtier. Can you guess which figure I was angling for?

I'm still keen to continue the pledge - I just have to confirm with TAG that they are willing to go ahead. There are so many of their figures throughout their renaissance lines that are suitable! The setting is not earth, of course, but the armour is vaguely the right level of sophistication, with the wilder fringes having more primitive styles. And there is magic. Gunpowder is not much in evidence but is mentioned at the end of the third book. How much it features in the fourth book I do not know. :-(