Editing World of A Song of Ice and Fire (section)

===Free Cities and vicinity {{anchor|The Free Cities|Free Cities|Andalos|Rhoyne}}===
Across the Narrow sea on the western side of Essos lie the nine Free Cities, independent city-states that are mostly on islands or along the coast. They are Lys, Myr, Pentos, Braavos, Lorath, Norvos, Qohor, Volantis and Tyrosh. Although most Free Cities are named early in the first novel,{{sfn|''A Game of Thrones''|loc=Daenerys I, pp. 30–31}} the books only provide a map of this region in ''A Dance with Dragons''. Mountains to the east separate the coast from the plains of the [[#The Dothraki Sea|Dothraki Sea]], though gaps in the mountain range provide the Dothraki people some access to the Free Cities. The Free Cities were colonies built by the ancient Valyrian Freehold, and later declared independence after the Doom of Valyria. An exception to this is Braavos, which was founded by refugees fleeing Valyrian expansion, escaped slaves and other rabble.{{sfn|''A Feast for Crows''|loc=Cat of the Canals, pp. 722–728}} The languages of the Free Cities are derivatives of [[Valyrian languages|High Valyrian]].{{sfn|''A Game of Thrones''|loc=Daenerys II, pp. 102–104}}

The Free Cities span an area characterized by the river Rhoyne, which the local character Yandry describes as "the greatest river in the world".{{sfn|''A Dance with Dragons''|loc=Tyrion IV, p. 182}} Its banks are the homeland of the Rhoynar, who worship the river as "Mother Rhoyne".{{sfn|''A Feast for Crows''|loc=The Queenmaker, p. 436}} As mapped in ''A Dance with Dragons'', the Rhoyne originates from the conjunction of two of its tributaries, the Upper Rhoyne and the Little Rhoyne, southeast of the ruins of Ghoyan Drohe. The headwaters of the Upper Rhoyne lie in Andalos, the homeland of the Andals between Braavos and Pentos.{{sfn|''A Dance with Dragons''|loc=Map}} The Rhoyne's course runs southeast to turn due south after Dagger Lake, where river pirates hide on and around the many lake islands.{{sfn|''A Dance with Dragons''|loc=Tyrion IV, pp. 187–189}} The Rhoyne gains in width considerably as it gets fed by more tributaries, until it opens into the Summer Sea in a delta near the Free City of Volantis.{{sfn|''A Dance with Dragons''|loc=Map}}

====Braavos====
Unique among the Free Cities, Braavos was not a Valyrian colony, but a secret refuge from Valyrian expansion.{{sfn|''A Feast for Crows''|loc=Cat of the Canals, pp. 722–728}} It is a city spread over hundreds of tiny islands in a lagoon on the northwestern end of Essos, where the Narrow Sea and Shivering Sea meet.{{sfn|''A Game of Thrones''|loc=Jon V, p. 447}}{{sfn|''A Dance with Dragons''|loc=Map}} Braavos is home to the 'Iron Bank', one of the wealthiest banks in the known world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/game-of-thrones-everything-to-know-about-the-iron-bank-of-braavos-2017-8#what-is-the-iron-bank-of-braavos-1|title = Everything you need to know about the Iron Bank of Braavos, which will be important on 'Game of Thrones' next Sunday|website = [[Business Insider]]}}</ref> Braavos is also known for its swordsmen known as 'bravos',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/wikis/game-of-thrones/Braavos|title = Braavos - Game of Thrones Wiki Guide - IGN| date=5 April 2012 }}</ref> and its mysterious assassins, the Faceless Men. It is also famed for the Titan of Braavos, both a fortress and a statue. The ruler of Braavos is known as the Sealord and it is from the sea that the city's power and wealth flows. The hulls of Braavosi ships are painted purple{{sfn| ''A Dance with Dragons''|loc=Davos, pp. 194}} and their merchant ships sail to many distant lands and bring their trade and wealth back home.{{sfn|''A Game of Thrones''|loc=Arya IV, pp. 530–531}} Braavos has many moneylenders and the Iron Bank of Braavos lends money to foreign nations, especially The Crown, which has borrowed millions.

