This should be read after Volume 2: Chapter 35.
The Political Outlook of Southern Essos: A Prewar Outlook
Written by Maester Calrin
270AC
Southern Essos has been in a constant state of turmoil since the Doom, as the Free Cities began to exercise their authority – to flex their power and see what their limits were. This work is not overly concerned with history, but any proper look at the current status of a thing must include how a thing came to be.
All the Free Cities began to expand, but it was Volantis that emerged the strongest and started the Century of Blood by conquering Myr and Lys. Volantis is the premier Essosi city, with an unrivaled fleet and army – one of the few Free Cities to maintain a sizeable army of its own local forces (even though it is well enhanced by mercenaries). On the accompanying map (that reflects this situation in 255AC), we can see the claimed territory that Volantis controls, and indeed, along with Lorath, the only city that has actually settled and truly controls that land.
After the Century of Blood, Volantis was greatly weakened and, when the Elephants rose to power, decided to consolidate its holdings and grow strong once more. The arrival of the Dothraki, however, shattered that plan. Volantis lost most of its holdings to the northeast of the Selhoru River, and its armies lay shattered once more, allowing Lys to start to encroach on the Orange Shore. During this prewar period, the Elephants retained control, and thus, the Free City focused on trade rather than war. Other than a few skirmishes near the Disputed Lands, and some expansion to the east of some tribes near the Painted Mountains, Volantis sat contentedly. In the prewar period, roughly 255AC, it is estimated that Volantis had 96,000 men in their land forces (made up of local forces, mercenaries, and slave soldiers) with 700 warships of varying types and sizes.
The Three Daughters were much smaller, and weaker than Volantis, and after the Century of Blood, they recognized that none of them could conquer Volantis alone. Thus, they came together to form the Triarchy but collapsed in civil war after only 34 years (for further details, one can read Grand Maester Greydon's work on the Kingdom of the Three Daughters). It was here that the foundations for the current situation was lain, though the arrival of the Dothraki further muddied the waters.
The Disputed Lands have been fought over continuously since the collapse of the Triarchy, with borders moving from month to month, year after year. Typically, there are three main factions in the area, the Three Daughters, though occasionally Volantis will make a foray into the area, or an independent faction will arise (sometimes a mercenary company that gets ambitious, or the various towns in the region will come together and rebel). This constant warfare is extremely detrimental to what is the breadbasket of the southwestern Essos, and indeed some of the most fertile land in all of Essos.
As a result of this, a curious type of warfare has emerged. The mercenaries employed by the Three Daughters (mercenaries make up most of each city's armed forces) will siege various towns in the Disputed Lands in order to receive capitulation for their patrons, and indeed, many mercenary companies can go long periods of time without fighting, as these sieges are foreign to the Westerosi concept. Instead of siege lines and weapons, fire and hunger, these sieges are typically a pleasant affair as far as these things go.
Indeed, many cities have an area dedicated to hosting a besieging army. When the mercenary company receives direction from its patron city, the company will then march to that town and, provided that there is no enemy company ready to defend the town, will then encamp and send an ambassador to the town. They will then discuss the time that the town could theoretically hold out for a siege – if the mercenary company can remain camped there without being driven off for that entire time period, the town will surrender and change allegiance. During this siege period, the town is not actually impeded in any way from continuing its business, so the siege is not really a siege.
As is the case in all warfare, even these rules still cannot contain the violence of men. Skirmishes are common, as large mercenary companies are rarely deployed in full force and are more commonly deployed in groups ranging from one to two thousand. These skirmishes can wreck nearby farms and towns, for whom see no restitution and lose regardless of the situation. Large battles are typically avoided, though there are periods where large scale battle erupts across the entirety of the Disputed Lands for a whole host of factors.
Luckily for the Disputed Lands, the northern approach is blocked by the river Moyne and to the east two lakes, and a variety of smaller rivers also help to shelter it from the Dothraki hordes. That is not to say Dothraki never raid the area, but it is less common – especially once Myr collapsed many of the large Valyrian bridges that spanned the river and instead built smaller bridges, less suited to allowing for the passage of massive hordes of Dothraki. Indeed, this shelter, along with the fertility of the region, is why the area is so heavily sought after.
This sort of sieging was made to reduce the damage caused in the region once it was realized none of the Three Daughters could beat the other. Looking at a map from the time period, this is not immediately evident. Myr clearly has the largest territory, and therefore must have the largest income and thus the most mercenaries.
Unfortunately, as hinted about previously, Myr's claimed land is mostly that, 'claimed land.' Most of the land north of Myr is grassland, home to nomadic peoples that pay tribute to Myr, rather than populated by towns. Centuries ago, before the arrival of the Dothraki, this land was indeed farmed, but those farms and towns were crushed under the Dothraki onslaught. The existing northern border is mainly fiction, though Myr claims it is reasonable as their armies can react to any incursion within these borders in a timely fashion (this author has been unable to find any instance of this). Myr is still able to field one of the largest land armies of the Three Daughters, regardless of the veracity of some of their land claims, partially due to how advanced their city is, compared to their rivals. Carpets, lace, glass, and a whole host of goods provide the coin necessary for Myr's ambitions. In the prewar period, it is estimated that Myr had 51,000 men in their land forces (made up of local forces, mercenaries, and slave soldiers) with 200 warships of varying types and sizes.
In addition to the Disputed Lands, Tyrosh and Myr have also been waging small skirmishes for control of the land to the north of the Sea of Myrth, which Pentos lost control of after its wars with Braavos. This region, due to the Dothraki, is mostly populated along the coast rather than the interior and not an overly prosperous region, so Tyrosh and Myr have not focused in on it. The unclaimed portions of land between Pentos and Tyrosh's northernmost claim are settled by various towns that are mostly independent, though occasionally one town will rise to prominence and subjugate its neighbors.
Unlike Myr, Lys is mainly a seafaring power though it has the second-largest share of the Disputed Lands in this time period. This is a result of their continued success in holding the land they gained from Volantis after the Century of Blood. It is this fact that has allowed Lys to maintain its position as an equal to Myr and Tyrosh, as Lys lacks the variety of high-quality products that both Tyrosh and Myr are known for. Lys, like Myr, also skirmishes against Volantis frequently as they share borders, which has historically given Tyrosh the advantage in the Disputed Lands as they have one less foe to worry about. In the prewar period, it is estimated that Lys had 50,600 men in their land forces (made up of local forces, mercenaries, and slave soldiers) with 400 warships of varying types and sizes.
Tyrosh, like Lys, was mainly a seafaring power, though with a larger emphasis on land than Lys. Typically, Tyrosh had the largest share of the Disputed Lands, but this typically fluctuated quite a bit, and during this prewar period, had actually suffered a few large reverses that saw its share shrink. Funded mainly by the dye industry (though they are also known for a few other goods), Tyrosh has consistently been able to wield large numbers of mercenaries, and its strategic position along the coast also sees it collect a high number of tolls. In the prewar period, it is estimated that Tyrosh had 50,600 men in their land forces (made up of local forces, mercenaries, and slave soldiers) with 300 warships of varying types and sizes.
It was this situation that the Band of Nine burst into.F