This is a listing of the people and regions of Essos that appear in A Song of Ice and Fire that do not have enough members or tropes to justify their own page (yet).
For the main character index, see here
Other regions of Essos
- The Free Cities
- The Dothraki
- Slaver's Bay
- See "ASOIAF Ethnic Groups" for Yi Ti, Leng, the Jogos Nhai, Hyrkoon, the Ibbenese, etc.
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Lhazar
- "The Dothraki horselords call the Lhazarene the Lamb Men. When you shear them all they do is bleat. They are not a martial people."—Xaro Xhoan Daxos
A land to the south of the Dothraki Sea inhabited by a peaceful group of sheepherders. It is routinely raided by the Dothraki for slaves.
Tropes related to Lhazar
- Animal Motifs: As a pacifistic herding culture, they are known by the Dothraki as the Lamb Men. A Lhazareen former slave who Ser Barristan takes under his wing is known as the Red Lamb for his fury in battle.
- Butt-Monkey: The peaceful Lhazareen are constantly targeted for Rape, Pillage, and Burn by the Dothraki.
- Made a Slave: The Dothraki, after slaughtering and looting a Lhazareen village, will typically enslave the survivors.
- Perfect Pacifist People: They're peaceful and nonviolent, which makes them easy pickings for the Dothraki. The Red Lamb, the one Lhazareen to avert this, is bitter about all the suffering his people faced because they never fought back.
Mirri Maz Duur
Mirri Maz Durr
A wise woman of one of the villages raided by Khal Drogo, her life is saved by Daenerys, who uses her as a healer.
- Anti-Villain: She genuinely believes that killing Rhaego and rendering Drogo helpless is for the greater good — and she may be right.
- Black Magic: She uses this to treat Khal Drogo's wounds at Daenerys' request. She is in fact making his wound worse, and kills Daenerys' unborn child and renders Drogo catatonic.
- Burn the Witch!: Although it's less because she's a witch and more because she betrayed Daenerys.
- But Not Too Evil: There is no evidence that she was poisoning Drogo, as he staunchly refused to heed to her instructions by inebriating himself. Up until then, her intention was to get into Daenerys' inner circle; then again, her ultimate intention was to kill their unborn child, Drogo aside.
- Defiant to the End: She vows to not scream when Daenerys orders her thrown onto Drogo's funeral pyre. Daenerys simply says that she will, but she only needs Duur's life. Duur fails to keep her vow.
- Despair Event Horizon: The loss of everyone she ever loved after Khal Drogo sacked her town made her feel dead inside. She even compares her living situation to Drogo's catatonic state, saying they are both alive but have lost everything that matters.
- False Friend: She's even listed as one of these in the appendixes. She presents herself as a friend and ally to Daenerys, but in actuality is using her as a vehicle for her vengeance on Drogo.
- A Fate Worse Than Death: She considers being raped several times and the destruction of her temple to be this.
- Fish out of Water: She is a remarkably powerful sorceress with a great learning background in the middle of a tribe of Lamb Men. Her presence, encounter and entering in a circle of confidence with Daenerys hints that it might have been intentional. Considering that the Dothraki raid the Lhazareen frequently for slaves, it's a big wonder how they didn't encounter her before they came with Daenerys.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: She was a healer from Lhazar until Khal Drogo razed her village which drove her to use blood magic against him and his child as revenge.
- Kill It with Fire: Her punishment for the death of Rhaego and saving Drogo's life but leaving him brain dead.
- Love Makes You Evil: She genuinely loved the people of Lhazareen, and lost all sense of compassion and empathy after they were killed or enslaved by Khal Drogo.
- Made a Slave: She's enslaved when her village is sacked by Drogo's khalasar.
- Pay Evil unto Evil: Her vengeance upon Khal Drogo. She kills his unborn child and renders him permanently catatonic firstly as vengeance for her rape and the destruction of her village, and secondly to prevent his khalasar from continuing to be a threat to other peoples.
- Rape and Revenge: She had already been raped several times by the time Daenerys "rescued" her, and she takes revenge by manipulating Daenerys, killing her unborn child, and rendering Drogo catatonic, which breaks his huge Khalasar apart into several competing groups making the Dothraki much less of a threat to other cities.
