History Characters / ASongOfIceAndFireEssosTheFreeCities

* AmicablyDivorved: Mellario and Doran remain in contact.

* InSeriesNickname: Lys the Lovely
* MasterPoisoner: The alchemists of Lys are this,

* AlliterativeName
* AManOfWealthAndTaste

* LovableRogue
* {{Pirate}}
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: He abandons Stannis cause after loosing several of his ships while taking Davos to White Harbor because he grows tired of waiting for payment and returns to the Stepstones to engage in piracy. [[spoiler: Ironically, after abandoning Stannis, the latter is finally able to pay him thanks to a loan from the Iron Bank of Braavos]].

* AlliterativeName

---> -- Ser Jorah

--> ''"If I were Volantene, and free, and had the blood, you'd have my vote for triarch, my lady."''

--> ''"Tell her we are waiting. Tell her to come soon."''

* AnAxeToGrind: What Norvos is known for.
* TheBlacksmith: Qohor has the best. They are the only ones who know how to work Valyrian Steel.

* ChurchMilitant: The Bearded Priests of Norvos and the Red Priests of Rhllor whose actions have included inciting a riot against the Black Goat of Qohor.

* LoopholeAbuse: Since IndenturedServitude is not forbidden in Pentos, the wealthy Magisters keep bronze-collared "servants" that are slaves in all but name.

* PuppetKing: The Princes of Pentos.

* ViceCity: Lys.

!!Lys

[[folder:Salladhor Saan]]
!!Salladhor Saan
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/salladhor_saan_ffg_6022.jpg]]

A pirate and sellsail, leader of a mercenary fleet, styling himself Prince of the Narrow Sea. Also a smuggler, trader, and banker, and a close friend of Davos Seaworth. He's one of the sellsail admirals hired by Stannis for his campaign to take the Iron Throne.

* AlliterativeName
* AManOfWealthAndTaste
* BadassBeard
* IHaveManyNames: Prince of the Narrow Sea, and later made Lord of Blackwater Bay by Alester Florent, Stannis' Hand of the King.
* TheLancer: To Davos.
* LoopholeAbuse: Sort of. After being made Lord of Blackwater Bay he sets to intercept any trade ship crossing the bay to "tax them" on their cargo.
* LovableRogue
* {{Pirate}}
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: He abandons Stannis cause after loosing several of his ships while taking Davos to White Harbor because he grows tired of waiting for payment and returns to the Stepstones to engage in piracy. [[spoiler: Ironically, after abandoning Stannis, the latter is finally able to pay him thanks to a loan from the Iron Bank of Braavos]].

!!!Historical Lysene

[[folder: Serenei of Lys]]
!!Serenei of Lys
!!!Sweet Serenei
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3ca01e6d0e2839ac072be205951cd7e1.jpg]]

The daughter of an ancient but impoverished line, Serenei was brought to court by Lord Jon Hightower, Hand of the King. She was the ninth recorded mistress of Aegon IV, and the mother of Shiera Seastar.
----
* DeathByChildbirth: Died giving birth to Shiera Seastar.
* HotWitch: Reputed to be a sorceress.
* ImpoverishedPatrician
* MagicalGirlfriend
* UglyGuyHotWife: Though she was only TheMistress. By this time Aegon IV was already obese.

[[folder: Samarro Saan]]
!!Samarro Saan
!!!The Last Valyrian

A notorious pirate from a family of pirates and a member of the Band of Nine.

* LastOfHisKind: His nickname is meant to invoke this, despite not actually being the last Valyrian.
* FamousAncestor: Of Salladhor Saan.
* {{Pirate}}: Its the family trade.
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: Valyrian features and member of a band that included the notorious Maelys the Monstruous.

!!Pentos

[[folder: Illyrio Mopatis]]
!!Magister Illyrio Mopatis
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/illyrio_mopatis_ffg_8032.png]]
-->''"Illyrio believes in no cause but Illyrio. Gluttons are greedy men as a rule, and magisters are devious. Illyrio Mopatis is both."''
---> -- Ser Jorah

A morbidly obese merchant and Magister of Pentos who arranged for Daenerys' marriage to Khal Drogo in the first book and gave her three dragon eggs as a wedding gift. He supports the Targaryens' campaign to regain the Seven Kingdoms and, [[spoiler:following Viserys' death,]] ends up shifting his attention towards helping Daenerys. [[spoiler:Though greed may play a part in his actions, his scheming with Varys hint at deeper motives]].

