The King in the Narrow Sea
After receiving their payment, Tychus returned to Tyrosh along with Serenei, Titus and the Golden Company. He set himself up in the most heavily protected Manse to serve as his new home. The pit fighters Tychus had freed became the personal guards of her and her son, Beska and Amaya led the guards, and they became Serenei's closest friends. The Fangs of Maw were turned into a covert unit meant to handle the more subtle engagements, while the Forsaken became the Royal Guard. The next few years would be busy for Tychus and he immediately set to work. Tychus knew he would need to build up his new nation's economy in order to fund his endeavours. Fortunately, Tyrosh was already a wealthy city due to several exports including dye, pearl brandy, gilded armour and ornate helms as well as the slave trade. More importantly, Tyrosh was also one of the largest trading hubs in the world due to its strategic location between Westeros and Essos and one could say that it was the Qarth of the west. Not only did this make Tyrosh quite wealthy but it also provided a healthy source of income so the loss of the slave trade would amount to little more than a slap on the wrist for them. When Tychus sacked the city he gained the wealth and assets of all the nobles he had executed. But Tychus knew this wealth would not be enough so he needed a suitable replacement, and he believed that the answer was in trade. The islands or Tyrosh and the Stepstones by large spanned across the narrow sea between two major continents. This meant that it separated the major ports of the world not only the north from the south but in the case of Westeros separated the east from the west. It was a natural commerce chokepoint and if Tychus wanted control over it he would need the Stepstones, all of them.
First, he raised an army out of the sellswords that resided in the city and even brought his old band the Forsaken into his newfound army which increased their numbers. Taking Tyrosh also gave Tychus a sizable fleet of ships which would prove essential to his plans. With his invasion force assembled, Tychus began the subjugation of the Stepstones. There was little to stop him since the Stepstones didn't belong to anybody and whose population consisted mostly of disorganized pirates. Tychus systematically conquered the archipelago one island at a time dealing with numerous pirate dens as he went. The pirates in the Stepstones were given a simple choice, join Tychus or die. With every island he conquered, and each den he subdued his army and fleet swelled evermore. Instead of destroying the dens, Tychus decided to use them as a basis for new and proper settlements which would act as the stepping stones for Tychus to colonize the archipelago. Tychus renamed the Stepstones, the Nomenar Isles and declared himself King of the Narrow Sea.
Observing the going's on in Tyrosh with its new population of freed slaves, Tychus quickly recognised the popularity of the Faith of R'hllor in Essos. Even Tychus admitted he was intrigued. Mainly because it did seem that unlike the Seven this Red God had actual power. In order to gain favour with them, Tychus destroyed a portion of the mansion district in Tyrosh to make room for a huge Temple of the Lord of Light second only to the one in Volantis. This earned the attention of the Followers of R'hllor and sent one of their own to serve as an advisor and to represent their interests in the fledgeling kingdom, a Red Priest known as Moqorro the Black Flame. Moqorro was instantly welcomed into Tychus' court and became a principal advisor in his council. With Tychus' blessing, Moqorro was allowed to establish a new chapter of the fiery hand within the city. The temple was fortified and the Fiery Hand guarded it with 1,000 loyal followers of the Faith.
As an archipelago, the Nomenar Isles had an abundance of sea life so fishery would be an obvious alternative. The subjugation of the pirates also provided Tyrosh with new ships, ship with which he could either use for trading or piracy. Still, Tychus wanted to know what else the Isles had to offer and began probing his new kingdom for resources. sadly it turned out that the Stepstones didn't have any gemstones or precious metals. A few had had fertile land perfect for farming thanks and a few others had forests but this was hardly enough. But what all the Nomenar Isles did have in massive quantities was salt, coal, rocks, copper and iron ore, perfect for mining. Using the old pirate dens, Tychus established mining towns to take advantage of these resources. He set the former slaves to work here, though now they worked for wages and had homes of their own. Freed slaves were amusing to Tychus they were like small children who need direction after being let out of the house. Still Tychus cintinued to firmy believe that it was his duty to protect them though only because he saw them as extensions of his rule. Tychus spend the next three years building his new kingdom as ports were established in each isle. This gave Tyrosh an even tighter hold on trade in the narrow sea.
