Clydas

Clydas is a short, bald, chinless man with small pink eyes like a mole, a description that marks him as physically unremarkable even among the hard-worn brothers of Castle Black. He shares his quarters with Maester Aemon and the steward Chett, and his primary function is to act as the blind maester's eyes and hands in the daily operations of the rookery and library. When Jon Snow comes to Maester Aemon's apartments late at night to plead for Samwell Tarly's reassignment, it is Clydas who is sent to fetch the bucket of chopped meat when the maester asks him to assist with feeding the ravens, a task that underscores his role as a quiet, reliable helper. He is present during the swearing-in of new recruits, standing beside Maester Aemon as the old man is helped to his place. It is Clydas who overhears the contents of a letter announcing King Robert's death and passes the news to Pyp, who then tells Jon Snow, demonstrating that he is a conduit for information within the castle's informal networks. His duties extend to the most sensitive communications: when a letter arrives from King's Landing with news of Lord Eddard Stark's imprisonment, it is Clydas who reads it to Maester Aemon, and later, when the Old Bear asks for news of his father, Jon learns that the message was read by Clydas. In all these instances, Clydas functions as a necessary intermediary, a figure whose quiet competence allows the ancient maester to continue his work despite his blindness.