* {{Acrofatic}}: A clue to his past as a water dancer is the way he still walks lightly on the balls of his feet.
* AffablyEvil: He's jolly, complimentary and completely amoral.
* AmbitionIsEvil: He's so ambitious, [[spoiler: he's willing to play with the lives of people on two continents to get what he wants. Very willing.]]
* BeardOfEvil: He even [[StrokeTheBeard strokes it]] obscenely.
* BigEater: He gorges himself constantly while traveling with Tyrion. [[RealityEnsues Tyrion notes that he takes very frequent pee breaks, indicating that he may be pre-diabetic.]]
* BlondGuysAreEvil: Shove him in red and gold, plonk a lion on his chest... and he'd be insulted you suggested he could be a Lannister.
* [[spoiler: TheCaper: What he and Varys might well have cooked up between them is a take on a two-man, fencing con. On a global scale, rather than the simple caper you'd expect to see on the high street. We've a long way to go to the full reveal, though. But, it looks like they might be "returning" the Crown of the Seven Kingdoms to the Targaryens -- for a price. When, they had their fingers all over how they lost it to begin with.]]
* TheChessmaster: He clearly attempts to be this as he manipulates events and people to his advantage, but unforeseen circumstances, such as Viserys' untimely death and Daenerys' rebelliousness, [[XanatosSpeedChess constantly cause him to reevaluate his plans]].
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He's had two wives. While his feelings towards his first wife aren't clearly established, his second wife, Serra, who died of a plague, he says he dearly loved. He still keeps a locket with her picture in it to always remember her... [[BreadEggsMilkSquick and also her hands]].
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He seems to have a strong aversion to unnecessary violence.
* DidntSeeThatComing: A lot of his plans and ideas never quite pan out. He tells Tyrion that he had expected Daenerys to die on the Dothraki Sea but she ended up with three dragons and several levels of badass instead, while Viserys ended up dead. The Golden Company's captain, Tristan Rivers, sums up Illyrio's poor record in terms of plans coming to fruition and why they should go their own way instead:
-->''"Which plan? ... The fat man’s plan? The one that changes every time the moon turns? First Viserys Targaryen was to join us with fifty thousand Dothraki screamers at his back. Then the Beggar King was dead, and it was to be his sister, [[UnderestimatingBadassery a pliable young child queen]] who was on her way to Pentos with three new-hatched dragons. Instead the girl turns up on Slaver's Bay and leaves a string of burning cities in her wake, and the fat man decides we should meet her by Volantis. Now that plan is in ruins as well. I have had enough of Illyrio’s plans. Robert Baratheon won the Iron Throne without the benefit of dragons. We can do the same."''
* FatBastard: Oh, so very much. In an [[AffablyEvil avuncular]] kind of way, though.
* HiddenAgendaVillain: While he suggests that he was helping Viserys to eventually be made Master of Coin of Westeros, his plots with [[spoiler:Varys]] hint at ulterior motives.
* IWasQuiteALooker: No one would ever guess it now but he used to be a handsome, muscular sellsword. Tyrion's thrown for a loop when he sees the statue carved of the much younger Illyrio.
* InSeriesNickname: Tyrion quickly starts referring to him as "the Cheesemonger". Within a few days of hanging out with Haldon and Duck, they start to do it intermittently as well.
* MinorMajorCharacter: Gave Daenerys her dragon eggs, arranged her marriage to Khal Drogo, sent Barristan Selmy to serve her, and has been [[spoiler:plotting with Varys to destabilize Westeros]] but he's only appeared personally in two books.
* MysteriousBacker: First for Viserys then for Daenerys [[spoiler:and also acts as this for Aegon Targaryen]].
* SelfMadeMan: Once a simple sellsword and bravo, by teaming up with [[spoiler:Varys]] in his youth, Illyrio managed to become successful enough to marry a daughter of the Prince of Pentos' cousin, and eventually gained enough wealth and prestige to become a Magister of the city.
* SmugSnake: He's a fairly competent schemer, but as his entry for Didn't See That Coming implies, he seems to think of himself as better at it than he actually is.
* TongueTrauma: With the exception of a single bedslave, none of his servants speak, implying they're "little mice" who've grown too old for the work. As with Varys' "little birds", they would presumably have their tongues removed to prevent idle gossip.
* VillainousFriendship: Seems to have one with [[spoiler:Varys]].

!!Volantis

The eldest daughter of the Valyrian Freehold, Volantis boasts a large harbour, said to be able to house Braavos comfortably within it. As the oldest Valyrian colony, it saw itself as the inheritor of its hegemony and waged war against the other Free Cities in the "Century of Blood" after the Doom of Valyria. As such, they have several smaller cities across Essos under their control after several periods of aggressive expansion under Tiger rulers.

[[folder:Nyessos Vhassar]]
!!Triarch Nyessos Vhassar

Nyessos Vhassar is one of the Triarchs of Volantis. He's a member of the elephant party, the faction of merchants and moneylenders, advocating trade over war. Not only he's on Illyrio Mopatis' payroll, it is also said in Volantis that he has been bought by Yunkai in order to get Volantis to wage war against Daenerys.

* AristocratsAreEvil: Lends his supports to the cause of ending Daenerys' antislavery crusade.
* CorruptPolitician: He takes money from foreign individuals and governments to influence his nation's policies.
* PlayingBothSides: He has taken money from both Illyrio and Yunkai, who have diametrically opposed agendas as far as Daenerys is concerned.

[[folder: Widow of the Waterfront]]
!!Widow of the Waterfront

A pleasure slave purchased by a Triarch of Volantis named Vogarro, who fell in love with her, freed her, and married her. After his death, she became a wealthy and influential businesswoman by taking over his businesses.

* CoolOldLady: Tyrion realizes this and charmingly tells her:
--> ''"If I were Volantene, and free, and had the blood, you'd have my vote for triarch, my lady."''
* InformationBroker: One of the services she offers.
* InUniverseNickname: The old blood of Volantis refers to her as "Vogarro's whore", but never to her face.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She is abrasive and suspicious, and she has to be, but she's also kind. She had Penny given a room and proper food after her breakdown.
* SherlockScan: She quickly figures out that Tyrion is no ordinary dwarf, but the most wanted man in Westeros.
* SlaveBrand: Has scars on both cheeks from where she had hers cut off after being freed.
* SlaveLiberation: She yearns for this, she tells Jorah and Tyrion to tell Daenerys that all of Volantis awaits her arrival.
--> ''"Tell her we are waiting. Tell her to come soon."''
* WidowWoman: She's actually made a career out of being this.

[[folder: Penny]]
!!Penny

A dwarf entertainer from the Free Cities who teams up with her brother Oppo in a fake jousting show riding on a pig and dog. After her brother is mistaken for being Tyrion Lannister and murdered, she has a chance encounter with Tyrion in Volantis and gets dragged along with him on his journey to Meereen.

* AbhorrentAdmirer: She is attracted to Tyrion despite his notorious reputation and inadvertent role in her brother's death, but as Tyrion prefers {{Hot Consort}}s he tries to discourage her.
* AscendedExtra: Goes from being unnamed and having a minuscule part in “A Storm of Swords” to playing a significant part in ''A Dance With Dragons''.
* BreakTheCutie: First her brother gets killed, and then she gets enslaved and winds up in the siege lines around Meereen with a dying master.
* BrotherSisterTeam
* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: Tyrion has to do this to her a few times.
* HappinessInSlavery
* MoralityPet: For Tyrion, stopping him from dropping into ThenLetMeBeEvil.
* OurDwarvesAreDifferent: She has nothing in common with Tyrion other than being a dwarf, and often calls him on his reckless and antagonistic behavior towards the "big people" despite no longer having Lannister power and privilege.
-->'''Tyrion:''' I see I have a lot to learn about being a dwarf.
* PluckyGirl: She is insanely optimistic and naïve about a lot of things. Tyrion can never quite bring himself to shatter all of her idealist notions, although he does destroy some of them.
* StreetPerformer
* [[spoiler:UnwittingPawn: She and her brother were hired by Littlefinger for Joffrey's wedding in order to provoke a confrontation between him and Tyrion, adding further evidence to point at Tyrion as Joffrey's killer]].

