Petri

Whilst necessary for background information and context to the power Kerin possesses, the empire mainly plays in the background and in the story is ran by allies and other people outside of the crew. So whilst important for world-building and understanding the reach the crew have, the story does not spend much time in the empire or a focal point of the story.

Never truly given a proper name, but often referred to as "The Empire of Dāez Vali" is the accumulation of Kerin's efforts. The camps, farm land and freed slaves make up this international spread - far from an actual functioning city or specific place, people working under Kerin and her reach spread through Planatos during it's peak.

BASIC INFORMATION

"Dāez Vali" loosely means "Free Men" in Valyrian. Where the name came from is kind of unknown (probably named by the people within it), but that is largely what the "empire" is referred to as. It has many other names including; "The Pirate's Freehold", "The Guild of Men without Kings", and sometimes even simply, "The Empire of The Sun Killer."

It's debated upon whether this "empire" is an empire at all. With no major cities or grand designs, it mainly consists of safety camps and farmland - but is wide spread. With multiple camps all over Essos and eventually in Westeros, what it lacks in grandeur, it makes up for in spread.

ECONOMICS

Unlike rule under the monarchy or slavers, cities taken over by The Sun Killer function under a sort of communist rule. All needs are met - food, housing and clothing is provided. Work is offered - on farmland, with food, seamstressing or caring for people who cannot work. These jobs are paid so if people want to leave the camps, they can leave with the funds to live elsewhere. The highest paying jobs are jobs on ships - with a network of a complicated fleet for fishing or combat, getting a job on deck is the most rewarding, especially landing a place on Kerin's personal vessel - The Sun Killer. However, regardless of role, everyone is supported and provided for - using the money taken from raids and the insane stolen wealth from dead slavers.

During it's time, the loose empire was known to have an impressive quality of life, despite most locations being simple campsites near farms or overtaken desolate towns.

LAWS

Generally with a better living quality, there is already a lower crime rate with little reason to steal or harm others. Though, crimes are dealt with harshly. Theft (within the community) results in banishment - with no tolerance for stealing from their own since the community is made of poor people or those looking for safety. Murder, rape, abuse or assault are punished by death. Though, there is grey area with assault especially with interpersonal issues that result in fights - fighting is rare but often brushed off with a slap on the wrist.

LOCATIONS

MAJOR CAMPS/LOCATIONS

Major locations in the empire are points of increased activity and important places in the empire that house a lot of people or do important things.

X - The Basilisk Isles: Being the crew's pick for a home (apart from the ship), the Basilisk Isles become base of operations for communications and for The Sun Killer crew to hold meetings with allies or friends. An unconventional choice, but the it's the only place where enemies won't dare cross because it's deep in pirate territory.

The Abandoned cities of the Red Waste; Vaes Tolorro, Vaes Orvik, Vaes Shirosi, and Vaes Qosar - Ghis cities destroyed in the Dorthraki attacks that became abandoned in Red Waste are largely left untouched because of the Waste's uninhabitable environment. However even the ruins of buildings are better than simple camps, resulting the the abandoned territory becoming the main four camps for refugees and people joining the empire. Mainly populated by ex-slaves, despite the desolate environment, it has one of the best quality of living in the known world. (Note: Vaes Tolorro is not named this during the Empire's reign since Daenerys is the one that gave the city it's new name. It's often simply referred to as "The Fourth City" - or not at all. For some reason having a Empire is fine but naming a city is not, according to Kerin.)

Old Ghis - similar to the previous mention, Old Ghis is an abandoned city that comes into Kerin's clutches. However, being closer to Slaver's Bay and dangerous territory, Old Ghis isn't nearly as secure as the allied camps in the Red Waste, turning it into a sort of holding point. A major location that is away from Slaver's Bay, but too close to actually be a permanent place of refuge, so it becomes a temporary place for people until they can be moved to The Red Waste.

Great Moraq - The base of trade and supplies. The plains and hills on the northern side of the island make for prime land for farming and resources. The camp there is occupied by ex-slavers, however it is a workers camp. Members of the empire who live there are paid fairly and provided for, but they are farmers mainly; making it the island's working land. Natives of the island live further in, and tend to be friendly and support the cause as they have a deal for trade.

