House of the Dragon season 2 has drawn to a close with a drama-filled finale. But, in just one episode, the series managed to deliver plenty of teases for season 3, including a bunch of new(ish) characters right at the beginning. But with so much going on, you might now be wondering: who were those people with Tyland Lannister at the start of the episode, and what relevance do they have to the series? Well, don't worry, as we are here to answer those questions.
Warning: major spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2 episode 8 follow, so make sure you are all caught up before reading on.
The final episode of season 2 kicked off in a rather strange way, with a small council member in an unfamiliar place with a bunch of people we had never seen before.
In search of further swords for his prince regent Aemond Targaryen’s growing army and to break up the Velaryon blockade in the Gullet, Ser Tyland Lannister travels to Essos where he meets members of The Triarchy and tries to convince them to fight for Team Green. However, leading members of the Triarchy demanded control of the Stepstones in exchange for their fleets. Lannister tells them that this may not be possible as The Stepstones need to be under the control of The Realm for trade and import needs, plus they belong to Lord Corlys Velaryon. But, faced with the idea of going back to King’s Landing empty-handed, Lannister agrees.
However, there is another catch. If Lannister wants to take the Free Cities' fleets back with him to war, he must first prove his worth to the Admiral, a woman, who states she "will not sail with a man who cannot best me." And so, in a hazing-type situation, Lannister fights Commander Sharako Lohar in the mud and looks to be losing until he delivers one final blow. Afterward, the new friends celebrate over food and drink, and Lohar even offers one of her wives to Lannister. And that is the last we see of them, until they set sail at the end of the finale, off to war.
As interesting as this new alliance is, you may have been a bit confused at the beginning of the finale, thinking 'Have I missed an episode here?'. But this new group is much more than just a side quest for Lannister – in fact, we have actually heard of the Triarchy before, and, based on the book, they could play a pivotal role in the next season.
What is the Triarchy?
The Triarchy is an alliance between three out of nine of the Free Cities; Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh, which are located in the continent of Essos. The Free Cities are independent city-states separate from Westeros and out of the control of the Realm, but they often trade with the Seven Kingdoms.
If you cast your mind back to House of the Dragon season 1, you will remember that we have actually heard of the Triarchy before when Lord Corlys told the Small Council of the newly founded alliance who were causing havoc in The Stepstones. Things got really bad, though, when the Triarchy’s Admiral – known as the Crabfeeder – took over the port and murdered anyone who stepped foot there. Corlys decided to fight back in a long and struggling war with the help of Daemon Targaryen, who later killed the Crabfeeder.
But the fight wasn't over. As the Triarchy appointed new admirals, they continued to fight for The Stepstones right up until season 2. When Corlys returned successfully to Dragonstone, he informed Rhaenyra that his Velaryon fleet had secured the Stepstones once again and had left a full garrison behind to deter the Triarchy. And that was the last we heard of them, until now.
What role will The Triarchy and Admiral Lohar have in season 3?
Since this is the first time the Triarchy has had any notable screentime, aside from the Crabfeeder’s reign in season 1, we can presume that the alliance will play a bigger role in House of the Dragon season 3. At the end of House of the Dragon season 2, we see the fleet heading out presumably to war to break the blockades in the Gullet and Riverlands, so as soon as season 3 picks up we can expect to see some Triarchy vs Velaryon action.
In George R.R. Martin’s Fire and Blood, however, the Triarchy actually meets with Otto Hightower rather than Lannister, but the alliance still heads out to war for Team Green all the same. In Martin’s work, they meet a few familiar faces en route and even end up at Dragonstone, but we won’t spoil any of that for you here. But, as we know from season 1, The Triarchy does not favor Corlys or Daemon, so they will no doubt wreak havoc on Team Black in the name of revenge as well as alliance.
As for Lohar, the commander is actually male in the books, but never received any physical description and is only mentioned a handful of times. With this, it will be interesting to see what part Lohar plays in House of the Dragon season 3, and if she will be as fearsome as some of the Triarchy’s past commanders.
House of the Dragon seasons 1 and 2 are now available to stream on HBO Max in the US and Sky NOW in the UK. For more, check out the House of the Dragon season 2 episode list and House of the Dragon timeline.
