Lord Varys is a fictional character in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation Game of Thrones. Introduced in 1996's A Game of Thrones, Varys is a former slave eunuch from the city of Lys and the master of whisperers in King's Landing. He subsequently appeared in Martin's books A Clash of Kings (1998), A Storm of Swords (2000), and A Dance with Dragons (2011). He proves to be a key ally to Ned Stark and Tyrion Lannister at court, but his true motives remain shrouded in mystery to those who employ his services. Varys is portrayed by Conleth Hill in the HBO television adaptation. Source: Wikipedia (en)