Essos is a vast continent to the east of Westeros. Unlike Westeros, which is relatively stable, Essos has suffered a great catastrophe recently, with the Doom of Valyria taking away the continent's foremost superpower. Before the Doom, the Valyrians have ruled over almost the entire continent with their dragons, leaving behind a terrifying power vacuum that is only slowly filled by new powers. On the western coast of Essos, several cities, the Free Cities, have established their independence, while in the east, the great city states of Slaver's Bay have risen from the ruins of the ancient Ghiscari Empire. In between lies the vast Dothraki Sea, home to the savage Dothraki hordes.

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The Free Cities

The Free City of Braavos

Ellena Terys*

Ellena Terys

Ellena is a young girl from Braavos who was born into a rich family. While her mother died early, her father was murdered only shortly before the story begins, leaving her orphaned and forcing her to live on her own. Running away from the orphanage she was placed in, Ellena undergoes a dangerous journey to Westeros. She is also a Point-of-View character.

Action Girl: Despite her age, she is not someone to be underestimated. It says a lot that she, despite her age, is among the characters with a confirmed kill count and unlike almost all of the others, she is not a badass warrior, but a little girl with a knife.
Action Survivor: However, it should be noticed that despite her quite impressive feats, she is still very much a girl of twelve years and wishes nothing more than to live in peace. If not forced into action, she would very much prefer to remain safe and sound.
Ambiguously Brown: As a Braavosi, she doesn't have a clear race she descends from. Instead, the people of the merchant city have long since mixed with other nations. Ellena's skin has an olive colour, though we never learn where this comes from in particular.
Badass and Child Duo: Together with Terroma, most notably in Chapter 2.
Damsel in Distress: A repeated case in Book 1, though she also manages to become a Damsel out of Distress at least once. Most notably she gets abducted by Noelle and Marak in Chapter 6, resulting in a showdown between the Red Priestess and Terroma in Chapter 7.
Heroic BSoD: Ellena suffers a severe one after Terroma's death, where she becomes almost catatonic for a short time, though pulling herself together just in time to escape a burning Raylansfair.
I Just Want to Have Friends: Repeatedly, it is shown that this is Ellena's primary motivation, as she aims to find friends and grows close to others with an almost desperate speed.
Intergenerational Friendship: Once again with Terroma, to Parental Substitute levels. However, she is also friends with Jaron and Talea, both about six to ten years her senior.
Kid Hero: At twelve years old (or almost thirteen, as she would say), she is by far the youngest Point-of-View character and the most central child in the story and a main protagonist.
Little Miss Badass: Many make the mistake to underestimate her because of her young age. She proves them wrong, by being a fierce survivalist, who has learned quite some tricks from her mentor/Parental Substitute Terroma.
Little Miss Snarker: Similarly to her badass points, there is quite a lot of sass in her.
Little Stowaway: This is her introduction to the story, after running away from the orphanage she was placed in after her father's death and having been forced to flee Braavos aboard the Pale Princess.
Living Emotional Crutch: As detailed below, her role as a Morality Pet gets taken up a notch at times, as it seems that she is one of the few people Terroma still genuinely cares for, as evidenced by his reaction to her getting kidnapped.
Morality Pet: She herself serves as this role to Terroma. In her presence, he is far more calmer, kinder and generally approachable, whereas without her, he reveals a more crabby and bitter streak.
My God, What Have I Done?: After accidentally killing a member of the Solvers, she briefly snaps into this.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: In a way, Ellena manages to resolve the gang war in Oldtown to Butterfly's favour entirely by accident. During her travels with Himani, she encounters the beggar and thief Roach, who steals the letter she received from the Burned Man, addressed for Terroma. While chasing him down, Himani is caught by the Alley Cats and tortured until he gives up the location of the Burned Man, at which point the Solvers end the conflict in a single night. While the theft is not quite her fault, she previously refused to give the letter to one of Terroma's companions on account of not trusting the man, which proves to be a fatal miscalculation.
Odd Friendship: With Terroma, who is fifty years her senior.
Parental Abandonment: Her mother died many years ago, shortly after her birth, leading to her being raised by her father. He was murdered shortly before the story began, when Clayton Teryl killed him to steal his identity.
Plucky Girl: Though not quite to The Pollyanna levels of cheerfulness, Ellena carries on with an optimistic outlook to the future despite the constant hardships she has to face alongside her Trauma Conga Line. Not even once does she stop and even think about giving up.
Riches to Rags: Ellena was born into a very rich Braavosi family. After the death of her father and her being sent into an orphanage, she has lost almost all of her riches, was forced to flee her home and had to start a new life in Westeros.
The Runaway: After her father died, she was placed in a terrible orphanage by her greedy relatives. She escaped and ran away from Oldtown, to start a new life in Westeros.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: At the end of Chapter 8, Ellena is utterly fed up with the shit happening around her all this time. She decides to leave Oldtown and Raylansfair, to start a new life for her own somewhere else.
Sympathy for the Devil: She is the first to express sympathy for Samuel Harrington, accepting his apology after hearing his story, even despite her reservations about him, him trying to kill her and murdering one of her friends.
Trauma Conga Line: Ooooh boy, where to start. Ellena's entire storyline before and during Book 1 serves as an example of this trope. First of all, she had to witness the death of her father at the hands of Clayton Teryl. Forced into a horrible orphanage, she ran away, becoming a Little Stowaway aboard the Pale Princess. Her only friend, Terroma, soon reveals himself to be a dangerous killer (if not exactly evil) and has to leave her to protect her, though leaving her defenseless against Samuel Harrington, who murders a close associate of hers and tries to kill her away for what she witnessed in Oldtown. She later befriends the young Himani Sand, her first friend in her age, only to lose him shortly afterwards, when he is taken by the Alley Cats, brutal killers in service of Butterfly, leaving her to hear his desperate pleas for help before being cut off. She is then kidnapped by Noelle Mield, the Red Priestess, who plans to exchange her life for Briar Catelins'. In the attempt to free her, Terroma is mortally wounded and she watches him die. Shortly afterwards, she is forced to flee a burning city, which results in her losing yet another friend, the northern soldier Ando.
Troubling Unchildlike Behaviour: As she travels further down the Trauma Conga Line that is her Book 1 storyline, Ellena starts to become more ruthless and brutal, but also desensitized to violence and death around her.
Wise Beyond Their Years: As a result of having lost so much at such an early age, Ellena acquires wisdom and maturity far earlier than a child hr age is supposed to have.

Terroma

An old man from Braavos, who claims to be a simple merchant. In truth, he is a retired assassin, the former master of both, Clayton Teryl and Raenna Minsworth. He befriends Ellena Terys on their journey to Westeros, where he has plans to undergo one final, dangerous mission.

