Janos Slynt

"I'm not questioning your honor, Lord Janos. I'm denying its existence."

- Tyrion Lannister

Janos Slynt is a recurring character in the first and second seasons. He is played by guest star Dominic Carter and debuts in "Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things." Janos Slynt is the commander of the City Watch in King's Landing. He was named Lord of Harrenhal for his loyalty to King Joffrey Baratheon and founded House Slynt. He was exiled to the Night's Watch by the acting Hand of the King Tyrion Lannister for his part in the massacre of King Robert Baratheon's bastard children.

Background
Janos Slynt is the commander of the King's Landing City Watch (also called the "goldcloaks"), with almost two thousand men under his command. He is charged with keeping peace and order in the city and quelling unrest.

Season 1
Janos reports to the small council about the disruptions to the city caused by the tournament to celebrate Lord Eddard Stark's appointment. Lord Renly Baratheon suggests dismissing Janos in favor of someone more competent, but Janos angrily replies he doesn't have enough resources. Eddard offers him twenty of his household guard and commands Littlefinger to find gold to pay for an expansion of the City Watch by another fifty men.

After Eddard resolves to expose Joffrey Baratheon's true birth, he asks for the help of the City Watch. Littlefinger agrees to bribe them into supporting Eddard's plan. Janos tells Eddard that they are with him, but is then seen exchanging looks with Queen Cersei Lannister. During the confrontation the City Watch turns on Eddard and kills his men, allowing him to be taken prisoner. Following Lord Stark's arrest, Janos is named the new Lord of Harrenhal and head of House Slynt by King Joffrey as a reward for his loyalty. He also attends the execution of Lord Stark.

Season 2
Lord Janos has been given a place in the small council. During a session that coincides with the tournament to celebrate King Joffrey Baratheon's sixteenth nameday and the official announcement of the end of the longest summer in living memory, he expresses his concern with the influx of refugees fleeing the civil war. He is ordered by Queen Regent Cersei Lannister to bar the city gates to peasants. Janos oversees the massacre of all of the late King Robert Baratheon's bastard children. He personally murders the baby Barra before the eyes of her mother Mhaegen, one of Littlefinger's prostitutes. When one of his men expresses doubt. He also interrogates Tobho Mott, who is being tortured by one of the gold cloaks, about the whereabouts of Gendry and learns that he has joined the Night's Watch and is heading to Castle Black. Janos sends a small party of men after Gendry.

The small council receives a request for more men from Lord Commander Jeor Mormont of the Night's Watch. Cersei is dismissive of the commander's claims that he was attacked by a dead man. Tyrion has Janos as a dinner guest in the dining room of the Tower of the Hand. Tyrion's squire Podrick Payne pours wine for them but spills the beverage on Janos's hand. Janos begins to chastise the boy but Tyrion dismisses him and says they know how to pour their own wine. Janos tells Tyrion that he could have found him a “proper lad” for a squire but Tyrion says that he prefers the improper ones. Janos compliments the wine, recognising it as Dornish and Tyrion flatters his knowledge. Janos says it was a fine dinner and calls Tyrion “Lord”. Tyrion asks Janos to use his first name. Tyrion says that Janos must be getting used to fine dinners since he received his title as Lord of Harrenhal. Janos suggests that he might steal Tyrion's cook and Tyrion jokes that wars have started over less.

Tyrion asks about the incident in Petyr's brothel and Janos says it was a nasty business but had to be done. Tyrion feigns agreement, saying that the peace must be kept before adding that he did not realize the peace depended on killing babies. Janos insists that he was compelled to obey his orders. Tyrion says that Janos is right, especially when they are the queen's orders. Janos is careful to point out that he did not say the orders came from the queen. Tyrion asserts that no-one else would want to murder King Robert Baratheon's bastards and Janos says only that Tyrion knows Cersei better than he does. Tyrion asks if Janos has heard the rumors about Cersei's incestuous relationship with Jaime. Janos claims that he does not listen to filth. Tyrion insists that those that believe the rumors would consider Robert's bastards better claimants to the throne than Joffrey. Janos asserts his loyalty to Joffrey and says that the rest does not interest him.

