Lhazar

Lhazar is a region of rolling grasslands and hills east of Slaver's Bay, inhabited by a pastoral people known as the Lhazarene. The Dothraki contemptuously call them the Lamb Men, a name that reflects their reputation as a peaceful, non-martial society. In the context of the war-torn world of A Dance with Dragons, Lhazar's significance lies almost entirely in its potential to provide food and trade to the besieged city of Meereen, a role that exposes both its strategic importance and its fundamental weakness as an ally.

Geography and People

The Lhazarene are shepherds and herders, a people who have never been warriors. Their land lies beyond the Khyzai Pass, a range of rounded sandstone mountains that separates them from the eastern hills of Meereen. The Dothraki horselords call them the Lamb Men, a dismissive term that captures the Dothraki view of them as prey rather than equals. When Daenerys Targaryen's advisor Daario Naharis returns from a mission to Lhazar, he reports that the Lamb Men have agreed to send grain down the Skahazadhan River by barge and other goods by caravan over the Khyzai Pass, a deal that promises to alleviate Meereen's growing food shortage. However, Daenerys herself reflects on the fragility of this alliance, thinking, "The Lamb Men. Would that lambs had teeth." This metaphor underscores the Lhazarene's vulnerability: they are a people who can be sheared, not a martial power that can defend their own interests or those of their allies.

Role in the Siege of Meereen

Daenerys's need for Lhazar's food is desperate. Meereen's storehouses are dwindling, and the city is surrounded by enemies. The Lhazarene agreement to reopen overland trade routes is a vital lifeline. Yet the alliance is built on a foundation of weakness. When Daenerys mentions the alliance to Xaro Xhoan Daxos, the Qartheen merchant prince scoffs, "The Dothraki horselords call the Lhazarene the Lamb Men. When you shear them, all they do is bleat. They are not a martial people." Daenerys's own response—"Even a sheepish friend is better than none"—reveals her pragmatic desperation. The Lhazarene are not a source of swords or spears; they are a source of grain, and their willingness to trade is contingent on Daenerys's ability to protect them from the Dothraki and the Yunkish forces that roam the hills. The alliance is thus a gamble, a fragile thread in the web of Meereen's survival.

Narrative Significance

Lhazar's role in the narrative is to highlight the limits of Daenerys's power and the harsh realities of war. She cannot be everywhere at once; she cannot protect every ally. The Lhazarene, for all their good intentions, are a liability as much as an asset. Their non-martial culture makes them easy prey for the Dothraki, and their dependence on Daenerys for protection is a burden she can scarcely afford. The alliance with Lhazar also serves as a foil to the more aggressive, militaristic cultures that surround Meereen—the Dothraki, the Yunkish slavers, the Ghiscari legions. In a world where power is measured by the sword, the Lamb Men are a reminder that not all peoples are shaped for war, and that the cost of peace is often borne by the weak.