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Mark Smylie, author of Artesia and the Barrow, has a Patreon


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12 minutes ago, Habubu said:

Smylie released a new chapter on Patreon today. The release contradicts his earlier publication "road map" a bit -- he seems to be rearranging the order of the chapters.

Have not yet had a chance to read it, but that sounds interesting! 

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  • 4 months later...

Black Heart, the second novel, is close to being finished:

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So as a general update, the most recent chapter of BLACK HEART posted (Chapter 46) is the last "official" chapter of the book. There are two epilogues to follow which will finish out the text as a whole, and my hope is to get them both up this month (they should be shorter than most chapters but one is fairly wide-ranging, covering several characters). That would be followed by editing and compiling the whole of part three into both pdf and epub versions so those will be available here (and then at DriveThru and the Kindle) by the end of the year with any luck.

The third book will be called Bright Sword.

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1 minute ago, Habubu said:

Black Heart, the second novel, is close to being finished:

The third book will be called Bright Sword.

Very interested in the epilogue chapters in particular, as there's quite a few story threads dangling so far and characters who haven't been revisited in awhile. 

If I recall right, he also suggests Bright Sword will take us up to the start of the Artesia series.

Still wish it made financial sense for him to continue the comic, but I'll take what I can get.

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21 hours ago, Ran said:

If I recall right, he also suggests Bright Sword will take us up to the start of the Artesia series.

That seems to be the case. According to Historiae Mundi, the first novel, The Barrow, takes place in the year i1471 while the events of Artesia begin to unfold in i1472. 


Historiae Mundi timeline


Stjepan meets up with Artesia in Daradja in the first trade (after the Black Sun rises and the Wild Hunt rides by), which means that whatever Stjepan's role in Bright Sword is, it's already over by that point. 

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For those eager for world building, the work-in-progress he just sent out of the University of Therapoli section of the Geographiae is pretty amazing, especially if you're one of those people who really wishes GRRM went into more detail about how the Citadel operates.

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1 hour ago, Infidel said:

Is there a convenient way to get the complete Black Heart right now?

Not yet. Once the two epilogue chapters are published, he'll package it all together into a book. Think he hoped that would be done by the end of the year.

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  • 1 month later...

Smylie posted an end-of-the-year update on Patreon. The second epilogue will be released sometime in January 2022:

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Perhaps as per usual it's taken longer to finish the last epilogue than expected (it's an Artesia chapter, and I have already had to do some major rewriting as I keep finding myself writing what is essentially the first chapter of BRIGHT SWORD rather than the last chapter of BLACK HEART) so alas it will not be out this year, but rather in January 2022, finally wrapping the book. And then it will be on to hopefully finding a new publisher for it to get a print edition on the way. 

He also answered my question about how much of the third book, Bright Sword, he has outlined. I'll hide his answer behind a spoiler button, but the biggest takeaway is that the events of Bright Sword happen concurrently with the first Artesia comic collection.
 

Spoiler

Parts of Bright Sword are in fairly detailed outline (as it's mostly the first ARTESIA graphic novel, just told from multiple perspectives) and then other parts still hazy. Stjepan's story is fairly clear (as we know where he winds up) as is Godewyn (through him we see the Thessid invasion of the west) and the Therapolite crew but Erim's arc needs to get nailed down.

 

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On 11/13/2021 at 5:41 AM, Infidel said:

Is there a convenient way to get the complete Black Heart right now?

I would reread The Barrow first. Black Heart is a direct continuation of the story, picking up only a couple of days after the events of Azharad's barrow. There are lots of little tidbits of lore and plot sprinkled throughout the first book that are important to the story of Black Heart. Things such as:

1. Who is the rebel baron and what's up with him?

2. Who are the Urgoars and how are they connected to Lord Arduin's Midnight Ride?

3. Who was this Azharad guy again and what do the various members of the expedition want out of his barrow?

4. Who or what is the King's Shadow?

etc. etc.

Edited by Habubu
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January sounds good for wrapping it up. Rather liked his remarks on artwork of various thing, and the depiction of Uthmark, seat of the notorious Countess Uthella. 

Here's hoping a publisher goes for it. I forget if he's remarked whether The Barrow's publishing rights have been released back to him by Pyr, in case a new publisher would prefer to republish that in conjunction with releasing the next book.

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Not quite sure Mark will get the last epilogue chapter in before the end of the month, but I've enjoyed the previews of maps he's been creating -- including a sort of climate map for the known world, revealing that regional climate is in many cases purely magical in nature. I also kind of love the fact that the Wanderers (i.e. the planets of the solar system) can blink out and appear somewhere else in the sky, even within a single night. Fits well with the way that the stars themselves can just start moving around when prophetic omens are afoot.

