This is a listing of members of the Second Sons in A Song of Ice and Fire.
For the main character index, see here
For the main sellsword companies entry, see here
The Second Sons
Banner of the Second Sons
One of the oldest sellsword companies in Essos, the Second Sons have won several famous victories in their past, but under the leadership of Mero have found it harder and harder to find work in the Free Cities due to their lack of loyalty. Every member of the company signs their name into a book in red ink, with details of their service added later on. Their banner is a broken sword.
- Badass Army: Aegor "Bittersteel" Rivers, Prince Aerion Targaryen, Rodrik Stark "the Wandering Wolf", and Prince Oberyn Martell have all ridden with the Second Sons.
- Blood Oath: Originally, all members signed their name in blood in the company's book, but it was discovered that blood didn't make a very long lasting ink, so they switched to red ink instead. Some people still sign in blood when they join if they are fond of tradition, such as Tyrion Lannister.
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: According to Ser Jorah, the Sons are working in Slaver's Bay simply because they've gained such a reputation for this trope, none of the Free Cities will hire them any more. Cities in Slaver's Bay aren't as up-to-date with their news, however. They quickly prove the point: first they abandon Yunkai and go over to Daenerys, then they abandon Daenerys and go over to Yunkai. Tyrion and Jorah are already plotting on turning them again. In The Winds of Winter they once again betray Yunkai and play the Fake Defector card and joke they were "Queen's Men" all along. Weathervanes have nothing on them.
- Meaningful Name: Their name derives from the tradition of firstborn sons getting the family inheritance, forcing second sons to make a living on their own, sometimes as sellswords, for example.
- Private Military Contractors: They used to have a reputation almost as solid, but never quite as shiny, as the Golden Company's. They certainly still have the records and traditions to prove it, too. Buuuuut, Mero has rather let some of their previously held, best business practices slide over recent years. As a result, although still considered competent enough in the field for most battles they might conceivably engage in on paper, they're just flat-out not trusted to stay bought on or off it any more. Forget simply going the extra mile for the pride in a job well done. Crooked Contractor: PMC-Edition.
- Punny Name: Hammer is the company blacksmith, Nail is his apprentice. Neither has had their real name revealed as of yet.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Like many other sellsword companies, they'll abandon their employers if the odds are against them.
open/close all folders
Mero
Mero
The Titan's Bastard
- "What say you take off those clothes and come sit on my lap? If you please me, I might bring my Second Sons over to your side."
A Braavosi mercenary who commands the Second Sons. His reputation for brutality has made it difficult for them to find work in the Free Cities.
- Character Death: Gets quickly defeated by Ser Barristan Selmy and is swarmed by numerous freed slaves, who proceed to stab and rip him apart.
- Color-Coded Eyes: He has pale green eyes, and perfectly embodies the untrustworthy nature of this eye color.
- The Corrupter: According to Jorah, the Second Sons are an old company and have some honour, but under Mero, they've gotten a reputation almost as bad as the Brave Companions.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Ser Barristan crushes him when Mero attempts to assassinate Daenerys.
- Dirty Coward: Despite his bravado when meeting with Daenerys, Mero flees the battle when the Stormcrows defect to her and the Yunkai slave soldiers surrender.
- Evil Redhead: This ginger is a sleazy, double-crossing, pain in the rear by any metric. But, particularly so if you're female.
- Faux Affably Evil: He has a reputation for appearing amiable but actually being a total bastard.
- Jerkass: Bastard by name, jerkass by nature. If he has redeeming features, he's managed to drown them in sleaze and contrariness.
- Large Ham: A larger-than-life, jerked ham more than willing to make outrageously theatrical promises, threats and boasts.
- The Load: Invoked about him: Jorah remarks that the Second Sons are out in Slaver's Bay because Mero has gotten such a bad reputation for screwing over his employers, none of the Free Cities will hire the Sons anymore.
