Kapitel 44: Chapter 38 - Unity Against Arrogance P2
A/N: Here is the second part of this chapter and boy did I love writing this one, though I feel I might have gotten a little unhinged with the Volantene war arc. Thanks to Fierymatter and Ascalon on SB for beta-ing.
Edit: Changed a part to say that Braavos would not be forced to contribute to the integration of Volantis as a Vassal State.
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Chapter XXXVIII: Unity Against Arrogance, Part II
5 AC
Dāro Vilinion (King's Landing)
Arin Rada
It was just days after the naval skirmish between Dornia (Dorne) and Volantis when Arin moved towards the Red Keep with all due haste, once a messenger raven arrived bearing the latest report from Lord High Admiral Elanzo Aresaryn. The battle went swimmingly well, though this blatant attack by Volantis constituted a declaration of war.
The Targaryens planned to fly to Munsrav, to meet with Elanzo himself, but not before they organised a meeting with some of their top commanders, Lord Hand Orys Baratheon and Master of Laws Arin Rada. The latter two happened to be in the capital at the time of the report being received.
There was a heavy spring in his step, a grim countenance on his face that burned with anger. Escorted by a retinue of elite bodyguards, the Mareqavi [1] - veteran swordmasters capable of great feats of endurance, tenacity and combat - he moved towards the guards who stood before royal palace's gates. Clad in fine Rhoynish plate armour and crimson cloaks, armed with scimitar and shield, dagger and crossbow, these troops were trained to protect their lord under any situation.
There the guards stood at attention, clad in black armour and wearing crimson tabards bearing the sigil of the three-headed dragon.
"Guards! I am the Master of Law, Grand Duke Arin Rada," Arin announced, passing a sealed scroll to the Targaryen guardsmen, "His Grace is expecting me."
After looking through the scroll for a brief moment, the guards nodded to each other and handed him back the scroll.
"His Grace awaits you in the throne room," Said one of the guards.
Nodding his thanks, Arin and his retinue quickly made their way towards the throne room where the Targaryens awaited their arrival.
Made from a hundred swords taken from the Targaryens' defeated enemies, the Iron Throne was a monstrosity of melted steel fused together by dragonfire. Painstakingly worked over several days, the Iron Throne was a gargantuan thing of horror and beauty, reflecting the dominance of the dragonlords over Westeros and the painful double-sided nature of power, for to turn your back on its source was to invite catastrophe upon your own dynasty.
Personally Arin felt the whole thing to be gaudy and supercilious. No throne truly made a dynasty however fancy it was, though he supposed it would be a memorable symbol.
Looking around, he noticed several other Paletillian commanders along with Orys Baratheon himself, and Arin could feel that this was a matter of great importance.
He stood a short distance before the throne, until a herald moved forward to announce his presence.
"Presenting His Lordship Grand Duke Arin Rada of Dornia, Master of Laws!"
Arin appreciated that the herald skipped listing his long list of titles [2] - one that he personally could do without.
As the herald finished and stepped away, Arin stepped forward and bowed before Aegon.
"Good morrow, Your Grace. I came as you requested," Arin greeted.
"Very good," Aegon nodded, "I wished to ask you about the recent skirmish with the Volantene navy. Please tell me, what do you believe should be done about Volantis?"
Considering what Volantis dared to do, there was only one real answer to give.
"We strike back and strike hard," Arin answered with absolute certainty, "We must teach Volantis the error of their ways."
"Naturally," Aegon smiled, "What I would really like to know, however, is to what extent should our retaliation towards Volantis be conducted? What would you personally prefer in your honest opinion?"
Looking around, Arin knew that all eyes were squarely focused on him, gauging his behaviour and demeanour, pondering if his words would be what they wished to hear. Aegon asked for his honest opinion, yet Arin was no fool to know that his answer, depending on how he framed it, could easily determine what happened next to his position and the path taken in the upcoming Volantis campaign.
Arin steadied himself, taking a deep breath and composing himself. It would not do to show his anger at both Volantis and Braavos too openly.
