Stormcrows

The Stormcrows are a free company of five hundred mounted sellswords, originally contracted to the Wise Masters of Yunkai. Their captain, Daario Naharis, brought the entire company over to Daenerys Targaryen after she conquered Yunkai, a defection that gave the queen a mobile, experienced cavalry force at a critical moment. The company's name reflects its reputation for moving fast and striking hard, and its ranks include men from across the Free Cities and Westeros, bound together by the promise of gold and plunder rather than any deeper allegiance.

Composition and Leadership

The Stormcrows number roughly five hundred horse-riders, making them a medium-sized free company. Daario Naharis commands them with a flamboyant, ruthless style; his second-in-command is the scarred axeman known only as the Widower, and the company's archers are led by a man named Jokin. The company's ranks are fluid: they absorb deserters from other companies, such as the dozen Long Lances who chose to join after being defeated, and later a score of Westerosi deserters from the Windblown. Daario himself is a Tyroshi, marked by his gold tooth, trident beard, and the hilts of his arakh and stiletto, which are wrought in the shape of golden naked women. He trusts his men only as far as he can spit, a sentiment he openly expresses.

Service Under Daenerys Targaryen

After defecting to Daenerys, the Stormcrows become one of the three sellsword companies in her service, alongside the Second Sons and the Unsullied. Daario leads them on a mission to Lhazar to secure an alliance with the Lamb Men, successfully reopening the overland trade routes and bringing grain and goods down the Skahazadhan. The company also scouts the Yunkish hinterlands and provides protection to caravans crossing the Khyzai Pass. When the Yunkish siege tightens, Daenerys sends the Stormcrows back into the field to harry the enemy's supply lines and gather intelligence. Daario reports that the hills are swarming with Yunkish sellswords from four free companies, and that his men had to cut their way through all of them to return to Meereen.

Tensions and Loyalty

The Stormcrows' loyalty is a recurring concern. Daenerys herself notes that sellswords are treacherous by nature, fickle, faithless, and brutal. After Daario returns from Lhazar, she becomes wary of his growing boldness and orders him to make his reports to Ser Barristan Selmy rather than to her directly, forbidding him from her presence. This distance is partly a political calculation: Daario is sent as a hostage to the Yunkish camp as part of the peace agreement, a move that Daenerys hopes will keep him from provoking conflict. The company's allegiance is further complicated when the Second Sons under Brown Ben Plumm betray Daenerys and go over to Yunkai, a defection that Daario greets with fury, vowing to open Plumm from throat to groin. The Stormcrows themselves remain loyal during this crisis, but their reliability is never taken for granted.

The Dornish Deception

A significant episode involves three Dornishmen—Quentyn Martell, Gerris Drinkwater, and Archibald Yronwood—who infiltrate the Stormcrows under false names (Frog, Gerrold, and Greenguts) as part of a ruse to reach Daenerys. They had originally signed on with the Windblown but deserted to the Stormcrows at the command of the Tattered Prince, intending to defect to Daenerys's side. When the truth is revealed, Daario is furious at having been deceived and wants to kill them all; only the intervention of Grey Worm and the Unsullied prevents bloodshed. The Dornishmen are imprisoned in the bowels of the Great Pyramid, and the other Westerosi who came over with them from the Windblown are also held captive.

Role in the Siege of Meereen

During the final stages of the siege, the Stormcrows are one of the few mobile forces Daenerys can rely on. After the peace collapses and the Yunkish demand the destruction of the dragons, the Stormcrows are represented on the council of commanders by the Widower and Jokin, who have assumed joint command in Daario's absence as a hostage. The Widower is skeptical of diplomacy, arguing that the Yunkish will only offer empty words, not the captain's release. The company's ultimate fate remains tied to Daenerys's uncertain return and the outcome of the war in Slaver's Bay.