Agent Peacock: Clad in flashy, extravagant clothes, befitting of a colorful Braavosi nobleman, Terroma is nonetheless a force to be reckoned with and one of the most deadly fighters in the entire story.
Almost Dead Guy: After being thrown down a cliff, it is initially believed that he is dead. Later on however, Raenna finds him close to death and manages to have a last conversation with him before he passes away.
Anti-Hero: The fact that he is a hero at all is already notable, considering that he is a Professional Killer of a sort that is usually depicted as a villain. He has morals though and they constantly keep him on the more heroic side of the events, despite his fundamentally dishonourable and villainous profession.
The Atoner: Not for his time as an active Professional Killer, to which he shows no regret at all, but for training Clayton, who ended up abandoning any morals that have driven Terroma himself during his career, resulting in him becoming a true monster. Stopping him becomes one of Terroma's primary goals and the reason for his return from retirement.
Badass and Child Duo: Together with Ellena, herself a Little Miss Badass.
Badass Boast: Gives a major one to the Red Priestess Noelle as he faces her and her warrior, Marak:
Terroma: "The night might be dark, priestess, but I am the only terror you have to fear"
Badass in a Nice Suit: No matter what, he is never seen without a flashy, colourful suit.
Becoming the Mask: During a conversation with Raenna, Terroma reveals that he initially became close to Ellena solely because he expected Clayton to come and finish her as well, so that he could draw his former student out. However, he quickly grew genuinely fond of her and when she got abducted by Noelle and Marak, he wastes no time to chase after them with his companions, having come to accept her as a surrogate daughter like he did with Raenna before.
Berserk Button: Harming his loved ones.
Beware the Nice Ones: Usually, Terroma is a very nice man, sociable and perfectly kind, as well as a great friend. However, if you push his Berserk Button, he will end you, no exception.
Cool Old Guy: During the time of the story, Terroma has reached his sixties, yet this barely slows him down and he still wipes the floor with much younger combatants. He reveals that he used to be even better during his youth though. He is a very cool and wise person, ready to offer advice, a shoulder to cry on or any help he can give towards those in need.
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Initially, Terroma is introduced as a flamboyant, slightly eccentric merchant from Braavos, whose weird but genuine mannerisms are one of the stories more light-hearted moments. However, he is revealed to be a dangerous killer as well, a former assassin and current Retired Monster, who hasn't forgotten a thing during his years of retirement.
Curb-Stomp Battle: This is typically the end of any fight Terroma participates in, as he makes quick work with his enemies. The only one who is shown to hold his own against him is Marak.
Dance Battler: His fighting style is less suited for fights against larger groups and more for single combat, which is reflect by the elegant nature of it, resembling the Braavosi water dance.
Determinator: This is best shown by his attitude to learning that Ellena got captured by Noelle and Marak. Despite being wounded and tired, he wastes no time to chase after them, dragging himself across half of the kingdom with only barely resting, pushing himself way beyond his limits.
Devious Daggers: Terroma introduced this fighting style to his students. Believing in honourable assassinations without larger collateral damage, he chose the knife as his weapon, since it prevents the wielder from fighting larger amounts of opponents in direct combat. His students follow this tradition, though Clayton eventually chose a more practical sword to fight.
The Dreaded: During his days as a Professional Killer, Terroma has acquired a terrifying reputation. Even now, he is known as the Old Man, a figure of semi-myth among those who have heard of his tales.
The Fettered: Luckily for the people around him, Terroma has morals and standards, a rigid code he lives by and which he refuses to act against. This leads to him being one of the more well-intentioned and kind-hearted characters in the story, despite how easily it could be different.
Go Out with a Smile: After being fatally wounded by falling down a cliff, Terroma gets a chance to say goodbye to his loved ones, which results in him giving them one last smile before passing.
Hitman with a Heart: Yes, Terroma is a Professional Killer and a violent man, ready to end anyone that poses a threat to him. However, he is not actually a bad person, has plenty of morals and is genuinely fond of Ellena and Raenna.
The Mentor: For Ellena and most prominently Raenna, both of whom consider him a Parental Substitute.
Nice Guy: Ironically for a Professional Killer and Retired Monster, Terroma is actually a very decent man, friendly and genuinely nice, as well as heroic and helpful.
The Nicknamer: Has a knack to constantly give nicknames to people he likes. Ellena and Raenna are the most prominent examples of this, as they are often called with the words "Little" "Sweet" or "Beautiful" in front of their names.
Old Master: As a Professional Killer, Terroma is way better in combat than the majority of the characters he interacts with. Even Raenna is not even close to his level, with only Samuel Harrington coming close to be his equal.
Papa Wolf: Usually, Terroma is a genuine Nice Guy, but threatening the ones he loves, especially his surrogate daughters Ellena or Raenna is a very safe way to piss him off. And being a major example of Beware the Nice Ones, this usually ends with a lot of death.
Parental Substitute: Not having any children of his own, Terroma has instead informally adopted Raenna and Ellena, who are themselves orphans and see him as a father figure and mentor.
Professional Killer: What he used to be in his prime. In fact, he was such an infamous assassin that his deeds are the source of rumours and urban legends even years after his retirement.
Retired Monster: Gradually, it is revealed that Terroma has not even the
Sacrificial Lion: Terroma is one of the first main characters to die in the story, after having been built up as a major presence for seven chapters. His death serves as a trigger for Raenna's darker side, Noelle's Heel Realization and the death of Marak, himself another example of this trope.
Senseless Sacrifice: Ultimately, his Heroic Sacrifice amounts to nothing, as Raenna would have been unable to take down Noelle either way. Instead, Noelle herself realizes that she cannot go through with the burning of a child and decides to give up, though only after Terroma and Marak have died. That said, it is possible that her Heel Realization has been triggered by witnessing Marak's death.
So Proud of You: More than once does he tell Raenna how proud he is of the woman she became.
Taking You with Me: Realizing that there is no way for him to take down the hulking Marak in time for Raenna to save Briar, he makes a suicidal attack that gets him thrown down a cliff and to his death, though he manages to fatally slash Marak's throat in the process.
Took a Level in Jerkass: After Ellena got taken by Noelle and Marak, Terroma's behaviour and character takes a turn for the worse. He becomes bitter, vengeful and aggressive, one time even snapping at his surrogate daughter Raenna. The worst part about this is that he realizes how much this changes him, it just happens that he is powerless to stop it.

Talea

The daughter of a Braavosi captain, serving as an accountant aboard her father's ship, the Pale Princess. She quickly forms a close friendship with the young orphan Ellena, who sneaked onto their ship.