"If it were up to me, regarding Volantis, I would invade the city-state with all our armies and navies, and teach the Volantenes the true terror of warfare," Arin answered, "It will serve as a warning to every other city-state in Essos that we are not to be trifled with, to warn against any brazen attacks on our waters in the future."
At this the gathered commanders whispered fiercely among each other, Orys in close discussion with them. Even the Targaryens were slightly shocked by Arin's words, as if they did not expect him to say such a daring move.
"Well, you got one thing right: It is not up to you, Grand Duke Rada," Visenya pointed out, "And even if we did invade Volantis, what need have we to deploy armies and navies? Our dragons are more than enough to overwhelm whatever pathetic military resistance the Volantenes can muster and conquer the infamous Black Walls, and unlike Westeros their armies are ill-trained, ill-equipped and poorly disciplined, more akin to half-trained militia than any army in our kingdom. Not only that, even if we did invade, what value does Volantis truly have to us [3]? Their slaves?"
"My dear sister is right, Grand Duke," Rhaenys added, a frown of concern etched on her lips, "What you propose seems terribly extreme, even coming from you, and quite frankly, unnecessary. Do you propose conquering Volantis?"
Arin heaved a deep sigh, nodding in agreement.
"You are right, this is excessive and unnecessary," He admitted, "I do not propose conquering Volantis, merely invading in full force."
"Again, as Her Grace said, this is rather unnecessary," Orys interjected once he obtained approval from Aegon, "Truthfully, all that we need to do is scorch some land here and there with dragonfire, and then we could force the Volantene Triarchs to pay reparations under threat of dragonfire."
Again Arin nodded in agreement, though he was not done by a long shot.
"Normally, I would not consider such an extreme measure," Arin put forth, "However, there is one other party that drives me to consider such a course of action."
"Braavos," Aegon said.
"Yes, the very same," Arin nodded, "In truth, what happens in Volantis is completely unrelated to Braavos, but we cannot tolerate them using us as shields whenever they feel it convenient to do so; if we let this go unanswered, I fear that they will continue to drag us into war at our expense, gradually weakening us and eventually undoing all the work Your Graces have put into unifying the Seven Kingdoms."
"I have to agree in part," Visenya grimaced, "This blatant act by Braavos of instigating war between us and Volantis must not be tolerated. Yet I have to question why Braavos even went as far as it did."
"They fear us, the rising power," Rhaenys suggested, "That is why they are doing this."
"Even so, do we truly have to invade Volantis in full force?" Questioned Orys, "In all honesty, just making Volantis pay reparations will be enough to dissuade Braavos from further action once they see the power of our dragons."
"Orys is right," Rhaenys pointed out, "We just cannot see the necessity for such an excessive use of force."
"On the contrary, excessive use of force is necessary, Your Graces," Arin asserted, "Perhaps I am overstepping, but we must demonstrate to Braavos that we are no shield to use for their convenience; should we invade Volantis and conquer the Black Walls, they will know that they could be next, and will exercise greater prudence in their actions."
No one could deny the logic of Arin's words, yet there was always the genuine concern that while Braavos would get the message, they could instead be further motivated to sabotage Westeros out of fear of such excessive force, dragons or no, and it was only just five years after Aegon's unification of Westeros.
"Might I also add that as a united country, we have not truly fought any wars to test the unity and loyalty of our vassal lords?" Arin suggested, and this time the Targs listened with interest, "By using Volantis as a common enemy, we can unite the various lords to deploy their troops against slavers, and by painting our campaign as a crusade against slavery, we can win on the moral front and grow support for the Targaryen dynasty as a symbol of righteousness. In this way, potential naysayers and critics will have far less leeway to bray and complain against their conquerors."
This time Aegon seemed to seriously consider the option, though his sister-wives, Orys and a small number of commanders remained unconvinced.
Aegon then asked, "What should we do with Braavos once Volantis is dealt with?"
Arin noticed that he did not mention 'when Volantis was conquered'.
