The Sea’s Open Hand
Located roughly fifty miles southwest of
Waterdeep’s harbor and far below the crashing waves of the Sea of Swords, Nantarum is one of the most ancient and respected underwater settlements along the
Sword Coast. Established by Tritons during their early expansions across the Material Plane, Nantarum has grown into a sophisticated metropolis—a coral-forged city-state of political stability, religious devotion, and maritime influence.
Though it is primarily governed and inhabited by
tritons, Nantarum is a rare example of inclusive seaborn society, welcoming
sea elves, merfolk,
water genasi, locathah, and other sentient aquatic peoples. This diversity is evident not only in its architecture but also in its arts, rites, and interspecies diplomacy. Here, the laws of the deep are upheld by tradition, yet tempered by mutual respect and a shared belief in stewardship of the sea.
Structure and Districts
Nantarum sprawls across a bed of ancient reefs and chasm-laced seafloor, the city’s foundation grown and carved from living coral, shaped limestone, and naturally hollowed caverns. Bioluminescent growths flicker gently across public corridors and market plazas, while schools of fish dart between woven seaweed bridges and polished shell mosaics. The ambient hum of currents, occasional whale-song, and the slow toll of coral gongs provide a living rhythm to the city’s atmosphere.
Nantarum is organized into four major districts.
The Coral Bastion serves as the administrative and political heart of the city. This towering coral fortress, encased in layers of living reef, is home to the High Tidespeaker Council and their administrative delegates. It contains the city’s archive domes, law courts, and defense coordination chambers.
The Trade Hollows form a warren of smooth-walled coral tunnels and open plazas filled with merchants, envoys, and trade guilds. Oceanic resources, minerals, magical flora, and deep-sea artifacts are bought and sold here. Artisans weave fabrics from sea grass, and trained dolphins carry messages between stalls.
Glimmerward is the residential ward, where homes are built into coral outcrops, sea caves, and domes overgrown with glowing moss and swaying anemones. It is a place of familial peace, punctuated by bioluminescent gardens and the sounds of children playing beneath the drifting kelp.
Wavemantle serves as the industrial and artisanal quarter. Artisans shape tools and sculpture from whale bone, basalt, and shell. Forge-lanterns—magical heat sources used to work metal underwater—cast dancing light across busy corridors. This district also houses the barracks of the Tidal Guard, Nantarum’s elite defenders.
The Temple of the Deep Mother
Located atop a rocky pinnacle that rises above the rest of the city, the Temple of the Deep Mother is a structure of reverent grandeur. Its architecture mimics an outstretched hand reaching upward, crafted from pale coral and inlaid with pearl. Within, glowing stained-glass panels depict the great oceanic deities and ancestral guardians.
Rituals of tideblessing, protection, and seasonal festivals are held here—uniting Nantarum in dance, song, and prayer beneath the watchful eyes of the sea gods.
The Azure Reach: Nantarum’s Surface Trade Platform
To facilitate relations with the surface world, particularly Waterdeep, Nantarum maintains the Azure Reach—a floating trade platform and surface-facing marina positioned directly above the city.
The platform is a massive artificial island made of magically reinforced driftwood, shellcrete, and anchored coral blocks. It includes merchant piers for surface ships, a small customs station and market pavilion, storage for surface goods, and temporary quarters for surface merchants.
To transfer people and cargo between the surface and Nantarum Proper, the city employs a fleet of whale-haulers equipped with arcane bubble harnesses. These gentle giants, trained and well-treated, can carry pods containing passengers or cargo safely through the depths, protected by breathing magic and pressurization enchantments.
The largest of these haulers, Varuun the Steady Current, is a semi-legendary deepwhale who has served Nantarum’s trade routes for over a century. The route between Nantarum and the Azure Reach is well-maintained, patrolled by sea drakes, and guarded by enchanted beacons that deter monsters and magical interference.
Relations and Politics
Nantarum maintains a formal diplomatic relationship with Waterdeep, and its ambassador,
Mirosh Greatsilt, serves in the
Castle Ward with full recognition by the Lords of the city. While culturally distinct, Nantarum has long valued cooperation with the surface, especially in matters of trade, ecological preservation, and defense against extraplanar threats.
Within the city, politics are conducted through the High Tidespeaker Council, made up of senior representatives from
triton houses and allied seaborn peoples. The council works through consensus, emphasizing harmony and longevity over ambition or dominance.
