Braavos

Braavos is the wealthiest and one of the most powerful of the Free Cities of Essos, a great maritime city built upon a network of islands and lagoons in the far north of the western Essosi coast. Unlike the other Free Cities, which were founded as colonies of the Valyrian Freehold, Braavos was settled in secret by escaped slaves and grew into a proud, free, and immensely rich republic.

Braavos is famed for its canals and bridges, its bravos and water-dancers, its house of black and white where the Faceless Men dwell, and above all for the Iron Bank of Braavos, the most powerful financial institution in the known world, to which even kings are debtors.

Geography

The city is built across a lagoon, a maze of islands joined by stone bridges and laced with canals plied by the long boats called serpent boats. At its sea-gate stands the Titan of Braavos, a colossal statue of stone and bronze that strides the channel, its legs forming a gateway through which ships must pass and its eyes blazing as a beacon and a warning to enemies.

Braavos lies under frequent fog and lacks the harsh sun of the south. Notable sites include the Iron Bank, the Sealord's Palace, the Moonpool, the Purple Harbor and the Ragman's Harbor, and the House of Black and White, the temple of the Many-Faced God served by the Faceless Men.

History

Braavos was founded by slaves who escaped their Valyrian masters and fled to the hidden lagoon, keeping their refuge secret for generations until they were strong enough to reveal it. The city never knew slavery and made the abolition of the trade a point of pride and policy. It is ruled by a Sealord, chosen by the city's powerful families, and its wealth and sea power grew until it surpassed even the older Free Cities. After the Doom of Valyria, Braavos stood as the mightiest of the Free Cities.

In the story

Arya Stark flees to Braavos and comes to the House of Black and White, where she begins her training among the Faceless Men, the guild of assassins who serve the Many-Faced God. The Iron Bank of Braavos plays a growing role as the crown's debts to it mount; when the Iron Throne fails to pay, the Bank withdraws its support and lends instead to the throne's enemies, including Stannis Baratheon. Earlier, the exiled Targaryen children Viserys and Daenerys spent part of their childhood in a house in Braavos.