Khyzai Pass

The Khyzai Pass is a narrow route through the range of rounded sandstone mountains that separate the eastern hinterlands of Meereen from the grasslands of Lhazar. It is the sole practical land corridor connecting Slaver's Bay to the Lhazarene, a people the Dothraki call the Lamb Men. During Daenerys Targaryen's occupation of Meereen, the pass assumes vital strategic importance as the city's overland lifeline for food and trade.

Strategic Importance and Daario's Mission

After taking Meereen, Daenerys dispatches Daario Naharis and his Stormcrows through the Khyzai Pass to negotiate with the Lhazarene. Her hope is that Daario can convince the Lamb Men to reopen the overland trade routes, allowing grain to be brought down the river or over the hills at need. The mission is crucial because Meereen's storehouses are dwindling and the city's hinterlands remain tenuous at best. Daario succeeds in his task: the Stormcrows return from Lhazar with the friendship of the Lamb Men, securing a promise of grain and other goods to be sent by caravan over the pass.

The Yunkish Blockade

The Yunkai'i, seeking to strangle Meereen, send hired swords to close the Khyzai Pass. The Long Lances, a sellsword company, are dispatched to block the route. Daario and his Stormcrows descend on them in the night, killing several and forcing the rest to flee. The victory keeps the pass open, but the threat remains. Later, as the siege tightens, two Ghiscari legions are encamped across the river to the north, choking off the road to the pass entirely, cutting Meereen off from its eastern supply line.

Narrative Significance

The Khyzai Pass functions as a barometer of Meereen's isolation. When it is open, Daenerys has hope of feeding her people and maintaining her rule. When it is closed, the city's vulnerability is laid bare. The pass also serves as the backdrop for Daario's most significant service to the queen, a mission that both demonstrates his value and deepens her emotional entanglement with him, even as she knows a sellsword can never be the stuff of kings.