Green thumb

Fragment of "Dawn of a Pioneer" First Book of Volume I - By Dra. Lorenza Martell, Dean of Avalon University, written in the year 450 AD.

Prince Doran showed his high intellect at a young age, beginning his studies under the tutelage of Sunspear's maesters at the tender age of three. At the age of four he decided that the pace of the maesters was too slow, he did not feel challenged so he asked his grandmother to give him permission to continue his studies at the Old Citadel, after several weeks of arguments the Princess of Dorne agreed.

At the age of four he set out for Oldtown accompanied by his uncle, Prince Lewyn, and a dozen young Dornish noblemen. During his years at the Old Citadel the young prince impressed the greatest scholars of the time with his intelligence, and after three years he managed to forge 21 links, one on each subject taught at the Citadel.

The reason why the young prince decided to leave Oldtown was not because he felt that he could no longer learn anything new there, it was because he felt great frustration with the methodology of the Old Citadel. The process of making an invention public was so tedious and long that Prince Doran publicly lost his patience for the first time in his life, the discussion he had with Archmaester Pycelle and Seneschal Harry was heard by dozens of students.

Returning home he used the wealth he amassed with his toy company (Hogwarts Toy Company) to finance his inventions. Many wondered why he didn't use House Martell's wealth to finance his research, although Prince Doran never gave a public answer to that question, it's quite easy to guess why. After all the frustration he felt every time he tried to get one of his inventions public during his time at the Old Citadel, it's no wonder the prince wanted more independence, not having to rely on someone else's permission to make his inventions public.

When one thinks of the great inventor Doran Nymeros Martell one thinks of the printing press or the air balloon but his first inventions were not scientific in nature. Prince Doran's first invention was a board game, a game that every child in the world has played at some point, Twins, also known today as Pairs or Doubles.

Twins was the first game of many, Hogwarts Toy Company, which remains the most famous game manufacturing company in the world, is testament to the prince's love of games. Many speculate that since Westeros lacked child-friendly forms of entertainment, the genius boy used his intellect and imagination to create some. Others say that Prince Doran created his vast toy business empire out of love for his little siblings, since prince Mors in his youth was the greatest admirer of prince Doran`s games. In truth the reason why the young genius created so many games is not important, what is important is the obvious genius that those games are proof of.

Prince Doran created Chess when he was just five year old; The most famous strategy game in the world was created by a five-year-old boy. If that isn't proof enough of the prince's intellect, nothing is.

His many games started his fame as a prodigious inventor. This fame grew even more when he returned to Sunspear after three years of studying abroad. Returning home the prince wasted no time in increasing his great fame as an intellectual and inventor.

The first thing he did upon returning home was to save the life of his younger brother, Prince Olyvvar Nymeros Martell. The umbilical cord had been wrapped around the baby's neck, at that time neonatal medicine did not yet exist and Maester Wulfric (one of the maesters who served at Sunspear) did not know how to deal with that situation. Prince Doran took control of the situation and saved the life of his little brother, something that increased his fame even more and earned him the trust and respect of many (most importantly his grandmother).

Several days later Prince Doran visited the solar of his grandmother, Princess Dorna, to talk to her about his future projects. What was said in that room nobody knows but the now deceased Prince Doran and Princess Dorna. What we do know is that Princess Dorna granted him some acres of land a few kilometers from the capital of Dorne, where Prince Doran built his laboratories and research centers, the prototype of what in a few years would be the first university in the world.

The first invention that the prince made public was none other than the printing press, Doran Nymeros Martell's Printing Press (model A1) was completed in the thirteenth month of the year 254 AC and it changed the world.

Shortly after inventing the printing press, Prince Doran revolutionized agriculture. The first thing he did was implement a new form of agriculture designed for the dry, arid soil of the desert on several farms he purchased. The new farming method involved mixing a special type of clay with water and binding it to sand to condition the desert soil.

