Pentos

Pentos is one of the Free Cities. It is a port located on the western coast of Essos.

## City

Pentos is a large port city, more populous than Astapor on Slaver's Bay, and may be one of the most populous of the Free Cities. It lies on the Bay of Pentos off the narrow sea, with the Flatlands plains and Velvet Hills to the east.

The city has many square brick towers, controlled by the spice traders. Most of the roofing is done in tiles. There is a large red temple in Pentos, and the Sunrise Gate allows the traveller to exit the city to the east, in the direction of the Rhoyne. The fastest way to Volantis from Pentos is by sea.

## Rulers

Pentos is a city where wealth equals power, ruled over by a prince with a council of magisters. The prince has a mostly ceremonial function while the rich magisters rule. The prince is chosen from the forty families, and presides chiefly over balls and feasts, is carried from place to place in a rich palanquin with a handsome guard and each new year he must deflower two maidens: the maid of the sea, and the maid of the fields to ensure prosperity on land and sea. However, if there is famine or war is lost, the magisters sacrifice the prince and slit his throat to appease the gods, then choose a new prince.

## People

The people of Pentos are colorful and are widely known for their rich accents. In comparison to the colorless hue of the city, noblemen and women of Pentos usually wear combinations of colors as displays of wealth. Though the fashion rarely changes in Pentos, the prince is known to set trends occasionally.

There are laws forbidding slavery in Pentos, in accordance with the terms imposed by the Braavosi one hundred and seventy years ago. The nobility, up until recently, have flouted these laws, but over time, with the slave trade largely changed in the west following the examples made by Volantis, the “free bond servants” that Pentos once employed have instead been integrated into society, paid minimally for their services.

There is a low class in Pentos where commoners are given training in both reading and writing in aspiration to become scholars in the Anthaeum. This, however, makes up a very small percentage of the population. Noblemen and women often take up scholarly arts when being raised.

Like the Braavosi, and Lysene, Pentoshi are great lovers of song, and generous with those who please them. Some of their men dye, oil, and fork their beards, and their women are known to do their hair intricately.

## History

Pentos was founded by Valyrians as a trading outpost, and soon absorbed the hinterlands surrounding it, from the Velvet Hills and the Little Rhoyne to the sea, including almost the whole of the ancient realm of Andalos. The first Pentoshi were merchants, traders, seafarers, and farmers, with few nobles among them. They were less protective of their Valyrian blood, willing to breed with the original inhabitants of the lands they ruled. As a consequence there is considerable Andal blood among the Pentoshi.

Several decades after the Doom, Pentos came to the defense of Tyrosh in a war against Volantis, along with Aegon Targaryen, House Durrandon, and the rebellious Lys and Myr.

After being stripped of his office in 39 AC for taking a second wife Maegor Targaryen was exiled to Pentos by King Aenys. The beautiful Tyanna became Maegor's lover during his exile. After the death of King Aenys Visenya Targaryen flew to Pentos on the back of her dragon Vhagar, to bring her son Maegor back to Westeros.

Ladies Rhaena and Baela Targaryen, daughters of Prince Daemon Targaryen and lady Laena Velaryon, were born in Pentos, in 116 AC. They remained there for half a year, and then sailed back to Driftmark on a ship with their mother, whilst their father flew the dragons Caraxes and Vhagar back to Westeros. During the civil war in Westeros, known as the Dance of the Dragons, it was decided by Prince Jacaerys Velaryon that his half-brothers Aegon and Viserys would be fostered with the Prince of Pentos until his mother, Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, had secured the Iron Throne. The two young princes departed on the Pentoshi cog the Gay Abandon towards the end of 129 AC, but the ship never made it to Pentos.

When the Tattered Prince was 23 years old the magisters of Pentos chose him to be their new prince soon after they beheaded the previous one. Instead of accepting their offer he fled to the Disputed Lands, later forming the Windblown.

Over the course of the last two and a half centuries, Braavos and Pentos fought no less than six wars over the issue of slavery, as well as control of the rich lands and waters between the two cities. Four of these ended in Pentoshi submission. The last one, that ended more than a century ago, went so poorly that Pentos had no fewer than four princes chosen and sacrificed within a single year. The fifth one, Prince Nevio Narratys, convinced the magisters to sue for peace after a rare victory - one rumored to have been purchased by Nevio himself through bribery. In the peace accords Pentos was forced to abolish slavery and withdraw from the slave trade.