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Chosen of Asmodeus
Master of Realmslore
1221 Posts |
 Posted - 08 Oct 2012 : 10:56:31
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Over on the Wizards forums I made a thread about Many-Arrows and the lack of content relating to it, and one person claimed that it was too homogeneous, settled, and lawful to be a good area for adventuring, which prompted me to go into some depth about my own development of the area in my homegame. Thought I'd share it here, too;
It's only as settled as you make it; the interior and the borderlands between Many-Arrows and the Silver Marches are relatively settled, yes, but at least in my game when you head north or head west you find a wild and rugged untamed land. It's a kingdom in a constant state of war against tribes of giants, goblinoids, and human barbarians that surround them, where monster hunting- and dragon hunting, with the spine being full of dragon lairs right from the picking- is one of the more popular and profitable professions. Exploration into the local underdark is another big part of it- Many-Arrows sees all the land within it's boarders as it's own, even what's underneath the surface.
Even in the interior, in Dark Arrows and other well settled regions there's room for intrigue; politics between rival tribes vying for power- much more straightforward than the schemes between drow families and human nobles, but no less cut throat. Another issue is the ethical issues regarding the slave trade and treatment of prisoners of war. Also present are business rivalries between mining or ranching operations(if you don't think these can be exciting you need to watch more westerns). Which of course is to say nothing of religious disputes between the old, more traditional orcs and the new, more progressive orcs and their rival gruuman cults- beyond being in a perpetual state of war with it's neighbors, it's in a perpetual state of holy-war with it's self.
One of the things I did in my campaign when developing Many-Arrows is that I eliminated the racial homogony of the area; while it's still 65-70% orcish/half-orcish, it has a substantial population of humans, dwarves, duergar, genasi, shifters, goliaths, ogres, trolls, and goblinoids, with smaller groups of dragonborn, drow, minotaurs, and tieflings.
Human and dwarven citizens of Many-Arrows come from two main sources. The first would be fugitives fleeing justice from the south deciding that Luskan was becoming simply too much of a dive and a risk, and that it may not be far enough away from their problems to escape. The quarantine that the city would be put under during the novel Shadowbane would also motivate more fugitives to head further north towards the Spine and Many-Arrows.
The other source is enterprising, progressive orc tribes bringing in human and dwarven mercenaries to support their troops, and in some cases even train their warriors to combine orcish savagery with human and dwarven military discipline. Aside from these sources, plenty of humans are the result of the orcs raising orphans left from their battles with the Uthgart tribes of the area.
Duergar in Many-Arrows are a callback to an earlier campaign I was in(but wasn't dming) that involved a semi-nomadic community of exiled duergar that, over the course of their campaign, were driven from their settlement. Later, with the permission of the dm of that game I transplanted that community to my Many-Arrows settlement, with the story that they had wandered through the underdark looking for a place to settle and finally came to an agreement where they would help work the metal from Many-Arrows' booming mining industry(a plethora of untapped ore veins in the spine ripe for the taking, which was another big draw for immigrants) into armor and weapons in exchange for military protection from underdark threats and citizenship.
Genasi come from a few different places- most of them are earthsouls and windsouls who were already living in the region and decided that it was better to inergrate with the orcs than fight them off like the human barbarians. Others migrated here- some mercenaries brought in with the humans and dwarves, some fugitives on the run, some Abeirnians(and this applies to most of the dragonborn as well as some humans and half-orcs) were drawn by the promise of dragons to hunt in the wilds of Many-Arrows, and weren't disappointed. Others, mainly stormsouls, came due to an attraction to certain religious movements in Many-Arrows that I'll cover later.
Many-Arrows' shifter population mainly comes from right across the river in Glimmerwood; the People of the Black Blood, shifters and lycanthropes alike deciding to migrate into Many-Arrows for the promise of religious freedom and considerably less restrictions on Malar worship than they were receiving from the elves. Like the human mercenaries they were recruited by clever orc chiefs to bolster and diversify the ranks of their tribes, adding lycanthropes and druids to their arsenal.
Goliaths, like genasi, were mainly indigenous to the area; a lot of them had a certain amount of respect for the orcs, their strength, their prowess and fearlessness in battle, and in turn the orcs respected the goliaths for their power. The integration was easy, with goliaths finding easy utility within orcish society.