All Girls Want Bad Boys: So far, the only man she has shown interest in is Jarek, a selfish, amoral sellsword, who just barely counts as one of the good guys, on account of being a Punch-Clock Hero.
Badass Bureaucrat: Though decidedly not an Action Girl, Talea can get pretty badass in her chosen profession. As the ship's accountant, she is not afraid of anything when it comes to her work, even if it means subtly intimidating an angry sailor by slowly reducing his payment.
Brainy Brunette: Not only is Talea a brunette, she is also among the smarter and more well-educated characters among the cast, serving as her father' accountant aboard the Pale Princess.
The Bus Came Back: She makes a brief reappearance in the second chapter of Book 2, as Jaron and John use the Pale Princess to cross the Narrow Sea to Lys.
Cool Big Sis: After Ellena sneaking aboard the Pale Princess, Talea quickly becomes this to her. She serves as a female role model for Ellena in the early stages of her character development, as well as a counterpart to Parental Substitute Terroma.
Daddy's Girl: With her mother never being mentioned, her father is the only relative of her's we ever see. She is very fond of him and in her occupation as an accountant aboard his ship, she clearly comes after him, being a sailor and merchant in her own right.
Deadpan Snarker: Talea is every bit a match for the sailors aboard her father's ship when it comes to snarky humour, although her's is a lot more witty and less foul-mouthed.
Good with Numbers: Naturally, given that she is an accountant. She proves this when effortlessly keeping track of the payment for the entire ship's crew, as she demonstrates to the hot-headed Moreo.
Heroic BSoD: Firmly hits this after Chapter 3, where her father nearly gets killed, she receives a heavy punch and her friend Moreo is brutally murdered by Samuel Harrington. Her next appearance has her notably more quiet than before.
Out of Focus: Compared to the other characters from Ellena's storyline, Talea receives the least amount of screentime or development, completely dropping from the narrative after Chapter 5, unlike Ellena and Terroma, who only increase in importance.
Ship Tease: There is some between her and Jarek. It is cut short due to his death shortly afterwards.
The Smart Girl: It comes with being an accountant. She is notably smarter than her father or the other sailors aboard the Pale Princess, as well as the most well-educated character Ellena encounters in a long while.
Tomboy with a Girly Streak: As a sailor and merchant, she is very much a tomboy and far from the typical role women have in the society of the setting. However, she is still wearing a dress, keeps her hair somewhat feminine and avoids being as foul-mouthed as the rest of the sailors.
What Happened to the Mouse?: The last time she is seen in Book 1 is in Chapter 5, after which the fate of her and the entire Pale Princess is not shown anymore, on account of the Point-of-View for her storyline, Ellena, leaving Oldtown. She makes a brief reappearance in Book 2 though.

Moreo

A Tyroshi sailor aboard the Pale Princess. Quick to anger, he is nonetheless a loyal man and not quite as harsh as he seems to be at first. His brash attitude often gets him into trouble with the captain's daughter, Talea.

Did Not Think This Through: Sure, getting into an argument with the headstrong accountant of the ship, who also happens to be the captain's daughter, is surely going to end well, isn't it? It's not.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Moreo is surely not the most pleasant individual. A crass and hot-headed man, he is already introduced picking a verbal fight with Talea. However, he is loyal and brave, traits that make Ellena appreciate his presence. After his death, she even considers him a friend.
Sacrificial Lamb: Moreo is swiftly killed by Samuel Harrington when making the mistake of attacking him. This makes him one of the first casualties of the story and establishes Samuel as a ruthless and dangerous killer.
Underestimating Badassery: It comes quite often with him. He is already introduced by underestimating Talea and her status as a Badass Bureaucrat, which costs him a bit of his pay. Later on, he tries to take out the dreaded Samuel Harrington armed only with a knife. This time, it costs him more.

Bartmer Tidewater

A Braavosi captain of quite some power, commanding over a dozen ships. He has recently taken on the task of delivering the three sellsword companies of the Hawk, the Rat and the Pig to Westeros in the name of the Iron Bank.

The Captain: Of a whole fleet of a dozen Braavosi ships, with whom he has brought the companies of the Hawk, the Rat and the Pig over to Westeros.
The Dandy: To the point where he'd wear a leather eyepatch over a perfectly good eye to appear more dashing.
Eyepatch of Power: Technically downplayed. He sports a very neat red leather patch over his right eye, but the Hawk notes that the eye below is fine and that he wears it simply to appear dashing.

Jaqiros Nestoris

A representative of the Iron Bank of Braavos, working for the mysterious benefactors of Octavia Shett, an ambitious noblewoman from the Vale of Arryn. In this function, he is the mouthpiece of them to Octavia and the three sellsword companies of the Hawk, the Rat and the Pig.

Know When to Fold 'Em: Though belligerent in his interaction with the Hawk, Jaqiros is smart enough to know when one of his requests has no chance of success and he quickly backs down when receiving sufficient backlash.
Morally Bankrupt Banker: Jaqiros is a member of the Iron Bank of Braavos and his morality is murky at the best. The Hawk, no stranger to dishonorable tactics, notes that they are very much alike.
Mouth of Sauron: For the Iron Bank and Octavia Shett, whose machinations in the Gulltown area are at the very least more than a bit suspicious. He serves as their mouthpiece, being the one to establish the contact between the Iron Bank, Octavia and the three sellsword companies.
Too Much Alike: This is the main reason the Hawk dislikes him, he notes that Jaqiros sports many aspects he himself has as well, mostly the ones that make the Hawk hesitant to trust men like him.

Volantis

Goranero Sanys

A slaver and merchant, owning a lavish estate a day's journey to the north of Volantis. He has numerous contacts throughout Essos, including friendly ties to the slaver Abbas al-Yunkari. However, Goranero himself lacks the ambition and ruthlessness of many of his colleagues, instead preferring a decently wealthy life in the comfort of his mansion.

Affably Evil: Despite his work as a slave merchant, there is no moment where Goranero is not unfailingly polite to his guests. In fact, he only gets evil credentials due to his line of work, but he seems an example of a perfectly decent man working in the socially accepted trade of slavery in western Essos and seeing nothing wrong with it. He even goes as far as to express concern for the well-being of Abbas' slaves.
Anti-Villain: The only reason Goranero even qualifies as a villain so far is due to his involvement with Abbas, whom he seems indebted to. If not for that, he would be is implied to be perfectly happy staying out of the way of the heroes.
Pet the Dog: When realizing that Abbas intends to continue his journey to Volantis by land, he expresses concern for the female slaves, offering a cart for them to ride on. There is also his refusal to offer his slaves for the pleasure of Vanis zo Narrn.
Villainous Friendship: With Abbas al-Yunkari, whom he is outright indebted to.

Dreck Rat

A captain of a small group of Unsullied, Dreck Rat was trained by Bakr al-Astapori and eventually sold to Goranero Sanys a couple of years ago, continuing to serve his master faithfully.

Happiness in Slavery: The Unsullied are conditioned to have no objections to their slavery, essentially becoming living weapons. As such, Dreck Rat likely cannot even imagine life in freedom.
The Stoic: Dreck Rat has been trained to never show or even experience any emotion. This means he comes across as eerily stoic and emotionless.
Super-Soldier: In the setting, the Unsullied are basically this, though their strength does not come from any superhuman powers, but from their perfect obedience, utter fearlessness and single-minded efficiency as a group.

Lys

Lysara Rogare

A daughter of the powerful Rogare bank of Lys, that competes in power and influence with the Iron Bank of Braavos. She asks Aidan Storm to take her to Volantis for a personal matter in exchange for settling his debt to her family.

