Ust Natha

Ust Natha was a drow city in the Underdark under northwestern Tethyr, in Old Shanatar. It was maintained by the drow as a symbol, marking the location of a nearby temple on the surface where the first drow descended underground; its name means "the first".

Geography
Ust Natha was located in the Underdark under Old Shanatar. It neighboured many other settlements. Its temple and city were fought over regularly by the drow and surface elves (including those from Suldanessellar), though the silver dragon, Adalon, guarded the area and tried to govern the hostilities, often with success. The entrance to her lair was located near Ust Natha, but the drow were incapable of entering it due to a wall of magical, impenetrable darkness blocking the passage. Other neighbours of Ust Natha included outposts of kuo-toa, illithid, and beholders, all of whom were regarded as rivals by the drow; and a svirfneblin village that was independent but played a subservient role to the drow. At the other end of the same main cavern from which all of these settlements are accessed, there was also a hole leading upwards all the way into City of Caverns, a sahuagin settlement. The drow had no dealings with the sahuagin, but some of their race did occupy a section of that city in the past.

Ust Natha was mostly built on platforms above the natural bottom of its cavern, many supported on stalagmites, with most on the same level but a few above the others. Buildings of note in the city included guilds for female and male fighters, as well as for wizards, and a grand temple of Lolth at its eastern end.

Inhabitants
In a typical drow fashion, Ust Natha was run on the basis of several competing houses led by matron mothers, including a local branch of the Despana family. Though virtually all of its free citizens were drow, it also housed a number of members of other races at a given time. Besides the presence of slaves, other creatures such as beholders, illithid, githyanki and aboleths were known to visit the city.

Drow from Ust Natha tended to be very well equipped for the Underdark. It was perfectly ordinary for them to be equipped with enchanted adamantine weapons and shields. They also wielded very highly enchanted elven chain mail and full plate mail. This extra potency may have been bought at the cost of very heavy dependence of the Underdark faerzress magic. Though, since these items exhibited an extraordinarily rapid version of decay when exposed to sunlight; they turned to dust more or less immediately.

Ust Natha was a spelljammer port, with many ships from drow design to that of githyanki.

House Despana

 * Phaere Despana
 * Ardulace Despana
 * Ilmryn Despana

House Jae'llat

 * Deirex

Appearances

 * Video games
 * Baldur's Gate II: Shadow of Amn