- Miles Gloriosus: He styles himself as a cross between a Four-Star Badass and a Frontline General. The reality, however, is rather closer to General Failure than he likes to admit, for all he's not a complete washout. He's also really bad at evaluating what contracts he could make work going in, so tends to bite off a lot more than the company can chew. Or, he just doesn't care: grab the dosh and bugger off.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: The Titan's Bastard.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: A misogynist, he constantly demeans Daenerys because she's a beautiful girl.
- Slime Ball: No slave- or servant-girl will be ungroped or unpinched around this charming guy. Even in a business meeting.
- Smug Snake: If only he could live up to his (loud) self-advertising. Pity for him he really can't when facing fully-trained, disciplined fighters. Hence, a reputation for legging it when possible.
- Underestimating Badassery: He dismisses Barristan Selmy as no threat when Selmy puts himself between Mero and Daenerys. Selmy responds by breaking Mero's jaw.
Brown Ben Plumm
Ben Plumm
Brown Ben Plumm
- "There are old sellswords and bold sellswords but there are no old, bold sellswords."
Second-in-command of the mercenary company the Second Sons, promoted to leader when Mero, the Titan's Bastard, vanishes on the battlefield. After that Plumm pledges his services to Daenerys for a time.
He's a distant relative of the Westerosi House Plumm. Has a mixed heritage, with, among others, a half-Ibbenese and half-Qohorik grandmother, a Dothraki mother and a distant Targaryen ancestor. He also boasts Braavosi, Summer Islander, and Dornish ancestry.
- Affably Evil: Plumm is an utterly amoral mercenary who will fight for whoever pays him the most and will happily backstab any of his employers the moment it seems like they're about to lose, but he's also a friendly and chatty guy who looks out for his men and is also one of the only people in the series who respects Tyrion's intelligence and is able to look past his deformity, and none of his friendliness appears to be an act or a mask. He's Only in It for the Money, after all, and being a jerk or a Psycho for Hire doesn't get you any extra bucks.
- Ambiguously Brown: In-universe, he claims descent from essentially every known, populous and standard-humanoid ethic group in Essos, Westeros and Sothoryos, and no-one is sure which, if any, of his claims are true because of his complete racial ambiguity. Heck, should he ever think of boasting of Children, Giants or Deep Ones in his genetic vault, no reader would be all that surprised. Beyond asking how (or if) he's avoided large golden eyes, height problems or webbed feet, that is. He doesn't actually go that far in his boasting in the series, but he's that not far off with his claims of a dragony Targaryen heritage.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Tyrion describes him thus:"Plumm had an amiable look to him, especially when he smiled. The faithful retainer, every man's favorite nuncle, full of chuckles and old sayings and roughspun wisdom. It was all a sham. Those smiles never reached Plumm's eyes, where greed hid behind a veil of caution. Hungry but wary this one".
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: He betrays the Second Sons' previous leader and their employers to join Daenerys, and then betrays her in turn when she no longer seems a good investment. At that point, he tells her, "Never trust a sellsword." Tyrion then plans on having him betray the Yunkish once again and go back to Daenerys.
- Combat Pragmatist: Claims to have fought in over a hundred battles. Does not claim to have fought bravely in them.
- Also averted in his defection from Meereen. Despite what must have been ample opportunity to do so, he does not sabotage or backstab Daenerys on his way out, although he does trick some loot out of her on the pretense of trying to hire away the enemy sellswords.
- Down the Drain: Once escaped from Meereen through the sewer system, giving Dany the idea to get in the same way. He emphatically states that once was enough for him.
- The Dragon: To the Titan's Bastard, initially.
- Dragon Ascendant: Takes over the company after Mero bolts.
- Even Evil Has Standards: He seems disgusted when telling the story about how Oznak zo Pahl killed a man for supposedly raping a woman with his eyes.
- I Fight for the Strongest Side!: Why he joins Dany, and why he abandons her during the 2nd Siege of Meereen. And why he abandons the Yunkish a second time to rejoin Daenerys
- Insanely International Ancestry: He claims to have Braavosi, Dornish, Dothraki, Ibbenese, Qohorik, Summer Islander, Valyrian, and Westerosi ancestry.