Absurdly Sharp Blade: She wields the Valyrian steel sword of her family, Truth.
Ambiguously Evil: Aidan Storm's opinion on her isn't particularly great and takes even more of a hit when she mentions her status as a slaver. On top of that, she works for a Morally Bankrupt Banker, her father, and seems to have schemes of her own running. However, most of the highborn in Essos are somehow involved in the slave trade and beyond some subtle threats she hasn't done anything particularly evil yet.
Ancestral Weapon: The sword Truth was given to her family by House Targaryen shortly after the Doom a century prior, when her ancestor, a faithful Targaryen servant, settled down on Lys following the families escape from Valyria.
Daddy's Little Villain: Villain might be a stretch, as she is certainly friendly towards Aidan and Jaron during their interactions, but she is the daughter of Mysario Rogare, who is, by all accounts a Morally Bankrupt Banker with his involvement in the slave trade of Essos, which she willfully supports. She even makes casual mentions of being a slaver, but it should be noted that there is a case of Values Dissonance going on in the way slavery is seen in most parts of Essos.
Deadpan Snarker: Lysara has a very dry sense of humour and a quick wit to her, which means that whenever a situation grows into something unforeseen, she reacts with a deadpan comment and mild amusement.
Hidden Heart of Gold: Though Lysara might be an unrepentant slaver with some very questionable morals, she has a surprisingly soft spot for romantic stories and she warms up to Jaron when hearing of his quest to save Harpy from the clutches of Abbas.
Lady of War: She wears chain-mail, carries a Valyrian steel sword and Jaron recognizes she moves with a lot of grace, indicating that she is a skilled fighter.
Mystical White Hair: Like most pure-blooded Lyseni, she has silvery white hair, a remnant of her strong Valyrian ancestry.
Pet the Dog: She quickly takes a liking to Jaron's story and eventually gives him the name of a man who could potentially help him. Most notably, she does so before he actually does anything to help her in return and outright mentions she won't stop him from seeking said man out even if he decides to break his promise to her.

Slaver's Bay

Razdal zo Yunzak

One of the most powerful men in Yunkai, a Master and the former owner of the man that should become the Burned Man and the girl that should become Harpy. He is feared for his cruelty all over Yunkai and known to treat his slaves exceptionally bad.

The Dreaded: Even years after escaping from him, Harpy is still terrified by the man. Even the slaver Bakr, technically an ally of Razdal, is visibly uneasy by the thought of selling slaves to him.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: A horrible person he might be, but there is no doubt that Razdal legitimately loved his son. Though a cruel man by nature, the loss of his child drove him to his worst actions to date.
The Ghost: He is occasionally mentioned in Book 1, but hasn't been seen yet. At the end of Book 1, Abbas captures Harpy with the intent of taking her to Razdal, meaning he is likely going to appear in Book 2.
Jerkass: According to Harpy, he wouldn't have been above torturing a child for a mistake.
Outliving One's Offspring: Razdal has to witness his eldest son's death in the arena, in what was meant to be a fight merely for entertainment purposes, without any risk of dying. As it turns out, this was Harpy's fault, as she, a girl of five at the time, got distracted while helping Razdal's son into his armor.
Torture Technician: By all accounts, Razdal is a specialist at these. He personally came up with the Fate Worse than Death for Arkan Gorys, turning him into the Burned Man and permanently crippling him.

Abbas al-Yunkari

A highborn Ghiscari and head of his own small house, he is a ruthless and cunning slaver. Together with his partner Bakr, Abbas has expanded his business to Westeros, where he found himself surprisingly in service of the Burned Man, himself a former slave.

Affably Evil: For someone who is a ruthless slaver, Abbas is remarkably polite and friendly. Though a bit of a Troll, he is still respectful even towards the Burned Man, an escaped slave. He also shows no joy in his later villainous deeds and is overall a relatively pleasant man to be around, once you look past the ruthless slaver bit.
Anti-Hero: Again, affable tendencies aside, the man is a ruthless slaver and therefore as far away from a clean hero as possible. However, he is nonetheless introduced as an ally to the Burned Man and spends most of Book 1 helping either him or Terroma out. Naturally, neither of these men is a true hero either, but they are still a morally lighter shade of grey in the setting.
Anti-Villain: Chapter 8 finally has him showing his true colors, when he meets Janae again. Revealing that she was the one who murdered his father, he takes her captive and proceeds to take Behara as well when she tries to intervene. However, his reasons are not malice, but revenge for his murdered father.
Beard of Evil: Abbas' short full-beard is a clear indicator that he is a trained slave hunter and not a squishy nobleman.
Berserk Button: The death of his father and everything surrounding it are quickly shaping up to be this for him. When meeting Janae, he absolutely loses it, revealing that she is the one who murdered his father all these years ago.
Big Damn Heroes: Surprisingly for someone who is truly a nasty person, Abbas has a tendency to pull these of. In Chapter 3, he saves Ellena from Samuel Harrington and Jaylon Gordus. He goes on to be part of a collective Big Damn Heroes moment together with Bakr, Martin, Samantha and Ayden during the fight against Butterfly. It is subverted in Chapter 8, where it seems like he and Bakr come to save Janae and Behara during their fight against the Ironborn. He quickly realizes that they have a history, leading to him becoming more of a danger to her than the raiders ever have been.
Big Ol' Eyebrows: Unlike his partner Bakr, he falls short of a Big Ol' Unibrow. However, his eyebrows are nonetheless noted to be unusually thick and bushy, almost to unibrow status.
Brains and Brawn: Though by no means a weakling and able to hold his own quite well in combat, he is far less physically strong than Bakr. However, he is a cunning tactician, making him the brains in their partnership.
Cool Sword: His arakhs of course.
Dance Battler: Lacking raw physical power, Abbas is forced to use his superior agility in a fight to gain advantage over his opponents. The result is described as something quite similar to this trope.
Disappeared Dad: Abbas' father was murdered many years ago during a slave revolt in his home town of Yunkai. It is eventually revealed that Janae, formerly one of their fighting slaves, is responsible for his death.
Dual Wielding: His fighting style involves fighting with two arakh's at once.
Even Evil Has Standards: For all the bad things he has done, Abbas doesn't take any pleasure in the act of committing evil and merely sees it as an acceptable end to achieve his goals. As such, he is subtly horrified by Vanis zo Narrn, who hunts slaves for the sheer sake of getting a good hunt out of it.
Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humour: Abbas' signature humour is, to put it mildly, atrociously unfunny. He frequently attempts to get some laughs out of the characters he interacts with, though fails spectacularly. In return, he considers situations that are decidedly unfunny to be quite hilarious.
The Face: In his partnership with Bakr, on account of not being a complete dolt.
Face–Heel Turn: Having never been a clear hero, Abbas finally drops every attempt at being one of the good guys when he encounters Janae again. His later capture of Harpy only solidifies his status as a villain.
The Friend Nobody Likes: For good reason, he is this in the Burned Man's organization. Even Harpy, who tries to get along with almost anyone she meets, is disgusted by him, though especially because of her firmly believing that Slavery Is a Special Kind of Evil.
Love Makes You Evil: Book 2 reveals that he and Janae used to be a lot closer than just being good friends. Her murdering his father hit him hard because he was genuinely in love with her and it likely was a main reason for his breakdown and later turn to villainy.
Kick the Dog: Though his outburst of villainy when meeting Janae is almost understandable, he crosses the line when meeting Ellena and Ando. Deciding to take Ellena with him to cut his losses, he kills Ando, who previously always trusted him and tried to see things from his perspective. His later interaction with Harpy is an even greater moment of dog-kicking, as he captures her by knocking her out brutally, before stating his intention to deliver her to the one man that she fears the most, merely for some profit.
- He does it once again when he order Bakr to cut off one finger of Behara's hand to punish Harpy for killing Haar, since he doesn't want unruly slaves.
Moment Killer: If anything, Abbas seems to be particularly fond of this. He shows glee and delight at interrupting the first kiss between Jaron and Harpy and remains in their presence as long as possible, until outright threatened by Harpy.
Odd Friendship: With Bakr. Abbas is a cunning, calm and smug man who is ruthless and a slaver because it pays well. His partner Bakr meanwhile is a jolly simpleton, who has not a single bad bone in his body and who is generally loud and active. The two nonetheless get along splendidly.
Smug Snake: Abbas is confident in himself, that indeed. However, he tends to be overconfident and needlessly smug in situations he thinks to have under his control. This almost gets him killed in the final chapter of Book 1.
Token Evil Teammate: Though few among the Burned Man's companions qualify as clear heroes, Abbas sticks out on account of being a genuinely despicable person, who still helps out the semi-good guys. He is notably more evil than his rather simple-minded partner Bakr, although he is still no comparison to the Solvers.
Troll: See Moment Killer above. His bad sense of humor manifests itself in quite unnecessary trolling, which only adds to him being a generally disliked presence in the Burned Man's organization.
Villainous Friendship: There seems to be a (mostly one-sided) version of this between him and Bakr, the latter of which considers him a good friend. He is also friends with the slaver Goranero Sanys.
Whip of Dominance: Aside from his arakhs, Abbas is seen wielding a whip, a fitting weapon for a slaver.
You Killed My Father: Eventually, it is revealed that this is his reason for hating Janae so much. His father, her former master, was killed by her when she escaped, a move he considers to be senseless and cruel and which has caused his family to fall onto hard times.