Goblinoid citizens(distinguished from members of goblin tribes that reside within Many-Arrows' boarders but are actively fighting against the Kingdom) are primarily the descendants of tribes who were either conquered or who willingly came over to the orc's side to avoid annihilation.
Most dragonborn who live in Many-Arrows were members of those human or dwarven mercenary bands who were brought in to fight and train, or came seeking dragons to kill in the Spine, and found they fit in well with the society and decided to stay.
Drow in Many-Arrows have a complicated place in society; in my games the nation has come under attack by drow several times, both overt and covert, seeing an united kingdom of orcs as too big a threat as it could potentially serve as a beacon for their slaves to rise in revolt. And that's not an unfounded fear as one of my campaign plots involved agents of Many-Arrows infiltrating a drow city as slaves aiming to do just that to bolster it's own population and weaken the drow threat. Still, most orcs recognize the part Drizzt played in helping to found their kingdom(grudgingly or otherwise) and many of Obould's hero-cults look at Drizzt as having been a worthy opponent for their patron, which affords some measure of respect towards those drow who are renegades fleeing their society. Such individuals are also expected to provide some services towards Many-Arrows, whether it's providing them with intelligence relating towards drow or other underdark threats, with magic items of drow origin, or serving as spies or instructors for Many-Arrows' armies.
Minotaurs I admit are just kind of thrown in here, but they're one of the 4e player races that just aren't well integrated into the realms in a way that lets them interact as social creatures rather than monsters. Many-Arrows is as good a place as any to throw them.
Another aspect I've applied to Many-Arrows in my homegame is near complete freedom of religion- elven deities are the only ones that are completely outlawed(Lolth included). There's very little in the way of organized religion; some cults are more organized than others, but with a couple exceptions there's nothing that could be called a church or a clergy. Still, most non-orcish faiths are required to pay some form of tribute or homage to the more numerous and powerful orcish cults that tolerate them. All of the Nishrek gods are worshiped prominently here; Luthic, Bahgtru, Ilneval, Obould, Shargaas, Vaprak, and Yutrus, though all of their cults acknowledge Gruumsh as their chief.
One of the biggest religious movements is what I call the Cult of the Storm That Never Sleeps, or the Cult of the One-Eyed Storm. They're a cult that variously believes that Gruumsh either killed Talos during the Spellplague and assumed his mastery over storms, or (in more fringe cases) believe that Talos was always a mask worn by Gruumsh. The cult extends into primal worshipers among shaman and druids who revere Gruumsh as a spirit of the storm and destruction, but over all the cult's take leans towards an unaligned view rather than a chaotic evil one, worshiping Gruumsh as a god of power and strength, his destruction a force of nature rather than an act of cruelty or malice. They also see him as a force of freedom and change, destroying one thing to make room for the next, as well as a fertility god- his lightning may cause forest fires, but the ash from that fire enriches the soil and lets new life grow. Non orcs who worship Gruumsh likely belong to this cult, especially stormsoul genasi. This cult is one of the bigger enemies of both the traditional worshipers of Gruumsh as well as human worshipers of Talos. One of the main inspirations for this cult was the Lightning Blitzer paragon path detailed in Dragon Magazine #386.
Asmodeus worship and devil worship in general is openly allowed in Many-Arrows, though independent cults are watched closely. Asmodeus worship was brought here by the duergar, who worship Asmodeus as their liberator from the mind flayers, as their protector, as a great warrior, and master schemer. Such beliefs were often passed to the orcish apprentices of the druegar forge masters, allowing devil worship to spread. While Asmodeus is the most popular object of worship among devil worshippers in Many-Arrows, small cults to the other archdevils exist- Bel enjoys considerably more popularity here than perhaps anywhere else in Toril, being a warrior's devil suits him towards the orcs and goblinoids tastes. Dispator is right alongside Gond as the go-to patron for duergar and orc architects who design or otherwise improve on the many fortresses and strongholds throughout the kingdom. For mercantile matters, Mammon's cult is more popular than Waukeen or Graz'zt. And in matters of the forge, many Duergar name Belial their patron as their forging techniques are those of the Phlegethos, the Fourth Hell. Fiernia and Glasya also have small cults in Many-Arrows, though they're mainly devoted to carnal pleasures, and Levestius, Baalzebul, and Mephistopholes have no real cults to speak of.
