[GhostSunShadow] Lord Varys

Name:
Lord Varys (surname unknown)

Nickname:
• Rugen
• The Spider
• The Eunuch

Age:
34

Gender:
Male

Species:
Human

Allegiance to House:
Loyal to the Iron Throne

Role to House:
Master of Whisperers

Personality:
His history of providing information to all sides, of aiding enemies, of pitting rivals against one another, and of manipulation to achieve his ends has earned Varys a reputation of being distasteful and untrustworthy amongst the nobles at court. It’s to nobody a secret that the eunuch is a highly manipulative individual who has specialized himself in the art of unraveling mysteries, uncovering secrets and bending the truth to aid his cause. Some say he’s compensating for the manhood that has been taken from him by becoming the fly in the wall in every room of the Red Keep as Varys became one of the most powerful individuals in the Seven Kingdoms purely by the things he came to know. Espionage and deception come most natural to him so one’s safest bet is to never trust the devious individual that is Varys…

Behind the lies, deception and the unique ability to drag one’s skeletons from their closets, Varys however pleads that each of his actions and betrayals were all in service of the ‘greater good of Westeros. He claims to value order, stability, and peace above all, and professes loyalty to those who work for those goals as well secretly remaining a firm believer in House Targaryen as the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. In most circumstances he’s not the man to get his own hands dirty, knowing folks who happily to such things before him though one must never turn their back on this ‘Spider’ in Westeros; in the Red Keep one’s best to never speak in the presence of children about private matters for Varys has eyes, ears and hands in every corner of the world…

Physical Description:
Varys is a eunuch meaning that his manhood has been cut from his body leaving him without the hormones needed for him to develop masculine features; he is plump, to the point where his entire body has turned to a gelatinous matter that giggles and wiggles as he walks. Since the day his manhood was taken, the effects of such an act reflected itself in the imbalance stirred within his body; completely bald and effeminate he began to display certain feminine traits that included a higher voice and a rounded face absent of even the slightest hint towards a beard or any other hair growth...

He prefers comfortable clothing, fine silks (often in outrageous colors), and slippers that allow him to walk without making any sound. Varys is never been seen wearing armor of any kind though some guardsmen have believed to have seen him in dresses and gowns. His outward manner is obsequious, mysterious, and squeamish yet one may never forget that Varys is a master of disguise. He can easily change his appearance, gait, smell, and costume to become unrecognizable allowing him free movement through the Red Keep even when there are people searching for him. In a way even the easily recognizable Eunuch can disappear like a ghost in the mist to forever vanish …

Powers and Abilities:
Varys has no real talents or abilities other than his natural aptitude to scheming and plotting along with the vast network of ‘little birds’ that serve as his eyes and ears in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros; here on this continent there’s fairly little that goes undetected by Varys’ spies making the Eunuch appear omniscient; in the Red Keep he knows all, sees all and hears all that happens within these walls as not even the King’s private quarters are sacred to this invasive little spy. Some even believe he has got spies in the trusted circle of Daenerys Targaryen across the Narrow Sea along with having hidden an heir to the Iron Throne that all have presumed death yet where the line between lie and trust lies for Varys remains everyone’s best guess…

Strengths:
• Lies
• Plots
• Deception
• Espionage
• Political scheming


Weaknesses:
• Slow due to his weight
• Infertile due to being a eunuch
• Paranoid due to his many secrets

Weapons of Choice:

Varys can never be portrayed as a fighter yet this doesn’t mean the Spider is without defenses; there are hundreds of ‘little birds’ out there who’re willing to kill at his command yet when push comes to shove Varys will fight back when cornered. Tucked away within his belt he carries a sharp misericodre dagger thin enough to perforate the weak point in a knight’s armor and long enough to penetrate a mature boar. The dagger has no fancy features weither in design or material as it’s a common product found on the market stalls of Flea’s Bottom untraceable were he ever to use this blade against an enemy or friend…


Armor of Choice:
Not Available to Varys

Background History:

*SPOILER ALERT* Bio may include Spoilers *SPOILER ALERT*


Though nothing that Varys says can be completely trusted, but this is the story he tells all about the background he came from; claimed to have been born a slave in Lys that was sold and apprenticed to a traveling troupe of mummers who worked the Free Cities, Oldtown, and occasionally King's Landing, by means of a fat little cog. During their stay in Myr, a man offered a large sum of money for Varys, an offer his master found too tempting to refuse though all could detect some sinister intention masked by the large offer. The man gave Varys a potion that made him powerless to move or speak, but did nothing to dull his senses as his manhood was cut off at the stem, then burnt in a brazier in a Blood Magic ritual; because of this Varys claims to have held a hatred for all things magical ever since though this doesn’t make him shy away of using them in the future. With the ritual complete, the man had no further use for Varys and tossed him out on the streets; by that time the mummers had sailed and Varys was left alone in a city he barely knew. He resorted to begging and thievery and soon was as good a thief as any in Myr, eventually becoming recognized as the best thief in the city until a rival forced him out and he fled to Pentos…

