Varys

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Varys (瓦里斯)
Alias(es)	The Spider 188 206
Gender	Male; eunuch 163 354
Ancestry	Valyrian; descendant of House Blackfyre 354
Affiliation	Iron Throne and Small Council; concealed ties to House Blackfyre 186 206 354
Occupation/Role	Master of Whispers, also called Master of Whisperers; formerly a thief and intelligence broker 2 354
Origin	Grew up as an orphan in the slums of Lys 354
Status	Alive and serving Daeren 355
First Appearance	Royal hall scene 2

Background / History

Varys grew up as an abandoned Valyrian boy in the slums of Lys. A mummer’s troupe became his means of survival, but he was mutilated during a ritual and discarded afterward. With the troupe already gone, he survived through begging and theft, eventually becoming a celebrated thief in Myr 354.

His success brought him into conflict with Myr’s thieves’ gangs, who beat him and forbade him from continuing his trade. He escaped aboard a cargo ship to Pentos, where he partnered with Illyrio, then a lowly mercenary. Varys stole valuables from wealthy people, while Illyrio fenced them through his mercenary contacts. After discovering that information was more profitable than stolen goods, Varys became a prominent spymaster. His reputation reached Aerys, who recruited him as Master of Whisperers 354.

After entering royal service, Varys discovered his Blackfyre ancestry. Using the orphan spies he had trained in his youth, he found a blood-related cousin and arranged her marriage to Illyrio. Their son, Young Bronn, carried Blackfyre blood through his mother rather than his father 354.

Appearance

• Build: Slightly plump at his introduction; later described as pale and heavy, with his court-fed physique leaving him breathless after only a few steps 2 255 354.
• Head and face: Bald, with clown-like facial paint in his introductory scene. His childhood appearance included silver hair and blue eyes 2 354.
• Clothing: A black robe with wide sleeves, into which he habitually tucks his hands 2 36 354.
• Mannerisms: Gentle smiles, slight bows, and a deliberately humble bearing 2 103 270.

Personality

Varys presents himself as courteous and unobtrusive, even when discussing dangerous conspiracies. His mild demeanor can give way to sharp retaliation: when Staunton challenges his competence, he counters by questioning Staunton’s dealings with Essosi city-states and quietly resolves to investigate his reaction 36 206.

He is pragmatic about his concealed Blackfyre allegiance. Faced with House Targaryen’s resurgence, he recognizes that he cannot sustain a rival restoration alone and decides to remain useful, pursuing opportunities only when they arise. Daeren’s scrutiny nevertheless leaves him anxious and insecure 186 201.

His cooperation with Daeren develops into acknowledged loyalty, but not complete transparency. He withholds sensitive information from Tyrion after realizing that Daeren’s newly appointed intelligence officer is investigating him. His eventual confession is more personal: he openly discusses his mutilation, ancestry, and concern for his cousin’s son 270 342 354.

Abilities & Skills

Intelligence Network

• Trains and directs the “little birds,” informants who act as his eyes and ears throughout Westeros and Essos. At least one is shown as a ragged street urchin 186 215 354.
• Obtains the time and place of Jenos Slint’s conspiracy against the City Watch leadership 36.
• Maintains informants in Lys and gathers reports on Rhaegar’s movements and suspected Tyrell financial support 242 255.
• Provides detailed intelligence on House Borgiali’s ancestry and reported physical traits 235.
• Uses his network to receive Lansono’s letter after Lansono’s own informants are rooted out 354.
• Limits: Daeren’s killing of Pycelle bypasses his surveillance. He also admits that suspected accomplices in the Bitterbridge rebellion cannot be identified conclusively without evidence 36 206.

Counterintelligence and Analysis

• Intercepts Caswell’s secret letters to the confined Aerys, preventing contact between the rebellious lord and the king 206.
• Recognizes that a trusted retainer’s denunciation of his own lord may indicate bribery or a planted agent 206.
• Flags leaked information about a covert dragon-egg shipment as suspicious rather than accepting it at face value 311.
• Distinguishes personal intelligence-gathering from managing a distributed network when explaining why Lansono’s infiltration of the Black Wall exposed him to danger 354.

