Varys
From A Wiki of Ice and Fire
Lord Varys, called "the Spider", is the enigmatic member of the small council and Master of Whisperers, or spymaster, for the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms. A bald, fat eunuch of stylish dress, he usually affects a fawning, effeminate personality to hide his true feelings and motives. In keeping with this act, he often refers to spies as his "little birds". Many nobles he associates with find him distasteful and untrustworthy. He is a master of disguise, and knows many secret passages within the Red Keep.
[edit] History
Though nothing that Varys says can be completely trusted, Varys has claimed to have been a mummer as a child in Pentos, and his skill at disguises supports this claim. He also claimed to have been castrated by a sorcerer who used his male parts to cast a spell, leaving Varys with a hatred for magic. He started his career as a spymaster under Aerys II, who relied more heavily on Varys the more paranoid he became. Varys counseled Aerys to close his gates to Tywin Lannister once he learned that Tywin had joined the rebellion. Though he continued in his post for King Robert and his heirs, Varys seems to remain loyal to the Targaryens. He kept a secret arrangement with Illyrio Mopatis, who seeks to put a Targaryen back on the Iron Throne.
Varys gave the aid of his intelligence to many players in the game of thrones. Many of these people later suspected that, rather than help them, Varys only gave them enough information to manipulate them. Indeed, most of the people Varys "helped" suffered dramatic downfalls, including Eddard Stark and Tyrion Lannister. In a rare moment of apparent honesty, Varys claimed that the purpose of his machinations was not for personal power, honor, or loyalty, but simply the best intentions for the realm as a whole.
Varys's reign as Master of Whisperers ended after he was forced to help Tyrion escape execution and murder his father, Tywin. Though Cersei put a reward on his head, Varys had vanished without a trace. After taking Varys's post, Qyburn noted that spies with secrets to sell were quite common and easy to come by. This proved to Cersei that Varys had always oversold his value to make people dependent on him and more vulnerable to his schemes.
[edit] References and sources
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This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Characters from A Song of Ice and Fire. |
