Grazdan the Gruesome

## King of the Stepstones

**Grazdan the Gruesome** was the self-styled King of the Stepstones between the years of 360 AC and 366 AC, when he was slain in combat by Ser Edric Dayne, the Sword of the Morning and a Brother of the Kingsguard. He is most remembered for his successful attack on Sunspear, in which he capture the majority of the members of House Martell. Most did not survive the rescue attempts; those bodies they found only lent further support to the validity of his epithet.

## History

### Youth

Grazdan, according to his story, was born the son of a Meereenese pleasure slave and a Great Master. His father did not care for him--likely forgot of his existence the moment he was told. Young Grazdan was raised for one purpose: killing. As soon as he was able to hold a sword, he was trained to fight in the Fighting Pits of Meereen. He earned great esteem there. All of his opponents fell before his sword, but as he grew old, he grew tired. He yearned for freedom he had never been allowed.

When his mother died in 348 AC, he and several other slaves broke free from their chains in the base of The Great Pyramid. Despite efforts by the Great Masters, the lot of them were able to escape the city, and swiftly found themselves in the ranks of the Company of the Cat.

### Mercenary Life

Lacking any notable birth, Grazdan and his companions joined the regular rank and file of the Company. They fought in many battles, most famously, the war between the forces of the High Priest of R'hllor and the Bearded Priests of Norvos. It was in part due to the valiant efforts of the Company that the Norvosi were able to fight back the numerically superior force of the Southern Cities.

In the war, Grazdan proved himself a competent, ferocious fighter, and caught the eye of the Captain of the Company, a Tyroshi the company knew as Ser Blue (a reference to his dubious knighthood and his blue hair). Ser Blue named him the Standardbearer of the Company, a duty which Grazdan took to earnestly.

Ser Blue died ignominiously, falling from his saddle during the Company's march to Tyrosh in 358. When the Company gathered to elect his successor, Grazdan, despite his relative inexperienced, clinched the vote with ease.

Upon arriving in Tyrosh to discuss terms with the Archon, the reason for the journey was disclosed for him. Tyrosh, which had, de facto, fallen under the rule of the High Priest of R'hllor some decades earlier, was growing tired of the arrangement. The Archon, secretly a worshiper of Trios, intended to use the Stepstones as base in which he could gain more power and, eventually, overthrow the Priests in Tyrosh. Grazdan was convinced it was a fool's errand, and was planning to deny him. When word reached him, the Archon asked him to spend one final night considering the offer, and sent Sapphire, his prize whore, to convince him.

The woman was more successful than the Archon could have ever hoped. When Grazdan returned to the negotiating table to next morning, he brokered a deal with the Archon. He would have the Stepstones, and in return, Grazdan would have Sapphire to be his wife. The Archon accepted.

### The Stepstones

The campaign was a long and bloody one. The Pirate Lords of the Stepstones were well-fortified, and the oldest among them remembered their victories against the Westerosi a half century earlier. Still, through wit, ferocity, and a burning desire to be united with his love, Grazdan scoured the Stepstones of the pirates. When his task was completed in 360 AC, he returned to Tyrosh, where he was rewarded with Sapphire and the remainder of the Company's payment.

Something had changed in those two years on the island, though. He finally understood what power--true power--was. He wanted to be something *more* than just a mere Sellsword. After receiving his payment, whispers reached the ears of the Priests of Tyrosh, and the rebellious Archon went the way of his forebear. He was burned alive for his crimes.

With the Stepstones pacified, Sapphire at his side, and a Company of good, bloodied men at his side, Grazdan named himself the King of the Stepstones.

### King Grazdan

For the first time in decades, the islands were united under a single banner. Sapphire proved more than a typical pleasure slave. Kind, shrewd, and cunning, she ensured that women were given legal rights unseen in the Known World. Brothels were strictly policed, convents opened for retired whores, and rapists were prosecuted with earnest. The stability in the region was phenomenal--trade traveling through the islands was safer than ever before. The region and its inhabitants prospered; Grazdan and his Queen ruled for five years.

Then she died. Her death was a peaceful one, the healers promised. Queen Sapphire had died in her sleep. Grazdan would not believe such a thing--he was too mad with grief. When Grazdan announced that his wife had been murdered, the Court came alive with whispers and accusations. One seemed to hold weight with him: House Martell had hired the services of a Faceless Man to kill his one and only love.

### Grazdan's Revenge

Suddenly, a region once safe for traders became anything but. Any ship flying the colors of House Martell or its bannermen was set upon and destroyed. When House Martell sent an emissary to Grazdan, they received only his head in response, followed by a flurry of raids along the Broken Arm of Dorne. Forced to respond or lose face, the majority of Dorne's forces marched north to repel the raids, leaving Sunspear with little more than a token garrison.

That was where Grazdan struck. In the night, his forces stormed the walls of the sleeping keep and, despite the valiant effort of the defenders, made off with the riches of the castle and its inhabitants, which included most of the Martell family. The attackers slipped away before the sun rose.

Either he did not anticipate the fervor with which the Seven Kingdoms would respond, or he thought himself capable of withstanding the assault, but either way, the forces of Westeros swept over the islands for the seconds times that century. Island after island, the Stepstones were taken from Grazdan. After almost a year of bloody fighting, Bloodstone, the seat of Grazdan, was under siege.

Storming the beaches claimed many lives, as did the advance up the rough terrain in the highlands of the island. The inhabitants waged a sort of asymmetric warfare the Westerosi were unaccustomed to. Still, the victory of the Westerosi was a foregone conclusion; their numbers were too great. When they stormed the walls of Grazdan's fledgling keep, Sapphire's Holdfast, Grazdan himself was slain by Ser Edric Dayne.

The Westerosi were too late. When they scoured the holdfast, they found the captive Martells either dead or irreparably wounded--their scars indicated that, though he had earned his epithet at a different time in a different land, it followed him still.