I know what you mean with the shadows. They look good so far.

No worries.
I can understand your issues with backgrounds. Shading still gets me down because it takes so long.

Finally finished. I also decided to upload a version without shading, since I liked the colour reference image as it was so much.

In case you were wondering, Jinx, I managed to get back to working on the final image for your picture. It's taking a little longer than I expected since I've not drawn five characters getting into an Usagi Yojimbo-ish fight before.

Five characters?? Oh wow! I'm really eager to see this now. Certainly no rush, I'm happy enough just having done your half. Thanks for the update.

I did think that the concept pictures would probably technically be enough for my end of the trade, but I felt rather dissatisfied with leaving it at that. Your picture prompted me to quit stalling and scribble out something a little more substantial than those concept pictures. In any case, I finished drawing and inking the characters today (making my knuckles hurt for a while afterwards). They're ready to be scanned in tomorrow.

I should tell you that only two of the five are your characters. The other three are random bandits Damian and Domino are whaling the living daylights out of. Since the bandits aren't humans, it would appear that someone took a wrong turn at Albuquerque.

Damian has a terrible sense of direction.

By the way, I wanted to let you know that I finally finished reading Winterfur. It's a good ending, thanks for sending it. If you want some more specific thoughts on it, let me know and I'll e-mail you.

I managed to get back to the scans yesterday and have cleaned up the characters. I can get to coloring them now.

Thank you. Go ahead and send whatever you've thought of. I may or may not have already dealt with it.

I have revised a few chapters. The Prologue is to be mostly rewritten. My first rewrite removed Solomon's flashbacks, but still has too much focus on his apprentice before Baksrit. Therefore, I intend to rewrite the rewrite to keep it focused on Solomon meeting Baksrit.

Another chapter which has received a major rewrite is the one after the execution, where Baksrit and Jaims discuss Baksrit's reaction. I replaced Jaims with Deidrei so I could develop her character more, especially since Deidrei becomes a major character. I also added Baksrit helping Matreen clean up the drunken Deidrei at the end of the chapter.

I also added to the end of the last chapter (not the Epilogue), so that Deidrei asks Baksrit for spellcasting lessons (instead of Baksrit telling Deidrei she needed to learn them) and that Baksrit sees Songern for a reason other than to tell him not to call her "little bit" (she wanted more information on what happened to Solomon, but Songern knows little more than what he told her underground).