Ben Plumm
Ben Plumm, called Brown Ben for his weathered, teak-colored skin, is the captain of the Second Sons, a free company of sellswords. A man of mixed ancestry—part Westerosi, part Summer Islander, part Dothraki, and part Qartheen, among others—he is a creature of the Disputed Lands, shaped by decades of mercenary warfare. He is shrewd, tenacious, and above all, wary, a commander who prefers to let his opponents take the risks while he sits back and keeps his options open. His most notable trait is a claim, which he half-believes, to a drop of dragon blood, a boast that may explain the peculiar fondness Daenerys Targaryen's dragons once showed for him.
Service and Betrayal
Plumm enters Daenerys Targaryen's service as the captain of the Second Sons, fighting for her cause in Slaver's Bay. He is present at her court, offering counsel and serving as a commander of her sellsword forces. However, when the Yunkish alliance gathers strength and Daenerys's position in Meereen becomes precarious, Plumm makes a calculated decision. He leads the Second Sons over to the Yunkish side, a betrayal that stings Daenerys deeply. He justifies his actions with the hard-bitten wisdom of a sellsword: "There are old sellswords and there are bold sellswords, but there are no old bold sellswords." He argues that his men did not wish to die for a lost cause, especially after Daenerys proved unwilling to unleash her dragons against their enemies. This act of treachery marks him as one of the three betrayals the Undying of Qarth foretold for Daenerys, a betrayal for gold.
Captivity and Cyvasse
After his defection, Plumm finds himself in the Yunkish camp, where he encounters Tyrion Lannister, who has been sold into slavery. Plumm recognizes the dwarf's true worth and attempts to buy him at auction, but is outbid. Later, during a feast hosted by the immensely fat Yunkish lord Yezzan zo Qaggaz, Plumm challenges Tyrion to a game of cyvasse. Tyrion wins the first game, but Plumm takes the second for double the stakes. Their games are a reflection of their characters: Tyrion is bold and aggressive, while Plumm is conservative, defensive, and passive, playing not to win but to avoid losing. After losing a third game, Plumm smiles and concedes, acknowledging Tyrion's skill. It is during this encounter that Tyrion, having deduced Plumm's identity, begins to lay the groundwork for his own escape and for turning the Second Sons back to Daenerys's cause.
Return to the Dragon Queen
Tyrion's gamble pays off. After escaping Yezzan's camp, he, Penny, and Jorah Mormont seek refuge with the Second Sons. Tyrion confronts Plumm, revealing his true identity and arguing that his head is worth more to Plumm alive than dead. He points out the folly of delivering him to Cersei Lannister, who would cheat Plumm of his reward, and instead proposes that Plumm throw in with him. Tyrion signs a series of promissory notes, pledging vast sums of gold from the future wealth of Casterly Rock, and formally joins the Second Sons, signing the company's book in blood. Plumm, ever the pragmatist, accepts the deal, recognizing that Tyrion's knowledge and potential value as a Lannister make him a more useful asset than a corpse. With Tyrion's arrival, the Second Sons are once again poised to turn their cloaks, this time back to the side of the dragon queen, a decision driven not by loyalty but by the promise of future reward and the shifting balance of power.