LOCATIONS CONTAINING ALLIES/INFILTRATED BY THE SUN KILLER

Whilst a rebel force, Kerin has close ties with freedom fighters in Essos which hide and live in cities and populated areas, or simply people from that land support her - or she has an actual alliance with them. Most allies also provide goods, such as food or clothing for the people in the Empire.

Yi Ti - Yi Ti is a more forward thinking place, and generally close to the main area of the Pirate's Freehold, causing Kerin to have a lot of support from them. Jar is also from Yi Ti and having a man from the land on their ship as a major player also helps with any tensions, making their alliance more of an unspoken friendship than an alliance written in ink. Yi Ti is actually where most of the provided clothing comes from, as they are known for their silk trade.

Volantis - An area that isn't forgiving or friendly, the allies in Volantis are more Freedom Fighters. Allied spies who lurk in the city to keep Kerin informed, especially after the raid on the city where Wynala joined the ranks.

Qohor - Similar to Volantis, this Free City holds spies and allies that help the Empire and Kerin's cause.

Braavos - Diodan spent many years in Braavos meaning he has many friends there, and it also holds the House of Black and White, the home of the Faceless Men, of which Diodan has mysterious connections to and the Philosopher is a Faceless Man on the crew. Braavos is up there in holding powerful people that side with the crew.

Pentos - Kerin spent a chunk of her youth there with Daemon and Laena, resulting in having old connections and friends to fall back on. And since Kerin has Daemon's support, the men that housed them and supported them during that era also support her during the Empire's reign.

Dragonstone - Daemon and Rhaenyra. Whilst Daemon's correspondence is few and far between - having an upstart daughter that is pissing off most of the world is thrilling to him and he supports her basically out of sheer amusement. Rhaenyra was a vicious and vocal girl in her youth, supporting Kerin's rise to power and beliefs because she sees the girl as a reflection of herself, agreeing with her husband/uncle to ally themselves with her. Having this connection over the heads of their enemies greatly impacts the Empire and makes them seem more protected and powerful than they actually are. Not to mention, Kerin comes from Dragonstone docks herself, meaning the small population of smallfolk also support her - since they are the reason she started the fight.

King's Landing - Infiltrated by spies and allies, including people Daemon pays and deals with on his bastard daughter's behalf. Though, Kerin does not have friends in the Red Keep in the form of royals or lords, there are plenty of servants willing to support and sell secrets for the cause.

Highgarden - Suprisingly, House Tyrell holds Kerin and her conquests in high regard since they are one of the few noble houses that care and want the best for their smallfolk. Whilst they don't communicate and have no actual connection, Highgarden and The Reach contain silent supporters to the cause.

Dorne - With most people from Dorne being decendants of the Rhoynar after fleeing slavery themselves, they support Kerin based on that alone, with their beliefs genuinely matching. Dorne becomes a massive supporter and a much louder one than The Reach, already the black sheep of the Westerosi family, openly supporting the dragon overseas. They even often give supplies and assistance in the form of ships.

The North - The North are rebellious and disconnected from the rest of Westeros anyway, with a lot of the smallfolk and even House Stark speaking in support of the Empire. However, they do very little to actually help and have no deeper connection to the pirates, similar to Highgarden.

The Iron Islands - They sure do love independent nations that piss off the crown, and one that sails and kills and takes what they want? The Iron Islands adore Kerin. And one of their men is The Sun Killer's Pilot. They do nothing about it, but they do support it.

SAFETY CAMPS

Smaller camps can be find scattered throughout the West of Essos, mainly for people holding people before moving them to the Waste - or even where travelling to the Red Waste would be too far or too dangerous, or they simply don't want to go. These camps are sort of like pop up little towns made out of tents and huts, normally in fields of the middle of no where around cities with allies in them or within reasonable (kinda) travelling distance from a farm or a port. With most people that end up at a camp coming from relatively the same area, the safety camps tend to have a closer community and a friendlier atmosphere.