- Small Role, Big Impact: She appears only in the last third of Game of Thrones, and is partly responsible for shaping Daenerys into the woman she became.
- Walking Spoiler: It's hard to talk about her without bringing up what she does to Khal Drogo and Rhaego.
- Wicked Witch: She certainly looks the part, and while sympathetic, she does manipulate a teenage girl and cause the death of her unborn child.
Eroeh
Eroeh
A Lhazareen girl who is enslaved by Drogo's khalasar.- Harmful to Minors: She's implied to be around the same age as Daenerys (who is thirteen/fourteen years old in A Game of Thrones). She watches her people be slaughtered or enslaved when her village is raided, and is raped during the attack.
- Killed Offscreen: After Daenerys regains consciousness from her traumatic birth, she asks what happened to Eroeh and is informed of her cruel fate.
- Made a Slave: Daenerys takes her as a slave to protect her from being raped and abused by the Dothraki warriors.
- Nervous Wreck: She is a very timid girl who is easily frightened and upset; when Mirri Maz Duur is preparing to treat Drogo's wound using Blood Magic, she runs out of the tent sobbing. It's not really all that surprising, given she's been on the receiving end of Rape, Pillage, and Burn and the only person standing between her and sadistic warriors like Mago is Daenerys... and she only really has power through being the dying khal's wife.
- Slashed Throat: After Khal Jhaqo and his bloodriders get tired of her, they cut her throat.
- Small Role, Big Impact: To an extent. Although she had a pretty small role in the first book, Daenerys has never forgotten Eroeh or what happened to her. She vows to get revenge on Jhaqo and Mago for what they did to her and occasionally thinks about her when she recalls the followers she has lost. After learning about how poorly Astapor fared since she ‘liberated’ the city, she remarks that she has made "ten thousand Eroeh’s", comparing the situation to what happened with the Lhazareen girl when she attempted to help her. She also thinks of Eroeh when she is justifying reopening the fighting pits, deciding that it will be worth it to avoid more innocent lives from being lost in a war.
- Trauma Conga Line: When we're first introduced to Eroeh, she's being raped by one of the Dothraki warriors who raided her village. She's granted a brief reprieve when Daenerys Targaryen takes her as a slave and keeps her under her protection, though she's still technically a slave; on one occasion, Daenerys also slaps her across the face in a fit of distress when Eroeh voices her belief Drogo won't survive his infection. The moment both Drogo and Daenerys are out of commission, Eroeh is gang-raped by several men and then murdered once they're through with her.
Qarth
- "These are strange times in Qarth. And strange times are bad for trade."—Xaro Xhoan Daxos
An ancient trade city located on the southern coast of Essos, to the west of Slaver’s Bay. It is ruled by the Pureborn, descendants of the ancient kings and queens of Qarth. However, powerful trade guilds also vie for power in the city: the Thirteen, the Tourmaline Brotherhood, and the Ancient Guild of Spicers. It is the gateway between the western half of Essos and the isolated lands in the far eastern portion of the continent. It is also home to the House of the Undying, the headquarters of the Warlocks of Qarth.
Tropes related to Qarth
- Bazaar of the Bizarre: Has one.
- Bizarrchitecture: The House of the Undying.
- Crapsaccharine World: Qarth pretends to be a Shining City were everything and everyone is beautiful and pleasant. Its people, courteous and civilized and so sensitive there's no taboo against men crying and assassins apologize before killing you and the female body is not repressed, but expected to be shown. Beneath the shiny exterior, however, lies an economy built on slavery, and politics dominated by an impossibly, decadent and corrupt bureaucracy that takes bribes but don't deliver what they were bribed to do but who will poison any potential threat. And the city's Ancient Tradition, the Warlocks? They invite people to their headquarters and offer them knowledge so their leaders can feed on their life energy.
- Culture Chop Suey: Qarth is based on many Merchant City in fantasy and history, having such elements as Bazaar of the Bizarre and being an oligarchy of rival factions that echoes Constantinople and Renaissance Italy, while the Qartheen dress
is based on some of the weirder medieval European fashion trends. The name is evocative of Carthage, (Which was called "Qart Hadasht" by its Phoenician founders, "Qart" meaning "city") as is the city's history as the last-surviving colony of a once-greater coalition of city-states. - Cultural Posturing: The Qartheen constantly boast of theirs being the greatest city ever, which a look at their actual history as described in The World of Ice & Fire shows to be a lie, as they were pretty small potatoes until after the Doom of Valyria.