Braavosi dress in flashy colors while the very rich and powerful dress in black and in blues that are almost black. Officials of Braavos, called keyholders and justiciars, wear drab coats of brown or grey. The city is also renowned worldwide for its [[courtesan]]s. Every courtesan has her own barge and servants to work them. The beauty of famed courtesans has inspired many a song. They are showered with gifts from goldsmiths and craftsmen beg for their custom. Nobility and rich merchants pay the courtesans large amounts of money to appear alongside them at events, and bravos are known to kill each other in their names. The character Syrio Forel, former first sword of the Sealord of Braavos, introduces Arya Stark to a unique form of Braavosi sword fighting, called Water Dancing.{{sfn|''A Game of Thrones''|loc=Arya IV, pp. 530–531}} The style is a refined form of fencing in which the practitioner stands sideways and wields a slender blade. Pugnacious bravos fill the city, frequently dueling to display their skill.

Braavos was inspired by [[Venice]], Italy.<ref group=S name=FrankelBook/> It was filmed in Croatian towns of [[Šibenik]], and [[Kaštel Gomilica]] In the TV series, locations used as Braavos included the [[Croatia]]n town of [[Šibenik]] and the [[Spain|Spanish]] town of [[Girona]].<ref group=S name=Skyscanner/>

====Pentos====
[[File:Palazz Verdala - panoramio.jpg|thumb|The TV series filmed Illyrio's mansion in Pentos at [[Verdala Palace]] in Malta.]]
Pentos is a major trading port on a bay of the western coast. Dominated by an architecture of square brick towers, it is headed by a Prince who is chosen by the de facto rulers of the city, known as Magisters. Khalasars occasionally make their way this far from the Dothraki Sea, but the Pentoshi are spared much of the raiding and invasions by paying tribute to their khals. Men from Pentos wear dyed and forked beards. Unlike in most other Free Cities, slavery is outlawed and Pentos is forbidden from participating in the slave trade due to terms set by the victorious Braavosi in a past war. However, Pentos only heeds these terms on a surface level: servants of the wealthy and powerful are still treated as slaves, collared in bronze and branded without the financial means of refusing their masters, and influential Pentoshi figures such as Magister Illyrio Mopatis still deal covertly in the slave trade.

In the television adaptation, Daenerys's scenes in the pilot episode were filmed in [[Morocco]].<ref group=S name=dailybeast_secrets/> The production redressed and repainted the Jerusalem sets of ''[[Kingdom of Heaven (film)|Kingdom of Heaven]]'' near [[Ouarzazate]], Morocco, to serve as the courtyard of Illyrio's mansion where Daenerys first meets Khal Drogo.<ref group=S name=grrm_blog10526 /> When the pilot was delivered, HBO scrapped all of the footage shot in Morocco, and the Pentos scenes were re-shot in Malta.<ref group=S name=nyt/> The exterior scenes at Illyrio's mansion in Pentos were shot at [[Verdala Palace]], the 16th century summer palace of the [[president of Malta]].<ref group=S name="Den of Geek 29 February 2012"/> The [[Azure Window]], on the island of [[Gozo]] in Malta, was used for the location of Daenerys's wedding to Khal Drogo.<ref group=S name=go_hbofilmed/>

When Pentos reappeared in Season 5, it was filmed in Croatia.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}

====Volantis====
Volantis is a port on the southern coast of Essos, and is the oldest and proudest of the Free Cities. A fortification known as the Black Wall protects the oldest parts of the city.{{sfn|''A Dance with Dragons''|loc=Tyrion, Chapter 5}} The Black Wall is inhabited entirely by the wealthiest citizens who can claim unbroken descent from Old Valyria. The city is ruled by three [[triarchy|triarchs]], who are elected every year by free landholders of Volantis, and defended by slave soldiers called the "Tiger cloaks". Volantis is incredibly important to the slave market, and in the city there are five slaves to every free man.{{sfn|''A Dance with Dragons''|loc=Tyrion, Chapter 5}} All Volantene slaves have facial tattoos denoting their profession: for instance, sex slaves have tears tattooed on their faces, and the tiger cloaks have tiger stripes. The worship of [[R'hllor]] is the most influential religion of Volantis, especially among slaves.