FARMS/FISHING PORTS AND DOCKS SITES

Farms and fishing ports and dock sites are often empty land that Kerin or her allies have turned into usable property where men work. These are obviously for distributing and growing food, however it also helps establish a sort of economy in the empire. Whilst the fishing ports are also labelled as docking sites, these are pirates and most trade ships will dock anywhere on shore.

TRADE ROUTES

The paths and travel routes between all know locations of the empire, whether that be for moving people or product, the complicated trade routes work like a well oiled machine and are normally looked over by some very trusted people.

THE PEOPLE

Diodan is such a major player in the running of the empire. His fingers are in all of the pies and he deals with the majority of happenings, his endless wisdom and magical capabilities extend his influence further than a typical person, making him the main point of conflict for the empire.

However, there are some very important people that keep the moving parts of the complicated machine running - including pirates found on the Basilisk Isles that run and maintain the fleet and Freedom Fighters in Essos that pull strings for happenings on land and trade routes.

THE DOWNFALL

After Kerin's death, the Empire falls apart at the seams. With Issarion vanishing after her passing, the Empire massively loses it's main weapon and source of power and not even Diodan or the remainder of the crew manage to salvage it. People wanting to take over the empire don't have the same influence or drive that Kerin had, especially without the dragon - and most are corrupt and lack the morals and goals that started the empire.

Allies drop their support out of fear of being labelled as traitors and Slavers move in to take back the people freed from their grip. The number of connections, trade routes and resources drop rapidly and with no actual secure locations or bloodlines to carry on the legacy, The Empire of Dāez Vali falls in under 100 years since it started and becomes a victim to the endless drawl of time.

Westerosi history books label the Empire an example of what happens to rebellious and free kingdoms, whilst Essos texts deem them as extremists that tried to destroy the economy and suggest anyone seeking to follow the beliefs as criminals. However, slaves whisper about the great Empire and the brief freedom of their ancestors, and documents and writings found primarily in Dorne call Kerin's idea revolutionary and world-changjng. These works would scatter, the true story of The Sun Killer and The Empire of Dāez Vali would spread through them reaching the eyes of forward thinking individuals - including a young and bright Daenerys Targaryen.

Dragonstone: Kerin is born and raised there.

King's Landing: after the crown finds out about Issarion, she is kept there until they work out what to do with her.

Pentos: where she stays with Daemon.

Driftmark: Laena's funeral and Aemond loses his eye, triggering Kerin to run away.

Somewhere in Western Essos: Kerin camps around for a bit, mainly near Pentos because she knows the area, before meeting Diodan.

Braavos: She stays with Diodan in Braavos.

Slaver's Bay: Under Dio's influence, she uses her dragon to attack Slaver's Bay - she meets Zhora and they steal the Sun Killer.

The Summer Sea: Panicking in the middle of the Summer Seas, working out the next move. They use Issarion to drag the ship with an anchor.

Basilisk Isles: in an attempt to find land and deal with Zhora, they find other pirates since they technically are pirates now.

Nefer: With Diodan's advice (and unable to fit on Issarion, leaving him in the Basilisk Isles), he tells Kerin to take Zhora to Nefer which is next to the Thousand Islands to meet an old ally - Onaleyana, who is powerful and knows more about the fish people.

The Thousand Islands: A futile attempt to try to return Zhora to her family with Onaleyana (tight squeeze on the dragon.) Onaleyana decides to join them as well.

Basilisk Isles: returning for Diodan and to work things out after quickly gaining a reputation for her dragon and actions - they stay for a while. This is where the raids on other ships start and the idea of giving back to the smallfolk starts. They also gain crew members; Rickon Snow (from the North of Westeros),Colton Of Saltcliffe (from the Iron Islands) and Railey of Skaagos.

Volantis: Another slavers town, they go there with their now more solid plan, but also hear rumours of a girl with water powers living near the Rhoyne. They meet Wynala Bahos here. Diodan also vanishes for most of the time in Volantis, returning with The Philosopher - everyone decides it's best not to ask.

Slaver's Bay: With Wynala and The Philosopher, they return to Slaver's Bay to cause more problems. This is where they also pick up Dusty and Red Rat from Astapor - an unsullied soldier.

Basilisk Isles: They return to the Isles, which they are now quite well known on and have a home there.

