Trapfinders

Trapfinders is a comedy adventure webcomic by Frisket hosted at www.trapfinders.com. The comic follows the misadventures of two critterkin adventurers as they take on the traps, terrors and treasures of a fantasy world far bigger than they are. The critterkin are anthropomorphic animals in the chibi style found in some Japanese manga and anime, and the strip follows a general PG-13 rating.

Trapfinders began on April 8th, 2011 as a weekly comic hosted on FurAffinity; however as the comic grew in size and scope, it was decided to have it hosted at Trapfinders.com for better navigation and archive options. It was always intended as a long-form comic that spans entire comic book-style pages and continues to be published in this fashion, while using Eastern direction and influence in its design, at times.

The comic features chapters that contain main overarching stories; the comic currently is running through Chapter 4: Project Tetra Luna.

Protagonists
Hiroko Akane Hiroko is a female critterkin with the characteristics of a red fox. Hiroko is an excitable young critterkin with the dream of becoming a rich and famous adventurer. She is impulsive, occasionally rash, often bubbly and typically the first one to set off a trap. She, like most critterkin, is small - she stands approximately 2.5' tall from eartip to foot. She sports a bright blonde shock of hair that sweeps over her face and is usually seen wearing her green vest, light green tunic and khaki traveling pants, though she is seen often in light blue sleepwear when relaxing. While she is very agile and often avoids danger by simply dodging out of the way, she is not known to carry weapons. Hiroko's parents (Ken and Leona Akane) are also adventurers.

Kisuke Yuudai Kisuke is a male critterkin with the major appearance of a common forest raccoon. He is rarely seen without his blue vest, blue tunic and slate traveling pants, though he prefers black shorts for bathing. He is questing with Hiroko to become a great knight like his hero, the Great Knight. The fact that his idol is a comic book hero doesn't dissuade him from this goal, nor does it seem to bother Hiroko. Since meeting in the guild city of Kyril, Kisuke has been her constant protector and friend - the two are well known to be best friends within the comic. Kisuke also wields the magic 2-handed sword Luminous, a gift from his bartender friend Jerek. He is a talented fighter and an eager reader, more pragmatic than Hiroko and slightly more cautious, however, he often bears the brunt of traps gone awry. Despite this, he maintains a cheerful outlook.

Luminous Luminous is a dagger enchanted with the ability to glow with bright purple light, like a torch. Sassy, sarcastic, but ultimately loyal, Luminous is an intelligent magic item, and as such can communicate with its wielder both verbally and telepathically. Luminous takes time to connect a link to its wielder, and as such cannot communicate with them for an approximate amount of time. Luminous is a powerful weapon in the right hands, and has been known to be well-suited to throwing. While Luminous is a dagger to most people of human size, Luminous is as large as a hand-and-a-half sword to Kisuke, who refers to it as a sword. Luminous has been identified as having a female personality in previous pages.

Mage's Pearl The Mage's Pearl is an ancient magical artifact previously protected by the traps and denizens of Kobold Cave. The Mage's Pearl was not only able to communicate with Hiroko and Kisuke verbally, but it can also cast beneficial spells, doing so in Kobold Cave - comprising the last of its power, at that time - to save Hiroko's life. It was silent and dark for weeks afterward. Later, when the party had taken rest at an inn in Wilder Hollow, the Mage's Pearl awakened and defended Hiroko again against a creeping shade outside her window. The Mage's Pearl is very analytical and intelligent and typically is very serious. Recently, the Mage's Pearl has chosen to become ambulatory with a series of animation spells, participating in adventures as a full party member. The Mage's Pearl was last seen battling Dr. Weiss' StormHounds and disappeared in a fiery explosion. A (well-scorched) prototype StormHound was seen carrying scraps of the Pearl's robe in its mouth.

Antagonists
Nert Zerp - First Appearance: Trapfinders page #27, Ahead of the Class Nert Zerp is the nephew of famous trap mogul Hoh Noe, and a talented sorcerer to boot. Despite being a common yellow male kobold, Nert is concerned primarily with expanding his fame and notoriety through better maiming and more efficient conflagrations. He is a brilliant, if arrogant, mind, but his youth and exuberance often cloud his judgment. He has proven capable of devising meticulous traps and powerful mobile battle creations, like the Drake-01 battle armor (Which was subsequently destroyed by the Trapfinders.) He was last seen moments before the Drake detonated and crashed to the ground.

