The Triarchy in ‘House of the Dragon’ Is the Pirate Alliance That Never Stopped Haunting Westeros

With ‘House of the Dragon‘ back for its third season and the Battle of the Gullet already reshaping the Dance of the Dragons, viewers are once again being asked to reckon with one of the show’s most persistent outside threats. The Triarchy, a naval alliance from the continent of Essos, has been lurking at the edges of Targaryen politics since the very first episode, and its grip on the story has only tightened over time.

The Triarchy is an alliance among three of the Free Cities along the coast of Essos: Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh. It is also known as the Kingdom of the Three Daughters, because the Free Cities on the western coast of Essos are sometimes referred to as the daughters of Old Valyria. While the political intrigue of the Seven Kingdoms tends to dominate the story, the Triarchy proves that threats from beyond Westeros can be just as destabilizing as any succession crisis.

How the Triarchy Rose to Power in the Stepstones

The alliance was established roughly seven years before the events of ‘House of the Dragon.’ Its original purpose was to unite the three cities against Volantis during conflicts in the Disputed Lands. Following that victory, the coalition expanded its influence and began asserting control over crucial maritime routes.

Corlys Velaryon informs the Small Council that the newly formed triple-alliance in the Free Cities has started calling itself the Triarchy, and that under the command of their prince-admiral Craghas Drahar, known as the Crabfeeder, the Triarchy has conquered the Stepstones from local pirates which had long infested them.

The deeds of Craghas and the Triarchy originally gained the approval of Westeros, but it soon turned to resentment when the Triarchy greedily increased the toll of being paid for their services, and men began complaining that Craghas and his co-admirals from Lys and Tyrosh were vying with each other over who was the greediest amongst them.

King Viserys I Targaryen sends out diplomatic messages to the Triarchy’s rivals to try to seek common cause with Volantis to the east and Pentos to the north, but otherwise takes no action, unwilling to provoke a war in the Free Cities.

The War for the Stepstones and the Rise of the Crabfeeder

While the Triarchy is ruled by a High Council of thirty-three magisters, only one leader appears in ‘House of the Dragon.’ Viserys is unwilling to provoke the Free Cities with open war, but Corlys defies the king, initiating his own war against the Triarchy in the Stepstones.

Recruiting Daemon and his dragon Caraxes, with the promise to support the Prince’s claim, Corlys leads a naval attack, fighting in the Stepstones for years against the Triarchy and their commander, the Crabfeeder. Getting his name for his habit of chaining imprisoned sailors to be devoured alive by crabs, Craghas Drahar is known to be cruel. He wears a fearsome mask, hiding his face, which was badly injured by grayscale.

The Crabfeeder uses nontraditional tactics by having his forces hide in caves, avoiding the dragonfire and lasting years against the beasts. This guerrilla approach made the war drag on far longer than anyone anticipated, humiliating Daemon and straining Corlys politically at court.

During the siege of Bloodstone, Daemon stages a surprise attack on the Triarchy, fooling Craghas and his men by pretending to surrender under a white flag. When the Crabfeeder exited his cave, Daemon began cutting through his men. This ambush allowed Velaryon forces to successfully reach the shores while intact and defeated the remaining Triarchy soldiers. Realizing his defeat is imminent, Craghas Drahar retreats into a cave, but Daemon pursues and kills him.

Why the Triarchy Matters to the Dance of the Dragons

Corlys returns to fight them throughout Season 1, reclaiming their battlefield of the Stepstones, but the Triarchy remains. And, since they have a mutual enemy in Corlys, Aemond and the Greens intend to reach out to the Triarchy to break the blockade on King’s Landing, gaining some naval power and dealing a blow to the Blacks.

In search of further swords for his prince regent Aemond Targaryen’s growing army and to break up the Velaryon blockade in the Gullet, Ser Tyland Lannister travels to Essos where he meets members of the Triarchy and tries to convince them to fight for Team Green. However, leading members of the Triarchy demanded control of the Stepstones in exchange for their fleets.

The Battle of the Gullet begins as a military operation, but the episode quickly reveals deeper motivations behind the conflict. Sharako Lohar arrives carrying decades of resentment connected to the Stepstones campaign. From the Triarchy’s perspective, Corlys Velaryon and Daemon Targaryen were responsible for devastating losses among pirate fleets and naval forces operating throughout the region.

Sharako Lohar and the Triarchy’s Role in Season 3

‘House of the Dragon’ has returned for its third season and kicked things off in explosive fashion with the Battle of the Gullet, the single most devastating naval battle in Westeros’ history. This clash sees a fleet of pirates sailing for the Triarchy ambush the Sea Snake’s blockade in the titular Gullet, a waterway through which nearly all trade to King’s Landing passes.

As for Lohar, the commander is actually male in the books, but never received any physical description and is only mentioned a handful of times. The show’s casting of Abigail Thorn in the role represents a creative departure that gives the character a far more vivid screen presence than the source material ever afforded.

In George R.R. Martin’s book ‘Fire and Blood’, squabbling over the result of the Battle of the Gullet also directly affects the future of the Triarchy itself, leading to an eventual civil war between the three Free Cities and severing their alliance.

In the novel, Lohar survives, and only their own ships loyal to Lys return with them, leading to speculation from the other two Free Cities that the pirate captain held their own ships in reserve at the Gullet. This distrust is the beginning of the end for the Triarchy.

From Stepstones to the Gullet — A Grudge Decades in the Making

The return of the Triarchy in ‘House of the Dragon’ proves how interconnected the politics of Westeros and Essos truly are. While dragons dominate posters and promotional material, factions such as the Triarchy often influence history from the edges of the map before suddenly shaping its centre.

Historical grievances often linger longer than political alliances, and ‘House of the Dragon’ uses that reality to strengthen the episode’s dramatic foundation. The result is a confrontation fueled by memory, vengeance, and unfinished business.

The Triarchy itself may not survive, but neither will the balance of power in Westeros. The civil war within the alliance, should the show choose to trace its seeds, would mirror the Targaryen infighting at the heart of the story in unsettling ways. Two world-shaking powers, both eating themselves alive.

What is clear is that the Triarchy was never simply a backdrop threat to be defeated and forgotten — it is a slow-burning consequence machine, and season 3 is finally cashing in all those checks. Do you think Sharako Lohar and the Triarchy fleet will ultimately tip the scales of the Dance of the Dragons, or will the alliance fall apart before it can decide the war?