Chapter 33: Chapter 33
Is three months a long time or a short one? Someone busy with tasks might say it's a very short period, while someone idle might find it exceedingly long.
Here I am, having been busy subduing a fleet, and overall, I've been successful, although there's still room for improvement in my control.
"Commander!" shouted one of the captains of my now fleet, catching my attention. "Ships from White Harbor have arrived."
"Ah, then let's not wait. Let's find out what they've discovered."
I walked with the captain towards the incoming ships. Over two months, I had managed to somewhat establish trade routes that the ships from Braavos followed. My decision to become a merchant was straightforward: this way, I could not only make money but also establish a cargo delivery process from Westeros to Essos. This route would eventually help me get out of a tight spot with one of my tasks.
As I pondered my next moves, all the captains had already gathered for the next meeting.
"What goods are still in demand?"
One of the captains replied, "In the North, seafood remains popular, while here in Braavos, timber is still the best-selling commodity."
"Any problems during transportation? Pirates?" I asked promptly.
The captains thought for a few minutes, recalling any issues, and finally, one of them spoke:
"There was one attempted attack, but we resolved it quite swiftly."
"That's good... Have you heard anything about the aristocrats who are in the same business as us?"
The captains shook their heads, apparently, they weren't planning to pressure us just yet.
"I should prepare them for all possible issues. If the information I've gathered on these families is accurate, there will soon be attempts to push me out of the market."
After discussing a few more issues, now with other regions, we concluded the meeting, and I headed to a recently purchased house.
It was a solid house with very high ceilings, specially chosen for the Arfenyans, and inside, all the furniture had been modified to suit such individuals.
Inside, the scene greeted me with my cook busy in the kitchen, while two adult Arfenyans were in the library, learning about this world. Diya was currently with Tuna, apparently spoiling the feathered creature again. Over this time, my feelings had significantly improved, so such outcomes weren't too far-fetched for the current me. Moreover, the Arfenyans were quite prominent in the magical background, and entering the room where Tuna usually was, I confirmed indeed, the girl was pampering this bird.
"Oh! Daeron, Scar was looking for you. I told him to wait for you, but he said he didn't want to be a burden."
Scar was my right-hand man, and I had delegated some of my work to him.
"Ha, I knew he'd say something like that," I remarked as I watched Diya grooming Tuna. "You really do spoil that feathered one, Diya..."
"Think so? I think you're just jealous," she replied, continuing to pet him. "Who's a good boy?"
"Envy in silence," Tuna communicated through our link.
"Oh you..."
"Alright, I'll go look for Scar. After all, we'll soon have to set out."
"So soon?" Diya asked, surprised. "I thought we'd be here for another month." Seeing my nod, she continued, "Hmm... I'll need to say goodbye to the girls. Where are we headed?"
"To Norvos," I replied as I walked out, needing to speak with Scar.
Norvos, or Great Norvos, is one of the Free Cities, situated up the Rhoyne River east of Pentos. It's further from the sea than other Free Cities, except Qohor, but rules extensive lands from the Darkwash in the east to the Upper Rhoyne in the west, the Rhoyne to the south up to the ruins of Ny Sar, and also claims the peninsula of the Axe.
The lands around Norvos, known as the Hills of Norvos, are dotted with "smooth," rounded hills. Besides the city itself, there are terraced fields and small fortified villages and wooden fortresses. The road from Pentos to Vaes Dothrak passes through Norvos; when the Dothraki pass through, the rulers of Norvos pay them off with rich gifts.
The hills are peppered with small caves often inhabited by bears, packs of grey and red wolves. In some caves, one can find cave paintings and bones of giants who lived here in ancient times.
About a hundred leagues north of Norvos, on the Lorath Isles, is a cave system so extensive and deep that rumors suggest it's an entrance to the underworld. Lomas Longstrider included these caves among the Seven Wonders of the Natural World in his book "Wonders."
The forests around Norvos are mainly composed of oaks, beeches, and pines and are home to numerous bears, boars, red and grey wolves, and other wildlife.
The city itself is situated on the eastern bank of the Rhoyne and consists of two major parts: the Upper and Lower City. The Upper City is located on a cliff with sheer rocks and further encircled by a strong stone wall. It is the dwelling place of the Norvoshi nobility and bearded priests.
The Lower City is situated about 100 meters below the Upper, sprawling along the marshy banks of the Rhoyne. It is considerably less fortified: only with small ditches, trenches, and wooden walls. Here live the lower classes, and numerous docks, taverns, and brothels operate. Both parts of the city are connected by a wide stone staircase, known as the Sinners' Steps.
Although this city stands on the banks of a tributary of the Rhoyne, it has no relations with the Rhoynar. This Free City was once subject to Valyria, but research suggests that an older civilization than the Valyrian colony existed here. According to information from Avdeus, this was a people who are distant relatives of the Ibbenese. At that time, this people were quite underdeveloped, so there were no significant relations between them and the Arfenyans.
These were not people, as Ibbenese do not mix with other peoples: children from marriages of Ibbenese men with women from Westeros or Essos are usually ugly and infertile, like mules, while Ibbenese women from men of other peoples only give birth to deformed and stillborn. Such marriages are rare: Ibbenese even in foreign ports stick to their kin, avoiding locals, and on Ib itself, strangers are not allowed to settle outside the port district of Port Ibben without an escort. In the Slaver's Bay, captured Ibbenese are sent to fighting arenas: they are considered too ugly for concubines and too unruly for fieldwork.
Besides, I can say I have somewhat close ties with Norvos thanks to Doran Martell and his wife from Norvos.
"Heh... I hope this will be a very interesting journey," I mused as I walked the streets of Braavos searching for my right-hand man.