Once the Nomenar Isles were secured Tychus now decided to bring this control to the next stage. He met with Rollo Ryndoon and the other Trade Cartell underbosses to discuss this plan. Pooling their resources together, they started buying out independent merchants and drove any potential competitors out of business. By doing this they were able to assemble a massive fleet of trading cogs, carracks and caravels that would create a trade network that would trade throughout the coastlines of the world delivering and exchanging goods and commodities. Tychus had the captured slave ships and any pirate ship not suited for war to be added to the fleet. Thus the Stepstone Trading Company was born and Tyrosh now had unrivalled control over commerce in the narrow sea. The Company established trading posts in Westeros, the Free Cities, Slaver's Ba, Qarth and even as far as Ib and the Summer Isles. This was not only to expand their influence but also gain a hand in the greater variety of goods that were otherwise unavailable to them.
His fleet regularly patrolled the area seizing every slaver ship they could and extorting from rival trading guilds and cities in exchange for safe passage. To protect his traders Tychus began expanding his armada as well so he commissioned Braavos to build new ships for him. Nomenar war galleys were quadriremes with 80 oars organized in two levels with a pair of men per oar. In addition to oars, they also had three masts used huge lateen sails for extra propulsion. With help from Braavos, the Nomenar armada was able to expand to 300 strong. In addition to the war galleys, Nomenar also made use of longships for river and shallow water operations. War galley's typically carried 80 soldiers for defense while Longships carried 40 men on them.
With such a large number of ships under his employ, it was only a matter of time before one of them encountered the reavers of the Iron Islands and eventually, that's exactly what happened. A large carrack of the company was set upon by reavers from Pyke. After tracking the ship down Tychus sent a raven to Pyke asking for its return, Lord Balon refused as Tychus knew he would, claiming that his men had 'paid' for it. Tychus used this as a vindication and prepared to retaliate. With a plan already devised Tychus assembled a small force of longships of his own. Tychus sailed to the Iron Islands and launched a night raid on Lordsport intending to steal a prize of his own. The attack was so swift and sudden that the ironborn didn't know what had happened until it was long over and Tychus captured the largest warship at anchor. As it turned out the Warship was none other than the Great Kraken, the Flagship of the Iron Fleet and the personal vessel of Balon Greyjoy Lord of the Iron Islands. Tychus decided to make the Great Kraken the new flagship of his own armada. He hired carpenters from Ib to improve the integrity of the hull and had ironworkers redesign the Kraken prow so that it looked like it had the front half of a shark with tentacles for a tail. Tychus rearmed his ship with ballistas and renamed his new ship 'Nagga's Wrath'. The then sent another raven to Pyke saying, 'You paid the Iron Price, now so have I, a ship for a ship, Fair Trade.'
With his trade enterprise established, Tychus decided to use his wealth to fund a risky but promising venture, sellswords. The business of sellswords was a tricky one, they tended to be unreliable and you didn't know what you would be getting ranging from skilled to incompetent and from scum to killers with a code. Many sellswords join Companies but even this had its problems. The lowest of the low would form what was little more than a band of raiders like the Brave Companions, while otherwise decent companies are under the command of scoundrels such as the Second Sons under Mero or Braavos. Other companies were highly specialized which limited their versatility. Companies like the Long Lances, the Stormcrows, and the Hundred Lances were strictly Cavalry based. But in general, most sellsword companies followed the same pattern, a band of soldiers desperate for work cobbled together, with mismatched equipment and poor discipline. It didn't help that most didn't really have many men. with numbers ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand at best. Of all these sellsword companies, only the Golden Company could be considered a legitimate threat. Well trained, well equipped, well organized and most important of all reliable. The only problem was that they were far too expensive for most people to hire.
