Illyrio Mopatis

Illyrio Mopatis, the enormously fat Magister of Pentos, is a master manipulator and secret architect of the Targaryen restoration, whose wealth, cunning, and decades-long friendship with Varys have made him the indispensable financier and plotter behind the plan to place a Targaryen on the Iron Throne.

Identity and Background

Illyrio Mopatis is a magister of Pentos, a city where slavery is forbidden by treaty with Braavos yet where he still profits from the trade indirectly. He is grotesquely fat, with a forked yellow beard, heavy breasts, and a belly that sags like a sack of suet; his fingers are covered with jewels—onyx, opal, tiger's eye, tourmaline, ruby, amethyst, sapphire, emerald, jet, jade, a black diamond, and a green pearl. He dresses in brocade robes and lives in a manse with cherry trees, a marble pool, and a statue of a naked boy dueling with a bravo's blade. His household includes eunuch guards, cooks, and serving women, and he keeps a well-stocked cellar of wines from across the known world. He is a merchant prince who deals in cheese, spices, and influence, but his true trade is secrets and power.

Relationship with Varys and the Targaryen Conspiracy

Illyrio's deepest bond is with Varys, the Spider. They were young together in Pentos, two green boys: Varys arrived one step ahead of slavers, sleeping in sewers by day and prowling rooftops by night, while Illyrio was a bravo in soiled silks, living by his blade. Varys spied on lesser thieves and took their takings; Illyrio offered to recover valuables for a fee. They grew rich, and richer still when Varys trained his "mice"—orphan boys and young girls who stole letters, ledgers, and charts rather than gold. "Secrets are worth more than silver or sapphires," Varys claimed. Illyrio grew so respectable that a cousin of the Prince of Pentos let him wed his maiden daughter, while whispers of Varys's talents crossed the narrow sea to reach the ears of King Aerys II Targaryen. Illyrio describes this partnership with a mixture of nostalgia and calculation, admitting that he is "somewhat more than a cheesemonger after all."

Role in the Targaryen Restoration

Illyrio is the primary financier and logistical mastermind behind the plan to restore the Targaryen dynasty. He arranged Daenerys Targaryen's marriage to Khal Drogo, brokering the alliance that gave Viserys the promise of an army. He later sent Tyrion Lannister to join the exiled prince Aegon Targaryen, providing ships, supplies, and a cover identity. He supplies the Golden Company with funds, armor, and court clothes, and he maintains a network of contacts across the Free Cities. He tells Tyrion that the road to Casterly Rock does not go through Dorne or beneath the Wall, but through service to Daenerys. He speaks of a "savior"—a dragon with three heads—who will come from across the sea to bind up the wounds of bleeding Westeros.

Personality and Methods

Illyrio is jovial, gluttonous, and seemingly indolent, but beneath the fat and laughter lies a cold, calculating intelligence. He tests Tyrion with poisoned mushrooms to gauge his will to live, then eats them himself to prove they are harmless. He manipulates through generosity, providing baths, fine clothes, and feasts while keeping his true purposes hidden. He is a liar by nature, claiming that he acts out of a desire to do good before his days are done, but Tyrion sees through this: "Liar, there is something in this venture worth more to you than coin or castles." Illyrio is also sentimental in his own way, keeping a locket with the painted likeness of his late wife Serra, a Lysene pillow house girl he married despite the social cost, and preserving her hands in his bedchamber after she died of the grey death.

Significance

Illyrio Mopatis embodies the hidden hand behind the throne—the wealthy, well-connected outsider who pulls the strings of dynastic politics from the safety of a Free City. He is the link between the exiled Targaryens, the Golden Company, the Spider's network, and the sellsword armies that will shape the war for Westeros. His wealth, patience, and ruthlessness make him one of the most dangerous men in the known world, even though he never picks up a sword.