[[folder: The Tiger Cloaks]]
!!The Tiger Cloaks

The city guard of Volantis, named after the Tiger Party - the more military minded of two factions of Volantene politics. They are slaves.

* AnimalMotifs: Tigers, of course. They wear tiger-shaped helms and gauntlets with steel claws.
* SlaveBrand: Green tiger stripes tattooed across their cheeks.
* SlaveMooks
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy[=/=]HappinessInSlavery: It is said they are fiercely proud of their stripes.

* TheWoobie: She's seen nothing but tragedy since she attended Joffrey's wedding reception. She's a young girl, she's tiny and she shows Tyrion what it means to be a base-born dwarf, which his an aspect that he's actually never had to consider. Tyrion finds it very hard to sway her away.
[[/folder]]

The daughter of an ancient but impoverished line, Serenei was brought to court by Lord Jon Hightower, Hand of the King. She was the ninth recorded mistress of Aegon IV, and the mother of Shiera Seastar

* DeathByChildbirth: Died giving birth to Shiera Seastar
* HotWitch: Reputed to be a sorceress

* UglyGuyHotWife: Though she was only TheMistress. By this time Aegon IV was already obese

* LastOfHisKind: His nickname is meant to invoke this, despite not actually being the last Valyrian
* FamousAncestor: Of Salladhor Saan
* {{Pirate}}: Its the family trade
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: Valyrian features and member of a band that included the notorious Maelys the Monstruous

* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: The main series doesn't specify why the city of Mantarys is not considered a "Free City", but in Literature/TheWorldOfIceAndFire its revealed its because [[spoiler:Mantarys never ruled itself until the Doom, but instead had a governor apointed by the Freehold.]]

** Tyrion's description of Volantis also matches

* [[Characters/ASongOfIceAndFireEssosTheFreeCitiesBraavos Characters from Braavos]]

!!Pentos

[[folder: Illyrio Mopatis]]
!!Magister Illyrio Mopatis
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/illyrio_mopatis_ffg_8032.png]]
-->''"Illyrio believes in no cause but Illyrio. Gluttons are greedy men as a rule, and magisters are devious. Illyrio Mopatis is both."''
---> -- Ser Jorah

A morbidly obese merchant and Magister of Pentos who arranged for Daenerys' marriage to Khal Drogo in the first book and gave her three dragon eggs as a wedding gift. He supports the Targaryens' campaign to regain the Seven Kingdoms and, [[spoiler:following Viserys' death,]] ends up shifting his attention towards helping Daenerys. [[spoiler:Though greed may play a part in his actions, his scheming with Varys hint at deeper motives]].

!!Lys

[[folder:Salladhor Saan]]
!!Salladhor Saan
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/salladhor_saan_ffg_6022.jpg]]

A pirate and sellsail, leader of a mercenary fleet, styling himself Prince of the Narrow Sea. Also a smuggler, trader, and banker, and a close friend of Davos Seaworth. He's one of the sellsail admirals hired by Stannis for his campaign to take the Iron Throne.

* AlliterativeName
* AManOfWealthAndTaste
* BadassBeard
* IHaveManyNames: Prince of the Narrow Sea, and later made Lord of Blackwater Bay by Alester Florent, Stannis' Hand of the King.
* TheLancer: To Davos.
* LoopholeAbuse: Sort of. After being made Lord of Blackwater Bay he sets to intercept any trade ship crossing the bay to "tax them" on their cargo.
* LovableRogue
* {{Pirate}}
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: He abandons Stannis cause after loosing several of his ships while taking Davos to White Harbor because he grows tired of waiting for payment and returns to the Stepstones to engage in piracy. [[spoiler: Ironically, after abandoning Stannis, the latter is finally able to pay him thanks to a loan from the Iron Bank of Braavos]].

!!Volantis
The eldest daughter of the Valyrian Freehold, Volantis boasts a large harbour, said to be able to house Braavos comfortably within it. As the oldest Valyrian colony, it saw itself as the inheritor of its hegemony and waged war against the other Free Cities in the "Century of Blood" after the Doom of Valyria.

[[folder:Nyessos Vhassar]]
!!Triarch Nyessos Vhassar

Nyessos Vhassar is one of the Triarchs of Volantis. He's a member of the elephant party, the faction of merchants and moneylenders, advocating trade over war. Not only he's on Illyrio Mopatis' payroll, it is also said in Volantis that he has been bought by Yunkai in order to get Volantis to wage war against Daenerys.

* AristocratsAreEvil: Lends his supports to the cause of ending Daenerys' antislavery crusade.
* CorruptPolitician: He takes money from foreign individuals and governments to influence his nation's policies.
* PlayingBothSides: He has taken money from both Illyrio and Yunkai, who have diametrically opposed agendas as far as Daenerys is concerned.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Widow of the Waterfront]]
!!Widow of the Waterfront

A pleasure slave purchased by a Triarch of Volantis named Vogarro, who fell in love with her, freed her, and married her. After his death, she became a wealthy and influential businesswoman by taking over his businesses.
----

[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/braavos_8997.jpeg]]

Of the Nine Free Cities, Braavos is the only one to be built ''against'' the Valyrian Freehold. It was built by slaves fleeing their Valyrian Masters creating a secret city in the North of Essos, across the Narrow Sea from the Vale of Arryn. It is known across the world for its Titan, its Arsenal, its Iron Bank and the Guild of Faceless Men.