Among humans, by far the most popular god worshiped in Many-Arrows is Tempus, patron to many a mercenary and adventurer who immigrated here. Worship of Garagos is almost unheard of here, with Gruumsh occupying his role. An interesting cult of Tempus worshipers, primarily human though including other races, has popped up, though no official name has been given to them. Their message is that Tempus and Gruumsh are battle-brothers, worthy rivals who've fought alongside one another against the enemies of the gods. While this cult hasn't gotten much momentum, it has done something to help improve human orc relations, though the local barbarians see it as an affront. The Red Knight is another popular choice among the mercenary population, especially those hired specifically to educate orcs in military strategy.
Among the dwarves, Moradin of course is the most popular god, here like anywhere, though worship of him tends to be downplayed as it causes tension with the orcs and most dwarves know they're here at the orc's suffrage- this earns them the resentment of dwarves to the south for caving to orcish demand, but they worship regardless. In public, Vergadain tends to be the most popular dwarven deity, followed by Clangeddin Silverbeard and Thard Harr.
Bane and Maglublyet maintain decent sized cults among the goblinoid population, though most of them have converted to Gruumsh worship, at least publicly. Bane does maintain cults among the humans who've immigrated here, largely among the more ruthless mercenaries who choose the Black Hand over the Lord of Battles. Still, most in Many-Arrows are too wild for Bane worship, and his cult does little in the way of recruiting here.
Auril, Akadi, Grumbar, and Kossuth(in that order) are also popular objects of worship in Many-Arrows, primarily among genasi, but all orcs who live in the cold mountains pay some homage to Auril, Akadi, and Grumbar, and Kossuth is popular among orcs who seek to use fire as a weapon.
Malar is the most popular patron of shifters, lycanthropes, and rangers in Many-Arrows, surpassing Silvanus or Mielikki(though both do have worshipers here). Likewise, Talona enjoys some popularity here, her cult closely allied with both Luthic and Yutrus.
It's not all evil, of course; Amaunator, Torm, Ilmater, Milil, and Sharess all enjoy small, growing cults here, with several orcs expressing interests in them to various degrees and for various reasons, though the actual number who have accepted these gods as their patrons is extremely small, many do pay some homage to them.
...That's about...little more than half of the work I've done developing Many-Arrows, and broadstrokes at that. Sure, granted, pulled a lot of that out of whole cloth for my campaign, but if I can do it I'm sure someone who gets paid to do this for a living has the creativity to really delve into it.
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"Then I saw there was a way to Hell even from the gates of Heaven"
- John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress
Fatum Iustum Stultorum. Righteous is the destiny of fools.
The Roleplayer's Gazebo;
http://theroleplayersgazebo.yuku.com/directory#.Ub4hvvlJOAY |
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Sightless
Senior Scribe
USA
608 Posts |
Posted - 08 Oct 2012 : 11:23:01
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Minatore tribes in my own are broken down into two groups, those that work with the roaving clans, who live as pastoralists migrating from pasture land to pasture land, and those that have sited with the Uthgar and are conducting lightening rads within the kingdom, specificly on trade movements, small patrol groups, and smaller cettlements. The bloody-hoove tribe even works with the Nightriders to move groups quickly into enemy territory to strike targets, and sometimes fruns interference when the group carries out rades.
I'm going to post the whole thing, including a number of apposing groups as soon as I'm done with the thing. |
We choose to live a lie, when we see with, & not through the eye.
Every decision, no matter the evidence, is a leap of faith; if it were not, then it wouldn't be a choice at all. |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 08 Oct 2012 : 17:46:51
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I had written a short (couple of paragraphs) piece over on the WotC boards some time ago relating to this topic, but that thread (along with so many other really good ones) have since disappeared.
The gist of it was that a group of marauding orcs had massacred everyone at The Fork, and the people of the Silvery Moon alliance were outraged. But before they could even mount a counter attack, a special squad of Orcs sent by Obould found and killed those raiders, and delivered their heads to the gates of Citadel Adbar. Enough gold was was also later given to rebuild the Inn and compensate any family members. That was the basics.
I prefer my Many Arrows to remain an Orc kingdom, with perhaps a few other goblinoids thrown in here and there. I don't find an orc-only nation boring... thats like finding an all human kingdom boring. There are many varieties of orc, from the common grey and greens, to the rare red and blacks, to the fey Ondonti and the sylvan High forest tribes. A race is more then a stat block in a monster manual.
Edit: Minotaurs are cool - I love Minotaurs. I have several varieties of those as well, and heartily approve. 
