Such a cool fantasy world, @nagasonic ! I really like how you committed into it, with so much detailing and I love the shading you did on the mountains and on the city that sits underneath the castle's side :) Very, very nice.
I think you did the right thing by kicking out the figure .... its inclusion would have taken away the focus of the piece from the whole, and it really looks more balanced without the figure :)
Good work ! More like these, please :D :D :D