Warlocks of Qarth

 

The Warlocks are a group of magic practitioners based in the city of Qarth. They gather at the House of the Undying and are recognizable by their blue lips, caused by their custom of drinking a substance known as shade of the evening.

 

Similar to the Alchemists' Guild of the Seven Kingdoms, the warlocks' power and prestige have waned over the years, and some of the Qartheen elite regard them with a contempt. Nevertheless, the Warlocks still hold a permanent seat in the Thirteen, the ruling council of Qarth.

 

In the A Song of Ice and Fire books warlocks are known to dress in long, beaded robes. Their leaders are the Undying Ones, who dwell in seclusion in the House of the Undying; these warlocks have drank so much Shade-of-the-evening that not only their lips but their entire flesh is ripe violet blue, their nails are nearly black, and even the whites of their eyes are blue.

 

Similarly to the Alchemists' Guild of the Seven Kingdoms, the warlocks' power and prestige have waned over the years to the point that a common saying in Qarth concerning the warlocks is "A warlock's house is built of bones and lies" while the House of the Undying is known as the "Palace of Dust." Even so, the Warlocks are feared and respected throughout the East; many enter the 'Palace of Dust', but none leave again.

 

In A Clash of Kings Daenerys turns to the Warlocks after she's refused aid by the Pureborn, the ruling elite of Qarth. Daenerys' dragons kill the Undying Ones to save their "mother" from the ancient warlocks. After Daenerys leaves the House of the Undying, many Qartheen factions, including the warlocks, call for Daenerys to be killed and one of them sends a Sorrowful Man to assassinate her. Pyat Pree also gathers the remaining warlocks to work ill on Dany.

 

The TV series changed the Sorrowful Man assassin hired by one of the Qartheen factions to a warlock who appeared as a young girl, though both attempted to kill her with a poisonous Manticore. Also, in the books the assassination attempt occurred as Daenerys was leaving the docks of Qarth, while the TV series slightly changed this by having it occur at Astapor's docks just as she arrived from Qarth.