(And yes, the universe is not Copernican -- the world is the center of the universe, and may in fact actually be flat...)

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The last chapter was released yesterday in the final hours of January. It's an Artesia chapter helping to bridge the gap between the novels and the comics.

On 1/28/2022 at 9:52 PM, Ran said:

(And yes, the universe is not Copernican -- the world is the center of the universe, and may in fact actually be flat...)

The craziest thing is that Mark's entertaining the idea that the World Entire could be cube-shaped! He's clearly embracing the Gloranthan roots of the setting* -- creating a world where myth can explain the natural order of things better than science.

*The Known World started out as a RuneQuest campaign.

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17 minutes ago, Habubu said:

The last chapter was released yesterday in the final hours of January. It's an Artesia chapter helping to bridge the gap between the novels and the comics.

Wow, I missed the notification for it. Off to read.

17 minutes ago, Habubu said:

The craziest thing is that Mark's entertaining the idea that the World Entire could be cube-shaped!

 

He's going to have to draw the idea with the lobes, I couldn't quite imagine it in my head. Fun stuff.

 

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2 hours ago, Habubu said:

The last chapter was released yesterday in the final hours of January. It's an Artesia chapter helping to bridge the gap between the novels and the comics.

I don't know why the chapter surprised me, given that I knew it featured Artesia, but... uh, color me surprised. LOL. 

I do hope we get more of Reif and Valeria, those two troublemakers, if he proceeds with a follow-up novel.

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9 hours ago, Ran said:

I don't know why the chapter surprised me, given that I knew it featured Artesia, but... uh, color me surprised. LOL.

One could say that the novel...

Spoiler

... ends with a bang.

Quote

I do hope we get more of Reif and Valeria, those two troublemakers, if he proceeds with a follow-up novel.

Yeah, it'd be nice to see them in some ill-advised caper they barely make it out of alive. I'd also like to read more about the cult of Hathalla in the Highlands. 

This chapter seems to indicate that the next book will show us...

Spoiler

...more of the conspiracy against Artesia that we see a brief glimpse of in Book of Ugrayne:
Renham's council

 

Edited by Habubu
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On 2/2/2022 at 7:54 AM, Habubu said:

One could say that the novel...

Indeed.

 

Spoiler

Between this and the other chapter,  I notice Mark was very deliberate in the way things went -- the first chapter features Bran sharing Artesia with Ulin, Thales, and Constans, and Bran and Ulin die, Thales and Constans flee... and after that it's Pavel and Hueylin who of course side with her. Now again, Bran makes his effort to put her in "her place", and after Pavel and Hueylin are the initial ringleaders of what follows... with every other named person -- Reif, young Ustin, Gerovic -- ends up becoming one of her followers against Bran. 

I'm going to guess most of the other people she had ... relations ... with that evening were people who ended up on her side.

On a completely separate matter, I feel like I can't find any discussion anywhere of Artesia's father. Urgrayne seems to tell Bran's spirit (bound to his head) who her father "really is", which implies that Artesia or someone has a belief as to who the father is, but also that they're wrong... and it also seems to imply (to me) that it's someone divine (or at least someone possessed by some divine presence).

Have you any thoughts on it? 

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23 hours ago, Ran said:

On a completely separate matter, I feel like I can't find any discussion anywhere of Artesia's father. Urgrayne seems to tell Bran's spirit (bound to his head) who her father "really is", which implies that Artesia or someone has a belief as to who the father is, but also that they're wrong... and it also seems to imply (to me) that it's someone divine (or at least someone possessed by some divine presence).

Have you any thoughts on it? 

No idea, to be honest. If Byron of An-Athair is not Artesia's real father, it would explain why her brother's Stjepan and Justin aren't destined to "climb the heavens" as Ugrayne put it. On the other hand, that exclusion could be attributed to the fact that the Athairi are a matrilineal people and the power of the Spring Queens runs in the female line. (Might explain why Ugrayne is frustrated that she's wasting her potential).

According to the RPG system, the lineage of Morfane is only supposed to yield the gifts of Imperious Tongue (speaking with surety and command), Spellbinding Form (people find you alluring), and Second Sight ("Show me the world"). The lineage doesn't seem to explain Artesia's spirit familiars, her considerable magic talent, or why she is favoured by so many divine powers.
 

Spoiler

Some of that might be explained by the fact that she carries Ghavaurer, Nymarga's sword, which boosts magic.