Edit: I wouldn't use Goliaths - they are a last-minute add and don't belong in the Realms. Use firbolgs instead - they have an established presence in those mountains (there was even a firbolg hero/villain in the Cleric Quintet that came from that exact region). Lots of giants in that chain and just north of it, but only frost giants and Firbolgs are known to inhabit the southern face of the Spine of the World canonically (not that other giants couldn't be there - I am only aware of those two in particular in that specific region in FR lore). Yeti also inhabit the northern side of the mountains, and I believe Obould's claim extends to that side as well. You could use that and spin a sub-group of Alaghi in the area - a sadly under-used FR-specific race. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 08 Oct 2012 18:03:05 |
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Bladewind
Master of Realmslore
Netherlands
1280 Posts |
Posted - 08 Oct 2012 : 18:29:05
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Your version of Many-Arrows seems like a real powerhouse. By adding diversity you gave the Kingdom some great roleplaying potential, both for intrigue based games and games that explore exotic monsters more indepth.
I particularly like the Duergar providing the booming orcish mining companies some much needed guidance.
The only thing I don't find particularly fitting is the religious tolerance. But I think that's more of a practical choice than a natural or lore driven evoltion in the Kingdom of Many-Arrows. |
My campaign sketches
Druidic Groves
Creature Feature: Giant Spiders |
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Chosen of Asmodeus
Master of Realmslore
1221 Posts |
Posted - 08 Oct 2012 : 20:24:06
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I like goliaths too much to get rid of them, and I figure the Spine is big enough to house a couple small tribes that no one knew about.
As for the religious aspect, keep in mind that the key word here is "tolerance"; they tolerate it, they don't particularly like it. It was a practical, political choice one of the kings made a few decades ago. You'll see a lot of discrimination over it, a lot of shouting matches over it, parents disowning their children over it, occasional violence in the street over it. This is the reason why worship of Corellon, Lolth, and other elven deities is still banned- allowing that would set off a powder keg.
And it's not all between cults to orcish gods and cults of human/other gods; Torm's faithful and Bane's faithful still hate each other in Many-Arrows just like anywhere else. Graz'zt, Mammon, Tiamat, and Waukeen are all worshiped in matters of business and wealth, and a casual worshiper who names another god as his patron may mutter a prayer to each one before making a big business deal, but the more devout followers of each hate all the others to various degrees. Demon and devil worshipers are always at each other's throats, here as anywhere.
Of course the most intense disputes are between orcish sects, which tends to overshadow the other religions, even if the dispute they're arguing/fighting over are the other faiths themselves. The different orc cults are always at each other's throats and rarely agree on anything, even within their own ranks. One notable instance is the conflict between Obould's cult and Ilneval's cult; in the more stable environment of Many-Arrows, Ilneval's popularity grew, but Obould's hero cult was on the rise as well. They came into conflict when some of Obould's faithful asserted that upon his apotheosis, Obould killed Ilneval and took his place within the orc pantheon, which lead to what amounted to a gang war between the two cults.
But overall what I was trying to accomplish with it is to better integrate the orc gods into the pantheon at large. As time passes in Many-Arrows there's the trend of non orcish citizens thinking Gruumsh, Luthic, Bahgtru, Ilneval, Obould, Shagraas, and Yutrus not as orc gods, just as gods, and the same in reverse. It's no where near universal yet, you just see the first steps of it. Probably the biggest source of non-orcs worshiping a traditional orc god is found in the drow, of all people; with Lolth worship banned(and if they're fleeing here they've most likely forsaken Lolth worship, anyway), most of them have turned to Shagraas as their patron.
Another thing I wanted to do was I wanted a place where traditionally evil deities/entities could be worshiped openly and it not be that big a deal. I figured Many-Arrows was a perfect place with for it; your state religion is already Gruumsh worship, and Gruumsh worshipers don't think of themselves as evil, he's just their god. And in a relatively stable area like Many-Arrows, I don't see orcs abandoning Gruumsh worship for other, less evil gods- just taking on a more even-headed view of him. So, taking from that, it started to flow after I made the decision to bring over that group of duergar, who were already established in the previous game as being Asmodeus worshipers, and it kind of went form there. You could have someone walking down the street in Dark Arrows and be a devil worshiper and he's just a guy. He's not sneaking into a dark sanctuary at night to worship in secret, he visits the shrine down town.
