Syro Silvertongue

Syro was the son of a Braavosi merchant and a whore named Narha, he spent most of his youth as a street urchin, building a reputation for himself scamming, stealing and pickpocketing. During his teens he became protege to a pirate named Alequo, and became captain of his ship after Alequo 'mysteriously' disappeared.

Since the year 408AC he has ruled as Lord-Captain of the Raiders of the Silver Serpent and is ruler over Torturer's Deep

Appearance and Personality
At 5'9" Syro is not the tallest of men, nor is he the strongest. He makes up for both however with good looks and quick wit and is able to smooth talk almost anyone he encounters. His brown hair and scruffy looking beard give him the rugged sort of handsome often associated with those of his trade.

His smile is bright and captivating and he often abuses that fact to talk the many port town girls into offering up their maidenhood to him. His heart however does not lie with women, his one only true love is the love he feels for gold and he will do anything to expand his wealth, even if it meant he'd have to sell his own mother.

One of his few weaknesses however lies in his compassion to the children living on the streets and he can often be found sharing some of his 'hard earned' gold with them.

Besides earning gold and laying with women, he finds joy in involving himself in the arts, namely singing and poetry, and is in some circles seen as a virtuoso.

Birth - 407AC
In 378AC on a stormy night, a boy was born a bastard in a Braavosi whorehouse to a whore named Narha and a rich Braavosi merchant. The boy was not welcomed but they raised him nonetheless and named him Syro. When he was four years of age however the boy was caught trying to steal from one of the patrons and was cast out of the whorehouse as punishment.

He did not perish however while living as a street urchin, he flourished. Syro found that the common man and woman were easy targets for all manner of criminal practices and he made abundant use of that fact. Through the next years he scammed and pick pocketed his way through life, but the mind keen for making money he inherited from his father kept working, trying to find a way to make more. So he started expanding his operation. He recruited more and more children until he had built himself a small syndicate of thieves, con men and pickpockets.

Life was good and he lived as the King of Thieves until his early teens. When he was ten and one years of age he tried to run a con on a wealthy looking captain. This captain however was the pirate Alequo, captain of a ship called the Red Sabre, it did not take long for the captain to catch onto what Syro was trying to do but rather than scold him and end it there he offered the boy a proposition: a position as the captain's protege aboard his ship. Syro accepted immediately, abandoning his fellow urchins, looking for a life better than his current.

During his teens Syro grew into a handsome young man, developing his own style both in life and the way he approached his criminal agenda. All went well, he learnt, gained wealth and was happy. Although one thing he remained to crave over the course of time, living like a king, and this was something he felt he could not do working under another. One day when he was ten and eight, on the open waters of the Narrow Sea, the crew awoke to the sound of the first mate screaming, Alequo had vanished from his chambers. The entirety of the crew looked to Syro, whose ambitions everyone knew. But they did not seek to punish him, they looked to him to lead them. The men were done with the dangers Alequo had put them in and it was well known that Syro could make just as much, if not more, without any danger at all. He gladly accepted the honor and the next time they hit port, he renamed the ship which since that day sails under the name The Black Hand.

His ventures have taken him all over the world, earning him money, reputation and the maidenhood of many women. Any children he has had over the years remain unknown to him, all but one. The son he fathered with a woman named Keres.

The pair met when Syro was aged ten and 3, and still training under Alequo. The crew was short on gold and Alequo decided to solve the problem by kidnapping a girl then aged ten and six years of age. They grew quite close over the time she spent on their ship, as he was tasked to take care of her every single day. When the ship reached King's Landing the girl was sold to a whorehouse, the Golden Lance. Syro did not leave it at that however, every year he'd return to see her, and from time to time even bring her back to Essos. This tradition truly solidified as he became the captain of the ship himself. One year when he returned he was met with the news that Keres had given birth to a son, his son, a boy named Aiakos. When later Keres was made madame to the Golden Lance, the two settled on a business agreement, making Syro her regular supplier of all manners of contraband.

407AC - 418AC
After dwelling the streets of King's Landing for far too long, doing nothing but minor jobs and independent thievery, Syro decided to finally make a move on a long time dream of his: sailing southward to the Stepstones to reunite them. And as the end of the year 407AC neared, he got together a band of ambitious, foolhardy young men and set off for the lands that were once great.

He landed on Torturer's Deep, the place where he and his crew found respite many a time before the War of Three Kings. Walking the streets of the small shanty town still in place painted a clear picture of the troubled times ahead. Syro however, remained adamant to create union among the chaos.

It was not until a year later that he got the first captain to join his efforts, and thus the Raiders of the Silver Serpent were formed with Syro at the helm. Years passed in relative peace as Syro expanded his faction, taking full control over Torturer's Deep. They even restored the Lord of the Waters' old keep. It was during these years that Syro made acquaintance with several notable Westerosi figures. Syro met Ambrose Blackwood after he sailed to Maidenpool for a business transaction and was recruited by him to sail him and Visaera Frey to Myr.

During their journey Syro and Ambrose found each other as unlikely friends during their journey, many nights of drinking, singing and above all, friendly fits of espionage cemented their relationship. Years after the fact Syro granted Ambrose a loan, allowing him to secures the mercenary company he was part of for himself, in return Syro struck a business deal for long time scams with Ambrose. Syro and his pirates would threaten merchants into giving them gold after which Ambrose would be hired to get rid of the pirates, in the end the pair would split their profits.

He also forged relations between himself and Meria Martell, the Princess of Dorne whom he met during one of his ventures to Sunspear. It was on a warm summer's eve at sunset, Syro was strolling along the docks when his eyes fell upon Lady Martell. Unaware of who she was he started his advances and unlike his reputation, they fell flat. They did however come to business arrangements as she hired Syro to acquire some ‘unusual’ goods from Essos. A service that he would provide repeatedly, all in the hopes that he may land in the better graces of Princess Martell.

Tragedy struck the Stepstones as its chaotic order was abruptly disturbed. The flapping of Stormsong’s wings thundered through the sky and as the Dragon and its rider came into view, Syro knew resisting would be futile. Just to assure his own security he hired the Stormbringers, a mercenary company lead by Selwyn the bastard of Piper. Who he would later become close business partners with.

Syro was one of the first to bend the knee to Aeryn and while some among his ranks were opposed to it, the Silvertongue quickly put them to silence and convinced them it was for the better.

Through smart thinking and using his mind and charisma Syro was able to cleverly and miraculously avoid any further conflict. While sending Selwyn and his company with Aeryn to assist him in conquering the Stepstones.

While by no means pleased by the new attention brought to the Stepstones, he loyally supports his new Targaryen ruler, that is, as long as he is allowed to quietly stick to his own business.

The years went on in relative peace, Syro expanded his operations, taking advantage of the gaps left by the captains who did not submit to Aeryn’s superior force. He has remained loyal without question over that time, but has not been shy about sharing his opinion on the attention that has once more been given to the region.

Recent Events
Syro finds himself in his home on Torturer's deep, awaiting what is to come next.

Family

 * Unknown Braavosi Merchant (father, assumed deceased)
 * Narha (mother, deceased 390AC)
 * Syro
 * Keres (lover)
 * Aiakos (son b. 399AC)

Main Crew (NPC's/potential PC's)

 * Eddard 'The Black' (first mate)
 * Alester 'Eagle-eye' (Spotter)
 * Oberyn
 * Ynys
 * Marquelo