One Month Later
For a month now, my companions and I had been in Norvos, and during this time, I've come to understand the city's pulse. Not completely, but I've grasped its general essence.
From rumors and information not available to ordinary people and foreigners, it was evident that Norvos in its present form was founded by a religious sect from Valyria, which closely connects the city to Lorath and Qohor. Generally, the Valyrians were tolerant of all religions, considering worship a practice for weaker peoples. Representatives of all faiths—from large teachings with thousands of followers to small sects—had equal opportunities to practice. However, serious conflicts sometimes erupted between different religious groups, and the most intransigent were exiled by the Valyrians to found their own cities where they could live according to their beliefs.
Cities like Lorath and Norvos were founded in this way. Since its inception, Norvos has been a theocracy governed by bearded priests. Although the city has a council of magistrates, its members are chosen by God, who conveys His will through the same bearded priests.
Norvos has its closest trade relations with Qohor. The cities formed an alliance during the Century of Blood and managed to defeat the fleet of Volantis at the Dagger Lake. Since then, the cities have more often been allies than adversaries.
The Century of Blood is a fascinating period in the history of Essos, a time following the Doom of Valyria. The Doom plunged the Free Cities into chaos. Once mere colonies, they suddenly gained independence overnight, and the pride of old Valyria—the Dragonlords—were almost entirely destroyed.
In the southwest, Volantis, as the oldest, largest, and most powerful of the Free Cities, tried to subjugate the others. The Volantene army easily captured Lys and Myr. However, their river fleet then suffered a devastating defeat at Dagger Lake by an alliance of Qohor and Norvos, and their sea fleet, sent to the ruins of Valyria, vanished in the Smoking Sea. When attempting to capture Tyrosh, the Volantenes faced a united army of Tyrosh and Pentos, joined by the army of Storm King Argilac Durrandon and personally by Aegon Targaryen riding Balerion. The fleet sent to conquer Valyria never returned, and the Dothraki severely ravaged the eastern lands. As a result of these crushing defeats, the "tigers" (war party) lost power in Volantis, and thereafter, Volantis pursued a much more peaceful policy.
In such chaos, a people like the Dothraki emerged... A scourge of this land, which ideally should be eradicated.
The Century of Blood had negative consequences for all of Essos, even those parts that were not originally under Valyrian control. Despite the established balance of power, all parties involved suffered heavy losses.
The most unpleasant part of this city is that it's governed by Bearded Priests, most, if not all, of whom have a deplorable character. I suppose it's a consequence of the rite... or perhaps only such unpleasant individuals are recruited as priests.
The reason I think it's the rite is that after their ordination, they are forbidden from shaving their beards or cutting their hair. It's easy to guess that walking around without trimming one's beard or hair can be quite problematic.
Their faith is shrouded in many mysteries—even the name of their god is a secret, disclosed only to the initiated. Fortunately, I have my ways of finding information, and I managed to learn the name of their god, Patien.
The character of this god can only be described as very stern, as his followers wear hair shirts and untreated skins and subject themselves to ritual self-flagellation. The Bearded Priests live and pray in a large temple-fortress, which only true believers may enter, and recently, my eyes as well.
To maintain peace and their authority, the Bearded Priests maintain a holy guard comprised of slaves. The soldiers of this guard wear the image of a double ax on their chests and also undergo a rite of marriage to their own ax.
"Daeron, are you ready for the meeting with the aristocrats?" asked Diya, with whom I was about to go to the meeting.
"Yes, of course. Are you ready?"
Diya just smiled and nodded.
"Well then, let's go," I replied, unable to hide a smile.
And so we walked through the streets of Norvos, where I could confirm once again that the Upper City is a grim, gray place with oppressive heat in summer and icy winds in winter, its inhabitants spending their time in endless prayers. The Lower City, in contrast, is a more cheerful place. Here, away from the nobility and Bearded Priests, the common folk feast on meat and river pike, washing it down with strong black beer and fermented goat's milk. In many taverns, trained bears perform for the amusement of the crowd.
Shortly, we arrived at the meeting place, where the noble Norvos family, the Questios, awaited us. The family's heir and his companion were present. The man sported small mustaches, and the woman clearly wore a wig.
This was because in Norvos, only Bearded Priests are allowed to wear beards. Freeborn men of high and low birth are permitted to grow mustaches, and slaves must shave all facial hair. Women in Norvos must shave all body hair, though noble ladies wear wigs, especially in the company of foreign men.
"Good afternoon, I'm glad you could make time for us," I said, sensing they were clearly pleased to receive such attention.
"Hmm... This might be easier than I thought," I mused.
And it turned out to be just that. The nobility tried to learn about my connections with Braavos and sought to establish a trade relationship between me and them. Fortunately, my verbosity served me well, so I managed to leave things in quite a good state. I offended no one, but also made no commitments.
After all, the reason for my visit was to understand the city's workings for the future, and I successfully managed that.
"How tiring they were..." Diya grumbled, visibly annoyed at having her time wasted.
I understood her feelings, so to console her, I suggested, "How about we go have some winter cakes?"
Upon hearing this, Diya immediately perked up and nodded. And so, we headed to a place renowned for making the best winter cakes. This local dish, "winter cake," made with ginger, pine nuts, and cherries, along with "nakhsa," a drink made from fermented goat's milk served in iron cups and sweetened with honey, was among the delights we savored.
As we ate, the bells rang, a defining feature of Norvos. The city has three famous bells—Num, Narra, and Niel. The ringing of the bells awakens the citizens and signals bedtime, tells them when to rest and when to work, when to pray and even, if the sources are to be believed, when to make love. The latter turned out to be true, to my surprise, but that doesn't stop the bells from being one of the Man-Made Wonders of the World.
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