Chapter 23
The journey progressed without any issues, and after another two weeks, we were due to arrive. With little to do on board, I spent my time learning about Braavos from the natives.
I already knew that Braavos is the wealthiest and likely the most powerful of the Nine Free Cities. It is located at the northwestern tip of Essos, at the confluence of the Narrow Sea and the Shivering Sea. This city controls what is known as the Braavosi Coast north of the Velvet Hills, which are under Pentos's control.
The Velvet Hills themselves lie in Andalos in western Essos, where the Valyrian road from Pentos to Ghoyan Drohe passes through—a region often plagued by Dothraki raids.
Regarding Ghoyan Drohe, aside from knowing it was a city of the Rhoynar that now lies in ruins, I received no further information.
I also knew that Braavos was founded by slaves who fled from Valyria, and that for a long time, it remained hidden, presumably due to fear of Valyria. This belief is reinforced by the fact that after the fall of Valyria, the city emerged as a leading maritime power. In my opinion, Braavos owes all its wealth and power to the sea—through trade, fishing, and its navy.
From the Braavosi, I learned a legend about the city's founding. According to them, the location was pointed out by the moon singers of Jogos Nhai, who were among the slaves: in a lagoon shielded by a natural barrier of rocks and hills, under a veil of frequent fogs that hid the new settlement from the eyes of dragonriders.
They also said that the founders included people from many nations: Andals, Summer Islanders, Ghiscari, Naathi, Rhoynar, Ibbenese, Sarnori, and even pure-blooded Valyrians who were enslaved by their own kind for debts or as punishment for crimes. Since these people spoke different languages, Valyrian eventually became the common language, an ironic twist. Furthermore, a law of religious tolerance was immediately enacted, with a space allocated on the Isle of the Gods for sanctuaries of all faiths.
The first law of Braavos, engraved in stone on the bridge across the Long Canal, was an absolute prohibition against slavery. The city's founders—former slaves—solemnly swore that no man, woman, or child in the city would ever be a slave or serf. Upholding this law, Braavos has fought against all forms of slavery and waged war on all slave traders, even managing to impose its laws on the abolition of slavery in Pentos.
A special variety of mollusk is harvested for its dark-purple dye, and an ancient Braavosi tradition of painting ship sails in this color dates back to the founding times, when Braavosi had to disguise the ships they stole. While Braavos remained a hidden city, Braavosi captains carried fake maps and skillfully lied in foreign ports when asked about their home harbor.
Later, I learned how the city revealed itself to the world, a decision made by a Sealord ruling in the year 111 after the foundation of Braavos. This event became known as the Unmasking or the Dropping of the Mask. By that time, the former masters of the runaway slaves had died of old age, but the Braavosi, taking precautions, had built diplomatic relations with Valyria several years before the Unmasking. The dragonlords showed no interest in the descendants of the runaway slaves but were interested in solid coin: The Iron Bank paid generous reparations to the grandchildren of those whose ships had been stolen, though Braavos flatly refused to pay the heirs of the slave owners for the value of the slaves themselves. To this day, Braavos commemorates the anniversary of its foundation and the Unmasking with noisy feasts and masquerades—at the end of the ten-day celebration, thousands of citizens throw off their masks to the roar of the Titan.
At the last moment of the masquerade, the Braavosi felt quite positive emotions, apparently recalling the old times. Besides the history of Braavos, I also learned how our arrival in the city would proceed. The city has two main harbors. The larger is called the Purple Harbor, and the smaller is called Ragman's Harbor.
The features of these two harbors are that the Purple Harbor, located west of the Sealord's Palace in the northern part of the city's lagoon, serves only Braavosi ships, including traders and representatives of the Iron Bank. The Purple Harbor is richer, more pleasant, and cleaner than Ragman's Harbor. Also, the best taverns, inns, and brothels are located either near the Purple Harbor or by the Moon Pool. The streets opposite the Purple Harbor are paved with cobblestones.
Ragman's Harbor, on the other hand, is the harbor that accepts foreign vessels and is poor, dirty, and noisy.
"Such a sad situation..." I muttered to myself in my cabin.
