Thalia of Lys

## Mermaid of Pentos

Yssa Greyjoy

Thalia of Lys, known throughout most of Essos as the Mermaid of Pentos, a famously skilled bard and spy during the War of Four Daughters, who unwillingly became the favorite courtesan of the Prince of Pentos. Charmingly lovely and proud of her talents as a musical entertainer, she reluctantly turned to politics to aid her climb of the social ladder amongst the Free Cities — with the intention of breaking free of courtesan life once she was able.

Needless to say, things did not go quite according to plan.

## Appearance

Thalia is a slender woman of average height and above-average beauty, enhanced by hands trained for years with the art of cosmetics. Unlike the prim and proper rigidity of nobility akin to both Westeros and Essos, she has instead adopted a carefree windswept look to match her mermaid alias: curls of pale blonde fly untamed about the sharp bones of her face, complementing the dreamlike fire in her blue-grey eyes. Pale lips pull gracefully into an easy smile, quick to turn into melodic laughter. Her hands are quite animated, especially when weaving tales, but her fingers are calloused from years of playing the lute. Her spine reflects the poise of someone who is comfortable around both nobles and smallfolk, and she remains slim and toned from almost two decades of dancing, with legs strong enough to support an entire night of continuous entertainment.

She often wears the billowing silk dresses most common in Lys, leaning towards lighter pastels and multiple layers. Her wrists jangle with various metals, and her ear lobes are almost always weighed down by heavy earrings. When she plays music, however, Thalia favors no jewelry at all, so that she can concentrate on the notes of the song instead of the placement of her accessories.

## History

395 AC - Thalia is born early in the year to a whore named Selyse in a pillowhouse in Lys. Her birth accrues additional debt against her mother to the pillowhouse matron, Kinvara, and Selyse strikes a deal that signs her child into the matron’s employment when she grows older.

398 AC - Thalia is discovered at a very young age to have an unusually clear singing voice by several of the pillowhouse whores while she is playing in a backroom. Already a kind and intelligent child, her newfound talent turns her into the darling of the establishment, with the women constantly doting on her — including Kinvara.

400 AC - A wealthy merchant who frequents the pillowhouse often grows fond of Thalia and gifts her a small lute, crafted just for her. After a moon of fiddling with the strings, she plays at the front of the pillowhouse to help draw in customers.

404 AC - Several of the whores, skilled dancers themselves, teach Thalia how to move to the music she adores so much. Kinvara, ever the opportunist, has the young girl dance in the center of the pillowhouse foyer for the influx of incoming customers as word of the enchanting girl spreads. Around mid-year, Selyse falls gravely ill; the matron demands that Thalia perform more often to make up for her mother’s absence.

405 AC - Selyse dies in the first moon of the year, leaving Thalia distraught. The other women attempt to comfort her, but to everyone’s surprise Kinvara adopts a mothering personality for the girl and begins training her to take over the pillowhouse. She teachers her basic numbers and letters, and has her help with balancing the ledgers at the end of the day.

407 AC - In her spare time, Thalia busks on street corners and performs for the nobles of Lys, who are entranced by the ballads she composes. She has since outgrown the lute once gifted to her, and she sells it for a larger one in-laid with silver and carved with images of shells and fish. Several of her customers jokingly call her a merling, and she takes the name to heart.

409 AC - Thalia saves up enough money to travel to Pentos with her lover, Allyrio. She asks for leave from Kinvara, promising to return in a few years. Reluctantly the matron agrees, offering to purchase her passage to Pentos so that she may save her coin. Barely two moons later, Westeros takes Pentos; Allyrio, a fervent follower of the Red God, is murdered in the defilement of the Red Temple.

410 AC - Using her performances for the Westerosi garrison in Pentos as a cover, Thalia smuggles information to the Pentoshi forces, helping them retake the city early in the year. Her involvement catches the ear of the Prince of Pentos, who takes her in as his guest. She is present at his side during the secret meeting between the Prince and his Magisters and the Sealord of Braavos, who poses the idea of using the city as a trap. Thalia aids in the evacuation of most of the unnecessary population, but remains in Pentos at her request to see the Lannister ships burn at anchor.