- Crocodile Tears: Qartheen are expected to shed tears whenever they emote, considering it a mark of civilization.
- In-Series Nickname: Due to their pale complexion, the Dothraki refer to the Qartheen as "Milk Men".
- Ms. Fanservice: Any woman wearing a Qartheen gown, which leaves one breast exposed. However, Qartheen tend to be Not Distracted by the Sexy because they are used to it. This echoed fashion in European courts, where on occassion in social gatherings, women exposing one breast was considered acceptable.
- Mobile Maze: The House of the Undying.
- The Remnant: Qarth is the sole surviving city of the Qaathi forced migrations to the south of Central Essos. In the present they also control the towns of Port Yhos, Qarkash and a town in the island of Qal.
The Pureborn
The Pureborn, a.k.a. the Enthroned
- "The Pureborn see no farther than the walls of Qarth."
The ruling aristocracy of Qarth, descended of the ancient kings and queens of the city, ruling from the Hall of a Thousand Thrones. The Pureborn also command the city's defenses: the Civic Guard. To receive an audience with the Pureborn, a petitioner should make a traditional sacrifice in the Temple of Memory, offer a traditional bribe to the Keeper of the Long List, and send a traditional persimmon to the Opener of the Door. If all goes well, the petitioner will be sent a pair of blue slippers, signifying the granting of an audience in the Hall of a Thousand Thrones.
- Alliterative Name: For Mathos Mallarawan and Egon Emeros.
- Ascended Meme: A common saying in Qarth: "It is easier to milk the Stone Cow of Faros than to wring gold from the Pureborn."
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: For all their courtesy, they are known for offering poisoned wine to those they consider dangerous. Emeros is also one of the Qartheen that openly states that Daenerys should die after the destruction of the House of the Undying.
- Corrupt Politician: Mathos Mallarawan, Wendello Qar Deeth, Egon Emeros. All three receive bribes from Daenerys to help sway the Pureborn to her cause. However, they are so corrupt they do nothing to aid her. Qar Deeth only praises the way she speaks and Emeros outright refuses her.
- Crocodile Tears: Egon Emeros refuses Daenerys with the rest of the Pureborn, but weeps afterwards.
- In-Series Nickname: Egon Emeros "the Exquisite".
- The Proud Elite: Of Qarth.
Xaro Xhoan Daxos
Xaro Xhoan Daxos
- "A craven's knife can slay a queen as easily as a hero's."
A merchant-prince and member of the Thirteen, a powerful faction of merchants in Qarth.
- Ambiguously Gay: Daenerys notices how he pays no attention to her bare breast when she wears a typical Qartheen dress - unlike Ser Jorah who remains Distracted by the Sexy - and how his servants are all pretty boys dressed in wisps of silk.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Xaro never drops his polite veneer, even when threatening Daenerys. It's a Qartheen thing.
- Crocodile Tears: Like all Qartheen, if Xaro starts to tear up, he's making a transparent attempt to emotionally manipulate someone.
- Even Evil Has Standards: While Daenerys stayed with him in Qarth, he wanted nothing more than a dragon. After seeing what they did in Astapor, Xaro tells Daenerys he no longer wants one, and in fact seems ready to do anything to ensure that they are killed or get as far away from Essos as possible.
- False Friend: All he wants from Daenerys are her dragons. Later on, all he wants is for her to stop affecting the slave trade, as it has affected Qartheen economy.
- A Man of Wealth and Taste: He's a wealthy Ambiguously Evil slaver and merchant with a hedonistic penchant.
- This Means War!: After Daenerys refuses to leave Meereen with her army, Xaro leaves a bloodstained glove behind as a declaration of war on her.
The Sorrowful Men
The Sorrowful Men
An ancient guild of assassins based in Qarth. One of their members attacks Daenerys before leaving Qarth.
- Ancient Tradition: Said to be ancient.
- Apologetic Attacker: They always whisper "I am so sorry" to their victims before killing them.