Her father could be fae (which isn't unlikely considering that they seem to be frequent visitor's in Argante's neck of the woods). However, Dürace has fae parentage, and it seems unlikely that the big reveal about Artesia would be something that's similar to what we already know about Dürace -- unless Argante had a dalliance with a prince of one of the fae courts. 

The Known World is less divine than it used to be in ages past. Some of the gods have become meta-powers, part of the fabric of reality. Others are bound to the Underworld or Heaven. Ariahave and Ugrayne seem to be the biggest meddlers in the matter's of mortals. I got the impression from one the Reddit Q&As that it's quite possible to encounter Bragea and Daedekamani in the Known World; they aren't bound to any particular level or reality, they don't embody a natural phenomenon, and they don't exist outside of time and space.  So I guess it's possible one of them might be Artesia's father, but I'm not feeling it.

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7 minutes ago, Habubu said:

I got the impression from one the Reddit Q&As that it's quite possible to encounter Bragea and Daedekamani in the Known World; they aren't bound to any particular level or reality, they don't embody a natural phenomenon, and they don't exist outside of time and space.  So I guess it's possible one of them might be Artesia's father, but I'm not feeling it.

Interesting, I'll have to dig through the Q&A's for that comment, as that's the direction I was thinking. Daedekamani as her father would be a possible explanation for her substantial magical power. When I was reviewing the pantheon, the other one that stuck out at me was the Horned Man, doomed to stay on the Earth for whatever crime led to Geniché abandoning the world. I could even see the potential motive, that Artesia might restore the old order of the world and in so doing win atonement (or simply revenge). (Of course, if the Horned Man = Nymarga, that's either a non-starter or we're looking at some sort of possession thing.) OTOH, the favor of various divinities might be at odds with this....

There of aspects of Artesia that makes me wonder if Ligrid isn't floating around back there in her lineage -- perhaps via the Rebel Angel, Ishraha, who definitely had issues with Islik and whose cultists are explicitly said to want to overthrow the current order. Being part angel would explain the celestial part of Artesia's prophesized destiny. OTOH, he's supposed to be down in the Underworld... but who knows, maybe he had help to escape briefly with the wider world unknowing?

The fae idea is interesting, just because in reviewing the Historiae Mundi it's noted that fae princes and their entourages were encountered in the Erid Wold in the year following Artesia's birth. But I agree with your thinking that that doesn't seem special enough, to my mind. I would have expected there to be something more obvious in Artesia's appearance, as well, if she was part-fae.

I think I'm most excited by the hope that Bright Sword will fill out some of the details of Artesia's past. Particularly how she ended up Bran's concubine and then became a captain in his service. All just happenstance... or was it part of a calculated plan on her part? 

 

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19 hours ago, Ran said:

Interesting, I'll have to dig through the Q&A's for that comment, as that's the direction I was thinking. Daedekamani as her father would be a possible explanation for her substantial magical power.

Here's the section I was referring to:

Spoiler
The gods all have a “true form” or “true self”--the self and appearance that they had when they were
created--and I tend to think that when the gods of the Known World appear they appear as themselves,
in that singular form, though yes, gods can wear disguises or manifest as “phenomenon,” which
complicates things, particularly when they want to appear to a mortal and not scare or overwhelm
them. When Yhera appears (or perhaps more accurately appeared, as She does not appear that often in
the material world anymore) She appears with light alabaster/marble, almost albino skin tones (She is
a manifestation of stardust, in effect; the Magician picture of Yhera in the History book is Her “true
self”). When Agdah Cosmopeiia appears, He is always dark-skinned. When Yhera’s daughter Urige the
First Queen appears, Urige is always dark-brown in skin tone, etc. But if you find a statue of a god or 24
goddess in-world, that will just as much reflect the cultural preferences of its makers (so many of the
statues in the History book should be seen as just that, artist’s renderings of the gods vs. a “true”
presentation of how that god would appear).
Several of the gods mentioned in your list are anthropomorphic/animal-headed, others are less
obviously different than mortals.
 
Ammon Agdah: Agdah can take several forms. As Ammon Agdah He can be stag-headed or sometimes
an actual stag or sometimes a dark-skinned man with antlers. As Agdah Cosmpoeiia He usually appears
as a dark-skinned man with a golden crown and halo, but he can also appear with a hawk’s head
(arguably His “true self”).
 
Irré: usually appeared as either a figure obscured by a whirling cloud of smoke and fire or a man with
burning jet-black skin and either a horned head or a jackal or wolf’s head. Now He only appears as the
Black Sun, rising when given leave.
 