Tychus recognised that what was needed was a system that allowed the client to hire companies that varied in both size and composition. So Tychus began gathering all the freelancing sellswords he could possibly find. He also looked to his homeland to bolster his numbers and dispatched several of the Fangs of Maws to find recruits. Aegon Bloodborn looked for outlaws, Lothar Brune searched for mercenaries and Ser Russell sought out rogue knights. All three groups joined for various reasons. Outlaws to escape justice, Hedge Knights to belong and sellswords for employment. He also sought out sellsails like Armiral Morosh and the Jolly Fellows in order to provide, services at sea as well as land. Once they were assembled he separated them based on skill (Horsemen, Archers and foot soldiers), then on nationality since specific peoples tended to have a talent in a certain area, Summer Islanders made the best archers, Dothraki, the best light cavalry, Westerosi, the best heavy horse and the Ironborn the best seamen. All of which were gathered to form a private army company known as the BloodStar Initiative.
Tyrosh became a huge mercenary hub becoming 'THE place to buy mercenaries.' The BloodStar Initiative started selling the services of its sellswords to clients thus becoming a nation for hire. The concept of the mercenary army was to fulfil the client's needs. If they needed a unit that specialized in a certain field, done; if they needed an assortment of various troops, done; If they needed a certain number ranging from a band to a full-fledged army, done. Regardless of the specifics, BloodStar would be able to provide. Another aspect of BloodStar was that all contracts had to be honoured by both parties. If the clients failed to pay their due than BloodStar would execute them and seize their assets or if it was a city than the city would be razed. If a portion of the company sent to do a job fled from battle, then they would be hunted down. Once captured, one in every ten men was selected and beaten to death by his fellow subordinates before the survivors were brought back into the company. As a result, BloodStar contracts would never be breached.
By this point, the BloodStar Initiative had no less than 100,000 Sellswords under its employ and naturally, Tychus conscripted the best ones into the Golden Company intending to remould it into his image. Under Tychus, the Golden Company doubled in size and possessed 6 types of Troops, 2,000 heavy cavalry; 2,000 light cavalry; 8,000 heavy infantry, 6,000 light infantry, 2,000 archers and 40 elephants. Heavy cavalry was made up of westerosi knights generally heavily armoured, rode zorses and were armed with sword staffs and a modified version of an Ikakalaka. Light cavalry consisted exclusively of Tychus' Dothraki who were trained to use both the Arahk and the recurve bow equally. Heavy infantry were halberdiers, heavily armoured men on foot whose main weapon was an 8-foot halberd. Light infantry was lightly armoured but made up for it with by having large shields and spears. Aside from their primary weapons, the Golden Company's backup weapons varied from longswords, axes, war hammers and maces which they learned dual-wield. Another unique feature was that the shields now took on a Lozenge-diamond shape five feet tall and three feet wide. When asked about the design Tychus reasoned that the side corners could bash enemies while the bottom corners could be stuck more easily into the ground. The success of the Golden Company soared, due to the attributes that won him his generalship, they defeated their enemies quicker and suffered fewer casualties. So the profits of the Golden Company rose and those who were previously wary of Tychus had their doubts quashed. The Golden Company continued doing contracts throughout Essos with their clients ranging from Braavos, Qohor, Volantis and especially Lys, with assignments that varied from trade wars on behalf of Lys to collecting debts for the Iron Bank. When it came to assignments from Qohor Tychus would always ask for Qohorik steel as a side payment exclusively for the Fangs of Maw and the Golden Company, only the best for his men.
Between BloodStar, the Company, and the Stepstones many industries, Tyrosh's wealth soared considerably. But if Tychus learned anything from his father it was that for any good business venture it served one well to establish a line of credit, and for this, he would need the Rogare Bank. At it's current standing the Rogare Bank was a shell of its former self so Tychus made it a mission to make it a powerhouse once again. So Tychus began working with Sharako to expand the Bank to other cities. This was where his father's teachings would be put to the ultimate test. Being the son of the man who pulled house Lannister from the brink of destruction certainly taught Tychus a few things about efficiency. To start the restoration of the Rogare Bank, Tychus offered Sharako control over Tyrosh's bank if he invested in Tyrosh's shipping enterprise. This investment helped in the conception of the Stepstone Trading Company. After the success of the investment, Tychus was able to convince his brother in law to invest in the Bloodstar Initiative allowing it to get off the ground. Between the success of the two companies and the absorption of the Tyrosh bank, The Rogare bank's power and influence were able to increase. Tychus used the Golden Company as an enforcement unit cracking down on anyone who still owed a debt. Those that couldn't or refuse to pay were eliminated and their assets absorbed by the Bank.
