Power is a fickle thing in Westeros, and the shifting tides make lesser men break their oaths in its pursuit. With the pursuit of power usually comes grief for some, and in HBO’s House of the Dragon, none has been as accustomed to bereavement as Lord Coryls Velaryon (Steve Toussaint). The Lord of Driftmark and High Tide, Master of Ships, Coryls is (now was) married to Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) making him one of Westeros’ most powerful lords. Before Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance) could boast of being the wealthiest man in the Seven Kingdoms, Coryls held that title. So fascinating is the life of Coryls Velaryon that he is now the subject of a spin-off series currently in the works at HBO.

Tentatively titled The Sea Snake (previously called Nine Voyages), the potential series would explore the character of Coryls Velaryon before the events in House of the Dragon – with George R.R. Martin suggesting an animated version. Speaking in a conversation with Esquire, Toussaint, while responding to if we’d ever see the Master of Ships battling at sea, responds:

“There are battles coming. We’re going to war, so hopefully you get to more of it then. But I was excited about the spin-off. I knew it wouldn’t be me, because I can’t play twenty-one anymore. [ Laughs. ] But if it’s animation, I’m going to put my hand in there and say, “Please let me do the voice.” I haven’t heard anything more about that.”

The potential spinoff series which remains in early development at HBO with The Mentalist creator Bruno Helle set to write the pilot. While exact details are yet to surface, should the series progress, it has been confirmed that it will center on his earlier years and his famed nine voyages to Essos on the Sea Snake, the ship that gave him his nickname. Another potential storyline for the series would be how Coryls came to have two bastard sons, and how his wife, Rhaenys, reacted initially.

A Lord Without His Lady

Throughout much of House of the Dragon, Lord Coryls has known a ton of sorrow and grief. First, he loses his firstborn son and heir, which is then followed by his daughter’s decision to kill herself by dragonfire. Soon after, his grandson and heir is mauled to death by a dragon and his beloved wife meets a similar fate in battle. Lord Coryls is one of the few reliable men in Westeros, but the death of his wife is sure to affect him in some fashion. Speaking on the vacuum, Rhaenys’ death opens up in Coryls’ life, Toussaint says:

“Corlys is somebody who doesn’t really share his feelings with anybody except his wife, and now she’s gone. I don’t think he’s ever really come to terms with death. He’s a little bit untethered. He just gets on a ship and runs away. One of the first things we asked [showrunner] Ryan [Condal] after we met each other—Eve and I—was if this relationship was built on strategy and politics. And he said, ‘No, no, no. They love each other.’ Now that she’s gone? “The tragedy, of course, is that she’s not there to help him through this.”

New episodes of House of the Dragon Season 2 premiere Sundays on HBO and Max.