Thultanthar

Thultanthar ("Shade" in the Loross language ), also known as the Shade Enclave and the City of Shade, was a Netherese flying city situated in the middle of the Anauroch desert.

Geography
On Toril, Thultanthar was located in the middle of the Anauroch desert among Bedine tribes along the Black Road trade route connecting the Silver Marches with Cormanthor. Near the city was the Shadow Sea, and the Scimitar Spires range surrounded both the lake and the city on three sides (all except the north).

Thultanthar's "twin" in the Shadowfell was known as Gloomwrought.

Origins
Thultanthar was created in the year -1471 DR, some 1,483 years after Ioulaum created the first such floating city. Thultanthar's high mage, known only as Lord Shadow, had been experimenting with the Plane of Shadow for some time and had successfully shifted the entire city into the Plane of Shadow mere days before Karsus cast Karsus's Avatar and temporarily destroyed the Weave in the Year of Sundered Webs, −339 DR. For some reason, however, Lord Shadow could not move the city back to the Prime Material Plane. It took weeks but eventually, they managed to return to Netheril, or at least what was left of it. Searching for survivors for days, the city floated over the ruins of the Netherese empire. Finding none, Lord Shadow assumed it was the work of the phaerimm and began planning his revenge. He stopped, however, when he realized that one city was not a match for them and that his subjects were likely the last of the empire's people. He abandoned those plans and retreated back into the Plane of Shadow, vowing that one day, they would return and reestablish the empire.

The city's clerics of Shar cast divinations and saw what had really happened, but only informed the noble families, presumably on the whim of Shar herself for some reason. The excursion into the Plane of Shadow, due to unforeseen circumstances, lasted much longer than Lord Shadow anticipated. For over 1,700 years, the inhabitants battled the malaugrym and the other shadowy horrors of the realm, while each generation became gradually more attuned to the plane itself, becoming what were known as shadovar.

Return
In the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR, Thultanthar returned to Faerûn after the elf Galaeron Nihmedu finished a spell to bring Shade back to Toril where the shadovar, led by Telamont Tanthul, found themselves floating over the Dire Wood. Almost immediately, the princes of Thultanthar (now known more commonly by its translated name of Shade) were busy looking for Netherese ruins and artifacts as well as spying on people and places that could possibly hinder their ultimate goal of creating a new Netheril in their image.

The Netherese expanded their new empire for the next 113 years. In 1487 DR, Thultanthar was brought to ground by Elminster Aumar. It fell upon Myth Drannor, destroying both cities.

Description
Thultanthar appeared as a floating inverted mountain of stone topped with harsh black spires and foreboding walls. A colony of bats lived on the bottom of the city.

Notable inhabitants

 * Hadrhune
 * Aglarel Tanthul
 * Brennus Tanthul
 * Clariburnus Tanthul
 * Dethud Tanthul
 * Escanor Tanthul
 * Lamorak Tanthul
 * Malath Tanthul
 * Mattick Tanthul
 * Melegaunt Tanthul
 * Telamont Tanthul
 * Rivalen Tanthul
 * Vattick Tanthul
 * Yder Tanthul
 * One further prince ("The square-chinned one")

Post-Spellplague


 * Parise Ulfbinder, a lord and peer of Draygo Quick.
 * Lady Avelyere, head of Lady Avelyere's Coven.
 * Ruqiah (the reincarnated Catti-brie), who studied at Lady Avelyere's Coven.
 * Derenek the Dark, known for working with undead.

Notable locations

 * Fane of Shar
 * Sakkors
 * Lady Avelyere's Coven, located along the Western Wall

Appearances

 * Return of the Archwizards trilogy
 * The Companions