Brave Companions

The Brave Companions, also known as the Bloody Mummers are a sellsword company from A Song of Ice and Fire. It is an infamous company made of many of the worst criminals and outcasts from many nations of the continents of the world.

The Mummers are cut from the TV series Game of Thrones, and their role in the third season was given to a vicious group of Bolton soldiers.

The band is often called the "Bloody Mummers" by the Westerosi for its members' brutality and outlandish appearance, though they find this name insulting.

Their last leader was Vargo Hoat a man from the Free City of Qohor who cuts off the hands and feet of his prisoners. Their standard is a black goat with bloody horns, symbolizing the Black Goat of Qohor, a god of Qohor.

The band dissolves into smaller group on the year 299 AC.

History
According to semi-canon sources, the Brave Companions are not as old as other mercenary companies and were established before Vargo Hoat became their leader. Their numbers consist of the scum of the west, and a few from the east and the south. Their previous leader was likely not a Qohorik, and their next might possibly be a Lyseni, a Dornishmen or even an Ibbenese.

At the beginning of the War of the Five Kings, the Brave Companions come to Westeros, where they are employed by Lord Tywin Lannister. After the Battle of the Whispering Wood and the execution of Eddard Stark, the Brave Companions are let loose upon the riverlands to terrify the people, burn, and pillage in an attempt to draw out and capture Robb Stark, so that he can be traded with Ser Jaime Lannister. Vargo and the other reaver captains each lead 300 cavalry, with maybe also other freeriders.

The Brave Companions cause a massive amount of terror and destruction in the riverlands. This causes anger on Ser Edmure Tully, who wishes to protect his people and orders the river lords to defend their seats and towns. During the war the riverlands are the last safe country in the realm, because of the restless rapes, murders, burning of towns and villages, and fighting and battles between the brotherhood without banners, forces of the riverlands and the North, the Lannister army, the Mountain's men, and the Bloody Mummers.

At Harrenhal, Arya Stark sees the Brave Companions led by Vargo Hoat and wonders how many monsters Lord Tywin does have. There is tension between the Lannister forces and Vargo's men, leading to occasional violence. One such incidence starts with an archer from Lord Lewys Lydden's men taunting some Brave Companions over their failure to capture the brotherhood without banners and their leader, Beric Dondarrion, and leads to the death of Ser Harys Swyft's squire. After Tywin has the archer and two Brave Companions hanged over the incidence, Vargo and Harys complete their reconciliation with a kiss.

When Tywin leaves Harrenhal, the Mummers are ordered to fortify the castle and are joined by Rorge, Biter and Jaqen H'ghar on the way. Their diverse ranks are said to include copper men with bells in their braids; lancers astride black-and-white horses; bowmen with powdered cheeks; squat hairy men with shaggy shields; brown-skinned men in feathered cloaks; swordsmen with fantastic forked beards dyed green and purple and silver; spearmen with colored scars that covered their cheeks; and many more distinct members, such as Shagwell the Fool, Septon Utt, Qyburn and Urswyck the Faithful.

Ser Amory Lorch and Vargo Hoat hate each other and tension keeps growing on Harrenhal, until Vargo meets Lord Roose Bolton and his nothern army at the Trident. Vargo and Lord Bolton reach a deal: The Brave Companions arrange for Harrenhal to fall into the hands of the northmen, in exchange for which Vargo is promised the title of Lord of Harrenhal once Roose and his men leave the castle. As a result of the agreement, together with some plunder that includes a huge caged bear, Vargo brings a group of northern knights to Harrenhal, led by Robett Glover and Aenys Frey. He claims they are captives the Brave Companions took when they repelled an attempt by Lord Bolton's forces to cross the Trident. As part of the feint, the northerners are chained, in ragged clothes and many fake injuries. Despite his displeasure with Vargo's assumed big catch, Amory falls for the trick and orders that the captives are brought to a dungeon, ignoring a protest by Robett that they have been promised honorable treatment by Vargo.

Jaqen, Rorge, and Biter help Arya Stark free the northerner prisoners. With the northmen free, the Companions help slaughter the Lannister garrison and open the castle's gates to Roose Bolton for the Sack of Harrenhal. Vargo and Lord Bolton watch on as the Brave Companions parade a naked Amory through the yard and throw him into the bear pit, where he's killed by Vargo's bear. Vargo becomes Lord of Harrenhal for his service to the North, and Lord Bolton eventually tasks the Brave Companions with rooting out Lannister forces in the surrounding countryside.

