At last, The Crimson Coven of Salem is complete and ready to take its place on the tabletop. After spending so much time recently painting the Dark Confederacy and the assorted undead, murderers and other thoroughly disreputable inhabitants of Dracula’s America, I thought it was about time I produced some “good guys”, assuming there really is such a thing in the decidedly murky world of Dracula’s America. The result is the Crimson Coven, a band of Salem witches and those willing to stand beside them against the considerably darker powers stalking the American West.

At the heart of the Coven are the three witches. Crone Prudence Blackwood is the eldest and most experienced, carrying the power of Blessing and providing the wisdom and authority around which the others gather.

Mother Rebecca Crowe, gifted with Faith Healing, is the protective centre of the group, tending wounds and keeping her companions on their feet when common sense might suggest that remaining there is a particularly poor idea. Together Prudence and Rebecca represent the accumulated experience of the Sisterhood, but neither underestimates the importance of their youngest companion.

Maiden Abigail Hathorn is accompanied everywhere by her doll, Patience, which she carries with the same determination with which the other members of the posse carry their weapons. Abigail possesses the power of Summoning and has also demonstrated an unusual ability to strengthen the magical efforts of the witches around her. She may appear to be nothing more than a young girl clutching a much loved doll, but appearances are notoriously unreliable in Dracula’s America, and anyone dismissing Abigail as harmless may discover that Patience is the least disturbing thing standing in front of them.

Elias Ward is the Coven’s Guardian, although his willingness to place himself between the witches and danger comes from something deeper than employment or obligation. His family had known persecution in the past, and the stories passed down through the generations left him with little sympathy for those who used fear and superstition as excuses to hunt people they did not understand. Ward believes in the cause of the Salem Sisterhood and, more importantly, has come to regard Prudence, Rebecca and Abigail as an extension of his own family, particularly the young Maiden whose safety he takes very personally. He knows perfectly well that standing between a witch hunter, vampire or risen corpse and its intended victim is unlikely to encourage a long and peaceful life, but Elias made that decision long ago. The witches have their powers and their armed companions have their guns, but when something has to physically stand between the Crimson Coven and whatever is coming for them, that something is Elias Ward.

Magic alone, however, is unlikely to keep the Coven alive for very long, so the witches are accompanied by several decidedly practical companions. Amos Callahan carries a shotgun, a weapon requiring considerably less arcane preparation than witchcraft and capable of resolving most arguments at appropriately short range.

Lucas McCain provides the Coven with a rifleman and some much needed reach, his name being a deliberate little tribute to The Rifleman and one that became impossible to resist once the figure was armed accordingly.

Then there are the two pistol armed gunslingers. Jonas Cade is the experienced hand, a man whose survival has depended upon knowing when to draw, when to shoot and, perhaps most importantly, when remaining in town for another drink is no longer advisable.

Alongside him is Clara Bell, equally comfortable with a pistol but rather more intriguing because she has begun trying to develop her own latent arcane abilities. She has no intention of replacing the witches, nor does she pretend to understand their powers, but in a world containing vampires, walking corpses and considerably worse things, Clara has decided that learning a little magic “just in case” seems an entirely sensible precaution.

Bringing these very different characters together visually was one of the reasons I decided against the traditional black clothing normally associated with witches. Instead, The Crimson Coven of Salem has been painted predominantly in Khorne Red, giving the posse a strong crimson identity that immediately distinguishes them on the tabletop while retaining enough darkness to suit the setting. They may be fighting against evil, but there is no particular reason why they should look cheerful while doing it.

So the Coven is finished: Prudence Blackwood, Rebecca Crowe, Abigail Hathorn and Patience, Amos Callahan, Lucas McCain, Jonas Cade and Clara Bell, a mixture of witchcraft, faith, firearms and questionable judgement ready to confront whatever the supernatural West throws at them. They are certainly more respectable than my Dark Confederacy, although admittedly that is setting the bar so low that you could probably trip over it.

Are they really the good guys? In Dracula’s America, I suspect “less alarming than the opposition” may be the safest description.

Either way, The Crimson Coven of Salem is ready for action.