Bakr al-Astapori

Bakr al-Astapor

A slaver from the city of Astapor and the business partner and best friend of Abbas al-Yunkari. Together with Abbas, he travelled to Westeros recently. Not the brains in their partnership, Bakr is surprisingly jolly for a slaver and many underestimate him because of his seemingly below average intellect.

Affably Evil: For a slaver, a man who is specialized in hunting down people and forcing them into servitude, Bakr is a remarkably friendly man. In fact, the only truly evil thing about him is his line of work, as he is a genuinely jolly and sociable man outside of it, in stark contrast to his friend Abbas.
The Alcoholic: Certain moments give the impression that all he does when he is not hunting slaves is drinking alcohol. In fact, he seems marginally smarter when under the influence of a stiff drink.
Ambiguously Evil: It is not clear just how evil Bakr truly is. Undoubtedly, his line of profession is generally an evil one, but there is not much else about him that qualifies him as evil. He is helpful during his work with the Burned Man, becomes a genuine ally to Jaron, is jolly in talks and staunchly opposed to the cruel crimelord Butterfly.
Anti-Villain: Mostly on the side of the heroes, Bakr becomes a villain in the penultimate chapter of Book 1, though not by his own choice, but by his loyalty to his friend Abbas. Even then, he qualifies as a Minion with an F in Evil.
Beware the Silly Ones: Most of the time, Bakr is a silly goofball, who seems genuinely harmless, friendly and incapable of harming anyone. However, when he fights, he makes sure to remind anyone that he is a nearly seven feet tall giant of a man, who works in one of the most physically demanding lines of work possible.
Big Damn Heroes: He and Abbas pull one of these off when they save Ellena from Samuel Harrington.
Big Fun: Bakr is one of the more heavy-weight characters in the cast and while a lot of his body mass is made of muscles, he can be called legitimately fat as well. He is also among the most easy-going and light-hearted characters.
Big Ol' Unibrow: His eyebrows are so thick that they eventually grew into one.
Brains and Brawn: He is the brawn to Abbas' brains.
Dumb Muscle: It's no secret that Bakr is not a smart man. Though he has his moments of savviness, he is overall a bit slow. However, he makes up for it with his freakish strength, which makes him a very dangerous man to oppose.
Even Evil Has Standards: For a slaver, Bakr has a remarkable amount of standards. He mostly seems to be dragged along by Abbas for their villainous schemes and actually holds a number of lines he seems unwilling to cross. As such, he opposes Abbas' clearly villainous actions in the final two chapters of Book 1, though his standards are not strong enough for him to turn on his friend.
- He also shows reluctance in punishing Behara for Harpy killing Haar, and only reluctantly agrees to hurt her after more insistence from Abbas.
Face–Heel Turn: Starting the story as a more heroic character working for the Burned Man and regularly assisting the resident Ragtag Bunch of Misfits in their fight against the crimelord Butterfly, he becomes a more clearer villain when he joins Abbas during the man's Face–Heel Turn.
Face of a Thug: Though being a villain, Bakr is far from an evil man. However, he is generally seen as more intimidating and less trustworthy than his companion Abbas, who is The Face of their team.
Minion with an F in Evil: It's a mystery just how a man like Bakr, who is genuinely friendly and sociable, has ended up in a line of work that requires cruelty on a daily basis. He opposes almost every single villainous move his partner Abbas makes, even those that are a clear case of Pragmatic Villainy. It should also be noted that despite being a business partner of Abbas, he is not seeing things eye to eye with him, instead acting as the man's minion.
Odd Friendship: He is a rather simple-minded and jolly man who hunts slaves for the challenge they offer, yet he teams up with the cold, pragmatic and more clearly villainous Abbas, whom he even considers a close friend despite their clashing views.
Pet the Dog: His Even Evil Has Standards tendencies as described above have him repeatedly Pet the Dog, whenever he expresses discomfort with Abbas' actions, to the point of openly protesting. Of course, he backs down easily, but it is still more than any other slaver would have shown in his situation.
Third-Person Person: Occasionally, Bakr slips into this speech pattern, mostly when bragging about himself.
Villainous Friendship: Bakr considers Abbas to be his best friend and it is the main reason why he is so loyal to him. While Abbas likely doesn't see them as that close, he is nonetheless undoubtedly fond of him.

Vanis zo Narrn

A slaver from the city of Yunkai, hailing from a lesser important family of masters. Being low in the line of succession, Vanis instead looked for a different way to support his family, eventually settling for becoming a slaver.

Ax-Crazy: He is a more subdued example than most, but there are implications that Vanis is anything but stable behind his affable facade. The enthusiasm with which he describes his thrill for the hunt unsettles the more pragmatic slavers Abbas and Goranero.
Egomaniac Hunter: Hunting is Vanis' true passion and he does it for the sake of it, not for gold, not for glory, simply to prove that he is the best. This eventually leads to him resorting to hunt humans.
Hunting the Most Dangerous Game: Vanis has a very outspoken desire for a good hunt, eventually realizing that humans offer him the greatest challenge. As such, he has specialized to hunt escaped slaves, some of which he even allowed to leave in order to hunt them down eventually.
Slasher Smile: Starting of as a polite grin, his expression goes firmly into the bloodthirsty as he begins to talk about his excitement for a good hunt.
Whip of Dominance: He is an Ax-Crazy slaver who enjoys hunting down people, and is introduced with two whips folded in his lap.

Qarth

The warlocks of Qarth

Irae Caleris*

Irae Caleris

An apprentice Warlock of Qarth, with the blood of Asshai running through her veins. She's assigned by her superiors to take a merchant's daughter to a very powerful Khal, and find the location of an old enemy of their order. She's a POV character.