Theft and Infiltration

• Formerly a renowned cat burglar, skilled at scaling walls and crossing rooftops to steal valuables 354.
• Built his early Pentoshi business around theft and Illyrio’s ability to sell the stolen goods 354.
• Retains firsthand knowledge of field intelligence work, although he no longer routinely operates on the front line 354.

Relationships

• Daeren Targaryen — Employer and increasingly demanding political superior. Daeren values his intelligence network, knowingly spares him despite his Blackfyre identity, and eventually regards him as a loyal minister. That trust remains qualified: Daeren recruits Lansono to obtain independent intelligence 215 270 341.
• Aerys II Targaryen — The king who recruited him as Master of Whisperers. Later, Varys prevents rebellious Reach lords from contacting Aerys under confinement 206 354.
• Illyrio — Former partner in theft and fencing, described as Varys’s “good brother.” Varys arranges Illyrio’s marriage to his Blackfyre cousin 354.
• Young Bronn — Son of Varys’s cousin and Illyrio, carrying Blackfyre ancestry through his mother. Varys appeals to Daeren for mercy on his behalf and accepts the task of bringing him to King’s Landing 354 355.
• Lansono Marr — Fellow intelligence officer and an independent check on Varys. Varys recognizes that Lansono is investigating him, but later delivers his urgent letter and promises to help him escape danger 341 342 354.
• Pycelle — Small Council rival. Varys hints at Pycelle’s disloyalty and later wonders how Daeren killed him without alerting the little birds 23 36.
• Eddard Stark — Visits him in the Red Keep dungeons and offers a Silver Star-quality carrot to aid his recovery; Eddard remains wary of his motives 163.
• Melisandre — Warns Daeren to keep his distance from Red Priestesses. Whether this reflects genuine concern or fear of her abilities is left unresolved 215.

Story Role / Major Arcs

City Watch Conspiracy

Varys supplies Daeren with intelligence about Jenos Slint’s attempt to remove Lord Manly and drive out newly recruited Gold Cloaks. He explains that Alliser Thorne’s recruits have disrupted Slint’s illicit business. The report enables Daeren to arrange a banquet trap and begin purging the corrupt officers 36 37.

Blackfyre Secrets and Conditional Service

• Remains evasive when Daeren asks him to investigate the ancestral sword Blackfyre 103.
• Tries to preserve his hidden position without committing to an unwinnable Blackfyre struggle 186.
• Is released with orders to continue gathering intelligence, while Daeren keeps him under close scrutiny 201.
• Learns that Daeren already knows his identity. Rather than execute him, Daeren orders him to work for House Targaryen and Westeros, including tracking dragon eggs 215.

Intelligence for Daeren’s Expansion

• Investigates the Smoking Sea, reports of wild dragons and dragon eggs, and Gillian Lannister’s disappearance 250.
• Reports suspicious cooperation between Rhaegar and House Tyrell 255.
• Receives orders to send informants to Slaver’s Bay, especially Meereen, to investigate the Loraq family 270.
• Reports a dragon egg being transported from Vylos Town toward Qohor, while warning that the information may have been deliberately leaked 310 311.

Confession and New Assignments

Varys delivers Lansono’s warning about Volantis’s dragons and endangered intelligence operation. During the same audience, he recounts his past and explicitly confirms his Blackfyre ancestry and Young Bronn’s maternal connection to the family 354.

Daeren subsequently tasks him with bringing Young Bronn to King’s Landing and mobilizing spies in the Reach and Westerlands to investigate an unexplained change in the continent’s west 355.

Notable Quotes

“We are all for the kingdom.” 36

“Since you know my identity, you should cut off my head.” 215

“You always see the greater truth in the smallest details. I admire that.” 354

Trivia

• His introductory passage calls him “Littlefinger” Varys; later passages use “Spider” for Varys and “Littlefinger” for Petyr Baelish 2 188 370.
• Daeren explicitly judges Petyr’s intelligence to be inferior to Varys’s, but still seeks multiple sources rather than relying entirely on the Spider 250 341.