!! General Tropes
* CityOfCanals
* CityOfAdventure
* CultureChopSuey:
** It's an idealized republican state - with the architecture of Venice, the banking organization of Medici-Era Florence and the Dutch, the Fleet of the British Empire (whose Navy went on a crusade to end slavery in the early 19th Century) with its wall of ships protecting it from invasion.
** It also has several echoes of America, with the early founders being slaves who landed on the land on a boat(echoing the Mayflower) inspired by a vision of a promised land, the city is also similar to the idealized New York with its melting-pot, multiple religions and languages, with the Titan serving as a medieval male Lady Liberty (herself a subversion of the Colossus of Rhodes).
* GoodRepublicEvilEmpire: Braavos is an abolitionist, ethnically diverse, republic that has social mobility and national feeling that cuts across class lines. It also goes to wars with other nations to curb slavery. Though its not perfect or ideal in any sense, since much of its power comes from the very ruthless and amoral MegaCorp - The Iron Bank of Braavos and its band of assassins - the Faceless Men.
* GuileHero: The early founders of Braavos established the "Secret City" by giving sailors false flags and charts so as to escape their Valyrian masters. The fog cover of Braavos protected it from the Dragons flying overhead. The famous Sealord Uthero finally went public after paying off the descendants of their slave masters and bribing several Valyrian politicians with its new found bank.
* SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil: The First Law of Braavos forbids all slavery, thralldom, bondage of any kind.
* WeaponizedLandmark: The Titan of Braavos is a not just a statue but a hollow fortress with holes for Archers, Siege Vehicles, Burning Oil and possibly Wildfire.

[[folder: Syrio Forel]]
!!Syrio Forel
-->''"[[CatchPhrase Just so.]]"''

Former First Sword of Braavos, hired by Eddard Stark to [[PrivateTutor train Arya in swordplay]].

* {{Badass}}: Proven beyond a doubt in [[spoiler: his final scene, where he holds off six men-at-arms and a knight of the Kingsguard with only a practice sword]].
** BadassTeacher: Need we explain?
* BaldOfAwesome: There's not a hair on his head and he's one of the biggest badasses in the series.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: A skinny bald man with a prominent hook nose and a funny accent, whose training methods involve making his pupil chase cats and stand on one leg. He also happens to be capable of taking down 5 trained men-at-arms wearing full armor with a ''wooden training sword'' without breaking a sweat.
* BrutalHonesty: Got him the job of First Sword of Braavos. When he was invited to see the Sealord after the previous First Sword died, the Sealord asked him what he thought of his RightHandCat, which was supposedly from some far-off exotic land. Syrio said that he'd seen a thousand cats just like it in the alleys of Braavos. The Sealord made him First Sword immediately, as he saw what the cat truly was (just a cat), spoke the truth and didn't try to win favor through flattery.
* CharacterTic: Clicking his teeth.
* EccentricMentor: He has some weird training methods, such as having Arya catch cats or practice while blindfolded, but they work.
* [[spoiler:FacingTheBulletsOneLiner]]:
--> '''Syrio Forel''': The First Sword of Braavos [[spoiler:does not run.]]
* MasterSwordsman: Even with just a wooden practice sword, he [[spoiler:kills or knocks out five Lannister guardsmen.]]
* [[spoiler:NeverFoundTheBody: Assumed dead, but was still fighting when last seen and his head is not on display with the rest of the Stark servants'.]]
* PreAssKickingOneLiner: When faced with [[spoiler:several Lannister guards]]:
--> '''Syrio Forel''': I am Syrio Forel, ''and you will now be speaking to me with more respect.''
* PrivateTutor: Hired to teach the Braavosi style to Arya Stark.
* RoyalRapier: The WeaponOfChoice for a water dancer, his school of swordplay.
* ThirdPersonPerson: Usually refers to himself as "Syrio Forel, the First Sword of Bravos."
* [[spoiler:WeHardlyKnewYe: He only appears in the first book, and is implied to have been killed by the end of it, but in that time he made a big impression on the fandom.]]
* [[spoiler:YouShallNotPass: Pulls one against Ser Meryn Trant and the Lannister guardsmen, to give Arya the chance to escape.]]

[[folder:Bellegere Otherys]]
!!Bellegere Otherys
!!!The Black Pearl of Braavos

A highly prized courtesan.

* ButNotTooBlack: Her skin colour is actually light brown. A Braavosi girl named Mercy [[spoiler:actually Arya Stark]], considers she should be called the Brown Pearl.
* DeadGuyJunior: She's named after her great-great grandmother, the first Black Pearl a {{Pirate}} Queen and mistress to Aegon IV
* HighClassCallGirl
* GenerationXerox: Her mother, Bellonara Otherys, was also a courtesan. Her grandmother as well. It goes all the way to her great-grandmother, daughter of a {{Pirate Queen}} and Aegon IV.
* LegacyCharacter: The alias of "Black Pearl of Braavos" is passed down from mother to daughter, ever since the previous Bellegere Otherys, the mistress of Aegon IV.
* NiceGirl: Purchases three cockles from Cat of the Canals (Arya), paying ten times what the cockles were worth.

[[folder:Izembaro]]
!!Izembaro
!!!Izembaro the Great, King of the Mummers

A mummer and, possibly, a collaborator of the Faceless Men. He leads a theatre troupe at the Gate

* LargeHam
* LargeAndInCharge: As the fat leader of the Gate.
* OnlyOneName
* SmallNameBigEgo: Just look at his self-fashioned nicknames

!!!The Iron Bank of Braavos

[[folder:The Iron Bank of Braavos]]
!!The Iron Bank of Braavos
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/iron_bank_6832.jpeg]]

The richest and most powerful bank in the known world, richer than all the other banks of the Free Cities combined.

