Fishermonger's Square

Fishermonger's Square is a central commercial and social space in the western part of Volantis, situated near the waterfront and dominated by the imposing four-story Merchant's House inn. The square serves as a vital nexus for trade, entertainment, and the convergence of diverse peoples, from local fishmongers and merchants to sailors, sellswords, and travelers from across the known world.

Commerce and Daily Life

The square is a vibrant marketplace, especially in the morning when fishmongers cry out the day's catch, offering cod, sailfish, sardines, barrels of mussels and clams, and eels. Some vendors fry chunks of fish with onions and beets, or sell peppery fish stew from small iron kettles. A gigantic turtle, strung up by its legs on iron chains and as heavy as a horse, is also displayed. The paving stones feel warm underfoot, even through leather boots, testifying to the hot climate. The square is also a place where the city's slave population is visible; slaves with tattoos on their cheeks—a mask of blue feathers, a lightning bolt, a coin, a leopard's spots, a skull, a jug—are everywhere, scurrying about their masters' business.

Entertainment and Social Gathering

In the center of the square, under the cracked and headless statue of a dead triarch, crowds gather to watch entertainments, such as dwarfs in wooden armor jousting on a dog and a pig. The Merchant's House, a four-story building, dominates the docks and wharves, serving as a meeting place for traders from Oldtown, King's Landing, Braavos, Pentos, Myr, Ibben, Qarth, the Summer Isles, and even masked shadow-binders from Asshai by the Shadow. It is a place where business is conducted and news is exchanged.

A Site of Encounters and Transactions

Fishermonger's Square is the setting for several key encounters. It is where Quentyn Martell and Gerris Drinkwater, seeking passage to Meereen, first see the sellswords of the Windblown company recruiting for the Yunkish war effort. The Windblown serjeants call out to every passing man and boy, promising riches and glory. Later, the square is where Tyrion Lannister, now a captive of Ser Jorah Mormont, is brought to the Merchant's House, the city's biggest inn, where he hopes to encounter Griff and his party. The square's constant flow of people and its role as a hub for commerce and rumor make it a place where fates can intersect and plans can be made or broken.