Irving - First Appearance: page #33, Decisions, Decisions Irving is yet another common yellow male kobold. He is meek, cowardly and overall a flimsy creature - however, this is not the case after he accepted a position as Nert Zerp's intern at Tiamat, Inc. Irving is unflappably loyal to Nert, who he refers to reverently as 'Dark One,' 'Evil One,' and so forth. Ever the toady, Irving does think for himself from time to time but overrides his personal opinions when orders from Nert are dispatched. He is a generally kind and sweet person, despite being a kobold.

Hoh Noe - First Appearance: page #22, A New, Sinister Face Hoh Noe [pronounced 'Ho'-'No'] is the extremely talented and successful trapsmith CEO and Chairman-For-Life of Tiamat Industries, a company devoted to creating devious traps and supplying them to dungeons all over Ryl. The name 'Hoh Noe' is a homophone of the phrase 'Oh No,' a common exclamation when triggering a trap. Hoh is one of the few kobolds with noticeable facial hair and appears to be one of the few elder kobolds to have survived the (admittedly) turbulent, short, and often violent life of a kobold. He is a common yellow kobold and is almost always seen wearing his chairman robes and official hat. His hat features a crystal on top that functions as both an alarm system, emergency beacon for summoning his wife, Hoh Wow, and a magical dictation device capable of recording both sounds and images. He is a talented mage himself but prefers to dabble in mechanical traps that are enhanced with magic.

Hoh Wow - First Appearance page #78, House Party Hoh Wow [Pronounced 'Ho'-"Wow'] is a powerful wizard and the wife of Hoh Noe. The name 'Hoh Wow' is a homophone of the phrase 'Oh Wow,' a phrase Hoh noe used when he first met Wow.  Being a purple kobold of noble blood, she has a high standing in the kobold matriarchy as an official wizard of the matriarchs and works in the central matriarchy headquarters.  She is usually seen in her grey robes, wearing her hair up underneath her golden mage's circlet.  Marrying Hoh Noe was initially thought to be a power play as the owner of a popular and successful business makes for a prominent and powerful spouse, to most kobold females.  However, despite her outward brashness and tendency to blast her opposition with furious torrents of magical force, Wow married Noe for love.  She is taller than Noe by almost 12 inches, and her size is quite uncommon for kobolds, in general - this is often snickered about behind her back. This is well known to her, but she is proud of her height and uses it to her advantage often.

Lord Sirius - First Appearance [http://trapfinders.com/?p=1199 page #208, Home Again Home Again Lord Sirius is a figure wrapped in mystery. A skilled weilder of daggers and domination magic, this kobold is currently heading the Tetra Luna project with Dr. Weiss, a fiendish combination of kidnapping local dogs and transforming them into steam-powered war machines. Appearing as a cloaked, shadowy figure, Sirius has managed to convince Rask to bring him dogs for some reward - what this reward is, however, is unknown. He has an obsession with Hiroko, and desires her hand in marriage more than anything on Ryl. Despite being known as a master assassin, he is still wrapped in mystery.

Dr. Weiss - First Appearance [http://trapfinders.com/?p=1225 page#215, Kobold, Chainsaw, Massacre A brilliant (but eccentric) scientist, Dr. Weiss is a blue kobold of some reknown. He has served the Matriarchy faithfully for his long life, and has dedicated himself to the destruction of the kobolds' most hated enemy, dog-kind. He has invented useful life-saving tools as SnoutSoot (a dust that can remove a dog's sense of smell for days) and clever uses for high-pitched whistles that seem to cause dogs great pain. With his current endeavor, however, he has managed to convert his enemy into a tool most suited for furthering the surface aspirations of the matriarchy - the versatile and deadly StormHounds are steam-powered attack beasts of great strength and longevity, and, should project Tetra Luna be successful, the Matriarchs may have a new force on their hands to wreak havoc upon the surface dwellers. Dr. Weiss has one ragged ear and one damaged cheek-frill, and speaks with what is presumed to be a slight Germanic accent. He is rarely seen outside his lab and never removes his safety goggles. Dr. Weiss is fond of using a chainsaw to open his patients, but is known to carry a wand of lightning for self-defense at range.

Ancillary Characters
Jarek - First Appearance: Trapfinders page #6, Cordial Barkeeper Jarek is the keeper of the Golden Flagon Inn, a small bar in the guild city of Kyrill. A half-elf, Jarek still sports the long ears of his elven heritage, but is considerably more human in appearance. He has a large, bulbous nose, facial hair and imperfect eyes that have dimmed with age and require glasses. Despite this, Jarek is a cordial and sweet man, taking an early liking to Hiroko when they meet.

Jarek was previously an adventurer, and worked with Hiroko's father, Ken Akane, on several jobs.