411-413 AC - Trapped in Pentos following the Lannister invasion, Thalia attempts to continue spying for the Braavosi forces seeking to reclaim the city. She is discovered, however, and captured by Tybolt of House Lannister, the sworn sword of the garrison commander. He convinces the commander to spare her life, and she remains in their custody for two years, providing musical entertainment. During these years Thalia grows reluctantly fond of Tybolt, and their shared love of music and dance.

413 AC - Upon Tybolt’s departure from the battlefield, Thalia is able to send word to the Braavosi insisting that they sacrifice a loss at sea in favor of the opportunity to take back Pentos. The Braavosi fleet is split in the Battle of Pentos Bay at the cost of returning power in the city to the Pentoshi.

414 AC - Following the end of the War of the Four Daughters, Thalia is asked (an unprecedented privilege) by the Prince of Pentos to become his favorite courtesan. She refuses and instead finally returns to Lys. To her dismay Thalia finds Kinvara dead from an unfortunate accident; the women of the pillowhouse remember her, but as their matron was unable to add the establishment in Thalia’s name prior to her death, it became property of House Ormollen of Lys. Thalia instead returns to Pentos, where she is welcomed with open arms by the Prince when she accepts his offer to become a courtesan.

415 AC - With the War behind them, attention in Essos is drawn towards pursuits of rebuilding and pleasure: at the forefront is none other than the Prince of Pentos’ crown jewel, Thalia. In honor of the people of Lys who first gave her the name, she becomes known as the Mermaid of Pentos, and performs during holidays and for the Prince’s most honored guests. In the first hours of the mornings she takes to the streets of Pentos and performs for the smallfolk as well, especially the whores of the pillowhouses just waking from their work the night before.

417 AC - Despite taking great care, Thalia becomes pregnant. The Prince is unhappy with this, and even unhappier when she (reminded of her own mother, and Kinvara) wishes to keep the child. Unbeknownst to her, he begins slipping small amounts of moon tea with her drinks, and she loses the child in an agonizing miscarriage as the year turns.

418 AC - Traumatized by the loss of her child and unresponsive towards the Prince, Thalia withdraws to her chambers and becomes as solemn as anyone has ever witnessed her. When she refuses to play at the Prince’s upcoming naming day, he banishes her from Pentos. She attempts to seek work in Myr and Braavos — Lys being too painful of a memory for her to return — but the Prince has spread false word of her disgrace and, despite her musical talent and her actions through the War, she is only ever the daughter of a whore. Remembering the kindness of Tybolt, Thalia decides on the unthinkable and instead makes her way to King’s Landing, hoping for the best.

## Possessions

List anything valuable or of sentimental worth to your character.

### Trinkets

* A small gold ring with an inset emerald — the most expensive thing her mother owned — given to her following her death in 405 AC.

### Other

* Her lute, carved with shells and fish in the white oak wood and in-laid with silver and mother-of-pearl.
* A faded lavender velvet purse with a silver clasp, clearly repaired multiple times over the years and heavy with coin, given to her by the pillowhouse matron Kinvara for her thirteenth nameday.

## Connections

* Prince of Pentos - Once named his favorite courtesan, she was publicly disgraced by him when she refused to play at his nameday following the miscarriage of their child.
* Ser Tybolt Lannister - Captured by him during the War of the Four Daughters, the two became close friends through their love of music.

## Rumours

* With her voice and unmatched grace, Thalia is believed by many in Essos to be an actual merling. A small fraction of those say she was sent to ensnare hearts so she may devour them.
* Some hypothesize that she sacrificed her soul to the gods for her musical talent.
* The Prince of Pentos claims that she tried to kill him in his sleep while she was pregnant with their child, hoping to upset his power in Pentos.

## Recent Events

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