"Whether or not we conquer Volantis, we should make sure to paint events in our favour," Arin answered, "Braavos acted so brazenly because it is an independent foreign state. If it were tied to an alliance with us, however…"
"Then they would be tied down, and they would no longer have as much leeway," Rhaenys nodded in understanding and approval, "However, our relations have always remained cordial at best, and I highly doubt they would see any reason to form an alliance with us right now."
"Who said we would need to officially form an alliance?" Arin suggested.
"Grand Duke, what are you suggesting?" Questioned Orys, feeling cautious after seeing a familiar glint in Arin's eyes.
"We declare in public that we have formed an alliance with Braavos in light of recent events, so that we can punish Volantis for its hubris and because Braavos needs an ally to avoid retaliation by a coalition of slaver states," Arin pressed on, his lips slowly curling into a smile as he spoke, "Once it becomes common knowledge, the Sealord of Braavos will have no choice but to make it official."
By the Gods, it was bullshittery of the highest level, and Arin loved spewing the very idea from his mouth. Everyone looked surprised at the idea, but soon the Targaryens and Orys began to seriously consider the idea and exchanged nods.
Turning to face Arin, Aegon said, "Since you have suggested such a plan, how about I suggest some additions and changes?"
"Of course, Your Grace," Arin bowed.
Aegon smiled and then said, "We declare an alliance with Braavos once the war ends, and you will go to the city itself and personally congratulate them on their long-awaited opportunity to take the fight to the slavers themselves."
Arin's eyes widened by a fraction; he had not expected this sudden change in tone.
"Once we have fully conquered Volantis, we shall mandate that any and all anti-slaver raids they perform must be done under our auspices, or risk facing the consequences," Aegon finished, his smile now fully predatory.
"...Your Grace, I beg your pardon for asking, but does this not sound contrary to your earlier opinion regarding the invasion of Volantis?" Arin cautiously asked.
"It does," Aegon admitted, "And hearing your reason made us change our minds."
"It is clear that simply demonstrating the might of our dragons is not enough to intimidate Braavos," Rhaenys added, "Not only must we put Braavos on a tight leash, we must give them an ironclad reason to never attempt to break loose for as long as this 'alliance' persists. What better way to do that than a full-force invasion of Volantis?"
Arin was pleasantly surprised; he did not expect that the invasion would proceed as he had hoped. Yet now that he thought of it, there was the real danger of overextension; Volantis's geographical distance from Westeros was not insignificant, and because there were five slaves to every one free man in its population, combined by possible purges of the nobility to follow, any and all distractions that further drained Westerosi resources was most unwelcome.
"What are your orders now, Your Grace?" Asked Arin.
"Marshal your fleets and armies as the rest of Westeros marshals for war, Grand Duke," Aegon ordered, "With as much pomp and ceremony as you can."
"As you command," Arin smiled.
IIOII
Volantis
Brandyll Tarly
Over the course of several weeks, the various Royal Fleets engaged and destroyed the last remnants of the Volantene fleets in dozens of smaller skirmishes. To their credit, the Volantenes gave as good as they got, determined to never lose to barbarian Westerosi, but it was for naught despite inflicting a greater number of casualties than expected.
The Dornian fleet paid a bitter price in exchange for its victories, having lost close to two-fifths of its ships, but the mariners were battle-hardened and better versed in the new doctrine [4]. All other fleets were eager to humiliate the Volantenes, and soon the bloody way was cleared for the invasion of the Volantene heartland.
The invasion went smoothly. The hardened armies of the Iron Throne (sans the Westerlands) outclassed the Volantene armies and their mercenary allies in every possible way. Their numbers, their equipment, their battle-experience… and most important of all, their dedication to victory.
Though their enemies also had brave men among their ranks. One interesting thing to note was that one of the mercenary companies the Westerosi fought - the Company of the Rose - was composed of Northmen who rejected Torrhen Stark's submission to the Targaryens, preferring exile over bending the knee. Their leader was none other than Brandon Snow, Torrhen's half-brother. Unlike other mercenary armies who broke and fled the moment they felt the battles were lost, they stubbornly refused to surrender and fought to the very last. By the end of the campaign, not a single one was left alive.