But at the same time I wanted to balance it out and not have Many-Arrows as being just the place where evil gods are worshiped, so I included some of the more neutral ones like Tempus. And dwarves being a stubborn bunch weren't going to give up their gods, and there's already examples of Moradin and Gruumsh worshipers coexisting, so they got to keep their gods(one of the more grudging aspects among the orcs), so on and so forth. |
"Then I saw there was a way to Hell even from the gates of Heaven"
- John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress
Fatum Iustum Stultorum. Righteous is the destiny of fools.
The Roleplayer's Gazebo;
http://theroleplayersgazebo.yuku.com/directory#.Ub4hvvlJOAY |
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HaraldSigurdsson
Acolyte
Germany
2 Posts |
Posted - 09 Oct 2012 : 17:35:56
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Dear Scribes,
I didn't want to open a new topic on that, and I'm not certain if this has been answered already. But as the talk is about the orcs of Many-Arrows in this thread, I would like to pose a question about Obould I (Hunter's Blades and after) here.
Is he the same Obould who captured Citadel Felbarr in 1104 and if yes, how old was he when he died? I thought the life expectancy of an orc is no more than that of the average human?! I hope anyone can answer this. Thank you! |
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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
4598 Posts |
Posted - 09 Oct 2012 : 18:48:18
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I'm glad to see this thread, as I think Many-Arrows is a fascinating potential adventure site. One small note:
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
I wouldn't use Goliaths - they are a last-minute add and don't belong in the Realms.
Aww, MT, you're making me weep. I was the one who added goliaths to the Realms, back in early '07 (1374, 3.5 era), and made it very clear that they are extremely rare (certainly rarer than firbolgs). I would also recommend using firbolgs or some other giant-kin, if only for the frequency reason.
Anyway, if they've been around for more than five years, it seems a little like sour grapes to dismiss them as a "last-minute add" that doesn't belong.
Cheers |
Erik Scott de Bie
'Tis easier to destroy than to create.
Author of a number of Realms novels (GHOSTWALKER, DEPTHS OF MADNESS, and the SHADOWBANE series), contributor to the NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN GUIDE and SHADOWFELL: GLOOMWROUGHT AND BEYOND, Twitch DM of the Dungeon Scrawlers, currently playing "The Westgate Irregulars" |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 09 Oct 2012 : 20:23:06
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LMAO
I kill them all everyday, in my mind...
You should feel honored... they've taken the number-one 'hate' spot away from Aboleths now (for me). Their creation actually changed the way I purchase D&D sources (because after buying - and hating - Races of Stone, I decided to preview every single tome before buying it, which saved me a lot of money toward the end of 3e).
Firbolgs forever! They are not lumpy and monotone! 
(I am literally LOL right now - I am now thinking about a 'sour grapes' cookbook. Who better then me to write one, eh?)  |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 09 Oct 2012 20:24:08 |
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Chosen of Asmodeus
Master of Realmslore
1221 Posts |
Posted - 09 Oct 2012 : 22:00:56
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| Adding firbolgs and alaghi is probably a good idea, though I'll keep goliaths only out of personal preference. I'll add a note about their rarity. |
"Then I saw there was a way to Hell even from the gates of Heaven"
- John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress
Fatum Iustum Stultorum. Righteous is the destiny of fools.
The Roleplayer's Gazebo;
http://theroleplayersgazebo.yuku.com/directory#.Ub4hvvlJOAY |
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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
4598 Posts |
Posted - 10 Oct 2012 : 03:30:27
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You're a strange, strange man, MT. That's kind of like saying "I refuse to buy books that mention owlbears because an owlbear is SOOOOOO stupid."
Goliaths are basically extremely rare creatures that oddly appropriate this name.
Cheers |
Erik Scott de Bie
'Tis easier to destroy than to create.
Author of a number of Realms novels (GHOSTWALKER, DEPTHS OF MADNESS, and the SHADOWBANE series), contributor to the NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN GUIDE and SHADOWFELL: GLOOMWROUGHT AND BEYOND, Twitch DM of the Dungeon Scrawlers, currently playing "The Westgate Irregulars" |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 10 Oct 2012 : 04:16:55
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quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
I'm glad to see this thread, as I think Many-Arrows is a fascinating potential adventure site. One small note:
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
I wouldn't use Goliaths - they are a last-minute add and don't belong in the Realms.