Heth: is never seen as a human-like figure. He is best described and encountered as a voice moving on
the waters or a wave or even a maelstrom.
 
Cyrus: He is long bound in the Underworld so is not commonly encountered in the material world,
but He was a brown-skinned man with long flowing hair and a beard. Cyrus in many ways in on the
line between “god” and “demi-god.”
 
Ariahavé: She appears as an olive-skinned woman with wavy/curly dark brown hair. Think classical
Greek Athena but maybe a bit more Near-Eastern in appearance. She appears amongst mortals
frequently, at least in Palatia and the League.
 
Bragea: He appears as a brown-skinned man with dark wiry hair and beard. His hair and beard are
often braided (think Sumerian/Mesopotamian styles).
 
Daedekamani: He appears in “true form” as a dark-skinned man with a raven's head, but will
sometimes appear in the guise of a wise man as appropriate to the local culture.
 
As a general rule the Forbidden Gods cannot manifest directly in the material world; they are indeed
bound into the Hells and must act through their supplicants and worshippers. The exception would
be the Forbidden “Gods” who are essentially mortals-made-gods such as the Horned Man, Azharad or
Githwaine (or the Devil Himself), or those Forbidden “Gods” that are essentially powerful spirits risen
to the status of minor gods (the Corn King, Azhazel, Malkheb) whose proper place is either the material
world or some part of the Otherworld and therefore either inhabit the world or are summonable by
those that would dare

 

 

 
Quote

When I was reviewing the pantheon, the other one that stuck out at me was the Horned Man, doomed to stay on the Earth for whatever crime led to Geniché abandoning the world. I could even see the potential motive, that Artesia might restore the old order of the world and in so doing win atonement (or simply revenge). (Of course, if the Horned Man = Nymarga, that's either a non-starter or we're looking at some sort of possession thing.) OTOH, the favor of various divinities might be at odds with this....

There of aspects of Artesia that makes me wonder if Ligrid isn't floating around back there in her lineage -- perhaps via the Rebel Angel, Ishraha, who definitely had issues with Islik and whose cultists are explicitly said to want to overthrow the current order. Being part angel would explain the celestial part of Artesia's prophesized destiny. OTOH, he's supposed to be down in the Underworld... but who knows, maybe he had help to escape briefly with the wider world unknowing?

Horned Man, Ishraha etc. might go a long way to explain the Riven Tower that comes up in the Book of Dooms reading. From the RPG:

Spoiler
Takers of the Path: The Path of the Riven Tower is a
rough and difficult one, for misfortune often befalls those
upon it. Those who pursue wild ideas, or abandon reason
or embrace over-confidence through a misplaced faith in
their own abilities, will find that they are upon the Riven
Path by accident. Those that deliberately seek to subvert,
undermine and destroy other people or things will find
this Path on purpose. Warriors, soldiers, warlords, artists,
engineers, coup plotters and conspirators, spies, thieves, and
assassins will often walk the Riven Path, either knowingly or
unknowingly.

Then again, another likely explanation for the card is all the conspiracies against Artesia (King Renham's plot, the Middle Kingdom plot to put her on trial for adultery, king Euwen's assassination attempt). So the card might not necessarily prophesy Artesia's ambition/hubris.

Seems to me like Stjepan is also on the same path. He has nothing but contempt for the current regime and thinks he can run circles around others.

Quote

The fae idea is interesting, just because in reviewing the Historiae Mundi it's noted that fae princes and their entourages were encountered in the Erid Wold in the year following Artesia's birth. But I agree with your thinking that that doesn't seem special enough, to my mind. I would have expected there to be something more obvious in Artesia's appearance, as well, if she was part-fae.

Yeah, a fae connection would make the most sense the context of the setting.

It occurred to me that if Artesia's magical abilities are due to her being the daughter of one the greatest witches in history, her father need not be divine or superhuman. What if she's a nobleman's daughter? If so, she might have a "legitimate" claim to the throne of one of the Middle Kingdoms. If the news of it were to spread, it could jumpstart the rebellion that has been brewing in the Middle Kingdoms for some time. 

Another option is that she's like the sultan Agameen: someone who is not entirely aware of the greatness of their bloodline. In other words, it doesn't matter who the father is, it matters what the father's lineage is.

Quote

I think I'm most excited by the hope that Bright Sword will fill out some of the details of Artesia's past. Particularly how she ended up Bran's concubine and then became a captain in his service. All just happenstance... or was it part of a calculated plan on her part? 

Agreed! The epilogue seems to indicate that Artesia knows more than she lets on and might have been manipulating people around her for some time. Is this the path that came to her in an epiphany when she found the sword in the forest?

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