And Now for Someone Completely Different: Irae is the first POV character who's not the slightest bit involved with the storyline in Westeros, and the first POV character who has actual supernatural powers.
Born Unlucky: The way she was born, under a bad sign and with creepy looks easily made her seem cursed by the general population of Qarth. Of course, the very same attributes made her of great interest to the warlock order, among whom she grew up.
Creepy Good: With her looks and powers, Irae definitely can be considered creepy. However, despite being a warlock of Qarth, she is shown to have a moral compass, as shown by her reluctance to pursue a path that could potentially hurt Naela. She also seems willing to challenge the Blood Witch, an ancient and most likely evil enemy of the warlock order.
Declaration of Protection: As she spends time with Naela, Irae quickly grows attached to the young woman. As such, she quickly decides and declares to herself that she is going to protect her from the Blood Witch.
My God, What Have I Done?: Though subdued, as most of her reactions are, she is notably distraught after realizing that she unwittingly poisoned Kareq Orlatis on the warlocks' orders.
No Social Skills: To the surprise of absolutely nobody, it turns out that growing up among the warlocks of Qarth isn't exactly good for social skills, as Irae demonstrates a severe lack of them and just enough self awareness to know it.
Parental Abandonment: As it is revealed in her first part, she was abandoned by her father in front of the House of the Undying in Qarth, where she was raised. This likely has to do with her unnerving appearance.
Pragmatic Hero: While Irae has moral concerns about tricking Naela, she ultimately isn't fundamentally opposed of doing these morally questionable things, knowing that it cannot be avoided. She remains on a more heroic side though, by vowing not to go any further than she absolutely has to.
Prophet Eyes: Her pupils are white, or very light grey, which is considered to be a very bad omen.
Seers: She has very powerful visions, and even interacted with the Blood Witch, the spirit of a very powerful sorceress that nearly destroyed the Qaathi. It is probably part of why she is the apprentice of Moros Qo Malxis, the warlock order's resident master of clairvoyance.
Token Good Teammate: The more is revealed about the order of warlocks, the more it appears that Irae is indeed the only one among them who has actual moral concerns about what they are doing, making her by far the most well-intentioned member of her entire order.

Moros Qo Malxis

A very old and high-ranking Warlock, who will probably join the Undying in its due time. He is the superior and occasionally mentor of Irae Caleris, whom he has tasked with challenging an ancient enemy of their order. Together with five other warlocks, he is part of the council, the highest rank of his order just below the Undying Ones themselves, for whom he deals with the day-to-day issues of the order. Among the council, he is the Master of Clairvoyance.

Amazing Technicolor Population: Due to drinking large amounts of Shade of the Evening, the warlock wine, his lips have turned dark blue and as with the Undying Ones, the elite of his order, his skin has started to turn blue as well.
Evil Is Petty: It seems that the sole reason he brings up the pretty horrifying prospect of dominating Naela's mind is because Irae cut him off earlier as he was about to speak. He seems positively gleeful when he notices her horror.
Evil Mentor: To Irae, whom he mostly works with in the order of warlocks. He acts patronizing and stern towards her, yet seems to trust her a great deal, as long as she follows his morally questionable course of action.
Evil Old Folks: Well, at least by looks, since he's a warlock with a tall, gaunt visage and the signature blue lips and pale skin of the others. While he isn't particularly evil yet, he has shown to have a notable willingness to at least commit acts of evil to protect his order and the city of Qarth.
Evil Sorcerer: It comes with being a member of the warlock order.
Evil Versus Oblivion: As a warlock, Moros is one of the more morally dubious users of magic in Essos and he seems to have no problem with kicking the dog if it is necessary. However, he firmly opposes the Blood Witch, an evil so great that it onc forced even the Order of Warlocks into an alliance with other groups of magic users all across Essos.
Jerkass: It goes hand in hand with being an Evil Sorcerer with a Lack of Empathy. Moros is pragmatic and utterly ruthless, yet not above casual dog-kicking if he can get away with it.
Lack of Empathy: When informed about Naela Orlatis, a Qartheen noble girl whom the Blood Witch seeks for some unknown yet undoubtedly nefarious reason, he shows not the slightest bit of concern for her well-being, instead even mentioning that he would be fine with hurting her to get an advantage over the Blood Witch.
Seers: His specialty among the order of warlocks and the one discipline he is mostly famous for is clairvoyance, an art he seeks to teach Irae about.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: In contrast to Irae's Pragmatic Hero, Moros seems to take things a step further by seeming to have no concerns or morals at all when it comes to his ultimate goal of keeping Qarth safe from the Blood Witch.

Garath Garraman

Part of the warlock council, Garath is usually seen as the head of his order by those outside of it, even if his rank is not higher than that of his fellow council members. He is easily their face and the most recognizable member though, being in charge of maintaining their relations with the order groups of power within the city. Within the council, he is the Master of Illusion.

Alliterative Name: Garath Garraman
Beauty Equals Goodness: Goodness really stretches it, but Garraman is not only the sole member of the council who looks good in any way, he is also the only one among them who has any sort of concern about how their villainous actions would look.
Light Is Good: Another way to differentiate him from the rest of his order is the fact that he wears a white robe and has silvery hair, contrasting the dark robes and skin tones of his colleagues.
Master of Illusion: This is literally his title among the Order of Warlocks, according to Word of God. Taking this detail into account casts a new light onto how he manages to maintain his good looks next to the physically deformed members of his council.
Older Than They Look: Garraman's true age can only be guessed, but Irae considers him to be not much younger than Moros Qo Malxis, who is in his nineties. Unlike Moros, Garraman doesn't show a hint of his true age, appearing a good thirty years younger instead.
Perpetual Smiler: Part of his appearance is a nearly permanent smile, which Irae notes to be very charming. He loses it only when he is actively displeased and it returns quickly.
Pragmatic Villainy: As a member of the warlock order, it would be foolish to consider Garraman a hero in any way. However, he has to maintain their relations with the nobility of Qarth and as such, he actively discourages a course of action that would strain the relationship.
Silver Fox: Garraman gets bonus points for having literally silver hair, not just greying, with his appearance showing strong Valyrian features and him being a good-looking man in his later years.
Slave to PR: It is strongly implied that he is this, as every bit of bad reputation the warlocks gather has to be felt by him when he deals with the Pureborn and other groups of power within Qarth. As such, he tries to discourage his colleagues from causing any trouble for him in his position.
Token Good Teammate: By virtue of being the one in charge of the public relations with the rest of Qarth, Garraman is the only member of the warlock council who wishes to pursue actions that would give them a more positive reputation.

Agaz Darkeye

A senior member of the warlock council, Agaz is known for his temper and lack of restraining. Feared and generally hated, he does little to change this impression of him, though he seems mostly bored even with his council duties. His rank among the council is that of the Master of Pyromancy.

