Yunkai

Yunkai, called the Yellow City for its yellow brick walls, is one of the three great slaver cities of Slaver's Bay, alongside Astapor and Meereen. Its ruling class, the Wise Masters, built their wealth on the training and sale of slaves, especially bedslaves famed in the erotic arts. After Daenerys Targaryen defeated their army in the field and left the city untaken, the Wise Masters promptly resumed the slave trade and began plotting her destruction.

History and Character

Yunkai is an ancient Ghiscari city, its roots stretching back to the Old Empire of Ghis. The city's culture is steeped in slavery; the Wise Masters train slaves in the "way of the seven sighs" for the pleasure houses of Lys and elsewhere. The city's wealth is propped up by the slave trade, and its nobles are known for their arrogance, decadence, and cruelty. The Yunkish lords are described as a pack of "yellow fools" by sellswords, and their military command is often divided among squabbling nobles with absurd titles like the Yellow Whale, the Little Pigeon, and the Clanker Lords.

Role in the War

After Daenerys sacked Astapor and took Meereen, Yunkai became the center of resistance against her. The Wise Masters hired multiple free companies—the Windblown, the Long Lances, the Company of the Cat, and later the Golden Company—and formed alliances with New Ghis, Tolos, and Qarth. They besieged Meereen, blockaded its port, and established a slave market within sight of its walls to mock the dragon queen. The Yunkish supreme commander, Yurkhaz zo Yunzak, was an ancient, frail man who died during the chaos of Drogon's appearance in Daznak's Pit.

The Peace and Its Aftermath

Following Daenerys's marriage to Hizdahr zo Loraq, a fragile peace was signed. Yunkai agreed to withdraw its armies in exchange for the right to continue trading in slaves unmolested. The peace was a sham, however; the Yunkish lords only bided their time, waiting for the Volantene fleet to arrive before renewing the war. They murdered the hostage Admiral Groleo and sent his head to Meereen as a provocation. The pale mare, a deadly bloody flux, swept through their camps, weakening their forces but not their resolve.

Significance

Yunkai represents the entrenched power of the slave economy that Daenerys sought to destroy. Its Wise Masters are not a single, unified enemy but a collection of wealthy, arrogant, and often incompetent nobles whose greed and cruelty drive the conflict. The city's resilience and its ability to hire mercenaries and forge alliances make it a persistent threat, and its eventual fall or survival will determine the fate of slavery in Slaver's Bay.