- Heel–Face Revolving Door: On paper, this is how all his stratagems wind up looking. On the one hand, the Yunkai do kind of make convincing conventional villains, being slavers and all. On the other, Daenerys is kind of heroic, if not entirely sure how to hero. And, on the gripping hand, he acts like a ping-pong ball getting batted between them both. In reality... he doesn't change morality one bit. He is always Only in It for the Money.
- Gag Penis: Not claimed of himself, but according to him, his ancestor from House Plumm who married a Targaryen princess appealed to her because of his six foot long penis. When Dany disputes this prodigious claim, he points out (not unreasonably) that six inches would be nothing to write home about.
- In a later POV, Tyrion ascribes this to a case of Gossip Evolution based upon the fact that a Targaryen princess - Elaena Targaryen - was married to Lord Ossifer Plumm, and gave birth to a child ten months after her husband's death- leading to a joke that he had impregnated her from "six feet under".
- Licked by the Dog: Bizarrely, Dany's dragons all seem to like him. A subversion of the traits that normally come with this trope, though, since he's definitely not loyal to her.
- Lovable Coward As he puts it, "There are old sellswords and bold sellswords but there are no old, bold Sellswords."
- Lovable Rogue: Looks like everybody's favourite uncle and can be charming company when he puts his mind to it. Is quite willing to stab said everybody in the back to break even.
- Moral Sociopathy: Much like Bronn, Ben does have a basic code. Namely "play nice face-to-face, get rich and take care to not die on the job by any means necessary". But, any other specifics are less easy to pin down since he never spells what they are out, and he allows himself the use of many amoral and risky (if not downright vile) actions done in quick succession. Actions that most people would shy well away from simply because of the possible social backlash they might cause in the longer term. Yet, at the same time, Ben makes it his business to try to not go too far outside other people's social comfort zones without either ready smiles, carefully chosen gifts/bribes, handy excuses and/or entertainingly tall tales and well-turned jokes available, particularly when in public. Even if that avuncular attitude is quite probably a sham on a few levels.
- Noble Top Enforcer: promptly switches sides to Dany.
- Only in It for the Money: Is he ever... The only scruple he has is in doing whatever he can (at minimum expense) to make an overall profit.
- Opportunistic Bastard: Prior to his promotion, Ben first works for Yunkai as just another mercenary defender. However, after Daenerys defeats his (likely) former company and causes their leader, Mero, to disappear, Ben somehow becomes the company's new leader and joins Daenerys against his former employers, the Yunkai. He stays with her until she conquers Mereen; at which point, believing she can't win against the newly reformed Yunkai forces and having found out she can't actually control her dragons, he abandons her and again allies himself with the Yunkai. Again. As soon as he gets wind that Daenerys is apparently now making headway towards become a true Dragon Rider, however, Ben plans to sell out Yunkai again to realign with Daenerys... Again. He's also a man who notices golden opportunities when presented with them. At a slave auction, he tries to buy Ser Jorah Mormont and Tyrion Lannister. The former he plans on killing and presenting as a "wedding present" in order to get back into Daenerys's good graces. The latter he plans on selling for the bounty on his head, which includes a lordship in Westeros. Eventually Tyrion is able to talk Ben into allowing both him and Jorah to join the company, but only after convincing him he can give Plumm vastly more riches as Lord of Casterly Rock than he can as a very dead head on a pike. Ben is a man of no loyalties, who will backstab anyone if the odds aren't in their favor, and who is driven by a lust for riches and self-preservation above all else.
- Refuge in Audacity: May be pulling this, regarding quite a few of his quite unbelievable stories about his background. By going large with the tales, he may be actually letting people know the truth as he sees it, in a way he knows they will consider far too embroidered to be true. He does have a tendency for dramatic, over-the-top-gestures-with-a-purpose beyond this, too; see his interaction with Jorah and Tyrion, for starters.