Amazing Technicolor Population: Like the rest of his order, Agaz skin has turned into a shade of blue as a result of decades of abusing the shade of the evening.
Eye Scream: At some point in his past, Agaz has lost one of his eyes. He had it replaced with an orb of dark glass and it is not entirely clear if he can actually see through it by any magical means.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: Firmly an evil scar, the injury that cost him his eye also did a number on his face. The upper left part of it is one massive burn scar, taking his eye, cheek and most of the ear with it.
Hair-Trigger Temper: Agaz is quick to anger and hard to calm down. Even a mild disrespect by Irae nearly sends him into a fit of rage and only the intervention of his friend Xhoros causes him to restrain himself.
Jerkass: Even for a warlock, Agaz is a nasty and crude man. He seems to delight in belittling those who stand below him in rank and he shows absolutely zero concern for anyone outside of his order.
Jerkass Has a Point: A callous and unrepentant jerk he might be, but Agaz brings up one good point. He is notably the only one who questions the wisdom of working with the Blood Witch and giving her what she desires, instead bringing up that by killing Naela, they could take something the witch wants out of her reach forever instead of risking to strengthen her in a way the warlocks do not yet understand.
Odd Friendship: With Xhoros Qar Xhon, who is a reserved and quiet member of his order.
Only Known by Their Nickname: He is only known as Agaz Darkeye, the latter of these two is almost definitely not his last name. So far, his true last name is not known.
Playing with Fire: As the Master of Pyromancy, Agaz is skilled at casting and controlling fire. He briefly demonstrates it when Irae disrespects him, filling his artificial eye with fire in an instant.
Red Right Hand: The dark orb of glass that gave him his nickname.
Token Evil Teammate: It says a lot about him that the rest of the warlocks appears almost benevolent in direct comparison, as they at least do not advice the casual murder of a young girl, nor do they completely dismiss the fate of Qarth in the way Agaz does.

Xhoros Qar Xhon

The Nightling

One of the oldest and most powerful warlocks, forming the council of warlocks with five other individuals and dealing with the order on a level that is beneath the Undying Ones. Xhoros is a mysterious man who rarely interacts with the other members of his order. For his shady behavior and creepy appearance, he is known as the Nightling. His rank among the council is that of the Master of Telekinesis.

Amazing Technicolor Population: Unlike his fellow warlocks, Xhoros' body had an even more severe reaction to the shade of the evening, as his skin has turned into a dark shade of blue and he lost all of his hair.
Bald of Evil: He is completely bald and part of the semi-villainous order of warlocks.
Bait the Dog: Briefly, he puts on a well-intentioned and reasonable act in front of Irae, tryint to convince her that her master seeks to trick her into poisoning Kareq Orlatis and that he has the actual antidote. In truth, it is the other way around and Irae unwittingly ends up giving Kareq his poison instead.
Dark Is Evil: Very dark, to an unnatural degree as a result of his abuse of the shade of the evening, as well as notably willing to commit acts of evil, such as backing Estos Ezzara in his desire to control Naela's mind.
Mind over Matter: Word of God has this as his position in the order. He hasn't demonstrated it yet, but he apparently has great skill in controlling objects from afar.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: The Nightling is not exactly the sort of name anyone with a good reputation has and he is one of the more shady and potentially ill-meaning members of his council.
Odd Friendship: With Agaz Darkeye, who is a brash, impulsive and hot-headed member of the council.
The Quiet One: In fact, Xhoros does not speak at all during his introductory part. His dialogue happens entirely via the telepathic communication with Irae and she notes that the words seem to form in her head, never louder than a whisper.
Telepathy: Apparently, this is a secondary power of Xhoros, as he communicates entirely through telepathy during his introductory part.

Vator Thrice-Born

A member of the Order of Warlocks, Vator has gained a legendary reputation as the best healer to come from their ranks within centuries. This has gained him a position at the warlock council, where he serves with pride. His rank among them is that of the Master of Healing.

Amazing Technicolor Population: Like most of his order with the exception of Garath Garraman, Vator's skin has turned blue as a result of decades of consumption of the shade of the evening.
Depraved Dwarf: Irae notes that Vator is a runtish man, almost a dwarf. He is also not a pleasant man by any means and actively supporting some of the more heinous schemes of his order.
Good Powers, Bad People: Vator is by far the most skilled healer of his order alive today and one of the best they ever had. However, he is still a warlock and few among their ranks can be considered good people in any way.
Only Known by Their Nickname: It is currently not known what his true name is, only that it is almost definitely not Thrice-Born, which apparently hints at some event from his past.
Pragmatic Villainy: While Vator ends up supporting Moros and Estos in their desire to dominate Naela's mind, he makes sure that they can actually do it first and seems to be more reluctant than either to actually go through with it.

Estos Ezzara

A grotesque and bloated man who sits among the council of the warlocks. His disgusting appearance hides a sharp and powerful mind, as Estos' skills in mind control make him widely feared even among his kind. Among the council, he holds the rank of the Master of Domination.

Alliterative Name: Estos Ezzara
Amazing Technicolor Population: As a senior warlock, Estos had decades of using the shade of the evening. This has eventually given his skin a light shade of blue.
Fat Bastard: The first thing Irae notices about him is that he is bloated, a large, fat and utterly ruthless man, apparently partially a result of his mysterious disease.
Mind Manipulation: This is his specialty among the warlock council. As a master of manipulating and dominating people, he is the first they tend to when having to deal with such matters and his word is greatly trusted in such affairs.
Nightmare Fetishist: In a brief moment, he reveals that he prefers working with bone when advising the warlocks to cut off one of Naela's fingers to control her mind. He seems disturbingly fond of the idea in general.
Pet the Dog: Quite surprising for a man of his otherwise ill reputation and actions, Estos actually takes a moment to praise Irae for her extraordinary talent and potential, which is more than even the otherwise charming Garath Garraman was willing to do.
The Quiet One: During the conversation with the other warlocks, Estos never directly addresses them and only speaks when he himself is spoken to.
Sadist: He is responsible for the poison that claims Kareq Orlatis' life. Instead of killing him swiftly and painlessly, as he could have done with ease, he forces the merchant to suffocate in horrible agony.
Would Hit a Girl: If only he'd draw the line at hitting! He is perfectly willing with mutilating Naela Orlatis and to dominate her mind if it means taking control over her and assuring her cooperation.

The people of Qarth

Kareq Orlatis

The Prince of Furs

A merchant from Qarth, originating from humble origins. Over the years, Kareq has built a trade imperium, specializing in dealing with furs, which directly intervenes with the Tourmaline Brotherhood and their affairs. He is the father of Naela Orlatis and seeks to keep her safe from the tons of enemies he has made with his quickly expanding business.

Cruel and Unusual Death: At the end of Chapter 3, he is killed by the warlocks, after Irae's healing ends up improving his health. His death is absolutely agonizing and Irae can only stare at him in shock, unable to do anything to help him or even just ease his pain.
Incurable Cough of Death: Perhaps not incurable, but this is how his disease manifests itself during his talk with Irae and apparently in general.
Mercy Kill: After he is fatally poisoned by the warlocks, Irae allows the Mask to put him out of his misery, hoping to spare him some pain at least.
Papa Wolf: Having raised her all by himself, Kareq clearly loves his daughter. He seeks to protect her from his enemies, from the city and even the warlock order, as shown in how reluctant he is to accept their help if Naela has to pay the price.
Self-Made Man: Coming from a rather modest family, Kareq has built a trade business from the scratch, nowadays becoming one of Qarth's most important fur traders. This has earned him the ire of the Tourmaline Brotherhood, with whom he remains unaffiliated, as well as the Pureborn who look down upon those who quickly gained their riches.
Unwanted Assistance: Despite his condition and general bad state of mind from nearly dying, Kareq instantly sees that Irae's help will come at a cost and that Naela has to pay for it. As such, he is initially reluctant and outright unwilling to accept her assistance and only takes it when he realizes that this has been Naela's choice.
We Hardly Knew Ye: He dies a mere chapter after he was introduced and for most of his time in the story, he was incapacitated and barely able to interact with Irae.

