Varys



Varys, sometimes called The Spider, is a character in Game of Thrones. He is played by Conleth Hill and debuted in the third episode of the first season of the show.

Varys, a eunuch, is a member of the King's small council, where he serves as Master of Whisperers, the King's foremost spymaster and intelligence agent. Since he was born across the Narrow Sea, he holds no inherited land or title in Westeros, but is called 'Lord' as a courtesy due to his position on the council, which traditionally is made up of great lords. He is disparagingly known as 'The Spider' due to his vast web of intelligence sources. He calls his intelligence sources his 'little birds' and claims they are everywhere, even in the North.

Lord Snow
Varys greets Lord Eddard Stark upon his arrival from Winterfell to take up the role of King's Hand. He later provides Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish with intelligence that Catelyn Stark is travelling to the city incognito, and attempts to help Catelyn identify the owner of the dagger sent to kill Bran. He is surprised to learn something he didn't know already, that Littlefinger lost the dagger in a wager to Tyrion Lannister.

Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things
Varys joins the rest of the small council in being concerned over the rise in crime in the city as a result of the planned tournament to celebrate Eddard's arrival. Grand Maester Pycelle hints that Varys may have had something to do with Jon Arryn's death, poison being a favoured weapon of eunuchs.

The Wolf and the Lion
Varys meets with Eddard Stark and frankly tells him that King Robert is a fool and likely doomed unless Eddard can save him. He confirms that Jon Arryn was murdered with a poison called the Tears of Lys and implicates the deceased Ser Hugh of the Vale in the murder, though he is unable to pinpoint who ordered the killing. He claims to be a man of honour, like Eddard, who only wants to keep the realm stable and at peace.

Varys is then later overheard by Arya Stark (who is unaware that it is him) conspiring with Magister Illyrio Mopatis of Pentos, who has arrived in the city for a secret meeting. Varys and Illyrio appear to want the realm plunged into civil war to faciliate the Dothraki invasion under Khal Drogo and thus the revival of House Targaryen. However, at a small council meeting he then supports King Robert's proposal that Daenerys Targaryen be assassinated.

Varys also has a tense confrontation with Littlefinger in which they both reveal that they hold incriminating evidence on the other: Varys knows of the illegalities going on in Littlefinger's brothels and that he implicated House Lannister in the attempted murder of Bran Stark, something the Queen would not appreciate. In turn Littlefinger reveals he knows that Varys met with Illyrio for some reason kept secret from the King and council.

In the books
In the Song of Ice and Fire novels, Varys is the most enigmatic member of the small council. He was apparently born as a slave in the Free City of Lys and found himself in a mummer's troupe in Pentos, where he was cut for unclear reasons. He later found his way to Westeros and rose to the position of Master of Whisperers during the reign of King Aerys II Targaryen. After the conclusion of Robert's Rebellion Varys was pardoned by King Robert Baratheon and continued to serve him as spymaster and intelligence-gatherer.

Varys is bald and tends towards fat. He has a gift for impersonation. He runs a sophisticated intelligence network based in both Westeros and across the Narrow Sea. He refers to his agents and sources of information as his 'little birds'. One of his jobs is to keep an eye on the movements of Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen and ensure they do not become a threat to King Robert's reign.