Inside the Sealord's Palace, Utherys's failing body seemed to have regained its vitality after he drank the Dragonfire of House Targaryen that Danyla had given him. The "accident" at the Menagerie had rekindled the furious old Sealord's fighting spirit. For House Ryyaan, for his son and daughter, and for the peace of Braavos, he cast aside the dejection of the past few years, his gaze turning resolute and cold.
"Ring the Bell of Truth. Summon all the magisters, Keyholders, and heads of the great families to the Palace of Truth. We have matters to discuss!"
Soon, the deep, far-reaching toll of the bell in the Palace of Truth resounded throughout Braavos, immediately putting every Braavosi on edge. That bell rang only when Braavos faced a grave crisis or an event of extraordinary importance.
Although night had already fallen, everyone of any standing in Braavos hurried toward the Palace of Truth.
Magister was a title held by the powerful in the Nine Free Cities, somewhat akin to a member of parliament in the real world. The number of magisters varied from one Free City to another. Braavos currently had twenty-three.
They played important roles in both major decisions and the daily administration of Braavos, and wielded considerable influence. Without real power and wealth to support them, no magister could hold on to his seat.
The Keyholders were officials who oversaw the Iron Bank of Braavos, all descendants of its twenty-three founders. Of the original Keyholders, sixteen were men and seven were women. Each held a key that opened the bank's enormous underground vault.
The Iron Bank was the wealthiest organization in the world. Together with the Purple Fleet and the Faceless Men, it formed the three pillars of Braavos's quiet domination of world trade.
The Iron Bank had a long history,