On Arin Rada's suggestion and that of the other Sonarians, the bodies of all the Company of the Rose were sent back to Sonaria (The North) to be given last rites as per Sonarian custom. Torrhen Stark would grant his half-brother Brandon a noble burial, to be interred in the Crypts of Winterfell, and declared that he would be recognised as a Stark posthumously.
Every fort, village and town soon fell to the encroaching Westerosi, and while those that surrendered were spared, those that resisted were mercilessly pillaged and ransacked. Even among those who surrendered, however, there remained disloyal slavers willing to double-cross them and who already have, causing great frustration to mount among the Westerosi. Furthermore, there were legions of slaves whose loyalties were dubious despite clearly hating their cruel masters, and some worried they were enemy agents in secret.
One tactic Arin employed to tackle this and which was repeated by the other Westerosi commanders was the turning of freed slaves against their masters, subjecting the slavers to a brutal butchery and forcing every other Volantene smallfolk to watch in horror and disgust. This endeared the slaves to their liberators as they immediately volunteered to join the Westerosi in their campaign.
When word of this spread, the other Volantenes - Smallfolk, merchants and others - also received a stern warning that any form of betrayal against the invaders or any harsh cruelty inflicted upon slaves would be met with most severe reprisal. The butchery took many different forms; some were pulled apart by horses, just like Rhodry Qorgyle's punishment for kinslaying; some were fed to pigs which were themselves butchered after being fattened, the meat distributed to hungry slaves and the surplus to the troops. Some criminal Volantenes were slain for sport by frustrated Westerosi troops, both to tackle the growing frustration and as a further warning to other slavers [5].
As a result, many Volantenes were content to simply release the slaves to the Westerosi at a price. Arin gladly took many of them under his wing, conscripting them into his army as volunteer recruits or support staff - medics [6], clerks and bedwarmers. Other armies followed suit, taking as many as they could accommodate.
Of course, they could not take on everyone, and with there being five slaves to every one free man in Volantis [7], it was clear that a huge portion of the population in Volantis was in dire need of rehabilitation and had no real skills or independent thought, no thanks to their life circumstances. Their rehabilitation would have to wait until the war's end.
In some battles, they faced the famed Unsullied: Eunuch warriors trained to exacting standards in the art of lockstep formation, and sold to the highest bidder from the city of Astapor. Against any other lesser army they would hold their own, their spears sharp and their shield-arms strong.
Against the Westerosi, they were found lacking.
The Dornians used their cataphracts and horse archers to flank around and hit the Unsullied formations at their weakpoints, for while the phalanx was formidable at the front, it was severely rigid and inflexible and vulnerable to flanking at the side and rear. Chariots completely smashed through the phalanx as if it was not even there with sheer impact force and sharpened blades. Their infantry formations, tactics, training and equipment proved superior to the Unsullied as well, and men from all parts of Westeros would grudgingly admit the Dornian army was much transformed from the days of yore.
Aggressive, disciplined, flexible and courageous, the Dornians slaughtered the Volantenes like sheep, and their officers carried themselves with distinct confidence and swagger, even talking down to other nobles as if they were their equal and not their superior. Many nobles took offence to this, but since infighting between the Westerosi was strictly forbidden by the Targaryens, they were forced to take the insults lying down.
Of course, Arin made sure to officially reprimand the officers involved, reminding them of the consequences of unnecessarily picking fights. Unofficially, he made sure to tell them that while he himself disliked the traditional nobility, picking fights would make them look worse. To minimise clashes between the Dornians and the other Westerosi nobility, the Paletillians (Crownlanders) acted as a buffer between them, smoothing tensions and keeping distance between them.
The men of Tegonia (The Reach), on the other hand, used an entirely new type of troop formation devised in case they ever fought an army with superior cavalry tactics, ever since the War of Roses and Serpents which saw them lose badly to the Dornians under House Rada.