!! Tropes
* AscendedMeme: A common saying among Braavosi: "The Iron Bank will have its due." *
* BullyingADragon: In the wake of an expensive war and crippling debt, Cersei Lannister decides to ''defer'' payment of loans to the Iron Bank and use the money to build an expensive and unnecessary fleet solely as political mileage. The Iron Bank send representatives to deal with her and she stalls them with excuses about paying back after the war ends. Later, to no one's surprise, the Iron Bank calls all existing loans and refuses to offer new loans to Westeros, plunging the Seven Kingdoms into an economic crisis.
* TheDreaded: They are noted to have a "fearsome" reputation for collecting debts.
* {{Expy}}: Of Florence's famous Medici Bank which had given loans to both the York and Lancaster Houses during the War of the Roses and played a major role in European politics.
* LoanShark: As Jon Snow reflects:
-->"When princes defaulted on their debts to lesser banks, ruined bankers sold their wives and children into slavery and opened their own veins. When princes failed to repay the Iron Bank, new princes sprang up from nowhere and took their thrones."
* MegaCorp: They are richer and more powerful than all banks in the Free Cities.
* NotInThisForYourRevolution: Whatever they do, they're not really on your side. They only care about being paid back.
* PlayingBothSides: After Cersei defers payment of loans, Iron Bank representative Tycho Nestoris goes North to visit Stannis Baratheon and secure a commitment to pay all existing loans in exchange for funding his war effort. While there, Jon Snow also gets a loan from the Bank for provisions during winter.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tycho Nestoris]]
!!Tycho Nestoris
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tycho_nestoris_ffg_667.jpg]]

An emissary from the Iron Bank of Braavos sent treat with Stannis Baratheon.

* BadassBureaucrat: See IntrepidMerchant.
* IntrepidMerchant: When Queen Cersei rather bluntly refuses to continue repaying the massive debts that the throne owes to the Iron Bank of Braavos, Nestoris willingly goes into several warzones to negotiate with other claimants to the throne, offering to fund their campaigns in exchange for their promises to honor their debts and the debts of the rulers they hope to replace, and also doing business with anyone else who wishes to make use of his services. When asked what a banker is doing in such dangerous situations, he proudly claims this trope as his explanation.
* MouthOfSauron: Speaks for the Iron Bank as a whole.
* MysteriousBacker: Takes on this role for Stannis and the parties allied with him in the North. There's a definite hint of parody (especially in Asha's first meeting with him) in the idea that the series has a Gandalf-like figure in a guy who is a middle-management banker.
* NiceHat: A brimless three-tiered hat made of purple felt.
* NotInThisForYourRevolution: Acting as a proxy for the Iron Bank, he backs Stannis not because he because he believes he's a MessianicArchetype, but because he's the contender to the throne most likely to pay the Crown's debts to the Iron Bank.

[[folder:Noho Dimittis]]
!!Noho Dimittis

An emissary from the Iron Bank of Braavos sent to treat with Cersei Lannister.

* BitCharacter
* MouthOfSauron

!!!The Faceless Men

[[folder:The Guild of the Faceless Men]]

A religious society of assassins who worship the Many-Faced God, a god of death. Their headquarters is the House of Black and White in the Free City of Braavos. Their history stretches back to before the Doom of Valyria, originating in the volcanic mines of that ancient city. They now act as the top assassin guild in the known world, whose services are very hard to come by.

* AffablyEvil: They seem a pretty decent bunch considering what they are.
* AmbiguouslyEvil: At least until their true agenda (if any) is exposed, it's hard to classify them as good or evil.
* AncientTradition: Their origins predate the Doom of Valyria.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Their worship of death is expressed in an unusual moral system which will readily provide this "gift" to anyone who desires it for themselves, but is very expensive when it comes to providing it to others (although it's implied that the price paid doesn't have to be financial). For instance, while the original Faceless Men lead Valyrian slaves to freedom, the initial action of the first Faceless Man was to MercyKill a slave rather than killing an abusive master.
** The second action was to help another slave kill his master, because it was the one thing he desired more than anything else, but afterwards the first Faceless Man told him that he must now serve, and that slave became the second Faceless Man.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Arguably an example of this (their white-and-black outfits indicate a tendency to think of themselves as both dark and light), as a shadowy group of death-worshipping assassins who provide euthanasia to those who wish for death. They also commit assassinations, but they only kill those who have driven others to pray (or pay) for their deaths, prefer not to kill someone they personally know, and are very strict about avoiding collateral damage.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: When Jaqen first proposes the trade of three lives to Arya he claims it is a due to the Red God, whom he must serve; later, in the temple of the Faceless Men, the Kindly Man points out every god who is an aspect of the Many-Faced God, which is what the Faceless Men worship. R'hllor is one of many placed with no importance over the other in the grand scheme of things, so far as they believe.
** WordOfGod implies that the reference to the Red God was due to the nature of the deaths that Arya had prevented (death by fire), likely making this more FridgeBrilliance than EarlyInstallmentWeirdness.
* FaceStealer: Their means of a more potent disguise: [[spoiler: they take the faces off corpses of those who drank from the poisonous waters and use some sort of magic to take their appearances]]
* {{Glamour}}: One means of disguise.
* IndividualityIsIllegal: You can't become one of them unless you totally forsake your identity.
* MasterOfDisguise[=/=]VoluntaryShapeshifting: Their powers.
* MentorArchetype: Jaqen and the Kindly Man are both this to Arya. The latter's persona could be viewed as a conscious invocation of this trope.
* MercyKill: Will gladly provide this to anyone who desires it. Their temple has a poisonous spring that the suffering can drink from to receive painless euthanasia.
* MurderInc: They are a religious order of assassins whose two main functions are the providing of painless euthanasia and assassinations for hire which they consider a sacred rite.
* NoNameGiven: None of them have names other than Jaqen H'ghar (which is a fake persona anyway) and Arya identifies them by physical descriptors.
* ReligionOfEvil: Maybe.
* WeirdTradeUnion: An assassins' guild ''religion''.

[[folder: Jaqen H'ghar]]
!!Jaqen H'ghar
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ghar_ffg_9227.png]]
-->''"A man sees. A man hears. A man knows."''

