Hello fellow Therans!
I must explain something. Game modifications have one nasty effect on me: they sometimes make my imagination to run faster than usual, especially when the mod provides the player with a unique world with great depth, lore-wise. That was the case with The Eagle and the Radiant Cross for Mount&Blade (some time ago, I think I'll have to revisit it). The same case is with Thera.
I always thought that Thera deserves much more than mundane vanilla cities and portraits. The lore is so intricate with detail,so lively and deep that it just screams to be developed until perfect. Well, maybe my try isn't perfect at all, but I just couldn't resist. And so I start two projects, which will probably span over a couple of months, if not over a few years (if the real life kicks in too much).
The first one will be "Settlements and Landscapes of Thera". These will be graphic renditions of various towns, castles, cities and characteristic places of Thera's strategic map, with no intent of altering the timeline or lore, but to provide the players with a point of view, of how could a place look like. Of course, there will be place for discussion and alterations. This project is currently in a pre-alpha stage, with a few settlements sketched on paper, some other under development inside my mind 
The second project is in the title. "Faces of Thera" will focus on depicting famous people, mythical creatures and starting faction leaders of Theran countries. Of course, these portraits will be only my point of view, with no ill intention of considering them "canon". There will also be place for debate over appearance of dramatis personae of Thera, with much room for amendments. But, given that both in the strategic map and in the battle map the special characters use either vanilla M2TW portraits/battle models or from some mods for vanilla faction leaders, I think that each unique idea is worth a try.
"Faces of Thera" is currently in an alpha stage, with the starting faction leaders being sketched on paper and scanned.
Both projects will be eventually executed in digital painting, with "traditional" pencil drawing on occasion, if the time allows.
Of course, the last word is the law of the great TFON. I just hope that these projects won't lead me to the fiery death pits of Demos 
Please comment and write your thoughts about the projects. The more you like the idea, the more I will carry on with it. It would be great if you actually criticized my drawings and ideas for the looks of settlements and people of Thera. This way, it would become a true community project. 
Anyway, here are the first seven sketches of faction leaders. The remaining fourteen will join them soon.
King Henry of Avalon:
Roi Philippe de Meravangi:
Duque Agosto el Valiente:
Kaiser Heinrich Faust: (although I think it should depict the first Kaiser, Karl I)
Primeiro Vaasco de Sousa:
Grandmaster of the Pale Knights, Baldwin de Ibelin, the Silver-Masked: (well, here I portrayed the founder of the Order, as all the other Grandmasters wore the silver masks)
Hochmeister of the Teutonic Order, Gunther von Wolfsburg:
Please comment and/or criticize!
Best regards,
jan_boruta
Visions of Thera. A Portrait and Artwork project.
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Originally Posted by jan_boruta
It makes him look gritty but distinguished.