Aww, MT, you're making me weep. I was the one who added goliaths to the Realms, back in early '07 (1374, 3.5 era), and made it very clear that they are extremely rare (certainly rarer than firbolgs). I would also recommend using firbolgs or some other giant-kin, if only for the frequency reason.
Anyway, if they've been around for more than five years, it seems a little like sour grapes to dismiss them as a "last-minute add" that doesn't belong.
Cheers
I was always kind of partial to the big lugs myself . . .  |
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Sightless
Senior Scribe
USA
608 Posts |
Posted - 10 Oct 2012 : 04:50:25
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quote:
Originally posted by HaraldSigurdsson
Dear Scribes,
I didn't want to open a new topic on that, and I'm not certain if this has been answered already. But as the talk is about the orcs of Many-Arrows in this thread, I would like to pose a question about Obould I (Hunter's Blades and after) here.
Is he the same Obould who captured Citadel Felbarr in 1104 and if yes, how old was he when he died? I thought the life expectancy of an orc is no more than that of the average human?! I hope anyone can answer this. Thank you!
Obould I here is referring to the fact that he is the first to hold the title of King of the Kingdom of Many Arrows. Felbarr was claimed decades before by one of Obould’s ancesters, where King Obould just took control of it from the previous orc chief. We then have Greneire’s attack, the subsequent dwarvan attack, and Obould’s break out and flight to the mountains. Obould isn’t the first to hold the nambe, he is the ninth? Since the original holder of the title who took the dwarvan, at the time a human, hold. The change to the title reflecting his status as the first King of a larger territory is what confuses things. And he died of old age at 71. According to Gontelgrim? Not sure about the name.
Hope this helps.
And
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We choose to live a lie, when we see with, & not through the eye.
Every decision, no matter the evidence, is a leap of faith; if it were not, then it wouldn't be a choice at all. |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 10 Oct 2012 : 09:22:34
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quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
I was always kind of partial to the big lugs myself . . .
But you don't understand, I enjoy hating them (unlike the Aboleths, which I despised). I hate them because they aren't cool enough (for me) to be 'real' monsters, and yet not dopey enough to fit into the hilarious flumph/Umpleby category.
And they get their name from a character in a religious tome that appears nowhere on any D&D world (except Gothic Earth). I suppose one could argue that that Goliath was an actual goliath that fell through a portal (sigh... why am I even thinking about this?) Not sure what bugs me worse, their looks or their name. Maybe I'll try to read their fluff and see if I can salvage something there.
If it makes you feel any better, I never liked The Thing (FF) either. Except he's orange... and thats my favorite color. Weird. I guess I have something against lumpy folk.
@Chosen of Asmodeus - you put whatever you want in your games - don't listen to me. I'm just busting Erik's chops. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 10 Oct 2012 19:24:12 |
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HaraldSigurdsson
Acolyte
Germany
2 Posts |
Posted - 10 Oct 2012 : 10:19:46
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| Thanks for clearing that up Sightless! :-) |
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Sightless
Senior Scribe
USA
608 Posts |
Posted - 10 Oct 2012 : 21:08:39
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| Glad I could help, there's a more detailed history of the entire series of events round my house somewhere, which goes into the original taking of the dwarvan strong hold, etc. What you got was the shortened version. |
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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
4598 Posts |
Posted - 11 Oct 2012 : 16:44:20
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@MT: Le sigh.
@Sightless and OP re "Obould": There have been many Oboulds throughout history. The Obould who took the dwarf citadel was indeed from some time ago, and he is the source of the 1360s-70s era Obould who founded the Kingdom of Many-Arrows. This Obould was christened "Obould I," even though he wasn't technically the first of his name, but he was certainly the first of his name to rule that kingdom. Records are contradictory as to how many descendents he had who also wore the name--some sources say the current King Obould (as of 1479) is Obould VI, and some claim he is the XVI. (How's that for a wide range of error?)
My own explanation is that he is the 6th (VI), and that the extra X is a typo in the source (FRCG, which is full of continuity errors) that gives it. You could also explain it by saying that the orcs inflated the current ruler's title to inflate their country's sense of importance by implying they've been around longer than they have.
Or it could just be some seneschal making a mathematical error upon Obould VI's coronation that got out to the masses of nationalist orcs, who immediately took up the call "Obould Six and Ten! Obould Six and Ten!" and no one bothered/was able to correct them. You know those orcs when they get an idea in their heads.
Cheers |
Erik Scott de Bie
'Tis easier to destroy than to create.
