House of the Dragon season 2 Triarchy commander Sharako Lohar to be played by Abigail Thorn

In just a few short days, HBO's Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon will debut its second season, and the hype is escalating faster than tensions over who should sit the Iron Throne. Season 2 depict a conflict known as the Dance of the Dragon, the worst civil war in Westeros' history, when Targaryen fought Targaryen and dragons clashed across the sky. It's exciting times!

But Targaryens won't be the only people involved in this war. A faction we've long been expecting to see in season 2 is the Triarchy, which is an uneasy military alliance between the three Free Cities of Lys, Myr and Tyrosh on Essos. They were the ones who employed the Crabfeeder during season 1, whose army featured in one of the few battle scenes of the season when Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) and Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) smashed their forces at the Stepstones. But that's not the end of the story: Corlys went on to fight the forces of the Triarchy for years, and in House of the Dragon season 2, the fight continues.

Now at last, we know who will be leading the Triarchy's navy to battle. Actor Abigail Thorn confirmed last night on Twitter/X that she will be playing Sharako Lohar, the new commander of the Triarchy, in House of the Dragon season 2.

"VERY excited to announce this — I'm joining the cast of HBO's House of the Dragon," Thorn wrote. "I play Sharako Lohar — she's the Triarchy's new commander and you can see her in action soon!"

Triarchy commander Sharako Lohar is gender-flipped for House of the Dragon season 2

Like just about every other character in House of the Dragon, Sharako Lohar has roots in George R.R. Martin's source book Fire & Blood. There, Lohar is a man; in House of the Dragon, Lohar is played by a woman. Lohar is an interesting figure whose actions have large-scale consequences, so I'm excited to see what Thorn does with the part. Incidentally, this is a big month for Thorn; she's also appearing in the new Star Wars show The Acolyte as a character named Ensign Eurus. Hedging her bets, just as any good mercenary captain would do.

Getting into some SPOILERS, in Martin's book Lohar heads up the forces of the Triarchy after they agree to aid Aegon II Targaryen in the Dance of the Dragons. They are crucial in a massive naval battle known as the Battle of the Gullet, which is one of the most horrific naval battles in Westeros' history. We won't get into all the bloody details, but accusations about Lohar's questionable leadership decisions eventually spiral and cause the Triarchy itself to splinter, resulting in a subsequent war in Essos called the Daughters' War between the formerly allied Free Cities.

That war doesn't really kick off until after the Dance of the Dragons has ended, so I doubt we'll see the full breadth of that fallout in House of the Dragon. But it'll be intriguing to see how the show handles the Triarchy's role in the wars to come. We'll find out more when the first episode of season 2, "A Son for a Son," premieres on June 16.

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