After many years of conflict with the Old Empire of Ghis, the Valyrian Freehold at last
defeated their ancient enemies and conquered their lands approximately 4700 years before
the Targaryen conquest of Westeros.
Following their victory in the east, the Dragonlords of the Valyrian peninsula looked westward,
eventually establishing a military outpost along the southern coast where the Rhoyne
river met the Summer Sea.
Strategically located to trade with the Rhoynar in the north and as a port between east and
west, merchants soon began to settle in the area and paid the Freehold for the right to
establish their own independently governed realm.
And so Volantis became the first Free city, responsible for their own internal affairs
while also paying tribute to the Dragonlords and living under their protection.
The merchants then established a Triarchy as their government, wherein all free born
landowners, both male and female, would vote to elect 3 leaders every year, each of whom
must be able to prove they are descended from the blood of old valyria.
In time 2 main political parties formed to help candidates become elected, with the Tigers
largely representing the nobility and military, while the Elephants represented the merchant
class.
And while many outsiders considered their style of government chaotic and unstable,
elections were often peaceful and held in high regard by the people of the city, as
demonstrated when the leader Horonno, who held office for forty years, attempted to
bypass the elections by declaring himself a triarch for life.
In response, the people captured the man, tied him between two elephants and watched
as he was torn apart.
With the merchants of Volantis eager to take advantage of trade with the Rhoynar in the
north, they encouraged peace and cordial relations with the city states, which gave them time
to grow increasingly wealthy and powerful.
Developing their own coinage they called honors, Volantis established an economy heavily dependent
of the slave trade, even adopting a custom of marking the status of their property with
tattoos.
However Volantis was known for more then just slavery, as they saw ships from the Jade sea,
brining silk and spices through their harbour.
They also produced sweet beets, red wine, and created the game of cyvasse.
Yet in the years before this wealthy, sprawling city was a busy trade port that covered both
sides of the Rhoyne, the settlement was originally populated on the eastern side of the river,
where the dragonlords built a great 200ft wall of dragonstone to protect them.
Yet as more and more people came into the area, they started to build outside the walls,
and then expanded further west of the river.
Thus it was that eastern Volantis became known as the home of the old blood aristocracy who
worshiped the ancient gods of Valyria, while the west was home to foreigners, freedman,
sellswords and criminals, many of whom came to follow the red god R’hllor.
In time, western volantis grew increasingly violent and unstable, leading the Triarch
Vhalaso the Munificent to order the construction of the Long Bridge, which might connect east
and west, so they might easily send soldiers to quell civil unrest.
With some claiming the Longbridge was strong enough to support the weight of a thousand
elephants, this massive project took many years to finish, and gained such a reputation
that Lomas Longstrider named it as one of the Nine Wonders made my man.
Yet the years of trade and diplomacy did not last forever, as conflict inevitably erupted
with the Rhoynar in the North, as the Valyrian Freehold continued their western expansion.
For a time the Rhoynar were able to hold back the dragonlords, winning a number of early
confrontations, but as the threat against them grew more dire, one of their leaders
Prince Garin the Great, united the city states to raise a mighty army 250000 warriors, accompanied
by powerful water wizards.
Yet even this mighty host could not withstand dragonfire, with Valyrian Freehold achieving
a final great victory in the Second Spice War around 700 years before conquest.
With the Rhoynar vanquished and Western essos fallen to the Freehold, centuries of peace
and prosperity followed, until the Doom of Valyria destroyed the homeland of the dragonlords
in 114BC, leaving all their former holdings across the continent without a central authority.
Thus followed the century of blood, where the settlements of Essos descended into chaos
and war, seeing some attempt to seize power, while others struggled to survive.
As the eldest daughter of Valyria, many in Volantis believed they were the rightful heirs
to the territories held by the Dragonlords and so under the influence of the tiger party,
the city sent out their armies and ships, successfully expanding their holdings, to
include the cities of Lys, Myr and much of the disputed lands.
Yet their success did not last, as they over extended themselves and suffered a number
of failures in their wars of aggression.
As part of their campaign of expansion, Volantis sent a fleet to try and claim what remained
of the Valyrian Penninsula, only for their ships to vanish in the smoking seas.
Then as they attempted to move further west, attacking the city of Tyrosh, many of the
other powers in the region took notice, and an alliance began to form against them.
In time, Tyrosh, pentos, Braavos, House Durrandon of the Stormlands and House Targaryen of Dragonstone
all fought against Volantis, ultimately destroying their army and fleet, liberating the cities
of Myr and Lys.
In the north they faced further losses in battle with Qohor and Norvos at dagger lake,
and even faced raiding from the Dothraki who took advantage of their weakened state.
Yet even in defeat, the war had not been entirely in vain, as Volantis had significantly expanded
their borders to include the cities Volon Therys, Valysar, and Selhorys, and controlled
the river Rhoyne as far north as the tributary Selhoru.
Following their defeat against the other Free Cities, Volantis largely lost their apetite
for battle, with the war like Tiger party losing favour to the Elephants, who were elected
in 2 of the 3 positions of leadership for the 300 years that followed the century of
blood.
Yet even so, Volantis did engage in further violence from time to time, making another
failed attempt to conquer the Disputed lands in 96 AC, seeing their final defeat at the
Battle of the Borderland.
As a result of this war, the victorious cities of Myr, Lys and Tyrosh, decided to join together
and form the Kingdom of the Three Daughters.
Volantis again went to war with Myr and Lys during the reign of Aerys II of Westeros,
and were even supplied with weapons and coin by the Targaryen King, who became involved
simply to spite his Hand Tywin Lannister, who suggested neutrality.
Years later, during the conquest of the Dragon Queen Daenerys Targaryen, who was attempting
to end the flesh trade in Slaver’s Bay, Volantis felt their economy severely threatened
and once again went to war, sending their fleet to fight alongside the old aristocracy
of Yunkai, Astapor and Meereen.
Yet as their ships sailed into the east, they encountered a great storm which may have sunk
a great number of their ships.