Formations were composed of pikemen in large squares with crossbowmen embedded within, capable of engaging enemy troops at greater distance while the crossbows chipped away at enemy strength [8]. Unsullied units could not bring the full might of the phalanx to bear, and thus they lost to the jeers of the Tegonians. At the helm this change was its foremost pioneer, Brandyll Tarly, using his experience against House Rada's armies to thoroughly crush the Volantene resistance.
The Tegonians earned the Dornians' grudging respect, and as such relations between them were far more cordial than the other Andalic peoples.
The rest simply used standard tactics they had been employing for countless aeons, and with their superior numbers, they slowly but surely wore down the Unsullied through sheer attrition.
Sensing all was about to be lost, the Volantenes finally brought forth their elephant cavalry [9] - tall, weighty and cumbersome beasts with giant ivory tusks and thick leathery skin - capable of trampling any and all troops into a fine crimson paste beneath their feet, and not even the feared and hated Dothraki dared engage them head-on. And so the Westerosi answered with ballistae; their sharp spears loosed with enough force to penetrate their thick hides, and the poisoned tips ensured their certain deaths. Once again the Volantenes were on the back foot, and this time they had no more tricks in their bag.
When the last of the opposition was slain on the field, the Volantenes fell back into their final bastion: The Black Walls of Volantis. As the legends said, the Black Walls towered above all men at two-hundred feet tall, wide enough to accommodate six four-horse chariots on its topmost ramparts, glistening a black, oily sheen in the sunlight. Still, Arin looked at it impassively, feeling unimpressed and unintimidated.
"Do these walls not perturb you, Grand Duke Rada?"
He turned to face Brandyll Tarly, once his greatest enemy, now one of his greatest allies for this campaign. The young man carried himself with poise and confidence, his face a weathered, grim countenance, and he regarded Arin with cordiality.
"No. They don't," Arin answered, "These Triarchs are just so cocky and arrogant, refusing our terms even though their city is surrounded."
"I think they are just afraid," Brandyll suggested, "After all, it is not every day their vaunted armies are cut down so quickly and the Black Walls surrounded. That, and we have dragons on our side which renders them useless. And yet you do not wish to use them in the final assault."
"You already heard my reason at the last briefing," Arin noted.
"'To teach them the true terror of warfare, and ensure they will never again belittle the men of Westeros'. Yes, I heard it crystal clear," Brandyll affirmed, "And for that reason, you delayed it by an entire moon, requesting that each and every single sewer and escape tunnel be blockaded and set ablaze."
"Aye, that way the Triarchs will learn what it means to be caged animals," Arin shrugged with cold indifference, to which Brandyll could only nod in silence, "By the end of that moon, we'll show the fruits of our labours, and I believe everyone will love what they see. Well, love and hate, more like."
Brandyll sighed heavily, "I am certain they will."
IIOII
Arin Rada
The end of the moon had arrived, and as dawn broke over the horizon the Westerosi were eager to see what ingenious scheme Arin had cooked up.
The Reachmen maintained full silence and grim anticipation, while most others eagerly gossiped, casting half-baked theories and guesses. The Targaryens, in particular, watched with curiosity as gigantic siege towers moved towards the Black Walls. To the disappointment of the besiegers and the mocking joy of the defenders, the siege towers fell short of the walls' top ramparts.
"Is that all you have, barbarians!?" The Volantenes jeered and sneered, "Is this your glorious solution to our mighty walls? The Black Walls stood undefeated for centuries, and they shall stand for centuries more! What hope do your measly towers have to reach our walls!?"
The Westerosi grit their teeth, but Arin merely smiled as he watched the towers inch closer to the Black Walls, unperturbed and unmoved by the insults. Brandyll and the veteran Tegonian commanders remained similarly silent and unmoved, seeing Arin's calm and unflappable mien.
Once the siege towers reached the walls, boards fell away from the front and rear of the towers, exposing huge boulders attached to ropes. Soldiers worked to loosen the ropes, and at once there was a great and mighty heave, followed by the crashing of steel on black stone, shaking the top of the walls.