- Murder, Inc.: A guild of assassins.
- Weird Trade Union: A guild of assassins.
The Warlocks of Qarth
In General
The Warlocks of Qarth
- "Once they were mighty, but now they are as ludicrous as those feeble old soldiers who boast of their prowess long after strength and skill have left them. They read their crumbling scrolls, drink their shade-of-the-evening until their lips turn blue, and hint of dread powers, but they are hollow husks compared to those who went before."
Magic practitioners from Qarth. Though legend speaks of the mighty power of the warlocks, they have done little in the past century. Similarly to the Alchemists' Guild of the Seven Kingdoms, the warlocks' power and prestige have waned over the years. They have white, pale skins and pale blue lips, from drinking shade-of-the-evening many times, in pursuit of ever-greater knowledge.
- Ancient Tradition: An ancient group.
- Brotherhood of Funny Hats: The rest of Qarth believe they are little more than madmen that gather to drink shade of the evening and brood about their lost influence.
- The Order: Of Warlocks.
- Order Reborn: Due to the rebirth of Daenerys' dragons their magic is strong once again.
- Red Right Hand: Pale blue lips and mouth from drinking Shade of the Evening.
- Shrouded in Myth: Not much is known about them, but there are legends about their power.
Pyat Pree
Pyat Pree
- "Come with me to the House of the Undying, and you shall drink of truth and wisdom."
A Warlock of Qarth, he attempts to convince Daenerys to enter the House of the Undying and meet the Undying Ones.
- Alliterative Name: Pyat Pree.
- Bullying a Dragon: He first tries to manipulate and betray Daenerys. Then he does the same with Euron. Frankly, he should have taken the hint after the first time it didn't work as expected for him, because if anybody is going to be doing the deadly betraying in this Qarthi-Ironborn alliance, it likely ain't gonna to be him coming out on top.
- Evil Sorcerer: He tries to use and then betrays Daenerys to his vampiric masters. And, trying to get back at her by using Euron isn't looking like a very clever choice, either, to be honest. Still, you can't deny the inherent Evil points he's racked up by enabling Euron's rise.
- False Friend: Pretends to be trying to help Daenerys, but is merely trying to manipulate her into falling into the Undying Ones' trap.
- Obviously Evil: He is a mysterious, very pale Warlock with strange, blue lips and a decidedly creepy air to him.
- Shout-Out: Pree has blue lips because of a drug that he and the other warlocks take. This drug could be a reference to Sannish from Dungeons and Dragons — a drug like morphine if it came from dogs instead of poppies, especially since one of Sannish's effects is to dye the user's lips blue.
- Villainous Breakdown: After Daenerys emerges from the House of the Undying after having killed the Undying Ones, she finds Pyat going into a rage and speaking in an unknown tongue. He then tries to charge her with a knife, but is swiftly disarmed.
- What Happened to the Mouse?:
- According to Xaro Xhoan Daxos, Pree sets out of Qarth with three other warlocks to track Daenerys in Pentos and get revenge for the destruction of the House of the Undying. Euron Greyjoy reportedly captured four warlocks leaving a ship from Qarth. Euron killed one for threatening him and then fed him to the three remaining warlocks. The surviving warlocks are reportedly coaching Euron in black magic. It is implied Pree is one of the four warlocks.
-
Word of God confirmed that Pree was still alive, and a new TWOW chapter reveals that Euron has been torturing him and holding him captive in the hold of the Silence alongside priests and sorcerors of other religions. Pree's legs have been chopped by Euron.
The Undying Ones
The Undying Ones
- "When you come to the chamber of the Undying, be patient. Our little lives are no more than a flicker of a moth’s wing to them. Listen well, and write each word upon your heart."
The leadership of the warlocks of Qarth. They dwell in a chamber deep in the House of the Undying.
- The Beautiful Elite: Daenerys initially seems them as a splendor of wizards in colorful robes and gemstone-studded armor, and women wearing beautiful gowns, which is nothing more than a Glamour. In reality they are ancient and withered Evil Old Folks.
- Creepy Blue Eyes: Even the whites of their eyes have turned blue from drinking shade-of-the-evening.
- Evil Old Folks: They are ancient and withered creatures.
