Obould Many-Arrows
Encyclopedia
King Obould Many-Arrows is a fictional character from the Forgotten Realms
series based on the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
. He was created by the author R. A. Salvatore
and is featured in The Hunter's Blades Trilogy
and Transitions.
who is intelligent even by human standards. He wears a ridged suit of plate armor that is adorned with numerous spikes. In battle he uses a great sword enchanted to burst into flame at the wielder's will. His crown has four large rubies set into it each of which can generate a large fireball. His main shaman and advisor, Arganth, also made him a helmet shaped like a skull with a protective lens of the rare and supremely strong glassteel.
Considering that the blessings bestowed upon him have apparently calmed him somewhat, he has become able to see things in a far broader perspective than any orc before him. This has already led to some speculations as to a pending change in orcish society under his leadership.
One may say that he could be called something of a dreamer. For example, during many discussions with his lieutenants, advisers, and shamans about war and slaughter, he is often thinking about building his civilization and bringing peace to the forefront of orc society.
During his assault on the dwarven kingdom of Mithral Hall, he underwent a religious ceremony where he was blessed by the orc god Gruumsh
, which gave him greater strength, speed, and intelligence (the strength of a bull and the speed of a wildcat), and made his name synonymous with that of the Orc god, Gruumsh
One-Eye. In a display of power Obould manages to lift and throw to the ground a powerful giantess named Gerti. He is commonly referred to by other orcs as Obould-Who-Is-Gruumsh.
Obould also had a son named Urlgen Threefist, who was Obould's top commander. Urlgen was slain in combat by the Moon elf Innovindil in the novel The Lone Drow
.
In the book The Two Swords
, Obould battles Drizzt Do'Urden
in a vicious duel, and as of the book The Orc King, it is established that neither had won the duel although Obould seemed to have the advantage. The fight between Clan Battlehammer and The Kingdom of Many-Arrows is set at a stand still, despite some fighting perpetrated without the prior knowledge of Obould himself. This development finally sates the hunger for the continuation of the series, as The Orc King has been in stores since September 25, 2007.
it seems that Obould has withdrawn from Mithral Hall and has begun to secure what land he has already taken, calling it the Kingdom of Many-Arrows.
In the prologue The Orc King, a hundred years have passed and the kingdom which Obould created, The Kingdom of Many Arrows, has survived the years, establishing trade agreements and treaties with the surrounding cities of the "goodly races". At the current time a descendant of Obould, Obould VI, is in control, but is being contested fiercely by shamans of Gruumsh
who believe in the old ways of being self dependent and not being peaceful with the good races. They want to bring the time of Obould to an end and wage war once again against the dwarves of Mithril Hall. Meanwhile, the orc kingdom is also threatened by a group of men, elves, and dwarves on a merciless quest to destroy the orc kingdom and bring things back to how they were in the days of old. The reader may be surprised to find that Drizzt is siding with the orcs.
This, however, only constitutes the prologue. In the first several chapters, the story is brought back to the situation as it was left off in the end of The Two Swords.
The situation as it is in The Orc King also furthers the growing desire for peace within Obould; this, of course, is only strengthened by the story of the prologue (which takes place over a century past The Hunter's Blades Trilogy
), which obviously shows Obould's vision of the future as an inevitability.
. Neverwinter Nights, however, is not considered canonical
.
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
series based on the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
. He was created by the author R. A. Salvatore
Robert Anthony Salvatore
Robert Anthony Salvatore , who writes under the name R. A. Salvatore, is an American author best known for The DemonWars Saga, his Forgotten Realms novels, in which he created the popular character Drizzt Do'Urden, and Vector Prime, the first novel in the Star Wars: The New Jedi Order series...
and is featured in The Hunter's Blades Trilogy
The Hunter's Blades Trilogy
The Hunter's Blades Trilogy is a New York Times best-selling trilogy written by science fiction and fantasy author R.A. Salvatore. It follows on from the previous book, The Servant of the Shard and the other books of the Paths of Darkness series. It contains three books, The Thousand Orcs, The Lone...
and Transitions.
Description
Obould Many-Arrows is the king of the Broken Arrow tribe. Obould is a large orcOrc (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, orcs are a primitive race of savage, bestial, barbaric humanoid.-Publication history:The orc was one of the earliest creatures introduced in the D&D game. The D&D orc is largely based upon the orcs appearing in the works of J.R.R...
who is intelligent even by human standards. He wears a ridged suit of plate armor that is adorned with numerous spikes. In battle he uses a great sword enchanted to burst into flame at the wielder's will. His crown has four large rubies set into it each of which can generate a large fireball. His main shaman and advisor, Arganth, also made him a helmet shaped like a skull with a protective lens of the rare and supremely strong glassteel.
Considering that the blessings bestowed upon him have apparently calmed him somewhat, he has become able to see things in a far broader perspective than any orc before him. This has already led to some speculations as to a pending change in orcish society under his leadership.