Yi Ti: Diodan's enchanted owl, Hesper, returns with a letter from Jar Pyti, a young rebellious man in Yi Ti Diodan met when Jar was just a boy. He wants to join the crew after hearing about their adventures. They go to get him.

The City of the Winged Men: Jar tells them about mysterious mountain people with wax wings, and a young man who often flies out of the mountains who he has met. Kerin doesn't believe him so they go to pay a visit, picking up Noro, leaving the rest of the crew in Yi Ti.

Yi Ti: Back to grab the crew and the ship.

Basilisk Isles: Returning to the Isles with a full crew, they go around for another 6 months or so, raiding and causing chaos and returning coin to the smallfolk.

The Narrow Sea: Kerin finally returns to Westeros, helping the smallfolk there and putting pressure on the crown.

(PSA: This is using GOT season 8 travel logic.)

This might be hard to read, so here are some important notes about the dynamics to be easier to digest:

Everyone is friends or acquaintances mainly, with some of the crew being close friends whilst others just live and respect each other.

Kerin sees Diodan as a father figure the same way Colton and Railey see Rickon as a father figure.

Railey and Colton have a sibling type relationship.

Colton has a crush on Kerin, but her problems make her largely unable to return them.

Red Rat and Jar both have crushes on Wynala. Wynala has a crush on Colton. Which can make for a tense dynamic at times.

Noro also has a crush on Colton.

Noro and Jar are probably the best friends on the ship.

Railey also has a crush on Wynala, making things double awkward.

Onaleyana takes Wynala under her wing and becomes a mother figure, teaching her about magic.

Onaleyana and Noro don't like each other- for petty reasons. They just think the other is weird.

Zhora has a crush on Red Rat.

Rickon respects Kerin for her views, but dislikes her out of worry for Colton getting hurt from her lack of reciprocation. (He's also an old man and a bit misogynistic about a woman in power.)

Rickon and Onaleyana also don't like each other - but Onaleyana sees Rickon's sexist ways towards Kerin, and despite her and Kerin not being close, she dislikes him for it. And he dislikes her for being another powerful, loud woman.

Colton doesn't like Philly because he doesn't trust him because of how mysterious he is.

Philly isn't really friends with anyone apart from Diodan and is really just kind of there on the ship. Onaleyana is similar, but she is also close with Wynala - and Railey thinks she's really cool.

DUSTY

NAME: Dusty

OWNER: Kerin Barlowe

SPECIES: Jackal

APPEARANCE: A smaller than the average jackal, probably a runt, with a grey and brown pelt and yellow eyes.

BACKSTORY: Dusty is found near the Mereen harbours in Slaver's Bay during Kerin's second attack there, the same time they picked up Red Rat. Dusty was only a young jackal whose mother had been killed by poachers of some kind, crying behind a rock, probably only a few weeks old. Kerin found him during her time on the ground in the flames, helping slaves - in which he was small enough for her to put him in her coat and bring with her.

PERSONALITY: Dusty is an energetic and friendly creature who loves attention and being fussed over. He sees Kerin as his mother and will follow her around and sleep on her bed, but he does also love the other crewmates and is always wanting to play.

JOB: He is mainly a deck animal, killing and eating any vermin that get on board - like rats or mice.

HESPER

NAME: Hesper

OWNER: Diodan

SPECIES: Greater Sooty Owl

APPEARANCE: With a similar appearance to a typical Barn Owl, another masked owl, Hesper appears as a gloomy and almost spooky version of the common bird. He is about 40 cm long and weighs about 600g, with a wingspan of about 45cm. With big black eyes and dusty grey feathers, he is often seen as a bad omen.

BACKSTORY: It's not really known how Diodan found Hesper. Chances are he found him as a young bird and fed him to bond with him. But once in Diodan's possession, Hesper was enchanted to be a messenger bird. His enchantment still leaves him with a personality and not just a vessel - but he finds people that want to contact the Sun Killer in order for them to communicate.

PERSONALITY: He is bouncy and impatient, eager to fulfil his job. Even under an enchantment, it only tells him who and where to go. He is incentivised by treats and gifts to actually do his job. Often meaning he can be huffy and peck at people when someone doesn't write quick enough or ignores him. He is an intelligent bird on his own, able to learn how to get the most attention from the crewmates.