When the dust cleared, all who beheld the scene were shocked - besieger and defender alike. Giant ramps had taken hold on the Black Wall ramparts, giving entire battalions of troops clear entry [10]. Instantly, the Dornians and Tegonians were first on the ramparts, followed by the rest of the army as they proceeded to swarm the beleaguered defenders who fell like flies.
"I knew you always come up with unexpected solutions, but this is rather new," Brandyll remarked.
"The fruits of highly advanced engineering," Arin smiled.
"And here I believed your penchant for concocting surprises has run its course," Aegon remarked as he descended, landing softly on the ground atop Balerion, "I must say though, your engineers have done a most magnificent job, Grand Duke Rada."
"My thanks, Your Grace," Arin bowed.
"Now, with the siege a foregone conclusion, we need only handle the aftermath," Aegon said.
IIOII
Aegon Targaryen
Caked in dirt and gore, the young Volantene nobleman looked completely miserable as he was forcibly dragged by his arms towards the negotiating table, the Targaryens and their top commanders awaiting his arrival. The descendant of the Old Blood [11] glanced fearfully at his captors who now held all the cards.
"So! A lone boy stands before me," Aegon smiled as he beheld the nobleman's bloody form, his feet dragged across the floor as a mark of great humiliation, "Should there be more of you? Oh wait, the freed slaves saw through that."
When the Black Walls were overrun and the gates opened, an orgy of pillaging and destruction followed as slaves were freed. Together, Westerosi and freed slaves alike slaughtered the nobility standing in their way. Men, women, children… it made no difference, all had their lifeless corpses piled up and burned to ash, their properties tarnished and their vaults plundered and cleaned of all gold and valuables.
What noble families remained were permanently disinherited and demoted to commoners, though for some their living descendants were to marry Valyrian-blooded Paletilians, to be absorbed into new houses as their old ones faded into obscurity. Their properties were forfeit and their former slaves now served as their guards.
Though some Westerosi lords did argue against the wholesale slaughter of the Volantene nobles, attitudes gradually changed when they realised just how useless their Volantene counterparts were; they were too dependent on slaves for most menial tasks, and they lacked credibility due to their unique political system where politics were in a constant state of flux.
Simply put, none of the local Volantene houses were considered desirable options for forging alliances. At least in Westeros, there was stability that stemmed from long-term rule and influence.
"Tell me, what is your name, boy?" Asked Aegon.
"N-Nakoquo Esserah," The young Volantene noble squeaked.
"Well, congratulations, my little Nakoquo! You are officially the sole Archon of Volantis!" Aegon declared, much to Nakoquo's surprise.
"B-But there have always been three Triarchs leading Volantis! That has always been our way!" Nakoquo argued.
"And now, as the conqueror, it is this way now because I say so, do you understand me, little boy?" Asked Aegon, punctuating every word with a tap on the table, "Especially since the Triarchs and their families are… no more, so to speak."
Nakoquo reluctantly accepted this truth, squeaking slightly at the open maw of Balerion the Black Dread. He took his seat at the opposite end - a lone sheep in a pack of wolves.
"And what are your terms, Your Grace?" Asked Nakoquo.
"My terms are simple: Volantis is to become a vassal state of Westeros, in light of the recent purges. We shall ask for nothing and take nothing, and for the next ten years Volantis is fully exempt from taxes," Aegon began, much to Nakoquo's surprise, "In return, however, you shall not be allowed to initiate any hostile action against the Iron Throne. You must also relinquish any freed slaves we have recruited into our armies to us, and you shall cease all slavery activities now and forevermore. Lastly, you shall hold your post for only two years, after which you shall abdicate in favour of a successor of my choosing. This is the price for peace."
Nakoquo bit his tongue at the terms, and yet the fact Aegon demanded no monetary reparations was perhaps the greatest mercy Volantis could have hoped to receive.
"Do you accept our terms, Archon Nakoquo?" Asked Rhaenys, leaning forward and resting her chin on folded hands, a menacing light glinting in her eyes.