- Humanoid Abomination: What they have become.
- Older Than They Look: Without their Glamour.
- Our Vampires Are Different: Let's see, they look young but are actually ancient and decrepit. They live in a borderline Eldritch Location, and they feed on the lifeforce of others. They are the closest thing to vampires that have appeared in the novels so far.
- Red Right Hand: They have drank so much Shade-of-the-evening that their flesh is ripe violet blue, their nails are so blue they are nearly black, and even the whites of their eyes are blue.
- Schmuck Bait: Within the House of the Undying, Daenerys is warned never to enter any door but the door to her right, but many of the doors have visions that tempt her to enter, including one of her deceased guardian Ser Willem Darry, and one showing beautiful wizards inviting her to sit and share their secrets.
- The Prophecy: They prophesize to Daenerys that "the dragon has three heads," that she must light three fires "one for life and one for death and one to love," that she will marry three times "one to bed and one to dread and one to love," and that she will be betrayed three times "once for blood and once for gold and once for love."
- Trademark Favorite Food: They drink so much of shade-of-the-evening that their whole bodies have turned blue.
- Vampiric Draining: They attempt to drain Daenerys' life, only to be stopped by Drogon.
Asshai-by-the-Shadow
- "Crow's Eye, did you leave your wits at Asshai?"—Asha Greyjoy to Euron Greyjoy
An ancient city located in the mysterious Shadow Lands, near the easternmost edge of the Known World, on a peninsula where the Jade Sea meets the Saffron Straits. Scarcely populated but big enough to accommodate Volantis, King's Landing, Qarth and Oldtown behind its walls. A haven for sorcerers, shadowbinders, red priests, alchemists, warlocks, etc. To the northeast of the city lies the mountainous Shadow Lands, the southern region of the Mountains of the Morn, where demons, dragons and worse are said to dwell, and within it lie the ruins of Stygai, the corpse city, where even shadowbinders fear to enter.
Melisandre and the mysterious Quaithe hail from Asshai.
Tropes related to Asshai
- Advanced Ancient Acropolis: So ancient that its inhabitants say that it was present at the beginning of the world.
- Black Speech: The language of Asshai is described as shrill and ululating.
- Childless Dystopia: No children live in Asshai.
- Eldritch Location: It is unknown who built Asshai, its few inhabitants insist that the city was present at the beginning of the world and will last until the end of time. The city is built in a greasy black stone that drains heat and light, putting out nearby fires and hearths. Even in the brightest day of summer, the sky is grey and with little light, the only plant that grows is the inedible ghost grass and the waters of the river Ash are populated by blind and deformed fish that only shadowbinders eat and bioluminiscent plankton that turns its waters black during the day. Any animal that sets foot in Asshai quickly dies. Thus food and freshwater are imported by ship. Also there are no children in Asshai, which coupled with Melisandre's memories imply they rely on importing slave children to maintain its population.
- The Faceless: Asshai'i walk the city masked and veiled. Considering what takes place in the city, it may double as Malevolent Masked Men.
- Horrifying the Horror: Even the shadowbinders of Asshai fear to enter Stygai, the corpse city.
- I Don't Like the Sound of That Place: "The Shadow" doesn't exactly sound like a honeymoon destination.
- Shrouded in Myth: One of the most enigmatic places in Essos.
- The Unfettered: No ritual or practice is forbidden in the city, however depraved.
- Vice City: It is said that there is no knowledge, magic or religion forbidden in Asshai. Mystics of any kind can practice their rituals, no matter how bloody or obscene, and can even fornicate with demons if such is their desire.
Quaithe
Quaithe of the Shadow
- "Hear me, Daenerys Targaryen. The glass candles are burning. Soon comes the pale mare, and after her the others. Kraken and dark flame, lion and griffin, the sun's son and the mummer's dragon. Trust none of them. Remember the Undying. Beware the perfumed seneschal."
An Asshai'i and shadowbinder established on Qarth who gives mysterious messages to Daenerys, even from thousands of miles away.
- Cool Mask: Always seen wearing a red-lacquered wooden mask.
- The Faceless: Is never seen without her mask, leaving her appearance a total mystery.
- Mysterious Stranger: Her motives and why she is helping Daenerys are a complete mystery.