Three weeks later
By this time, I had grown quite tired of being surrounded by nothing but the sea. Although I initially enjoyed the tranquility and fishing, after so much time, I grew sick of being stuck on the damned ship.
And then my sufferings ended when a sailor shouted:
"Guys, we're home! The Titan is on the horizon! HURRAH!!!"
Stepping onto the deck, I observed the majestic sight of the proud Braavosi Titan. The main attraction of the city is the Braavosi Titan—one of the wonders of the world, a gigantic statue standing guard at the entrance to the bay. The Titan stands about 200 feet tall, with its legs widely set and anchored into the rocky shores of the bay so that ships enter the harbor sailing under the Titan's feet. The legs themselves are carved directly from the black granite rocks; above the hips, the statue is made of bronze. The Titan's left hand rests on the top of a cliff, and its right holds a broken sword. The Titan is clad in armor, also bronze, like that of an ancient warrior—a skirt-pteruges, breastplate, and half-helmet. It has long green hair made from dyed hemp ropes.
The eyes of the Titan blaze with fire, due to the fact that inside the head of the Titan is empty and a fire is always kept burning, lighting the eyes of the statue.
As we drew closer to the Titan, the sound of a siren rang out, which, as I recall, notifies the Arsenal that a ship is entering the harbor. The closer we got to the Titan, the more thoughts raced through my mind about this place and this statue.
And somehow, I remembered Old Nan, who, telling stories about Braavos, claimed that when an enemy fleet approaches the city, the Titan comes to life and descends into the sea, thundering with its stone legs.
"Ha... What thoughts come to mind sometimes."
The Braavosi Arsenal is an island fortress located behind the Titan, opposite the entrance to the harbor. The Arsenal looks like a cliff rising from the sea, resembling a clenched fist bristling with scorpions, flamethrowers, and trebuchets; at the water's edge are numerous docks and shipyards. At the docks and on the slipways of the Arsenal, dozens of galleys are stationed.
Our path lay towards the Custom's Port located southeast of the Arsenal. There, the servants of the Sealord inspect ships, and according to the sailors, this inspection can take up half a day.
"Well, Jon... The most boring and tedious part of any journey to Braavos is about to begin. Are you ready to endure it?" Ternesio asked me.
"Anything just to not stay in one place," I replied with a smirk.
Laughing, Ternesio told me to prepare for the inspection.
"Well, this inspection won't last long...."
Eight hours later
Eight hours... That's how long it took to inspect this ship.... They justified this fact by the fact that we had a gift in the form of freed slaves. But thank the gods, I finally made it through this ordeal, and before me lay an entire new city....
"I'm free!" I exclaimed, unable to contain my emotions.
As the inspection concluded, the beauty of Braavos lay before me, a city nestled in a maritime lagoon filled with numerous islets upon which the city itself is built.
I noticed that this area was a realm of mists and muddy shallows, surrounded by numerous fishing boats, suggesting the seas around Braavos are rich with fish, mollusks, and other marine life. I later learned that nearby on the mainland, slate, iron, tin, and lead are mined.
Approaching the city, the first thing I noted was that it wasn't surrounded by walls, except for the natural rock ridge separating the lagoon from the sea. From conversations with Braavosi, I learned that the locals say their walls are wooden and painted crimson—referring to their warships.
Another distinctive feature of Braavos is the lack of free space and trees on the island, leading most local homes to be stone-built, narrow, and four to five stories tall, with tiled roofs. Unlike Westeros, where reed and straw roofs are common, none can be found here. Many homes are built directly on the water, turning the channels between islets into watery corridors.
In my memories, comparing Braavos with King's Landing, the latter city is situated on hills, which gives it an uneven appearance. Braavos, however, is completely flat, yet its architecture gives it an overall greater height.
The people mostly spoke Valyrian, but with a distinct dialect.
"Hey! Boy, need a ride?" asked an old man in a gondola shaped like a sea serpent.
Sensing no malice in his emotions, I decided to accept his offer.
"I would appreciate it. How much will it cost?" I replied in Valyrian, the same language the man had used.
"Take a seat, a copper penny will do."
