Court of Roses
by Kelsey Nutty P.
As summer comes to an end in the kingdom of Prismal, the Bardic Festival is in full swing, bringing together musicians and minstrels from all over. But amidst the celebration, a sinister plot of murder unfolds... Court of Roses is a D&D-inspired and LGBTQ-friendly fantasy tale following a ragtag troupe of bards formed by their mutual friend, a charismatic--if often drunk--bagpiper, Merlow the Rose, and who knows, mayhaps they'll solve a murder mystery together! Contains Fantasy Violence and Alcohol Use. Updates Mondays and Thursdays!
Reviews (1)
VibeCheckAug 07, 2026This is fairly different from the usual fantasy series I've read before, namely for its mystery elements. While it is intriguing, the main selling points to me are its character dynamics and focus on music. It really understands the many ways music can touch people, and explores those through its merry cast of bards. Most of them are really enjoyable, but none tie the themes of the webcomic as well as Nocturne. Beyond just being a riveting character who I really connect to, I really appreciate how he's themed around dirges and serves to teach the significance of somber music. There's lots more to love about Court of Roses too! The misadventures the bards have along the way are usually really entertaining, the lore is interesting—especially in regards to the potato-powered technology, and I appreciate how it avoids certain writing pitfalls. Everyone in the cast has their own secrets, and most of the time the cast is understanding rather than argumentative or pushing people away. I guess that's partly why Feliks was the weakest of the cast, but they have their moments. It does wear its heart on its sleeve and some emotional moments can be a bit sappy, but man do some of them hit really hard. It's been a while since a webcomic nearly moved me to tears, but that moment with Hestia really got to me. Overall I'm really surprised I thoroughly enjoyed it! As someone who wants to make a webcomic heavily influenced by music, I wanna keep this one in mind. I also appreciate the author posting songs that accompany pages. Based Diablo Swing Orchestra fan.