Vargo Hoat divides his men into four bands, giving smaller ones to his trusted companions and lieutenants Utt and Urswyck while he leads the largest one himself. He uses his past affiliation with Lord Tywin to fool Lannister garrisons that are unaware of their betrayal, before seizing them and returning with bags of coin as well as baskets of heads. Several of the bands run into trouble during their foraging and killing. Utt's camp is attacked by a pack of wild wolves, who kill two of their horses. A smaller group hunting Arya, Gendry and Hot Pie falls prey to a wolf pack led by Nymeria, who kills Iggo, an Ibbenese axeman, a Dornish spearmen and a Lyseni archer.

Later Lord Beric Dondarrion and Thoros of Myr lead the brotherhood without banners to a sept under control of the Brave Companions, including a Myrman, two Ibbenese, three Volantenes, and several Dothraki. They attack the sept and hang the captured Mummers, including Septon Utt.

Vargo grows to suspect that his new Bolton allies will join the Lannisters. When several Companions capture Jaime Lannister, Vargo has Zollo chop off Jaime's swordhand to drive a wedge between Tywin and Roose. When Jaime and his escort are leaving Harrenhal, Jaime promises the Brave Companions that a Lannister always pays his debts. Jaime leaves Harrenhal with Qyburn and a Bolton part led by Steelshanks Walton. Vargo's ploy does not work, as Roose makes a deal with Tywin and abandons Harrenhal with his northern host, leaving the fortress for Lord Vargo and his men. At Harrenhal Vargo tries to rape his prisoner, Brienne of Tarth, but she bites off Vargo's ear so she's thrown into the bear pit. Jaime and Steelshank return to Harrenhal and save Brienne before leaving Harrenhal again.

Vargo's wound becomes infected and the Lannister reprisal for his betrayal is near. Gregor Clegane marches with his army to Harrenhal after chasing Roose Bolton from the Trident. Urswyck, Rorge, Zollo and many others argue that they should leave Harrenhal before it's too late, but Vargo insists that they must keep holding it. Rorge, Zollo, Shagwell, and most the Brave Companions desert the group while Vargo is slowly maddening from a fever. The Bloddy Mummers dissolve into smaller group while the Mountain retakes Harrenhal, puts almost every man to the sword, except the northern captive and Vargo, who dies a slow painful death at the hands of the Mountain.

After the war, many Brave Companions become bandits and vagabonds. Rorge's group burns and salughters the people of Saltpans. Because Rorge wears the infamous helm of Sandor Clegane, these deeds are attributed to the Hound by the people of Westeros. Cersei wants the traitor Sandor dead and tries to send her cousin Lancel against him, but Ser Kevan refuses, telling her that Sandor was her dog, therefore it's her responsibility to put him down.

At the Whispers, a ruined castle in the crownlands, Brienne of Tarth meets again the former Brave Companions Timeon, Shagwell, and Pyg. Timeon tells her that Urswyck was heading towards Oldtown with a small band. The three Companions attack Brienne and Podrick, but they are killed at the Whispers. Rorge and Biter are later killed in a confrontation with Brienne at the crossroads inn.

Qyburn rises to the position of master of whisperers for Queen Cersei Lannister and is allowed to continue his morally arguable experiments with people Cersei wants rid of.

Four of the five known surviving members of the Brave Companions, Urswyck, Zollo, Togg Joth and Three Toes, are on the run throughout Westeros.

Vargo Hoat
Also known as the Goat, he's the commander of the Brave Companions. He is from Qohor. Killed at Harrenhal, during the aftermath of the War of the Five Kings, by Ser Gregor Clegane.

Urswyck
Also known as Urswyck the Faithful and Faithful Urswyck, he's Vargo's lieutenant, the second-in-comand of the Bloody Mummers. He resembles a cadaver with red-rimmed eyes and dark veins showing in the pallid skin on his face and hands. He killed his own wife. He's the one who recognizes Jaime when the Mummers find him and Brienne fighting each other near Maidenpool. Jaime tries to convince him to bring him to King's Landing in return of a royal pardon, a reward, and maybe even a knighthood, but Urswyck refuses, telling Jaime that he would be a fool to trust the word of an oathbreaker. When he sees Rorge kicking Brienne, Urswyck tells him to not break any of her bones, because "the horse-faced bitch" is worth her price in sapphires, as suggested to him by Jaime. Urswyck assists when Vargo has Zollo cut off Jaime's sword hand. Urswyck later hangs it on a cord around Jaime's neck. Urswyck is heading towards Oldtown with a small band, possibly to find a ship for Essos.

Utt
A disgraced septon of the Seven, and lieutenant of the Bloody Mummers. He's a pedophile known for his preference of little boys. He rapes children before killing them, then he weeps and pray for forgiveness and often asks other members of Brave Companions to whip and scourge him, which they often do as they find it amusing. Septon Utt's leads foraging parties in the riverlands during the war. Later he leads another party to a village septry, where his men rape and reave the local pupulace and murder several setpons. Utt and his group are defeated by the brotherhood without banners and he's captured by Beric Dondarrion. He's given a trial, where he confesses all his crimes before he's hanged.

