The Shavepate

The Shavepate, whose true name is Skahaz mo Kandaq, is a Meereenese nobleman of the House of Kandaq who becomes one of Daenerys Targaryen's most trusted and ruthless advisors. His most distinctive feature is his shaven head, a deliberate rejection of the elaborate hairstyles favored by the old Ghiscari nobility, which marks him as a traitor to his class and a supporter of the new order. He is described as having an odious face—a beetled brow, small eyes with heavy bags, a big nose dark with blackheads, and oily skin—a blunt, brutal, and angry visage that reflects his character. He is the commander of the Brazen Beasts, the city watch Daenerys creates to keep the peace in Meereen, a force made up of freedmen and shavepates who wear hoods and brazen masks to hide their identities from the Sons of the Harpy.

Role in Daenerys's Court

Skahaz is a constant presence in Daenerys's court, offering counsel that is consistently more violent and uncompromising than that of her other advisors. He is the first to propose taking hostages from the Great Masters and executing them in retaliation for the murders committed by the Sons of the Harpy, a policy Daenerys repeatedly rejects. He urges her to take one man from each of the great families and kill him for every freedman slain, then escalate to two if another murder occurs. He is also the one who suggests putting Hizdahr zo Loraq to the question to extract a confession, a proposal Daenerys also refuses. His hatred for the old slaving families is personal and deep; he offers to set aside his own wife to marry Daenerys himself, a notion that makes her shudder. He is the vilest of traitors to the Sons of the Harpy and their ilk, and his shaven head is a symbol of his complete break with the old Meereen.

The Brazen Beasts and the Shadow War

When Daenerys orders the creation of a new city watch to combat the Sons of the Harpy, she puts Skahaz in command. The Brazen Beasts are made up in equal parts of shavepates and freedmen, and they walk the streets both day and night in dark hoods and brazen masks, keeping their true faces hidden. Skahaz is relentless in his pursuit of the Harpy's Sons, and he is the one who brings Daenerys the news of the night's killings. He is also the one who suggests that the Sons of the Harpy are being directed by a highborn overlord, a secret general commanding an army of shadows. When Daenerys decides to marry Hizdahr zo Loraq, Skahaz is openly opposed, and Hizdahr's first act upon being crowned is to remove Skahaz from command of the Brazen Beasts, replacing him with his own cousin, Marghaz zo Loraq. This enmity between the houses of Kandaq and Loraq runs deep.

Conspiracy and the Fall of Hizdahr

After Daenerys's disappearance, Skahaz becomes a key conspirator in the plot to overthrow King Hizdahr. He meets secretly with Ser Barristan Selmy in the armory of the Great Pyramid, wearing a cat mask to avoid detection. He reveals that he has captured Hizdahr's confectioner, who confessed that the Sons of the Harpy took his daughter and forced him to poison the honeyed locusts meant for Daenerys. Skahaz argues that Hizdahr's peace is a sham and that the king is either the Harpy or the Harpy's firstborn son. He urges an immediate attack on the Yunkish forces, but Ser Barristan insists on a more honorable course, demanding that they first take Hizdahr prisoner and then give the Yunkai'i a chance to withdraw. Skahaz reluctantly agrees, but his loyalty is to Daenerys and her vision, not to any peace with the slavers. He is a man who believes that only blood can pay for blood, and he is willing to do whatever is necessary to protect the city and its freedmen, even if it means betraying the queen's own husband.