A Faceless Man introduced as a Lorathi criminal and prisoner being taken as "recruit" to the Wall, he ends up owing a debt to Arya during ''A Clash Of Kings'' and serves as an important mentor figure to Arya/impetus for her later decisions. He more than likely appears with a different face and identity in ''A Feast For Crows''.
----
* AffablyEvil: He's polite and charming and while a professional killer, displays no signs of sadism.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Because of his identity as a Faceless Man, he believes that saving lives necessitates BalancingDeathsBooks, and can't really be classified as good or evil.
* DeadPersonImpersonation: In ''A Feast For Crows'', he's heavily implied to be a character calling himself the Alchemist [[spoiler: and in this identity, ends up killing and taking the identity of Citadel student Pate]].
* TheDreaded: His ex-cellmates Rorge and Biter certainly thought so.
* EvilMentor: Or, Morally Ambiguous Mentor.
* {{Foil}}: Regardless of whether the [[EpilepticTrees popular fan theory]] is true that he is also Arya's fencing teacher Syrio, he's definitely presented as a foil to him. Both men are from Braavos and serve as mentors to Arya, but Jaqen is a much more morally ambiguous figure, and his helpfulness to her is very conditional.
* ICannotSelfTerminate: Played with. He ''can'', but [[spoiler: when Arya names ''him'' as the third person he must kill (see ThreeWishes below), he asks her to 'unsay' it.]]
* HitmanWithAHeart: Has some shades of this, as he seems to have some genuine affection for Arya
* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: Generally kills in this manner, which appears to be a Faceless Man trademark.
* MasterOfDisguise / VoluntaryShapeshifting: Comes with the Faceless Man package.
* [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname Only Known by His Undercover Name]]: Jaqen H'ghar is almost definitely not the man's real name.
* PunctuationShaker: Possibly the oddest and most "fantasy" name in the series.
* StrangeSyntaxSpeaker[=/=]ThirdPersonPerson: Always refers to himself in a detached way as "A Man" rather than saying "I". Likewise, he speaks of Arya in third person as "A girl" rather than saying "You".[[spoiler: This is also part of his cover as Jaqen, as he doesn't speak this way in his "Alchemist" persona.]]
** ''Literature/TheWorldOfIceAndFire'' reveals that this manner of speech is typical of all the people of Lorath.
* ThreeWishes: After Arya saves him, Rorge, and Biter, he offers her the lives of any three people in exchange as a kind of BalancingDeathsBooks.
* VillainyDiscretionShot: FridgeLogic would suggest that he must have done something pretty horrible to end up in the Black Cells/inspire the respect and fear of monsters like Rorge and Biter.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: The Kindly Man]]
!!The Kindly Man
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_kindly_man_ffg_2518.png]]
-->''"Kiss me, child."''

A priest in charge of the House of Black and White in Braavos. He guides Arya Stark along the path to becoming a Faceless Man.
----
* TheAdjectivalMan
* AffablyEvil: As his sobriquet suggests, he's a quite pleasant guy, and behaves in a friendly, grandfatherly manner to Arya, and [[OverlyNarrowSuperlative treats her better than anyone has in a long while]]. He's also clearly brainwashing her into a merciless, [[LossOfIdentity identity-less assassin]].
* ConsummateLiar[=/=]SelfProclaimedLiar: He tells Arya that the basis for disguise is learning to exercise total control over one's emotions, and that he can consciously choose to display any (seemingly sincere) emotion he wants.
* CoolOldGuy
* CorruptionOfAMinor: Downplayed. Yes, he is training Arya into an identity-less assassin, but he has repeatedly suggested she do something else with her life and offered numerous alternatives he would be happy to arrange for her, some of them rather high class lifestyles. That he is training Arya is as much her fault as his.
* MentorArchetype: To Arya.
** EvilMentor
* NightmareFace: When initially trying to recruit Arya, he turns his face into a rotting skull with worms and maggots crawling around on it. Arya is completely unaffected, and actually tries to eat one of the worms on his face. The Kindly Man is extremely amused by this.
-->'''The Kindly Man:''' No one has ever tried to eat my worm before.
* OnlyKnownByHisNickname
* {{Troll}}: When Arya first asks him if he can teach her to change her face, he tells her to puff her cheeks and stick out her tongue, and when she does, tells her, "There, your face has changed." She is not amused.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: The Waif]]
!!The Waif

A member of the Faceless Men who also teaches Arya how to become a Faceless Man.
----
* ConsummateLiar: Like other Faceless Men, this is an ability she has developed through training, and plays a "game" with Arya to teach her this, wherein she tells her own history and challenges Arya to spot the lies.
* CreepyChild: Comes across as one.
* MasterPoisoner: She specializes in crafting poisons to kill her targets.
* MysteriousWaif: ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
* OlderThanTheyLook: The waif is a Faceless Man (Faceless Woman?) who is thirty-six years old but looks like a child close to Arya's age. Her body is unnaturally small because she is around dangerous poisons all the time and the face she has probably isn't her real one anyway.
[[/folder]]

!!Lorath

Situated on the largest island in a group of islands in Lorath Bay, Lorath is the most isolated, smallest, poorest, and least populated of the Free Cities. The main sources of trade on the island come from fishing and whaling. The main city is built on a maze crafted by the previous inhabitants of the islands. After several civilizations on the islands were wiped out in various conflicts, modern Lorath was founded by worshippers of Boash the Blind God, who took control of the settlements that grew around their temples, but were eventually overthrown and massacred. Now Lorath is ruled over by a council of magisters.

!!!Tropes related to Lorath:
* {{Badass}}: The Andal warlord Qarlon the Great united the islands of Lorath under his control, but was defeated by the dragonlords of Valyria after threatening to conquer Norvos.
* CultColony: It was founded as one by the eunuch Blind Priests of Boash the Blind God, who wore eyeless hoods and simple cloathing, believing that only in darkness could their third eye open. As they gained power over the settlers who came to Lorath, the priests grew corrupt and were eventually killed by the citizens of Lorath.
* {{Precursors}}: The islands that Lorath is on were home to a mysterious race of men known as the mazemakers, who built large and complex mazes throughout the region. Their bones imply that they were somewhere between men and giants in size, making some speculate they were the result of interbreeding between the two species. According to Lorathi myths, the mazemakers were destroyed by either merlings, selkies, or walrus-men.

