Myr

Myr is one of the nine Free Cities of western Essos. It sits on the eastern shore of the Sea of Myrth. Myr has recently experienced a renaissance of sorts, resulting a number advancements in learning and production.

Location and Layout
The walled city of Myr is located on the fertile "heel" of Essos, where an ancient Valyrian dragonroad on the mainland meets the Sea of Myrth. Temples and shrines for many different gods can be found along the waterfronts and streets. Myrish ships have sailed the narrow sea for hundreds of years. An ancient, but well-maintained wall encompasses the entirety of the city. Three gates allow entrance by land, while several harbor gates allow access from the sea.

Notable Places
City Gates
 * Silver Gate, leads north to the Flatlands.


 * Horse Gate, leads east, to the Dothraki Sea.


 * Slaver’s Gate, leads south to the Disputed Lands.


 * Harbor Gates, portals of varying sizes allow access from the harbor into the city.

Streets, Squares, and others
 * Prince’s Plaza - Located in the center of the city, designated for commerce and festivities.


 * Philosopher’s Tower - The meeting place and residence for members of the Conclave of Myr, overlooks the Prince’s Plaza.


 * Street of Antiquity - A well manicured street lined with artisanal shops, runs from the harbor to the Silver Gate.


 * Street of Progress - A smoky, industrial street lined with smithies, apothecaries, and such, runs from the harbor to the Slaver's Gate.


 * Crimsonpeak - Wealthy residential area, located in the northern part of the city.


 * Shadowside - Slums of the city, located in the eastern part of the city.


 * The Bastion - Military barracks tower, and residence of the Prince-Admiral, overlooks the harbor.


 * Leather and Lace - The oldest and finest tavern in the city, located in the heart of the Prince’s Plaza, where every comfort and whim is catered to, provided price is no object.

People
Some maesters believe Myrmen are descended from the Rhoynar, as many of the Myrmen share their olive skin and dark hair, but this theory is disputed. Myrmen speak a dialect of bastard Valyrian, and the Common Tongue spoken with a Myrish accent can sound sultry.

Myr is ruled by a conclave of magisters, chosen from amongst the most wealthy and noble men of the city. The magisters give lavishly to passing Dothraki khals to prevent their khalasars from sacking the city. The Conclave also elects the Prince-Admiral, a military commander, to handle martial matters.

A slave city, Myr has three slaves for every freeborn. The slaves in Myr are collared and branded. There are those in the city who have Unsullied in their service.

The Myrmen fight often with Tyrosh and Lys over the Disputed Lands, though they will not risk the lives of their citizens in this, preferring to hire free companies instead. Myrmen often use crossbows, and bravos can be found in Myr as well. Myrish pirates often have nests in the Stepstones.

The makeup of the current citizenship is diverse, with freedmen and nobility alike claiming roots and religions from all over the known world.

Economy
Myr is considered to be among the most advanced of the Free Cities, and is famed for its arts and learning. Their main exports are finished goods, such as carpets and lace. The best glass and lenses come from Myr, and lenscrafters from Myr are considered to be without equal in all the world. Myrish lenses are known to have been used in in Winterfell and Castle Black

The artisans of Myr, many born as slaves, are greatly renowned. Goods from Myr include pale green nectar wine, carpets, screens,blankets mirrors, and lace. Myrish lace and tapestries are said to be worth their weight in gold and spice. The tapestries woven in Myr are more costly than those from Qohor. Myrish paintings and miniatures are regarded highly, and have a vivid style. Myr also produces thin stilettos and fire wine. Myrish fire is a healing herb used to treat cuts.

Escaping the War of the Narrows relatively unscathed provided Myr with a period of economic advantage over rivals Lys and Tyrosh. This sudden prosperity gave rise to a rapid innovation and advancement. Myrish goods have increased in quality, and new, previously unheard of wonders are now available.

