Salladhor Saan

"- Mind your words, pirate! - Matthos! - You think I'm insulted? I am  a pirate.  I'm an excellent pirate.  I don't sail for promises."

- Matthos Seaworth, Davos Seaworth, and Sallador Saan

Salladhor Saan is a minor character in the second season. He is played by guest star Lucian Msamati and debuts in "The Night Lands." Salladhor Saan is the commander of a fleet of mercenary warships.

Background
Salladhor Saan, the self-styled Prince of the Narrow Sea, is pirate-lord from Lys. He commands a fleet of thirty ships that frequently prey on merchant ships traveling between Westeros and the Free Cities to the east. Sometimes in pursuit of extra wealth, he shifts from pure piracy to being a sellsail: hiring out the services of his ships and crews to the highest bidder, to act as mercenaries in local conflicts.

Season 2
Davos Seaworth and his son Matthos meet with the Lysene pirate Salladhor Saan on the beach of Dragonstone. Davos promises that Salladhor will be paid a fortune in gold when they take King's Landing. Salladhor points out that Stannis Baratheon has the smallest army of the claimants to the Iron Throne and wonders why he should fight for the king with the smallest chance of victory. Davos tells him that it is a smart gamble to back Stannis because Stannis is a proven battle commander. He adds that Renly Baratheon and Joffrey Baratheon have never fought before. Davos adds that Stannis has just begun the fight and expects more of his bannerman to join his cause because he is the most honorable man in the Seven Kingdoms. Salladhor notes the irony of a smuggler vouching for the honor of a king.

Matthos warns Salladhor to mind his words, calling him a pirate. Davos silences his son and Salladhor says that he was not insulted and asserts his pride in his reputation as an excellent pirate. Salladhor asserts that he does not sail for promises. Davos challenges this, explaining that Salladhor sails on a promise of ships to plunder every time he leaves port. Salladhor says that promise always comes true and Davos says that his promise is the same. Davos points out that Salladhor is not a young man and that pirate's lives are short. Salladhor jokes that only the clever pirates grow old. Davos suggests that Salladhor could continue to steal from cargo ships and live an easy life while it lasts but that he is offering a harder alternative with greater rewards. He promises riches and fame. Salladhor says that he has a good name for songs and then tells Davos that he wants Queen Cersei.

He says that he will lend his 30 ships provided he can sleep with Cersei when they take King's Landing. Matthos is annoyed by Salladhor's selfishness and says they are not fighting for Salladhor to rape the Queen. Salladhor makes the distinction that he does not intend to rape her and jokes that Matthos has not experienced his persuasiveness. Matthos insists that Stannis has a divine right to rule and Salladhor is dismissive of the claim, saying that he has heard similar all over the world. Matthos turns away and Davos says that he cannot promise the Queen, only the gold and glory. Sallashor asks if Davos believes that Stannis can win and Davos says that Stannis is the “one true king.” Salladhor contrasts Davos's loyalty to Stannis against their history together; Stannis chopped off Davos's fingers for smuggling. Salladhor says that he will sail with Davos because Davos is the most honest smuggler he has ever met and asks Davos to make him rich. They shake hands and Salladhor leaves. Later that night Davos informs Stannis that Salladhor has agreed to join his forces.

Later that night when Stannis asks Davos if they can trust Salladhor, he responds that has known Salladhor for thirty years...and he has never "trusted" him. However, Davos is certain that once Salladhor gets the smell of gold he can be counted on to pursue it no matter what, and he is confident that Salladhor has been tantalized by his promise of vast wealth when they take the treasury of King's Landing.

In the books
In the Song of Ice and Fire novels, Salladhor Saan is a flamboyant and colorful figure, a respected ship captain and leader of men. While he sells his skills to the highest bidder, he has some genuine loyalty to his friends and allies. His personal flagship is the Valyrian, a great war galley that dips three hundred oars and is a famous - and sometimes feared - sight on the Narrow Sea.

In the books, the inhabitants of Lys distinctively have fair skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes. Salladhor himself is not said to be an exception, and possesses long white hair. Some of the other Free Cities have populations that have distinctive dark features, such as the olive-skinned inhabitants of Myr, Lys' great rival. The TV series changed this, as Salladhor is played by a dark-skinned actor of African descent (specifically, Lucian Msamati is of Tanzanian descent). However, it actually isn't that unusual to encounter dark-skinned people throughout the continent of Essos. The massive slaver-cities of the (aptly named) Slaver's Bay routinely conduct slaving raids on the coast of Sothoryos, the continent south of Essos. Sothoryos is loosely analogous to Africa, as Essos is loosely analogous to Eurasia, and the inhabitants of Sothoryos are distinctively dark-skinned. Slaves are also often sold to the southern Free Cities such as Volantis, Lys, and Myr. Over the centuries, slaves have often won their freedom or escaped, and they or their descendants have gone on to become powerful merchants or risen through the social ranks to become powerful lords. Others are commonly encountered as pirates and mercenaries. The simple explanation within the show would be that Salladhor is still "from Lys" and he may even have been born there, but he is not ethnically a "Lysene".