As I sat down, paying attention to the old man, I noticed he was dressed in an unassuming brown cloak. Handing him the copper penny, I sat back to enjoy the views. Though he asked a bit above the average price, I let it be, for my mood was good.
As we headed towards the city, I noticed large flat-bottomed barges used for cargo transport, each side manned by twenty people with poles. Occasionally, one could also see entire floating homes adorned with colorful lanterns, velvet curtains, and copper statues. The latter truly amazed me with their uniqueness, though they were an acquired taste.
From the old man's words, I understood that like earthly Venice, Braavos is gradually sinking. An uninhabited area, where only roofs and towers protrude from the water, is known as the Drowned City.
"Old man, you've lived here a long time?" I asked as we seemed to be halfway there.
"If exactly, I've been living here for the last 20 years," the old man said proudly.
"In that case, could you tell me about the aqueducts and the Isle of the Gods?"
"Heh... Of course."
The old man began with the aqueduct, which locals call the Sweetwater River, as it was built to supply Braavos with drinking water. The construction of the aqueduct was a necessity, as the brackish, dirty, and refuse-filled water of the city's canals was unfit for drinking. The aqueduct starts on the south side of the city and, crossing the Long and Green Canals, ends at the Moon Pool. This water conduit, made of grey stone and brick, supported by sturdy triple-tiered arches, brings fresh water from the mainland across muddy shallows and salt pans. The wealthy receive water directly to their homes via pipes, while others draw it with buckets from public fountains.
When I asked about the Long and Green Canals, the old man explained that these are Braavos's largest canals. The canal begins in the south of the city lagoon near the fish market, flows under the aqueduct and several bridges in the district known as the Ragman's Harbor, a unique place for people of modest income, towards the east. The Long Canal also allows for easy access to the city center, where the Palace of Truth lies to the northeast and the Iron Bank to the northwest. It's also not far from the towers of the aristocratic families of Braavos.
The Moon Pool, a pond with a fountain nearby, is surrounded by many of Braavos's most important places. As the Moon Pool is located south of the Sealord's Palace, not reaching the Iron Bank in the northeast of Braavos, the aqueduct that supplies fresh water to Braavos ends here. Some of the best taverns, inns, and brothels are located near the Moon Pool. Bravos often hold duels here at night.
"I recommend finding a hotel near the Moon Pool if you can," advised the old man sincerely.
"Indeed... Well, could you take me there? I don't mind spending a bit for my own comfort; after all, we only live once."
"Valar Morghulis," the old man said.
"Valar Dohaeris," I replied.
He looked at me in surprise and said, "Ho, I thought you hadn't been to Essos before. You look very much like a Northerner from Westeros."
"I haven't been to Essos, but I have some knowledge. By the way, I would like to know more about the bravos. What can you tell me about them?"
I had some knowledge and information about them; I knew they are combative swordsmen who use thin blades and practice a Braavosi fighting style called "Water Dancing." Bravos are hired for protection, often in pairs. They also serve as duelists, fighting to the death for their candidates following a dueling code. With hardly any armor and wielding thin pointed blades (much lighter than the long swords of Westeros), these street warriors prefer a quick and deadly style of fighting.
But that was all I knew, and I was eager to learn something new about them since they are a fascinating part of Braavosi culture.
"They are conceited fools, you can tell by the strong scent of the perfumed oils they use to make it difficult to grasp them during a fight," the old man said with evident dislike.
"And how experienced are they as fighters?" I asked, having developed quite a combat dependency while in this world.
"Hm... Want to fight them?" he asked, intrigued.
"That's exactly right."
"Well, listen, the most skilled among those fools call themselves water dancers, thanks to a tradition of conducting duels at the Moon Pool near the Sealord's Palace in Braavos. They say a true master can fight and kill an opponent without disturbing the water's surface. So that's where you should look; off-duty bravos like to roam the city at night in colorful clothes, starting fights over any slight, real or imagined; they consider it improper to challenge the unarmed. At least they have that going for them," the old man finished.
"Heh... Can't wait..."
An hour later
"Here we are," said the old man.
"Thank you, old man," I replied and headed towards the Moon Pool, as I remembered there were some pretty good taverns nearby.
"Well, wait for me, food..."
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