Lysono Saan
29
House Saan of Wreckstone - Vassal of the King of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea
Appearance
Lysono Saan is a svelte and lithe man of shorter than average stature. Like many other Lyseni the blood of Old Valyria flows in his veins. This tells true by his long silvered hair that is twisted into a mass of braids and the gracile features that adorn his face. But Lysono's eyes are not those of some Valyrian dragonlord, instead they are an unusual blue green hue, the colour he likes to say of the seas he has made his fortune on. Most often he is clean shaven, and when taken into consideration with his fine facial structure, long hair, and full lips, there is more than just a hint of androgyny about the pirate lord.
Lysono dresses richly. Turquoise silks from beyond the Jade Gates of Qarth, bone white Myrish lace, purple dyed satin made from Tyroshi sea snails, and cloth of gold and silver from Lannisport and the mines of the West. From each ear hangs long teardrops of black amethyst set in bright silver, its purple so dark it almost looks like jet. His thin wrists jingle with bangles of precious metals or carved from ivory and amber. His slender fingers seem almost overwhelmed by the abundance of gaudy rings set upon them. But if called to action, those fingers can still easily reach down to Lysono's sword belt and grasp the two weapons that hang from it. From the left hip hangs a silver hilted narrow arming sword, while from the right, hangs a valyrian steel dagger with a black dragon bone handle.
Biography
Lysono Saan was born on the isle of Wreckstone in the year 82AC, the first born son of Sharako Saan, a pirate lord of the isle of Wreckstone and head of a cadet branch of the ancient and noble Lyseni House of Saan. His father was the cousin of the senior branch of the family, which was at that time firmly based in Lys and in mostly legitimate trade. Though they both descended from the infamous Sargosso Saan who had been a Pirate King in the days of Aegon I, only Sharako's side of the family decided to take up his mantle.
Lysono's childhood was spent between the rugged and dangerous pirate dens of his father's world, and the genteel pleasure palaces of his cousins and kinsmen. This simultaneous induction into dual worlds of ruthless violence and idle hedonism marked the young man strongly, and is something which stayed with Lysono throughout the rest of his life. Though relations between both sides of the family were generally good, the same could not be said for the relations between most traders in the Triachy and pirates in the Stepstones. As the situation began to boil over into a crisis in the year of 96AC, word was dispatched from Lys warning the Saan's of Wreckstone to flee their island fastness lest they be swept away along with the other pirate lords and petty kings that profiteered off the flow of trade between the Narrow and Summer seas.
Sharako was a prudent man and elected to sail his family to Lys until the threat of war receded, while he himself would seek out somewhere else to continue his piratical activities. But in leaving the rich trading routes from which his family derived their income, he opened himself up to a danger from within. Rumours began to spread amongst his crews that Sharako didn't have gold enough to pay them without the plunder from the Stepstones, or that he had secreted away an a larger than fair share of the recent hauls in order to support his family in exile. Talk turned to mutiny. Before long words turned to actions.
Sharako was murdered by his crew in his sleep while sailing the summer seas. Anarchy descended upon his small fleet as rival captains turned upon each other. When the news of the calamity finally reached Lysono on Lys, he found all that he had once expected to inherit, a lordship, a fleet, an army, was all taken from him, along of course with his own father.
The news hit the young Lysono hard, and for months he turned to running up debts in the pillow houses and wine sinks of Lys in order to escape the reality of his much reduced situation. It was during this time that the rumours first began to spread about the unusual.. preferences that the young exiled lord possessed. Soon his credit began to turn bad, and even these distractions were lost to him. Indeed, all seemed lost. Until one day, a familiar ship limped back into the harbour below the city. Only one ship, one ship among half a score, had remained loyal to the elder Saan and had sought out his son and heir. It was only one ship, but it was enough. Enough to start again, restore his fortunes, and maybe one day take back what was his by right of birth.
And Lysono did just that. Over the next decade he raided and traded in every port from Ibben to Asshai, he stole from men, sold his wares to others, and as his fleet of corsairs grew, he began to sell his sails in petty wars all over Essos. But none of it was enough, the grip the Triachy held on the Stepstones was too strong for one mere pirate lord to break. But one day word reach his ears of another who might share his goal and was far more than just a pirate lord, he was Daemon Targaryen, Prince of the Iron Throne, and dragonlord.
Lysono sailed all the ships he had gathered to Driftmark, and bent his knee to the Rouge Prince on the condition that he and his heirs be named Lord of Wreckstone in this new kingdom Daemon sought to carve out from amongst the Narrow Sea. Other than the Sea snake himself, Lysono brought the largest contingent of ships to Daemon's cause and he quickly found himself a part of the prince's war councils. Three years later, when the prince is crowned King of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea, Lysono Saan takes is confirmed as Lord of the Isle of Wreckstone.
