Soprados pelo Vento

The Windblown are a mercenary company of two thousand mounted horse and foot soldiers found in the Free Cities. They are led by a captain known as the Tattered Prince. Fork-tailed blue-and-white banners are the standards of the Windblown, streamers of pale blue silk flutter from the Windblown lances.

The Windblown command tent is a great grey sailcloth pavilion which the Tattered Prince likes to call his canvas castle. Some of their tents sleep ten men. It can take the Windblown less than an hour to strike camp.

History

The Tattered Prince established the mercenary company some thirty years before the events in the books. When the Tattered Prince was twenty-three the magisters of Pentos selected him to be their new prince after they had beheaded the preceding one. Instead of accepting their offer he fled to the Disputed Lands and never returned to Pentos. He has ridden with the Second Sons, the Iron Shields, and the Maiden's Men, but later with five other men he established the Windblown. Out of the six founders of the company, he is the only one alive.

The Tattered Prince says to Quentyn Martell that every turncloak has his tale and others have sworn service to him, taken his coin and run. One member who fled said that the food made him sick, so the Tattered Prince had his foot cut off, roasted up, and fed to him. He then made him camp cook and the meals improved markedly, and when his contract was fulfilled he signed another. Hugh Hungerford was the company paymaster for a time, but the Tattered Prince caught him stealing from the coffers and removed three of his fingers and demoted him to serjeant.

There is enmity between the Windblown and the Company of the Cat. A year ago in the Disputed Lands they had been on opposite sides of the battle lines and bad blood still lingers. Bloodbeard makes no secret of his disdain for the Tattered Prince whom he refers to as old grey-beards in rags.

Culture

The men of the Windblown use what names they would, and change them at a whim.

The Tattered Prince takes a dim view of deserters and deals with them harshly. He sends hunters after them and if caught and they are lucky he’ll just chop off a foot to make sure they never run again. If they are unlucky they are given to Pretty Meris.

Dick Straw claims there are three score Westerosi in the company. The closest thing they have to a company tongue is classic High Valyrian

Notable Members

Captain-generals

• The Tattered Prince, captain and founder
• Caggo the Corpsekiller, the Tattered Prince's right hand
• Denzo D'han the warrior bard, the Tattered Prince's left hand

Members

• "Pretty" Meris, the company torturer
• Frog
• Greenguts
• Dornish Gerrold, a.k.a. "Drink"
• Dick Straw, Westerosi sellsword
• Wil of the Woods, Westerosi sellsword
• Webber
• Beans, Myrish crossbowman, technically known as "Baqq" but more often by this translation of his name
• Books, Volantene swordsman and avid reader
• Old Bill Bone, from the Summer Islands
• Hugh Hungerford, serjeant, former company paymaster
• Ser Orson Stone, Westerosi sellsword
• Ser Lucifer Long, Westerosi sellsword
• Ginger Jack, Westerosi sellsword
• Myrio Myrakis, Pentoshi sellsword
• Lewis Lanster Westerosi archer
• Gerrold Redback
• Black Gerrold

Recent Events

A Dance with Dragons

The Yunkai contract and bring the Windblown from Old Volantis to fight for the Yellow City. Yunkish Supreme Commander Yurkhaz zo Yunzak signed the Windblow’s contract on behalf of the city of Yunkai.

Before leaving for Yunkai four Windblown serjeants set up a trestle table outside of the Merchant's House calling to every passing man and boy looking for fresh meat to fill their ranks. They sing a marching song:

“	We are the Windblown. Blow us east to Slaver's Bay, we’ll kill the butcher king and fuck the dragon queen.	”

Prior to the Windblown leaving Old Volantis Quentyn Martell and his companions join the Windblown, pledging the Tattered Prince, by making a mark on a scarp of parchment, their sword and service for a year, as a way to reach the Daenerys Targaryen.

To get to Yunkai the Windblown sail on an overcrowded ship tossed by wind and sea, eat hard-bread crawling with weevils and drink black tar rum to sweet oblivion and sleep on piles of mouldy straw. Thereafter the Windblown were present at the Siege of Astapor and later Meereen. Upon commencing the march to Meereen the Tattered Prince declares to his sellswords that Astapor was but a taste, Meereen will be the feast.

The Tattered Prince, after witnessing the incompetence of the Yunkai commanders had two dozen of his Westerosi sellswords (among them the disguised Quentyn Martell and his two Dornish knights) go over to Daenerys Targaryen in case he wanted to turn his cloak later on.

The Westerosi contingent succesfully contact Daario Naharis and offer themselves as recruits for his Stormcrows. After Quentyn and his companions introduce themselves to Daenerys and explain his intentions, the other Westerosi Windblown are kept captive. Daenerys eventually decides to release Meris who, apparently speaking for the Tattered Prince, then offers the Windblown's support for Daenerys if they are given Pentos as payment. Meris and the Tattered Prince also offer to help Quentyn in capturing a dragon, again in exchange for Pentos.

Ser Barristan Selmy, acting as the Hand for absent Daenerys, eventually recruits the remaining captured Windblown contingent, releasing them back to the Tattered Prince with an offer of alliance during the coming attack to Yunkai.