The War in the Narrows
At the start of the fourth century, the Targaryens reconquered Westeros, with Myr doing their best to keep well away from any resulting blood splatters or dragonfire singe. However in 332 AC, the dragon knocked on her walls, and the Conclave of Myr was forced to take action. Baelon Targaryen arrived on Leviathan at the head of his army, and the Myrmen did what they do best, wined and dined the invaders, and made all sorts of promises just to get them to leave. Thus the tenuous Leviathan’s Triarchy was completed, but Baelon was not satisfied.

As expected, the Leviathan’s Maw moved on from Myr, marching on Volantis, wounding the First Daughter city, and putting the rest of Essos on notice. But it was notice from his brother, King Rhaegar of Westeros, that won Baelon’s attentions, and he turned his sights westward, which would ultimately result in the climactic battles of The War in the Narrows. Meanwhile, Volantis, licking their wounds, marched on Myr, and once again, the compliant city welcomed the invaders in, breaking the empty alliance with the Triarchy.

This time honored tactic by the Conclave proved fruitful, for Baelon recklessly pushed the armies of Lys and Tyrosh to a bloody defeat, culminating in the death of the wayward Prince of Lys in 334 AC. While the city of Myr paid a few tributes to satisfy the invading Volantene forces, and returned to business as usual.

However, it was not business as usual for the decimated cities of Lys and Tyrosh, therefore Myr enjoyed quite a significant economic advantage over their rivals. Greater chunks of trade routes and territories had been carved out, shipping fleets untouched by the war, grew larger, and coin streamed profusely into her coffers. Also of note, such prosperity attracted fleeing refugees of the Red God Revival, resulting in a somewhat significant presence of the fiery faith in a city known for its wide religious diversity.

Age of Innovation
Decades after reaping the benefits of such economic growth, the more innovative of Myr became intellectually and financially emboldened to experiment and take risks. Such inspiration ultimately resulted in significant improvements to their famed goods, and the production of new ones, the likes of which the world had never seen. Hawkers of the new and improved wares would claim Myrish crossbow bolts could pierce any armor, Myrish silks could make any freedman feel like a king, Myrish healing remedies could bring any infirmed back from the brink of death, and Myrish steel rivaled that of Valyrian.

With this renaissance of sorts, came opportunity for those hungry enough to snatch it, catapulting the status of middling merchant families who had invested heavily in this technological advancement. Amassing enough wealth to garner significant political clout, these ‘Jadro Mezhah’ - Dothraki words for ‘Vulture Whores’, a disdainful moniker coined by the more established houses of Myr - eventually earned themselves seats on the Conclave.

Recent History (408-418)
All good things come to an end, and eventually Myr lost their trade advantage over their rival sister cities, with Lys and Tyrosh finally recovered from the conflicts of the last century. Innovation in Myr still progresses, albeit at a far slower pace. Also of note, while the recent prosperity padded the waistlines of the wealthy, the lower crust freedmen of the city did not see so much of a copper of that burgeoning wealth trickle into their coffers. Anger at such perceived injustice has fueled the rise of the seedy underbelly of the city, hoping to claim a piece of the golden pie through more shadowy methods.

Despite these internal concerns, peace in the merchant city has reigned, until 415 AC, when persistent rumors whirled of an ominous growing force within the Stepstones, and a new Targaryen coming to power. Finally, in 416 AC, Tyrosh proposed a revival of the Triarchy to deal with this serious threat, but the Conclave of Myr, highly influenced by the ancient House Drahar, issued a flat rejection. However, when the Jadro Mazhah Houses, nervous of losing their newfound wealth, vehemently pressed the Conclave to reconsider, another ancient family, House Sarmyr, backed the movement, tipping the vote to the acceptance of the formation of the Kingdom of Three Daughters.

At the turn of the year 418 AC, the newly formed Triarchy has officially been formulated, and a celebration commemorating the occasion has been planned, with the worrisome Stepstone Targaryen invited as an honored guest, and the city of Myr as its host. Some would say this revelry is tactics as usual for the city, wining and dining any looming threats, others would argue the Conclave wished to carefully scrutinize this new dragonrider, Aeryn Targaryen, to see if influences could be gained, while the more cynical proclaimed this was simply Myr showing off its recently acquired wealth.