Tychus wanted a more suitable seat for the new power in the narrow sea. While his Mansion in Tyrosh was luxurious, Tychus desired something militant to better fit his station. Searching the isles for a suitable location, he finally found one on Bloodstone. An abandoned castle built into the crater of a dead volcano overlooking the port of Torture's Deep. But this was no pirate-made den, but none other than the seat of one who conquered the islands and crowned himself king nearly 2 centuries ago. The Rogue Prince Daemon Targaryen. Daemon had the mighty fortress build during his brief 6-year reign over the Stepstones. Though long forgotten and abandoned the fortress remained now surrounded by a lake that had formed in the crater which provided a natural moat and a limitless freshwater supply. With the location chosen Tychus assembled an army of workers led by the best masons in the east to make his vision a reality. Taking what he had learned about castles like Storm's End, the Eyrie, Pyke, Harrenhal and most of all his former home Casterly Rock, Tychus wanted to make sure his new fortress was impregnable and the envy of Essos. Over the years Tychus would add his own defensive measures to make it as impregnable as possible. Tychus named the volcano Mount Dominion and his new fortress Defiance Peak.
From Torturers Deep a winding road stretched from the city all the way to a series of switchbacks which ran up the side of the volcano to the main gatehouse. The Main Gatehouse consisted of three gates and two walls in a semicircle and connected by a stairway. The outer wall possessed several bastions with its gate facing the northwest and the inner wall was slightly higher with its gate facing northeast. The corridor between these two walls was too narrow for a ram to be brought up. The third and final gate was defended by two fat round towers that guarded a tunnel which ran through the wall of the crater. All three gates consisted of a portcullis and thick oaken double doors. Behind the final gate was a tunnel running through the volcano which led to a causeway just wide enough for a cart to pass that connected the fortress to the gatehouse.
While Daemon's castle couldn't follow valyrian building methods, it did follow a valyrian design with elongated corners and the walls comprised of Triangular bastions and guard towers were placed at each point the bastion's meet. The gatehouse of Defiance Peak is recessed in between the two center Bastions and further protected by a seesaw drawbridge. Finally came the main keep which was shaped like a four-point star. Tychus used a good part of his fortune restoring the fortress and refurbishing it before moving in and making it his power base.
Despite working tirelessly to make Nomenar into a powerhouse in the world stage, He was determined to not become like his father and did his best to find time for his wife and child despite all the work he had to do. Through self-discipline and practising good working habits, he managed to divide his time between statecraft and his family. Serenei did her best to help him in his endeavours sometimes ruling as regent when he was away on other business. Tychus himself was relieved to have such a wild and capable woman as his wife. Not long after reuniting, their marriage proved to be as fruitful as ever. In just the first year of their second night together Serenei gave birth to a golden-haired girl whom Tychus named Myrcella. More children would follow soon after Garion, Tylor, Daena, Lelia, Viggo, Jason and Bree. These children got Tychus thinking about his numerous bastards so he made plans to make futures for them not only to secure them firmly under him but also to use them to further his own ends. With this in mind, he gave them the surname of extinct houses such as Reyne, Mudd, Hoare, Dryland, Darklyn, Toyne and Woodfoot and set them up with Fangs of Maw to serve as apprentices. They would be educated, trained in arms and when the time came, sent out into the world. Tychus' bastards would later form a gang known as the IronClaws.
