Myth Nantar

Myth Nantar (the City of Destinies) was an underwater city about 56-64km (35-40 miles) west of the Whamite Isles, and about 64km northwest of Voalidru. The city contained a mythal, a magical protective barrier. After the Spellplague the Sea of Fallen Stars receded and part of the city was exposed to air.

As of 1369 DR, the city glowed slightly when seen from a distance, and coral has grown everywhere within, seen by its inhabitants as a beautiful effect, but three quarters of the city was covered either with coral or reef.

As of 1369 DR, Myth Nantar had 1,900 permanent residents of many different races.

Law
As of 1369 DR, the Dukars operated the legal system in Myth Nantar, although there was no written legal system at this time. The laws were similar to other elven realms such as Myth Drannor. Crime was punishable by the Dukars and their judge, Qos. Lesser offences might have commanded a labor-based punishment, usually involving clearing reef or coral, but serious offences were punished with banishment or death.

Government
The city was ruled in 1369 DR by the Nantarn Council, at which time there were nine members, although they claimed there to be twelve seats. At that time, a serious concern within the council was that some members put forward their most prominent leaders for the council seats, while others did not make the effort, leading some to believe these members were not taking their roles on the council seriously.

Architecture
Being an underwater city, the buildings in Myth Nantar did not require stairs. Access to upper floors was through trapdoors or simply through holes left for this purpose. There was also little need for ground-level infrastructure such as roads, as it was simply possible to swim from place to place.

Glass windows were not common except on the grandest structures. Most buildings had shutters that could be pulled for extra privacy. Since small objects can easily be carried away by water currents, almost everything in a building would have been stored inside a chest or container of some kind.

Quarters
The city was split into quarters by major 10m-wide (30ft) roads running north, south, east and west, from the city's centre, at the Fire Fountain. These roads, Chamal Avenue, Hmur's Way, Maalirn's Walk, and the Street of Ser-Ukcal, were paved in coral and formed mosaics.

Dukar Quarter
The northwest quarter of the city was Dukar Quarter, and it was nestled against Mount Halaath. It contained the Dukam Academy, the Keep of Seven Spires, and the Palace of Ienaron.

Elves' Quarter
The northeast quarter of the city was the Elves' Quarter, containing structures such as libraries, palaces and villas, as well as the temples to Deep Sashelas and Trishina, and a park with adjoining villa which was a kind of mage school.

Law Quarter
The southwest quarter of the city was Law Quarter and contained taller buildings than elsewhere, some of which were used by the Nantarn Alliance.

Trade Quarter
The southeast quarter of the city was the Trade Quarter and contained the Stadium of Tavynos and Seven Temples Square. The areas underneath the stadium were converted for use as hospitals and housing after the Twelfth Serôs War displaced many merfolk from Voalidru and other places.

Locations
Two reefs bordered Myth Nantar, forming its ecosystem. The Dukam Reef was a cryscoral reef, and home to the Dukar paragon Qos. Three Gates Reef was 30m (100ft) tall and surrounded the city on three sides, with arches (gates) to allow entry and exit.

As of 1369 DR, some of the floors of some structures had fallen away, revealing access to elven and Dukar tombs. There were also stories that the undercity could grant access to the Great Dungeons of the Merynths, the rulers of Aryselmalyr.

Mythal
The mythal was created over 2,000 years prior to 1369 DR. As of 1369 DR the mythal in the city was in good working order, operating out to a 5km (3 mile) radius around the Fire Fountain at the city's centre, except that the top of the mythal stopped 20m (60ft) from the surface of the sea, which was about 100m (300ft) above the top of the city.

The mythal had certain powers which included the production of water that was breathable to both air- and water-breathing creatures. The water still behaved as water, so it was still necessary to swim. The effect would slowly transform air-breathing creatures, over the course of a month or so, into water-breathing creatures, with gills developing on the creature's neck, although upon leaving the water, the creature was able to switch back to breathing air immediately.

The mythal was also able to grant strength and vitality enhancements to any Tel'Quessir (elves) while within it. Also, the mythal granted, to all within it, protection from cold temperatures, enhanced underwater vision, immediate staunching of all wounds, ability to "fly" through the water, and negation of the usual slowed effects of moving underwater.

The mythal magically prevented the entry of doppelgangers, drow, illithids. ixitxachitl, koalinth, merrow, seawolves and vodyanoi into the city.

The mythal has the ability to cure disease for anyone living within it, is able to cause falling wood (such as from shipwrecks) to sink more slowly and glow, and can render whales and dolphins immaterial if they emit a squeal when coming in contact with it.

History
Myth Nantar started off as a small town on the Hmur Plateau simply named Nantar. It was known for little save being where the four founders of the Order of Dukars laid the foundations for their group in -7130 DR. Nantar remained as the order's headquarters and center of their learning and culture for thousands of years until the town experienced a rapid period of growth that spurred the raising of it's mythal in -3002 DR. A scant two years later, Myth Nantar was trading with Cormanthyr on the surface.

In -1533 DR, during the Third Serôs War, a merfolk rebellion in Thalorlyn that had started two years prior, against the violence of the war, claimed Myth Nantar as part of a new, independent realm that the rebels called the First Kingdom of Hmur. The rebellion was brutally put down by the sea elves two years later in -1531 DR. Less than a decade afterward, a four-year-long civil war between the Nantari Dukars and the other four orders, known as the First Dukars' War resulted in the destruction of the Nantari order's school in the city, though it was eventually rebuilt as an academy shared by all of the remaining four Dukar orders.

A century later, in -1399 DR, with the onset of the Fourth Serôs War, a mermaid stole a powerful weapon from the previous Serôs War, that was being kept safe in the city, to use against a horde of koalinth and merrow.

With Karsus's Folly in the, the mythal of Myth Nantar attracted a devastating whirlpool created by the wild magic ensuing from the death of Mystryl, destroying numerous buildings.

In the, the Dukar orders of Jhimari and Numos attempted to found a new Dukar-led kingdom in the power vacuum left by the dissolution of Aryselmalyr. They called it Nantarum and named Myth Nantar as it's capital. The merfolk of Hmur Plateau objected and a self-styled king named Ristan laid seige. However, after a mysterious surge of magical energy from the mythal eighteen years later, only one individual was found left alive in the city - a sea elf Dukar named Yupal Narlis, his mind completely gone. Thirty others were found transformed into coral statues.

Myth Nantar has been the site of numerous battles since. During the dracorage of 1373 DR, the city was attacked by a dragon flight -- a group of berserk dragons, dragon eels, and dragon turtles, among others -- operating in concert. Only the activities of a Shalarin priestess of Umberlee and her Turmishan adventuring companion were able to save the city from destruction.

Later, following the destruction of Xxiphu which fell into the Sea of Fallen Stars nearby, Myth Nantar was assaulted by the combined forces of Dagon and The Eldest.

Following the second sundering, Myth Nantar once again became the battleground, this time between the Red Wizards of Thay and the forces of Turmish. In a conflict that would become known as the Assault on Myth Nantar, the Red Wizards desired to seize The Librarian and the accumulated lore contained therein.

Discrepancies
Although the map on Sea of Fallen Stars p.171 shows the four main roads to the centre of the city as Chamal Avenue, Maalirn's Walk, Promenade of Kupav, and Street of Ser-Ukcal, the textual descriptions on p.173 differ. For example, p.173 states that the road leading from the west to Fire Fountain is Hmur's Way, but the map does not agree. The text locations have been used in this article, not those indicated on the map.

Appearances

 * Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
 * Blood in the Water • Assault on Myth Nantar