JOB: Communication to and from The Sun Killer ship - making him one of their most important assets.

TION AND DERIA

NAME: Tion and Deria

OWNER: Rickon Snow.

SPECIES: Direwolf

APPEARANCE: Tion is a black direwolf with milky white eyes because he's blind. Deria has a brown pelt with a missing front leg.

BACKSTORY: They're taken in by Rickon as pups after being found in a bear trap. See Rickon's backstory for more detail.

PERSONALITY: Tion is a vicious and almost anxious wolf, being blind has him relying on Deria for a lot of things. They're both getting old now, but are still pretty capable attack animals.

Deria is calmer and less volatile, she can manage on her own but is friendlier and caring, not wanting to leave her brother in most scenarios.

Both are very loyal to Rickon.

JOB: The Direwolves are weapons. Both are trained to work together to kill and are very protective.

SKIPPER, FERRY AND ROLA

NAME: Skipper, Ferry and Rola

OWNER: Onaleyana

APPEARANCE: Skipper is a male brown rat. Ferry is a male cream rat. Rola is a female beige and cream rat.

BACKSTORY: Onaleyana found them in Nefer and practiced magic on them. They ended up with far faster healing abilities and don't seem to age - making them potential immortal rats. So, she kept them.

PERSONALITY: All three are quite playful and eager to learn tricks and get affection, but there isn't much else to them.

JOB: Entertainment? They really serve no purpose.

NAME: Issarion's name comes from the word issaros, which means stranger in Valyrian. The Dragonkeepers in Dragonstone suspected a fourth wild dragon without confirmation, giving him the name of a stranger. It's unknown if this name is also in reference to “The Stranger” from The Seven, or just a mere coincidence. The smallfolk, however, the ones that knew of him at least, called him Woodwind.

The Oak Guardian title came later during his time as Kerin became a people's hero and he also became a symbol of heroism.

OWNER: Kerin Barlowe.

SPECIES: Dragon.

APPEARANCE: He is shades of brown and burnt wood tones - from an oak brown to beige, like cutting open a tree trunk; earning his many names in reference to wood or trees. He has deep amber eyes, which often draws similarities to Kerin's own eyes - often causing people to comment on their connection. Whilst his exact age is unknown thanks to his mysterious past and wild upbringing, he is assumed to be in early adulthood. Though, since he was raised without the confines of a Dragonpit, he has grown at a faster rate, making him a similar size to Syrax. He has a similar head shape to Silverwing and Syrax - but with more, longer, slightly twisted horns, giving him the appearance of a crown.

BACKSTORY: Issarion was a dragon of rumour for a long time. A wild dragon on Dragonstone, he learnt to mimic the actions of the other wild dragons, mainly copying the timid Grey Ghost, as he was less likely to defend his territory. During an attack on the docks, as he stole fish, Kerin was a dock hand that panicked and threw the fish at him instead of protecting it. Her Valyrian blood kept her from getting killed, and Issarion started following her around because he learnt she'd give him the fish - which is how they bonded.

PERSONALITY: More intelligent than most dragons, Issarion copies and runs more than attacks. But, he is volatile and protective and obedient to his rider - making him a deadly and dangerous dragon to face as an enemy. He is surprisingly social since he is surrounded by people, and will only attack if he or Kerin is threatened. He is affectionate to his rider, and very loyal.

JOB: He is a fighting animal and war weapon, but also a valuable mode of transport and force to pull the ship when necessary. He is also the symbol of the ship and on the flag, making him important to their message.

ADDITIONAL FACTS

Kerin spent a long time flying with Daemon and Caraxes, training Issarion to do tricks and impressive manoeuvres through flying with another dragon. This is also where Issarion learnt to use his speed to tear riders off of the backs of larger dragons he couldn't beat in combat. Essentially kidnapping riders with his talons. It's a trick no other dragon has done - or done since.

Issarion once slipped and fell off the ship and ended up crying and flapping around in the water helplessly. He took out a mast and three men in the process and Kerin was too busy laughing to help anyone.

His dragonfire isn't as hot as other dragons, but he has a long range.