!!Pentos

[[folder: Illyrio Mopatis]]
!!Magister Illyrio Mopatis
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/illyrio_mopatis_ffg_8032.png]]
-->''"Illyrio believes in no cause but Illyrio. Gluttons are greedy men as a rule, and magisters are devious. Illyrio Mopatis is both."''
---> -- Ser Jorah

A morbidly obese merchant and Magister of Pentos who arranged for Daenerys' marriage to Khal Drogo in the first book and gave her three dragon eggs as a wedding gift. He supports the Targaryens' campaign to regain the Seven Kingdoms and, [[spoiler:following Viserys' death,]] ends up shifting his attention towards helping Daenerys. [[spoiler:Though greed may play a part in his actions, his scheming with Varys hint at deeper motives]].
----
* {{Acrofatic}}: A clue to his past as a water dancer is the way he still walks lightly on the balls of his feet.
* AffablyEvil: He's jolly, complimentary and completely amoral.
* AmbitionIsEvil: He's so ambitious, [[spoiler: he's willing to play with the lives of people on two continents to get what he wants. Very willing.]]
* BeardOfEvil: He even [[StrokeTheBeard strokes it]] obscenely.
* BigEater: He gorges himself constantly while traveling with Tyrion. [[RealityEnsues Tyrion notes that he takes very frequent pee breaks, indicating that he may be pre-diabetic.]]
* BlondGuysAreEvil: Shove him in red and gold, plonk a lion on his chest... and he'd be insulted you suggested he could be a Lannister.
* [[spoiler: TheCaper: What he and Varys might well have cooked up between them is a take on a two-man, fencing con. On a global scale, rather than the simple caper you'd expect to see on the high street. We've a long way to go to the full reveal, though. But, it looks like they might be "returning" the Crown of the Seven Kingdoms to the Targaryens -- for a price. When, they had their fingers all over how they lost it to begin with.]]
* TheChessmaster: He clearly attempts to be this as he manipulates events and people to his advantage, but unforeseen circumstances, such as Viserys' untimely death and Daenerys' rebelliousness, [[XanatosSpeedChess constantly cause him to reevaluate his plans]].
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He's had two wives. While his feelings towards his first wife aren't clearly established, his second wife, Serra, who died of a plague, he says he dearly loved. He still keeps a locket with her picture in it to always remember her... [[BreadEggsMilkSquick and also her hands]].
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He seems to have a strong aversion to unnecessary violence.
* DidntSeeThatComing: A lot of his plans and ideas never quite pan out. He tells Tyrion that he had expected Daenerys to die on the Dothraki Sea but she ended up with three dragons and several levels of badass instead, while Viserys ended up dead. The Golden Company's captain, Tristan Rivers, sums up Illyrio's poor record in terms of plans coming to fruition and why they should go their own way instead:
-->''"Which plan? ... The fat man’s plan? The one that changes every time the moon turns? First Viserys Targaryen was to join us with fifty thousand Dothraki screamers at his back. Then the Beggar King was dead, and it was to be his sister, [[UnderestimatingBadassery a pliable young child queen]] who was on her way to Pentos with three new-hatched dragons. Instead the girl turns up on Slaver's Bay and leaves a string of burning cities in her wake, and the fat man decides we should meet her by Volantis. Now that plan is in ruins as well. I have had enough of Illyrio’s plans. Robert Baratheon won the Iron Throne without the benefit of dragons. We can do the same."''
* FatBastard: Oh, so very much. In an [[AffablyEvil avuncular]] kind of way, though.
* HiddenAgendaVillain: While he suggests that he was helping Viserys to eventually be made Master of Coin of Westeros, his plots with [[spoiler:Varys]] hint at ulterior motives.
* IWasQuiteALooker: No one would ever guess it now but he used to be a handsome, muscular sellsword. Tyrion's thrown for a loop when he sees the statue carved of the much younger Illyrio.
* InSeriesNickname: Tyrion quickly starts referring to him as "the Cheesemonger". Within a few days of hanging out with Haldon and Duck, they start to do it intermittently as well.
* MinorMajorCharacter: Gave Daenerys her dragon eggs, arranged her marriage to Khal Drogo, sent Barristan Selmy to serve her, and has been [[spoiler:plotting with Varys to destabilize Westeros]] but he's only appeared personally in two books.
* MysteriousBacker: First for Viserys then for Daenerys [[spoiler:and also acts as this for Aegon Targaryen]].
* SelfMadeMan: Once a simple sellsword and bravo, by teaming up with [[spoiler:Varys]] in his youth, Illyrio managed to become successful enough to marry a daughter of the Prince of Pentos' cousin, and eventually gained enough wealth and prestige to become a Magister of the city.
* SmugSnake: He's a fairly competent schemer, but as his entry for Didn't See That Coming implies, he seems to think of himself as better at it than he actually is.
* TongueTrauma: With the exception of a single bedslave, none of his servants speak, implying they're "little mice" who've grown too old for the work. As with Varys' "little birds", they would presumably have their tongues removed to prevent idle gossip.
* VillainousFriendship: Seems to have one with [[spoiler:Varys]].
[[/folder]]

!!Lys

[[folder:Salladhor Saan]]
!!Salladhor Saan
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/salladhor_saan_ffg_6022.jpg]]

A pirate and sellsail, leader of a mercenary fleet, styling himself Prince of the Narrow Sea. Also a smuggler, trader, and banker, and a close friend of Davos Seaworth. He's one of the sellsail admirals hired by Stannis for his campaign to take the Iron Throne.
----
* AlliterativeName
* AManOfWealthAndTaste
* BadassBeard
* IHaveManyNames: Prince of the Narrow Sea, and later made Lord of Blackwater Bay by Alester Florent, Stannis' Hand of the King.
* TheLancer: To Davos.
* LoopholeAbuse: Sort of. After being made Lord of Blackwater Bay he sets to intercept any trade ship crossing the bay to "tax them" on their cargo.
* LovableRogue
* {{Pirate}}
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: He abandons Stannis cause after loosing several of his ships while taking Davos to White Harbor because he grows tired of waiting for payment and returns to the Stepstones to engage in piracy. [[spoiler: Ironically, after abandoning Stannis, the latter is finally able to pay him thanks to a loan from the Iron Bank of Braavos]].
[[/folder]]

!!Volantis
The eldest daughter of the Valyrian Freehold, Volantis boasts a large harbour, said to be able to house Braavos comfortably within it. As the oldest Valyrian colony, it saw itself as the inheritor of its hegemony and waged war against the other Free Cities in the "Century of Blood" after the Doom of Valyria.