Author of a number of Realms novels (GHOSTWALKER, DEPTHS OF MADNESS, and the SHADOWBANE series), contributor to the NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN GUIDE and SHADOWFELL: GLOOMWROUGHT AND BEYOND, Twitch DM of the Dungeon Scrawlers, currently playing "The Westgate Irregulars" |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 11 Oct 2012 : 21:44:01
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What I want to know is, at what point does the Kingdom get renamed, "Crap! We ran out of arrows!"
5e?  |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
4598 Posts |
Posted - 11 Oct 2012 : 22:27:53
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"Kingdom of Many Thrown Rocks!"
Cheers |
Erik Scott de Bie
'Tis easier to destroy than to create.
Author of a number of Realms novels (GHOSTWALKER, DEPTHS OF MADNESS, and the SHADOWBANE series), contributor to the NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN GUIDE and SHADOWFELL: GLOOMWROUGHT AND BEYOND, Twitch DM of the Dungeon Scrawlers, currently playing "The Westgate Irregulars" |
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Sightless
Senior Scribe
USA
608 Posts |
Posted - 11 Oct 2012 : 23:25:49
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
What I want to know is, at what point does the Kingdom get renamed, "Crap! We ran out of arrows!"
5e?
I'm thinking more seventh, I mean there's a good number of trees round that part of the world. Plus, there's traitors.
Here's some arrows, now go fight something in the Underdark."
It's got Obould's blessing,
population control, population control.
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We choose to live a lie, when we see with, & not through the eye.
Every decision, no matter the evidence, is a leap of faith; if it were not, then it wouldn't be a choice at all. |
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Chosen of Asmodeus
Master of Realmslore
1221 Posts |
Posted - 12 Oct 2012 : 01:40:25
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Oddly enough, one of my characters from Many-Arrows commented, "There's a reason the drow love invading us; our archers blot out the sun."
In my game large swaths of the underdark directly beneath Many-Arrows are under the control of orog tribes, and a lot of which is regulated to rothe ranches, as so much of their surface territory is ill suited towards farming or ranching due to the harsh winters. |
"Then I saw there was a way to Hell even from the gates of Heaven"
- John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress
Fatum Iustum Stultorum. Righteous is the destiny of fools.
The Roleplayer's Gazebo;
http://theroleplayersgazebo.yuku.com/directory#.Ub4hvvlJOAY |
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Sightless
Senior Scribe
USA
608 Posts |
Posted - 12 Oct 2012 : 04:26:50
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In my old gaming group one of my characters introduced two things to help get around that problem, Piped irragation forming, with boundry walls, and block sized greenhouses. The latter is refered to as Zaucuflag and the former is Shatapuflag. Structures that are part of the process of Shatapuflag vary between tall multy story frames made of mud, wood, and tall grass, that are mustly open aired, with water being transfered to the plants on the various levels thanks in part to water casks on the very top and a system of weights and counter weights; to fully inclosed growing areas with thick glass pains sandwitched betweeen metal latice work. The glass is on average three inches thick and is alcemically treated using a method originally discovered by Gnomes and found in the Herold Holtist by Uglith of the Thousand fists tribe during many of the stat sponsered expeditions to that place.
(I hope to have this project finished by the end of the month and then you can see mmy concept of the place. I've also developed several enemy groups, both surfice and underdark that the kingdom has to deal with, as well as expanding on some groups that have already been mentioned briefly, like the triple C, although I've tried to move them away from the KKK concept that many readers got of them from the Orc King.) |
We choose to live a lie, when we see with, & not through the eye.
Every decision, no matter the evidence, is a leap of faith; if it were not, then it wouldn't be a choice at all. |
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Chosen of Asmodeus
Master of Realmslore
1221 Posts |
Posted - 12 Oct 2012 : 05:19:46
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I actively play up the KKK analogue with the Triple C group as I believe the parallels were meant to be fairly intentional. One of the first things I wrote in regards to Many-Arrows was a short story where an orc chief baited a full scale CCC raid into a trap and slaughtered them to the last man, mounting their bodies on stakes along the Surdrin, red cloaks flapping in the wind.
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"Then I saw there was a way to Hell even from the gates of Heaven"
- John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress
Fatum Iustum Stultorum. Righteous is the destiny of fools.
The Roleplayer's Gazebo;
http://theroleplayersgazebo.yuku.com/directory#.Ub4hvvlJOAY |
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Many-Arrows in my campaign