In Pentos, Varys befriended a poor sellsword named Illyrio Mopatis and they started a business where Varys would steal objects from lesser thieves and Illyrio would get the objects back for their original owners for a small fee. Soon, every man and woman in Pentos who ever had valuables stolen from them all knew who ask to get their valuables back. In addition, the thieves in Pentos soon began to seek Illyrio and Varys out, half to try (and failing) to kill them, the other half to sell them the objects they stole in order to prevent Varys from stealing them back. Varys and Illyrio grew very rich. Varys came to the realization that information was much more valuable than gold and gems and began training his spy network, then known as "little mice", to acquire the information, letters, ledgers and charts of the wealthy and powerful. The "mice" were orphans purchased by Varys choosing those that were small, quick, and quiet, and taught them to read and write, as well as the skills required for sneak thievery such as climbing walls and slipping down chimneys, so that they might copy the information Varys desired without disturbing or alarming their targets. These secrets increased Varys and Illyrio's wealth tenfold becoming so infamous that word reached the ears of King Aerys across the Narrow Sea, who in his growing paranoia no longer trusted his closet circle...

As spymaster in King's Landing, Varys' influence grew with Aerys's paranoia, as he was quick to point out traitors and schemers to his liege; he mastered the secret passages within the Red Keep and made good use of them with his spy network, which became known as his "little birds". He had them memorize the passages and come to him whenever one discovered something of importance. Notably, Varys alerted Aerys to the possibility that his son Rhaegar was using attendance at the Tourney at Harrenhal as a pretext to rally Lords to his cause in removing Aerys as king, causing Aerys to attend the tournament, the first time he had left the Red Keep in years since the Defiance of Duskendale. Following the Battle of the Trident during Robert's Rebellion, Varys counseled Aerys to close his gates to Tywin Lannister, as he could not be trusted; Aerys, however, listened to Grand Maester Pycelle and opened the gates to the Lannister forces, who proceeded to sack the city and kill the remaining Targaryens present. Varys continued in his post for King Robert, yet his loyalty seemingly remained with House Targaryen; part of this loyalty he kept a secret arrangement with Illyrio Mopatis, who seeks to put a Targaryen back on the Iron Throne. Some even believe that Varys switched the baby Aegon with that of a peasant baby leaving the realm and Robert to falsely believing the rightful heir to be dead…

After the Hand's Tourney, Varys disguised himself and comes to meet the Hand of the King, Lord Eddard Stark at his chambers; warning Eddard that Queen Cersei was trying to kill King Robert, Varys stated that his goal is peace and stability and professes to assist Lord Eddard in his investigations against House Lannister. Varys also revealed that the former hand, Jon Arryn, was poisoned with the Tears of Lys for the crime of "asking questions". Varys brought Ser Jorah Mormont's report of Daenerys Targaryen being pregnant to the Small Council, which results in King Robert's command to assassinate both her and her unborn child. He met Illyrio below the Red keep where they discussed how to delay a war between Stark and Lannister until the right time. When King Robert was slain, Varys remained Master of Whisperers for King Joffrey who demanded that someone took blame for his father's death leaving Varys to suggest Ser Barristan Selmy. Joffrey and Cersei dismissed Selmy, a move many outside the council saw as a folly as Selmy later would join Daenerys Targaryen in the east as a result of his dismissal…

After Eddard Stark was imprisoned under the suspicions of treason (false accusations), Varys visited him disguised as a jailor and persuades Ned that for the sake of his daughter Sansa's life he must falsely confess to treason so Cersei will allow him to take the black, thus delaying a war between Stark and Lannister. When Ned showed reluctance, Varys insinuated that the Lannisters will kill Sansa if Ned continued to defy them; Ned for that asked who Varys truly serves, and Varys claimed that the purpose of his machinations is not for personal power, honor, or loyalty, but simply the best intentions for the realm as a whole. Despite Varys' intentions to spare Eddard Stark's life, Joffrey went against the council's wishes and decided at the last minute to have Ned Stark executed instead of allowing him to take the black much to the shock of Varys and the other onlookers. This onset would sped up Varys plans leaving him to make rash decisions in regards of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros though few would ever come to view them as such…

The arrival of Tyrion Lannister in King's Landing to serve as Hand of the King led an uneasy alliance to be formed between Varys and Tyrion, where Varys provided the half-man with information as to the goings-on in the city and the capital. In exchange Varys assisted Tyrion in gaining control of the City Watch and informed him that Ser Lancel Lannister was sleeping with queen Cersei. Varys aided Tyrion in protecting his whore Shae, setting a up a secret route through which he can visit her and keep her true identity secret from Cersei. During their work together, Varys revealed to Tyrion the origins of how he became castrated as well as mentioning that he was the one who sent Gendry with Yoren to join the Night's Watch, so the boy would not be killed by Cersei's agents simply for the crime of being Robert's bastard. After Tyrion Lannister's recovery following the Battle of the Blackwater, he sought out Varys to resume their alliance, which included his assistance in continuing to facilitate his trysts with Shae. Varys obliged him, though when Tyrion is put on trial for the murder of King Joffrey, Varys testified against Tyrion to save his own hide, providing notes on conversations between the two and a great deal of seemingly damning evidence. After Tyrion is condemned to die, however, Varys was forced by Jaime Lannister at swordpoint to release the dwarf and by doings so he became part of the fugitives that would be hunted by the Lannister bannermen. Fortunately soon after Stannis Baratheon claimed the Iron Throne, seeking the aid of the former Master of Whisperers to continue his lineage of crafty espionage within the Red Keep…