Rogues of Clwyd-Rhan: In a version of late 10th/early 11th-century Europe, a band of thieves have adventures involving wizards, witches, tyrants, faeries and mythical creatures of every description. Oh, and there's quite a bit of nudity as well. The world these characters inhabit is an astonishingly colorful, vibrant and varied one. It's a far cry from the rather drab view of medieval life that's sometimes depicted in fantasy.
Can be found online
.
Rogues of Clwyd-Rhan provides examples of the following tropes:
- Added Alliterative Appeal:Ambassy Guard: Amazonian agressors are assaulting our amabassador! Attack!
Jake: Ragna is being besieged by berserker barbarians! Boldly brandish blade, bream, bass and burbot! - The Alcoholic: Tamlin.
- Alliterative List:
- Breakout Character: Kel. She first appeared as indentured servant to the Green Knight, joined the Rogues when they overcame him, and spent a year or so snarking in the background (with stringy hair) before growing a personality (and nice head of ginger locks), and becoming one of the principal characters.
- Cold Iron: Iron hurts Fair Folks. Including Kel, who's half-elven, but only after she travels to the Gnome Lands. She later uses an iron necklace to keep her elven powers under control.
- Crossover: With several other webcomics, both for extended storylines, brief but substanial character appearances, and one-panel cameos. Here's an incomplete list of all the crossovers and cameos.
- Cursed with Awesome: The Corby clan are "cursed" with the ability to turn into birds. Voluntarily. With absolutely no restrictions or drawbacks involved. The "curse" is broken when another character points out that they can just stop doing it.
- Expy: Scarabus the Earth-Pig is pretty blatantly Cerebus the Aardvark with the serial numbers filed off and a few missing IQ points.
- Face Palm: The Sheriff has good reason to facepalm.
- Faux Affably Evil: The Green Knight seems jovial, polite and even honorable, but it's all an act.
- Innocent Fanservice Girl: Kel doesn't care much about being naked, unless she's somehow the center of attention. Otherwise, she can just forget that she's nude and other characters have to remind her.
- Even more prominent amongst the fairies, most of whom spend the majority of their time naked, or wearing only a few accessories.
- Half-Human Hybrid: Kel is half-elven. In this world, "Elf" more accuratly describe The Fair Folk. She has two half-sisters who are full fairies, wings and all.
- Hot Witch: Kel and Krakatoa; also Atra after her rejuvenation, although she usually hides her young appearance. Of course, they're all good witches, as long as you don't tick them off.
- Long Runner: The earliest strips appeared in print in The Netherlands in the early 90s.
- The Millstone: Tamlin, as greatly demonstrated by his "Weakest Link" dream.
- Naked People Are Funny: A lot of people are robbed so badly theyend up stark naked.
- Put on a Bus: Tamlin, after his fight with Ragna, leaves for parts unknown and pretty much vanishes from the comic. He's made cameo appearances in dreams, visions and flashbacks, and been mentioned a few times, but nobody seems to know his current whereabouts.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: The eponymous Rogues, of course.
- Raised by Wolves: The other rogues ponder this about Kel. The fact she climb trees easily make them conclude she was rather Raised by Squirrels.
- The "Feral" storyline features an apparently mute woman who seems to show signs of this.
-
Series Hiatus: a really long one as of the end of 2016, although Reinder does apparently intend to resume the story some day... - Shamu Fu: A couple fish fights erupt at the Iceland Ambassy, clearly inspired by Asterix.
- Stripperiffic: The clothes worn by Kel and Ragna in the Gnome Lands. It's still a step up for Kel, who've been swept there naked. She later comments it was a "traditional Elvish costume", and probably the gnomes' idea of a joke.
- Textplosion: Some strips use wordless strips with text boxes rather than regular comic format. This was a short experiment by the author to go for a more "bookish" look. He decided he didn't like it, so most are in a more traditional comic format.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: When the gang, tired of all the problems Tamlin's drinking leads them into, frighten him into going sober, he becomes a veritable tyrant who's constantly angry at everyone.
