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The Kingdom of Many-Arrows, sometimes called the Kingdom of Dark Arrows,[2] was an orc kingdom in the North founded by Obould Many-Arrows.[1]

By the time that the kingdom fell in the late 15th century DR,[5] it had come to be known as the homeland of orcs who valued civilization, and who found as much pride in building their own realm as in tearing down others'. It was suggested that the Kingdom's success had done much to improve the reputation of orcs overall.[7]

Geography[]

Much of Many-Arrows territory was confined to the icy and windswept mountains of the Spine of the World north of Mithral Hall. Crude signs warned visitors when they had entered the Kingdom's borders.[1]

Government[]

Many-Arrows was a monarchy ruled by kings famous for being far more peaceful than a typical orc ruler.[8]

In 1479 DR, Many-Arrows was ruled by King Obould XVII from his skull-adorned, horned throne in Dark Arrow Keep.[1] As of 1484 DR however, Many-Arrows was ruled by King Lorgru in the wake of his father's assassination and the coup staged by War Chief Hartusk.[9]

Possessions[]

The fiercest warriors among the Many-Arrows orcs wore distinctive belts decorated with the traditional totems of the Many-Arrows tribe.[10]

History[]

Many-Arrows onslaught

The insignia of the Many-Arrow.

Prior to the founding of the Kingdom, the Many-Arrows tribe was known as the most notorious and most successful orc tribe in the North,[11] boasting about 40,000 members as of the mid–14th century DR.[12] They operated out of the Citadel of Many Arrows until they were ousted in the Year of the Shield, 1367 DR,[12][13][14] at which point they moved west to Dark Arrow Keep, which they claimed from its giant inhabitants.[15][16] Although their numbers were decimated,[15] they began waging war with Mithral Hall within three years[17] and were widely expected to raise a horde and launch an invasion of the whole Silver Marches.[18]

The Kingdom of Many-Arrows was founded in the Year of the Unstrung Harp, 1371 DR,[2] as a loose coalition of tribes in the Spine of the World brought together under Obould’s rule by violence and war. This centralization of orc leadership made the prospect of recognizing the Kingdom appealing to the realms of the North as they believed it would be easier to negotiate with a single king than with the various belligerent orc tribes. Thus, tired of warring with the orcs, several members of the Silver Marches recognized Many-Arrows as a sovereign realm[1] in the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR, with the signing of the Treaty of Garumn's Gorge.[4]

The Obould dynasty reigned almost uninterrupted from the kingdom's founding into the late 15th century DR. Although there were some civil wars, one of which lasted a decade during which time the realm was divided, these interval conflicts had ended by the Year of the Malachite Shadows, 1460 DR.[1]

The Many-Arrows orcs were in constant conflict with the Uthgardt of the region[19] but were ostensibly at peace with their neighbors in Luruar, and some trade did occur between the two realms. However, the relationship was rarely friendly and always tense[1] even if open conflict was avoided save for the occasional raid.[19]

In the late 1470s DR, King Obould XVII sent a vanguard to scout the ruins of Neverwinter, which had been destroyed by a cataclysm decades prior. However, the leader of this group, Vansi Bloodscar, defied her orders and instead led her troops to occupy parts of the northern half of the city, using the remains of the Cloak Tower as a base.[20] These orcs soon fell under the sway of the Abolethic Sovereignty, and some of their leaders—including Bloodscar herself—accepted the Sovereignty's "blessings" in the form of spellscars. By the Year of the Ageless One, 1479 DR, Bloodscar was effectively in open rebellion against Many-Arrows and was at war with the Neverwinter Guard.[10][20]

In the mid–1480s DR, renegade shamans of Gruumsh desired a return to the old orc ways and wished to attack their neighbors instead of continuing to foster peaceful relations with them.[21]The peace and stability of Many-Arrows fell into disarray in the Year of the Awakened Sleepers, 1484 DR, when the drow Quenthel Baenre incited the orcs into war. The orc Hartusk, a known detractor of Obould's peaceful methodology,[16] took control of the Kingdom of Many-Arrows when Lorgru, the son of Obould XVII, was framed for the assassination of his father. Hartusk began to conquer large portions of Luruar, from Nesmé and Sundabar, and laid siege to the great dwarven strongolds of Mithral Hall, Citadel Felbarr, and Citadel Adbar. The tide of the battle turned however, when Bruenor Battlehammer rallied the dwarven forces, and began to crush the opposition.[22]