- Sherlock Scan: Played straight and averted. At the slave auction he recognizes Tyrion immediately and attempts to purchase him in order to give him to Dany, which he tells Tyrion straight away, despite having never once laid eyes on him before — granted, anybody keeping up with Westorosi news would know about the well-advertised bounty along with Tyrion's description, not to mention that a well-educated, Common Tongue-speaking, obviously Westerosi, noseless, blond dwarf with mismatched eyes and a sarcastic mouth on him is hardly Mr Nondescript at an auction in Slaver's Bay. However, when Jorah is put on the same stage, Ben doesn't recognize him under all the swelling bruises and the new, hideous slave tattoo, despite having spent plenty of time with him not too long prior. While it could be argued that Ben simply didn't see him there, when Tyrion and Jorah later emerge in Ben's camp, he still doesn't recognize Jorah until the latter opens his mouth. But, those facial changes certainly would throw most people off.
- Smart People Play Chess: Plays several rounds with Tyrion.
- Wild Card: He's basically on his own side... even if he's on yours. For the moment.
Kasporio the Cunning
Kasporio
The Cunning
Brown Ben Plumm's second-in-command, Kasporio is a bravo who refers to himself as "the Cunning".
- Agent Peacock: Like many bravos he dresses in garish colors.
- Blood Knight: Seems to be in the game for this reason, mainly.
- Cool Sword: He wields a thin bravos sword with has a jeweled hilt.
- The Dragon: To Brown Ben Plumm.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Like everybody else, he dislikes the Yunkai'i commanders.
- Jerkass: Jorah Mormont dubs him "Kasporio the Cunt".
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Makes a few homophobic remarks about Bokkoko.
- Real Men Wear Pink: He wears a slashed pink doublet.
- Smug Snake: Tyrion considers him a jackanapes.
Tybero Istarion
Tybero Istarion
Inkpots
- "I keep the books. I guard our gold. I draw up our agreements, collect our wages, make certain that we have sufficient coin to buy provisions."
The Second Sons' paymaster.
- Badass Bureaucrat: Although he keeps the company rolls and financial accounts safe and up-to-date, he still holds his own within this band of jerkass cut-throats. Not an easy thing to do.
- Bring My Brown Pants: Pisses himself upon seeing Viserion joining the battle between the Yunkai'i and their allies against the defenders of Meereen and the dragon begins to eat corpses.
- Deadpan Snarker: Quite willing to return dry for dry with Tyrion.
- In-Universe Nickname: Inkpots, due to the ink stains on his fingers.
- Non-Action Guy: He tends to the Second Sons' finances, not their battles.
Snatch
Serjeant Snatch
A one-handed sellsword who holds the rank of serjeant.
- Deadpan Snarker: To the point that he reminds Tyrion of Bronn.Tyrion's thoughts: Bronn's meaner bastard shadow, or I'm Baelor the Beloved.
- Hook Hand: Has a hook where his right hand should be.
- Jerkass: Snatch isn't the nicest member of the company. He also has a habit of spitting on people.
- Lean and Mean: Stringy, but strong... and, decidedly not somebody to meet in a dark alley.
- Perma-Stubble: With this and the hook, he looks piratical. No water or ship, though.
Kem
Kem
A lowborn Westerosi sellsword from Flea Bottom who participated in the Battle of the Blackwater and fled Westeros following Stannis' defeat.
- Ambiguously Gay: He mentions missing a boy who was his... "friend", back in Westeros.
- Cannon Fodder: In the eyes of Tyrion. Certainly by contrast with the rest of the personalities on display in the Second Sons, he seems most likely to be used by them as this.
- Dirty Coward: Seen as one by a knight loyal to Stannis, who refused Kem entry to one of the rescue ships for not having a spear with him.
- The Exile: A lowborn example.
- Nice Guy: About the only one in the company, so far. Well, minus Penny.
- Trademark Favorite Food: He is very fond of "brown", the signature stew served in pot shops in Flea Bottom. This squicks Tyrion out, given the stew's reputation for sometimes being made of murdered people. This might hint at Hidden Depths as much as an iron stomach, who knows?