Tychus also used this opportunity to expand his band, recruiting more skilled warriors into the Fangs of Maw. They included a butcher from Astapor named Cleon and Bravo swordsmen Terro and Orbelo. Mad Jak, along with the Smiling Knight and Fletcher Dick became part of Tychus' personal guard. Tychus' guard was a diverse group of highly skilled individuals with a talent for each of them. They were Long Tom a blind reaver from the Shadowlands, Qwinn an Ibbenese harpoonist, Dargo a vicious Dothraki, Shakahaya, an archer from the Summer Isles, Inigo a Braavosi Water Dancer, Zhenfan, a Yi Tish martial artist and finally one of the most dangerous members, Gawlotes. Gawlotes was a 9 foot, 9 inch Sarnori giant, his main weapons were two massive war hammers made entirely of steel. The Fangs often described him as a living battering ram.
Though not all the members of the Maw were warriors a few had other talents such as Qyburn and Moqorro and among these select few were Robert Hunt and Kravras. Robert Hunt was once a member of the Alchemist Guild, a star pupil in their ranks Robert was poised to become a Wisdom. He had been working on a way to turn wildfyre into a ship-mounted weapon, but before he could put it to the test Tywin Lannister's men sacked the city, destroying his research and forcing him to flee. Though his work was gone his knowledge on how to make wildfyre was not and he found himself in the employ of The King in the Narrow Sea as the Grand Master of his own secret order of Pyromancers that had knowledge of the Wildfyre Plot who fled to escape persecution from the newly crowned King Stannis. Kravras is a Warlock from the east who worked closely with Robert and together with the Former Maester Qyburn formed the Triad of Enlightenment. An order dedicated to unlocking the secrets to magic and other 'higher arts'. Practises that were usually forbidden in places like Westeros were given all but free reign in Nomenar. They were based on the smallest of the Nomenar Islands were they were less likely to trouble anyone. These three men would join Serenei, Rollo Ryndoon and Moqorro as members of his council.
Then, one day, Tychus decided to embark on his most daring adventure yet, He travelled to the ruins of Valyria in search of treasures to expand his wealth. Though most people feared going there, the Fangs were unfazed, eager for adventure, treasure and a chance to truly test their mettle. After all, Tychus had not chosen these men for their martial skills alone. In Valyria they fought their way through monsters and stone men. and recovered many treasures of gems, minerals, precious metals. But Tychus himself found something even greater, a small cache of Valyrian steel including a Valyrian steel suit of armour. Tychus would later have a metalworker from Qohor rework the rest of it into a pair of battle axes. But the greatest prize was yet to come. Sailing through the Smoking Sea, Tychus discovered the wreckage of a once-great fleet. The Fangs began salvaging everything they could and explored the area surrounding the wrecks. In one particular cave, Tychus found the skeleton of a man in gilded ornate armour and wearing a magnificent crown in his hand was a valyrian steel sword with a lion's head on its pommel. It didn't take Tychus long to connect the dots and figure out who the corpse was, whose fleet was now smashed on the shores and what the sword the man was holding was. King Tommen II Lannister and the long lost Brightroar. For the longest time, Tychus stared at the bones of his ancestor. thinking about the hundred different scenarios that led him to this unfortunate fate. With help from the Triad, they helped cleanse the items with special fire in case they were infected with greyscale. Tychus had his ancestor's bones put in a chest and instead of keeping the sword he wrapped it up intending to send it to Casterly Rock. 'Jaime was always the better swordsman,' Tychus thought, 'I know he will put it to better use than I could.' In any case, he already had a sword in the form of Blackfyre.
The Nomenar Isles were now a small yet thriving nation. Yet for all his success and all that he had built so far, Tychus had not forgotten his original goal, his revenge against his father. Father had risen far in his youth but Tychus planned to rise higher still. The Stepstones had been a feat but in the end, it was a mere appetizer, after all, Tychus wasn't called the Hungry Lion for nothing. He yearned for sweeter meat but he wasn't stupid. Looking west he saw a united continent under the management of capable, ruthless and efficient men. But to look east he saw a complete mess run by greedy, lazy merchant princes and moronic bourgeois slavers, and run into the ground by raiding nomads. A land of jackals and vultures, a tree ripe for the picking. Tychus almost licked his teeth at the thought, 'finger-licking good.'