What other choice did he have, being more a hostage than an equal?
Nakoquo nodded quickly, "I accept those terms, Your Graces."
Thus the Treaty of the Blackened Palace [12] was signed, and Volantis was left alone, a broken shell of its former self with all its riches plundered and slaves freed, and its people forever scarred with the knowledge that their Black Walls were not infallible.
Never again would Volantis pose a threat to Westeros for as long as Aegon the Conqueror ruled.
[1] Mareqaves (pl. Mareqavi) - The name for the elite troops of Dornia that first started out of a small platoon Arin recruited as his protection, drawn from the most skilled veterans of his armies. They saw action in the rebellion against House Martell and in the war against the Reach, hardening them and giving them a wealth of experience few could hope to match. Since then, they serve as both bodyguards for generals and as shock troopers capable of overwhelming formations, being trained in both individual combat and formation fighting, and in fighting on both foot and horse.
The etymology is unknown as it was coined by Arin Rada, supposedly based on a tale of a mighty man who wore the hide of a beast; the pelt was impenetrable to flame, water, weapons or magic. It is thought to be derived from Rhoynish word elements such as "mar(hy)e" (war), "(h)rea" (spirit, soul pertaining to willpower), and "(kh)adav(ra)" (beast, animal)".
[2] Aside from 'Kingslayer' and 'Black Fox', Arin held many other titles given to him over the course of his lifetime, including 'The Hammer', 'The Blessed', 'The Daring' and more significantly, 'Eclipse of the Sunburst'.
[3] Volantis had industry for trade - mostly manned by slaves - but their strongest industry was the slave trade, and their financial power - like all other Free Cities - was directly a result of Westerosi trade due to the Westerosi being massive consumers of Essosi products. When embargoes hit them prior to the war's onset, countless merchants faced astronomical losses in profit.
[4] Though Arin's naval doctrine would not truly be adapted by the other Kingdoms for some time, for Dornia it represented a triumph of the new era, and from that point on the doctrine would define naval warfare for centuries onwards.
[5] Such cruelty inflicted upon slavers would forever sear itself in the hearts and minds of the Volantenes, and for that the war would come to be called the 'War of Weeping Slavers'.
[6] Medics - Dedicated healer staff who nursed the wounded and ill and ensured all patients were kept safe and treated in clean hospices, regularly cleaning patients and changing bandages and clothes and assisting physicians with their work.
Unlike nurses, they also serve directly in the battlefield, evacuating the wounded to safety and administering on-site treatment if the patient could still be saved.
[7] There were higher-ranking slaves who were more loyal to their masters, though like the rest of their kind they chafed under the whip. Such people, when conscripted into the Westerosi armies, were always sent in the first waves to test their loyalties.
[8] The pike-and-crossbow formation became a new staple in Westerosi warfare, and though the adoption process was slow and gradual for the rest of the kingdom, Tegonia and Dornia adopted it with lightning swiftness.
[9] The elephant cavalry of Volantis were more showy displays of power meant to intimidate enemies, and on occasion trample weaker enemies literally. Against the trained armies of Westeros and their ballistae, they were next to useless.
[10] The new siege towers demonstrated the power and ingenuity of Rhoynish engineering to the world.
[11] The nobility of Volantis claimed unbroken descent from the Valyrians of old, thus they called themselves the Old Blood. They believed that to walk the same earth as lesser classes was a mark of disrespect and disgrace, and thus they would never go anywhere without their extravagantly decorated elephant mounts.
[12] Treaty of the Blackened Palace - It was named such because the treaty ending the war between Volantis and the Iron Throne took place in a ruined Volantene pleasure palace, most other structures too damaged to properly host signatories to a treaty.
While ostensibly a light treaty, not harshly punishing the Volantenes in any measure, the reality was that the heavy hand had already been dealt to Volantis during the war.
A/N: If anyone finds the siege scene of Volantis familiar, that is because it is inspired by that specific scene in Kingdom anime Season 3, when the coalition army besieges Hangu Pass as they invade Qin.
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