Rask - First Appearance: Searched Rask is the captain of the guard in the small Critterkin city of Wilder Hollow. Rask is a wolf-like Critterkin that stands about a head taller than most younger critterkin. He has a history of rivalry with Kisuke, and lacks the honor that Kisuke typically strives for. He cheats and schemes to get ahead, and his one-uppance by Kisuke made him an enemy for life. Rask was last seen wounded in the woods by an unknown cloaked figure and has not yet returned to town.

The World
Trapfinders takes place in the fantasy world of Ryl, a world that is as varied in climate and culture as Earth. Ryl has been shown to have temperate forests and rocky plains, with more environments to show as the story progresses. Ryl also has a thriving underworld with many underground dwelling races, the most prominent of these being kobolds.

Ryl is considered a 'high fantasy' universe, but does not conform to the popular Tolkien-inspired standard in its entirety. Anachronism is common for the effect of comedy and plot.

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Races
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Critterkin:
A diminuitive bipedal beast race with high intelligence and adaptability. The Critterkin have existed on Ryl for as long as man, but are a much more secretive race. Due to their adaptability and small stature, they can be difficult to find and often live in hidden villages and, in some cases, small cities that are all but undetectable to the naked eye. True to their surname, the Critterkin resemble wild animals, however the resemblance to any wild creatures is merely superficial. Resembling bipedal forms of animals both common and uncommon, Critterkin are unique in their makeup, as they are not an entirely homogenous race in physical terms. Critterkin range in size and shape wildly; some resemble land-dwelling creatures, like foxes, cats, and rodents, to bovines and equines. Others resemble birds and flying mammals, while others still appear to be of amphibian or lizard descent. While mixed heritage births are very rare, the only cases known usually occur between like base partners. Critterkin are hardy and can live in extreme circumstances, often being the first group to inhabit a new area. Conditions native to where Critterkin tend to reflect their adaptations – arctic regions may encourage the growth of lighter fur, for example, or sparse food supplies may enhance foraging and dietary changes. Regardless of locale, Critterkin are quite capable when it comes to making a living. “There are no new lands for Critterkin” is a common colloquialism for most humans, meaning that the tiny race can be found quite literally everywhere.

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Kobolds
''' Highly organized, industrious and mistrustful of non-kobolds, these diminutive lizard-like folk make up a large population in the Underkingdom, the massive subterranean expanse beneath Ryl.

Kobolds are small by Human standards, often standing between 3 and 4 feet tall. Dimorphism in kobolds is reversed in comparison to most other warmblooded creatures - the female is typically the larger, stronger side of the two sexes, while males are smaller and more dexterous. In kobold society, females are often powerful merchants, leaders, warriors, and mages. Males tend to be frontline troops, though the odd veteran is often elevated to leadership status from time to time.

Kobold scales vary wildly in color, however, there is a simple caste system built around the more common chromas.
 * Yellow to brown kobolds are by far the most common color of kobold and are found in most parts of the Underkingdom as well as on the surface of Ryl. Kobolds of this caste are often laborers, rank-and-file soldiers, and laypeople.
 * Green kobolds are well known to be alchemy-minded. This caste is often filled with physicians and specialists, though some are more concerned with chemistry and its productive (and destructive) powers.  Green kobolds are also particularly adept at identifying and producing poisons, both for agricultural use and political.
 * Blue kobolds are consistently mages. These kobolds are typically more magically adept than others and are schooled in magic use at a young age.  Kobolds of other castes occasionally show promise in these arts as well, however, most use mundane or magical means to alter their scale colors to better fit in.
 * Red kobolds are fiery warriors. Used as shock troopers, red kobolds are consistently the biggest and strongest, where some female red kobolds can reach sizes that threaten dwarves.  These kobolds are often generals and beserkers and are fond of fire both as a tool and as a weapon.
 * White kobolds are charismatic leaders and politicians, specializing in the expansion and development of the kobold portions of the Underkingdom. These kobolds can often be found in leadership roles and in public offices, as well as back-alley deals.
 * Black kobolds are dangerous. Silent and stealthy, these creatures are rarely part of regular kobold society, instead of existing on the fringes of the Underkingdom.  Responsive when called, black kobolds have characteristics that distinguish them from their brethren.  Black kobolds' scales are not shiny, but matte.  Their eyes are wide and white and feature no pupils - however black kobolds can read and visually communicate as well as their cousins.  Black kobolds are assassins, specialists, and shadowdancers.

Color Mixtures
It should be noted that color mixtures do exist within houses; for example, Hoh Wow is a purple kobold, with her mother being a powerful blue kobold, and her father a blazing red. Naturally, this pairing produced a purple kobold child, with the temperament, size, and strength of her warrior father and the magical mastery of her mother.