Sarnor

A map showing the cities of Sarnor.

A map showing the approximate borders of Sarnor on the continent of Essos, before its destruction.

Sarnor is an ancient kingdom located in north-west Essos. At its height, it stretched from the eastern eaves of the Forest of Qohor to the Silver Sea. Its territory was located in the north-west and west of what is now the Dothraki Sea. It encompassed a wide swathe of land. During its later years it functioned as a client-kingdom of the Valyrian Freehold, trading with Valyria via the nearby colony city of Essaria.

Its capital city was Sarnath of the Tall Towers.

Following the Doom of Valyria Sarnor was consumed by civil war and then destroyed by the emerging forces of the Dothraki. The port city of Saath is the sole surviving settlement of Sarnor.

History

The age of Sarnor is unclear, except that it spread across the north-western part of Essos over a period of centuries. Sarnor came into contact with Valyria during the latter's northwards expansion. After the founding of Qohor and Essaria, Valyria chose to enter into peaceful contact with Sarnor rather than warfare. A Valyrian road was built from Essaria to the Sarnori cities of Saath and Sarnath to facilitate trade and communications.

Sarnor survived the Doom but became divided by the rise of the Dothraki. One of the Sarnori kings allied with the Dothraki to destroy the rest of the kingdom. However, by the end of the Century of Blood all of the Sarnori cities bar only Saath had been destroyed. The Dothraki had also sacked and destroyed Essaria before their westwards advance was checked at the Battle of Qohor, when they were defeated by the Unsullied.

Since the destruction of Sarnor, the Free City of Lorath has established a trading settlement at Morosh, north-east of Saath.

Government

Each of the major cities of Sarnor had its own king, with a High King ruling over the entire nation. The nation of Sarnor was more akin to a confederation of city-states rather than a tightly-knit kingdom.

Geography

Sarnor's territory encompassed the western-most part of the Dothraki sea, including hundreds of miles of rolling grasslands. Sarnor's cities were clustered around the River Sarne in the north-west and around the inland Silver Sea in the east (before it shrank into a grouping of lakes and marshes).

List of towns and cities

• Saath, located at the western mouth of the Sarne.
• Sarys, located at the eastern mouth of the Sarne. Now known as Vaes Graddakh, the City of Refuse.
• Sarnath, known as Sarnath of the Tall Towers, located on the lower Sarne. It was the capital and largest city of Sarnor, and the seat of the High King. Now known as Vaes Khewo, the City of Worms.
• Kasath, located on the south-western shores of the Silver Sea. Now known as Vojjor Samui, the City of Broken Gods.
• Sallosh, located on the north-eastern shores of the Silver Sea. Now known as Vaes Athjikhari, the City of Sickness.
• Gornath, located on the eastern shores of the Silver Sea. Now known as Vaes Leqse, the City of Rats.
• Sathar, located on the south-eastern shores of the Silver Sea. Nown known as Yalli Qamayi, the City of Wailing Children.