Ny Sar

Ny Sar is the ruined city of the Rhoynar, once the seat of Princess Nymeria, now a desolate landscape of collapsed domes, broken spires, and overgrown canals, serving as a poignant marker of the Shy Maid's journey down the Rhoyne and a symbol of a drowned civilization.

Location and Appearance

Ny Sar lies on the eastern bank of the Rhoyne, where the river Noyne joins the larger stream. The city is a ruin, its once-grand structures reduced to crooked walls, fallen towers, and broken domes. The streets are choked with mud and overgrown with purple moss. The remains of a colossal palace of pink and green marble, with collapsed domes and broken spires, stand on a point of land where the two rivers meet. This palace, Tyrion Lannister identifies, was Nymeria's palace. The canals that once defined the city are now choked with reeds and mud, and pools of stagnant water breed swarms of flies. The broken stones of temples and palaces are sinking back into the earth, and gnarled old willows grow thick along the riverbanks. A few people still live amidst the squalor, tending small gardens, but they are described as having dull, incurious eyes.

Historical Significance

Ny Sar was a city of the Rhoynar, a people who once dominated the river valleys of western Essos. It was the city of Princess Nymeria, who led her people across the narrow sea to Dorne after the Valyrian dragons destroyed their homeland. The city's destruction is a direct consequence of the wars between the Rhoynar and the Valyrian Freehold. Tyrion Lannister, traveling down the Rhoyne on the poleboat Shy Maid, recognizes the ruins from his historical knowledge. The city's fate is a recurring reminder of the destructive power of dragons, a theme that resonates with the dragon queen Daenerys Targaryen, whom Tyrion is on his way to meet.

Narrative Role

Ny Sar serves as a geographical and thematic landmark on the Shy Maid's journey down the Rhoyne. Yandry, the boat's captain, uses the city to illustrate the river's scale, telling Tyrion that the Rhoyne is far wider than any river in the Seven Kingdoms. The sight of the ruins prompts Tyrion to reflect on the power of dragons and the fall of civilizations. The city's desolate state contrasts with the vibrant life of the river, and its history of destruction foreshadows the potential for similar devastation in the conflicts to come. The encounter with the ruins also provides a moment of shared knowledge between Tyrion and the crew, as Yandry explains the geography of the river system, naming the Noyne as the "Wild Daughter" that joins the Mother Rhoyne at Ny Sar.