Far to the east of Westeros, nearing the Bone Mountains of central Essos, reigned the powerful
Ghiscari Empire thousands of years before Aegon’s Conquest, or even the rise of the
Valyrian Freehold.
From their capital of Ghis, founded by Grazdan the Great, they conquered a large territory
and even established colonies on the nearby continent of Sothoryos, such as the penal
Colony Gorosh at Wyvern Point, Zamettar at the mouth of the Zamoyos River, and Gorgai
on the Isle of Tears.
Through their exploration of the seas, they even discovered the Island of Walano, becoming
the first outside civilization to reach the Summer Isles, but when the Ghiscari saw the
dark skinned natives, they immediately fled, believing they had seen demons whose skin
was burnt by the fires of hell.
For many years the Ghiscari would name this place the Demon Island, and generally avoided
the area completely.
However, just west of the mighty empire a new power started to emerge, with the Valryain
Freehold rising to dominance on the strength of the dragons they bred and rode into battle.
These creatures were believed to have originated in the volcanic lands of the fourteen fires
and proved a devastating weapon in war, with their fire breath quickly able to wipe out
whole armies.
The Valyrians spread both east and west, and inevitably came into conflict with the Ghiscari,
beginning a series of wars ultimately leading to the decline and fall of the ancient Empire.
Little is known about the First Ghiscari war, except that Valyria was victorious, but during
the second Ghiscari War, the northern Kingdom of Sarnor became involved, fighting alongside
the dragonlords of Valyria against the lockstep legions of the Old Empire and that again Valyria
was victorious.
Their victories would continue into the Third Ghiscari War, when the Sarnori again allied
with the dragonlords, with fighting now spread across the sea, and into their colonies in
Sothoryos, seeing Gorgai captured by Valyria and renamed Gogossos.
In the Fourth Ghiscari War, Saronri civil strife led some to continue their support
of Valyria, while others sided with the Ghiscari.
However Valyria again proved victorious, this time capturing Zamettar, gaining the only
major city in the Sothoryos.
During the Fifth and final war, the Ghiscari were completely and utterly defeated, with
the dragonlords burning the city of Ghis and salting the lands so nothing would ever grow
again.
Despite the brutality of their destruction, the Empire did score minor victories during
the period of conflict, as seen in the large tapestry found in the heart of the Great Pyramid
in the Ghiscari colony of Meereen, showing the last survivors of a defeated Valyrian
army in chains.
When the war ended, Meereen as well as the Ghiscari colonies of Yunkai and Astapor survived,
while those displaced by the burning of Ghis founded New Ghis as a successor state, with
the remaining Ghiscari cities preserving the culture of the ancient empire and growing
rich off the slave trade.
Although proud of their Imperial heritage, the language of the ancient people was largely
replaced in the region by that of High Valyrian, with some speaking dialects that mixed both.
Those who came to rule these areas were an aristocratic elite called the Masters, made
up of families with ancient and noble bloodlines, becoming experts in the breeding and trade
of slavery, including the development of the Unsullied slave armies, made up of soldiers
who were castrated and trained their whole lives for battle.
The Unsullied are said to employ the same fighting style as the armies of Old Ghis,
using disciplined lock-step manoeuvers to great effect in open battle.
Similarly the Iron Legions of New Ghis are trained in that style of fighting, though
their ranks are filled with free men rather than slaves.
The cities of Slaver's Bay even took the Harpy as their symbol, in honor of their past glory.
In the north several Ghiscari colonies continued on for many years until eventually destroyed
by the Dothraki during the century of Blood.
The Ghiscari people themselves and their descendants have dense, dark amber skin as well as wiry
hair, known to wear their hairs teased, oiled, and twisted into shapes.
The richest segments of society, usually involved directly in the slave trade, wear a long,
loose shapeless sheet called a tokar and enjoy rich and flavorful foods, such as dog, octopus
stew, and duck eggs.