Naela Orlatis

The Fur Princess

Daughter of Kareq Orlatis, the Prince of Furs, one of Qarth's richest fur traders and enemy of the Tourmaline Brotherhood. She seeks the help of the warlocks of Qarth after her father is injured by a group of pirates, inevitably dragging her into the schemes of the order and their enemy, the Blood Witch.

Daddy's Girl: Naela clearly adores her father, Kareq, and states that there is no price too high for her to pay if it assures his survival. In general, it seems she spends a lot of time around him, if the Orlatis family painting is any indication.
The Fashionista: As expected for the daughter of a fur trader, Naela has a sense of style, placing great value onto her own dress and criticizing Irae's, or the general fashion sense of the Order of Warlocks.
Innocently Insensitive: While by no means an outright jerk and actually showing plenty nice qualities, Naela comes off as a bit insensitive in her criticism of the Order of Warlock's and Irae's appearance.
Missing Mom: Naela's mother is not mentioned, with the implication that she never played much of a role in the girl's life, making it likely that she has passed away quite some time ago.
Pimped-Out Dress: Her dress is stated to be lavish, adorned with actual lion's fur.
Spirited Young Lady: Naela is intelligent, witty and usually well-mannered, as well as the daughter of a rich merchant. Unusually for a woman of her higher social standing, she heavily assists her father in his day-to-day trade and is expected to inherit his business one day. Though very much a proper lady by the standards of the Qartheen and considered a good catch, she is also proud of her independence and not afraid to openly reject a particularly abhorrent suitor after her father is incapacitated.
Unwitting Pawn: So far, Naela has absolutely no idea that she is of interest to the mysterious Blood Witch and manipulated by the Order of Warlocks in order to go with Irae and meet her.
"Well Done, Daughter!" Gal: Even when she is low-key panicking over her father's condition, Naela ends up being polite and generous to her guest, Irae, stating that this is exactly what he would do in her case.

Narys Xho Naxys

The Spice King

The Spice King, leader of the Ancient Guild of Spicers and one of the richest and most influential men in Qarth. He has taken an interest in Kareq Orlatis' business ventures and apparently in his young daughter Naela as well.

Abhorrent Admirer: He is a fat, ageing and thoroughly unattractive man, so Naela, whom he seeks to marry, is surely disgusted by him.
Ambiguously Evil: At this point, it is entirely unknown if the Spice King has ill intentions or not. He claims to have Naela's best interests in mind, that he seeks to protect her business from less well-intentioned rivals and that he is a pleasant, well-meaning man. Naela certainly doesn't trust him, however, and the fact that he seeks to protect her business by marrying her might imply that he only wants to grow richer. Furthermore, he may or may not be involved in the plot on Kareq Orlatis' life.
Dirty Old Man: Narys is a man in his fifties who is visibly attracted to Naela, who is over thirty years younger than him. He even wishes to marry her, implicitly not just due to her wealth, but also due to her good looks.
Everyone Has Standards: When Naela mentions the Tourmaline Brotherhood and her role in her father's illness, he drops his jolly act for a second to harshly condemn the Brotherhood. Though he admits to working alongside them against the Thirteen, he makes it clear that he does not condone their actions against Kareq. He also seems to be insulted by Naela's assumption that he would treat her just like a trophy wife after their marriage, claiming that he would respect and care for her.
Fat Bastard: The bastard part might be up in the air for now, but he is heavily overweight and more than just a bit sleazy.
Smarter Than You Look: Though he looks like a dim-witted, overweight brute, he quickly proves that he should not be overlooked. After just a few moments of speaking to Irae, he has basically figured out the entire nature of her deal with Naela, safe for the price the girl is supposed to pay.

The Dothraki Sea

Khal Rhavarro

The Witch Khal, The Khal of Khals

A very powerful Dothraki Khal, who has defeated several other of his kind and gathered the largest active horde of Dothraki in the Dothraki Sea. However, he also dabbles into the arcane, something unheard of for his people and has apparently gained quite some skill in this as well.

The Dreaded: As a Khal, he is this by default, yet Rhavarro takes it a bit further than usual with his dabbling into the arcane. Even the warlocks of Qarth admit that he is a terrifying threat.
Genius Bruiser: Though yet unseen, his nickname implies this. As a Dothraki Khal, it is expected of Rhavarro to be a bruiser and the massive horde he has gathered proves his skill in combat. However, unusual for his people, he also seems to be versed in magic, which heavily implies a certain intelligence.
My Species Doth Protest Too Much: The Dothraki are famous for their hatred and distrust of all things magic. However, Rhavarro is not only a sorcerer in contact with his ancestor, the Blood Witch, but also managed to gain the respect, support and probably fear of the countless Dothraki who form his Khalasar.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: The Witch Khal is definitely an indicator of how dangerous and feared this man is. Even the warlocks of Qarth seem to be wary of him due to his nickname.
Occult Blue Eyes: It is one of the most visually striking features he has, the blue eyes he inherited from the Blood Witch's line of the family. As the Witch Khal, he also has unspecified but implied to be powerful supernatural abilities.

The Blood Witch

Formerly an enemy to the warlocks of Qarth and several other orders in Essos, the Blood Witch has been killed about a hundred years ago. However, her vengeful spirit has managed to live on, tied to her bloodline, the last of which is her great-grandson Rhavarro, who is also her greatest tool to get revenge and to succeed at her goals after all.

Affably Evil: For a Vengeful Ghost that seems to exist solely due to its sheer force of will and hatred towards those responsible for her death, the Blood Witch manages to have a surprisingly calm talk with Irae, even offering her a reward for following her orders and offering to spare the city of Qarth if her terms are met.
Blood Magic: As her nickname implies, the Blood Witch was very skilled in this particular field of magic.
The Dreaded: The Blood Witch is terrifying even to the hardened warlocks of Qarth, who regularly deal with beings like her. Just implying whom she is suffices to visibly scare the old warlock Moros.
Occult Blue Eyes: Not anymore now that she has become a Vengeful Ghost, but she herself mentions that Rhavarro's blue eyes are a trait descending from her line, through her daughter Thirri on to Rhavarro's father and eventually the Witch Khal himself, which means back when she had been alive, she had blue eyes.
Only Known by Their Nickname: Her real name has not been revealed yet and she is referred to exclusively as the Blood Witch. If anyone still knows her real name, it might be the Undying Ones of Qarth, who have been involved in defeating her once.
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: A long time ago, the Blood Witch's plans were stopped and she herself was killed, apparently by several groups, among them the warlocks of Qarth. With the help of her great-grandson Rhavarro, she hopes to get her revenge on them.
Vengeful Ghost: This is what she became after her death.

Characters / Forum of Thrones - Essos

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