Qyburn
A former disgraced maester of the Citadel and primary healer of the group. Qyburn sought to surpass him though and instead of opening the bodies of the dead to discover the secrets of the living as the citadel has done for centuries, Qyburn instead opened the bodies of the still living to discover the secrets of death. When this was discovered, Qyburn was stripped from his position as a maester for unethical experiments he performed on living humans. He joined the Brave Companions to survive, until he left the group to go to King's Landing and find a place at court. He managed to find a place in Cersei's small council as master of whisperers and he's allowed to conducts his experiments on people in the dungeons of the Red Keep, especially on young maids.

Shagwell
Also known as Shagwell the Fool, is a psychotic jester who tells cruel jokes and is said to be half-mad. Jaime considers him one of the three worst members of the Brave Companions. Rumors say that he once killed a man for not laughing at one of his japes. Shagwell spreads the story of the 'weasel soup' and Arya Stark's involvement in Harrenhal's takeover, which prompts Arya to consider adding him to her prayer kill list, but her fear of Shagwell negates this thought. He is the one who presents Arya to Lord Roose Bolton upon the latter's arrival at Harrenhal as the 'weasel who made the soup', and later kicks Amory Lorch into the bear pit. Shagwell, Zollo, and Rorge try to rape Brienne, but Jaime stops them. After the scattering of the Brave Companions, Shagwell, Timeon, and Pyg splinter off and go to Maidenpool to find passage out of the area, but cannot get near a ship. Dick Crabb cons Shagwell into buying a map to the Whispers, which he says is a popular smugglers' cove. The Whispers is deserted, and the group camps in the ruins until Brienne, Dick, and Podrick Payne arrive. Shagwell jumps down from above Dick and kills him with two blows of his flail. Then he and Timeon begin talking to Brienne in an attempt to distract her while they surround her. As Brienne kills Timeon and Pyg, Podrick throws stones at Shagwell until he yields. Brienne makes him dig a grave for Dick. After he completes digging, he lunges at Brienne with a rock, but she stabs him to death with a dagger.

Zollo
Also known as Zollo the Fat, is a Dothraki member of the group. Jaime considers him one of the worst three members. When Jaime is captured near Maidenpool, Vargo wants to send a message to Tywin and has Zollo cut off Jaime's sword hand. Zollo, Shagwell, and Rorge argue over who would rape Brienne first but Jaime stops them. Later, Zollo leaves Harrenhal with other former Bloody Mummers.

Timeon
Also known as Timeon of Dorne, is a Dornishman. He's part of the foraging party who captured Jaime Lannister and brings him to Vargo. After the death of Vargo, Timeon is killed by Brienne at the Whispers.

Pyg
He has small eyes and wide flat nostrils. He joins with Shagwell and Timeon after the death of Vargo. He's killed by Brienne at the Whispers.

Iggo
A scarred Dothraki. He leads a four-man squad of Bloody Mummers searching for the escaped prisoners Nan (Arya Stark), Gendry, and Hot Pie. Iggo and his group are killed by a pack of wolves. He's killed by the leader of the pack, the direwolf Nymeria, who may be protecting her former owner, Arya.

Togg Joth
An Ibbenese from the nation of Ibben, a forested and mountainous island of the northern Essos, in the polar sea north of the eastern continent, the Shivering Sea. He is currently on the run in Westeros.

Three Toes
One of the Mummers who remain behind at Harrenhal after several failed foraging runs. He tries to stop Jaime when he tries to save Brienne from the bear's pit, but he's stopped by Vargo. He's on the run.

Rorge
A dangerous criminal and a sadistic rapist from King's Landing. He's missing his nose. It's said that Rorge ran a dog and bear fighting pit in Flea Bottom. He found Biter as an orphan and raised him ferally to fight dogs in the pit. He considered raping Arya Stark at Harrenhal, despite the fact she had previously saved his life. After the death of Vargo, Rorge lead his man during the Raid on Saltpans. He's later killed by Brienne of Tarth during a duel in the inn at the crossroads. After his death, the helm of Sandor Clegane is taken by Lem Lemoncloak, of the brotherhood without banners, who becomes the new Hound.

Biter
An enormous bald man, Biter was found as an orphaned child by Rorge, who raised him ferally to fight in Rorge's dog and bear fighting pit in Flea Bottom. After being captured by the Lannisters, Biter and Rorge join with the Bloody Mummers. He takes part on the Raid on Saltpans, where he mutilates and kill women and little girls. After Brienne kills Rorge at crossroads inn, Biter attacks her with his teeth, but he's killed by Gendry and his spear.