Tyrion says that he appreciates Janos' loyalty and then questions him about the murder of Eddard's men in the throne room, asking if Janos ordered their deaths. Janos says that he did and goes on to say that he would do the same again because Eddard was a traitor who tried to buy his loyalty. Tyrion says that Eddard was a fool for not realizing that Janos was already bought. Janos accuses Tyrion of being drunk and says that he will not let Tyrion impugn his honor. Tyrion says that he is not questioning Janos's honor but denying its existence. Janos stands up and threatens Tyrion, calling him a dwarf, but Tyrion points out Bronn behind Janos. Tyrion elucidates that he intends to serve as Hand of the King until Tywin's return from the war and that he cannot trust Janos as Commander of the City Watch because he betrayed Eddard.

Janos insists that his friends at court will not allow Tyrion to replace him and that they will hear what Joffrey has to say. Tyrion says that they will not and nods to Bronn who summons four gold cloaks. Tyrion tells Janos that he is being sent to take the black and that he will leave on a ship for Eastwatch-by-the-Sea later that night. Tyrion says that he hopes Janos will enjoy the wall and adds that he found it beautiful in a brutal, uncomfortable way. Bronn tells Janos that the gold cloaks will escort him to the ship because the city streets aren't safe at night. Janos insists that the men are under his command and Tyrion explains that Bronn is now commander of the city watch. Janos is dragged off, still protesting about his connections at court.

In the books
In the Song of Ice and Fire novels Janos Slynt was a commoner (a butcher's son) who joined the Watch and raised through the ranks first to captain of the Iron Gate and then to become its commander at the death of the former commnder Manly Stokeworth. The City Watch or Gold Cloaks is one of the few institutions in Westeros to permit promotion of non-nobles from the ranks. He is somewhat humorless man who is arrogant and proud of his achievements. He bald, stout, and heavily jowled, often described as frog faced and shaped like a keg. He is commander of the City Watch of King's Landing, before taking part in the ousting of Eddard Stark who had been named regent by Robert Baratheon. Cersei (the new Queen Regent for King Joffrey) seizes the throne accusing Lord Eddard Stark of treason and thus raises Janos to Lord Slynt of House Slynt, Lord of Harrenhal. He betrays Lord Eddard and kills the Stark man Varly.

Arya Stark sees Janos Slynt at the Sept of Baelor throw her father down on his knees for Ser Ilyn Payne to behead him.

Tywin Lannister is indignant that he was raised to Lord of Harrenhal, due to his low birth he says that he should have taken a bloody cleaver as his sigil rather than a bloody spear (bloody gold spear on a field of black). This is one of the bad decisions he sends Tyrion Lannister to King's Landing as acting Hand to fix.

He is the father of four. Morros and Jothos are seen several times in the books they strongly resemble their father. At the ceremony where he is raised to a lord they come in carrying his sigil on a heavy painted shield. Morros Slynt is his heir and competes in the tourney on Joffrey's name day, being unhorsed in the joust by Ser Balon Swann. Jothos Slynt is a squire, Danos Slynt is a page and there is an unnamed daughter.

When Tyrion has Janos Slynt arrested and deported to the Wall by the new commander of the Gold Cloaks, Jacelyn "Ironhand" Bywater (not Bronn as in the show), Tyrion suspects that as Ser Jacelyn was suggested by Varys he is just replacing Littlefinger's man for one of Varys'. Sent to the Wall with Janos are also his six worst men (Janos himself had provided the list as Tyrion had asked him which men were worthy of promotion to Janos' old job). One of these men was Allar Deem who had killed the baby Barra and her unnamed mother who had tried to prevent it, he is the one Janos personally recommends to be promoted to new commander of the Gold cloaks. Tyrion sends a message to the captain of the ship that a wave washing Deem over board wouldn't be amiss.

In the book it is Cersei that gave the orders to kill Robert Baratheon's bastards, while in the series it is Joffrey, with Cersei not learning of it til later.

Tyrion tells Janos that he is lucky that Tywin wasn't there as he would likely have ordered Janos killed. Though Tyrion would deprive him of Harrenhal, his heirs would still be knights and even some land would be found as well as permission to keep the title of Lord after he was gone. Janos was corrupt and untrustworthy, but had after all done the Lannister's a service. They could even keep the ugly bloody spear as a sigil. The books also established that Slynt had amassed wealth by taking bribes, selling positions and promotions. By the end of his tenure, over half the officers were paying him part of their salaries. Jon Arryn discovered this and had two men who were willing to come forward to testify against Janos, but both were found dead a short time later. Jon still wanted to dismiss Slynt but King Robert preferred a known thief over someone who might be worse. According to Stannis Baratheon, those were Littlefinger's words. Stannis also believes that Littlefinger not only knew of Slynt's corruption but also made sure the crown profited from it.