Free City of Volantis
Volantis is the oldest of the free cities and the first colony of the Valyrian Freehold, for which it is often known as Old Volantis or the ''First Daughter''.
Located on the coast of the Summer Sea and the mouth of the River Rhoyne, Volantis is a port city, and has one of the deepest harbors in the world, rivaling even Braavos. While ideally suited for trade, the cities proximity to water comes at a cost, as the city is extremely hot and humid, with even the nights being sweltering enough to drown a man in his own sweat, in addition to this the city has a stench to it, smelling of fish, elephant dung from the elephants that transport nobility throughout the streets, and sweat.
While one of the largest and most wealthy of the Free Cities, Volantis is a city of parallels, with this being best seen in the layout of the city, which is built on both sides of the mouth of the River Rhoyne. The nobility of the city, many of whom claim ancestry to old Valyria reside on the eastern bank of the city, which is protected by the Black Wall, two hundred feet in height and made of fused dragonstone, wide enough for six chariots to ride side by side at the top, which occurs every year to celebrate the founding of the city. Inside the walls are an innumerable amount of palaces, gardens, courtyards and temples, with the oldest districts of the city also being found on the eastern banks.
The other half of the city is found on the western bank and is much more populous, with most of the city's slave population residing here, as most of the Free Cities, Volantis is a slave city and the slaves in the city outnumber freedmen five to one. Slaves are branded on the face according to their order, with a tear branding representing a prostitute, and a wheel being found on a slave driver of the elephant drawn Hathays which transport people across the city.
The western bank is filled with markets, temples, taverns, brothels and slums, with the streets being overrun with the dwarf white elephants that are bred in Volantis to transport persons of importance from place to place. The Temple of the Lord of Light is also found on the eastern side of the city, and while burned to the ground by the dragon Meraxes years prior to 69 AC, at the time of our story it has since been rebuilt and the Red Priests of Rhllor have refounded the Fiery Hand, an order of slave soldiers bound to the temple.
The two banks of the city are connected by the Long Bridge, the largest bridge in the known world. A wide stone cobbled bridge, buildings, taverns, cvasse parlors, market stalls and brothels have attached to each side of the road like barnacles to a ship, and it can take hours to get across on a busy day.
The government of Volantis is similarly divided, with rulership of the city falling to the governance of three Triarchs, elected every year, with all freeborn landholders receiving a vote, winners of the elections are considered so important that their feet may not touch the city ground for the entirety of their year of service, traversing the city on the backs of elephants or in carts, litters, and palanquins.
Triarchs are elected from two political parties, the Elephants and the Tigers. Politicans from the Elephants are primarily traders and moneylenders, interested in commerce and mercantilism, while aristocrats from the Tigers are often members of old proud Valyrian families, and advocate for aggressive wars, conquest, and slave raids for the glory of Old Volantis.
While being the most powerful of the Free Cities, at the time of our story Old Volantis has entered a period of decline. A series of weak Triarchs and internal civil wars has led to many cities built along the banks of the River Rhoyne breaking away from Volantis and becoming independent city states, most notably Selhorys, Volon Therys and Valysar
The city has also lost its dragons at the time of our city, while Meraxes, largest dragon in the world was once under the influence of Volantis, the assasination of its rider by a jealous Triarch led to the dragon fleeing the city for the east, and the small dragon Chalfyre, hatched from an egg in the smoldering ruins of the Temple of the Lord of Light has gone missing along with its rider….