Dark Arrow Keep King Obould XVII ruled the Kingdom of Many - Arrows from the central chamber in this trapped fortress . Known for its slit - covered , confounding corridors and blind alleys , Dark Arrow Keep also housed the Pit ; an arena used by the King to judge his chieftains and mete out brutal punishments . Description . Dark Arrow Keep was the centre of the Many - arrows kingdom - a sprawling chaotic city enclosed by a palisade resting on earthworks and rubble . Situated 3 miles from the Surbin river bank and around 40 miles north of Mithral Hall , the city may have been be chaotically laid out , but due to the irregular - shaped buildings and walls inside it was hard to get lost . A vast majority of the residents lived in simple tents along twisting , nameless roads . Known for its metal workers , Dark Arrow Keep was the industrial centre of the kingdom . The Citadel . The Citadel was the largest structure in the city . Made of stone , wood and iron it was constructed to be a fortress within a fortress with a large host of royal guards to defend the King ' s family . The citadel was built around the throne room , which is the largest open area in the keep . Though The Citadel is better laid out than the rest of the city , it still appeared dark and cramped to outsiders . It was tradition for the Obould dynasty to make their home here , in the political centre of the kingdom , from its founding by king Obould I until the Second Sundering when king Obould XVII fought off all other factions in a civil war to reclaim the throne . The Citadel was stocked with provisions and weaponry to survive a lengthy siege , not just from non - orc opponents , but also from the various native political factions . The Pit . The Pit was a small underground arena used as a punishment for law breakers , political opponents and any others identified as dangerous individuals . The arena housed monsters that were deliberately mistreated and set loose upon lightly armed opponents . Either party or both might even find themselves poisoned before the competition by political factions or the King ' s subjects . The winners in the Pit were set free , but such occasions were rare as the ogres , hill giant s and other exotic monsters brutally dispensed crude orc justice . The only punishable crimes in the kingdom were those perpetrated against powerful figures such as chieftains or the King . The King , however , had the final decision on whether transgressors found themselves in the Pit and what they would face when they got there . The Pit was also used to settle disputes among citizens and these contests were invariably fought to the death . The Bazaar . During the five months from Mirtul to Marpenoth each year , the Bazaar blossomed with caravans owned by humans , elves and dwarves from Silverymoon and Sundabar trading resources directly with the orcs for useful items . The Bazaar was located in the shadow of the keep itself , formed around a central marketplace . The tent community generally looked in better shape than the ragged assortment found within the keep . The area contained no permanent structures and had no permanent residents . As the industrial centre of the kingdom , with dozens of forges and iron ore mined from the Spine of the world , Dark Arrow Keep traded mainly in orc weapons , which were functional and lacked elegance . History . Dark Arrow Keep was founded as the capital of the new Kingdom of Many Arrows by Obould I after the Treaty of Garumn ' s Gorge The Keep and Citadel had seen many battles , with invasions and uprisings occurring almost every generation . The location and foreboding look of the fortress was chosen to make neighbouring countries hesitate to try removing the orcs from their new homeland .