The TV adaptation used locations in [[Córdoba, Andalusia|Córdoba]], Spain.

====Other Free Cities {{anchor|Lorath|Lys|Myr|Norvos|Qohor|Tyrosh|Volantis}}====
* '''Lorath''' is a port city on a group of northern islands.{{sfn|''A Dance with Dragons''|loc=Map}} It is the most isolated and financially the weakest. The character [[Jaqen H'ghar]] poses as a Lorathi in ''A Clash of Kings'', wearing long hair dyed red on one side and white on the other.{{sfn|''A Clash of Kings''|loc=Arya II, p. 86}}
* '''Lys''' sits astride a series of southern islands.{{sfn|''A Dance with Dragons''|loc=Map}} Unlike most inhabitants of the Free Cities the Lysene are homogenously Valyrian and thus have fair skin, hair, and eyes similar to the Targaryens. Lys is well known for its pleasure houses, training slaves in the arts of love and selling them as concubines and bed-slaves. Lys also frequently fights over control of the Stepstones and the Disputed Lands. There appears to be a love goddess whose worship is peculiar to Lys.{{citation needed|date=June 2012}} Dany's handmaiden Doreah and the pirate Salladhor Saan are Lysene.
* '''Myr''' is a coastal city renowned for their master lenscrafters, intricate [[lace]], and fine carpets. Similar to the Dornish the Myrmen are descended from Rhoynar and possess dark eyes and olive skin. Myrmen are also similar to Norvosi and Pentoshi in that they are ruled by magisters that are known to pay tribute to passing Dothraki khalasars. Myr is a hub of trade in both slaves and their signature green nectar wines. Myr frequently fights over control of the Disputed Lands.
* '''Norvos''' sits on the main continent in two parts, one atop a high hill and the other beside a low river. The city has three large bells, each with its own name and distinctive voice, that are rung frequently. The surrounding area is a land of rolling hills, terraced farms, and white-stucco villages. The climate is fairly mild. Norvosi can be recognized by their dyed and upswept mustaches. The city is run by a council of magisters that are known to pay tribute to passing Dothraki khalasars. It is also home to a group of bearded priests that train elite guardsmen. These guardsmen swear oaths of duty and consider themselves wedded to their distinctive long axes.
* '''Qohor''' is situated on the main continent, in the vast Forest of Qohor. It is known for its fine tapestries and its smiths, who have the rare ability to reforge Valyrian steel, even directly infusing the metal with a variety of different colors. The Black Goat is a prominent god in the city. Qohor's city guard has been composed solely of Unsullied [[eunuch]] slave soldiers ever since the Battle of the Three Thousand, when 3,000 Unsullied soldiers successfully defended the city against over 25,000 Dothraki horsemen. Guardsmen tie braids of human hair to their spears to commemorate the Dothraki cutting their braids in salute to Qohor's defenders.
* '''Tyrosh''', a coastal city-state ruled by an Archon, is infamous for its avarice. Traders deal extensively in slaves, Tyroshi pear brandy and dyes of many colors. The city features an abundance of pleasure houses, but they are not as highly regarded as those in Lys. Tyroshi master armorsmiths make intricate armor in fantastic shapes. Tyrosh is a popular center for the hiring of sellswords. The city is often drawn into the ongoing conflicts over the Disputed Lands and the Stepstones. The Tyroshi often wear forked beards and pointed mustaches dyed in bright colors. The character Daario Naharis is from Tyrosh.