One may say that he could be called something of a dreamer. For example, during many discussions with his lieutenants, advisers, and shamans about war and slaughter, he is often thinking about building his civilization and bringing peace to the forefront of orc society.
The Hunter's Blades Trilogy
Some time previous to his current conquest of the lands around Mithral Hall he managed to capture and for some time hold Citadel Felbar, which he had renamed the Citadel of Many Arrows. He lost this city due to infighting and the cunning of the original dwarven inhabitants who came to reclaim their city.During his assault on the dwarven kingdom of Mithral Hall, he underwent a religious ceremony where he was blessed by the orc god Gruumsh
Gruumsh
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Gruumsh, also known as Gruumsh One-Eye, is the patron deity of orcs, who regard him as the god of Conquest, Survival, Strength, and Territory. He is also considered a member of the default D&D pantheon of deities...
, which gave him greater strength, speed, and intelligence (the strength of a bull and the speed of a wildcat), and made his name synonymous with that of the Orc god, Gruumsh
Gruumsh
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Gruumsh, also known as Gruumsh One-Eye, is the patron deity of orcs, who regard him as the god of Conquest, Survival, Strength, and Territory. He is also considered a member of the default D&D pantheon of deities...
One-Eye. In a display of power Obould manages to lift and throw to the ground a powerful giantess named Gerti. He is commonly referred to by other orcs as Obould-Who-Is-Gruumsh.
Obould also had a son named Urlgen Threefist, who was Obould's top commander. Urlgen was slain in combat by the Moon elf Innovindil in the novel The Lone Drow
The Hunter's Blades Trilogy
The Hunter's Blades Trilogy is a New York Times best-selling trilogy written by science fiction and fantasy author R.A. Salvatore. It follows on from the previous book, The Servant of the Shard and the other books of the Paths of Darkness series. It contains three books, The Thousand Orcs, The Lone...
.
In the book The Two Swords
The Hunter's Blades Trilogy
The Hunter's Blades Trilogy is a New York Times best-selling trilogy written by science fiction and fantasy author R.A. Salvatore. It follows on from the previous book, The Servant of the Shard and the other books of the Paths of Darkness series. It contains three books, The Thousand Orcs, The Lone...
, Obould battles Drizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt Do'Urden is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Drizzt was created by author R. A. Salvatore as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Salvatore created him on a whim when his publisher needed to...
in a vicious duel, and as of the book The Orc King, it is established that neither had won the duel although Obould seemed to have the advantage. The fight between Clan Battlehammer and The Kingdom of Many-Arrows is set at a stand still, despite some fighting perpetrated without the prior knowledge of Obould himself. This development finally sates the hunger for the continuation of the series, as The Orc King has been in stores since September 25, 2007.
The Sellswords Trilogy and Transitions
As of Road of the PatriarchThe Sellswords
The Sellswords is a trilogy of fantasy novels written by R. A. Salvatore, whose related works include the Legend of Drizzt series and The Hunter's Blades Trilogy...
it seems that Obould has withdrawn from Mithral Hall and has begun to secure what land he has already taken, calling it the Kingdom of Many-Arrows.
In the prologue The Orc King, a hundred years have passed and the kingdom which Obould created, The Kingdom of Many Arrows, has survived the years, establishing trade agreements and treaties with the surrounding cities of the "goodly races". At the current time a descendant of Obould, Obould VI, is in control, but is being contested fiercely by shamans of Gruumsh
Gruumsh
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Gruumsh, also known as Gruumsh One-Eye, is the patron deity of orcs, who regard him as the god of Conquest, Survival, Strength, and Territory. He is also considered a member of the default D&D pantheon of deities...
who believe in the old ways of being self dependent and not being peaceful with the good races. They want to bring the time of Obould to an end and wage war once again against the dwarves of Mithril Hall. Meanwhile, the orc kingdom is also threatened by a group of men, elves, and dwarves on a merciless quest to destroy the orc kingdom and bring things back to how they were in the days of old. The reader may be surprised to find that Drizzt is siding with the orcs.
This, however, only constitutes the prologue. In the first several chapters, the story is brought back to the situation as it was left off in the end of The Two Swords.
The situation as it is in The Orc King also furthers the growing desire for peace within Obould; this, of course, is only strengthened by the story of the prologue (which takes place over a century past The Hunter's Blades Trilogy
The Hunter's Blades Trilogy
The Hunter's Blades Trilogy is a New York Times best-selling trilogy written by science fiction and fantasy author R.A. Salvatore. It follows on from the previous book, The Servant of the Shard and the other books of the Paths of Darkness series. It contains three books, The Thousand Orcs, The Lone...
), which obviously shows Obould's vision of the future as an inevitability.
Other media
Obould is encountered (with the option of being killed) by the player during the events of Neverwinter NightsNeverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights , produced by BioWare and published by Infogrames , is a third-person perspective computer role-playing game that is based on third edition Dungeons & Dragons and Forgotten Realms rules. It was originally to be published by Interplay Entertainment, but the publisher's financial...
. Neverwinter Nights, however, is not considered canonical
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
.