As the War of the Silver Marches raged, Bruenor and his dwarves were able to defeat the last of Chief Hartusk's forces and seized the Many-Arrows capital at Dark Arrow Keep. Thanks to the negotiation efforts of Drizzt Do'Urden, the dwarves came to understand the political situation that had seen the more peaceful Lorgru dethroned. As the surviving forces of Many-Arrows rallied behind Lorgru, the restored king expressed his desire to continue his father's legacy of peaceful integration with the people of the Silver Marches. However, Bruenor had lost faith in the ability for the orcs to coexist with the Silver Marches, and so banished Lorgru and his followers into the mountains and completely destroyed Dark Arrow Keep. By autumn of the Year of the Iron Dwarf's Vengeance, 1485 DR, the Kingdom of Many-Arrows had been erased,[5] although the Many-Arrows tribe persisted as the most powerful orc tribe in the Spine of the World.[23][24]

Appendix[]

Appearances[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 149. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 151. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
  3. Rob Heinsoo, Logan Bonner, Robert J. Schwalb (September 2008). Forgotten Realms Player's Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 156. ISBN 978-0-7869-4929-8.
  4. 4.0 4.1 R.A. Salvatore (October 2007). The Orc King. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 344. ISBN 0-7869-4340-8.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 R.A. Salvatore (February 2017). Archmage (MMP). (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 1. ISBN 9780786966134.
  6. R.A. Salvatore (July 2011). Gauntlgrym. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. Prologue. ISBN 978-0-7869-5802-3.
  7. Rob Heinsoo, Logan Bonner, Robert J. Schwalb (September 2008). Forgotten Realms Player's Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 21. ISBN 978-0-7869-4929-8.
  8. Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 84. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
  9. R.A. Salvatore (March 2015). Vengeance of the Iron Dwarf. (Wizards of the Coast), p. ?. ISBN 0-7869-6570-3.
  10. 10.0 10.1 Cryptic Studios (June 2013). Neverwinter. Perfect World Entertainment.
  11. Reynolds, Forbeck, Jacobs, Boyd (March 2003). Races of Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 70. ISBN 0-7869-2875-1.
  12. 12.0 12.1 Jennell Jaquays (1988). The Savage Frontier. (TSR, Inc), p. 29. ISBN 0-88038-593-6.
  13. Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 147. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
  14. Ed Greenwood and Jason Carl (July 2002). Silver Marches. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 6. ISBN 0-7869-2835-2.
  15. 15.0 15.1 Ed Greenwood and Jason Carl (July 2002). Silver Marches. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 33–34. ISBN 0-7869-2835-2.
  16. 16.0 16.1 R.A. Salvatore (November 2013). “History Check:Dark Arrow Keep”. In Steve Winter ed. Dragon #429 (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 4–9.
  17. Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 150. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
  18. Ed Greenwood and Jason Carl (July 2002). Silver Marches. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 103. ISBN 0-7869-2835-2.
  19. 19.0 19.1 Rob Heinsoo, Logan Bonner, Robert J. Schwalb (September 2008). Forgotten Realms Player's Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 108. ISBN 978-0-7869-4929-8.
  20. 20.0 20.1 Matt Sernett, Erik Scott de Bie, Ari Marmell (August 2011). Neverwinter Campaign Setting. Edited by Tanis O'Connor. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 120–121. ISBN 0-7869-5814-6.
  21. R.A. Salvatore (October 2007). The Orc King. (Wizards of the Coast), p. Prelude. ISBN 0-7869-4340-8.
  22. R.A. Salvatore (March 2015). Vengeance of the Iron Dwarf. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 92. ISBN 0-7869-6570-3.
  23. Christopher Perkins (September 2020). Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 111. ISBN 978-0786966981.
  24. Map included in Steve Kenson, et al. (November 2015). Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-6580-9.
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