[[folder:Nyessos Vhassar]]
!!Triarch Nyessos Vhassar

Nyessos Vhassar is one of the Triarchs of Volantis. He's a member of the elephant party, the faction of merchants and moneylenders, advocating trade over war. Not only he's on Illyrio Mopatis' payroll, it is also said in Volantis that he has been bought by Yunkai in order to get Volantis to wage war against Daenerys.
----
* AristocratsAreEvil: Lends his supports to the cause of ending Daenerys' antislavery crusade.
* CorruptPolitician: He takes money from foreign individuals and governments to influence his nation's policies.
* PlayingBothSides: He has taken money from both Illyrio and Yunkai, who have diametrically opposed agendas as far as Daenerys is concerned.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Widow of the Waterfront]]
!!Widow of the Waterfront

A pleasure slave purchased by a Triarch of Volantis named Vogarro, who fell in love with her, freed her, and married her. After his death, she became a wealthy and influential businesswoman by taking over his businesses.
----
* CoolOldLady: Tyrion realizes this and charmingly tells her:
--> ''"If I were Volantene, and free, and had the blood, you'd have my vote for triarch, my lady."''
* InformationBroker: One of the services she offers.
* InUniverseNickname: The old blood of Volantis refers to her as "Vogarro's whore", but never to her face.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She is abrasive and suspicious, and she has to be, but she's also kind. She had Penny given a room and proper food after her breakdown.
* SherlockScan: She quickly figures out that Tyrion is no ordinary dwarf, but the most wanted man in Westeros.
* SlaveBrand: Has scars on both cheeks from where she had hers cut off after being freed.
* SlaveLiberation: She yearns for this, she tells Jorah and Tyrion to tell Daenerys that all of Volantis awaits her arrival.
--> ''"Tell her we are waiting. Tell her to come soon."''
* WidowWoman: She's actually made a career out of being this.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Penny]]
!!Penny

A dwarf entertainer from the Free Cities who teams up with her brother Oppo in a fake jousting show riding on a pig and dog. After her brother is mistaken for being Tyrion Lannister and murdered, she has a chance encounter with Tyrion in Volantis and gets dragged along with him on his journey to Meereen.
----
* AbhorrentAdmirer: She is attracted to Tyrion despite his notorious reputation and inadvertent role in her brother's death, but as Tyrion prefers {{Hot Consort}}s he tries to discourage her.
* AscendedExtra: Goes from being unnamed and having a minuscule part in “A Storm of Swords” to playing a significant part in ''A Dance With Dragons''.
* BreakTheCutie: First her brother gets killed, and then she gets enslaved and winds up in the siege lines around Meereen with a dying master.
* BrotherSisterTeam
* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: Tyrion has to do this to her a few times.
* HappinessInSlavery
* MoralityPet: For Tyrion, stopping him from dropping into ThenLetMeBeEvil.
* OurDwarvesAreDifferent: She has nothing in common with Tyrion other than being a dwarf, and often calls him on his reckless and antagonistic behavior towards the "big people" despite no longer having Lannister power and privilege.
-->'''Tyrion:''' I see I have a lot to learn about being a dwarf.
* PluckyGirl: She is insanely optimistic and naïve about a lot of things. Tyrion can never quite bring himself to shatter all of her idealist notions, although he does destroy some of them.
* StreetPerformer
* [[spoiler:UnwittingPawn: She and her brother were hired by Littlefinger for Joffrey's wedding in order to provoke a confrontation between him and Tyrion, adding further evidence to point at Tyrion as Joffrey's killer]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder: The Tiger Cloaks]]
!!The Tiger Cloaks

The city guard of Volantis, named after the Tiger Party - the more military minded of two factions of Volantene politics. They are slaves.
----
* AnimalMotifs: Tigers, of course. They wear tiger-shaped helms and gauntlets with steel claws.
* SlaveBrand: Green tiger stripes tattooed across their cheeks.
* SlaveMooks
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy[=/=]HappinessInSlavery: It is said they are fiercely proud of their stripes.
[[/folder]]

The nine Free Cities of Essos occupy the western region of Essos and have the most contact and trade with the Seven Kingdoms of Westros. Each city is independent of the other and have their own unique culture, but they do share some cultural similarities due to their shared past as Valyrian colonies, with the exception of Braavos. The nine cities are Braavos, Lorath, Lys, Myr, Norvos, Qohor, Pentos, Tyrosh, and Volantis.

--> "When princes defaulted on their debts to lesser banks, ruined bankers sold their wives and children into slavery and opened their own veins. When princes failed to repay the Iron Bank, new princes sprang up from nowhere and took their thrones."

* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: The main series doesn't specify why the city of Mantarys is not considered a "Free City", but in Literature/TheWorldOfIceAndFire its revealed that [[spoiler:Mantarys never ruled itself until the Doom, but instead had a governor apointed by the Freehold.]]

* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: The main series doesn't specify why the city of Mantarys is not considered a "Free City", but in Literature/TheWorldOfIceAndFire its revealed that [[Mantarys never ruled itself until the Doom, but instead had a governor apointed by the Freehold.]]

* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: It is unknown why the city of Mantarys is not considered a "Free City".

* {{Expy}}:

* GoodRepublicEvilEmpire: Braavos is an abolitionist, ethnically diverse, republic that has social mobility and national feeling that cuts across class lines. It also goes to wars with other nations to curb slavery. Though its not perfect or ideal in any sense.

* AristocratsAreEvil
* CorruptBureaucrat
* CorruptPolitician

* GenerationXerox: Her mother, Bellonara Otherys, was also a courtesan. Her grandmother as well. It goes all the way to her great-grandmother, daughter of a Pirate Queen and Aegon IV.