Zalyne Conspiracy

The decadence of contemporary Braavosi politics was best embodied by the Zalyne Conspiracy, in which one of the city’s great houses bargained with foreign powers to steal an election and ensure dynastic control over the position of Sealord. Though it was initially successful, suspicion has recently arisen among the Braavosi elite. The incumbet Sealord Syrio Zalyne - the key beneficiary of the plot - has thus spent the last few years hampered by controversy.

The Conspiracy
The plot began in 417 AC, when the previous Sealord, the venerable Tycho Zalyne, realized that his son was unlikely to win election as his successor - and began to dread the consequences of such an outcome. His tenure as Sealord had been long but lackluster, and by its latter half, most of the city’s magisters had lost confidence in the Zalynes. Though he could have been content to allow a peaceful and legitimate transfer of power, Tycho had for long exploited his position to his family’s benefit - and he feared that his likely successor would bring his house’s crimes to light.

The Zalynes, however, were neither wealthy enough to bribe the entire conclave nor notorious enough to win through blackmail and intimidation. Instead, Tycho Zalyne once again wielded his lingering authority to turn the tides in his favor. For support in this plot, he looked beyond the boundaries of Braavos - particularly toward Pentos and the Seven Kingdoms.

The Iron Bank had for long coveted business with the Iron Throne, which had seen a marked decline over the previous century. In this, Tycho Zalyne saw an opportunity to exploit the diplomatic stature of his office - but he knew that there was too great a risk to opening such negotiations directly. Needing the discretion of an intermediary, he turned to Pentos, whose magisters were ever eager to gain more autonomy from their Braavosi overlords. Having always found the Zalynes’ corruption agreeable to their own ends, the Pentoshi accepted this offer, and dispatched an envoy to King’s Landing in 419 AC - the final year of Visaera’s reign.

Moreo Mopatis arrived ostensibly to negotiate a trade dispute between Pentos and the Triarchy, but his true mission was to facilitate the trade between Braavos and Westeros. The bargain was simple: the Iron Throne would agree to higher interest rates from the Iron Bank, and would in exchange secure an alliance and a favorable trade agreement with Braavos - both of which could help the Seven Kingdoms circumvent the Triarchy’s growing power over trade in the Narrow Sea. To cement this agreement, however, the Zalynes requested a royal bride for Tycho’s grandson, Luco. Though the Queen was inclined to find a Braavosi marriage beneath one of her own blood, she decided that such a betrothal would be acceptable for her illegitimate granddaughter, Visenya Silvermoon.

The Election
Visaera perished before her negotiations with Moreo Mopatis were finalized, but her successor, Rhaegar II, heeded the Small Council’s suggestion that he continue her course. In 421 AC, the Iron Throne’s new relationship with the Iron Bank took effect, and its head, Brusco Nestoris, turned his family’s magisters to the side of the Zalynes. Three years later, following the Sealord’s death, the conclave narrowly elected Syrio Zalyne to succeed him - to both the surprise and outrage of many Braavosi magisters, who had for long expected the more capable Roggo Prestayn to win the election.

The legitimacy of Syrio’s victory, however, was not immediately questioned - and he was thus able to maintain the mediocrity of his father’s rule. He implemented the reforms requested by the Pentoshi, and in 426 AC, a royal delegation arrived in Braavos to witness the wedding of Visenya Silvermoon and Luco Zalyne. Already, the new Sealord was confident that his office would belong to his house for generations to come - but suspicion and resentment began to emerge the following year.

The Consequences
Since the day of the electoral upset, the young magister Allaquo Antaryon had been the most outspoken critic of the Zalyne regime. It was Luco’s marriage to a Targaryen that prompted him to begin casting doubt on the election’s legitimacy, and though few were inclined to believe his bold claims, Syrio Zalyne believed it would be prudent to silence him. He attempted to appease the still unmarried Allaquo by helping him secure a marriage into Pentos’ wealthiest family. This ploy initially seemed to work, with Allaquo ceasing his criticism by the middle of 427 AC - but the Pentoshi overestimated the intended severity of the scheme. After he arrived in Pentos for his wedding, Allaquo Antaryon was poisoned - and much of the Braavosi elite immediately suspected the Zalynes of the crime. Syrio Zalyne was outraged at his Pentoshi allies for their rashness, but there was little he could do to punish them.

At the start of 428 AC, Luco Zalyne and Visenya Silvermoon traveled to King’s Landing for the marriage of her brother, the Prince of Dragonstone, to her eldest sister. There, Luco’s homesick wife convinced him that they should reside in the Red Keep for the next few years. To that end, Luco convinced his father to recall Braavos’ current ambassador to the royal court and appoint him in his stead. This arbitrary decision only worsened the image of the Zalynes at home; Syrio’s corruption had become far more transparent than that of the late Tycho. The situation only became more confounding after the mysterious death of Luco Zalyne in 429 AC. Though the crime remains unresolved, it offered the Sealord a pretext to declare himself a victim of a conspiracy, rather than a perpetrator.

Throughout the subsequent decade, alleged conspiracies have been at the forefront of Braavosi politics, hindering the Sealord’s ability to exercise the authority of his rank. Though the Zalynes and the Iron Bank have remained faithful to their agreements with the Iron Throne, the Sealord’s opponents have espoused increasingly hostile rhetoric against Westeros and Pentos. Nevertheless, all evidence remains inconclusive; it has yet to be seen if the consequences of this crisis will extend beyond Braavos’ borders.