"The treatment that the clay coating gives the sand completely changes its physical properties and allows it to bond with water" -Doran Nymeros Martell

The secret was in the clay, because it was not any type of clay that anyone could access. This clay, called Aqua, is the product of mixing several ingredients that for many years were a well-kept secret.

The process allows the transformation of low-quality sandy soils into high-yielding agricultural land in half a day. The result is land every bit as fertile as the one you'll find on the Reach.

"We simply mix clay in water that is inserted into the sand and creates a half-meter layer in the soil that turns the sand into fertile soil," said Prince Doran, describing the procedure to Princess Rhaella Targaryen.

The science behind this procedure is quite simple, normal sand particles are very loose, which means they have a low water holding capacity. By adding the special clay created by Prince Doran to the sand, these particles bind together, which makes them retain water longer; increasing its agricultural yield exponentially.

Thanks to this, the water needed was reduced by 80%, that is, with the same water they used to irrigate one one-acre field, they could irrigate five one-acre fields. Since water is more valuable than gold in the desert, this had a huge impact on the kingdom's economy. With the same water they could irrigate much more land, the now fertile fields allowed the cultivation of a large number of crops that previously had to be imported,...

The Agricultural Revolution initiated by the prince did not stop there. Prince Doran created new and innovative forms of irrigation, much more efficient than the existing ones, which allow better control and channeling of water. Before most of the water used for irrigation came from the few rivers that cross the desert, Prince Doran developed a way to desalinate seawater allowing its use for irrigation; which turned the shores of Dorne into fertile agricultural fields.

His other agricultural inventions include the seeder, seed selection, new methods of fertilization, steel ploughs, ...

All this had a great impact on the world economy, as Prince Doran made several deals with any lord willing to implement his methods and inventions. It is estimated that Prince Doran made over 50,000 golden dragons by selling new farming techniques to Westerosi lords, and much more gold by selling his farming tools throughout the Known World.

Thanks to the Hogwarts Toy Company, the prince already had contacts in the world of trade, so starting a new company dedicated to the sale of his inventions was very easy, The Sun Trade Company was created in the year 255AC.

***

Dorne, Docks of Planky Town.

"Hey you!" A middle-aged man shouts looking up at the highest yard of the main mast of the impressive ship, a beautiful galleon fresh from the Sunspear shipyard.

There, more than ten meters high, lying in the yard as if it were a hammock, is a young lad. The lad turns his head and looks towards the port officer, pointing a finger at himself as if to ask "Me?"

"Yes, you!" yells the officer. "Get down from there, you idiot!"

The lad ignores his screams and continues to enjoy the mid-afternoon sun.

The officer started yelling at him even more, but seeing that the lad kept ignoring him he started muttering to himself.

"Damn brats, they think they can do whatever they want without any consequences. I'll teach you a lesson." The officer picked up a rock and raised his hand to throw it at the lad.

Someone grabs his hand before he can throw the rock.

"Who the hell-" The officer turns to see an imposing knight looking at him with a frown.

"Throw that rock and you'll lose your head old man." The coldness in the knight's blue eyes makes the officer pale a ghostly white.

`Those eyes... He's not bluffing, he will kill me. Who is that boy?`

Realizing that the boy is someone important, since no ordinary boy could afford the services of a knight, even less so a knight as intimidating as this one, the officer began to stammer a thousand apologies.

"I'm sorry, it's just that it's forbidden to get on these boats. I didn't know-"

The knight silences him and dismisses him, seeing the opportunity to escape without punishment, the terrified officer runs away.

The knight watches as the officer runs off before sighing in annoyance and turning his gaze up.

"Did you enjoy the show?" He yells looking at the lad who is still lying with one arm under his head and one leg dangling.

The lad raises a hand and shows him a gesture that would be strange to most, but the knight, after serving his liege for so many years, recognizes it as an affirmative sign. The gesture consists of a clenched fist with the thumb straight.

"And he wanted us to remain incognito during this trip..."