Red Viper Regiment

Over the next few weeks Victor and Oberyn spent time to explore Canahs and Lys together. As Victor has only recently turned 5, he didn't really see much of Lys by himself. He was very curious about the many attractions of Lys. Unfortunately for him and to the pain of Oberyn every noble family of Lys was aware of Victor and if any of them welcomed the 5-year-old into one of their pleasure houses hells would break lose. The thought of the gentle and kind Isabella forcing her husband to go to war with them led to a sudden outbreak of cold sweat.

Never mind, there were still many attractions in Lys that neither Oberyn nor Victor have ever seen:

The Temple of Trade - one of the many temples found within the city, the Temple of Trade has long been a sight of controversy after the death of Lysaro Rogare, son of Lysandro the Magnificent at the hands of an angry mob following a disagreement turned violently sour. The Rogare Family has since shunned the teachings of the temple, and all those who seek to find themselves on the side of one of the most powerful families in Lys echo their actions.

The Temple of R'hllor - Whilst the Faith of the Red God has lost popularity further north in Pentos in favor of the Church of Starry Wisdom, followers of R'hllor remain prolific within the Free City of Lys, their worship centered around the pale-orange stone temple found in the north of the city. Like Volantis, the temple is guarded by slave-warriors tattooed with the flames of their god.

The Bay of Lys - the waters around which the city of Lys is built are a wonder of their own. Home to a bounty of brightly colored life from silver-tipped sharks and striped eels to leatherback turtles and azure-shaded octopuses, the Bay not only provides a source of income for the fishermen of the city, but also an attraction for those who wish to marvel at the clear-blue waters and those that populate it. 

The Vineyards of Stone - the Free City of Lys is famed for its fine white wines, and the Vineyards of Stone is the name given to the street upon which storerooms and cellars filled with casks and bottles are stored before their transport across the Known World. Each major family of Lys owns half a dozen wine cellars upon the Vineyards of Stone, and many minor families vie control of those that remain. This was by far Oberyn's most favorite place, as they couldn't visit the Goddess' touch.

After spending a couple of fun weeks in Lys it was finally time to talk about building the sellsword regiment.

A Sellsword is a mercenary who hires out his services to the highest bidder. Inevitably, this sort of lifestyle involves a great deal of violence and physical exertion. Many sellswords are organized into companies. Some of the sellsword companies are very disciplined (such as the Silver Guild or Onyx Company), and some are nothing, but rabble joined together in search of loot (like the Brave Companions); the Second Sons and the Stormcrows are in the middle. Most tend to be experienced professional soldiers, as it is a profession a man tends to choose after he's tasted a few battles and learned that he's good at fighting.

The Free Cities have made heavy use of mercenaries for centuries, to fight their endless wars in the Stepstones and the Disputed Lands; as such there are more sellswords in Essos than in Westeros. Many of the mercenary soldiers of the east are organized into long-established sellsword companies, or "free companies". During the War of Unification, both the armies of the Kingdom of the Three Daughters and Lys utilised several sellsword companies.

Oberyn wanted to use some of his comrades from Dorne as part of the backbone leaders and Victor offered some of the elite soldiers of the Di Natale family. They came to the conclusion to fill the mercenary regiment solely with slaves trained by Victor's father.

To the surprise of Oberyn the position of the deputy commander of the soon to be famous Red Viper Regiment would fall upon a famous person: Attilius, hero of the arena.

"Attilius just recently turned into a father. Anika, once known as the most beautiful woman of Lys, gave birth to a son just last month. Both are quite the loving couple and I know Attilius wanted nothing more than that. But in the end war and fame is something truly addicting. Just recently Attilius suggested to complete some tasks for the family as just training new recruits and taking care of his family didn't fill him with as much joy as he always hoped for. If you fight wars all your life, if iron and blood is all you ever knew and desired, becoming a calm father just a year after being famous in the Known World for being the greatest gladiator was not what Attilius desired. Even Anika, after having a calm conversation, decided to agree to his return to the battlefield. Don't get me wrong, Anika loves her son and Attilius and is perfectly fine with their life, but if you marry the greatest warrior of Lys at his peak and must watch as he slowly turns into a boring old man, that was now what she desired and hoped for Attilius. So, we collectively decided to let Attilius join you in a new adventure in Essos, where we can support you at all times and control the risk of the journey as much as possible." Victor explained to Oberyn.

Oberyn was delighted to have Attilius join his sellsword regiment. The fame of the hero of the arena is an excellent asset for any sellsword company, let alone the fighting power of Attilius. Don't forget that Oberyn himself was witness to the amazing night of fighting that led to Attilius freedom and fame. Having such a disciplined war machine by his side was a major boost for Oberyn.

The only problem left to decide was the goal. Where should the Red Viper Regiment start? The Disputed Lands? Seems like a good idea at first, but honestly the investment of starting a mercenary company there would be immense. Let alone the dangers of the Disputed Lands. Tens if not hundreds of well-known mercenary companies are fighting all year round. The Di Natale family is especially aware of the death counts of the Disputed Lands as they supply the major mercenary companies on a regular basis.

Victor had a novel idea. Why not start with the Stepstones?